Articles by Dan Cohen

iPad Accessory Review: Vogel’s RingO Universal iPad Mounting System

I am a big fan of the combination iPad case/stands that began appearing towards the end of the original iPad’s production run. This is especially true for those case/stands that are actually modular systems that extend the ways and situations where you can use the iPad. And although the original iPad is no longer being produced there continues to be a healthy market for used and refurbished units. For that reason it makes sense to look at a few of the combination cases/stands that are still available and worth considering if you have picked up one of the discounted refurbished…


iPad Case Review: Sena Florence for iPad 2

I am a huge fan of Sena’s gorgeous leather cases and have used them on pretty much every device I have owned going back many years. The reason for this is quite simple. Sena consistently uses the best materials, consistently constructs them with the greatest of care and consistently brings new designs to market that are visually interesting but also take into account that most of us actually USE the devices we want to protect. In other words, time and again, Sena seems to be able to strike the right balance between interesting style and practical use. Add in the…


Smartphone and Tablet Accessory Review: The i-Microphone Voice Recorder

I do a tremendous amount of writing using voice recognition and if there is one thing that makes or breaks the accuracy is the microphone you use. Both my iPhone and my iPad do fine on their own but I do see a significant improvement when I use a high quality headset. That’s why I was interested in the i-Microphone. It is a small attachments that promises good audio recording without the hassle of a wides headset. It isn’t expensive so I thought I might order one and check it out. Fortunately the company was kind enough to send along…


Car Audio Accessory Review: XtremeMac InCharge Auto iPhone and iPad Chargers

If you spend a fair bit of time in the car, it makes sense to have a car charger for your electronic devices. I know I have always kept one handy for my iPhone, since topping off my iPhone when I drive from place to place is always useful — especially on long days when my iPhone would otherwise NEVER make it through the day. Things became a bit more complicated when the iPad was released, since it requires a 10w charger, and most of the previous adapters aren’t up to the task. XtremeMac has rolled out a few car…


Tablet Accessory Review: Verbatim Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard

One of the pleasant surprises I found when I first started checking out the BlackBerry Playbook was the fact that it is a fantastic blogging tool. Unlike the iPad, which continues to fall short in the mobile blogging department, the PlayBook is a complete blogging system that works beautifully. The rear camera is surprisingly good, and the file management allows you to upload images to the web just the way you would from a full traditional computer. Sadly it is one of the only pleasant surprises since, weeks later, there are still little to no useful apps for the PlayBook….


iPod touch Accessory Review: mophie juice pack air for iPod touch 4th Generation

When mophie first released their juice pack air for the iPhone it was a revelation. At least it was a revelation for me! For the first time I could wrap my iPhone in a case that brought with it both protection and far far better battery life. A short time later the company updated the juice pack to use a soft-touch material that even made holding the iPhone a pleasure. And that was a few iPhone’s ago! Since the first juice pack came out I have had one for every iPhone I have had. In fact, my juice pack air…


An Open Letter to Apple After Microsoft’s Purchase of Skype

Dear Apple, There is big news in the tech sector these days and, one way or another, you are part of all of it. Not a surprise considering the amazing growth you have maintained and the way in which you are shaping the next era of computing. It looks pretty likely that the Nuance deal that has you in a strategic partnership with the voice recognition company is a done deal. Good move! As we wrote last June, Google was eating your bacon in the voice recognition arena and you needed to do something… And fast. Okay, so it took…


WD-40 Limited Military Collectible Series

  Collections are fun. I have a collection of fountain pens still even though I rarely use pen and paper these days. I have a collection of gadgets, but that is more about my involvement with Gear Diary than anything else. And there was a point in my younger days when I collected unusual beer bottles. It was a fun collection and a great excuse to buy interesting six-packs. And since I was collecting EMPTY bottles… well you know… I’m sure dad was onto the scam, but he went along anyway. Thanks, dad! Yes, collections are fun, and when the…


2000 Posts and Counting: A 2001 a Gear Odyssey

(Huge thanks to Mike for the idea and the title) Last night I posted my 2000th post on Gear Diary. Yes, since I joined the writing staff of the site in July of 2008 I have written 2000 posts. (With this one 2001.) My very first post was a review of the mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower. My second post was a brief revisit to the Beyza Thinvelope for MacBook Air, a case Judie had previously reviewed. My next posts were of iPod and iPhone cases as well as a review of an external battery for the iPhone. I mention these…


BlackBerry Playbook Case Review: Case-Mate Barely There

I’m a huge fan of minimalist cases and that tends to hold true for pretty much every device I use. I want something as thin as possible on my iPhone 4. I want something that doesn’t add too much bulk to my iPad 2. And I want to get a case for the BlackBerry PlayBook RIM gave out at the launch event that adds some protection but doesn’t remove the key advantage this “completely and totally unfinished but still has potential” device has over the iPad and other 10″ tablets: its small size and light weight. That’s where Case-Mate’s Barely…


Audio Accessory Review: iSkin earTones Earbuds

Every now and then a product comes in for review that surprises me… in a good way! That’s the case with iSkin’s new earTone earbuds. They are bright, colorful earbuds that use the company’s Microband, a technology that inhibits the growth of odor, fungus and stain-causing bacteria on the earbuds and remote. At an MSRP of $39.99 I figured the earbuds, which come in a rainbow of colors, were largely a fashion-statement product with the Microband as an add-on for extra hype. I was wrong. The little things sound fantastic, are super-comfortable and, at under $40, they are a great choice…


DoubleTwist Brings AirPlay to Android

I really like Apple’s AirPlay which allows you to use your Mac or iOS device to stream video or music to an Apple TV, powered speakers connected to an AirPort Express or one of the growing number of AirPlay enabled speaker systems. (In fact we have reviews of two such systems on the way.) I have expanded the “reach” of AirPlay in my home so that it is now available in four different rooms. I have, however, resisted jumping fully in because I don’t want to be completely and totally locked into Apple’s ecosystem. (Like I’m not totally locked in…


iPad Case Review: Speck FitFolio Ultra-Slim Case for iPad 2

If Speck’s PixelSkin HD wrap for iPad 2 extends the design approach we have seen in numerous other products from Speck, the new FitFolio ultra-slim case for iPad 2 breaks from the pack and goes in a new direction for the company. The FitFolio strives to be a slim, formfitting case that offers a host of different ways to enhance your use of the iPad 2 for work and play. Does this new design work? Let’s take a look. From Speck: The FitFolio ultra-slim case for iPad 2® has a sleek, padded design that keeps your device protected yet light on…


Sena is One of Ten Companies Selected for the “Built for BlackBerry” Program

Sena has something new about which to be proud. Not only does the company continue to roll our great looking, super-userful cases for a wide range of gadgets but they are now one of ten companies selected for RIM’s “Built for BlackBerry” program. The program helps ensure that accessories for RIM’s products will be of the highest quality possible. That pretty much means it would HAVE to include Sena and it does. And the timing is great since Sean is beginning to roll out cases for the BlackBerry Playbook. The first is the Jornal. The Jornal is… …designed for those…


iPad Case Review: PixelSkin HD Wrap for iPad 2

So you got yourself a shiny new iPad 2. (Finally!) How are you going to protect it? Think about it: you want a case that protects the iPad as much as possible but you also do not want to lose the nice curves and the thinner design it offers over its predecessor. Speck has started rolling out their offerings and we are going to take a look at a few of them. First up is the Speck PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2. The PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2 builds on the company’s familiar Pixel Hd design and…


iPhone Case Review: Speck ToughSkin Case for iPhone 4

klutz noun \?kl?ts\ Definition of KLUTZ : a clumsy person Are you a klutz? Do you have a tendency to not look where you are going and trip over the smallest of things? Do you drop your iPhone more than your iPhone drops calls? (Okay, we know THAT’S not possible but still…) If you answered yes to any or all of these questions this is the iPhone 4 case for you. Yes, Speck has produced an iPhone case for the klutzes among us. It offers amazing protection and a good bit of varied use scenarios. Here’s a close look at the Speck…


Choosing Not to Share in a World of Over-Sharing, the President Takes the Lead

This photograph of the President and his staff watching the assault that eventually led to the death of bin Laden in real-time, is on track to be the most viewed image in Flickr’s history. The emotion on their faces, Secretary of State Clinton’s hand over her mouth and the laser focus of the President Obama’s eyes on the screen say pretty much everything that needs to be said about the importance of the moment. Since Sunday night there has been great speculation about whether or not an image of the terrorist’s body would be released. The debate has raged and…


Review: Applecore Cable Management in Action!

The other day I e-mailed Judie and asked, “How do you keep all your various charging and syncing cables organized?” Her answer was short, to the point, and said everything that needed to be said. “What makes you think that my cords and cables are organized in any way shape or form?” Yes, if you have multiple devices, cable overwhelm can be a bit of an issue. So how does one deal with it? I have tried a host of different solutions which include everything from having specific cables taped underneath my desk and available if I simply reach for…


Production on Judie’s One-of-a-Kind Orbino Padova Case for the iPad 2 Begins

Last month we wished Judie happy birthday with the promise of a very special gift — a one of a kind Orbino Padova case for her iPad 2. Thanks to the generosity of Orbino’s owner Michael Ventre, we were able to make arrangements to get Judie a significantly discounted case made of the leather of her choice. Judie’s choice? No surprise … Crocodile! The MSRP on this unique case is $689, and that’s for the “standard” handmade by Italian artists, crocodile skin version. Judie’s birthday case is not the standard case. This case is being made especially for her, and she…


Doing Good One App at a Time: Make a Wish Makes an App Wish Come True

The Make a Wish Foundation does some pretty amazing things for some pretty sick kids. Here’s one that brings kindness and tech together. 9 year-old Owain Weinert has pre-B Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. After his diagnosis he reached out to the Make A Wish Foundation who, in turn, reach out to PopCap Games. One thing led to another and before you know it PopCap was working with Owain to create the iOS game Allied Star Police. The game should be available soon. Seriously, how neat is that??? Personally, I don’t care whether I ever play the game, I’m buying as soon…


Undo the Damage Inflicted on Marine Life with Recycled Carpet and Bottles? You Bet!

  It is hard to believe but thanks to recycled carpet and water bottles marine areas that are currently “dead zones” can be brought back to life. Bruce Kania, CEO of Floating Island International has developed a way to create artificial islands from the garbage and, in the process bring life back to aquatic areas that would otherwise remain dead zones. Kania’s company takes the debris and uses it to create a “loofah-like mesh of plastic”. They then add soil and seeds and set it afloat. Nature takes over from there. The seeds bloom and grow and, as a post over…