Vestax, one of the industry leaders in professional DJ equipment has partnered up with djay to release a brand new controller called Spin that enables Mac users to use their own iTunes libraries to mix, scratch and play music just like a real DJ.

The bundle is available exclusively in Apple stores nationwide, and delivers the entire DJ experience to any music lover, whether novice or professional.

The package is available from Apple.com for a price of $249.99.

You can watch a video demo of it in action below.

My review of the ioSafe fireproof hard drive might just have been the most fun I’ve had with a review here at Gear Diary.

This week ioSafe announced the availability of a 2 TB ioSafe Solo, the company’s external water and fire proof hard drive.  Not only does the drive provide unparalleled protection of your data but it now also provided for massive amounts of storage.

Priced at $399, the 2 TB drive packs all the same protection I demonstrated in my review.

You can check out the new drive here.

A-DATA recently announced the release of a waterproof and shock resistant hard drive.  The sh93 Incorporates rubber and plastic along with special cushion materials that allow it to withstand a 1M waterproof test for 30 minutes and military standard MIL-STD-810F drop test.

The SH93 comes in two colors : racing car yellow and chili pepper red. With capacity up to 640GB, it is designed for users to conveniently carry around massive documents without the fear of damaging files stored in the drive in the incident of accidental drop or water spills.

I’m quite familiar putting hard drives to the “test” and took the A-DATA with me to the firehouse to see if it really does stand up.

Continue Reading

How many times have you said to yourself, “if I could make my own phone case or lap top bag, here’s how I’d do it…..”

Well alkr, a new company is doing just that.  They bill themselves as not only marketing and design folks but first and foremost “gadget freaks”.

After traveling the globe and seeing countless plain jane, boring bags they decided lap top cases could use a little more excitement.

The company is getting set to release its very first offering in the form of a colorful new line of lap top cases designed to fit 13″ or 15″ lap tops.  The case comes comes made from 3mm of neoprene cushioned with a soft fleece lining and uses a heavy duty zipper with closed seem construction.

The sleeves will available on November 21st with iPhone cases coming later in the year.

You can check out the entire line here.

The keyboard on an iMac or MacBook is awesome. The island keys have enough separation to make striking the right key simple. They are shallow enough to make typing fast while having enough play to prevent frequent mistyping. They also tend to get REALLY dirty. I mean, my iMac keyboard gets trashed in daily use. Add to that the danger of spilling a Diet Coke on it and rendering it entirely useless (yes, we’re talking to you Ms. Lipsett), and the keyboard is calling out for some protection. Fortunately, iSkin has you covered with a nice variety of keyboard protectors made specifically for Apple keyboards.

iSkin was kind enough to send some to Judie, Dan and Larry. Let’s take a look… and give a couple away.

Continue Reading

Every once and a while a product comes along that really catches my eye.  Such was the case when I spotted an advertisement for the HyperMac external battery in a tech. magazine last month.  The HyperMac is currently the only external battery available for use with Apple’s line of Mac Book computers.  And with the new unibody Mac Book Pro and its built in battery the HyperMac might just be a must have for the true road warrior.

Hyper Shop, the company behind the HyperMac, was kind enough to send me a HyperMac 150Wh battery for review.  I’ve put it to the test and am ready to share my thoughts.

Does the HyperMac live up to my expectations?  Read on to find out.

Continue Reading

Since the first time I used one of the multi-touch trackpads on the current MacBooks I have wanted to have similar multi-touch abilities when using my iMac. I love using the trackpad on the MacBook. It works beautifully. The buttonless left and right click work great. And the multi-touch capabilities… well I didn’t really understand why I would want such a thing… until three minutes after I first tried it. Now I would never use a notebook without one. (Except the netbook I am using to write this, but that is another story.)

When Apple announced the new Magic Mouse, I was excited; finally Apple was bringing the amazing technology to their desktops. So when Larry IM’d me earlier today that the new Magic Mouse was finally in stock in Apple retails stores, I wanted one… fast.

I called my wife Elana and asked if she was near an Apple Store. “Nope but I can be if you like.” (Now THAT’S a good gadget-freak’s mate!) A short time later she IMed the following to me…

Mouse in hand. $69. Expensive, no?? Nice Style and packaging- shocking for Apple

So do I love the new Magic Mouse? Does Apple hit a home run with their new mouse? Yes… and NO!

Continue Reading

Twelve South, the makers of the “Back Pack”, which we told you about here, recently announced that both their Back Pack and Book Arc work fine with Apple’s newly released 21.5″ and 27″ iMac and Mac Book.

The Back Pack is a shelf which attaches to the back of the iMac and is the perfect place to rest your external hard drive.  I have one myself and love it.  It’s available for $29.99 here.

The Book Arc is a stand which holds most Mac Books freeing your desktop from clutter.  It’s available for $49.99 here.

Speck is running an frightfully goolishly awesomely great Halloween sale. A 50% Halloween Sale!!

That’s right, you can take 50% off ALL Speck’s clear, white, black, purple and orange-colored cases!

Seriously, this is an amazing offer from Speck but hurry, because like the Halloween treats I got as a kid, once Halloween is over this offer is GONE!

Too get a better idea of the cases you can get as part of this offer visit the Speck site here.

iSkin was the first company to create a silicone keyboard to protect Macintosh computer keyboards. Never one is to sit on their laurels, they’ve now released the next generation of their ProTouch keyboard protectors.

The new line-up offers three different styles of protection — The ProTouch Classic, The ProTouch FX and The ProTouch Vibes. Each is made from high-grade silicone that is specially engineered to cover each key to ensure smooth and easy use of the keyboard even while protected. Each is designed for maximum comfort and the greatest degree of non-obtrusive protection so that all typists find the protectors useful without reducing their speed and accuracy. Finally, each offers embedded Microban® antimicrobial product protection helps inhibit the growth of odor and stain causing bacteria on the product.

Continue Reading

Larry reviewed GelaSkins last month and there were literally hundreds of designs.  Now there are an infinite number, as you can design your own artwork to put on your iPhone, Laptop, iPod or any other device that GelaSkins supports.  Prices range from $14.95 to $29.95 on GelaSkins.com.

Last week I reviewed Timbuk2’s new H.A.L. backpack. I like it a lot. I was impressed with the quality of the workmanship, the design itself, and the incredible utility of the backpack for anyone needing to carry a laptop and assorted other items. My one criticism of the backpack was that the area designed to hold the notebook, while convenient, or for no real fall protection. That’s where today’s review item comes in more than a bit handy.

The ColcaSac is a simple, rugged burlap sleeve that offers excellent protection for your MacBook Pro from the daily bumps and grinds of life. Let’s take a look.

Continue Reading

The new Unibody MacBook Pros are gorgeous. They are sleek, refined and… well they just look awesome. And while it is a shame to cover up those good looks, there is a lot to be said for keeping the beauties pristine… especially if, like many of us on the site, you tend to cycle through devices frequently and therefore rely on keeping resale value as high as possible.

So if you ARE going to hide the unibody MacBook behind a protective shell, the least you can do is hide it behind an awesome looking one. On this front Case-Mate has you covered. Their new Unibody Suit looks great, and it offers super protection.

Let’s take a look…

Continue Reading

Many of us like to keep our overly expensive gadgets protected.  We always want them looking like they did when we first pulled them out of the box.

There are several ways to do so.

Cases are popular, as are clear protective skins.

But GelaSkins are another way to not only keep your device pristine but also keep it looking stylish and personalized.

GelaSkins are removable covers for protecting and customizing your portable devices. They feature stunning, photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images designed by the company’s growing family of artists from around the globe.

I recently received a few GelaSkins for some of my gear.

Continue Reading

Anyone with a MacBook knows that the MagSafe Power Adapter’s block has an elegant winding device built right in – there are little wings that flip up from the block itself to hold the cable. This works very well as long as you are only winding the thin power cable that comes from the block itself. The remaining removable portion that goes from the block to the wall outlet is a much bulkier cable, and it generally has to be looped over itself and tied off somehow.

That’s where quirky’s PowerCurl comes in.

PowerCurl wraps both cords (plug end & MagSafe end) around the device and allows for easy and quick cord wrapping. The Curl, as we like to call it, makes it easy to unplug and pack up quickly saving you the trouble of untangling your extension cords the next time you need to set up shop.

Continue Reading