May 2011

The Linksys E4200 Max Performance WiFi-N Router Review

A few months ago Linksys announced their new E4200 Wireless N router. Linksys was kind enough to send out a review unit, which I have been using for a few weeks. The dual band router sports both a 2.4 and 5 GHz radio setup and a six-pack of internal antennas to maximize wireless coverage and throughput. Wireless N is pretty much the standard these days, and as you all know the force behind WiFi N is the need for streaming media. With all the new web connected TV’s and streaming media services, the last thing you want is your router…


BlackBerry Playbook Case Review: Pop! for BlackBerry PlayBook

I cannot help but feel a bit bad for the BlackBerry PlayBook. After all, the device has a great form factor, excellent build quality, a responsive touchscreen, and two things that are lacking on most tablets: both the front and rear facing cameras are quite good and the forward facing stereo speakers don’t sound half bad. Still, weeks after the device was first introduced into the market, the number of high-quality applications for it is disgraceful low. The result is a device whose utility continues to be all but crippled as a result. I would not keep it hanging around…


Gear Games Update: Sony’s Rollout Has PSP-Only Users Singing …

… but sadly the song of choice is ‘But not for me’. Sony has announced their restoration plans, their ‘Welcome Back’ plans – which include the PSP incidentally – and other things. I will list those details in a bit. But unless you have a PS3, you will NOT be doing anything anytime soon! How bad is it? Sony pretty much assumes that PSN = PS3, as noted in the header message on the PSN Blog Thank you for your patience and encouragement over the last few weeks. As covered in the post from earlier today, you can now update…


Award Winning “Ring” Mouse Now Available in North America

Coming to you straight out of Taiwan, a small country off the southeast coast of China, the most innovative mouse available in the mainstream tech world is now available in North America. Crafted to fit snugly around your fingers, the newest entry to the remote control family is activated solely by your thumb, providing a uniquely flexible take on computer peripherals. Created and manufactured by the aptly named Genius corporation, the mouse is meant to come as a pint-sized revolutionary, a wireless liberator fighting off genuine banality and discomfort. Really though, it’s just a ring-shaped mouse. As the recipient of…


Is Intermittent WiFi on iOS 4.3.3 an Issue?

Two things happened on the same day a couple of weeks ago: 1) I bought an iPad 2 and, 2) Apple released a firmware upgrade for iOS. Unfortunately, the latter all but enfeebled the former. Like a good little Apple fangirl, I upgraded to iOS 4.3.3 on both my new iPad 2 and on my original iPad. Within a few hours I noticed a problem: the WiFi kept dropping its signal on both devices. Here’s how it seemed to go: I’m using the WiFi and it suddenly hesitates, ultimately grinding to a halt and up comes that dreaded “no connection”…


Slacker Launches Slacker Premium Radio with On-Demand Access to Music Library

I’m a huge fan of Slacker Radio but I have to admit, it has been a little long in the tooth lately. I mean, they still haven’t got an iPad app which means you need to use the Slacker iPhone app at 2X resolution on your iPad. Ugly!! Moreover, services like RDIO have made selective music streaming seamlessly ease while Slacker has kept to their same old model. Well, Slacker is hitting a milestone today with the release of a new iPad app AND Slacker Premium, a service for selectively streaming the music you want when you want it! So…


iPad Accessory Review: miFrame Photo Frame Dock for iPad

Although I use my iPad 2 most of the time I kept a 16GB WiFi iPad 1 around for review purposes (as well as the convenience of keeping an iPad in the den full time). I’m glad I did keep the original iPad because I am still coming across some awesome accessories designed specifically for it. And since there is still a strong market for the original iPad (you can get a refurb unit in perfect condition on the cheap right now) there is still a good market for iPad 1 accessories. A good example of that is the miFrame…


iPad Insight Highlights Some of the Best Coffee Table Book Apps for iPad

We all know the iPad, and its smaller cousin the iPhone, have been able to replace a huge number of different items. Yes, with the right apps the iPad can replace our eReader, our remote control, our video camera and much more. Here’s one other area where the iPad can come in and take over: Coffee Table books. Patrick over on iPad Insight has a list of five coffee table books that are now available on the iPad. Here what he has to say-   The iPad is an amazingly versatile device. It can entertain a small child as easily…


iPad 2 Case Review: Noreve Saint-Tropez Traditional Leather Case for iPad 2

There are a handful of leather accessory manufacturers who just “get it”. They know that when it comes to protecting expensive electronic devices there are people who want simple designs, great materials and excellent craftsmanship and are will to pay for it.  Among the companies on that short list is Noreve Saint-Tropez. Noreve knows how to make beautiful leather device cases that look great, add visual appeal AND protection and don’t add unneccessary bell and whistles. Sure, Noreve offers some fancier cases but they always make sure to have something simple, straight-forward and gorgeous available. That includes their new Traditional Leather…


In-Game Purchase DOES NOT Equal FREE!

When you look at the image above, what do you think? For me, when I opened AppShopper and saw the new Big Fish game Serpent of Isis for FREE I was thrilled and clicked the link to iTunes right away and grabbed the game. A few hours later I got their iSplash newsletter and saw that the game is NOT free, but in fact is a demo with a $4.99 in-app purchase of the full game. Here is the image from the newsletter: Don’t get me wrong – I love Big Fish adventure games and am sure that Serpent of…


Jabra CLIPPER Headset Bluetooth Stereo Headset Review

In the world of Bluetooth (BT) headsets, the choices and options are wide and varied.  Quite a contrast from the early days when Motorola was the first and only BT headset that was widely available nearly 9 years ago.  In my position, employees often ask for advice about BT headsets and BT ear pieces. When the CLIPPER was announced by Jabra, I placed an order for one to see what I thought of it.  I was so pleased with the headset that I continued to use it long after my opinion had been formed.  In this review, I will highlight…


iPad Accessory Review: Vogel’s RingO Universal iPad Mounting System

I am a big fan of the combination iPad case/stands that began appearing towards the end of the original iPad’s production run. This is especially true for those case/stands that are actually modular systems that extend the ways and situations where you can use the iPad. And although the original iPad is no longer being produced there continues to be a healthy market for used and refurbished units. For that reason it makes sense to look at a few of the combination cases/stands that are still available and worth considering if you have picked up one of the discounted refurbished…


Sweet16 Energy Drink: Why You Should Always Read the Label

A little bit of background: In the last year, I lost around 40lbs through watching what I ate and running. So I’ve gotten very used to paying close attention to my food, and to items that “claim” to be healthy. So when this press release popped up in the Gear Diary Inbox, I couldn’t resist taking it apart piece by piece, because it is truly the poster child for unhealthy “healthy” food. So let’s dive right in! My comments are in red, so you’ll know what came from the company and what didn’t. Bonavitas Introduces The First Truly Thermogenic Energy…


Random Cool Video: Boeing 747-8F Performs Ultimate Rejected Take-off

If you have ever been in an airplane that has had to stop before takeoff, or encountered landing conditions that necessitated a quick stop, you know the force required to stop the massive planes! For their latest new mega-plane, the 747-8F, Boeing has to deal with a nearly 1,000,000 pound load – so stopping becomes more of an issue than ever! I know it is a PR move, but this week they released a video showing the test they performed showing how the plane would stop if it needed to abort a take-off at full thrust and had nothing but…


Chromebooks Market Niche Still Mystifies

I’m not sure I understand the Chromebook pricing model. Acer is introducing an 11.6″ Chromebook [Ars Technica] in June, with wifi-only for $350. Samsung’s 12″ model will come with 3G wireless in addition to wifi, and cost $500. I could buy a Gateway dual-core Windows 7 11.6″ netbook today for $330 [Amazon]. The Gateway has 160 GB of hard drive space; the Chromebooks are limited to a much smaller amount of SSD space (16 GB). So, where’s the market for a notebook computer which costs as much as (or more than) a notebook with a known OS? Don’t get me…


iPad Case Review: Sena Florence for iPad 2

I am a huge fan of Sena’s gorgeous leather cases and have used them on pretty much every device I have owned going back many years. The reason for this is quite simple. Sena consistently uses the best materials, consistently constructs them with the greatest of care and consistently brings new designs to market that are visually interesting but also take into account that most of us actually USE the devices we want to protect. In other words, time and again, Sena seems to be able to strike the right balance between interesting style and practical use. Add in the…


Pippa and the Plastic People

When you look at the image above … does something look wrong? I sure hope so! The picture shows the outcome of Hamilton College student Lisa Slayen’s project to show what a Barbie doll scaled to life-size would look like in terms of proportions. From the article: Life-size Barbie stands about 6 feet tall with a 39″ bust, 18″ waist and 33″ hips. She is made of wood, chicken wire and papier-mache, and is dressed in a size 00 skirt that was a remnant from Slayen’s one-year bout with anorexia. “I’m not blaming Barbie [for my illness] — she’s one…


Moshi iVisor AG for iPhone4 Review: It Works!

When I first got my iPhone4, I chose a set of screen protectors for it that I was familiar with from using on my 3GS. One issue I had with both was how difficult it was to install totally bubble-free. Another issue is the glare and that sometimes my finger would not glide smoothly across the screen. Moshi has come to my rescue. Their new iVisor AG for the iPhone4 is a knockout. When I first received an email from the company handling PR for them I scoffed. Bubble-free, yeah right. First, I love the company name. Moshi. Don’t know…


It May be an iPad World, but What of the Original Tablet PC?

Defining Our Terms The mention of the word “tablet” to most people today would conjure up an image of an iPad or a similar looking product. What they may not know is that the tablet has already been in existence for roughly a decade.  The original tablet PC was Microsoft’s vision of a mobile computer that maximized productivity. It was a laptop with a swivel screen that allowed you to write on it. The term used for it describes it well, they called it a convertible-tablet PC. I believe they had some good ideas and it can be seen in…


Click n Drink Bottle Opener Catches Your Caps and Protects Your Feet

How would you like to open your beer and soda bottles without having to worry about where those pointy bottle caps land? The ‘Click n Drink’ bottle opener allows you to do just that. Boasting the ability to hold up to 100 bottle caps with its strong magnets, the ‘Click n Drink’ magnetically mounts to metal surfaces or it can be drilled into others. I’m wondering if it would void our hot tub’s warranty to screw one to its side; if it means being able to pop a bottle of Spaten without worrying about stepping on a cap later, I…


Smartphone and Tablet Accessory Review: The i-Microphone Voice Recorder

I do a tremendous amount of writing using voice recognition and if there is one thing that makes or breaks the accuracy is the microphone you use. Both my iPhone and my iPad do fine on their own but I do see a significant improvement when I use a high quality headset. That’s why I was interested in the i-Microphone. It is a small attachments that promises good audio recording without the hassle of a wides headset. It isn’t expensive so I thought I might order one and check it out. Fortunately the company was kind enough to send along…