2016

Adorn Your 13″ MacBook Pro retina with a Wooden Toast Skin

What’s better than wrapping your laptop in a beautiful wood cover — front, back, and sides? Not much, I tell you. But Toast managed to top all of that goodness by sending me one of their Real Wood MacBook Covers with Gear Diary’s logo emblazoned on the front. The result is absolutely gorgeous!


Native Union Wants to Pair Your Phone to Its Dock!

A personal favorite company of mine, Native Union announced today their minimalistic charging line, with a host of new colors! Native Union finally announced that their popular DOCK SERIES for the Apple Watch as well as for the iPhone and iPad will now be available in a midnight blue with gold brushed metal, or a stone color with rose gold brushed metals. These new colors will completely round out the finishes to your Apple Watch or smart device when it needs to be docked to charge. Fabien Nauroy, Head of Design at Native Union comments: “Customers love our charging docks…


What’s the Point of Those Sticky Card Holders for Your Phone?

In the last year or so, I’ve noticed smartphone/tablet adjacent accessories have become big giveaway items. Instead of a crappy free pen, you get a crappy free pen with a rubber capacitive stylus tip on one end. Yay? At least pens are useful…the sticky card holder I received today is just weird, ugly, and useless.


The Spongester: Keeps Your Good Sponge Separate from Your Evil Sponge

If you use sponges (or O-Cell-O pads) in your home, then you probably have two: one that you use on dishes and countertops and one that gets used in places like the toilet, floor, or worse. The Spongester is a simple two-tiered stainless steel rack that stores your sponges so they can dry, keeping them clean and most importantly — separated.


MiPow PlayBulb Comet Shines Hidden Light Wherever You Want

The MiPow PlayBulb Sphere lets you take your smart light with you. The MiPow PlayBulb Color lets your smart light also rock your tunes. The PlayBulb Comet applies the same smart lighting approach to strip lighting that can bring light under your cabinets, behind your television or, for that matter, pretty much anywhere you want. And setup is a breeze!



I’m JK, and I’m a Gear Addict

As the new kid on Gear Diary, let me introduce myself and explain why I’m so excited to be here. My name is James Kendrick and I’m thrilled to be the newest member of the Gear Diary family. I’ve been covering mobile tech since before tech sites existed, and I’m a self-proclaimed gadget addict.


Synology Launches Its First WiFi Router, the RT1900ac Today

Synology Inc., manufacturer of award-winning Network Attached Storage devices (NAS), has launched its first router, the RT1900ac, in the US. The 802.11ac WiFi router broadcasts both 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals for combined data transfer speeds of up to 1900mbps. Boasting a slew of software features, the RT1900ac is perfect for home or office and comes with an MSRP of $149.99.



Monster ClarityHD Wireless Headphones Review

I am not a big fan of the Apple earbuds that came with my phone, so I am always searching for replacements. Monster is looking to replacing your earbuds with the $79.95 ClarityHD High-Performance Wireless Earbuds. Not only is Monster looking to improve earbud performance, but to also cut the cord with this Bluetooth option. Let’s see how they fared!


2016 Chevrolet Suburban: The Tradition Continues

What is the longest-running nameplate in the automotive industry? If you said Suburban you would be correct. Now in its 81st production year, the Chevrolet Suburban Carryall offers all of the latest safety and infotainment technology available while still being the mother of modern land yachts to transport families and their stuff.



Booq’s Cobra Brief Is a Traveling Professional’s Best Friend

The Cobra Brief by Booq is my favorite 15” MacBook Pro-toting briefcase for traveling. I’ve used it twice so far on plane trips from Newark to both Chicago and Orlando and it’s been very comfortable to carry with me, stow under the seat in front of me, or in the overhead luggage compartment. The Cobra Brief is available for $295!


The Logitech Harmony Elite Advanced Universal Remote and Hub Review

If your TV watching reality includes a basket filled with six or seven different  remotes, then I understand your pain. That was how things were at my house before Logitech sent their Harmony Elite Remote to review. I have to say that after a relatively painless setup, the results of consolidating have been so worth it.


Facebook Messenger Groups Introduce Valentine Picture Presents

Everyone loves a present, right?  So how about a nice photo wrapped in a bow and red heart paper? You can send your Facebook friends just a present if you are in a Facebook Messenger Group with them. To send the wrapped image, simply click the heart/arrow icon in the lower right corner of your chat display window. Then select an image and send.


Is Spam Going Through a Bold Renaissance?

Is spam going through a rebirth, led primarily by information you submit to business directories? My inbox for the past year would answer yes based upon the number of email newsletters; semi-official looking emails received to my company’s “honeypot” email address.


Facebook Showing Realtime NHL Scoreboard for Check-ins

I don’t think this is new. But I do think it’s pretty cool. Facebook last night showed a realtime updated score for the Kings/Rangers game that my sister was watching at New York’s Madison Square Garden.  At first I thought it was just a static score – which would have been interesting by itself. Then I went back to check the status update and noticed that not only had the score changed but the current time left for play was also updated. It appears this may have started, at least in a test version, around the time of the last…


MiPow Playbulb Sphere Lights the Night…Anywhere

In the past few months, I have found myself enamored with smart lighting technology. I have lights that can be controlled through my Amazon Echo in three rooms and when Raina and I get a house, I plan to have it throughout. One of the items I expect I’ll put in some rooms is the MiPow Playbulb Sphere. It’s awesome!



How to “Brick” Any 64-bit iOS Device in 6 Easy Steps!

The folks on Reddit have uncovered what appears to be a flaw in the iOS code which will render any 64-bit iOS device (32 bit reportedly unaffected) unusable until the battery power is removed. This flaw occurs when the internal clock of the device is manually changed back to 1970 and then the device is rebooted.