Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

The Samsung SGH-i620 Windows Mobile Smartphone Review, Part Two

The Samsung SGH-i620 Windows Mobile Smartphone Review, Part Two

It’s been a month since I unboxed and posted my first impressions of the Samsung SGH-i620. If you haven’t already peeked at that portion of this review, then go ahead…I’ll wait. In that month, I have to admit that there have been a few times when I have wanted to toss the phone through my office window. Those of you who haven’t had the (dubious) pleasure of being around me as I trudge through a new product’s testing might not know that this is the phrase I use when I am repeatedly frustrated by a product that I really want…

The BMW Isetta 600 - the Cutest Eggmobile

The BMW Isetta 600 – the Cutest Eggmobile

While perusing eBay Motors, I stumbled upon a gem of a vehicle, one I just had to share. Have you ever seen such a cutie? Meet the BMW Isetta 600, circa 1959. This auction is for the larger model, not the more commonly seen little egg-shaped version. Well, “commonly seen” is said tongue in cheek, because I think the last time I remember seeing an Isetta was in the late 80s Depeche Mode videos “Behind the Wheel” … … and “Never Let Me Down Again“. According to an auction I found on eBay, this Isetta 600 has been “meticulously restored…

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The Spracht Aura Mobile BT Review

I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned this before, but if not then I doubt it will come as a surprise to any of you: I don’t like wearing a headset when using my mobile phone. I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t yet found one that is so comfortable I can basically forget that I’m wearing it, or if it’s because I secretly think that most headsets look ridiculous. For whatever reason, I have resisted the siren song of the ear roach. But that’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the convenience and safety of handsfree phone use….

The SimpleTech Signature Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drive Review

The SimpleTech Signature Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drive Review

Is it ever possible to be too obsessive about backing up your data? I’ve learned not to think so. Need I remind anyone of the events of March 1? Yeah, I thought not. Since the crash I have learned exactly how obsessive some people can be when it comes to their backup methods. For instance, many of you read the transcripts – perhaps with some amusement – where Ewdi told me his method: Here is what gives me piece of mind on our network: I use two hard drives, 1 is main and 1 is mirroring (in case 1 hdd…

Soft Claws for Cats: Doing the Humane Thing

Soft Claws for Cats: Doing the Humane Thing

When Sarah and I first got Avah, one of the conditions (beyond that we would take turns cleaning out her litter box in those pre Litter-Robot days) was that we get her declawed. My only justification looking back, was that we don’t have leather furniture, and I didn’t want our chenille sofas to be shredded by a claw-sharpening maniac. I asked our vet’s receptionist about it when I took Avah in for her first shots, and she asked me “front and back? or just front?” Doing both just seemed excessive, even though Avah is an indoors-only cat, so I responded…

The Vaja ivolution Silver for iPhone Case Review

The Vaja ivolution Silver for iPhone Case Review

Those of you who have been following me for years know that I am a sucker for shiny things. After all, I once had my own little PDA stylus company which created custom styli made of sterling silver or gold, with options such as inlaid precious stones. Yeah, I can be a little bit over the top like that. 😉 The product I am writing about today is in the same vein, and it is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the light of wallet. I’m going to put that statement right out there, right up…

The Targus 100W Auto Power Inverter Review

The Targus 100W Auto Power Inverter Review

I just missed posting this review in time for Texas’ Spring Break, but it should still be timely for everyone who plans on traveling this summer. I’ll warn you now though, in order to use this product you’ll need to give up one of your vehicle’s cup-holders. Why would I ask for something so uncivilized? Because by giving up a cup-holder you might just gain the means to charge up to three devices at the same time, all from a single cigar lighter or power port. Intrigued? I was, which is how I came to be in possession of the…

The Litter-Robot Review: Never Sift Through Your Kitty's Litter Again

The Litter-Robot Review: Never Sift Through Your Kitty’s Litter Again

Of all the gadgets I have ever reviewed, I think that the Litter-Robot would definitely win the title of most offbeat, but it was well worth doing. I unboxed the Litter-Robot in late January, set it up, and then sat back to see whether Avah would accept this “spaceship” as her litter box. It will have been two months tomorrow, and we have both lived to tell about it, so that should immediately tell you that things went well. But let’s go back to the beginning…

The ifrogz Audiowrapz for 3G iPod nano Review

The ifrogz Audiowrapz for 3G iPod nano Review

One of the first things that I appreciated about my iPhone – beyond the gorgeous touchscreen and all the other obvious convergent benefits, was that it was the first iPod available with an external speaker. Granted, it wasn’t a rockin’ sound system by any means, but it was certainly loud enough to enjoy without earphones in a quiet environment. I don’t always want to wear earphones, and having the option of listening to my music without putting the iPhone in a dock has been pretty sweet. Because of the ifrogz Audiowrapz, I can now have a similar experience when using…

The Samsung SGH-i620 Windows Mobile Smartphone Review, Part One

The Samsung SGH-i620 Windows Mobile Smartphone Review, Part One

The first time I saw the Samsung i620 in the flesh was in the lobby of the Amsterdam Hilton last November. Derek Snyder had brought a white one to Mobius, and Vincent and I couldn’t wait to play with it! Vincent is one of those guys who always has a video camera glued to his hands, and before I knew it, we were shooting. Let me take a moment to say that one of the things I like most about V is that he doesn’t look at me like I’m an idiot when I get excited about a new device;…

The A-DATA Disney T703 Mickey USB Flash Drive Review

The A-DATA Disney T703 Mickey USB Flash Drive Review

Were you a Disney Kid? I sure was. I grew up watching reruns of the Mickey Mouse Club…the original series. I didn’t think twice about the fact that the show was already 20 years old, or that it was in black and white, because up until second grade our TV was black and white anyway. I can still remember the show’s theme song, and I’ll bet that if you ever watched it, then you can too. Needless to say, for many people the familiar silhouette of Mickey’s big ears is ubiquitous with childhood, good times…and Donald Duck! A-DATA has introduced…

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Surviving the Nuclear Winter after an Atomic Server Crash, Part One

As you may have noticed, Gear Diary suffered a massive server crash on Saturday, March 1st. If you didn’t know it, then it is only a testament to how awesome the Gear Diary Team is, because we all immediately scrambled to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. Things aren’t quite there yet, and for better or worse they will never be quite the same again, but as usual I am getting ahead of myself… The night before everything happened, I had posted about my MacBook Pro order, and I had already started to receive informative post comments…

GearChat: The Demise of Print Media and a Possible Reason for the Amazon Kindle

eBooks, Editorials

GearChat: The Demise of Print Media and a Possible Reason for the Amazon Kindle

Once again, we invite you to eavesdrop on our email conversations… Wayne: R.I.P. … the Internet slays another print publication… Mitchell: I was a subscriber to PC World for about 5 years, and then I realised that I was paying for a magazine with content that I had read weeks earlier on the internet. It really is inevitable I suppose, tech magazines just can’t stay ahead of the game with online news sites getting information out hours after release. They have to wait a whole month… Clinton: This is the same problem that many tech magazines face. Granted, most have…

The Venturi Mini Review

The Venturi Mini Review

Chris Spera called me the other day while I was driving my Alfa. We talked for a little bit, but then I finally had to admit that I was driving a stick shift in traffic, and holding my mobile phone to my left ear was a little bit tricky…since that was the hand I needed for the steering wheel, while my right hand was working the shift. He, of course, reminded me that they make headsets for that. I, of course, don’t really like wearing one. This review will focus on a compromise for people like me, those who don’t…

The Targus 17″ Trademark II Overnight Roller Review

The Targus 17″ Trademark II Overnight Roller Review

When Sarah and I traveled to Amsterdam, I was trying to travel with the lightest gear possible, so I brought along my HP TX1327 which easily fit into a sleeve inside my carry on. But when I went to CES, I wanted to bring the laptop I most enjoy writing on – the Toshiba X205. Now here’s the thing: the X205 is a 17? beast, and I knew that it wasn’t a laptop I would be toting on the floor or bringing to meetings; I just wanted my laptop in the hotel room, waiting for me at night when I…

The USB Fever iPhone Aluminum Case Review

The USB Fever iPhone Aluminum Case Review

Perhaps leather cases just aren’t your style – maybe because you want added drop protection without adding too much bulk, or maybe because you just happen to enjoy hard-edged industrial design. Well for whatever reason, when you want tougher than leather and clear cases aren’t going to cut it, the best option is a metal case such as this one by USB Fever, their iPhone Aluminum Case.

The Smartphone Experts Screen Protector for Apple iPhone Review

The Smartphone Experts Screen Protector for Apple iPhone Review

When I first got my iPhone, Vincent said he was going to hook me up with a bunch of cool accessories from the MY iTablet store. I told him no problem, as long as he didn’t mind me writing reviews about the items he sent. I figured he’d send an iPhone case or two, but what I got instead was a box full of goodies. If I didn’t already know this about V, it would have all been confirmed with this shipment – the man does not mess around. What will follow are several reviews about the accessories he sent…

The Smartphone Experts Metal Cover for Apple iPhone Review

The Smartphone Experts Metal Cover for Apple iPhone Review

This case is for all of the minimalists out there – those who want to put their iPhone in a pocket, who don’t want a lot of bulk, but who are worried about the screen because things can happen inside pockets. Well, there will be one less thing to worry about if your iPhone is in the Smartphone Experts Metal Cover. This is another of the cases Vincent sent me from the MY iTablet Store, and knowing me as well as he does – he arranged to have the hot pink version sent. For those of you that aren’t feeling…

The Belkin TuneBase FM with ClearScan for iPod Review

The Belkin TuneBase FM with ClearScan for iPod Review

One of the complaints that I’ve heard when doing FM transmitter reviews in the past, was that it can be hard to find a clear station to transmit through in larger cities. My biggest complaint has been that even when I’ve found a good station to hijack, the quality of the streaming music is all too often degraded to a point where it’s no longer a pleasure to listen, or the signal is so faint that I have to crank the volume on my receiver to get any sound – assuming the signal is clear enough to not be loaded…

Setting Up and Using the Roomba 560

Setting Up and Using the Roomba 560

Today I unboxed and set up my recently received iRobot Roomba 560 evaluation unit. I figured it might be fun for those of you who are curious to see what’s involved…and then we could send it on a test run together. Consider this part one of its review, because I will be posting initial impressions tonight and final impressions after having used it for a good bit longer. I like the promise written on the box, “cleans routinely so you don’t have to.” Yes, please! This model is supposed to be able to clean four complete rooms, it can be…

The Ownersite Vehicle Maintenance Online Log Site Review

The Ownersite Vehicle Maintenance Online Log Site Review

People like me, who are used to using a software program such as eWallet, know the value and convenience of having all of their important personal data in an easily accessible and secure location. Once you’ve put out the initial effort required during setup, staying on top of future entries is just a matter of regular updates as new items occur. I mention the concept behind eWallet, because the service I’ll tell you about in this review takes that same basic idea, but then applies it in a much more thorough way to vehicle maintenance, management, and logging. The service…

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