Articles by Dan Cohen

Gear Chat #19: The Gear Diary CES Edition of the Scottevest No Baggage Challenge for Charity

Larry and Dan are headed to CES on Monday along with Judie, Kevin and Francis. We, however, are going as part of a Scottevest No Baggage Challenge for Charity. In this Gear Chat we’ll discuss how this came about. This IS a No Baggage Challenge for Charity, and donations will be going to the Haiti Plunge. As part of the Challenge, Scott Jordan, founder and CEO of Scottevest will be making a donation, and we’d like to invite you all to step in and help as well. All the money raised will support The Haiti Plunge and help build a…


Gear Gadget Review: Veebeam Set-Top Box Lets You Stream Content from Computer to TV

Imagine if you could simply tap a button and both the audio and the video loaded on your laptop or desktop could be sent to your large HDTV? Sure, Apple’s AirPlay has brought us partly there. In fact, just the other night I wanted to watch a movie I had rented on my iPad and decided to view it on my large Samsung TV instead. I started the movie on my iPad, tapped the AirPlay button and, within a few seconds, it was being streamed from my iPad to my Apple TV to my HDTV. It works seamlessly. The only…


iPad Accessory Review: Revena’s ELEMENTS EXECUTIVE FOLIO Plus

Since I got my iPad last spring I have increasingly moved toward working in a “paperless mode”. In fact, a few days ago I needed to write something down with a pen and it took me a good few minutes to find one to use. I am not, of course, in the majority. I know that most of the people who have iPads are not using them to displace pen and paper or reading “dead tree” books and magazines. For most people the iPad is another layer on top of the way they’ve worked previously. That’s where a case such…


Audio Gear Review- Denon AH-D 1100 Over-The-Ear Headphones

I’ve always loved music but since I got my first iPhone I find myself listening to more music than ever. When I was a kid I had a pair of over-the-ear Pioneer headphones that I played way too loud and, no doubt, did my self some significant longterm damage. Nowadays I tend to prefer earbuds to on-ear or over-ear headphones. As a rule I find the buds more comfortable and less tiring to wear. They are also easier to carry. When Denon asked if I was interested in reviewing their AH-D1100 over-ear headphones however I jumped at the chance. I…


British Humor + Tech = I Thought This Was Funny… How ‘Bout You?

One of my all-time favorite movies is… Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Even though it looks dated now (since it is) I still laugh when I watch it. And I’m not alone. A few years ago Elana and I went to see the Broadway version of it- Spamalot. (More accurately, I dragged her to see it with me.) She near died of embarrassment as I kept saying lines as they were being uttered. I believe she would have moved her seat were it not for one small fact… Half of the theater was doing it too. 🙂 In short—…


iOS App Deal Alert- All Appigo iPhone and iPad Apps Just $.99

Appigo makes some of the best iPhone and iPad apps out there. Todo and Todo for iPad are fantastic apps for managing your tasks, Corkulous is an interesting, and useful iPad “corkboard app” that is super for brainstorming and collecting bits of information and Notebook is a great notes app that works well with todo and syncs with Toodledo. Appigo was one of the first to release a task app for the iPhone and they have been regularly updating all their apps since then. The result is a collection of apps that are useful, refined, look good AND are a…


Last Minute Gift Idea… A Toothbrush??

I’m not quite sure what message this gift would send but it sure is one of the most unique gifts ideas we’ve come across. For just $13 you too can give a cherished loved one a full year of… Toothbrushes. Yes, every 3 months for an entire year your loved one will get a new toothbrush. (That’s makes a total of 4 toothbrushes for those who are numerically challenged.) Best of all, they won’t have to think about replacing their toothbrush since a new one will just come in the mail. Here’s the story behind this service- How many times…


Hard Candy StreetSkin Review

The relatively new Hard Candy Case company has been turning out new device cases at a pretty good clip lately. In fact, since the company opened for business a year ago this month that have moved quickly enough to now offer an extensive portfolio of products with more being released on what seems to be a monthly basis. We’ve looked at a number of Hard Candy’s offerings in recent months. Today we will be looking at the latest case for the iPhone 4 and then giving away the review units to three lucky Gear Diary readers. So let’s jump right…


iPhone/iPad Accessory Review: Speck and Zazzle Team Up for 1-of-a-Kind Cases

Inside this package is a one-of-a-kind iPhone 4 cases I have tried. It fits my iPhone perfectly, offers fantastic protection and… is completely and totally unique to me. It is a case that is an absolute please to use AND whenever I look at it it brings a smile to my face. What’s so special about this case? Read on to find out. The case is the result of a joint-project between Speck, maker of some of our favorite device cases, and Zazzle, a company that makes an assortment of unique, self-designed products. For all intents and purposes the case…


Dropbox Out of Beta… Adds Key Features

This year saw a number of key changes with regard to how I work on a computer and accomplish the many tasks that face me each day. Of course the iPad was central to the changes in my work style since, most days, I carry it instead of a laptop but I don’t think I would call the iPad “My Most Significant Change in 2010. No, I suspect that that title would go to… Dropbox. Thomas turned me on to Dropbox toward the beginning of the year and I have grown increasingly reliant upon it. At first I used their…


Apps In a Snap: CardMunch

The other day we were having dinner with some family friends in celebration of my father-in-law’s birthday. One of his dear friends had just gotten her first smart phone and had no clue how to use it. I spent a few minutes with her showing her a couple of key applications that I thought she might find useful. She was wowed by what her new device is able to do. I am which point she made the following comment– “Okay, to tell me something, with so many applications available for this device how the hell would I ever know what…


Flipboard Update Makes Reading RSS Feeds on Your iPad Downright Civilized…

When Flipboard first came out for the iPad I was impressed by the user interface and thought I would use it a great deal. I didn’t. Before long I was back using Reeder to check my RSS feeds and using specific news apps to read my news. Well an update to the Flipboard app may just change that. Among the features you will find in the new version is… Google Reader integration. That’s right, you can now add a section that delivers your Google Reader account items AND lets you share interesting items with others. The app makes your Google…


Just Mobile AluPen Wins Awards… Gets Color

We’ve reviewed a number of the offerings from Just Mobile in recent months. Among them are the Gum Plus external battery, the UpStand for holding your iPad securely and, most recently, Judie reviewed the AluPen stylus for touchscreen devices. Well the AluPen has now won some nice awards including the Spark Design Award and iF product design award 2011. The AluPen is a great accessory… or last minute gift… and it just got more interesting because now it comes in a variety of vivid colors. As the company explains… To thank all Just Mobile customers and friends, we decide to…


GV Connect + Talkatone = iPad Phone

When the iPad was first released there were many who commented that one of the device’s shortcomings, among many, was that it could not be used as a phone. That wasn’t quite accurate. Sure the iPad isn’t a device you would want to hold up to your ear but with apps like Skype or Ooma’s iOS app the iPad makes for an excellent speakerphone. In fact, I use it on a regular basis in this way. Now, however, thanks to a new app and an update to an “old friend” the iPad can truly function as a phone. The first…


TOM BIHN Introduces Ristretto Vertical Messenger Bag for 11″ Apple MacBook Air

A few weeks ago Thomas and I wrote about our ongoing debate regarding which MacBook Air to order. I started with a base 11″ MBA, moved to ordering a loaded 11″ version and then, after some back and forth with Thomas, ended up getting the 13″ MBA. He did too. It is an awesome machine and I thought I was done with my search. Then Judie had to get into the mix. She got an 11″ MBA and called it “my second best tech purchase ever… after the iPad.” Coming from Judie that is high praise and I realized that…


A Post Worth Reading From TechCrunch… No Commentary Needed

So my week’s vacation is coming to an end. The bags are packed, the flight confirmed and the skies have opened up and are pouring on the island where it never rains. My head is clearer save the all-you-can eat and drink Sunday brunch we just visited… Or is it fuzzier… And as a result I have the rare gift of… Perspective. This week gave me the chance to catch up with family, catch up on old Gear Diary posts that other members of the team have written and check out some of the comments that others have shared on…


Things That Make You Go “Duh?!?!” The iPad Edition

One of the things I love is when something is spread throughout the Blogosphere that is just common sense. You know, those tidbits of news or rumor that you hear and you just think, “Well Duh????” Two that have been floating around today really caught my eye. The first… Did you know that the iPad two will likely be thinner, lighter and have two cameras??? I know… I know… Shocking. I mean… It isn’t as if Apple has constantly been working to make their notebooks thinner and lighter, or they have added cameras to devices after the first or second…


The PHOSPHOR World Time Curved E Ink Watch Review

Let’s face it, thanks to cellphones and iPods, wrist watches have, for many, been relegated to the role of fashion accessory. Sure, they still tell time the way they always have but almost all of us have a cellphone with us constantly and even the most rudimentary phone has a clock built into it. The result? For many of us watches are jewelry. That does not, however, mean watches can’t be bold, interesting and desirable. They can be and, with their line of E Ink watches, PHOSPHOR is out to show just how big, bold and technologically savvy a watch…


iPad Accessory Review: Skadoosh Stand for Apple iPad

We’ve reviewed numerous iPad stands here on Gear Diary, but of all the stands I have personally had the chance to review, the oddly named Skadoosh Stand for iPad just might be the most substantial and flexible of them all. The Skadoosh has a unique design that is rather unique and, as a result — well lets put it this way — this is the first time I’m traveling since I got my iPad, where I had no second-guessing about iPad stand I wanted to bring along. To start with the conclusion, I like this stand so much, and am…


iPad Accessory Review: Altec Lansing Octiv Stage iPad Speaker MP450

The saying goes that the cloths make the man. Along the same lines one could argue that apps and accessories make the iPad. Think about it… the iPad is a pretty remarkable device in and of itself but the “magical” experience truly takes off when Cupertino’s tablet is used in conjunction with some amazing apps and accessories. One of the key accessories for any iPad enthusiast is the iPad dock. The right dock can make it easier to watch video on the iPad, work on the iPad, charge and sync the iPad and much more. We’ve already had the opportunity…


iPad Accessory Review: AUTUM Straight Jacket for Apple iPad

Let’s face it, you can tell a lot about a designer’s aesthetics within seconds of looking at a single product they have designed. That being the case, it is clear that the designers over at AUTUM, a company I had never before heard of, have AMAZING taste. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Judie recently reviewed a leather iPad pouch and was rather impressed. It is beautiful, heavy-duty, rugged leather that, to paraphrase her, holds the iPad in the same manner that a holster hold a gun … and there you have the difference between the frames of reference a…