Dan Cohen | Gear Diary

LifeProof Belt Clip, Bike and Bar Mount, and GoPro Mount for iPhone 4S Video Review

; We reviewed the LifeProof case for the iPhone 4 and 4S a short while ago. (You can read the full review here.) The LifeProof case is intended for people who lead a busy, often rugged, life. After all, it is water, crush, dust and… life proof. (It is, however, thin and light enough for any and everyone to use.) Since it is perfect for a variety of activities it only makes sense that the company would offer a number of different cradles for keeping the case… and your iPhone… safe and secure. Here’s a video look at three of…

Events, Travel

Judie’s Mobile World Congress 2012 WrapUp via Vonage Mobile

Judie is on her way back From Barcelona where she attended Mobile World Congress. We had a chance to use the Vonage Mobile app (read the Sponsored Post/Review here) to catch up a bit and talk about the hits and misses of MWC 2012. Here’s the call with some of the pictures she took while she was there along with her wrap up video. What we saw… What we brought…

Reviews

DBest Solo Bluetooth Mini Speaker Review

Since getting my JawBone JamBox some months ago I’ve had a “thing” for small Bluetooth speakers. Most recently I’ve been using two offerings from DBest. Here’s what DBest has to say about their products: The most important thing in music are not the lyrics, but the way of recieving. The way music is transferred determines how much we like our music. To be short: the better the quality of our speakers, the better we can enjoy music! DBest speakers provide premium sound quality that is considered the finest in the world. This way they can give you maximum pleasure listening…

Reviews

JustMobile Encore for iPad and Other Tablets Review

We’ve become big fans of JustMobile’s offerings. The company has a great way of merging sleek aesthetics with a high degree of functionality. This time out we are taking a look at the JustMobile Encore stand for iPad and other tablets. Let’s take a look.

News & Features

It Booms. It’s a Box. It’s Waterproof. It’s The Fully Submersable Eco Terra BoomBox

Grace Digital Audio’s Eco Terra Boombox lets you submerges yourself in music while also letting you submerge it in water. That’s right, it is 100% waterproof. The Eco Terra Boombox is shock resistant and waterproof and it even floats. IPX7 waterproof tested, the $149.99 Eco Terra Boombox is the perfect portable music solution for your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, mp3 player or any smartphone with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The internal waterproof casing houses your music player or smartphone, as well as some extra cash, credit cards, car key or driver’s license. The outside poly-carbonate shell with rubberized impact bumpers,…

News & Features

The Southern Foodie is a Must-Read Kindle Book

My parents were born and raised in New York. I was born in Summit, New Jersey. I grew up in a little place called Berkeley Heights, NJ. In other words, I am a North Easterner through and through. (Some would use the word “Yankee” to describe me.) Yes, I’m a northerner through and through and am happy to be back living in the Garden State. There was, however, a time when this Yankee lived in the South. Yes, I went to college in North Carolina and I even joined a southern fraternity that was founded on “December 21, 1865, at…

Events, Gear Bits

Get Your iBling On With this Gold-Plated iPad

The 64GB 3G iPad runs $830 new. That’s certainly not inexpensive but, at least in my humble opinion, it is worth every penny. But what if you didn’t want your iPad to look like every other iPad and you had money to burn? Judie found the answer in the airport yesterday as she arrived in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress.

Events, News & Features

Pictures and Video from the Sony Press Conference on the Xperia Line of Smartphones

Sony had three phones in their Xperia line to show off yesterday. We posted on them at the time and you can get details here. Today we’ve got loads more pictures AND a video from the Sony Press Conference. Let’s start with the Press Conferences video and then you can check out all the pictures in the gallery. Check out the entire gallery of pictures from the Sony Press Conference.

Editorials, Music Diary

Vinyl in a World of Digital Music An Interview with Tom Tom Mag’s Mindy Abovitz

While Judie and I were attending the Create.Work.Inspire event sponsored by Dell and Intel last week we had the chance to sit down with Mindy Abovitz, the founder and editor in chief of Tom Tom magazine. (As an aside, we both really love the magazine and highly recommend you check it out.) While the conversation was ostensibly about the Create.Work.Inspire project, Mindy was the driving force behind it, we couldn’t resist using the time with her to ask a few other questions. One that we had been dying to ask had to do with the recent uptick in vinyl record sales. As…

News & Features

HTC One Line of Smartphones Hands-On in NYC

Yesterday we brought word of HTC’s new line of Android smartphones, the HTC One. There are three phones in the line and each has its own unique screen size and feel. What is particularly unique however is the fact that the phones are NOT UNIQUE. No, the enhanced camera, sound and build-quality is the SAME across the line. As one of the HTC reps put it, “The great thing this time out is that you only need to make the choice with regard to the size and feel you want, the camera, sound etc is the same across the line…

Events

The Asus Transformer Prime and PadFone Offer a New Definition of “Convergence”

Judie is at the ASUS Press Conference in Barcelona. Right now she is listening to the CEO of ASUS. The big news here? The Asus Transformer Pad Prime and the PadFone.

Events, News & Features

T-Mobile to be Premier Launch Partner in the U.S. for the HTC One S

We have a bit more news on HTC’s new HTC One line coming out of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It seems T-Mobile will be the premier launch partner in the U.S. for the HTC One S. The HTC One S will be T-Mobile’s next smartphone to take advantage of the company’s speedy 4G (HSPA+42) network. Measuring just 7.95 mm thick, the phone has a unibody aluminum design and will be T-Mobile’s first device to ship with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Here’s a quick rundown on some of the features that make this device stand out.

Editorials

Judie’s in Barcelona at MWC and We’re Here in the US with Gear Chat 2012

We’re back with the next episode of Gear Chat. In today’s podcast we’ll talk about the Dell/Intel event Judie and I attended last week, Carly will talk eBooks, Mike talks gaming and music, and Thomas and I discuss a variety of topics including Android and iOS apps of the week.

Events, News & Features, Travel

The World’s First Ice Cream Sandwich Dual-SIM Smartphone Announced at MWC

UPDATED with Judie’s pictures from MWC ViewSonic not only announced some great new tablets at MWC but they are also announcing a host of new smartphones. Among them is the first Ice Cream Sandwich Dual-SIM Smartphone. Why dual-SIM? Dual-SIM phones are expected to see an 80% growth rate in the next two years and, according to market research group Strategy Analytics, 206 million dual-SIM handsets will be sold worldwide in 2014. That compares to compared with 41 million in 2010. As the ViewSonic Press Release notes, Dual-SIM phones are expected to grow as users prefer to carry one handset for…

Events, News & Features

Next Generation 7” and 10” ViewPads from ViewSonic Announced

UPDATED with pictures from MWC ViewSonic just announced new 7″ and 10″ ViewPad tablets during Mobile World Congress. The ViewSonic tablets are “designed to fit into today’s mobile lifestyle. They are the perfect options for consumers to surf the web and interact with friends or for the mobile worker to enhance productivity whilst on the go.”

Reviews

Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S

Qmadix was kind enough to send three of their new iPhone cases for review. I thought we might take a quick look at each one. Here in Part 2 we’ll look at the Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S. If you like the look of a metal case but also like the grip offered by a textured rubber case this just might be the iPhone protection for you.

News & Features

Vibe Flex-Gel Cover for iPhone 4S Qmadix iPhone Case Roundup

Qmadix was kind enough to send three of their new iPhone cases for review. I thought we might take a quick look at each one. In Part 1 we’ll look at the Vibe Flex-Gel Cover for Apple iPhone 4S. If you like a soft colorful case and enjoy seeing the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone this just might be the case for you.

Reviews

Qmadix Bezel for Apple iPhone 4S

Updated DISCLAIMER: Before we even begin this review let me offer the bottom line on this case. It killed my reception and I found the same thing occurring when I tried it with other people’s iPhones. It is for that reason that we cannot recommend this case. Qmadix was kind enough to send three of their new iPhone cases for review and we are taking a quick look at each. Here in Part 3 we’ll look at the Bezel for Apple iPhone 4/4S. If you like the look of a metal frame-style case and are looking for an unusual design…

News & Features, Travel

Nuance’s Dragon Go! for iOS and Android

When Thomas picked Nuance’s Dragon Go! as his Android “App of the Week” on Gear Chat last week he didn’t know just how right he was. The app, available for both iOS and Android, just got a notable update that turns the app into a travel assistant thanks to it featuring “travel search powered by Expedia”. As the company shared, Dragon Go! app for iOS and Android now lets people truly go anywhere with the ability to speak and quickly find and book flights, hotels, and more with direct access to Expedia. Dragon Go!’s all new travel search capability allows…

News & Features

Blackberry PlayBook OS 2.0; Too Little Too Late?

It has been a long (LONG!!!) time coming but OS 2.0 for the BlackBerry Playbook is finally (FINALLY!!) available. It brings a native email client and the ability to run Android apps. (I should note that I was at the New York launch of the PlayBook and, at the time, this latter capability was said to be arriving a “few weeks after launch”. Yeah… right…)

Editorials

Can You Hear Me OW!?! AT&T Continuing Their Heavy-Handed Assault on Unlimited Data Plans

Much has been written about AT&T now warning the “top 5% of iPhone data users” on unlimited plans that they would begin seeing their data speeds slowed because of their adverse affect on the network as a whole. At first pass most would think that meant individuals streaming video constantly and using up tens of gigabytes of data. That isn’t the case. In a month where I have been switching on and off between the iPhone 4S and the Titan (in other words using my iPhone far LESS than normal), I got the above warning. “Uh Oh!” I thought to…

Articles by Dan Cohen