Judie Lipsett Stanford

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…

Gear Bits

Would You Take the Beer or the iPad?

screenshot from of the Eldorado Success 03/31/11 digital edition One of the joys of living in a small town is that the local paper publishes the police blotter every week; it’s always good for an unintentional chuckle, because some of the things people call 911 for are things you would never see in a larger city. Whether it be a black bull loose on the side of the road at the county line, hit and run doorbell ringing, or people who call for help but then refuse to say what they need — there’s always something sure to raise an…

Reviews

iPhone 4 Accessory Review: The Element Case Vapor Pro Limited Edition

We were pretty harsh when we reviewed Element Case’s Vapor for the iPhone 4; although all three of us absolutely loved the case’s form factor, we were appalled by the way that it slayed our iPhones’ signals. I even went so far as to scientifically test and verify the Vapor’s negative impact on the iPhone’s cellular antenna reception while attending an event at ETS-Lindgren. Fortunately the folks at Element Case were able to handle a bit of constructive criticism. and they reached out to us when their newest case, the Vapor Pro Limited Edition was available. Would the Vapor Pro…

Reviews

The Phosphor Appear Watch Review

I have two watches that I wear; my everyday watch is a stainless and gold ladies Rolex Datejust (that I would greatly love to trade in for the midsize version), and the other is a gold David Yurman that I wear on dressier occasions. I’ve seen plenty of other watches that have caught my eye for whatever reason, but it has been years since I saw a watch — any watch — that actually turned my head; that’s exactly what the Phosphor Watches’ Appear did. This is a much bigger and definitely flashier style watch than my others, but it…

Reviews

A Quick Look at the HTC Verizon 4G LTE ThunderBolt

Later today you’ll be able to buy the HTC ThunderBolt from Verizon for $299 with a two-year contract; yesterday I received a review unit, and I have spent much of the day (and evening) getting acquainted with it. The 4.3″ WVGA screen is beautiful, and it’s immediately reminiscent of one of my all-time favorite devices, the HTC HD2. You’ll likely hear quite a few comparisons to the HD2 as I work my way through this post and the resulting review, because more than any device since its introduction, the ThunderBolt feels like the HD2’s worthy successor. The ThunderBolt is hefty!…

Gear Bits

Bent Objects: What Happens When an Artist Is Given a Bit of Wire and a Few Household Items

My friend Holley just forwarded an email that’s making the rounds; maybe you got it, too. It shows the art of Terry Border, the artistic genius behind Bent Objects. Some of the pictures are cute… Modest pear … some are silly … Paper training our little dog, Frank … and some are creepy! You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato. You Say Potatoes, I say Zombies. Zombies are nuts about brains Zombies! =) I am now officially a fan, and I’ve bookmarked his site. I bet that you’ll want to, too! Bent Objects

News & Features

The 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: How You Can Help

all photos courtesy of mlive.com unless otherwise noted This morning many of us awoke to news of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that had struck Japan’s northeast coast at 2:46:23 p.m., their local time. Aftershocks, tsunamis, fires, mudslides, flooding and other resulting disasters have been (and are still being) reported nonstop today from locations affected, including our own west coast. When massive disasters occur, I think that people’s first reaction is generally to look at what’s happened, reeling as feelings of shock and awe threaten to overwhelm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s1uO47ZJ-Ws But now that we’ve had a moment to take it all in, and as…

How to Do It Yourself!

How to Fix Ethernet Issues When Running Windows 7 On Your Mac Virtual Machine

I recently upgraded to a 27″ iMac [thanks to a spectacular deal from Dan], and the first thing I did was install VMWare Fusion so that I could run Windows when needed. Well, truth be told, there is only one time that I ever really need to run Windows, and that is when I run Microsoft Money. You see, after nearly three years of using OSX, I have yet to find a money management program that I like nearly as much as Money, Microsoft’s long in the tooth financial software. It’s not an ideal solution, but being able to run…

News & Features

The Phosphor Appear Watch Combines Retro Bling with Cool Tech

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how a watch that “[miniaturizes] the “flip-dot” technology found in bus signs and train depots” works, because it just seems so fantastically futuristic and yet so retro at the same time. What I do know is that Phosphor, the company behind the intriguing eInk watches we previously reviewed, has just released a big, bold and more than a little bit blingy watch that appeals to me on several levels. I like watching the crystals flip over to show the time, the seconds, or nothing at all in these .gif’s, so I can…

Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford