Articles by Dan Cohen

Sena Wallet Skin for iPhone 5 Review

We’ve reviewed numerous products from Sena cases, and the story is always the same… in a good way. The company’s cases are made from quality leather, and they are artfully crafted and are made to last and stand up to serious use and abuse. Add in a nice range of color and texture choices, and there is pretty much something for everyone over on Senacases.com. This time out we’ll be taking a video look at the Sena Wallet Skin for iPhone 5. The Wallet Skin stands out as a case that fits the way many of us live in 2013….

Reviews

Speck CandyShell Grip for iPad mini Review

Speck’s CandyShell line of cases is tremendously popular and, I suspect, profitable. The cases are simple, don’t include extras like a screen protector and they come at a bit of a price premium. I’m not a huge fan but people seem to really like the line. As a result, Speck seems to release a few CandyShell designs for pretty much every major Apple device. We already looked at the basic CandyShell design for the iPad mini. This time out we are taking a look at the CandyShell Grip. The Grip melds two materials into one case and not only adds to…

Reviews

Speck CandyShell for iPad mini Review

Speck has had a tremendous amount of success with their CandyShell line of cases. While not a personal favorite, the company’s first release of a CandyShell for iPhone was an instant hit. As a result they have rolled out the style for many subsequent devices and have also expanded the line by adding different features to the same basic CandyShell design. For example, there are now CandyShell iPhone cases that let you flip the bottom third of the case free. This makes it easy to dock the phone for syncing and charging. Speck is now rolling out cases for the…

Reviews

Keep the Conversation Going Anywhere Anytime with the Voyager Legend UC

I reviewed the Plantronics Voyager Legend back in September. It was a fantastic upgrade to the Plantronics Voyager (a longtime favorite of both Elana and me) in most every way. It features 7 hours of talk time, 11 days of standby time, Bluetooth 3.0, wideband audio; A2DP streaming and much more. The available battery case, which both protects and charges the headset was a welcome accessory. My conclusion at the time? “It is, by far, the best Bluetooth headset I have reviewed. And the fact that it is under $100 is rather amazing to me.” You can read the full…

News & Features

Getting a BlackBerry Z10? Case-Mate is Ready to Help You Protect It

I am shocked (SHOCKED!!) by how much I am liking the new BlackBerry Z10 tht I was given at the BlackBerry Experience this past Wednesday. It feels great in the hand, is fast and the BlackBerry Hub integrates all my messaging in a way that is surprisingly convenient. Honestly, except for the lack of a few key apps, I have not yet found anything specific that I actually do not like. In addition to my positive first impressions of the BlackBerry 10 OS and the actual hardware, I am impressed that BlackBerry isn’t being cheap when it comes to accessories….

Reviews

AKG K551 Over-the-Ear Headphone Review

Last summer I had the opportunity to review a pair of over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones from Harman Kardon. (Read the review.) I came away incredibly impressed by the sound, the build quality and the comfort. Judie read my review and was also impressed. She asked if she could try them out; I sent them to Texas, and they haven’t been seen since. 🙂 We were both impressed by just about every aspect of Harman Kardon’s Bluetooth (BT) over-ear stereo headphones. It turns out that Harmon Kardon is just one of the brands under which Harman offers headphones and other audio accessories….

News & Features

SurfacePad for iPhone is TwelveSouth’s Newest Offering

TwelveSouth has just introduced their latest offering, an iPhone case that is “not a case”. The SurfacePad for iPhone is a thin, book-style case that they describe as the very first iPhone accessory that is designed for people who want a case but prefer to use no case. The SurfacePad is made from super-thin Napa leather. It weighs under an ounce. The company makes it clear that this is not a case for the person who is looking for serious drop protection or water sports. (If that is what you want consider getting a LifeProof case.) The TwelveSouth SurfacePad is, however,…

Events, News & Features

RIM Unveils Their Blackberry 10 at the Blackberry Experience in NYC

It is RIM’s last hope to stay afloat. After hyping the BlackBerry Playbook and banking on its success RIM has continued to stumble. Even hardcore BB-user like Elana and her brother have left their BlackBerries and moved to other platforms. And as for the Playbook not being a hit, when the company that made their chops on messaging releases a tablet without a native email client, how could it possibly succeed? So RIM has developed and entirely new operating system and is formally showing off the OS and the devices to run it. I’m in Manhattan for the Blackberry Experience…

Reviews

Mapi Case Perga for the iPad mini Review

Since I got the iPad mini, I have been looking for an elegant way to carry and protect it. The first thing I did was put a Bodyguardz Armor protective film on the back and a screen protector on the screen. Still, as much as I love using the iPad mini in as thin and light a manner as possible, I am carrying the tablet everywhere, and I need a higher degree of protection than the films alone provide. Until recently I was using a Bodyguardz Sentinel case. It is a nice, simple folio case, and I have enjoyed having…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

How to Listen to Text on Your iOS Device

Remember the commercial that went something like “Reading is fundamental”? It is but there are some times when it is far better to listen to an email or a document than read it. I had done this via an iOS app but then I learned that iPhones, iPads and iPod touches have the capability built right into the operating system as part of Apple’s commitment to accessibility for those who are impaired for any reason. In this case the functionality is perfect for those whose sight is poor but it work just fine, for example, when I want to listen…

Reviews

Aranez Ascend Case for the iPad mini Review

We’ve reviewed a number of products from Aranez.com including some iPhone and iPad cases and, most recently, a case for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Many of the cases we have used from the company are crafted from kangaroo leather, which is soft, supple and both looks and feels great. This time out we are looking at the first iPad mini case from the company. A folio-style case, the Ascend is made from cow leather, but it is immediately recognizable as an Aranez product thanks to the clean lines, contrasting stitching and, of course, the Aranez name on the front cover’s…

Reviews

Tom Bihn Brain Bag with Camera I-O and Accessories Review

If you are looking for a small, light backpack you can stop reading now. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a backpack that is large, flexible, comfortable to carry and tough enough to last and last keep reading. Tom Bihn’s Brain Bag is a pricey backpack that is large and flexible enough to serve as a weekender, as a camera backpack or as a laptop backpack. On second thought, the Tom Bihn backpack is large and flexible enough to serve all of those functions at the very same time. The company was kind enough to send over…

News & Features

Mobile Jaw Reviews the Samsung ATIV S and Nokia Lumia 920

Last year, Judie and I spent time going deep with Windows Phone 7. We put our iPhones in the drawer and made HTC Titans our only phones. We both liked the experience, but ultimately returned to our iPhones. When Microsoft sunset Windows Phone 7.5 just weeks after releasing the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone I was not impressed. It was a kick in the face of those who were early adopters of Windows Phone. I really thought I was be done with Windows Phone forever. I wasn’t. Judie wasn’t either. In fact, when HTC and Microsoft released the flagship of…

Events, Reviews

Spigen SGP Coated Backpack Video Review

While visiting with Spigen SGP during CES 2013, their Coated Backpack caught my eye. We’ve reviewed — and been impressed by — cases and screen protectors from Spigen SGP, but we had not previously encountered any of their larger offerings. They were kind enough to hand me one of the backpacks on the spot, and I used it the next day while walking the CES floor. It served me well and left me impressed. The backpack is light and simple but holds a surprisingly large amount of gear. Designed to hold laptops, tablets, smartphones and a host of accessories to…

Reviews

DryCASE for Smartphones Lets Your Gear Go for a Swim

When we were in Aruba snorkeling, I was able to use a 4th generation iPod touch in a LifeProof case to shoot some under-water video. The experience made me an even stronger believer in the whole LifeProof approach to gear protection. There are, however, times you might want to waterproof your phone or media player, but not have it in a LifeProof case. That’s where one of the products from DryCASE can come in rather handy. Unlike the LifeProof approach which places your gadget in a specialized case, the DryCASE approach lets you use your device in a standard, non-waterproof case…

Gear Bits

Who Is the 21st Century Salesperson? This Free Publication Offers Insight

It is a new world and in it many traditional jobs are changing. On the list is the work of the salesperson and those looking to sell in the 21st Century need to adapt. This free Forrester White Paper tries to answer the question “Do you know what seller types you have and what it takes for them to succeed?” It identifies four different archetypes of salespeople of the 21st century: the expediter, the specialist, the consolidator, and the conductor. It is valuable insight, and it is free — so why not download it by clicking here?

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

Create Shortcuts in iOS, Your Gear 101

One terrific (but often unused) tool baked right into iOS is the ability to create keyboard shortcuts. With them, you can type in just a few brief letters and have a much longer piece of text appear in the body of whichever document you are working on. They are particularly useful when you have a block of text that is used on a frequent basis. For example, our Kickstart This! posts all use the same basic structure. Having the ability to type kkick and have the entire template replace those five letters is exceptionally useful. Best of all, it is…

Yum Log

Tres Generaciones Anejo Tequila, a Taste of Family History

Life is short. I see that all the time in my work, and I have seen it far too often in my own life. Life is too short to fill it with worries about the small stuff, and it is too short to fill it with bad people, bad experiences, bad food or bad drinks. Speaking of drinks; I have long been a scotch drinker, but just as often as not I enjoy relaxing while sipping tequila. Recently I decided that, except when making margaritas, I would begin drinking higher-end tequilas, and I decided to have some fun with it….

News & Features

No More “Either Paper or Tablet” Decisions Thanks to the New Booqpad mini

Booq has just announced their new Booqpad mini, an iPad case that combines protection for the iPad mini with the tried and true efficiency of paper and pen. As booq explains, the Booqpad mini “allows you to conveniently keep your business cards, stylus, pen, cash and other important documents close to your iPad mini, as well as your important hand-written notes. Booqpad mini: • Easily stores pen, stylus, cash, business cards, paper notepad, and iPad mini, all in one elegant folio • Is designed symmetrically for left and right-handed users • Secures and protects iPad mini, providing in case access…

Events, Reviews

Rokform RokShield v3 for iPhone 5 Review and CES Booth Gallery

When opting to put my iPhone in a case these days, I tend to go one of two directions. I either seek out a slim, minimalist case that will protect my iPhone from scratches while adding the least amount of weight and bulk, or I put the phone in a LifeProof case for maximum protection. The new Rokform Rokshield v3 for iPhone 5 that arrived the other day may change that. The Rokshield v3 isn’t exactly minimalist, but it also doesn’t offer the maximum protection found in a LifeProof. Instead it falls somewhere between the two extremes. Actually allow me to…

Events, Reviews

Munitio SV Mobile Performance Earphones Review

If earphones don’t sound good, I’m not interested. If earphones sound good but aren’t comfortable, I’m not interested. And if earphones sound good and are comfortable but don’t offer any style, I’m not interested either. Yes, my time here at Gear Diary has turned me into a bit of an earphone and headphone snob. I want it all and, thanks to the exploding headphone market, I can have it. When Judie and I passed by the Munitio table during CES their current and upcoming earphone and headphone offerings caught our eye. The Munitio Nines look like 9mm shells. They really…

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