2010 December

Archive | December, 2010

Editorials December 31, 2010

As 2010 Comes to an End We Ask: Was it a Good Year in Tech? And We Answer… Nope

As 2010 comes to an end we ask… Was it a good year in tech? And we answer… Nope Nope??? Nope! It was a great year in tech. That’s right. 2010 finally saw some of the key things we have been hoping for come to fruition. iPad Baby!! First and foremost 2010 gave us the [...]

NOOKColor Morphs from Quiet Little eBook Reader to Killer Little Android Tablet

If you have been following along here at Gear Diary you probably have seen Carly’s review of the NOOKColor. The NOOKColor was noted as Barnes and Noble number one seller for the holiday season and it’s pretty easy to understand why. I am not really an eBook user and don’t often find myself reading too [...]

ToonCamera for iPhone/Touch Review

The iPhone 4 has a really good camera and it shoots HD video. I have come to be pretty dependent on the phone as a camera device as well as my only video device. I have collected quite an array of camera and video apps. In fact, I have started my third folder full of [...]

State of the eBook: 2010′s Legacy and 2011′s Future

(image courtesy earnmydegree) It has been far too long since the last “State of the eBook” column, but life has been busy lately. However, my New Year’s resolution is to get back on track, and it seemed like a good way to start would be with a retrospective on 2010 and a look to what [...]

Borders: Welcome To The Death Spiral

(Image courtesy StorageMojo) It’s harsh but there’s no other way to put it. News broke this afternoon that Borders is delaying payments to vendors, and is concerned if their creditors do not help with a restructuring that they’re going to run into a “liquidity shortfall”. In other words, there’s no money in the bank to [...]

Barnes and Noble Brags About NOOK Sales

It took a few more days than Amazon and Kobo (maybe the storm hit their bean counters hard?) but B&N finally has news about their NOOK sales, and it’s all rosy. The big news: NOOK is B&N’s bestselling product of all time! Poor Harry Potter, he’s losing his touch! It’s important to note that B&N [...]

Review: Aluratek Bump AMS01F MP3/FM Radio Boombox

Aluratek has brought out a cool little boom box that might just come in handy on your next camping trip. Aluratek sent me one so I could play with it and see what makes it tick. Initially when I opened the box, I was expecting their AWS01F which includes a wireless speaker as well. However [...]

Mobile Phone Accessory Review: the Oberon Design Cell Phone Sleeve

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 [...]

Review: Solar System for iPad

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get a review copy of the iPhone 4 version of The Elements, a book/media/textbook/app that describes and demonstrates the Periodic Table of the Elements (with pictures of examples that could be manipulated). I loved it. In fact, I ended up absorbed in it so much that [...]

Galaxy Tab Gains More Traction

The Galaxy Tab has been out for several months now and, while it has not gotten nearly the amount of press attention that the iPad did–what possibly could short of, I dunno, planet-wide apocalypse?–it has gained considerable notice and attention in the geek world. (Your faithful GD folks have been discussing it a lot on [...]

iPad Accessory Review: EFO iPad Bluetooth Keyboard with Folding Case

One of my favorite gadgets of not only this year, but also all time is the iPad. The hardware is elegant and the technology is amazing and cutting edge. There are some limitations or concessions that must be made using the iPad instead of a conventional computer. One of the main changes is the use [...]

2011 Volvo S60 AWD Best Yet

When looking back on the list of cars I have driven this year there are a few that resonate driving enjoyment and would be nameplates I would like to see in my own driveway permanently. One of the biggest surprises was a Volvo – yes, I said Volvo. The new S60 sedan, delivered to me [...]

New iPad??? Read This!!!

The iPad-train just keeps on rolling. There’s no question it was the “hot gift” this season and as more and more people get their hands on the “wonder tablet” and discover all it can do the momentum will just continue to build. My own circle has seen numerous iPads make their appearance in recent weeks. [...]

CES, a Scottevest No Baggage Challenge 4 Charity and the Haiti Plunge

Yes, Larry and I are headed to CES on Monday as part of a Scottevest No Baggage Challenge for Charity. We discuss how this came about on the next Gear Chat Podcast but I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about who this NBC for Charity will benefit since, after all, this is [...]

iPad Accessory Review: Revena’s ELEMENTS AXIS Mounting System and iPad Accessories

When I first caught wind of Revena’s ELEMENTS AXIS system for the iPad I was intrigued. Rather than having a case, a stand, a wall-mount and a car mount the system gives you all of them in a totally integrated package. You get one shell/case and then can use the iPad on a desk, on [...]

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