2009 November

Archive | November, 2009

News November 30, 2009

Travel Notes – Gear We Really Use

This is the first time I have been on an airplane in almost a year, but is the first of a series of trips I will be taking in the next two months. Therefore it was a good opportunity for me to get a better sense of what gear is currently best for me when [...]

Crunchpad is dead; Unicorns Say Apple Tablet is On Target

TechCrunch today announced that the Crunchpad is dead. A victim of an unfortunate falling out between CrunchGear and FusionGarage, Crunchpad was apparently supposed to go live this week. Behind the scenes here at Gear Diary, there’s a lot of tablet lust, and we were all sad to see a potential contender disappear.

The Motorola T215 Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone Review

Laws are continuously evolving to deal with technology and the potential hazards of using it while driving. As a consequence, it is now considered unsafe in many states – or it has been made illegal – to drive without some kind of hands-free solution when using a mobile phone. Many people are wearing headsets, but [...]

GM posts new videos online

Here are some interesting new videos from General Motors …

The 12 days of Christmas just cost a little more…

Everyone knows the 12 days of Christmas song? But did you ever wonder how much it would cost to actually have all of those items? I mean 10 lords a leapin? 5 gold rings? Well, the folks at PNC Wealth Management have done the work for us in their 26th annual PNC Christmas Price Index …

The iWallet Will Put a Bump in Your Pocket

I can imagine that being the victim of identity theft would be an absolutely devastating event, but I’m not sure that a $299.95 biometric wallet made of fiberglass that pairs with your Bluetooth mobile phone is the solution, either. Sure, using a fingerprint to access your money or credit cards is geeky as hell, but [...]

No In-Store Nook eBook for You!

Bad news if you were hoping to stalk your local Barnes and Noble for a nook this morning: the Wall Street Journal is reporting that B&N is not shipping units to stores until December 7th. Apparently pre-order demand was so strong they have nothing available to ship to the stores. With this on the heels [...]

Wishful Thinking – the 3.1 iPhone Laundry List

photo credit: ntr23 The internet was buzzing today with news that an unknown iPhone model had shown up in a number of different blogs. Since Apple is pretty consistent with its numbering sequences, all indications are that this will be a big update for the iPhone when it is released. You see, the first iPhone [...]

Hitachi Announces New Starboard; Chalkboards Weep in Corner

At a recent family dinner, my mother (a history teacher) very excitedly asked me if I’d ever written about whiteboards for Gear Diary. I stared blankly at her, since I didn’t understand how markers and plastic boards were very tech-y. She then explained that she meant electronic whiteboards; her school had recently procured some for [...]

Review: Universal iPhone/iPod Cradle from USBFever.com

iPhone and iPod docks are great. They keep your device upright while charging and syncing which allows you to easily access them. They look cleaner on your desk and there’s no fussing with cables or connector plugs that might become damaged from overuse. But docks are not without flaws. Many docks are device specific. One [...]

Sennheiser MM400 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones – Review

The other day I was having lunch with a good friend. He enjoys his gadgets as much as the rest of us and was excited to tell me about this latest acquisition. He had purchased a pair of Sennheiser MM400 Bluetooth stereo headphones and couldn’t stop raving about them. At a cost of over $260 [...]

PowerPak Wall Charger and Battery Combo – Review

Larry talks a lot about the importance of device convergence. As we are packing for vacation, I am overwhelmed by the number of different chargers and cords I need to bring with me; he is more correct than I realized. In order to have the music and reading material I want during my five days in [...]

The iPhone Comes Home

photo credit: Gonzalo Baeza Hernández Many times now, people have written about the appeal of the iPhone. They’ve written about what makes it a good “consumer” phone but a poor “business” phone (a notion that I disagree with). They’ve compared it to other smartphones like the Palm Pre, Windows Phone, and Android phones. And yet, [...]

4th Generation iPhone under testing

Mac Rumors was first to report that a fourth generation of the iPhone has begun testing in the San Francisco area. It seems the iPhone developer Pandav has informed MacRumors that they have spotted usage records for an unreleased iPhone in their app’s analytics. The app used was iBART, a public transportation guide for the [...]

Chevy Volt Aims to Help the Blind

I bought a Prius over the summer. Halfway through the test drive my fiancee asked the salesman if he was aware that electric cars have caused issues for blind pedestrians, since they don’t hear the cars coming. His response (after an awkward silence where he no doubt considered whether his answer would lose him the [...]