News & Features | Gear Diary

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…

News & Features

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

If you depend on Livescribe Desktop on your Mac from day to day, they have some advice: don’t upgrade to Lion … yet! Here is what they are saying: Livescribe Software Notice Regarding Mac OS X Lion The current version of Livescribe Desktop 2.7.2 is not completely compatible with Apple’s new Mac OS upgrade (Lion) that will be available to the public this month. We are working hard to complete an update to the Livescribe Desktop that will address this issue and plan to have it available for customers within the next few weeks. Until this software update is available,…

News & Features, Reviews

A Gear Diary Quick Tour of Chromebook

It is easy to forget in the flood of Android tablets that Google has another operating system in their quiver-Chrome OS. It has been maligned as “too late” and dismissed as just another netbook option, but it is so much more. If your primary work is in the cloud, especially Google services, and you’re looking for a fast computing option with great battery life, hold off on that tablet purchase. First, watch my quick Chrome OS overview video, then consider this: for $499 you can have a Chromebook with WiFi and 3G. Plus Verizon and Google will throw in MB…

News & Features

Could This Be the Computer for Your Grandma?

A lot has been said about the iPad and how suitable it could be for people who have never used a computer. Way back during the late 90’s there were many companies attempting to make an appliance computer. That is, a computer that doesn’t require the overhead of a Windows PC, Linux PC or a Mac. Netpliance tried and utterly failed with the iOpener, which was a darling of the hacker community back when a 180 MHz computer was considered acceptable. Other than the iPad and Google’s Chromebooks, others have also tried at bringing the appliance computer to reality; Telikin…

News & Features

Random Cool Image: Vacation Relaxation?

It is that time of year, when it is hard to get a productive meeting or interdisciplinary project or anything done … it is vacation time! People seem to either be in a panicked ‘nesting mode’ getting ready to go or exhausted to the point of uselessness after returning. Or, they spread their vacation around so liberally that they never seem fully engaged all summer long. Yet once we go on vacation it seems we all go through the same thought process – I was laughing about it with a colleague this morning, and then saw this comic at Neatorama….

News & Features

Our ‘Everyone Gets a Trophy’ Culture Hits College: Grade Inflation in the New Millenium

There has been tons of analysis and debate about whether the cultural move to everyone getting a trophy, ribbon, award, and so on for every event makes sense and has the intended effect of removing negative feelings associated with not winning (as opposed to the obvious impact of removing the positive feelings for actually excelling at something). But what happens when it happens to grades … particularly at the collegiate level? Last month I was sitting at a college graduation for my alma mater watching my nephew graduate, and found that the number of people receiving Cum Laude and higher…