When we were shopping for an HDTV, I briefly considered whether we needed a “smart TV”. Eventually I decided we probably didn’t, but I was very excited to take a look at the SmartStick TV accessory, as it turns my decidedly not-smart HDTV into a smart version running Android. Unfortunately, it isn’t without its drawbacks, [...]
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Amazon Buys Goodreads, but Is It a Good Deal?
Amazon announced today that they’re buying Goodreads, a social book site that lets you review books you’ve read, and look for recommendations based on your reading list and the books your friends are reading. Needless to say, this is a slam dunk match for Amazon and Goodreads, as they really can complement each other nicely. There are [...]
John-E-Reader Makes Your Bathroom Safe for Kindles
Sarah and I are getting settled into our new home and are quite pleased. It’s really great…there’s just one minor issue. See, the first floor has a bathroom (which is great) but the sink doesn’t have much of a lip to rest items like reading material. So the John-E-Reader at Kickstarter caught my eye! The [...]
Careful, Google Is Listening
I had two very odd encounters with Google ads yesterday. It’s common for Google to push ads based on emails, as Microsoft helpfully pointed out in their “Scroogled” campaign. But usually those ads appear because of something in your email or search history. That doesn’t explain the ads I saw yesterday, as they were dead-on [...]
Spotlite 2.0 GPS Pet Tracker Review
Pets are part of the family; we want them safe, happy, and healthy. Unfortunately, as anyone who has ever owned a dog can attest, you can’t really have a reasoned conversation with them about why it’s important to stay in the yard, why they shouldn’t go harass the neighbors, why there is no wandering near [...]
Google Reader and Google Keep, You Get What You Pay For
Google Reader and Google Keep are two different services, but when placed side by side they offer a cautionary tale for anyone using the web. There has been a good deal of chat among the Gear Diary team on our backchannel, and Judie, Mike, Carly and I have been further discussing the demise of Reader [...]
MightyMega Launches to Share All the Best in Sci Fi and Geekery
I am a self-professed sci-fi geek. Sarah is … not. She tries for my sake to be supportive of my favorite shows, but she just doesn’t understand it. And there have been many road trips where I’ve droned on and on about Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek, and Sarah has nearly driven off the road [...]
Is an eBook a Book, or Is It Something Else?
The fine folks at Forbes raised an interesting question this week: are eBooks really books? Their take is that eBooks are more like software, due to their digital nature. And yes, they are looking specifically at the education markets. But this touches on a larger debate, one that comes up quite often. Opponents of eBooks [...]
How to Shop for a Realtor
Sarah and I recently sold our house and bought a new one … or to be accurate, the house is new to us and was built in the 1920′s, which is part of what drew us to it. I’ve received numerous questions from friends about the criteria we used to find our realtor. Since a [...]
Is Customer Service the Key to Killing Showrooming?
Moving requires Sarah and me to be good little consumers and spend money. It’s inevitable that there are household items that need to be purchased or upgraded, and we have countless lists of “to buy”. We’re trying hard to watch our bottom line, and yes, we’ve definitely engaged in what has been called “showrooming”, or [...]
Merrell’s Four Fundamentals of Fitness with Tim Ferriss
Earlier this year I reviewed Merrell’s M-Connect line of shoes and was blown away by the comfortable but minimal fit. Merrell has really committed to making great minimalist footwear, and that commitment doesn’t end when you slap on the shoes. They want to know that you’re really getting good use out of your shoes, and [...]
SpotLite 2.0 Helps You Keep Your Eye on Spot
My dog Porter is generally a good dog, but he has his moments of being a bit bratty. Mostly we joke he thinks he’s a person, and every once in a blue moon he catches his reflection, remembers he’s actually a dog, and misbehaves accordingly. We don’t have him microchipped, in part because he’s a [...]
Mailbox App Review – Is Email Conquered for Good?
It has been a little over a week since I started using the Mailbox app as my main email organizer, and I have finally settled into a rhythm and have a handle on how it works. It’s incredibly easy to grasp once you get it set up, and I am still as smitten with it [...]
Hitcase for iPhone 4S Review
I am a big fan of cases that let you take your iPhone into extreme situations, because the iPhone has an excellent camera and tons of great apps for the outdoors, but it is a bit delicate. You don’t want to send your iPhone flying while riding your bike, or while on a trail run. [...]
Toshiba Portege Z930 Review
I vastly prefer lightweight computing options. If I am travelling, I grab my iPad and that’s it. For two years I reached for my original Chromebook almost exclusively when I needed a computer. It’s a mix of light-weight and simple design that makes me like my computers more streamlined. But get too streamlined, and you [...]
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