News & Features | Gear Diary

When Humor Meets Harsh Reality

I am a huge fan of the web comic XKCD, as writer Randall Munroe makes witty and insightful comments in just a few frames. But there is a reality in play here: for quite some time (since last fall) there have been cancer-related comics sprinkled in with everything else. About a month ago Munroe talked about it in his blog: Last fall I posted about a family illness, but didn’t give a lot of details. In October my fiancée was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. It’s rare for young women to get breast cancer, and she’s otherwise healthy and…

News & Features

Can Braun Tame the Planet of the Apes?

Summer beach weather is here in force, and the new film Rise of the Planet of the Apes is about to open, meaning that you are seeing hairy-backed individuals rampaging EVERYWHERE! And the folks at Braun have done a survey that shows that the women of the UK are having NONE OF IT! As the nation basks in the summer sun, Braun reveals what women really think of their partner’s body hair. With a summer full of poolside fun, men listen up and take note – three quarters (75%) of UK women don’t want a completely hair free man, they…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

OnStar Testing New Family Link Vehicle Location Alert Program

It’s 10 P.M. Do you know where your children are? Soon parents may be able to answer a resounding “Yes” to this question thanks to a new program being tested by OnStar. OnStar has launched a pilot program called Family Link to explore ways subscribers can stay connected to their loved ones when driving OnStar-equipped vehicles and one highlight of that new service is Vehicle Locate where the subscriber can log on to the Family Link Web site to view a map with the vehicle’s exact location at any time. “Our subscribers have asked us for a solution to help…

News & Features

Hex Launches New Collection of Tech-Friendly Bags and Cases

The seemingly everlasting style conundrum – fashion vs. function, might finally have a solution. According to Hex, makers of those stylish iPod Nano watchbands, you can have your cake and eat it too. Having recently released a brand-new Fall/ Winter bag collection, the Oxnard, California-based trend-setters are banking on the dual appeal of fashion and function. Currently available for pre-order, the tech-friendly bags feature a versatile combination of pockets, padded pouches, compartment separations, organizers and adjustable straps. If you’ve been hunting for a more fashionable way to carry your laptop or iPad, this seems like a pretty straightforward solution. Hex,…

News & Features

Brilliant Marketing…Rock N Roll Half Marathon Style

I’m going to be running the Dodge Rock N Roll Half Marathon at Virginia Beach organized by Competitor.com. Note, the number of sponsors and trademarked names in the title says it all, this is a big, marketing-heavy race. It’s the kind of race advertisers love; it’s a hardcore audience that’s not afraid to drop major money on clothes and shoes. Now, if you’ve ever run a big race, or done a long hike, or any endurance event, you’ll know there’s some very important personal business that should be attended to before you start. No one wants to see you…

News & Features

Summer Tech: Qi-wear by iharmonix Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses

I’m someone who ALWAYS wears sunglasses when I am outside. I also always have my iPhone and am often either making calls or listening to music when I am out and about. As such the idea of sunglasses that can double as a Bluetooth headset for making calls or listening to music really appeals to me. There was something like that on the market a few years ago but by the time I went in search of them the line had been discontinued. That’s why I took note of the announcement of iharmonix’s Qi-wear Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses. As the company…

News & Features

First Look: Case-Mate Tut “Creatures” Case for iPhone 4

Every now and then a review sample will arrive in some packaging that really catches your eye. Most of the time such things seem to come from Case-Mate. For example, their Case-Mate Fuel case arrived last year with an actual gas can. (Obviously it was effective since I still remember it.) Well we just got back to town and, lo and behold, Case-Mate sent a neat package with… …one of their new Creature cases. I was wondering why a box came that was kept closed with “Caution” tape and had air holes punched into it. The mystery grew when I…

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: Why Predictions of Vinyl Out-living CD’s Make Sense

It had been close to three decades since I bought anything on vinyl, as I started shifting my collection from Vinyl to CD. In both cases I was simply recording to tape since my portable system in my college room was a tape-based system – and I wasn’t ready to move my expensive CD system into that environment! But I have maintained the hundreds of records in my collection in pristine condition, but really haven’t played them in ages. That is in stark contrast with my wife, who has always used her records for their given purpose – to play…

News & Features

Speck Gets Some Love from the History Channel’s ‘Inspector America’

Have you caught any episodes of Inspector America? That’s the show where Timothy Galarnyk, an “infrastructure safety inspector with over 35 years of experience”, goes around the country checking out our cities bridges, roads, water-systems (among other things) in order to show what is right or wrong with the way our infrastructure is being maintained or problems are being solved. We record and save up several episodes to watch at a time, and last night Kev and I caught the episode where he’s in Los Angeles. One of the segments included Timothy talking about the billion(!!) dollars being spent by…

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: Spotify Has Early Success, but … a LONG Way to Go to that 50 Million Member Goal!

Over the weekend we got some initial data from the Spotify launch courtesy of Billboard, who cite ‘inside sources’ as estimating that in the first week or so after launch Spotify has 70,000 subscribers (i.e. people who pay). From the article: In my travels last night and in emails this morning I had three distinct label/publisher execs confirm the same number: that @Spotify has right in the ballpark of 70,000 paid Stateside subscribers after only one week in business. It’s hard to put these numbers into context, but it would also be hard to call that anything but positive news…

News & Features

Twelve South Introduces BookBook for iPhone

Twelve South makes some of the nicest accessories around. We reviewed their BookBook iPad case and loved it. (My father-in-law stole it for his iPad and still won’t give it back!) We bought and reviewed their Compass iPad stand and I still use it quite often. Now Twelve South is introducing the BookBook for iPhone and it look awesome. The BookBook for iPhone 4 is “a beautiful, pocket-sized wallet that holds both iPhone 4 and your driver’s license, debit card, cash and receipts”. As the company explains, Made exclusively for iPhone 4, this tiny vintage book replaces the need for…

Music Diary, News & Features

Random Cool Video: 1951 ‘Wanna Buy A Record’ Promo Surfaces!

My younger son recently produced a full length album of his electronic music entirely on his iPad and has some of it on SoundCloud. It is an amazing, all-digital process that is a world away from what was possible just a decade ago. When I took a few classes in music as an undergraduate, we were still splicing tape and dealing with ground loops and finicky pre-MIDI timing woes. It is amazing to think about how recording techniques have changed since the early days of the LP. There are plenty of written records, but now we have a fun video…

News & Features

Gear Diary Video Round-Up

Last week saw us post a larger number of videos than ever. In them we took a first look at the AT&T Status phone running Android 3.2.2, Carly talked to us about the benefits of Chromebooks and why they might be a great choice for you and we launched not one but two contest/giveaways. Missed any of them? Well we’ve gather all of them together along with links to each post… Gear Talk: iPad 2 Case Roundup Read It! Judie’s Orbino Padova for iPad 2 Has Arrived: Here’s a First Look Read It! Gear Giveaway: Judie Attended Intel’s Upgrade…

Editorials, News & Features

MacBook Air 11″ (rev Summer 2011) First Impressions

For the last few months I have been using a 13″ MacBook Air as my primary computer. It works beautifully. It is thin, light, and more than speedy enough for my needs. In addition, since the screen resolution is the same as the 15″ MacBook Pro I used briefly a few years ago I don’t feel like I’m compromising because of the size. All of that noted, however, there was part of me that, for these last months, had my eyes straying to (lusting for?) a different laptop. Yes, back in January Elana got an 11″ MacBook Air and I…

News & Features

News Flash: Google Has Done NOTHING About Android Fragmentation in 2011!

Over at Android Central there was a reminder of the stark reality facing Android users: the Blackberry PlayBook has a newer version of Android than 81% of all users! As noted there: It’s running a newer version of Android than some 80 percent of you guys out there. When last we looked, some 18.6 percent of Android devices were running Android 2.3.x. (Honeycomb devices made up less than 1 percent on top of that.) And RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook? Why, it’s running Android 2.3.3, while some 59 percent of you out there are still officially stuck on Froyo, and another 18…

News & Features

Victorinox Swiss Army Releases Innovative Luxury USB Line

Need an expensive and colorful device to store your extremely important personal or professional data? Want a USB stick with a self-destruct function? Look no further. Consumers may be surprised to learn that Victorinox Swiss Army’s latest products, the Slim and Slim Duo USB lines, have just one function. Marketed as an innovative and decidedly “Bond-esque” luxury flash drive, the new Swiss Army USBs are ready for anything, that is, unless you need a can opener or knife. Buyers can now not only store their personal data, but also keep it protected via passwords and a vaguely described “unhackable” feature….

News & Features

Win up to $10,000 with Verizon’s 4G LTE Field Tester’s Challenge

Are you an aspiring filmmaker? A smartphone owner? If so, it might be time to get down to business making a 60 – second video for Verizon Wireless’ new Field Tester’s Challenge. The premise is simple: create a unique video short showcasing a field test of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. In other words, you’re making an advertisement. Although the video needs a runtime of just a minute, there really aren’t many other restrictions on entries. The full rules and regulations can be found here, though participants may want to get a head start on the project before the…

News & Features

Sonos Issues Mac OS X ‘Lion’ Compatibility Warning – Don’t Upgrade Yet!!

Yesterday Michael brought word that Livescribe’s Mac desktop software is not currently compatible with Mac OS X Lion. In other words, if you rely on Livescribe don’t upgrade to OS X Lion. This isn’t a surprise or even an issue since there are always small bumps along the way whenever new operating systems come out. Issues emerge and, within a short period of time, are resolved. This time is no different. I just got word that the same holds true for Sonos’ Mac Controller. It too is not currently compatible with Mac OS X Lion. I’ve been using Lion for…

News & Features

Quick Google Tip — Multiple Account Sign-in

Several months ago, Gear Diary’s email switched to Google Apps. As a result, I learned about a pretty neat Google trick — multiple account sign-in. Effectively, it lets me be logged in at my primary email address on one tab and have my Gear Diary email opened and signed in on a separate tab. Helpful, but not earth-shattering. However, in the last few weeks, I’ve had two different people flip out with excitement when I taught them this trick, mainly because their schools and businesses have switched to Google Apps. Both of them thought they were stuck signing in and…

News & Features

The Epitaph by AUTUM Won’t Be Seen in the Tour de France

If you’ve been watching any of the Tour de France, you’ll know that this cruiser is the antithesis of all those bikes … four low-profile tires on a custom frame that’s been built from scratch make for a bike that will turn heads and empty the pocketbooks of twelve lucky owners. The Epitaph started as a humble cruiser but has somehow willed itself into the behemoth you see before you. Each Epitaph features a custom crafted wheel set that allows us to mount a total of 4 low profile tires. The seat, grips & frame inserts, also made from scratch,…

eBooks, News & Features

Star Wars Lost Tribes of the Sith Book #7 Released for Free!

A couple of weeks ago I highlighted that the first six Lost Tribes of the Sith ebooks were available on the Amazon Kindle for free. As was noted, these books were ALWAYS free, as they were more set up as tie-ins to the core Fate of the Jedi series. Regardless, it is a great deal for some decent Star Wars books, and now the 7th book in the series has been released – also for free! Here is the description: When the Sith ship Omen crash-landed on Kesh two thousand years ago, the crew encountered native barbarism and superstition. Now…