News & Features | Gear Diary

News & Features April 16, 2011

Guess What Judie is Getting for Her B-Day? Orbino’s Padova Case for iPad 2

Judie’s birthday is coming up fast and selecting something she will love is not easy. Well, usually it is not easy but this year it was a no brainer and, thanks to Orbino, we are going all out on this year’s gift. Let me explain. A few weeks ago we did some “secret shopping” with Orbino. We had worked with them in the past and were not thrilled with the customer service. We had heard from Orbino’s Michael Ventre and he challenged us to go shopping again. We did and after changing our order a few times we concluded that…

News & Features April 15, 2011

Apple Employees and the Trevor Project Send the Message that “It Gets Better”

This past fall a student at Rutgers University here in New Jersey walked up on a bridge and proceeded to jump off. He had been outed as a homosexual by a cruel prank that put his sharing affection with another male student up on the web. He was humiliated. Things were so bad that he could not see a time when things would be better. He was wrong, they would have been, but his field of vision had become so narrow that all he wanted was to stop the pain in that moment. So he jumped off the bridge. That…

News & Features April 15, 2011

Verbatim Offers Digital Data Storage and Backup Solutions This Tax Season

Death and Taxes – oh how we hear that phrase overused, and for my purposes here I plead guilty. Fortunately I am here to talk about the latter and not the former. Our friends over at Verbatim, maker of digital data storage and backup products, want loyal US taxpayers (or at least tax filers) to remember to back up all your data. Recent springtime storms across the center of the country bring that suggestion even more to light as this will be one less thing to worry about when Mother Nature turns nasty and you are faced with putting your…

News & Features April 15, 2011

Walking the Dinosaur at School!

My school was never this cool! Take a look at what happened when a T-Rex (driven by its fantastic puppet-master) arrived at a Sydney, Australia school. The looks on the kids’ faces when the dino roars at them are priceless … but what’s really cool is how it takes a moment to realize how the puppeteer is working the puppet, but even then — the T-Rex is so lifelike, you can easily forget it’s not some kind of digitalized movie extra. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HFf3ZWNF6EY JWZ via Boing Boing

News & Features April 14, 2011

Earth Day Gadget: Belkin Conserve Valet

Earth Day is coming up! What better way to support mother earth than to save a bit of power when charging your devices? At least that is what Belkin must have been thinking when they released the new Belkin Conserve Valet. The Conserve Valet is a 4 port charging station that has a unique ability. It detects when an attached USB device is charged up and when detected, it shuts down the power to the port. This helps us conserve at least a little bit of power; it also lets you manage those many cords with some built-in cord management….

News & Features April 12, 2011

R.I.P. Jazz Violinist Billy Bang and Video Game Pioneer Jerry Lawson

Overnight I heard about two deaths in different areas I follow, and I wanted to celebrate the lives of these two under-appreciated talents in the game hardware and jazz music fields. Jerry Lawson People doing designs for video game hardware or software are seldom recognized – in fact, since the systems became so complex in the 80’s that no single person can claim a design as their own, it tends to be the visionary leaders who get recognized. But in the 1970s things were different, you had Atari and Fairchild, and inside of them you had guys like Alan Alcorn,…

News & Features April 12, 2011

Today Marks the Sesquicentennial of the Start of the U. S. Civil War

The U. S. Civil War was the bloodiest conflict to ever occur on the lands of the United States that addressed several issues regarding Federal authority versus States rights, but ultimately came down to a single issue: slavery. Today marks the day that the war began as Confederate troops fired on a Union garrison at Fort Sumter. There is a great historical recounting of events here: On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson…

News & Features April 11, 2011

Random Cool Stuff: George Takei Ringtone Supports Old Globe Theater

George Takei rose to fame as Sulu on the original Star Trek. His facial and vocal expressions are classics, and his work on behalf of a number of organizations and causes has kept him in the public goodwill ever since. Now he is helping to raise money for the Old Globe Theater As he says on his Twitter feed: My “OhMyyy” ringtone is out like a senator in a bathroom stall. Benefits @TheOldGlobe #TheLoadinDownload Source: George Takei Twitter

Gear Bits, News & Features April 10, 2011

Going Once, Going Twice, Start Your Engine: the 1970 Lancia Stratospheric HF

There are cars and then THERE ARE CARS! This 1970 Lancia Stratos HF is a CAR! This 1970 Lancia Stratos HF “Zero” was the predecessor to the Lamborghini Countach, a car that made an appearance just a year later. The wedge-body shape is as sleek as anything you have ever seen and the car was so low to the ground that you got into it by opening the windshield and climbing in. The car was fully restored in 2000 and is up for auction. It falls under the category of “if you have to ask what the bidding starts at…

News & Features April 8, 2011

ARCAM rCube Portable iPod Speaker System Rocks Wherever You Go

Does the world really need yet another iPod speaker dock? At the low end of the market I think not but at the high end there is always room for a speaker system that works with your iOS device, is easily portable AND gives great sound. That is a lot to ask for from a system that is meant to go wherever you do but ARCAM’s rCube promises to deliver exactly that. As the company’s promotional material explains, rCube is a listening revolution, delivering high fidelity from a single, beautiful package that’s portable and has wireless audio streaming. rCube offers…

News & Features April 8, 2011

Flush Puppies Let Your Doggy Be Green!

It’s the downside of having a dog. We go through bags like crazy cleaning up after him on walks, and it’s painful to see all that plastic build up in the garbage can at the end of the week. Flush Puppies claim to have a better solution though! According to their site: Flush Puppies doodie bags are 100% biodegradable and flushable. Yes, really… flushable. Made from Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) – a water soluble, eco-friendly, “green” alternative to plastic – Flush Puppies are specifically made to dispose of doggie doodie down the toilet. (It’s science, people – not voodoo!) Unlike plastic…

News & Features April 7, 2011

AVG Launches ‘LiveKive’ Onlive Storage System

Like many folks, I make great use of DropBox for non-sensitive storage options for files I need to access from a variety of platforms. The free storage level tends to work fine for me, but I know many folks who take advantage of the reasonably priced upgrades in storage.

News & Features April 7, 2011

Bulldog Security’s Automotive Remote Starts and Secures Your Car

I live in the northeast. That means is has been a brutally cold winter and, as a quick look outside would suggest, it isn’t completely and totally over. You know what would have been great to have over the past few months? A remote starter! Yes, just imagine if I had been able to push a button a few minutes before I needed to leave for the day. Then I would have been able to sprint from my warm house and, seconds later, jump into an equally warm car. There’s only one problem with this idea, my Subaru Outback is…

News & Features April 7, 2011

MLB At Bat 2011 Review Featured at AlliOSNews

Our friend Clinton Fitch of ClintonFitch.com and AlliOSNews is a big baseball fan. And big fans need robust apps like MLB At Bat 2011 for iPad. It was actually one of Clinton’s past reviews of this app that caused me to purchase it last year and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Now, as you read his review, you’ll need to bear in mind that he’s a Rangers fan and cut him some slack anyway. Sure, he thinks that his purchasing MLB At Bat 2010 was behind the Rangers’ success last year, but that’s just being superstitious. Good thing that we fans…

News & Features April 6, 2011

Sena’s Lineup of iPad 2 Cases Offers Great Style and Protection in Gorgeous Leather

I love Sena’s leather cases and have since my first Dell Axim PDA. Their quality is first-rate, the leathers they use are gorgeous and, time and again, they find just the right balance between style and function. Well the company has rolled out their offerings for the iPad 2 and they are impressive. I like them all but am especially drawn to the new Florence for iPad 2. This sleek case/stand will have an MSRP of $79.99 but is available for pre-order right now for just $69.99. We have lots more pictures of the Florence but let’s take a quick…

News & Features April 6, 2011

Orb’s Mod1 PLUS Home Theater Speaker System: Big on Style and Sound

Here’s some exciting audio news: Speakers Do Not Have to be Square! Shocked? I’m sure you are but after years of being limited to boring square speakers it is now possible to get big sound from your home audio system without having to sacrifice style. Orb’s Mod1 PLUS Home Theater Speaker System is leading the charge by bringing aesthetic interest AND great sound to your den or theater room. Sure, Orb’s system doesn’t come cheap, but as the company explains, We know some of you are trying like crazy to keep your system under $1,000. The problem with that plan…

News & Features April 6, 2011

Epsilon, Emails, and Hackers

My guess is that, like me, you’ve received many soothing-but-scary emails over the last few days from Target, TiVo, Best Buy, maybe even your bank. They explain how, oops, someone might have accidentally tapped into their database and found your email, but don’t worry! Just maybe think twice before clicking on any email links until you make sure it’s from the company you trusted to not leak your email in the first place. It’s a headache, but not a huge problem all by itself. Except, of course, the sheer number of companies impacted. Because everyone was using the same company,…

News & Features April 5, 2011

Random Cool Stuff: What is a Photocopier?

Have you ever watched Judge Judy where she gets exasperated and eventually says ‘you’re an idiot!’, or heard about some legal proceedings and wondered how they could belabor the minutia to such an extreme extent? Well, today we have the best of both worlds! From the Wall Street Journal we hear about a court case where Here is an excerpt from the WSJ post, and as they note, what is at issue is whether the office had a copy machine at the time in question.: Plaintiffs’ lawyer: During your tenure in the computer department at the Recorder’s office, has the…

News & Features April 4, 2011

NewerTech Helps You Tear Apart Your iPhone Properly

I’m not really one of those guys who likes to take apart my electronics to change, alter, or fix things. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things around my house on which I like to work, but electronics, no. So, I’m somewhat in awe of the folks who are willing to do such things. And if you’re inclined to mess around with the internals of your iPhone 4, then you may want to consider NewerTech’s new kit for dissassmbling your iPhone without marring it. The NewerTech 7 pc. Toolkit for iPhone 4 includes the following tools for easy…

News & Features April 2, 2011

AUTUM Releases Turncoat, an iPad Sleeve with a Difference

AUTUM is one of those small boutique accessory companies that are a hidden gem. When we came across their iPad sleeves we knew this was an outfit we wanted to get to know better. The artistry they bring to each of their products is obvious and their commitment to quality is outstanding. We reviewed their impressive StraightJacket, leather sleeves for the iPad and both the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air. We were impressed, and I continue to use and enjoy the sleeves. Then we brought word of their most unusual couch, the Heretic. It was to die for — literally,…

News & Features April 2, 2011

Time Warner Cable Has To Pull Channels From Their iPad App

Have you tried the Time Warner Cable iPad App? I have been playing around with it and planning a review. It is really pretty sweet – you can watch live streaming shows from a number of channels. It is restricted to your house, which I thought was a fair enough compromise – I could picture having my iPad sitting outside having a drink with my wife at night enjoying a show … well, once the snow melts anyway! Today I got an email describing how several channels were being pulled from the App – this isn’t surprising, since we already…