Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford

CES: Meeting with Timbuk2

At CES we met with one of our favorite gadget bag companies, Timbuk2. While with them, we got to see some of the bags and accessories they’ll be introducing this year. Not surprisingly, we were impressed with the continuing evolution and utility of their designs. We have reviewed several of Timbuk2’s bags over the years, and we were impressed anew by the design and quality of the bags being shown. Among the bags they will have coming out this year is the upcoming Command ($130, shown above). The Command won a CES Innovation award, and it is TSA-compliant so that…

Events, News & Features

CES: SanDisk Meeting

By now you have likely seen that at CES, SanDisk announced their amazing new 128GB Compact Flash Card, a size that still boggles my mind. Available later this quarter for a MSRP of $1499.99, this card isn’t for the feint-hearted. But when you consider that it wasn’t too long ago that a 5GB PCMCIA card retailed for $500 plus, the realization is staggering that this amount of memory is available in something so small. While meeting with SanDisk, I had the opportunity to take a look at their new CRUZER Slider which along with other features also has “error-proof insertion”,…

Gear Bits

IoSafe Has Got My Back; Do They Have Yours?

Freshly arrived back from CES, I found waiting for me an IoSafe 1TB fireproof, waterproof, and — as has been demonstrated multiple times by this site (and many others) — a virtually indestructible SoloPRO Desktop External Hard Drive. I’m looking forward to setting up this beast and putting it to work protecting my data. Knowing that any files, pictures, movies and music stored on it will be kept safe — even if something unimaginable and catastrophic should happen to Kev’s and my home — gives me a peace of mind that is hard to describe. Check out the IoSafe site,…

Events

CES: VIZIO

VIZIO is moving toward all connected televisions. VIZIO is introducing a universal wireless HD video and audio kit sub $200. Can put about 20 Myers away from TV and it will stream the content. They have introduced their first dual band router for video and computer wireless access. 7 and 9″ portable LCD TVs. For Mobile and auto applications. Their new Cinematic Experience id available in 50, 58 & 71″ (240Hz) sizes starting in June. Connect with Skype to any VIA HDTV for video chat. Head to head video gaming on one screen, by using versus lenses. Each set has…

Events

CES: T-Mobile Press Event and their Newest Tablets

Very exciting tablet details coming from T-Mobile at CES! Phillip Humm, T-Mobile CEO & president and CEO and Dr. JS Park, president and CEO of LG introduced the G-Slate from LG & T-Mobile. T-Mobile has fastest data in top 10 markets according to Nielsen. 900K 4G devices sold. T-Mobile is focused on affordable smartphones and tablets, aggressive plans and pricing, and rich and compelling services. Aggressive 4G data plans starting at $10/month. Data traffic on their network doubles every 12 months. Neville Ray, T-Mobile CTO, said that their network is 160% larger than Verizon’s new 4G, and 40% more major…

Reviews

iPhone Accessory Review: XCEL Case

It would be no exaggeration to say that after I placed the ElementCase Vapor 4 on my iPhone 4, no other case felt quite right. I loved the heft that my iPhone got with that ring of aluminum around it (because yes, I am weird like that), and the colors available made the iPhone unmistakably mine. Unfortunately, that ring of aluminum also managed to nearly kill my iPhone’s reception, and at the end of the review process the Vapor 4 had to come off. Since then I have tried quite a few cases — wooden, plastic as well as some…

Reviews

Mobile Phone Accessory Review: the Oberon Design Cell Phone Sleeve

It’s not very often that I can get excited about a universally fitting mobile phone sleeve, mainly because most of the ones I’ve reviewed in the past were pretty utilitarian. But when I received an email from Oberon Design, the company responsible for some of my favorite Kindle2, Kindle DX and iPad cases ever, asking if I’d like to review their new cell phone sleeve, I was happy to oblige. Our cell phone sleeve is offered in twelve cropped versions of our most popular designs and accommodates many different smart phones and regular cell phones. As in the past, the…

News & Features

Did You Catch Last Night’s Lunar Eclipse?

Last night Kevin and I watched the lunar eclipse. It was cold but clear outside as we watched the earth’s shadow pass over the moon, and I was able to snap a few photos with my Canon G11. I didn’t have a special lens attachment, I wasn’t using a tripod, these aren’t going to win any awards, and I sure wish that I had planned ahead and got a camera mount for our telescope … but even so, we had a lot of fun watching our fully moonlit yard go dramatically black. How about you? Did you catch the eclipse?…

Gear Bits

Spice Up Your New Year with Fyre TV’s FyreBoXXX

Are you one of those people who orders adult movies when you stay in hotel rooms? Oh, don’t worry … I’m not here to judge you! But if adult entertainment is your thing, and you hate getting raised eyebrows from nosy hotel staff, then you might want to take a look at Fyre TV’s new FyreBoXXX.

Reviews

iBottleOpener for iPhone 3GS Review

I like beer. This is a fact that I didn’t realize until about two and a half years ago, when I began dating a man who was a home-brewer and all-around beer connoisseur. I’d never really been much of a beer drinker before, so I never had much need for a bottle opener; that has since changed. There are so many fantastic brews available — none of which come with twist-cap, so being able to safely and easily remove a bottle cap when offered a new brew is a necessity. Therein lies the rub: I don’t carry a Leatherman or…

News & Features

Join Us In Wishing Coach Travis the Best of Luck with His Game Tonight

Travis, or “Coach” as he is affectionately called by many of us, is in the midst of fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams; tonight the Falls City Beavers are one of the high school football teams that will be duking it out for the State Football Championship in their division. As you can imagine, even getting to this point is something that few football players or coaches will ever do. In Texas — perhaps even more so than in other states — the competition between high schools is fierce, and the players and coaches give it their all for a…

Reviews

AUTUM Straight Jacket Review: An Insanely Simple Leather MacBook Air Sleeve

Dan mentioned a little while ago that AUTUM was releasing Straight Jackets for the new MacBook Airs and the iPad, which he soon followed with a review of their iPad Straight Jacket. Because Dan and I are now the owners of new MacBook Airs, we have been sent a couple of AUTUM’s MacBook Air Straight Jackets to review as well; I was sent the 11″ version, and Dan has Both the 11″ and the 13″. The picture above shows all three; the 13″ is on the bottom, the 11″ is in the middle, and the iPad is sitting on top….

News & Features

Get Added to Orange UK’s Secret Portrait Twitter Gallery

I’ve always loved watching caricature artists quickly plot out their exaggerated perception of their subjects, but this new offering from Orange UK’s The Feed takes the art to a whole new level. They are offering “secret portraits” of twitter users based on a tweeted self-description. I am about to enter mine, and I thought you might want to give it a try, too. Describe yourself in a tweet – and don’t forget the #secretportraits hashtag If your tweet intrigues us, our illustrators will dive into your Twitter profile to find out more about you They’ll draw a secret portrait based on…

News & Features

Phone Fail? Motorola Droid Allegedly Explodes While Owner Is In-Call

You can’t even make these things up … or maybe you can. It’s hard to imagine that your two-day old Motorola Droid — or any other mobile phone, for that matter — would explode next to your ear while in a call. But that’s exactly what Aron Embry says happened to him yesterday. A North Texas man talking on his cell phone was rushed to a hospital after his phone apparently exploded Thursday morning. Aron Embry was at Ray Elementary in Cedar Hill at the time of the incident. The man said he had just finished a call when he…

News & Features

Win a Mystery Item That You KNOW You’ll Want from ioSafe

This is obnoxious! I am absolutely awful at those “guess what this is” type games where they show you the tiniest portion of a product and expect you to figure out what it is … and this one happens to come with a prize that I am sure I would love to win! ioSafe, makers of the fantastic hard drives that are impervious to fire, water, crushing — or any other disaster man or nature can throw at them (and you had better believe that we have tried!) — is giving away a mystery item that they will soon be…

News & Features

Be the Band with an Old School Synth Style Tshirt from ThinkGeek

When I graduated from high school, several of the PTAs in San Angelo banded together to do a Project Graduation party … one where we could go and have fun, win prizes and (theoretically at least) be alcohol-free for the night. One of the events they held which drew the largest audience by far was an air guitar contest. Now bear in mind that I graduated in 1985, so this was before the days of Rockband — my friends were truly standing there, jamming on imaginary guitars — and it was beyond funny, yet also kind of impressive. For some…

News & Features

The Windows Phone 7 Dell Venue Pro is Now Available

The Dell Venue has been one of the more highly anticipated Windows Phone 7 devices, and now you can order your own! $99 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, or $449 contract free, the Dell Venue offers a unique form factor, a huge screen and a possibly triumphant return of Dell in the Windows mobile device space; past-Axim owners rejoice! Introducing the definitive Windows® Phone 7 experience with a 4.1-inch sliding touch display and full QWERTY keyboard. Features include: The stunning 4.1-inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive, multitouch display enables easier navigation. With Office Mobile built in, you can operate on-the-go as seamlessly…

News & Features

Apropos of Nothing: The Chins

Just because I figure we can all use a smile on the first day of one of the year’s most hectic months, I bring you the Chins. Slightly disturbing, yet highly amusing. Enjoy …

News & Features

Alexandra Knights Alligator iPhone Cases 50% Off Today Only

If you’ve been longing to wrap your iPhone in alligator skin, but the idea of spending $300+ just didn’t appeal, this sale will be right up your alley. Until the end of today, you can purchase an Alexandra Knight iPhone case, 3G/3GS or 4G in sumptuous alligator skin without breaking the bank! Usually $295, they are slashed 50% and for the rest of today are only $147.50. There are many colors available – matte and glazed, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. I am debating the matte cognac or the matte army green or the glazed emerald or…

News & Features

Happy Thanksgiving from Gear Diary!

Thanksgiving is a great time to take a break and recognize all of the things in our lives which are going right … the things we have to be thankful for. Once we start thinking about the things in life that are good, it doesn’t take long before we realize that there is much to celebrate. So have a virtual turkey dinner with us on this Thanksgiving, as we celebrate the good things and enjoy the day! We hope that all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving today have a huge list of things that are going “right”, as well…

News & Features

Wrap-A-Nap Lets You Sleep Anywhere, and I Do Mean Anywhere

I have long admired people who could nap anywhere, even when they weren’t sick and half-doped up on cough syrup. My problem is that if the room is too lighted, too noisy, too cold or too hot, or if I am thinking about all the other things I need to be doing, it doesn’t matter how sleepy I am, a nap isn’t happening. But let’s say that I am able to overcome all of that, perhaps because I’m the passenger on the world’s longest car ride … there is no comfortable position to get into, because no matter how far…

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