March 2008

DLO StrapWrap Review

[Ed. note: Just for fun – leave a count in the comments section of how many times the word “strap” appears in this review, and I will choose a random winner (of an equally random prize) from the correct entries on April 3rd. Update: questionfear is the winner!] As summer is approaching, I often don’t have a handy pocket that I can stick my MP3 player into since I’m no longer wearing a coat. Sure, I can wear a shirt with a pocket on the front, but then I couldn’t wear a lot of my wardrobe since I have a…


The Solio Solar Charger Review: Kermit Was Wrong!

Sometimes, an item shows up in my mailbox for review that I REALLY want to work well. Maybe the description of the item just sounded so cool that I hope it lives up to the hype. Other times I’m rooting for the product because I believe in their mission and am rooting for the company to succeed. But in the end, the product has to actually work for us here at GearDiary to recommend it to you, oh gentle reader. The Solio Solar Charger from CREDO Mobile is exactly this kind of gadget.


Yada YD-V1 Universal Phone Holder and Headset Review

I’m a talker… Always have been, and will likely be yackin’ my head off the day I die.  I… have the gift of gab. We all know its true, so who are we kidding. With the influx of new devices I’ve got, E-TEN X800, E-TEN X650, and BB Curve 8310, I’ve been doing a lot of talking lately. I’ve been using the Palm Bluetooth Headset since Palm gave me one with the Treo Trip kit they gave all of the original 700w reviewers a couple-three years ago. its been a dependable, and half-way decent headset.  However, it leaves a bit…


What ‘Wood’ Tiger Drive?

Had he not been on TV competing on a rain-soaked Doral golf course in Miami, folks might have thought Tiger Woods was in Dallas on Easter having dinner at Trader Vic’s. Parked right up front was a pair of shiny new Buick Enclave luxury crossover utility vehicles, the vehicle Tiger helped launch at its auto show debut last year.


Hallmark’s New Self Adhesive Gift Wrap – Time Saver or Just Tacky?

Hallmark announced on Monday a new line of wrapping paper. Instead of using tape , this paper is self adhesive and Hallmark claims the wrap is “sticky enough to create clean lines and crisp folds without leaving any residue on the gift“. I couldn’t resist testing these claims – so I headed to Hallmark Gold Crown (the only place it’s sold). Here are my thoughts on whether this is worth the extra $1.20 per roll that I paid ($4.99 for adhesive vs $ 3.79 for similar sized regular wrapping paper). P.S. – Even if you’re not looking for wrapping paper…


The Targus 100W Auto Power Inverter Review

I just missed posting this review in time for Texas’ Spring Break, but it should still be timely for everyone who plans on traveling this summer. I’ll warn you now though, in order to use this product you’ll need to give up one of your vehicle’s cup-holders. Why would I ask for something so uncivilized? Because by giving up a cup-holder you might just gain the means to charge up to three devices at the same time, all from a single cigar lighter or power port. Intrigued? I was, which is how I came to be in possession of the…


LAbesace CLASSIC Laptop Bag REVIEW

Trust me, I’m really trying my best to quit hauling around so many gadgets in my backpack. A 13” MacBook, power cable, mouse, 2 pens, iPod, iMuffs wireless headphone, JawBone headset, a smartphone of the week, Tekkeon battery charger, various cables, business cards and a legal pad are my bare minimums. Oops! I forgot the digital camera! What was I thinking! I stuff all of these items in my Swiss Army backpack to and from work. Of course I throw in a couple of books, a brown bag lunch, gloves, stocking cap, and many more items. The other day, I…


BlackJack II SGH-i617 – First Impressions

The Easter holiday delayed the delivery by a few days, but never mind, my new unlocked BlackJack II is here! I’ve had it for less than 12hrs but I wanted to post my first impressions of the device. •    Looks great. The glossy black body is more stylish and “hip” than the original BlackJack. The new design is less functional, loosing out to the original’s superior grip and ruggedness, but with competitors like the iPhone and Nokia N95 8GB around it was a necessary change. •    Build quality is top notch. No flexing , creaking or general crapness to be…


So You Want to Buy a Car on The Internet…

I’ve been shopping for a used car. I know exactly what I want. The problem is getting it. The vehicle I want isn’t common in my area, so I turned to the Internet to find one. What’s I’m finding, however, is that outside of buying via ebay, the shopping experience varies widely.


Case-Mate Handle-it for MacBook REVIEW

Ever feel paranoid about dropping your MacBook? The smart guys at Case-mate have a simple, yet effective solution to keep a grip on your 13″ Apple bundle of joy. The Case-Mate Handle-it for MacBook is an easy to install handle accessory for your Apple notebook.


The Case-Mate Signature Suit for 13″ MacBook REVIEW

I’ve always been a big stickler for keeping my gadgets protected. I’m pretty proud of my iPods being fingerprint free for over a year now in its protective casings by DLO and OtterBox. With the investment in laptops, it’s a wonder why people don’t use a lapcase case, especially with all of the choices available these days. Case-Mate has come out with a very stylish and smart form-fit leather wrap designed for a 13-inch MacBook that protects the laptop when it is out of the laptop bag.




DLO Portable iPhone Speakers Review

I am continually surprised at the lack of external portable speaker gizmos for the iPhone. Plenty of them out there for the various iPods, of course, but the iPhone? There’s kind of a shortage. DLO thinks they have the answer with their new portable iPhone speakers.


The Litter-Robot Review: Never Sift Through Your Kitty’s Litter Again

Of all the gadgets I have ever reviewed, I think that the Litter-Robot would definitely win the title of most offbeat, but it was well worth doing. I unboxed the Litter-Robot in late January, set it up, and then sat back to see whether Avah would accept this “spaceship” as her litter box. It will have been two months tomorrow, and we have both lived to tell about it, so that should immediately tell you that things went well. But let’s go back to the beginning…


Review: USB AAA Battery Charger with Torch from USB Fever

Have you ever needed to give your cell phone a little bit of juice to get through a call? Were you near a socket when you needed to do it? If not, then you might wish that you had carried the USB AAA Battery Charger with Torch from USB Fever with you. It’s now become something I never leave home without. The charger holds 4 AAA NiMH batteries and is very compact. It will fit in your khaki pocket, purse or gear bag very easily.


Click Clack: The Kensington SlimBlade Media Notebook Set REVIEW

I’ve never given much thought to how important using a keyboard is. If one thinks about it, a proper keyboard should have a good tactile feel, minimize wrist and shoulder pain, and have some flexibility with the function keys. I admit I’m not a touch typist, but I have mastered the hunt and peck style of typing and fully utilize the cut, paste and spell check combinations for successful clickity-clack typing. I’ve been using the new Kensington SlimBlade™ Media Notebook Set along with the optional SlimBlade Media Remote. Let’s take a look inside the packaging.


The ifrogz Audiowrapz for 3G iPod nano Review

One of the first things that I appreciated about my iPhone – beyond the gorgeous touchscreen and all the other obvious convergent benefits, was that it was the first iPod  available with an external speaker. Granted, it wasn’t a rockin’ sound system by any means, but it was certainly loud enough to enjoy without earphones in a quiet environment. I don’t always want to wear earphones, and having the option of listening to my music without putting the iPhone in a dock has been pretty sweet. Because of the ifrogz Audiowrapz, I can now have a similar experience when using…


Review: ZaReason UltraLap SR

When I came across ZaReason, I was impressed. Selling machines that have Linux installed by default isn’t new, and many companies support only Linux now, but it’s ZaReason’s service and the communication I received all during the review process that impressed me the most. ZaReason cares about their customers and always puts them first, even over sending out review units, which is why it took about two months for ZaReason to finally get me a unit to review; I was not disappointed.


Maximum Protection: The Otterbox Defender & Armor case REVIEW

I’m a big fan of keeping my items in mint condition. Since youth, I’ve always have kept my LP collection in near perfect condition with slipcases and dust jackets. While I can’t stuff 11,000 albums on my iPod – they barely fit in my garage – I should keep the 11,000 songs on my iPod protected with a heavy-duty case. Today, I’m going to take a look at two specialty iPod cases by Otterbox. They include the iPod Classic Defender™ Series and the iPod Classic Armor™ Series for the iPod and iPod touch.


New York City Automatic Toilet: $ 110,000 for a Wet Seat?

Yesterday we made a trip into New York City. Finding a (clean) bathroom when in the city can be a challenge. In January of 2008 the City of NY unveiled a fully automatic bathroom that cleans itself after each use. Well, I just had to check it out. And I made a YouTube video to show you the high and low points of my experience.