Articles by Gear Diary Staff

Snowtrax 2 Slip-on Cleats Gave Me Plenty of Traction on Dicey, Icy Day

Gear Bits, Reviews February 17, 2012

Snowtrax 2 Slip-on Cleats Gave Me Plenty of Traction on Dicey, Icy Day

Admittedly, this winter for Ohio has been a bust where snow is concerned. However, living where I do winter inhabitants are occasionally bedeviled by ice storms or significant ice accumulation. Late January for me was one such episode where we received between 0.25″ to 0.5″ of ice accumulation and a dusting of freezing sleet. Walking in such weather on untreated or partially treated surfaces can be very tricky. Fortunately for me as a Christmas gift I received two pairs of Snowtrax 2 slip-on cleats that made all the difference on that treacherous day.

How Big is Big? How Small is Small? Find Out on The Scale of the Universe 2 Website

Gear Bits February 16, 2012

How Big is Big? How Small is Small? Find Out on The Scale of the Universe 2 Website

 “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” –  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Yes, space IS big, but that is only one side of the coin of the known Universe—there are items known and believed to exist that are incredibly small. Cary and Michael Huang have created a fascinating web page, The Scale of the Universe 2 that permits the scientifically voyeuristic to view a large number of items in the Universe…

The Startech USB 3.0/eSATA Quad Bay Docking Station Review

Reviews February 16, 2012

The Startech USB 3.0/eSATA Quad Bay Docking Station Review

  Image courtesy of StarTech Those of us in the IT business know that you simply can’t have enough tools to get the job done. Anything to make life easier, and give you more time to for other things is usually worth it’s weight in gold. StarTech makes some of the coolest and hard to find computing equipment on the market. Almost everything I have used from them works exactly as they said it would and stands up to the harshness of the IT worker lifestyle. Today we are taking a look at one of my favorite products from StarTech,…

Road Warrior/Technogypsy Notes: The Right Stuff Helps

Editorials, Travel February 13, 2012

Road Warrior/Technogypsy Notes: The Right Stuff Helps

™ No, I don’t travel with quite that much stuff; close, though (Image courtesy of The Tech Journal) So it used to be that I had to travel basically every week–my job was in California, but my home is in Austin, so I did an awful lot of flying around.  After a while, it got to the point where it was practically automatic, and I didn’t give much thought to the things I did to make traveling easier. Recently, however, after a 5 month hiatus, I had to make a business trip, and I’m finding that some of the gear…

AT&T Set to Double Their Upgrade Fee to $36?

Editorials, News & Features February 10, 2012

AT&T Set to Double Their Upgrade Fee to $36?

AT&T is reportedly slated to increase their device upgrade costs from $18 to $36 this coming Sunday, February 12. Because the overall costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased, effective Sunday, February 12, 2012, AT&T will change its upgrade fee from $18 to $36 Just my luck. I’m due for an upgrade, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to try a Windows phone, as evidenced by Dan and Judie’s saga of their HTC Titan usage. Speaking for myself, it’s just unfortunate that by the time I want to try out the Titan II or the Nokia…

Gaming Future and Obsoleteness

Editorials, Game Diary February 8, 2012

Gaming Future and Obsoleteness

Obsolete describes something that is no longer being used or is out of date. The perception of obsoleteness shapes the upcoming gaming outlook as the Wii and PSP are scrutinized as the “new” Wii U and PlayStation Vita release soon.

Google Finally Releases Chrome (Beta) for Android

News & Features February 8, 2012

Google Finally Releases Chrome (Beta) for Android

My favorite browser, regardless of platform, is Google Chrome and I wondered how long it would take for Google to release Chrome for Android. Well, the wait is finally over. Sort of. Over on the Google Mobile blog, Google talks a bit about the the history of Google Chrome, which came out in 2008. They talk a bit about the features available on Chrome for Android beta, including: Fast – This is Google Chrome fast, only mobile Simple – The UI is very mobile-friendly, and is intuitive to use Sync – By signing into your Google account, you can sync…

Arkon iPad Table Mount Review

Reviews February 5, 2012

Arkon iPad Table Mount Review

I love my iPad; I mean, I really love it.  If I could figure out a way to get it to completely replace my laptop, I would do it.  I use it to watch movies, read books, follow my Twitter feed, and lots of other things.  As a nerd– and this is no exaggeration– it’s the kind of device I’ve been waiting for most of my nerdy, computer-geek life. It does have some issues, though, one of which is that, after a while, you do get tired of holding the durn thing up.  It’s not that it’s so heavy but,…

A Four Year Birthday of a Different Kind

Editorials February 3, 2012

A Four Year Birthday of a Different Kind

This week I’m having a low-keyed celebration of sorts. You see, as of a few days ago my HTC X7501 Advantage turned four years old. I’ve had my share of mobile devices, but I’ve always enjoyed using the Advantage as a mini-computer and phone. With its huge 5″ VGA touchscreen, magnetic keyboard, internal hard drive and metal and magnetic housing, 3G and WiFi capability my Advantage has been excellent for mobile productivity for me. How I came to possess this particular unit is a bit unusual, so permit me to set the Wayback Machine to October of 2007…

ioSafe Shocks Us Again at CES 2012

Events January 29, 2012

ioSafe Shocks Us Again at CES 2012

  ioSafe is known for keeping your data SAFE. How safe? Well, first we took the initiative to burn and water-soak a drive, and the data was still recoverable. Then, starting with CES 2010, ioSafe decided to show everyone that their drives are capable of withstanding burning, soaking, dropping, and crushing. In 2011, we upped the ante again and took shots (yes, using a gun) at an ioSafe drive, and the data saved on the ioSafe drive came out unscathed. Well, we wondered what they would do next and, at CES 2012,  we found out. Honestly, what we saw shocked us…

vlock video clock

Reviews January 27, 2012

vlock Video Clock for iPhone/iPad: Watch Videos and Time Go By!

Back in the ’70s and ’80s there used to be a series of commercials for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that featured a person with a chocolate candy bar and another with an open container of peanut butter.  The inevitable collision of the two oblivious eaters resulted in them exclaiming “You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” and “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” resulting in the product slogan “Two great tastes that taste great together.” That’s what came to mind as I played with vlock (v. 5.1) from XVision. There are a number of clock apps available…

What Would It Take to Make iPhones in The United States?

Editorials January 24, 2012

What Would It Take to Make iPhones in The United States?

The title of this post was a question posed by President Barack Obama to Steve Jobs nearly a year ago at a dinner attended by the tech glitterati.  Mr. Jobs reportedly responded succinctly: “Those jobs aren’t coming back.” In Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher’s New York Times article “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work”  , the content makes for an absorbing read. Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured…

Has Apple Jumped the Shark with iBooks Author?

eBooks, Editorials January 23, 2012

Has Apple Jumped the Shark with iBooks Author?

Image courtesy of Carrypad I’m a huge fan of eBooks.  I’ve been reading them since the Peanut Press days, I have gone on at length about the strengths and weaknesses that I’ve found in the various software eBook readers currently available, and I’ve reviewed a number of “enhanced books” right here for y’all. I haven’t read more than one or two hardcopy books per year in the last several years.  I love eBooks. I think Apple’s iBooks app is pretty decent, all things considered.  As I ranted on at length about, I think there’s a lot of things to be modified,…

A Quick Hands-On with the PlayStation Vita

Events, Game Diary January 14, 2012

A Quick Hands-On with the PlayStation Vita

  I simply could not leave CES without getting some hands-on with the new Sony PlayStation Vita. Having abandoned Sony’s PSP after the original device, I was hoping to get a feel of what the Vita had to offer. Gaming on a mobile device is coming along quite well, but I still feel the need to have a dedicated portable gaming device rather than a smartphone with gaming capabilities. We found a representative to give us a short demo of the device which highlights some of the features of the Vita and the new OS Sony put together. Sony Rep…

First Look at the myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000

Events January 13, 2012

First Look at the myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000

Things are winding down at CES 2012, which was nice for Francis and me, as we were able to walk around more freely due to less traffic and spend more quality time with some vendors. Luckily for us, we were able to stop by and visit our friends from myCharge and PowerBag. We have reviewed the PowerBag Messenger and PowerBag Backpack in the past, and Dan mentioned how useful a PowerBag can be. They also have a great brand called myCharge, which is a set of portable batteries for recharging mobile devices, including iOS and Android devices. The team at…

Jill-e Designs Shows Off Stylish E-GO Leather Tablet Tote for iPad 2

News & Features January 11, 2012

Jill-e Designs Shows Off Stylish E-GO Leather Tablet Tote for iPad 2

You may not be able to deny that Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movie series has style, but you too can be stylish sporting Jill-e Designs’s new E-GO Leather Tablet Tote for the iPad 2.  You can be a technophile, but there’s no excuse not to look spiffy as well! The E-GO Leather Tablet Tote features: Top quality, weather-resistant, all leather construction Adjustable leather strap to carry cross-body or on shoulder Messenger bag styling with secure snap enclosure Protective padded interior with stylish fabric lining Protective pocket for tablet or e-reader Additional interior space for notepad, wallet, glasses and…

Innovative Live Advertising from Lenovo

Events January 11, 2012

Innovative Live Advertising from Lenovo

Well this is a bit different… I have seen other forms of live advertising in the past, but Lenovo just took it to a new level. We have all heard of blazing fast computers and internet speeds, but what about typing on top of a car?

iBike POWERHOUSE Brings a Complete Fitness System to the iPod Touch and iPhone

Events January 11, 2012

iBike POWERHOUSE Brings a Complete Fitness System to the iPod Touch and iPhone

I don’t know about you, but for me, trying to get into and keep on a fitness plan is difficult. Unless you have motivation, it can be difficult to keep with it. Personally, one way I have found that works to keep motivated is to have a training partner, or use statistics to track my progress. Well, the iBike POWERHOUSE does both! The iBike POWERHOUSE is a fitness tool which combines an iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S or an iPod Touch with a hardware device which: A weather-proof / shock resistant patented smart case and sensors The iBike POWERHOUSE app Goal-specific plans developed…