Dan Cohen | Gear Diary

Review: Tom Bihn Ristretto Bag for 11″ MacBook Air

When I got my iPad last spring I began carrying it with me pretty much everywhere. But I had a problem. Most of the laptop bags I had were just too big for the diminutive tablet. Sure they worked just fine but they were overkill. Moreover, the compartments designed for the laptop were often so big that the iPad often flopped around inside. I was happy to see Tom Bihn release one of their Ristretto bags that was perfectly sized for the iPad and had the pleasure of reviewing it for the site. I still use the bag constantly when…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Kickstarter Project Focus- The Vere Sandal Company

I’m really digging this whole Kickstarter concept. If you are not familiar with Kickstarter, it is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors,ranging from indie film and music to journalism and food-related projects. One of a new set of fundraising platforms dubbed “crowdfunding”, Kickstarter facilitates gathering monetary resources from the general public, a model which circumvents many traditional avenues of investment. Project owners choose a deadline and a target minimum of funds to raise. If the chosen target is not gathered by the deadline, no funds are collected (this is…

Events

CES: Oakley 3D Glasses

CES Day 1: Dan to Judie “3D TV is one of the big things this year… I just don’t get it.” Judie to Dan “I KNOW, me either…” Kevin (thinks, but does not say) “Phew, one less new gadget this year…” CES Day 2, Morning: Judie, Dan and Kevin spend time with Oakley to learn about, and experience 3D TV using their passive 3D glasses. CES Day 2, Afternoon: Dan to Judie “WOW, I take back what I said about 3D TV yesterday.” Judie to Dan “I was JUST saying the same thing to Kev… I WANT!” Kevin (thinks but…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: Inno Pocket Transformer Case for iPad

I know that there are tens of thousands of new iPad owners since early this morning for each and every new iPad app or accessory will bring a sense of wonder. And for good reason. There are so many applications and so many accessories available for the iPad and so many of them have their own unique way of bringing more functionality to the wonder device. We’ve reviewed a lot of iPad cases here on the site so there are many from which to choose but this particular case surprised me. While it has familiar features, it has a unique…

Reviews

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M75e Review: a Small Form Factor Desktop Computer

It has been a while since I have used a desktop computer, and even longer since I used a desktop computer running Windows. Truth be told, the last time I had the opportunity to use a Windows desktop computer it was not the most pleasing experience. Yes, it was in the days of Vista, and despite decent hardware I felt like the computer was more trouble than it was worth. With that in mind, when I had the opportunity to review the ThinkCentre M75e Small Form Factor computer from Lenovo, I was initially a bit conflicted. On the one hand,…

Gear Bits

TikTok Creates an Evolved “iPod nano as Watch”

The TikTok Multi-Touch Watch Band that took-off on Kickstarter.com is now shipping. The goal was to raise $15,00 in pre-production pledges and, in the end, they raised over $940,000. With that kind of money and press it would have been kinda rotten if the actual product was … well, rotten. Well mine came today and it is anything but. This band actually makes the iPod nano look and feel LIKE a watch. It is easy to pop the mp3 player in, and it doesn’t feel all that bulky. The actual watch band is sturdy but soft and the hardware is…

News & Features

WaterField Introduces the Muzetto Man Bag; Call Me Useful, Just Don’t Call Me a Murse

When I got my iPad one of the first high-end bags for carrying that I got to review was the Waterfield Muzetto. I had wanted one ever since I had read Judie’s review of the laptop version of the bag. Her conclusion at the time: I have always been a fan of Vertical bags, in fact one of my favorite purses is the Louis Vuitton Musette, which this bag’s style greatly resembles. I really enjoyed carrying the Muzetto when I traveled to Seattle, and perhaps even more than that — I enjoyed all the comments I got from the other…

Gear Bits

Mac App Store Opens Door to App Store Convergence

With the arrival of the Mac App Store it is easier than ever to see and purchase Mac applications. Having spent some time perusing the App Store over the last few days I was pleased to discover that some of my favorite iOS app are also available for OS X. Of course there is the Mac version of Angry Birds (truth be told, playing it on a touchscreen device is MUCH more enjoyable), but there are also apps like SketchMee. It is the app that that let me make the above picture in a matter of seconds. I love being…

Events

CES Snippets: Jadu iPad Stand

I did a full review of the Skadoosh iPad stand from Jadu Industries a short while ago. At $69.99 it is on the pricey side for an iPad stand but the build quality, ease of use and awesome industrial design make it one of the most desirable iPad stands I have seen. It is, in fact, the stand I personally use at home now. While we were at CES I passed by the Jadu Industries booth and stopped to chat with the owners/reps for a bit. They are some great people who are committed to bringing thoughtful quality products to…

Events, Reviews

CES Snippets: Mogo Talk XD iPhone 4 Case and BlueTooth Headset in One – Review

Sometimes you have to see a product up close to actually appreciate it. That was the case for me with regard to the MoGo Talk XD. Judie had mentioned this headset and case in on to me a few months ago and I scoffed at it. “After all,” I thought, “who needs a case that actually HOLDS the headset in it?” The idea struck me as an example of “just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.” Then I saw the Mogo Talk XD at CES and ate my words. The idea of a case and…

Events

CES Snippets: Wrapsol Offers Protection, Reduces Glare

At one of the evening events during CES Wrapsol was showing off their wares. The company offers protective skins for a wide range of devices. That is not big deal since there are a host of other companies that do the same thing. What was impressive was their Wrapsol Clean Screen Protection Kit. At $29.95 the iPad screen protector is on the pricey side for a kit that offers screen protection only but when you see it up close and personal it impresses. As the company explains, Wrapsol Clean screen protector film is the easiest to apply and the most…

Events

CES Snippets: Speck Rolls Out a Host of New Cases at CES

Let’s get this out of the way- we love Speck Case. We love them on our iPhones. We love them on our iPod Touches. We love them on our iPad. We love the amazing variety they offer. And yes, we love visiting with Speck at CES because we get to try them all. 🙂 This year was no exception and we wanted to give you a quick look at some of the cases we had a chance to check out. First off we wanted to see what Speck has to offer for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. They have a bunch…

News & Features

iWatchz; Why Just Listen to Your Nano When You Can Wear It?

I wasn’t initially sold on the “nano as watch” concept until I tried on at CES. Now I’m a fan. In fact, I’m a fan who is excited to see a number of options finally becoming available. One company that has bands available in the Apple Store already is iWatchz. Their Q collection is just $24.95 and is available in a number of colors. The bands have style… And so does their promo video. (See if you can figure out what other company might do this kind of ad …) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PcrY1q8fn_s In addition, the company is expanding their line. At…

News & Features

iKit Launches iPad Exec Leather Case for iPad

I love the thin protection of a folio-style case for the iPad but there are times when even that is too much. Then again, you still want to protect your iPad from life’s bumps and scratches. That’s where a form-fitting back shell can come in rather handy. iKit has released a new one, the iPad Exec Case, and it looks like a good value. As the company explains, The new iPad exec case combines a carved hard shell with an embedded brushed leather that gives you a stylish and sophisticated look and feel. Provides secure protection for your iPad. The…

News & Features

Nuance Gives Devs Ability to Voice-Enable iOS/Android Apps Through Dragon Mobile SDK

How amazing would it be if your favorite iOS app no longer required you to type in information in order to use it? Imagine something like Google Voice Search, but in any number of apps and with the precision of something like Nuance’s voice-to-text technology instead of Google’s hit-or-miss version. Well that just became possible with Nuance’s announcement that they will be providing access to the Dragon Mobile SDK for iOS AND Android. This will be accomplished through a new self-service website that is part of the new Nuance Mobile Developer Program. This new program will make the same voice-to-text…

Events, News & Features

Victorinox Cuts Into the Digital World in a BIG Way

Just before I left for CES Elana got an 11″ MacBook Air and made it her main computer. I encouraged her to upgrade from the stock 64GB of storage but she said not to, after all, she does little to nothing with movies and music on her Mac so she really doesn’t need the space. I dutifully ordered the computer she said she wanted but INSISTED that she at least upgrade to 4GB of RAM. After all, with the MBA you can’t easily upgrade ANY of the components and the 4GB upgrade makes a HUGE difference. The MBA was a…

Gear Bits

A Surprise iPad Tutorial Session

The first night Elana and I were here in Cabo we had dinner at one of the sit down restaurants here at the resort. A nice young guy came by and asked if we wanted a picture taken. We politely declined. On the way out we saw him uploading some of the photos using his MacBook Pro and his iPad. Of course I had to strike up a conversation. Turns out Samir is French, and had originally come here for an internship in hospitality management. He had decided to come back and start his photography business with a friend. I…

Events, News & Features

CES Snippets- Yurbuds- Sound Great, Stay In

One of the great things about CES events such as Pepcom’s ShowStoppers is that you never know what you might discover at one booth or another. This was certainly the case this year when I stumbled upon YurBuds. Perhaps it should not be such a surprise since the earphones have been selling well at BestBuy in recent months. This graph shows just how well they have done… Still, when I first met YurBuds the year before they were simply molds that snapped over your existing earphones. They were kinda silly looking, weren’t all that comfortable and, at least in my…

Events, Gear Bits

Veruca Salt Had It Right!!!

Gear Diary, Today I was going through some of the pictures Francis took while we were at CES 2011 last week and I came upon one that captures the two words we “instant gratification-loving” tech bloggers like most…

Events, News & Features

CES Snippets- Ooma Updates Mobile Calling

My home telephone is now free thanks to Ooma, the company that advertises that you can buy their hardware once and get free calling for the life of the system. It is a bold promise and… It delivers. I switched to Ooma over two years ago when I bought one of their original systems, and have not looked back. Better still, for a few dollars a month you can subscribe to Ooma Premier and get a host of extra features — and get Ooma To Go for your handheld device. While we were are CES the Ooma booth was packed….

News & Features

Sena Keyboard Folio Now Shipping

It was a good number of months ago that the market seemed to suddenly become flooded with various keyboard/cases for the iPad. It really was something to see. One there were none and the next there were tons of from which to choose. Many of my iPad-loving friends and colleagues immediately grabbed one… Or three. I waited. I waited because these cases were running north of $75 and I wanted to lay out my money for one that would not only work well but that I WANTED to carry. I was thrilled to see that Sena, one of my favorite…

Articles by Dan Cohen