I carry my iPad with me pretty much all the time. And, increasingly I find myself carrying ONLY my iPad and my smartphone during the day. I don’t carry my laptop. I don’t carry a pen or even my Livescribe Echo SmartPen. I don’t even carry an external keyboard for the iPad. And if I am going to go light I might as well carry a small, light bag. I’ve been on the hunt for something small and light that also had some style to it. So when I saw the Messenger Bag for Tablets on Sena’s website I took note. But I had some questions about it. Would it be TOO small? Would it be too heavy? Would the silver plate on the front be too big and “blingy”? Would it look too much like a murse?… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Bodyguardz offers some slick options for using and/or enhancing your various mobile products. Sure they offer their BodyGuardz UltraTough Clear Skins but they also offer a line of BodyGuardz armor skins (my favorites!), cases and even their own brand of earphones, the earjax. (I have a pair of the earwax that I bought on CyberMonday and they are great!)

Well, Bodyguardz has been kind enough to provide two discount codes for use on their site and, this weekend, we’ll be giving them away.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you hate putting your iPhone in a case, but you still want it to look unique and interesting, then you might want to consider one of the imaginative adhesive leather backs from The Brooklyn Bakery Store. Made to resemble natural and unnatural skins, these leather objects of art will really make your iPhone stand out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

iOS devices are becoming increasingly more versatile and even specialized if chosen to be. I am blown away by the uses for my devices with my guitars. From tuners to chord libraries and tabletures to effects pedals. There are numerous hardware interfaces available for iPhones and iPads allowing users to connect an electric guitar and output the sounds. I am sure some savvy musicians are even finding a way to use their iOS devices to record records and even use during live performances. For me, I love the ability to be mobile and easily practice my guitar with headphones so I do not disturb my wife and kids. The GuitarJack from… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you use a Mac and an iPad, then Twelve South’s new HoverBar is for you. It lets you use your iPad 2 an adjustable arm that floats iPad 2 next to an iMac or Apple display, allowing you to use iPad as a secondary, touchscreen computer.

[It] turns iPad into the ultimate sidecar for an iMac or Apple display, presenting more ways to use iPad more often. Connect HoverBar to your Mac, snap iPad 2 into the secure clip and you now have one powerful dual-computer work setup. Having iPad floating next to your Mac allows you to monitor your Twitter stream, stocks and local weather — or run FaceTime on your iPad while you email, edit a file, or cut a video on your Mac.

When you look at an iPad, one of the first things that comes to mind (after, “Cool!  Want!”) is, “How awesome when you have to do portable stuff!”  In fact, if you go into your local Apple store you will see a bunch of the Apple concierges trotting around with their iPads, checking people in, looking up product stock information, getting prices, and a whole bunch of other things.

I have been waiting for the iPad to achieve greater market penetration in the Enterprise area (which, if you’re not in the tech biz world, mean, “Them really big customers like General Motors or The New York Stock Exchange”).  As we get more networked, people–especially IT people, but really anyone–need a more portable computing solution.  I can’t tell you the number of times at my previous company where I saw people carting around their laptops, lid open, balanced on one arm.  Man did they need an iPad!

So the question is, if you’re carting your iPad around a lot, how do you keep it secure, how do you hang on to it more easily? How do you insure it doesn’t  get stolen?

SecurityLocker for the iPad thinks they have an answer:… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I love my iPad; I mean, I really love it.  If I could figure out a way to get it to completely replace my laptop, I would do it.  I use it to watch movies, read books, follow my Twitter feed, and lots of other things.  As a nerd– and this is no exaggeration– it’s the kind of device I’ve been waiting for most of my nerdy, computer-geek life.

It does have some issues, though, one of which is that, after a while, you do get tired of holding the durn thing up.  It’s not that it’s so heavy but, like reading a book on the beach, eventually your hands get fatigued and you feel the need for a break.  Sure, it’s okay to rest the iPad on your stomach while reading but that doesn’t work well when you are, for example, watching movies and TV shows.  Sometimes, you just want to clamp the iPad in place and relax while using it hands-free.

Arkon has just the accessory to make this happen. The Tablet Table Mount is a  universal tablet holder that is designed to work with many different tablets. Of course, I only have an iPad 1 so that’s what I used to run it through its paces.  What did I think?  Read on!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Adonit’s Jot and Jot Pro Stylus for the iPad is an unusual animal. We reviewed it here and had this to say

What sets the Jot and the Jot Pro apart from the crowd is the disk at the top. Rather than having a relatively wide rubber tip for darting or writing the Jot and Jot Pro have a ballpoint tip that then attaches to a clear disk. The ball-point tip gives you accuracy while the disk protects the screen from scratches. It looks rather odd and does take a few minutes of adjustment but, after that, it REALLY WORKS!!

It is an impressive combination from a company that clearly pays attention to how people use their tablet and what details, like the threaded back so you don’t lose the cap, are important. In all my initial experience with the Jot and Jot Pro is entirely positive. We’ll see how it stands up to daily use but, for now, I highly recommend this tablet accessory.

Now the company has released an app specially designed to work with the Jot and Jot Pro stylii.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

There are some smartphone accessories that make you go “huh? Who would buy this?” And then sometimes there are ideas so smart you think, “Wow! Why didn’t anyone do this sooner?” Finally, there’s the “GREAT idea, poor execution” accessory. The Kingston Wi-Drive fits into one of these categories, but you will have to read to the end to find out which one!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Cold weather and touchscreen don’t go together. More accurately, they did not go together until now. Yes, if you use an iPhone, Android device, Windows Phone or tablet there are now a host of touchscreen-friendly glove options on the market. We take a look at two such offerings in this video.

From iTouch Touchscreen 3 in 1 Gloves:

Stay Warm and Stay Connected: iTouchTM Touchscreen Gloves with conductive yarn in the fingertips allow you to use your iPod, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, eReader Touch and other touchscreen devices without having to take your gloves off in the cold weather

My daughter Maggie, getting gear for her isn’t that hard; she’s fine with the default iPhone ear buds.  She’s also not much of an audiophile; if it’s pink, she’s fine with it–I got her a pair of iHome rechargeable speakers for her iPhone, for example, and she loves them not because of the sound, but because they’re pink.  Such is the life of a parent.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Each year when I check out the news from NAMM I look at cool new stuff as well as what is happening with companies I already known and love. Mackie Designs is one of those companies. For a long time they were a mixer-only company, and about 20 years ago when I was transitioning from trying to use my Tascam Portastudio as a pseudo-mixer into having a real home studio, the Mackie 1202 provided everything I need in a well made, high quality package at a budget price – and it is still going strong today for myself and my son!

At Winter NAMM they introduced a great looking new mixer based around… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The Q-i-sound Bluetooth speakers from Qmadix leave the square, boring speakers that are so common in the dust. Available in black or white, they have an unusual shape that is sure to grab attention. Each speaker has its own rechargeable lithium polymer battery that charges in 3 ½ hours and gives up to eight hours of playtime. Standby time is up to 10 days. As the company puts it

Ultra portable speakers offer music lovers a great listening experience, as well as microphones for clear phone communication

It is also worth nothing that, once paired the speakers can be separated by up to 15 feet. A… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Judie and I had a chance to visit with Gear4 in their suite at the Wynn. We’ve seen some of the company’s products in the past, but I don’t think that either of us realized how extensive their portfolio is. And it is going to get even larger in 2012. Needless to say, we came away impressed. Here’s a rundown on the company and their current lineup …

Gear4 wants to “make things that are simple, enhance your life and are a pleasure to use.” While all of that is highly subjective from what we saw they are doing everything possible to be true to their mission. Their docks look good, appear easy to use and, best of all, they sound excellent.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The JawBone JamBox was released in November of 2010. Yes, that’s almost a year and half ago… ancient by today’s tech standards. So you might be wondering why we’re covering it NOW. The reason is simple: although it was released almost a year and a half ago the JamBox is still the best portable Bluetooth speaker on the market and, thanks to updates and additional apps for it the speaker just keeps getting better and better. Thomas was quick to buy one when it was first released but I held back and only got one a few months ago. I wish I hadn’t waited because it really is an incredible little device. I like it so much in fact that I purchased one for Elana to use when she is training clients.

Oh, and there is another reason we shot the video now… it was the first time since I got JamBox-ified that Thomas and I were together. So here’s a quick video of Thomas and me talking about the device and why it’s become one of our favorite gadgets. Yes November of 2010 was quite a while ago but this is one piece of gear that isn’t even close to becoming long in the tooth.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...