Dan Cohen | Gear Diary

Fitbit / Striiv Fitness Devices.. Fight. A Gear Diary Faceoff

It is time for a health-gadget Faceoff. Let’s meet our contenders. In this corner… Weighing in at an MSRP of $99.95 we have the veteran. The Fitbit Ultra measures your step, calculates the calories you have burned, the hours you have slept and more. You can track online or on your iPhone. It is proven technology that has seen increasing popularity since its initial release. It is cute. It is simple. It has a splash of purple. And in this corner… Weighing in at an MSRP of $99 we have the newcomer. The Striiv seeks to motivate you as it…

Events, News & Features

Native Union’s Offerings Another Example of Evolutionary Product Lines (and that’s a good thing)

We’ve become a fan of Native Union products. The extend the reach of mobile devices with a special emphasis on iOs gear such as iPhones and iPads. Last month we reviewed the MMo3i and liked it. It is currently serving me well and one of the company’s MMo3 Bluetooth handset is currently performing well in Judie’s home. Digital Experience, an annual CES Press event we had a chance to see the company’s latest offerings. There isn’t anything revolutionary here but they are next generation accessories and once you see them you will understand why we are looking forward to…

Events

Hub Innovations Offers A New Take on Smartphone and Tablet Stands

If you are looking for a smartphone or tablet stand that isn’t a “me too” accessory Hub Innovations may have the right one for you. The comany’s PRIZM stand is a universal travel stand for smartphones, tablets, notepads, books and more. It is a sleek architectural masterpiece, made from aluminum alloys and precious metals. Comprised of two identical parts, no thicker than a pencil, this stand slides together and creates the most versatile stand on the market. Available in two sizes, this universal stand can hold anything from iPads and tablets, books and notepads to smartphones and MP3 players. This…

Events, News & Features

Line2 Taking the iPad to New Heights

I tried Line2 when it first came out and didn’t continue after my trial period. Then Line2 came out with a fantastic iPad app and I tried it again. This time I immediately signed up for the upper lever service for a year. Ever since I have been using it to turn my iPad into a speaker phone. It works great and is one of those apps I use daily. I had a chance to stop by the Line2 table and meet one of their representatives. She asked if I wanted a trial and I explained that I was already…

News & Features

Slacker Radio… It May be Their Name but That’s as Far as it Goes

I’m a big fan of Slacker radio and love the fact that they are continually adding features and stations. Last night I got one of my favorite emails from them. It began with “This is the first of our announcements this week.” That is music to my ears although this announcement has nothing to do with music.

Events, News & Features

Case-Mate Phantom for iPhone 4S: Just What Carly Was Looking For?

And the first bit of swag from CES 2011 goes to… Carly. Let me explain. The other day Carly was asking for recommendations for iPhone cases to protect both Sarah and her new iPhones when they go on vacation next month. Yes, our own Carly Z is all grown up and has a real smartphone now. (That was a totally gratuitous iOS-fanboy comment… I apologize but I’m on CES sleep deprivation already. That’s my explanation and I’nm sticking to it.) 🙂 Carly got a lot of excellent suggestions that included OtterBox cases (the classics when it comes to tough protection)…

News & Features

AirPlay on the Go? That’s what kivi one Promises

AirPlay is pretty amazing and does a great job of streaming music through a home or office but it relies on a wifi connection in order to work. Now kivi one is promising the ability to bring AirPlay with you. They say “We need more entertainment while driving, Right now!” (Some would argue we need drivers more focused on driving but who am I to say since I rejected leasing one possible car because it did not include BlueTooth audio streaming from my iPhone.) the kivic one transfers media from your iPhone or other smartphone and then wirelessly streams it…

Events

First Up at CES 2012: CES Unveiled

We’ll be heading into “CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES” shortly. Unveiled is an annual tradition for us and is the first chance to see some of the new items that will be coming in 2012. As the event blurb explains, …see the new year’s products at CES Unveiled with a pre-show look at who will be making news headlines before the show officially opens. Catch all the latest products in one room. Plus, get a sneak peek at the product debuts from our Innovations Design and Engineering Award Honorees. We’ll see some old favorites like…

Events, News & Features, Travel

GearDiaryGo Tip: Don’t Travel Without TripIt

We’ve mentioned this numerous times in the past but it’s worth reiterating, TripIt is probably one of the best travel companions you can have. The service and accompanying smartphone and tablet applications make it easy to arrange your trip, track your plans, and get notified when there are changes. And if you are traveling with a group that is coming from various locations you can link one itinerary with another so you can see where they are and what their plans will be. Ever since Judie introduced me to it two years ago I’ve been a huge fan. In fact,…

Events

What’s Coming to CES 2012 with Judie and Dan?

Well, it is that time of year again. That means CES and our annual “What’s Coming to CES” post. Last year was a bit tricky for me as I was doing CES as part of a SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge for Charity. That meant any and everything I brought needed to be on my person. It was a challenge, but it was also rather fun. It didn’t hurt that, due to a mess up by the hotel, I ended up with a suite with a washer and dryer, but it doesn’t change the fact that everything I brought fit into…

Reviews, Yum Log

The SodaStream Home Soda Maker Overview and Review

Early this week preparations for CES went into high gear. I commented to the GD team that during the week a staple of my diet tends to be either sugar-free Red Bull or FiveHour Energy and that, upon arrival, I may buy a case of each. I also made an offhand comment that a box of FiveHour Energy is rather pricey. Bryan chimed in that he has a SodaStream and one of the available mixes is an energy concentrate. It would, he noted, be far more economical. Two days later I joined the ranks of the SodaStream users. Funny thing is,…

News & Features

Awesome Video of the Day- iPad Drops Over 100,000 feet and Still Works

Seriously, you have to see this. An iPad went up over 100,000 feet in a balloon and then was allowed to free fall back to earth. AND it survived. It was accomplished thanks to G-Form, a company well known for delivering the most extreme electronics cases and athletic pads. The iPad went up only protected by the company’s 6oz Extreme Edge case and it survived. Check it out! “As far as we know, this is the first iPad ever in space,” said G-Form’s VP innovations, Thom Cafaro, “And definitely it’s the first iPad that’s ever free-fallen from space and survived…

Reviews

The Drobo Data Storage System Review

Last fall I applied for and received a grant that will allow my synagogue to build a new technology lab. Within the next few months we will have a number of iMac desktop computers and a host of iPads being used by our kids and adults alike. In fact, I’m working on a special tutorial program for students becoming bar and bat mitzvah that will run on the iPad. It uses the awesome iOS application MentalCase. More on that at a later date. When I found out we were getting the grant, I reached out to a number of companies…

Gear Bits

Car Gear: Present and Future

I continue to love having a car with tons of tech baked in. I love the keyless entry and ignition, am blown away by the quality of the speakerphone, am enjoying the heck out of streamed music from my iPhone and the nav system… well you can read about it here. When I was a month into driving my new wheels (and still acting like a kid in a candy shop) I commented to Elana that I could not imagine where they would got from here. Seriously, I thought, what else could they possibly do short of actually driving for…

How to Do It Yourself!

Setting Up a Sonos Home Audio System

My biggest personal tech find of 2011 has to be the Sonos home audio system. I got a review loaner and bought one within a day. I was that impressed with it and continue to love it. You can read the the initial review here and read the review of the new, smaller PLAY:3 here. During the inaugural Gear Fest last summer I had Carly film a quick walkthrough of setting the Sonos system up. It never made it into a post… until now.

Reviews

LifeProof Proof Case for iPhone 4S Review

I’ve had good luck with my iPhones since the very start. While I have had to have almost every one replaced at some point it has never been the result of physical damage. Yeah, I know, now that I wrote that my iPhone will get crushed within the next week. Still, since my iPhone comes with me everywhere, it makes sense to think about really protecting it. There are a lot of heavy-duty cases available for the iPhone already but most of them are pretty bulky. Take, for example, the Case-Mate Tank we reviewed ($41 through our NGD affiliate store)or…

Reviews

MiLi Power iBox 8000mAh Battery Charger Case for iPad 2 review

Just before CES last year Judie and I both purchased a 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab in order to blog on the fly. At the time both of us were already pretty heavily invested in iOS but the first generation iPad’s lack of a camera made it problematic for blogging. Add in the fact that, at the time, iPad blogging apps were rather limited in functionality and you begin to see the problem we faced. Unlike the iPad, the Tab had a decent enough camera and blogging from it worked rather well. As such, it solved many of the issues and…

Reviews

Jabra 900 Series Wireless Headset review

Back in July we took a look at the uber-cool Sennheiser OfficeRunner Headset. It comes with a base that was designed by someone with a keen aesthetic sense and it sounds great. In fact, I’ve been using it at the office ever since. It does, however, offer a few significant downsides. It takes up a bit of desk space, has a few too many cumbersome wires and it is pricey! The one we reviewed included the handset lifter and was close to $400. (The unit alone is $299.95 in our Amazon Affiliate store.) Jabra has also released a line of…

eBooks, News & Features

Evernote Essentials Extra: Car Parts

So you got a new phone, tablet or computer and you are ready to get to work. You will want to check out Evernote. Evernote will let you save pictures, documents and other forms of information in a single place and then access them from virtually any and all devices. And if you are going to use Evernote you are going to want to check out Brett Kelly’s Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote. Evernote Essentials is a PDF book with some great tips that will get you up and running with Evernote in no time. As Brett…

Editorials

Planet Fitness Has Way to Keep You Coming Back

Our five year old washing machine died two weeks ago and had to be replaced. We were told, at the time, that five years is about the lifespan for this type of appliance these days. That’s not so surprising considering the fact that the 25-year-old dishwasher at our lake cabin is still going strong. Yes, companies want to keep you coming back as a repeat customer and the lifespan of many things is growing shorter and shorter in order to help ensure it. It seems Planet Fitness has found a way to keep their customers coming back time and again…

Gear Bits, Yum Log

foursquare: It’s Not All Fun and Games

I’m a big fan of foursquare and check in often enough that family members will remind me if I don’t do it quickly enough. After months with no mayorships, except a brief period I was major of a tram station in Las Vegas during CES 2010, I have finally become the major at a number of our local favorites. This evening we decided to grab a bite at Chili Willie’s, a family-run mexican restaurant in town. (I’m not yet mayor there.) When we sat down Elana was momentarily ticked at herself. It seems she had a $10 off coupon for…

Articles by Dan Cohen