Reviews

HTC Advantage X7510 Review Part 2

In the first part of my review of the HTC Advantage X7510, I covered the physical hardware of this new device that resides somewhere between Handheld PCs and Ultra Mobile PCs. If you haven’t had a chance to read the first part of the review, you can do so here and then pick up this review afterward. In this part of the review I will be covering the software aspects of the device now that I have received the final shipping ROM from HTC. I will start by covering Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the Operating System of the X7510 and…


Wednesday Walkaround: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

This week’s Wednesday Walkaround takes a look at the hot little Evolution GSR from Mitsubishi, one of my favorite cars to drive. Here is my review: Some weeks it is difficult for me to determine just how well the latest automotive entry will be received by the general public. Other weeks I just count how many people stop by the house to see what is sitting in the driveway. The latter has been one of those weeks as I tested the newest Evolution rally racer from Mitsubishi. Built on the next-generation Lancer platform (of which we also drove the new…


The DecoCases EcoDesign Case for MacBook Pro Review

I tote two different laptops between locations these days, switching them out (or sometimes bringing both) depending upon what my needs will be once I’ve arrived. For the most part, I’ve been content to slip my MacBook Air into a bag, a sleeve, or the Agent 18 shell that Dan recently forwarded to me, but I hadn’t yet found a similar slim and protective MacBook Pro shell. Bear in mind, the type of transport I usually do involves grabbing my laptop, throwing it into my Louis Vuitton Alto tote (along with a couple days’ worth of clothing), and then driving…


Spire Edge 15 Computer Sleeve Review

When I bought my MacBook Pro back in 2006, I was all over needing a case for it. I tried regular notebook cases, and those didn’t work for me. I tried a backpack case, and that seemed to work ok, but I couldn’t help but feel that my baby was still a bit on the naked side.  When Judie offered me the opportunity to review the Spire Edge 15 Laptop sleeve, I jumped at the chance. The last thing I wanted was another ding on my MBP (see the last picture, after the break) Front of the Spire Edge 15…


Diskeeper’s Diskeeper Pro Premier 2008 Review

I remember back in the day, the only tool that I knew of that actually had a defrag tool of any real value was Norton Utilities.  In fact, I believe that Stacker, a drive compression tool that provided real time, data compression and decompression (effectively doubling the size of your drive…) of data on your drive ended up using an embedded version of Norton’s defrag utility. Point being, I loved that utility. It did everything that I needed it to do, including consolidating my directories, without having to boot to a command prompt; but alas, those days are long gone….


The Ultimate Receipt Organizer? A Review of The Neat Receipts Scanner

I travel. A lot. While I’m sure that some of you reading this travel more than I, by then end of 2008 I fully expect to have covered well over 75,000 airline miles this year. The fact that I’m writing this review from the comfort of my townhome is, well, rare? Most of the reviews that I write both for Gear Diary and Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! are written from hotel rooms… but I digress. You get the point. As you can imagine, with as much travel as I do, receipts – and more specifically receipt management – can be…


The Sprint Palm Treo 800w WM6 Phone Review

During the spring of 2007, when I was still a 700wx user and a Sprint customer, I was more excited by the rumors of a possible “Palm 800” than I was about any other upcoming Windows Mobile device. Some of the reasons for my anticipation included that the Palm Treo candybar with front keyboard has always been one of my favorite form factors; Palm seems to be the single most adept OEM at utilizing the WM OS without speed sacrifices; the 800w was supposed to be the first Treo with WiFi; it would have a better (2 megapixel, anyway) camera;…


Wednesday Walkaround: 2008 Audi S8

This week we look at the 2008 Audi S8 luxury sport sedan in the backyard. Here is the full review: Audi S8 swimming in luxury, performance To best understand the Audi S8 luxury performance sedan, think Olympian Michael Phelps in a tuxedo. And despite the corporate logo having one fewer ring than the current quadrennial activities in Beijing, Audi is as fierce a German competitor as that female freestyle swimmer who took Dara Torres’ gold medal. S8 is the sport version of Audi’s flagship A8 luxury liner, a vehicle that offers the maximum performance and refinement in a large European…


Purebuds earbuds one word review: Amazing

We get a lot of requests to review earbuds, headsets and earphones. Usually I can’t really tell the difference between one set and another. This time there were several things that made me sit up and take notice of the Purebuds earbuds. These promise to use something called “Reverse Sound Technology” to deliver safe and clean sound.


2008 Nissan Rogue

There are vehicles that are easy to drive and there are vehicles that are fun to drive, but so many times we see these two concepts fail to come together in one particular model. And then there is the Nissan Rogue.


LED light bulb replaces your halogens – reduces room temperature from tropical to comfortable

Thomas Edison…It was nice knowing you, but the days of the incandescent light bulb are numbered! Ok, so here’s my scenario. I’m definitely not your classic Al Gore save the spotted clam type. So when I tell my friends about this purchase, at first they don’t get it. I often work out of a home office that is about 12 feet by 12 feet and is located in my basement. Due to that, it is a naturally cool area to work. We do have air conditioning that was piped in from the main system via a thermostatically controlled gate so…


Review – iPWR Mobile Power For iPhone and iPod Touch

[This is a joint review between  Dan and Doug.  Dan’s comments are in normal font and Doug’s are in bold italics.] I’m liking a whole lot about the iPhone 3G I picked up the other day. It feels good in my hand and, even though it is a bit thicker, the curved sides make it feel smaller and lighter. I am liking the 3g speed a lot more than I expected. While home and work have WiFi, the 3G speeds make a much bigger difference than I expected when I am out and about. I’m pleasantly surprised how common 3G…


PC Tune UP Review: Turn That Tortoise Back into a Hare in Four Easy Steps

I have a laptop that I use for most of my software testing and review writing.  It is about a year and half old, and lately I have been noticing an interesting phenomenon.  When I bought it, about 18 months ago, it was blazing fast.  Even after I loaded Vista, I was still impressed by how fast it ran.  Over time, however, I’ve noticed a significant decrease in speed.  In short, my hare has become a tortoise.  And I don’t care what they say about racing, in computers, slow and steady gets tossed out the window.  As you can imagine,…


The Vertu Ascent and the Vertu Constellation: A Pictorial

Some time ago, I wrote a semi-mocking post about a just announced Vertu phone which was encrusted with gemstones and that had a price tag in the $100,000 neighborhood; not only was this phone priced way out of my galaxy, it was priced out of my universe. In that post’s comments, Drew came in and mentioned that he had owned a few Vertus, and that they were in fact actually excellent phones – despite their astronomical price tag. He also said that it wasn’t necessary to get them encrusted in stones, and that there were some which were (relatively) reasonably…



Celio’s REDFLY – The Ultimate Smartphone Extension Review Part 2

In part one of my review of Celio’s REDFLY, I covered the REDFLY’s physical attributes. For part two I will cover the functionality of the device. First, it is important to remember that the REDFLY will only work with Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6 Professional (PocketPC) and Standard (Smartphone) devices and currently only a small subset of the total number of devices available. For a complete list of what devices are supported visit . Having said that, I did test the REDFLY with a number of devices including several that were not on the Celio website. All of them worked…


The Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece Review

Ever since Kerry introduced me to the wonderfully descriptive and perfect term “ear roach”, used to describe those obnoxious Bluetooth headsets that so many people wear, I have been hard-pressed to think of them as anything but. However, the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece I am writing about today is one earpiece that does not deserve my usual mockery. This earpiece is elegant, light, and dare I say pretty? It is one of the few headsets that looks like jewelry for your ear. But can it handle calls comfortably and with clarity? Read on to see…


Review: Myvu Crystal 701 Personal Media Viewer

Even though the screen is small, I enjoy watching video on my iPhone and iPod Touch. No, it will never match the experience of watching a movie on a 50 inch hi-definition LCD, but it is more than merely functional- it is a pleasant experience. I’ve had my eye on Myvu’s various offerings for some time, watching carefully as each new one was released. I have wondered if they really worked.  And, assuming they did work, wondered whether the experience of watching video through Myvu would be that much better than viewing on my iPhone. So, when the opportunity to…


Review: Wicked Lasers Executive Series

Sure we’ve all seen laser pointers; they are a favorite for playing tricks on people, playing with your pets at home and even for pointing out details during a presentation.  However, not all laser pointers are created as equals, and I am here to say that Wicked Lasers have NO parallel in the laser pointer arena.  Wicked Lasers are huge step above any laser pointer I have ever seen; in fact, what they create are not just laser pointers, but a tool that can be used in various situations. I was sent the 95mW version of the Executive Series direct…


Review- Cygnett’s GroovePowerPack and GrooveSafari: Complete Accessory Pack for iPod

The number of Apple-branded media devices in my house has grown significantly over the past year. With the number of devices now floating around my abode it is always helpful to have an array of available connectivity, charging and docking options. (This became even more important when upgrading the devices to the new 2.0 firmware since it significantly downgraded their battery life.) Problem is, those accessories can add up quickly. Enter Cygnett’s GroovePowerPack and GrooveSafari. The GroovePowerPack has every connectivity option you might want for your iPod or iPod Touch. It includes- Each piece of the GroovePack is simply styled…


Sakar Crayola Digital Camera Review

You know you have a good product on your hands when the next morning, my kids jump out of bed and ask to play with it before they even get dressed.  Well, that is exactly what I saw with the Crayola Digital Camera from Sakar. My boys (6 and 3) love to imitate what they see me doing.  And one thing I do a lot around our house is take digital pictures.  As a result, they are always begging to let them see my camera.  Which is no big deal when you have a cheap $100 camera, but I am…