News & Features

Moxtra Parters with Salesforce.com, Evernote, and Kaffeine for Easy Group Collaborations

News & Features

Moxtra Parters with Salesforce.com, Evernote, and Kaffeine for Easy Group Collaborations

Have you heard of Moxtra yet? Don’t worry, it’s not a large insect about to attack  —  Mothra. Moxtra is a collaborative platform that lets you take all the different kinds of content around the web, from videos to notes to pictures, and stick them in a collaborative “binder”, making group work fast and efficient. They’ve been growing like crazy since their launch, and today they are getting an even bigger boost by integrating with Salesforce.com, Evernote, and Kaffiene! The Evernote integration is a pretty great concept. Evernote lets you share notebooks, but this makes it a bit cleaner, since all…

Huawei Ascend Mate Australian Launch Review

News & Features, Reviews

Huawei Ascend Mate Australian Launch Review

Huawei is making a splash in Australia with the launch of the new Huawei Ascend Mate, a 6.1-inch “phablet” to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note II. At the launch today in Sydney Australia, Gear Diary was able to spend some one-on-one time with the phone that Huawei describes as “Designed for a multimedia experience”. There is no question the Ascend Mate is a large phone, with a 6.1” IPS+ display dwarfing even its obvious rival, the Samsung Galaxy Note II. Just as surprising is the price, AU$429 when it launches on April 20, 2013. To put that in perspective,…

Telenav Looks to Shape Ads Based on GPS Data

News & Features

Telenav Looks to Shape Ads Based on GPS Data

I don’t always pay close attention to ads and location services, but when I do I tend to notice the same issue continually happening: the ad has no idea where I actually am. Oh, it knows if I am in New Jersey, and it might even sort-of know that I am home. But it doesn’t always know that the business it’s suggesting may be 4 miles away but a 10 minute drive. I’d pass three comparable businesses that were far closer and easier to reach first! Worse, if I am in North Jersey my phone becomes convinced I would be…

Wind Up Your Car Trip with a Winding Cable Car Charger

News & Features

Wind Up Your Car Trip with a Winding Cable Car Charger

  A great bane of connected driving can often be pesky power cables snaking across the car’s dashboard console, looking for all the world like albino spaghetti for iPhone users. What to do if the cable in question is too long and bowing out dangerously close to your arm, just itching for a wayward hand or elbow to catch the cable? Just as equally important, when the car trip is over do you loosely wind up the cable, throw it in your glove compartment and hope for the best? Well our ever intrepid friends at USBFever.com have introduced their Car…

PC Sales Plummet

Editorials, News & Features

PC Sales Plummet, But are Windows 8 or iPad to Blame?

There is one reality bolstered by two bits of speculation getting loads of attention today. The reality is that sales of personal computers are abysmal, in fact they just hit the lowest point since the IDC started tracking numbers nearly 20 years ago. As happens whenever numbers are released for anything, analysts swoop in to rationalize and spin, which has led to two major speculations about the origins of the decline. All we know is that PC sales plummet, but are Windows 8 or iPad to blame? Let’s look at those two, and a few more dynamics at play: Windows…

Verizon Subsidy Contract

News & Features

Verizon’s New 24-Month Subsidy and the Handcuffs of Strong Network Performance

I am due for a new phone upgrade on Verizon in June. I keep track of these things awfully closely, because 20 months is a long time for me to stick with one phone, and I am usually chomping at the bit for a new one by the time my new subsidy is up! So I was, to say the least, absolutely dismayed to see the news that Verizon is moving to a 24-month cycle between subsidies. I sent a lamenting email to my fellow editors, and this set off a discussion about cell phones, subsidy strategies, and why we…

Divinity Dragon Commander

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News & Features

Divinity Dragon Commander is Available for Pre-Order or as an Original Sin Perk

I have written extensively about my love of the Divinity games from Larian studios, including the recent Kickstarter of the turn-based Divinity Original Sin. The company is simultaneously working on another game, a real-time strategy game called Divinity Dragon Commander. Now Divinity Dragon Commander is Available for Pre-Order or as an Original Sin Perk. This week Larian and GoG.com announced they were teaming up to offer a discounted pre-order for Divinity Dragon Commander, knocking 11% off the price and asking only $39.99 for this massive game that offers single and multiplayer campaigns, as well as real-time and turn-based campaigns. There…

The Scosche boomBOTTLE Is a Ruggedized Portable Speaker for Tunes on the Go

News & Features

The Scosche boomBOTTLE Is a Ruggedized Portable Speaker for Tunes on the Go

We’ve reviewed a host of different Bluetooth speakers but never one quite like this. The Scosche boomBOTTLE is a new mobile speaker that is ideal for streaming music while biking, hiking, camping and more. The boomBOTTLE not only has a unique design, but it has the features to match. A durable non-slip, shock absorbing TPU exterior is strong enough to withstand drops or vibrations caused from rough terrain, which makes it perfect for biking. An IP4X rated weatherproof construction means you can use the boomBOTTLE even when it is wet outside. The boomBOTTLE even features sealed dustproof speaker grills. The…

packing light

News & Features

Packing Light for Telenav’s Waypoint

I’m heading to Telenav’s annual Waypoint conference next week. Since this is a fairly short trip, I’m looking to keep my baggage fairly light. I’d like to minimize my time lugging items around the airport, and with some careful planning, I think I can cut way back on my tendency to turn every trip into “my backpack is a mobile Radio Shack.” What’s on my packing list? Read on…

Startech Flash Drive Duplicator and Eraser

News & Features

Startech Flash Drive Duplicator and Eraser

As we move to a virtually paperless society, sharing digital files becomes an issue. While there are many avenues to exchange files in a large setting, many businesses do not prefer to email or share the files over servers for fear of being stolen or damaged. Giving the files on a flash drive insures control until it reaches the end-user. Startech.com has introduced a device to make duplicating flash drives or erasing them a snap, which means no more watching files copy from a computer over and over. I once wondered how companies that pass out large numbers of flash…

Slickwraps Add Colorful Skins to Your New Pebble Watch

News & Features

Slickwraps Add Colorful Skins to Your New Pebble Watch

The other day I received my Kickstarter Pebble Watch in the mail, and I was excited as you might imagine. However, as I began to use it, I quickly noticed how well the device face ergonomics might lend itself to skinning and screen protection. As it turns out, Slickwraps.com has released attractive skins to do just that with their Wraps for the Pebble Watch. Now Pebble Watch owners can choose one of 38 skins to customize their Pebbles the way they want. The skins boast an accurate Pebble face template, and cover not only the periphery around the watch face but…

Gtech AirRAM Vacuum Cleaner Is Light, Clean, Cordless, and Longer Lasting

News & Features

Gtech AirRAM Vacuum Cleaner Is Light, Clean, Cordless, and Longer Lasting

Yesterday I wandered the aisles at the San Angelo Sam’s Club, and I couldn’t help but stop in front of the Dyson vacuum cleaner display. I really hate our current vacuum cleaner — a traditional heavy upright with hose that must weigh at least 25 pounds. The least expensive Dyson was around $359, but it was a low to the ground canister model. I prefer uprights, and the one I was particularly interested in was the Dyson Animal Upright. It’s a 7 pounds cordless model that is supposed to have excellent sucking power for cleaning both carpets and floors. I…

RepeaterBook for Android App Review

News & Features

RepeaterBook for Android App Review

Way back when I was first licensed in 1993 to use a HAM Radio, the first thing I wanted to do was to get on the 2m band and hop on a local repeater.  How did I find them back then?  Well I went to the local radio store and bought the latest edition of the ARRL Repeater Book.  In fact, the ARRL still publishes this book, and it’s only $10.95.  Once I got the book, I had to dig through it to find my county and city; then I had to plug in all the repeaters into my radio….

G-Technology's New G-DOCK and G-DRIVE Offer Speed, Versatility and Flexibility

News & Features

G-Technology’s New G-DOCK and G-DRIVE Offer Speed, Versatility and Flexibility

Like you, much of my life is digital. That includes documents, pictures, music and video. Those files are precious… and increasingly larger and larger. Seriously, one video for a Gear Diary post can be a gigabyte and a half before I even begin to process it. It adds up … quickly. In addition, protecting that data is more important than ever, so having the ability to move files from one location to another is too. And when your files are huge and your file transfer rate is slow, it means only one thing — wasted time. G-Technology is looking to…

The Lifesaver Bottle Is the Filtered Water Bottle That the World Needs

News & Features

The Lifesaver Bottle Is the Filtered Water Bottle That the World Needs

The problem with most consumer filtered water bottles is the fact that they are really only good for everyday uses; like removing Chlorine, Lead, Mercury, etc, and making the already mostly safe water taste a little better.  You would not want to trust those bottles to keep yourself safe while out for a hike without access to clean, trustworthy water.  I use a filtered water bottle every day at work in order to improve the taste of the tap water and to cut down on the amount of plastic water bottles I use. The Lifesaver Bottle takes a whole new,…

Tom Bihn Introduces the Synapse 25

News & Features

Tom Bihn Introduces the Synapse 25

I love all of my Tom Bihn bags for multiple reasons.  From the Aeronaut to the Synapse, they are all high quality bags and each one of them still looks like brand new — even with repeated trips over the years I have owned them.  Plus every bag is made right here in the United States!  You can’t say that about most backpacks and bags these days! Tom Bihn now has a new and improved version of one of my favorites, the Synapse.  The new Synapse 25 isn’t just a bigger version of the Synapse (now called the Synapse 19);…

MiPow Boom and MiPow Boom Mini Ready for US Launch

News & Features

MiPow Boom and MiPow Boom Mini Ready for US Launch

As we wrote back in January, MiPow is planning a huge move into the US market this year. The company, which is well-known in other parts of the world, makes an assortment of lifestyle accessories including external batteries, headphones and now… Bluetooth speakers. We had a chance to check out pre-production samples of the MiPow Boom and MiPow Boom Mini Bluetooth speakers in Las Vegas and were impressed. Now we have our hands on the first review samples of each and we are going to put them through some extensive use during out review. First, though, since these are the…

The Bluths Are Back on May 26th with More Arrested Development!

News & Features

The Bluths Are Back on May 26th with More Arrested Development!

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a huge “Arrested Development” fan. I have watched every episode multiple times, own them all on DVD, and I keep them in my Netflix queue. This may seem like overkill, but you can never run the risk that connectivity may separate you from the Bluth Family. While Fox cut Arrested Development short, Netflix resurrected it, and the official date is here: May 26th! Netflix is working really hard to break free from just streaming licensed content, and Arrested Development is their second original content show after “House of Cards”….

HTC First Puts Facebook First with Their Facebook Centric Android Phone

News & Features

HTC First Puts Facebook First with Their Facebook Centric Android Phone

How much do you love Facebook? As we used to say when I was in elementary school, “do you LOVE IT love it? Or do you just love it?” Well, for those of you who LOVE IT love it, HTC has just announced the First, which is “the first and only smartphone built to feature Facebook Home.” The HTC First is also the first (and only) phone to come with Instagram pre-loaded, but that’s a little less exciting when you consider that it’s a free download that should only take seconds to do, anyway … unless they mean that it is integrated more…

Facebook Phone Event, What Do You Think?

News & Features

Facebook Phone Event, What Do You Think?

Facebook is kind enough to be streaming their media event today. That means we can follow along with the news as it is shared from the comfort of our own homes. You can check it out here or simply refresh your browser as we’ll be updating this post as the news is shared. “We’re going to talk about the Facebook phone or more accurately how you can turn your Android phone into a Facebook phone.” “We spend our lives sharing and connecting.” Instead of starting with apps and then connecting what happens it we flip that around and our phones…

40 Years Ago We Emerged From the Desert of Disconnect

Gear Bits, News & Features

40 Years Ago We Emerged From the Desert of Disconnect

The Jewish festival of Passover ended earlier this week and with it members of the Jewish community returned to eating leavened products known as chametz in Hebrew. (Most people I know end the holiday with the Jewish delicacy known as pizza.) According to tradition the Exodus from Egypt introduced a 40 year period when the Israelites wandered in the Sinai desert. (Three cheers for living in an era of GPS!) Having spent a few weeks hiking and camping in the Sinai I can only begin to imagine what 40 years (were the story historically accurate) must have been like. I…