Judie Lipsett Stanford

The SCOUT Toolkit Lightens Field Service Reps’ Loads

Do you need to locate, acquisition and verify satellite links? Probably not unless you have a military title before your name or you deal in some kind of surveying industry; if that describes you, then this is probably news you’ll welcome: Coolfire Solutions has just introduced SCOUT, a Satellite Communications Operational User Toolkit which has been “engineered to assist in the location, acquisition and verification of satellite links.” The total SCOUT Toolkit consists of The SCOUT Surveyor™ and SCOUT Observer™ mobile applications which run on the iPhone and iPad and are connected to the SCOUT™ hardware. As Coolfire Solutions explains:…

News & Features

Onion Goggles Keep You from Crying in the Kitchen

I tear up when I am chopping onions, and even though sometimes it’s just a sniffle, there have been times — like when I am on a marathon chopping streak while making multiple freezer lasagnas — when the tears just started to flow. What in the world is happening? According to Mental Floss (a fantastic magazine and blog): 1. When you cut into an onion, its ruptured cells release all sorts of goodies, like allinase enzymes and amino acid sulfoxides. The former breaks the latter down into sulfenic acids. 2. The sulfenic acids, unstable bunch that they are, spontaneously rearrange…

Reviews

PhoneSuit Primo Power Core Rechargeable Battery Pack for Tablets and Phones Review

Electronic devices always seem to run out of power at the most inopportune times, don’t they? Figuring out ways to keep those devices powered for as long as they are needed is key. Whether you are a regular road warrior or simply away from the office for the day, if you aren’t going to be near an outlet or power port, and if you carry multiple devices that will require energy doses at random times, carrying a portable power supply is the best option. Many times, these power supplies can best be described as bricks.

News & Features

On This Mother’s Day …

Mom, my brother Mark & me September 1970, in Camp Kue, Okinawa Sometimes it is hard to imagine the fact that our mothers had a whole different life before they became parents … but they did! My mom, Sarah Kate, was born to parents who were both from pioneer Texas families. Mom grew up riding horses on her family’s ranch. She traveled the western United States with her mother and brother, exploring national monuments and state parks. She had pen pals in foreign countries, some of whom she corresponded with for years. She grew up watching and learning from strong…

News & Features

Craig Turner Solves the Cat Pee Problem (and Yes, There IS a Problem)

I love my two (fixed) female cats, but for a while we had a third — a stray we named Bobby because when he showed up more than 3/4 of his tail was missing. That’s him in the picture above. Cute little guy, right? Unfortunately, something else wasn’t missing; he was still a fully intact male. We never leave our windows down, so we didn’t discover his disgusting habit of peeing in people’s cars until he had done it to my friend Lisa’s jeep and my cousin Dusty’s work truck. Bad kitteh. I don’t know about you, but there are…

News & Features

Olympus’ New LS-20M Linear PCM Recorder Aims to Unite High-Definition Video and PCM Audio

Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know what PCM Audio means, because I wasn’t sure either (and I had to look it up). PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation, and it is a “means by which standard audio signals (which are represented by waveforms) are converted to digital audio signals (which are represented by 1’s and 0’s – much like computer data) with little, or no, compression. The method of audio conversion is used on most digital audio formats, including CDs and DVD-Audio, and is also used to some extent in Blu-ray and HD-DVD applications. The PCM signal is…

News & Features

Blue Canary Night-Lite Makes a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch Who watches over you Make a little birdhouse in your soul Not to put too fine a point on it Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet Make a little birdhouse in your soul Who didn’t sing along with this song in 1990? Thanks to Think Geek, now you can have the night-lite that They Might Be Giants were referring to. $12.99 gets you this 4″tall night light with its light-sensing white LED. I’m ordering one now. Think Geek’s Blue Canary in the Outlet by the Light Switch (who watches…

Gear Bits

An Ingenious Dieting Tool: The Diet Fork

I saw this on Etsy and thought it was cute. Want to look more svelte? Try eating less with a “Diet Fork.” You’ll be so frustrated by the time you are done trying to stab your spaghetti or rice that you’ll just naturally begin eating less, your stomach will shrink, and you’ll live happily ever after! Well, maybe losing weight isn’t quite that simple. Okay, so there are some fundamental flaws with that theory, but I still thought the Diet Fork Magnet was a whimsical item — perfect for gifting to your friends who are always starting the latest fad…

News & Features

Rackspace and Microsoft: A Possible Answer for Small and Medium Businesses

In a world of the “Haves” and the “Have Nots”, the “Haves” will always have a clear advantage. In business, large companies “have” dedicated IT personnel, while small to medium businesses “have not”. Rackspace Communications Services is looking to help change all that by making it possible for companies of all sizes to have their own IT access while providing a wide range of hosted and “cloud” solutions. Rackspace offers products including hosted exchange for email, calendar and task management, SharePoint, mobile solutions and storage. Rackspace is designed to provide comprehensive communications solutions in a manner that is affordable, powerful, and…

News & Features

ArchPort YogiStash Flip Flops Sport a Light, a Bottle Opener, and It Can Carry More!

When you are at the beach, there are only so many places that you can tuck an ID card or some spare cash; keeping a bottle opener handy can be a chore as well …. but no more! Here to help is the ArchPort YogiStash, a flip-flop with a stash compartment just under the arch. Available in blue or gray and in sizes that will fit most men and women, the YogiStash retails for $54.95 — about on par with other popular flip-flops without all the extras. These look like the pair to bring when you are trekking around on…

News & Features

iWatchz Straps Make Mom’s iPod Nano a Fashionable Watch

One of the coolest things about the 6th generation Apple iPod nano is how it can be attached to a strap, transforming it into a watch with benefits. Dan has covered many of the available straps here previously, but these by iWatchz look so fun and colorful that they are worth mentioning for anyone who is looking for a colorful Mother’s Day surprise, a gift for a grad, or simply a cool way to wear their own nano. iWatchz is introducing their new alligator print Timepiece Collection and the Carbon Collection, but I still think their colored rubber ones are…

News & Features

Help Wanted: Gear Diary Contributors

We would like to add a few new Gear Diary Contributors… You don’t have to have prior writing experience, and you don’t have to have an English degree; the main requirements are that you have an outspoken passion for technology, that you be able to explain sometimes complicated concepts (or products) in language that everyone can understand, that you know how to use spell check, and that you be able to make a deadline. The hours are terrible, the pay is non-existent, and you would have to be absolutely crazy to submit to this torture. But the payoff (assuming that…

Reviews

Android Device Review: The HTC Verizon ThunderBolt

It’s becoming a problem for me that HTC keeps releasing some of their higher-end phones on Sprint and Verizon; see, I am an AT&T customer. One of my old excuses for why I wouldn’t switch to Verizon was that they were CDMA and therefore didn’t use a SIM card. Not using SIM cards (which are easily swappable into other phones) is a huge problem for people who like to use more than one phone, or in other words, people like me. That’s why the ThunderBolt, a phone that I have thoroughly enjoyed testing, became a bit of a conundrum. It…

News & Features

Walking the Dinosaur at School!

My school was never this cool! Take a look at what happened when a T-Rex (driven by its fantastic puppet-master) arrived at a Sydney, Australia school. The looks on the kids’ faces when the dino roars at them are priceless … but what’s really cool is how it takes a moment to realize how the puppeteer is working the puppet, but even then — the T-Rex is so lifelike, you can easily forget it’s not some kind of digitalized movie extra. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HFf3ZWNF6EY JWZ via Boing Boing

Reviews

The Swingline Stack-and-Shred Cross Cut Shredder Review

This is my husband’s and my pile of things that needed to be shredded; it started in a drawer, was moved to a shelf, and eventually ended up in a bag under our bed. What’s in it? Everything from those “convenience” checks that credit card companies seem to think we can’t live without, to credit card applications that simply need a signature and mail-back to be approved, to health insurance settlement statements, to all those bit of paper that have numbers, names, addresses and other information that get scribbled down when we are trying to be efficient. Why were we…

Editorials, Events

How Tru Saved My Bacon in Barcelona

Once I had decided that I was going to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain, I knew that one of my biggest “hidden” expenses was going to be what appeared on my mobile phone bill well after I had returned home. I fully expected to spend as much as $500 – 600 on top of my usual monthly bill during a week abroad between phone calls, text messages and whatever data I didn’t put on the Spanish SIM I had just purchased on eBay. Even though I had added AT&T’s $5.99/month “World Traveler” International Voice Roaming package (which meant that…

Gear Bits

I Just Got the Black Phosphor Appear, and I Love It!

Last month I reviewed the new Phosphor Appear watch in the women’s red with a Swarovski crystal embedded dial, and I thought it was a little bit too blingy for every day. Since I mentioned that I was going to order the men’s black with a plain black bezel, I thought I would post a picture so you could see the difference. It’s still a bright and attention-getting watch, but it is not quite as blinding now. I think it is perfect! =) The Phosphor Appeal starts at $199, and you can find them on the Phosphor Site.

Editorials

Orbino: A Tale of Customer Service and Change for the Better!

Dan: I received my original iPad the day it first hit the shores of the United States, and it was love at first sync. The device was absolutely amazing, and I knew I had entered into a new era of computing. I was so enamored with the iPad that I decided to splurge on a high-end protective case for it. After all, it seemed criminal to cover up such gorgeous device in the first place, but it did need protection. If I was going to cover it up, I might as well get a case that was as awesome as…

Gear Bits, News & Features

First Look: The Omega Constellation Time Computer I Takes Horology to a Whole New Level

It just doesn’t get any better than this! Geeks and Watch aficionados alike have been eagerly waiting the Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology found in the Omega Time Computer, and it is finally here — just in time for Father’s Day and graduation! Available in 14K white or yellow gold-filled, or 18K solid gold for those who want the very best, the Omega Constellation LED Time Computer I has a gorgeous and futuristic red LED dot display, and it is accurate to within five seconds a month. What is an LED and how does it work inside this watch? A…

News & Features

Substrata Takes Wooden Cases to a Higher Level

Substrata is about to release one of the prettiest wooden cases I’ve yet seen; this one is not for the iPhone 4 however, it’s for the iPad. I’ve gotta tell you — I’m a fan! Substrata is releasing six new cases for the iPad 2, all handmade at our shop in Portland, Oregon. We have an update of our original iPad case design, revised for the iPad 2 and two entirely new designs heading into production now. We are taking orders, and our first batches of cases will finish up production near the end of April for shipping in early…

News & Features

Help Define SMB Purchasing Habits and You May Win a ThinkCentre M75e Desktop Plus Two 19’’ Monitors

photo credit: spike55151 If you don’t mind filling out a simple online survey form, then you may be rewarded with a ThinkCentre M75e desktop plus two 19’’ monitors for your time! Ivy Worldwide is gathering information on small and medium-sized businesses’ technology purchasing habits. This is the second SMB survey that they have conducted, and this time the goal is to gain a “deeper insight not just into what information sources are important to SMBs, but also what triggers the action of purchasing (or not) once a potential buyer is feels him/herself to be well informed about a product or…

Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford