2011

Toyota Tundra Up To Snuff

Contrary to the only other Asian full-size pickup, the Toyota Tundra boasts a choice of powertrain configurations including a more powerful V-6. This on top of the truck arriving in two model grades, three cab styles, three wheelbase lengths and three bed lengths. And on top of all that there are still the “special edition” packages that can be had, such as our recent TRD Rock Warrior tester. While the truck was no wimp, truth be told I did not go out and battle any rocks with it. The styling package was very attractive and I did not want to…

Editorials

Orbino: A Tale of Customer Service and Change for the Better!

Dan: I received my original iPad the day it first hit the shores of the United States, and it was love at first sync. The device was absolutely amazing, and I knew I had entered into a new era of computing. I was so enamored with the iPad that I decided to splurge on a high-end protective case for it. After all, it seemed criminal to cover up such gorgeous device in the first place, but it did need protection. If I was going to cover it up, I might as well get a case that was as awesome as…

News & Features

AUTUM Releases Turncoat, an iPad Sleeve with a Difference

AUTUM is one of those small boutique accessory companies that are a hidden gem. When we came across their iPad sleeves we knew this was an outfit we wanted to get to know better. The artistry they bring to each of their products is obvious and their commitment to quality is outstanding. We reviewed their impressive StraightJacket, leather sleeves for the iPad and both the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air. We were impressed, and I continue to use and enjoy the sleeves. Then we brought word of their most unusual couch, the Heretic. It was to die for — literally,…

News & Features

Time Warner Cable Has To Pull Channels From Their iPad App

Have you tried the Time Warner Cable iPad App? I have been playing around with it and planning a review. It is really pretty sweet – you can watch live streaming shows from a number of channels. It is restricted to your house, which I thought was a fair enough compromise – I could picture having my iPad sitting outside having a drink with my wife at night enjoying a show … well, once the snow melts anyway! Today I got an email describing how several channels were being pulled from the App – this isn’t surprising, since we already…

Gear Bits

First Look at Apple’s New Pen Based Tablet!

With Steve Jobs no longer guiding the helm of day-to-day operations at Apple, it was unclear what would become of the company. Would they manage to continue to produce innovative technologies like the Apple ][ and Macintosh … or would they succumb to producing generic grey-box computers that look like everything else on any given desktop workplace? Well, based on a product introduction held in London (you can see the video for it here), we know that Apple will not give up its industry-leading technology advancement position anytime soon! Here is the product – called ‘Newton’, this device allows you…

Reviews

Work Gear Review: Parker 51

Every now and then a product comes along that is, to use a word, magical. The new item does something new and, in doing so, promises to “change everything”. That’s the case with the brand new Parker 51. The Parker 51 is not like anything you have seen before. It promises to solve many of the issues that have a long plagued those of us who use a traditional fountain pen. It employs brand new technology and is a taste of the future, NOW. At least that is what Parker is telling us. Does it live up to the hype?…

Game Diary, Reviews

Gear Games Review: Atari C-100 Pong Home System

As anyone who has whiled away the hours playing Dungeon or Trek on your PDP-10 or S/360 knows – video games are fast becoming a BIG DEAL! Atari has caught on to this phenomenon, and already released the exciting Pong arcade game a couple of years back. But now they are ready to take it to the next level – with the C-100 Pong console they are bringing all the thrill of pong into your HOME! The Hype: Pong is a two-dimensional sports game that simulates table tennis. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the…

Gear Bits, News & Features

First Look: The Omega Constellation Time Computer I Takes Horology to a Whole New Level

It just doesn’t get any better than this! Geeks and Watch aficionados alike have been eagerly waiting the Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology found in the Omega Time Computer, and it is finally here — just in time for Father’s Day and graduation! Available in 14K white or yellow gold-filled, or 18K solid gold for those who want the very best, the Omega Constellation LED Time Computer I has a gorgeous and futuristic red LED dot display, and it is accurate to within five seconds a month. What is an LED and how does it work inside this watch? A…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Exclusive: Fire Goes Mobile! This is Hot!

Fire! It cooks our food and warms our caves. Fire! It keeps the predators away and let’s us see when the flaming ball of light goes away for a time. Fire! It can be hard to start and, once going, an ever-present job to keep stoked. Fire! We don’t want to live without it but living with it can be a pain. Until now! Yes, for the first time starting a fire is as simple as rubbing one magic stick on a piece of black paper. It is magical. It is revolutionary. It is the most important advance since flint….

Reviews

Paperback Books Reviewed!

There’s been a huge leap forwards in book technology, and here at Gear Diary we have an exclusive first look! It’s exciting, it’s svelte and pocketable, it’s shiny and colorful and new…yes, I’m talking about the paperback book! Sure, we’re all familiar with the usual hardcovers and scrolls, but this is a breakthrough. Now you can carry two, even three titles with you for the same space and weight as a hardcover title. But is the smaller size and convenience worth the tradeoff against the heft and comforting size of a hardcover? Read on to find out! My first impression…

Gear Bits, News & Features

First Look: I-Mate JAM Pocket PC

I have seen the future of mobile phones and it comes from… Dubai!?!? Yes, this phone comes from the up-and-comer I-mate, a company that is set to take the mobile world by storm and promises to be on top for decades to come. When I first took the Jam out of the box I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking at. Is it a big phone or is it a small computer? Well, in actuality it is both. The i-mate™ JAM is the smallest Windows Pocket PC available. It includes GPRS for Internet or remote office access, and features…

News & Features

New Calculator, “The Abacus” Announced!

It never fails. You’re taking the lunch order for your office, and everything is fine until the total runs past $20. Suddenly you can’t just use YOUR fingers and toes, now you need to include your coworker’s dirty feet too. And who wants to be near that many stinky toes right before lunch? Luckily, a non-fingers and toes based calculator has been announced, the “Abacus”. Way more portable than a stone slate, and you can even customize with multiple colors! Support your favorite March Madness team as you add! Check out the link below for some more information, and then…

Reviews

Review: DYMO LabelManager PnP

Labels. We get them when we are young. Sometimes we earn them. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes they are flattering. Often they are not. Labels. Once they are there, they are difficult to shake. Oh, wait, this isn’t about that kind of label is it? No, this is about those labels that you print up and then attach to items you want easily identified. For example if you are sorting the various cables that go with the various gadgets you have collected over the years labels help you know what is inside each box without even opening it. Or if you have…

How to Do It Yourself!

High Def with D-SLR – Adding the Nikon D7000 to My Gear Bag

Offering to help out landed me some new work. Paying work. Sweet. It starts, as most things do, innocently enough. “Hey, can you take some pictures for us for the annual company banquet?” “Hey, can you get with supervisor so-and-so and see if they need any help with getting the highlight slideshow/video ready for the banquet?” “Hey, how is that video coming, and hey, how about an extra slideshow to run in the background while guests arrive and mingle?” And then, “Hey, awesome job. I haven’t met you but I am one of your really big bosses and I want…

News & Features

Substrata Takes Wooden Cases to a Higher Level

Substrata is about to release one of the prettiest wooden cases I’ve yet seen; this one is not for the iPhone 4 however, it’s for the iPad. I’ve gotta tell you — I’m a fan! Substrata is releasing six new cases for the iPad 2, all handmade at our shop in Portland, Oregon. We have an update of our original iPad case design, revised for the iPad 2 and two entirely new designs heading into production now. We are taking orders, and our first batches of cases will finish up production near the end of April for shipping in early…

News & Features

Help Define SMB Purchasing Habits and You May Win a ThinkCentre M75e Desktop Plus Two 19’’ Monitors

photo credit: spike55151 If you don’t mind filling out a simple online survey form, then you may be rewarded with a ThinkCentre M75e desktop plus two 19’’ monitors for your time! Ivy Worldwide is gathering information on small and medium-sized businesses’ technology purchasing habits. This is the second SMB survey that they have conducted, and this time the goal is to gain a “deeper insight not just into what information sources are important to SMBs, but also what triggers the action of purchasing (or not) once a potential buyer is feels him/herself to be well informed about a product or…

Reviews

iPad App Review: Biostatistics

Since my day job is as a statistician, when I saw that an app called Biostatistics had been released on the iTunes App Store, I simply had to check it out. Developer Stephen S. Ashley was kind enough to provide me with a review code for the full version. There are two things I wanted to highlight: the statistics, and the interface. The Hype: The Biostatistics app™ provides descriptive statistics and statistical tests and procedures of interest primarily to students and researchers in the life sciences. The provided tests and procedures may also prove useful to those in other fields…

Game Diary, Reviews

Mr AahH for iPhone/Touch

I remember a day when searching for a game I worried about 3D graphics and realistic gameplay. Of course those things are nice and cool in a game, but IOS has brought me back to the day where simplicity and fun were more important than realistic explosions. I recently tried to explain to some of my students how fun gaming was “back in the day” when graphics were terrible, but the games were just fun and could be replayed over and over. This idea has proven true for me again with IOS games where simplicity, enjoyable game play and the…

Gear Bits

Would You Take the Beer or the iPad?

screenshot from of the Eldorado Success 03/31/11 digital edition One of the joys of living in a small town is that the local paper publishes the police blotter every week; it’s always good for an unintentional chuckle, because some of the things people call 911 for are things you would never see in a larger city. Whether it be a black bull loose on the side of the road at the county line, hit and run doorbell ringing, or people who call for help but then refuse to say what they need — there’s always something sure to raise an…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Will Streaming Music Kill an Already Weak Industry?

OK, I know … how many times can I say that ‘music sales are dismal’? Well, with each newly discovered nugget of information, a pattern emerges: one that we implicitly already know, with a clueless music industry trying to somehow get back to the ‘good old days’ of early 70’s record sales with 100% annual growth, or even the late 1990’s when the CD was king. But the graph shows the reality: the entire music industry is shrinking, and the rise in digital (last year just 5%) and ‘performance rights’ such as internet radio and subscription services, are doing nothing…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Buying ‘Indie’ Music? Chances Are You Got It On iTunes!

Last year a big deal was made when eMusic shifted to focus on the major labels by making concessions in pricing and moving from credits to dollar amounts for purchase, and more importantly changing how royalties and other details were handled in a way that resulted in many major indie labels pulling out of the service. Until then, eMusic was looked upon as the greatest place for indie music. Turns out the best place is actually iTunes. According to a report at Digital Music News: Last week, global independent trade group AIM stumbled upon a stunningly lopsided stat. Namely, that…

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