It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the Aligata Nude Beauty Big Weekend Bag, and they have just sent their newest offering — the Nude Beauty Medium Travel Bag. I’ll have a full review up after I’ve had some time to actually USE the bag and change its color from the nearly white Nude Beauty to a natural honey patina. But in the meantime, I just had to tell you all about it because it is something that I know would be an appreciated holiday gift for your special someone …
photos by Kevin
I like items that have their own personality and that aren’t similar to every one else’s, but lately it seems like all of the HTC Android phones that I have been posting about have been basically the same phone — albeit with different features or screen sizes. Has it seemed that way to you?
Whether it’s been the Vivid, or the Rezound or all the EVO iterations, there are traits that most HTC Android phones seem to share: they are rectangular, they have four capacitive buttons on the bottom of the screen, there is a noticeable speaker grill at the top of the screen, they are predominantly black, they are trying to out-compete each other (and other brands) in screen size, they are trying to out-compete each other (and other brands) in processor speeds … it’s like a massive nuclear arms race, but all of the weapons look the same!
I understand building brand recognition, but for some time it has seemed that HTC has been specifically marketing to masculine sensibilities, i.e. — bigger, faster, stronger, harder, rawrrrr!
I’m not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with keeping a phone at a comfortable size for holding, recognizing that some people don’t want to have such a personal device that looks like every other one out there, or making a phone that is a bit more convenient to use right out of the box.
HTC actually has a history of offering phones that came in more feminine colors (remember the HTC Star Trek?), but I can’t think of a single time that they pulled out all the stops and made a phone with the direct intent of going after the female side of the market.
And then along came the Rhyme.
If you could have been a fly on the wall the evening after I had posted the HTC Rhyme announcement … oh my! I was looking forward to checking out the Rhyme because its specs looked pretty good, and I’ve been a bit bored with all of the HTC devices that look exactly the same. Carly was bothered by the fact that the Rhyme might be a sub-par Android device that had been prettied up and marketed specifically to women (ala the pink Palm Centro in early 2008), which would have totally offended me, too … if I had felt that was the case. But once we sorted out the specs (and basically discussed it to death), we came to the conclusion that the Rhyme might not be a sow’s ear disguised as a silk purse.
Of course, I still needed to use one in real life to make a final determination.
Obviously geared toward women and men who don’t mind a deep splash of color, the Rhyme flaunts its plumness and comes with accessories that I haven’t seen accompany ANY mobile phones since … well, ever. So for pure colorful cheekiness and complementary accessories out of the box, the Rhyme was already on my “not too shabby” list.
Size: 119 x 60.8 x 10.85 mm (4.68 x 2.39 x 0.43 inches)
Weight:130 grams (4.58 ounces) with battery
Display: 3.7-inch touch screen with 480 x 800 resolution
Screen: 94mm (3.7″)
CPU Processing Speed: 1 GHz (Qualcomm MSM 8655)
Storage: Total storage: 4 GB; Available storage:up to 1 GB; RAM:768 MB; Expansion slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) [comes with an 8GB microSD card]
Connectivity: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack; Bluetooth® 3.0 with FTP/OPP for file transfer, A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, and PBAP for phonebook access from the car kit; Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n; DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to your TV or computer; ANT+ to connect with sport and fitness sensors
Sensors:Ambient light sensor, G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor
Power & Battery: Battery type:Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery; Capacity:1600 mAh; Talk time: Up to 480 minutes for WCDMA, Up to 620 minutes for GSM; Standby time1:Up to 340 hours for WCDMA, Up to 295 hours for GSM (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Platform: Android™ Gingerbread with HTC Sense™ 3.5 Interface
Network: HSPA/WCDMA:Europe/Asia: 850/900/2100 MHz; Upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbps and download speed of up to 14.4 Mbps; Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz; (Band frequency, HSPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Camera: 5 megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash; 720p HD video recording; VGA front-facing camera
Location: Internal GPS antenna
Multimedia: Audio supported formats: Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9); Recording: .amr, .m4a, .aac; Video supported formats:; Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), .xvid (MP4 ASP and MP3); Recording: .3gp, .mp4… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
When my coworker was preordering his new iPhone 4S, we had a debate about colors. I was firmly on the side of black, and he said he was considering white because it stood out a bit more, and since most people have black iPhones, it eliminated that moment of “is this your phone or my phone” that happens when everyone has their iPhones on the table at the same time.
Of course, you can solve this with a case, but who wants the same boring cases that everyone else picks up at the Apple store? Instead, you could snag an iStylize case from ErinCondren.com that has your name or initials right in the design! No… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Even with so many devices going toward the microUSB “standard”, I can’t help but travel with a minimum of three different types of cables — and sometimes more than that. My phone uses microUSB, my iPad has its own Apple connector, and my camera is miniUSB. When packing, I also need to bring along the battery chargers for my camera and MacBook Air, along with a few other miscellaneous doo-dads. You may recall that I reviewed the Skooba Design Cable Stable DLX early last year; while I have found it to be an excellent solution when I need to bring along the whole ‘kit and kaboodle’, there are times when I have wished that it… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Mom, my brother Mark & me
September 1970, in Camp Kue, Okinawa
Sometimes it is hard to imagine the fact that our mothers had a whole different life before they became parents … but they did!
My mom, Sarah Kate, was born to parents who were both from pioneer Texas families. Mom grew up riding horses on her family’s ranch. She traveled the western United States with her mother and brother, exploring national monuments and state parks. She had pen pals in foreign countries, some of whom she corresponded with for years. She grew up watching and learning from strong women like her mother, grandmother, and great-aunt.
One of the coolest things about the 6th generation Apple iPod nano is how it can be attached to a strap, transforming it into a watch with benefits. Dan has covered many of the available straps here previously, but these by iWatchz look so fun and colorful that they are worth mentioning for anyone who is looking for a colorful Mother’s Day surprise, a gift for a grad, or simply a cool way to wear their own nano. iWatchz is introducing their new alligator print Timepiece Collection and the Carbon Collection, but I still think their colored rubber ones are the cutest.
With prices from $24.99 to… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
The ad above says it all — you can save 40% on Skooba Design’s Harmony Collection, thanks to the bonus 10% they are tacking onto an already good 30%-off deal; even better, you get free shipping on orders over $50.
Carly will have a review on the Harmony 15 Tote early next week, but in the meantime — enjoy fantastic savings by using the EXTRA10 code at checkout when purchasing from the Harmony Collection. =)… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Labels. We get them when we are young. Sometimes we earn them. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes they are flattering. Often they are not. Labels. Once they are there, they are difficult to shake. Oh, wait, this isn’t about that kind of label is it?
No, this is about those labels that you print up and then attach to items you want easily identified. For example if you are sorting the various cables that go with the various gadgets you have collected over the years labels help you know what is inside each box without even opening it. Or if you have five different wall adapters for a wide assortment of electronics you can put labels… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Not that you needed any further proof that I was a dork, I mean geek, but I found myself unnaturally excited when FedEx dropped off this package earlier today. Inside is the SwingLine Stack & Shred, a crosscut shredder that allows you to feed up to 100 sheets of paper at a time by lifting the lid on the front and laying the items to shred inside the tray.
Stack, Shut and Go. The Swingline Stack-and-Shred technology is built for busy executives, small and home office users and anyone who wants an easy and efficient way to personally shred. It does the work so users can multitask like they mean it. Just lift
Given the long hours I spend editing and writing, there are a few things that I need to have available at all times: a good desktop or laptop computer, a decent camera for taking pictures, a comfortable chair, and an ever flowing source of caffeine. The refrigerator behind me takes care of my Diet Cokes, I have a canister of dark-chocolate covered coffee beans on the counter, and lately I’ve been using the Keurig Mini Plus Personal Brewer system to handle my coffee and tea requirements.
As the company explains:
· The Keurig brewing system offers a coffee house quality cup of coffee for just a fraction of the cost with the convenience of
Uncomplicated good looks, even contrasting stitching, and leather which will only get more beautiful over time as it is used … these are what you’ll get when you purchase an iPhone leather sleeve from Aligata. Don’t be fooled by the name, though; the iPhone Leather Sleeve will also fit other similarly sized phones and devices.
Because he knows how much I like this combination, Tom from Aligata sent me a nude beauty sleeve with yellow stitching. This particular type leather usually comes with white stitching, but for a fee (and a little bit of prior-to-ordering discussion) you can specify other thread colors. There are also four other types of leather… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Gadget accessory company Evouni (I will leave the pronunciation up to you) sent GearDiary.com a few items recently, three of which made it into my hands.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
You see that big ol’ grin on my face? Simply put, it’s because I’ve finally found the perfect trench coat!
When done correctly, a woman’s trench coat is the perfect jacket. A trench keeps its wearer warm, but it isn’t too heavy; trench coats are belted, so the woman wearing one gains an instant hourglass figure — whether she has one or not! The right trench coat can add instant sophistication to even the most basic outfit; but best of all, a well-cut trench coat can hide a multitude of figure flaws while taking an outfit from day to night. Scott Jordan let us know last October that SCOTTEVEST would be coming out with… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Possibly just in time for Valentine’s day, but definitely in time for graduation or late spring and summer birthdays, comes the ultimate gift for any Star Wars aficionado: Star Wars: Frames. Imagine if you will, George Lucas sitting in his office with every Star Wars movie at his disposal. Imagine him sorting through millions of individual frames as he picks and chooses his favorites; every battle, every character’s emotion, every iconic scene laid out in front of him. The result of his selection process would ultimately become Star Wars: Frames, an 1,138 copies limited edition. Each set comes in an art deco-inspired wooden box, each includes a certificate personally signed by… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
It’s not very often that I can get excited about a universally fitting mobile phone sleeve, mainly because most of the ones I’ve reviewed in the past were pretty utilitarian. But when I received an email from Oberon Design, the company responsible for some of my favorite Kindle2, Kindle DX and iPad cases ever, asking if I’d like to review their new cell phone sleeve, I was happy to oblige.
Our cell phone sleeve is offered in twelve cropped versions of our most popular designs and accommodates many different smart phones and regular cell phones.
As in the past, the Oberon item arrived wrapped… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
