Some people like shoes while others like jackets. Me… I’ve always had a thing for notebook cases. There is something about the combination of function and style that draws me to a new case when I see one. So when the opportunity to take a look at Rivet’s new Vertical Leather Bag came up I jumped. It looked nice and, perhaps more importantly, it looked DIFFERENT from the other bags available.

Let’s take a look…

Continue Reading

My relationship with the new fullsize GM hybrids continues to be a love/hate one. I love the fuel savings and cleaner emissions delivered by these “green beasts,” but I hate that consumers still cannot get an SUV for less than 50 grand. I also hate the acceleration/deceleration whine produced by the transmission/generator unit while operating in electric mode at low speeds, but then, this is the tradeoff for new technology.

The good news is, these new trucks see a 40 percent fuel economy improvement in city driving thanks to GMs two-mode hybrid powertrain. Continue Reading

Phatware has been making handwriting recognition and note taking software for [what were called at the time] pocket PCs and smartphones since 1997.  I’ve used PhatPad on my Windows Mobile devices for quite a few years now, and it’s often one of the first things that I install when I get a new device.  When they announced their first products for the iPhone at the end of May, Phatware offered Gear Diary an opportunity to review their first three programs: WritePad Notes, WritePad Affairs, and WritePad Events.  All three programs feature PhatWare’s handwriting recognition software for the iPhone, WritePad.

Continue Reading

You want to look like a DJ?  You don’t like the colors typical DJ style headphones come in?  Well, check out these headphones from 2XL.

These are a classic design that has been around for a long time.  When I was little, these were the only kind of headphones available.   Continue Reading

I do not have a green thumb, but through much trial and error over the years I have compiled a list of plants I can keep alive. I have also learned that there are some, that when I see them seemingly thriving and beckoning to me at the store…no matter how good they look, I should just keep on walking.

When dealing with indoor plants, I know that I do best with ones that can handle diffused light and weekly watering; since I love blooming flowers, I tend to buy orchids.

Outdoor plants must be able to handle direct sun, intense summer heat and watering every other day; I do very well with cacti and yucca.

For the last couple of years, my mother has purchased hibiscus plants at Sam’s when they did their annual display. She’ll keep them for a week or so, and when they start looking awful, she’ll ask me to take them and see if I can do anything to help them. The first thing I do is repot them, because they are usually root-bound. Once that’s done, all I can do is sit back and hope that I am watering them enough (but not too much) and giving them enough sun (but not too much).

Inevitably, they die.

This year, when mom gave her sad hibiscus plant to me, I was armed and ready with a tool that I had spotted at CES: the EasyBloom Plant Sensor, a device which the manufacturer states can determine which plants will thrive in a specific spot in your yard or home, diagnose an ailing plant so you can bring it back to health, and access detailed plant information on over 5000+ plants on the EasyBloom website.

Continue Reading

Who ever thought I would be using a belt-driven turntable in 2009? And yet, that’s what I did over the weekend. Sure, we all know DJs love vinyl, but me, the typical end-user? What gives?

Well it turns out there are a host of treasures to be found if you “go retro”. LPs stored in the attic are just waiting to be broken out once again. And if you don’t have any disks left you can just go to your local record store where your favorite music can be had for a song. (Ha, music… song… get it???)

If you DO have records, however, you need something with which to play them. That’s where the Stanton T.55 Belt-Driven Turntable comes in. It takes the “old” technology of vinyl records and delicate needle and merges it with “new” technology such as USB out so the output can be captured by your computer. I checked it out over the weekend and was rather impressed. What follows are the specs and a video look at this merger of modern and classic technology.

Continue Reading

From the developer:
You wake up alone on an unknown beach – your boat and entire fleet missing… It’s the beginning of an epic odyssey to find out just what game the gods are playing with you, King Argos. Your fate now lies in their hands. Battle like the fierce Spartan warrior you are to avoid a tragic death as you journey from the Oracle’s Island, Atlantis and finally to the depths of the Underworld. You will fight the most phenomenal monsters from mythology, defy Cerberus and the Cyclops, and challenge the gods themselves! It’s your chance to write your own legend… if you can survive this mythic adventure.

Features

• A full 3D experience: move in 3 dimensions in superb and varied 3D environments.

• iPhone-specific controls: unleash the hero’s special powers by performing touch screen move combos.

• 8 different levels to explore: the mysterious Atlantis, the depths of the Underworld, and more.

• Face legions of enemies and the most impressive mythical creatures such as the Cyclops or Cerberus.

• Fabulous equipment and 5 mythic weapons to upgrade: draw your mythic swords, ax, and bow!

• Fight, explore, solve puzzles – more than a basic hack’n’slash: a real odyssey.

Continue Reading

One of the challenges with any MacBook or notebook PC is cooling. While these devices are made to be a bit more heat tolerant than their desktop tower counterparts, they still can overheat which can cause damage or diminish performance. Getting air flowing through the cooling fans and vents on your MacBook or notebook is they key to avoiding potential disaster and the team at Just Mobile have come up with a sleek, stylish and amazingly simple solution for MacBook users. The CB-200 Cooling Bar is an solid, all aluminum bar that you rest the back of your MacBook onto. This lifts it about an inch from your desk surface, providing plenty of space for the cooling fans and vent to work properly. Although designed with the MacBook in mind, the CB-200 works well with any notebook PC as well and it has a hidden benefit that Mac and PC users alike can benefit from while using it.

Continue Reading

The Motorola Rival A455 is one of the newest phones to be added to the Verizon Wireless handset lineup.

This messaging workhorse gives you instant access to IM style texting, emoticons, a slide out keyboard, and an on screen touch pad right out of the box.

I had the opportunity to use the A455 over the last two weeks, and here are my thoughts on this multimedia powerhouse.

Continue Reading

Not long after I received this rather benign looking kit containing a 125mW Green Laser Pointer and a pair of Laser Protective Goggles from SKYlasers, I started really paying attention to all of the reports regarding people with lasers – red and the stronger green, interfering with pilots flying passenger airplanes. In February 2009, there were already 148 reported incidents of laser attacks, and just last week a plane arriving at Sea-Tac was lasered no less than 20 times.

What’s the big deal? Well to start, shining a high powered laser at a plane creates the possibility of messing with the pilot’s vision. If the pilot’s vision is compromised, then there is a possibility that he or she might not be able to land the plane properly. If the pilot can’t land the plane properly, then there is a possibility that it will crash. If the plane crashes because someone was playing with a high powered laser, then there is a possibility that without actually meaning to, and without necessarily understanding the consequences, one irresponsible person could be the means for destroying hundreds of others’ lives.

But what about when a high powered laser is in a responsible person’s hands? Someone who doesn’t plan on assaulting an unwilling bystander with a blast of light that could cause eye damage faster than one could blink to block it? I wanted to find out why – other than the fact that it is “cool” -  a responsible person might want to play with a high powered laser…

Continue Reading

Gear Diary is proud to present a first ever video from Larry G the long lost cousin of Ali G.

In his first video Larry G takes a look at the iPhone Crystal Clear Case for the iPhone 3G and 3G S.

Does he like it?  Well you’ll just have to watch……

Imagine trying to explain a computer to someone who has never seen one. Try explaining this strange thing called a mouse, and how you use it to control your interactions with the screen. Try explaining how you type on a keyboard, and through the magic of wires and electronics the words appear onscreen. And if you want to move something from point a to point b, hold down the mouse and drag…but have some fancy moves if you need to drag beyond the room you have on your mousepad. I know it sounds crazy, but if you’ve never used a computer before it can be incredibly intimidating. So how do you tap into the power of a computer to teach, stimulate, and sharpen a mind, especially the mind of a senior citizen? One company that’s stepped up to answer that is Dakim with the Dakim Brain Fitness system.

Continue Reading

Since Dan posted his thoughts on the new 13” Pro compared to the previous 13” non-Pro, I thought I’d throw together the thoughts I’ve had in my first day of ownership as well.

I bought my very first Mac back in 2006 and I have never looked back. It was a second generation 15” MacBook Pro, the first of the Core 2 Duo models, and it was fantastic. Beautiful screen, super fast, looked great and ran an OS that I would become very happy with.

Today that laptop headed off to its new owner as yesterday I took delivery of Apple’s latest revision of the MacBook Pro. After 24hrs with it I’ve found a lot I like, and a few little niggles to keep my upgrading bug happy.

The model I ordered is actually the base model 13” MacBook Pro, which came in at a grand total of AU$1749 including a $150 discount for being a student. At this price I really feel it is a bargain, since I can’t think of any other machine at this price range that looks as good, feels as solid and is as compact considering the hardware it contains.

Continue Reading

HP and Microsoft sent me an HP Pavilion dv2-1199us Entertainment PC to try out. Once I got past the fact that the model number is a mouthful, I couldn’t help but notice how lovely this moonlight white computer is – both in appearance and specifications.

The exterior is described as a “magnesium-aluminum-alloy case in a white imprint finish,” but that barely describes it; the look is stunning.  The touch pad is a mirrored surface, and it runs Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit). The dv2 has a bunch of bells and whistles…both in the hardware and in the included Microsoft software, and you can watch me make a complete dork of myself opening it here…

Continue Reading

PDAir makes a case or skin for just about every mobile device currently available.  They have a wide variety of cases available ranging from leather to aluminum to silicone.  I was lucky enough to recieve a Luxury Silicone Case compatible with the BlackBerry Storm 9500/9530  to review.  Sporting a low $18 price and wide range of color choices, you could easily pick up one color — or several — to show off your individual style.

Continue Reading