Father’s Day is coming up quickly, and we know that some of you are still stressing over what to get your special guy. We’re here to help! So with that goal in mind, Wayne and I culled through a few of our past reviews, things we found on the web, and vendor emails to see which gifts might make dad smile…

Continue Reading

We all have gear that must be moved from point A to point B - sometimes daily, sometimes less regularly. When carrying a few simple items, the bag used might not really matter. But when carrying thousands of dollars in electronic gear, people can understandably become a bit more picky. Due to personal needs and the type of actual gear carried, the search for the perfect laptop or gear bag can sometimes seem daunting.

Take my friend Jack Cook; he was an educator and then a school principal, and for years he made do by carrying both a briefcase and a laptop bag. For a while this was acceptable, but after retirement and after he began to travel a bit more, he decided that it was simply too much. Since he is now toting around even more electronic devices, he wanted a single bag that would be practical, protective and that looked great. After much research he decided upon the SOLO Vintage Collection Backpack, and he has just posted its review…

I think the over-riding issue for me in my search for a bag was that I wanted the versatility of a backpack but I definitely did not want to have a backpack that was a “kids” bag. I wanted something that was professional and yet something that would provide me with all the benefits of a “regular” backpack. I spent quite a bit of time looking in local stores that have carry bags but none of them caught my fancy. There were a few that looked good but did not have the right number of pockets. There were a few that had the right number of pockets but were not padded for protection and there was one that had pockets and padding but was definitely a bag for a 15 year old. It was a disappointing experience and one that ultimately led me to start my search on the net.

Continue Reading

…the HP Dragon, that is!

Steve (FYI guy) Hughes of BostonPocketPC has just posted his full review of the HP Dragon, the same portable desktop solution which has been featured in the 31 Days of the Dragon contest that has been sweeping the web. Let’s take a look and see what he thought.

Continue Reading

Clinton has been salivating over the Celio REDFLY for a while, and we hope to satisfy his gadget lust with a Gear Diary review unit soon; but in the meantime, he and the rest of us can live vicariously through Jack Cook.

Jack received “his” REDFLY before leaving for the Microsoft MVP Summit, and he used that trip as the perfect opportunity to put the device through its paces. Now just in case you are drawing a blank at all my REDFLY references, here’s the scoop:

The REDFLY Mobile Companion is a sleek clamshell design that includes an 8″ display, a full function keyboard, and a touchpad mouse. Measuring just 1×6x9 inches and only 2 pounds, the REDFLY Mobile Companion offers over 8 hours of battery life and boots instantly! It also adds three new features - instant VGA output, access to USB flash drives, and the ability to charge your smartphone via USB.

Continue Reading

I love gadgets! I have no idea why I am such a gadget person but I have always had this desire for items that were different, unique, functional and fun. There was a time in my life that my friends would say “if it has buttons, Jack will buy it”. I used to laugh but upon reflection that sure seems to be fairly accurate. Over the years, I have amassed quite a collection of items that “have buttons”. Mobile devices are recent acquisitions to my collections but I have always had a desire for tools and flashlights. Whenever I see a different and unique flashlight, I always grab it and more often than not my wife will say, why do you need that one?

Most of you know that I have had the unique opportunity to spend half my time in Maine and enjoy the wonders of the Maine Coast. It has been an extraordinary experience and with that has come a myriad of opportunities to not only discover the coast but to garner new friends and experience new and different facets of life. Becoming involved in community and giving back has always been part of my being and living in Maine is no different. I have become an active member in our fire department and have gone through the required training each year to maintain my status. I would never have imagined that I would have done this with such fervor but then I thought about it for a while and realized that there are a heck of a lot of “buttons” on the fire engine. Maybe my friends were right about me so many years ago….

Each month we have mandatory training and last month was no exception. With the end of winter approaching and the breakup of ice on so many lakes, it was time for our cold water rescue training. This year we tried several different scenarios and training at night was part of this year’s agenda. Part of the gear we all carry in our turnout gear is a spare flashlight but I have never been happy with what we carry. It’s a spare, it’s small and does the trick in special situations and even though its size is a major factor, its inability to survive rough treatment is a major disadvantage. We carry a great light that is fixed to our Helmut but having a spare to use in that special circumstance is more important than you can imagine.

Energizer has a light that is the toughest flashlight that you will ever need. It’s weatherproof, will survive abuse, and has a 125 degree rotating head and 5 different light modes. It definitely looks “rugged” and has some unique features that will serve me well.

Continue Reading