Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

The Last Day of Mobius Seattle 2008: AKA the Spectacular MacBook Pro Meltdown

When I arrived at the conference area to grab breakfast before entering, Tim McAfee was there to greet us, handing out my Flickr t-shirts. I was hoping for a medium, but some of the other guys had already beat me to them; he made it up to me by giving me two larges. Ha! After getting set up and then eating my food, I settled in with the others to listen to the first presentation on the Microsoft Zune. Creative Strategies Presentation Ben from Creative Strategies started a two hour discussion with the question “How is technology going to better…

Gear Bits

Unboxing the HTC Advantage 7510

This is going to be a much quicker unboxing than I usually like to do, mainly because it is almost 3am Texas time, and I have to be up in 5 hours to get ready for the next Mobius session. Anyway! After our dinner tonight, Matt Miller, Ed Hardy, Joel Evans and I met up in Matt’s suite to geek out with our new HTC Advantage 7510s. I managed to capture the unboxing photos, which I wanted to take and post before I really started using the device tomorrow… This picture of Matt is specifically for Mike Cane. 😉

Reviews

The KICKER iKICK iK500 Stereo System Review

Back in the late 80s, when every spare dime I had went into car stereo components, I bought my first KICKER product. It was a subwoofer speaker box which fit perfectly into the space behind the seats in my silver Alfa Romeo. Never mind that it took up valuable cargo space; I still had a trunk, and I got a free back-massage every time I turned on my stereo. When I sold that car, I was able to unplug a few wires and easily remove my rear speaker system; that box was eventually transferred into several more vehicles before I…

Reviews

The Maximo Products iMetal iPhone Headsets Review

As anyone who owns an iPhone can tell you, a slight problem becomes apparent when you want to replace the stock stereo headset, namely that the iPhone’s headphone jack is deeply recessed, and the average 3.5mm plug simply can’t fit inside without trimming the rubber shielding the plug. When you are considering dropping some serious coin on a headset, the idea of butchering it simply doesn’t appeal; that’s when a model made specifically for the iPhone is the only “right” choice.

Reviews

The Kensington Contour Balance Notebook Case Review

During Jerry’s and my meeting with Kensington during CES, I had ample opportunity to admire their new Contour Balance line. As described on their site: With lightweight microfiber materials, sleek organization, Contour features to minimize strain, concealed pockets and DropShield® notebook padding for protection, these cases doesn’t compromise form for function and style. One of my wistful complaints at the time was that a bag was not available to fit my 17″ Toshiba. While there still isn’t a bag large enough for “value-sized” laptops, it no longer matters quite so much to me since I now own a 15″ MacBook…

Gear Bits

CAMiLEON Heels: Exercising a Woman’s Perogative to Change Her Mind

I first saw a post regarding a concept shoe with convertible heels on Book of Joe back in 2005, and now it looks like an easier to operate variation of the same idea has actually come to pass. Say hello to CAMiLEON, a company which produces women’s shoes with heels that can adjust from a pratical walking height of 1½” to a sassy 3¼”. CAMiLEON’s heels contain “mechanisms that hold it into place for both the high heel and low heel positions and a stainless steel rod, which runs through the entire length of the heel. The portion of our…

Reviews

The Skooba Design DIY Skooba Skin Review

Every now and then I like to step away from the computer and do my creating in an organic manner; one of my favorite means of artistic expression is embroidery, which I have been terribly lax about doing lately. I was sent a Skooba Design DIY Skooba Skin last year, and after wasting half a moment considering whether I should attempt to draw (or rather, paint) something amazing to fill its off-white surface, I knew that it was again time to bust out my needles and threads…

Reviews

The Crumpler Limited Leather Daily: Special Delivery From England

Last month Alison wrote asking about laptop bags which could also hold a DSLR with accessories for her upcoming trip, and one of the first things I said in my reply was that most of the ones I had seen were a bit drab, especially considering how much I know she loves color. See, that’s the thing about Alison – she and I will ooh and ahh over purses and laptop bags together, but invariably I will find myself contemplating the brown ones, whereas she will be drawn to the purple or aqua ones; that girl loves color! So back…

Reviews

The LapWorks Attaché Laptop Stand Review

It’s the age old problem: laptops get hot, and heat is bad for them. To top things off, portable computers aren’t exactly ergonomic when lying on a flat desk. What to do? Adding an adjustable height cooling platform is the easy solution; so today we’re going to take a look at one of the newest from LapWorks: the Attaché Laptop Stand. Composed of a high density ABS plastic base with a concave aluminum face plate, which also acts as a heat sink, the Attaché measures approximately 12.75″ wide x 11.75″ tall x 1.6″ thick when in its most compact position….

Reviews

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…

Gear Bits

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…

Reviews

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….

Reviews

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…

Editorials

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…

Reviews

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…

Reviews

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…

Reviews

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…

Reviews

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…

Reviews

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;…

Reviews

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…

Editorials

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…

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