Articles by Gear Diary Staff

Levenger’s Editor’s Desk Review: Saving My Back One Word at a Time

I have been writing for most of my life. Short stories. False starts on novels. Three different newspapers and two radio stations. Heck, even as a lawyer, I spend most of my day writing and editing. And, of course, here at Gear Diary and Just Another Mobile Monday. And let me tell you, I have suffered for my art. I have spent countless hours hunched over my desk in positions that would probably make a chiropractor insane, editing documents from early in the day until late at night. I know this can’t be good. And the fine folks at Levenger’s,…

Reviews

Make some music: The Fingertip Mini Cube Speaker REVIEW

Good things do come in small packages. I asked my LEGO friends Beetle and Maynard with their girlfriends Sunshine and Faith to check out the new Fingertip Mini Cube Speaker that Thomas at USB Fever sent from overseas. Beetle: “As sound technicians for the Best Little LEGO Band from Nashville, we got frustrated with the round speakers that came with our Apple Shuffle.” Sunshine: “Then Kerry and Judie from GearDiary told us about these speakers from USB Fever.” Maynard: “It was awesome! They carry all of these cool USB items that work for our lifestyle. And for only $2.99, they…

Reviews

TrakAx Mobile Media Mixer for the Masses Review

When I first started using portable devices, way back in 2000, I thought they would be a fantastic vehicle for editing photos and creating slideshows and picture movies. They weren’t. At least not then. Fast forward to 2005, when I discovered Resco Photo Viewer. At last , a mobile photo editor which was comparable, in many ways, to my desktop. Now we were talking. But still, I could not find a way to mix my photos with music or video to . Well, now there is TrakAxe Mobile, which allows you to “create mixes in three easy steps.” Hit the…

Reviews

The Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 REVIEW

Several year ago, one of my Sunday morning rituals was relaxing on the couch, kicking back with a cup of coffee and reviewing the big box circulars from Staples, Circuit City or Best Buy. I would flip through and fantasize about the expensive laptops pictured in the ads, thinking that one day in the far off future that prices have got to fall. Thankfully today, it’s not uncommon to find budget-based laptops starting at $499 and up. Fast forward to the holiday season of 07-08 and there are some good mid-priced mainstream models available including the Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452. Let’s…

Reviews

I can hear you: The Sennheiser BW900 Bluetooth Wireless Office Headset REVIEW

In today’s mobile work world, many are escaping the cubicle world by working at home or at least telecommuting. Even stay at home moms (and dads) are able to conduct thriving cottage businesses thanks to eBay, biz dev or creative arts scenarios – the possibilities are endless, especially for entrepreneurs. Having worked at home for several years, having the necessary tools to conduct business is a must to connect with clients worldwide. Obviously Internet access, a powerful computer, and a mobile phone are just starters. A landline is necessary for a fax machine, plus alarm systems and DirecTV. The Sennheiser…

Reviews

E-TEN X800 Unboxing

The E-TEN X800 is here!! As promised, here is the grand unboxing. I really enjoyed this, as the X800 seems to be a truly awesome device. I’ve owned a number of different E-TEN devices, the M500, the G500, the M700, and now the X800 (and soon to be X650). I was really concerned about this particular device, as the build quality of the previous three devices left a little to be desired. In fact, my daughter has been using the M700 for the past three months or so, and the device has got some serious problems now. It is constantly…

Reviews

By land or sea: The OtterBox Apple iPhone Defender case REVIEW

The Apple iPhone is one amazing device. Yes, some naysayers will hem and haw about the lack of features, but on the flip side, 1.4 million people love the iPhone dearly. Of those 1.4 million humans who own the iPhone, they fall in three lifestyle categories: aquatic (water), terrestrial (land), or amphibious (water and land). If you’re in a cubicle, that’s can be considered a sub lifestyle / human category. Anyway, the folks at OtterBox cater to the aquatic and amphibious lifestyles with their unique line of rugged cases from iPods to laptops and specialty cases. Brand new is the…

Reviews

Sandisk Sansa View Review: Could This Be Perfection in a Box?

I do not think I have anticipate writing any review as much as I have anticipated the Sandisk Sansa View. I first encountered the View last year when I discovered it on Sansa’s website. At that time, it looked significantly different than the entire line of Sansa players, bearing a large, wide screen and what appeared to be no visible control. I immediately began seeking a review unit, with no response. Shortly thereafter, the Sansa View was pulled by Sandisk and significantly reconfigured. The final release of the Sansa View bore a much closer resemblance to its predecessor, the Sansa…

How to Do It Yourself!

How I turned the HTC Advantage into a laptop replacement

I’ve been quite the busy little Windows Mobile bee over the last couple of days. Inspired by Aura Mae’s comment that she used the HTC Advantage as something of a computer replacement, I set out to see whether I could achieve the same. Any boy, was I blown away by the results! The Advantage’s 5inch screen (which is the same size as some UMPCs) and VGA resolution means you can cram more into the screen – especially when you use the RealVGA utility to run it as its native 640 x 480 resolution. This, combined with a big helping of…

Reviews

Lighten That Load: the Skooba Shuttle Backpack REVIEW

As a downtown worker, I have to make a daily jaunt of several long city blocks to my office. It’s not because I choose to walk, but rather, it’s because the expense of downtown parking. Thus, I carry the necessities of mobile computing on my back like a modern day beast of burden like everyone else I see whether it’s downtown, at the universities, or the tourists. Of course, all of the gadgets along with the related materials such as books and assorted odd and ends need to be compartmentalized in an orderly fashion, while keeping weight and comfort in…

Reviews

The Navigon 7100 GPS Receiver Review

Have you ever driven fifty miles out of your way before realizing the map was upside down? Have you ever had to stop and make that embarrassing phone call when you got lost on the way to a friend’s house (or worse, a date or job interview)? Or the ultimate insult…have you ever had to stop at a seedy gas station or motel off the highway and ask for directions (yup, when you hit the cornfield, you have gone too far) Well, Navigon is putting an end to all of these and many other embarrassing situations. With the Navigon 7100…

Reviews

Verizon Powered Palm Treo 755p Review

I have written reviews of just about every current Treo on the market. I looked at the Verizon Powered 700w on pocketnow.com, the Sprint Powered 700wx on pocketnow.com, and the Cingular (now AT&T) Powered Palm 750 here on Gear diary. I also wrote a couple of follow-up articles on the 700w on pocketnow (Good Night Sweet Treo…or Not, and Over the Air Synching Issues Investigation) that really stirred things up. However, problems are problems, and if they need to be resolved, I’m not necessarily going to hold back. I’ve been using the 755p for a little bit, and honestly, while…

Reviews

A Look at the Vodafone Palm Treo 500v

A look at a device we don’t have here in the States, just yet! Pretty Box, don’t ya think?

Reviews

ASUS Eee PC 8GB Unboxing

Somehow word of the ASUS Eee PC flew under my radar. I had no clue as to its existence until the first week of November (two weeks after the US launch) when a colleague at work informed me of this low cost ultra compact portable computer. After hearing the brief details and that the computer would come pre-installed with Linux, my reaction was WOW! That sounds way cool! I quickly searched for it on the internet when I got back to my office. After seeing the info on the ASUS and the EeeUser web sites, I just had to have…

Reviews

Flip Video Ultra Review: A Pocket Video Camera for the Rest of Us

Before my first son was born, I bought a camcorder so we could capture all of the precious moments of his life. Now, almost six years later, I have a box filled with unwatched video, mostly of a baby not doing anything in particular. That set me wondering what would it take to have done something useful with this video. The answer, at least for me, was that it was just too complicated to transfer the video from the tapes to my computer in order to edit it. With my family growing, I simply did not have time for all…

Reviews

Johnny Lightning’s V_Bot Review

At the same time that Gear Diary was approached to review the Johnny Lightning Battle Wheels, we were also invited to review the V_Bot. What is the V_Bot? Well, here is a clipping from the email describing it: “V_Bot, the new high-tech hero, transforms from a sleek street vehicle into a giant robot loaded with action moves. This revolutionary RC toy captures kids’ imaginations with a giant robot that they can control, transform and drive. V_Bot even has a plug-in for an MP3 player.” Yep, you read that clipping right! V_Bot is a robot that can really transform into an…

Reviews

The Spire 17? Mojo Laptop Bag & Atom Accessory Bag Review

I’m pretty sure that at this point there is not a single person who has not used a backpack or satchel. Generally speaking, you usually find yourself wishing you had more space. Then, later on you find yourself wishing you didn’t have more space, but instead find yourself wishing you didn’t have a bag that keeps trying to tear to shreds on you. Then, along comes Mojo. This bag is quite possibly the most durable bag I have ever seen, with the most space I have EVER seen in a satchel. Ever imagine a bag that has pockets inside of…

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The Pantech Duo Unboxing

Say Hello to the little Beast – The Pantech Duo Overview

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myvu Personal Media Viewer Review

With all the hub-bub around the new iPods and Zunes, I had been searching for something to make my older 60GB 5G iPod Video new and exciting again. I wanted something that would be fun, and bring some zip back to the device, and be way cool, especially since I wasn’t going to be buying a new iPod any time soon. My 5G player is in decent shape and since I’ve been watching a lot of vide on it lately (more on that in a minute), I was looking for something that would make that experience a little better. Enter…

Reviews

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 950 Review

Sometimes, I need to have white noise playing in the background in order to be able to concentrate. This can take the form of music (CD, MP3’s etc), radio (Internet or other), or the TV. Sometimes, the simple sound of the air circulating in the room that I’m in can be deafening, and just too loud. I need to fill the air with something other than, well… the air. Recently here in Chicago, we had a very bad rainstorm come through. My sump pump decided to die the day AFTER the storm when a lot of the water absorbed by…

Reviews

Down with hip-pocket syndrome: The ALL-ETT Wallet REVIEW

The Almighty Wallet: Homers since the 14th century has used wallets to carry all kinds of stuff. Granted, back then they were called knapsacks (we call them laptop bags these days). With the invention of paper currency in the 1600’s, billfolds became popular. With the insatiable appetite for wads of currency preferable in rolled form, consumers embraced credit cards in a convenient stackable form. Wallets have become a staple for holiday gift giving and have changed little over the years, with the notable exception of the velcro wallet. The nice folks at ALL-ETT have designed a clever way to handle…

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