News & Features | Gear Diary

News & Features December 18, 2015

Preserve Your Wines This Holiday Season with Napa Select Products

With Christmas coming up in less than a week, there’s one thing that you’ll surely see at either a Holiday party, or even just at one of your relatives homes: Wine. So why not gift them the best accessories to complement their wine collection with two products by Napa Select that they are certainly going to love? Napa Select sent me over two of their special sets that are also available on Amazon, which is perfect if you’re in the need for a gift for the in-laws, a friend, or even just a gift for yourself. The first set I…

News & Features December 16, 2015

Original Pebble and Pebble Steel Receive the Timeline Update!

Pebble promised when they rolled out a new user interface that it would reach the first generation Pebble and Pebble Steel by the end of the year. They’re cutting it a bit close, but with two weeks to go they’ve finally announced that the original Pebbles could share in the new software with their Time siblings!

News & Features December 8, 2015

Logitech Is a One Stop Holiday Shop

If you are looking to get your holiday shopping done quickly and easily check out Logitech and Ultimate Ears’ offerings. If you want to be sure your loved will appreciate the gift you give them –that’s right –check out Logitech and Ultimate Ears’ offerings. There’s something for pretty much everyone on your list this year.

News & Features December 3, 2015

Verizon Customers Can Snag a Free Star Wars Google Cardboard Viewer!

Verizon is really going all-in on the Star Wars marketing. They already license “Droid” for their exclusive phones, and now they’re getting into the movies too, with exclusive Google Cardboard viewers for Verizon customers in BB-8, Kylo Ren, Stormtrooper, or R2-D2 themes!

News & Features December 1, 2015

Adidas FIT SMART Band Adds All-Day Tracking

Adidas debuted their FIT SMART Band in 2014; at the time it was just designed to be worn when you worked out, tracking your heart rate and acting as an extension of the Adidas Train and Run app. They’ve made the already useful and well-received band even better with new all-day fitness tracking features too!

News & Features December 1, 2015

The Upcoming Moto 360 Sport is a Little TOO Retro!

Motorola blogged today detailing the release of the new Moto 360 Sport. If you’re in the UK or France, you can grab yours starting December 18th, and in the USA, they’ll be hitting January 7th for $299. I do question who would buy one at that price, because they’re quite ugly AND look like an old Garmin Forerunner 405!

News & Features December 1, 2015

Vanity Fair Shares a Must Watch Video on World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day, a chance to remember people lost to AIDS and to remind everyone it is still an ongoing epidemic. As part of this, Vanity Fair has shared a short video that showcases the casual, unconcerned response the White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes had to any questions about AIDS.

News & Features December 1, 2015

ZAGG Power Amp 3 Portable Charger and Flashlight Is Small But Powerful

I recently reviewed the ZAGG Power Amp 12 Portable Charger and Flashlight. It is big, powerful, and charges your phone up to four times. Its a great option if you need serious power. If you want something smaller and easier to carry the $29.99 ZAGG Power Amp 3 Portable Charger and Flashlight is a great option! At under $30 the ZAGG Power Amp 3 Portable Charger and Flashlight makes a great stocking stuffer! And since it is available in five bright colors there is one for every taste and style. (Not that an external battery is a fashion statement but…

News & Features November 30, 2015

ZAGG Power Amp 12 Portable Charger and Flashlight Keeps Your Phone Going

With CES 2016 on the way thoughts turn to external batteries. Truth is, Judie and I have discovered that we can never have too many of them as we run from meeting to meeting. The new ZAGG Power Amp 12 Portable Charger and Flashlight is a great option that will charge an iPhone four times and provides a flashlight too! The ZAGG Power Amp 12 Portable Charger and Flashlight is $69.99. That may sound pricey but for the money you get an external battery that is well-made, offers a good amount of external charging, a smart chip so devices charge…

News & Features November 25, 2015

Nixplay Seed Digital Frame Will Grow on You as You Add New Images

Last year we reviewed the Nixplay digital frame. I love the large vibrant screen, the ease of use, and the ability to add pictures directly from your smartphone using the free app. Now the company has released the Nixplay Seed Digital Frame. Available in 7”, 8”, and 10” and a variety of colors, prices start at just $89.99!

News & Features November 24, 2015

Withings Adds Baby Monitoring Mode to Their Home HD Camera

Just in time for the holidays, Withings has updated their Home monitoring system to include a baby monitor mode. Previously the unobtrusive Home would “just” monitor your house (and its air quality) and allow two-way interaction with the people inside, snapping photos and recording video clips (like that wasn’t already awesome). Now, they’ve added Baby Monitor Mode.

Crowdfunding, News & Features November 24, 2015

Power Toothpaste Supercharges Your Morning

Have you ever woken up and thought, “I need some caffeine, but making coffee is so much work…and it takes too long to kick in! If only there were a way to quickly pick up a caffeine buzz AND keep my dentist happy!” Well, for all two of you who had that exact thought, Power Toothpaste is crowdfunding a solution.

News & Features November 23, 2015

The Logitech Z533 Multimedia Speaker System Offers Big Sound for Under $100

There are lots of ways to get better sound from your laptop or tablet but perhaps the best, and simplest, is to plug a decent desktop audio system with two speakers and a subwoofer into it. The Logitech Z533 Multimedia Speaker System is just such a system. It offers 120 watts of impressive sound and is under $100!

News & Features November 20, 2015

Pear Fitness Partners with TRX to Coach You From Your Phone!

I am a big fan of phone-based fitness apps. It’s a great way to guide your workouts without the cost of a personal trainer or having to conform to a group or class workout schedule. Pear Fitness offers a tremendous number of workout options, and now they are adding TRX suspension training to the list!

News & Features November 19, 2015

HOOK & ALBERT Releases Two Stylish and Functional Pieces

If you’re a woman, finding a reasonably priced fashionable and functional laptop bag isn’t that hard; men, other hand, usually have fewer options. Want a basic bag? You can get one without spending too much money. Want something more fashionable? Prepare yourself to throw down the big bucks. HOOK & ALBERT provides fashionable and functional products for a moderate price.

News & Features November 19, 2015

Sprint Celebrates With 50% Off Through 1/8/2018!

Sprint has just rolled out a 50% off promotion. Bring your device(s) to Sprint and they’ll reduce your monthly service fee 50%. On the surface this might seem attractive, peel back the offer and you’ll find the deal is loaded with terms and conditions. It probably makes more sense to people moving from expensive plans with early termination fees.

News & Features November 19, 2015

Take off with a Parrot Minidrone! #ad

This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from Parrot, but all opinions are the author’s. I recently had the chance to check out one of the new Parrot MiniDrones. There thirteen “ultra-technological connected robots” in the Parrot MiniDrone lineup and each has something special to offer.

News & Features November 19, 2015

Amazon Now Allows Two-Factor Authentication

One of the weakest links in online accounts is the password. You re-use them and make them easy to guess. Then if (when) there is a breach on a site you used your password you scramble to change it everywhere. Luckily there’s a better way to secure that password and it’s two-factor authentication.

News & Features November 18, 2015

Improve Your Wireless Connection with InFlux!

There are a lot of first-world problems in the world, and one of the more complained about is stronger wi-fi signals. I know I’ve personally had issues with slow downloading speeds and long buffering times, but INFLUX might finally have the answer to our problems. Announced this week, Influx has released their new Router Dock that not only compliments your home décor, but revolutionizes the speeds that you use the internet in your home. Requiring virtually no setup or software, the Wi-Fi Router Dock improves your wireless signal strength up to 50% more than other routers and extenders out there…

News & Features, Reviews November 16, 2015

10 Quick ‘First Impressions’ of the Apple iPad Pro

Several of us have said before that it is hard to truly assess a ‘daily use’ item in a quick review done in a day or two of use immediately after a product launch. Maybe there are updates coming so we are less critical in that area, or maybe we can accommodate a behavior change in the short term that we can’t over the long haul. So instead of a ‘review’, I wanted to post 10 first impressions of the new iPad Pro. Of course, I am writing this post on the Pro! I think it is important to understand…

News & Features November 16, 2015

If You’re Feeling Nostalgic, Casio Has an (Expensive) Watch for You!

We were in Macy’s over the weekend, and my son was excited at checking out the watches (aka “clocks” in toddler-speak), when I saw a display that made me do a double-take. Apparently Casio is tapping into the general nostalgia wave that’s brought back flannel, vinyl records, and JNCO jeans with their new Retro line…unfortunately, the price isn’t retro too!