Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

The AT&T Tilt Review

It’s hard to believe, but a month has come and gone since I received the AT&T Tilt, posted its unboxing, gave a description of the hardware, and posted my initial thoughts. If you haven’t already read that portion of this review, click here and then come back; I’ll wait. In this portion of the review we’ll cover my user experience, the Tilt’s battery life, its camera, and a rundown of the included AT&T software. Let’s dive in, shall we?


The Toshiba Gigabeat T400 Digital Music Player Review

Judie Says: If you agreed with me that the Toshiba gigabeat U202 was a product comparable to the Apple Shuffle, then I think you’ll also agree that it would be hard for the Toshiba gigabeat T400 to avoid comparisons with the the 4GB Apple Nano. Both of them have a relatively intuitive interface, both have vivid color screens for picture and video, and both cost under $150. The gigabeat has drag and drop features and plays perfectly with Windows Media Player, while the Nano has the full support of the well established iTunes audio and video download store. Which is…


The Southwing SH505 Bluetooth Headset Review

Yeah, I know. You’ve read plenty of Bluetooth headset reviews in the last few years, on this site and on plenty of others, and you’ve tried your share of BT headsets, too. Sometimes you think you might have found the perfect headset, because your latest ear roach’s performance seems satisfying enough…and yet? Every time you see a new review you are compelled to peek…because you wonder. You wonder if this one will sound clearer, if people will still hear background noise while you’re talking, or you wonder if you’ll like that one’s features better. It’s okay to look; it’s only…


The DLO HomeDock for Zune Review

So you’ve got a Zune and it’s loaded with your favorite music and videos, and you want a way to play your digital music player’s content over your home theater system. Can it be done? Of course. Digital Lifestyle Outfitters, or DLO as they are more commonly known, has a product for that very purpose: the HomeDock for Zune. With the HomeDock, you can “Play your Zune’s music, photos, videos and more on your home stereo and TV.” You can also “navigate and select your Zune’s music, videos, photos, radio and community on your TV screen with the included, full-function…


The Palm Centro Review, Part One

Things have been so crazy today (in a good way, thanks for asking), that I am just now getting settled down to tell you about the package that showed up this morning. Inside that FedEx box was the brand new fire engine red ruby Palm Centro, the $99 Palm OS smartphone that was announced earlier this month, and that has been showing up all over the web as other review sites have also been receiving theirs.


The FLY Fusion Pentop Computer Review

When I was a kid, computerized math tutoring came in the form of the Little Professor, an educational device made by Texas Instruments. While it was a fabulously geeky toy for my elementary school self, the Little Professor did have its shortcomings – all “he” could basically help with was addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Today, kids have it made. Companies like LeapFrog have made educational electronic toys available and accessible – even to toddlers. I am going to tell you about their new FLY Fusion Pentop Computer, which is marked as appropriate for ages 8 and up. Due to…


The AT&T Tilt Unboxed and Discussed

Yesterday, as my Fujitsu T4215 was experiencing an irritating hardware failure, and as the whole world was grinding to a complete stop, a box in a plain brown wrapper showed up on my doorstep. I had had little advance notice, and there was absolutely no fanfare. Inside, was this – the new AT&T Tilt, AKA the HTC Kaiser. Finally, a bright spot in my day. And no, I do not get to keep it. The box content list is printed on the side… The opened box… All of the included AT&T paraphernalia, program disks, special offers, etc… Opening the tray…


The Toshiba Tecra M8 Laptop Computer Review

For the last month or so, I have known that this would be a very hard review to write. Not because of the subject matter, but because once the review is finished I’ll no longer have an excuse to keep “my” Toshiba Tecra M8 loaner. Ah well, the deadline has come and gone (eep!) and I can’t procrastinate any longer…so let’s jump right in. Toshiba has different lines of laptops designed to meet different people’s needs: Satellite, Qosimo, Tecra, and Portégé. Satellite are listed as “Laptop PCs with all the new mobile technologies at affordable prices;” Qosimos as “Entertainment media…


The Astraware Solitaire Review

[Note: This is a joint review between Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! and Gear Diary, and it is being simultaneously posted on both sites. Clinton’s comments appear in black; Judie’s comments appear in italics.] I love card games.  From the first time my mother taught me how to play Spades to my addition on Free Cell on Windows 95, card games have always been at the top of my list of things to keep myself entertained (Nintendo Wii aside of course). I was more of an Uno kid while growing up, but once I discovered Solitaire, Pyramid, and Poker, I was…


The Sprint HTC Mogul Review

[Note: This is a joint review between Just Another Mobile Monday and Gear Diary; it is being simultaneously posted on both sites. Doug’s comments appear in black normal typeface. Judie’s comments appear in blue italics typeface] Even if you have never used a device branded by HTC, you have probably used an HTC device. Most of the popular Pocket PC’s available today were designed and manufactured by HTC, including: the Dell Axim, the HP iPaq, and the Palm Treo (to name only a few). So, it came as little surprise when HTC began branding devices on their own, or that…


Unboxing the HTC Mogul, Sprint’s New WM6 Phone

I got a sweet surprise from HTC on Friday: the brand new Sprint HTC Mogul, which is a major upgrade to the HTC Apache / Sprint PPC-6700 and which incedentally does not appear to be called the PPC-6800 anywhere but on its battery. I’ll have the use of it for a month, and a full review will be coming soon. But in the meantime here is a video unboxing, some information, and a few photos…


The DVD Stripper Review

You know how there are certain gadgets that you just don’t think you’ll ever need until someone shows you theirs? And then you catch yourself going, “hmm…that’s pretty cool!” Well, you’ll find that tonight’s review falls into that category. Think about all the times you’ve bought a DVD, and while unwrapping the clear outer plastic you wondered to yourself why, in addition to the outer wrapper, there had to be a heavy plastic sticker across the top and front of the DVD. I’ve gotten in a hurry before and accidentally broken fingernails while trying to peel back these heavy stickers;…


The Future Sonics Atrio Series m5 Professional Earphones Review

I think by now I’ve established that I am a big fan of earphones; unlike the one-size-fits-most round earbuds which come with almost all digital music players, quality earphones will usually include a variety of tips so that the wearer can ensure the best fit. This is necessary because unlike earbuds which can precariously perch in the bowl of the wearer’s inner ear, earphones are inserted into the rim of the ear canal. So bearing this in mind, it makes sense that if the earphones’ tips are too large, the wearer’s ear canals will soon grow tender and sore, and…


The ARC Wireless Solutions Freedom Antenna Review

I’m not sure what the problem is, but for the last month, my Sprint cellular signal strength has dramatically dropped when I am inside my home. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except for the fact that my mobile phone is also my home phone and my business phone as well; in other words it simply has to work. Conveniently enough, I had a product waiting in my queue which promises to “Increase Your Cell Phone Reception 8 Times!”, “Eliminate Dropped Calls and Dead Spots”, and “Enhance Voice Clarity”. If it can really deliver upon its promises, then…


The Brando Ultra Clear Protector Plus Review

Mitchell and I recently reviewed the Proporta Advanced Screen Protector, a perfect example of a silicone-based adhesive protector with a matte finish providing anti-glare properties and a paper-like writing surface . Today I am going to go to the other extreme and take a look at the Brando Ultra Clear Protector Plus, which as the name implies is a very clear protector that provides an experience as close to that of writing on a PDA’s naked screen as possible – without the worry of scratching. Let’s take a look… Included in the package is…the protector. Unlike the Proporta ASP, the…


The Proporta Advanced Screen Protector Review

[Ed. note: For this dually, Judie’s comments will be in Black, Mitchell’s comments will be in italicised Blue.] One of the first things I started worrying about when I unboxed the HTC Advantage was how I would keep the humongous 5″ diagonal screen from getting scratched. While it was nice that HTC included a screen protector in the box, I think you could probably tell by the expression on my face in the unboxing video that I wasn’t too impressed with it, and sure enough – once installed, I saw that my unenthusiastic response was warranted. Don’t get me wrong,…


SeV Performance Polo Review

Here is a dose of daily trivia for you, courtesy of Wikipedia: The polo style shirt that we all know and love was invented in 1929 by Ren Lacoste, the French 7-time Grand Slam tennis champion, as an alternative to the era’s “cumbersome and uncomfortable” tennis court attire. In the 1930s, polo players discovered the comfort of wearing the “Chemise Lacoste” versus their own overly formal field attire, and so the “tennis shirt” became known as the “polo shirt”, even among tennis players. Furthering the Polo connection, Ralph Lipschitz Lauren started his Polo line in 1967, which prominently featured his…


The HTC Advantage X7500 So Far…(a serial review)

I’ve been using the HTC Advantage for five days, which is definitely not long enough time to pass true judgement on the device, but it is enough time?to talk about some of my likes and dislikes. Ready? The screen is glorious…absolutely fabulous. 5″ of diagonal goodness that is clearer, and easier to read from, than any other available Windows Mobile Device. If a lot of screen isn’t important to you because you aren’t reading eBooks, editing documents or entering data in a spreadsheet, then you will most likely be turned off by the overall size of the device. With the…


The ThermaClear Heat Enabled Acne Treatment Device Review

Well, here I go again…tripping merrily into “Too Much Information” land, so that I can tell you all about a product which most females over 21 wouldn’t want to admit needing, much less using. It’s okay though, I don’t embarrass easily. So the deal is that I occasionally get painful pimples which can best be described as “cystic”. They aren’t whiteheads because they don’t get that distinctive white tip common to that type acne, and they aren’t blackheads either. They consist of a raised red bump which is tender when touched; and if I were to be so impulsive as…


The Belkin Compact Surge Protector Review

Can you ever have enough electrical outlets in your home office? Perhaps – if you had a hand in designing their layout when your house was built. But for those of us who weren’t even born when our homes were built, deciding which devices get powered – and where it will happen – can be a never-ending balancing act; ensuring that the devices which are plugged into the walls are protected from power surges only adds to the fun. We’ve covered other Belkin surge protectors here in the past, including the Clamp-On and the Concealed; now we’ll take a look…


The Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home Photography Bag Review

If you are at work when you read this review, do not – and I repeat, do not – click on the Crumpler link until you’ve turned your computer’s speakers way down. With that said, you just haven’t lived until you’ve clicked on the site and experienced the unintelligible hillbilly yodeling which could have made it onto the Deliverance soundtrack! Using your mouse to slide the pig, devil, horse – or whichever critter is showing – to the screen’s right will reveal the bag menu on the lower portion of the screen. The first option is computer bags, a topic…