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 ...

Corning Gorilla Glass has become synonymous with tough, scratch resistant screens that will withstand even some challenging drops that would have destroyed earlier phones. But it is not indestructible, and recently some challengers have come along – and competition is always a good thing.

Next week at CES, Corning is set to unveil the next generation of its strengthened glass product in sizes for smartphones as well as larger formats:

A key feature of Corning’s CES exposure will be the introduction of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2, the next generation of the popular, damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices.

CES attendees can engage with Corning experts and technologies featuring the latest applications and

Every now and then we are invited to review something that just looks… well… ridiculous but we end up agreeing to take a look anyway. When the “ridiculous review item” first arrives and we open the box our first impressions are, for the most part, confirmed. Yes, more often than not the product is silly, looks like a bad joke and poses a bit of a challenge with regard to actually writing the review. Every now and then however, once we actually start using the item we discover that our first AND second impressions were actually wrong! Sure, the item still looks silly but it actually works well.

That was my experience with the ePillow. I’m not fully sure why I agreed to review it since the pictures didn’t impress me but I’m actually glad I did. I’ve used it to watch some movies on my iPad this weekend and I actually found it quite useful. Seriously!

I think touch screens are a beautiful thing.  I have wondered for years and years why touch screens weren’t used more widely, and am very happy to see that you can now find them friggin’ everywhere.  But of course, that has some down sides, one of which is:  the durn things gets really, really dirty.  Some manufacturers have worked hard (and with a decent degree of success, I might add) on making the situation better, but the bottom line is that I still need to carry around a screen wipey thing in my pocket all the time.

And Kimtech is well aware of that need, which is why they want you to know about their dry… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

BRRRRRRR!!!!! It’s cold out! (Okay, not so much since it is going to be 66 degrees and sunny today in NJ.) Still, we’ve already been hit with winter weather, and there is more to come in the next months. That’s a problem for any of us who use touchscreen devices. Sure, there are gloves that are designed to work with touchscreens,  but they tend to be a bit pricy and the styles offered tend to be limited. Besides, most of us in the northeast already have more than a few pair of gloves around.Why buy more when you don’t have to? That’s where Thumb Dogs come in. Thumb Dogs let you turn pretty much any pair of gloves into a pair of touchscreen compatible gloves.

When a company like Skooba (Gear Diary’s very first advertiser!) releases a new product, we take notice. Two years ago we reviewed the company’s Netbook Messenger bag. I liked it a lot and had this to say,

In all I have found the Skooba NetBook Messenger to be a great bag for daily use. If you carry a netbook (or a MacBook without too many accessories) and want a bag that is small, light and easy to grab and go this is a great choice. It looks good, will likely put up with a good deal of use and abuse.

Two years later netbook’s run is over and done. Now it is a tablet world… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I like to be able to charge my iPhone and iPad on the go. After all, I constantly rely on both and, at least for now, iOS 5.0 is killing my battery life. That means I have wall chargers around my house, at the house and, of course, I always have a charger in my car. I’ve used a number of car chargers over the past few years and the new Qmadix USB Dual Mobile Charging Hub 4.2amp has me pretty impressed.

From Qmadix:

The Qmadix USB Twin Tablet Charging Kit 4.2 gives you maximum power on the go when

There is no denying that our kids are growing up in a constantly changing digital world. My two boys have developed the same connection with gadgets and digital devices as I have, only at a much younger age. I have been careful when turning them loose with my devices but often let them play with the iPad or iPhone, and they love it. Since they could barely walk, they have been able to use our IOS devices easily and without much instruction. While most of us remember the first time we used a TRS 80 or Apple IIe in school, today’s children won’t even remember a time without a touch screen and tablets. I… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Skooba Design makes some amazing bags and gear accessories. They are all well-built and amazingly functional. In fact, once you start using one, you quickly realize that Skooba’s bags were designed by people who actually carry and USE mobile devices. This level of thought and functionality is seen in pretty much every aspect of the bags including the location of pockets, the size and the placement of zippered areas.

The company sent us word that their new fall lineup of laptop and tablet cases is on the way and they look great. The new V.3 Collection includes two laptop bags, an iPad/tablet messenger, and a new version of Skooba’s Superbungee shoulder strap. At the same… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When a new device comes out it is almost inevitable that one of the first companies we will hear from is WaterField Designs. They make some of the most protective sleeves and cases around. Better still, their products — while not the most inexpensive — are always made from quality materials, have fantastic build-quality, and they last… and last… and last! In fact, I still have the very first laptop sleeve I bought from them years ago, and it looks pretty much brand new.

When Amazon announced the new Kindle Fire, it was a sure bet that Waterfield… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I made a strategic error a few months ago. My iPad-loving father-in-law was looking for a new stand for his iPad, and I let him try the ProClip MultiStand I reviewed here.

I never got it back.

ProClip [affiliate link] makes some of the most impressive stands and mounts for a host of devices. Among the tablets they design for: the Apple iPad 1 & 2, the Motorola Xoom, the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and more. Now they just got better. If you are thinking about using an iPad for in-car ProClip USA has a new product for you, a new line of Crash Tested Headrest Mounts for Tablets.

Interested?… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When we go to CES one of our favorite “stops” is the Kensington suite where we get to see what new items they are cooking up. There’s always something notable. Last night I had an additional chance to see what’s new at the company and the answer is- a whole lot. I saw a few notable items that can extend your mobile experience and we are looking forward to getting our hands on them for review.

For the time being, though, lets take a look from afar.

The first new accessory is the BungeeAir. Imagine… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Note: This contest has ended.

What better way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Gear Diary than to do a series of awesome giveaways?!?!? Those giveaways start today, so keep reading.

The contests will cover the next two weeks leading us to September 30th, the actual anniversary of Gear Diary. This week we will be giving away a ton of review items. Almost all of them have been opened and lightly used for review, but all are in perfect working order without any significant cosmetic blemishes. Most have original packaging and any accompanying paperwork.

Each contest will last no more than two days with some taking far less time than that. To enter… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Holy cow … we have been hearing about them eventually being available for some time, and now they are here! SanDisk has just sent notice that they have 64GB microSDXC and 64GB SDXC cards available for purchase now. Yes, you are going to pay an arm and a leg for them, but their prices don’t come anywhere near some of the ridiculous sums many of us have paid in the past! [Like the 5GB PCMCIA drive that I paid over $500 for back in 2002! Oy.]

If you are a photographer, then you’ll want to take a look at the 64GB SDXC; this card… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Last year Judie reviewed JustMobile’s AluPen. She liked it a lot. Then, last spring, Just Mobile introduced a stand for the AluPen. The AluCube was just that, an aluminum cube that serves as a perfect stand for the AluPen. To my mind it didn’t make all that much sense to buy a separate stand for a tablet stylus but when I heard they had created a deluxe package and were selling the AluPen and AluCube together I was interested.

Just Mobile was kind enough to send a review sample so lets take a closer look.

From