Reviews

Diino Online Backup and Storage Review

Reviews

Diino Online Backup and Storage Review

Over a year ago, whilst working feverishly on an overdue college paper, I spilled a large glass of water over my laptop. Cue panic attack as the MacBook Pro sizzled. I had a backup of that document on my Fujitsu tablet, but it was several days old, and so was the previous SuperDuper backup of the MacBook. Fortunately, the MacBook was fine after several hours by a heater (with the battery out, of course). I got round to looking at online backup services after that. I evaluated SugarSync (pricey), Diino (no Mac client) and settled on Mozy. After the initial…

Weber EP-310 Gas Grill Review

Outdoors, Reviews

Weber EP-310 Gas Grill Review

In a former life, I was a classically trained chef.  I went to culinary school, worked in the restaurant business for a number of years and lived and breathed all things food and cooking.  Although that seems like a lifetime away (I’ve since moved on to another career) I still enjoy cooking and do it often.  I do a lot of my cooking on a grill.  I use my grill all year long.  Winter, spring, summer and fall.  I’ve been known to grill in the snow or under an umbrella in the rain.  My last grill wasn’t the latest or…

Twitter Desktop Clients for Mac, Dual Review

Reviews

Twitter Desktop Clients for Mac, Dual Review

By now most of us are aware of Twitter.  If you’re not Twitter is a “service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” Twitter is popular.  The service doubled its user base in March alone (See this link).  And as a result, there is no shortage of desktop Twitter clients out there available to download.  In this comparison review Larry (Nambu and Tweetie) and Wayne (TweetDeck and Seesmic) take a look at four of the more popular Twitter desktop clients available for the…

Speck Candy Shell Case for iPhone 3G Review

Reviews

Speck Candy Shell Case for iPhone 3G Review

Speck has been making accessories for handheld devices since 2001. One of their latest products is the Candy Shell case for the iPhone 3G.  The Candy Shell features the protection of a hard exterior, but has the cushioning of a softer interior to help buffer the iPhone if it’s dropped – hence, the “candy shell” name.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Review

Reviews

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Review

I ordered a Livescribe Pulse Smartpen a few weeks ago after seeing an ad for it. Having now used it for a few weeks, I can honestly say that, other than my various Apple products, this may well be my favorite technology purchase ever. It certainly has all of the qualities necessary to stand out as a tech “home run.” It certainly has the “cool gadget dimension handled. Likewise, it has the “technology that makes your life easier and you more efficient” market covered. And to think, I sat looking at the sealed box for two days after it arrived…

ACME MADE Courier Notebook Bag - Redux

Reviews

ACME MADE Courier Notebook Bag – Redux

About a week ago I realized that I needed to get organized. My desk is a mess and my notebook bag… well let’s just say my cables have cables. It was so overstuffed and under-organized that I couldn’t find anything. I sent the following cry for help to the Gear Diary Team. There are two different gear patterns for me these days when I leave the house. One has me only bringing my iPhone. Simple. The other has me with way too much stuff- notebook, charger, iPhone, extra battery, pulsepen, bluetooth headset etc. So much little crap that throwing it…

Hot Pursuit for Windows Mobile Review

Reviews

Hot Pursuit for Windows Mobile Review

Games for devices such as PalmOS and Windows Mobile PDA’s have typically gotten much less attention than those for consoles and handhelds by big names such as Sony and Nintendo. What that has meant is that it is harder for game producers to get their games into the hands of those who might enjoy them: so-called ‘hardcore’ gamers would know about the games but be typically looking for a more serious and involved experience, while the more ‘casual’ gamer would be less likely to visit the online stores to get the games. The Apple iPhone changed that with the tight…

Proporta Beach Buoy Review

Reviews

Proporta Beach Buoy Review

The summer travel season is fast coming upon us.  In fact, here in Columbus we have a day in the 80’s predicted already! While it’s still not warm enough to go swimming, when you do finally take the plunge you may want to take this with you.

Review - OtterBox Armor Case for 4th Generation iPod Nano

Reviews

Review – OtterBox Armor Case for 4th Generation iPod Nano

I briefly had a new iPod Shuffle when it was released last month. I loved the size and the voiceover feature, but ended up returning it. Why? The inability to use any headset other than the stock Apple buds didn’t work for me. I have, and use, a number of relatively high end headsets with my iPhone, and I just couldn’t get used to the stock buds. So back it went! Still however, I wanted a small iPod to use when I didn’t want to carry something larger and/or put my iPhone or iPod Touch at risk. As a result,…

Dodge Charger still making tracks

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Dodge Charger still making tracks

Large, rear-wheel-drive American sedans still hold a place in consumer’s hearts judging by how many times I am asked my opinions on cars such as the Dodge Charger. I find quite a few folks, especially those with families, with the Charger on their list of possibilities when researching a new automobile.

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS Review

Reviews

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS Review

I remember reading a New York Times article that was calling the recently released entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise of video games ‘one of the most important’ video games released in recent years. The article talks about how by bringing a fully fleshed out entry of the M-rated series to a platform generally associated with under-18 children, it signals an important milestone in the history and maturation of the video game industry. That is an awful lot to heap on a game that is barely larger than a SD card, so I will take a look and see…

Amoebas for the iPhone

Reviews

Amoebas for the iPhone

If you own an iPhone, you’ve probably discovered the incredible number of games available on the app store. Some of the best are the sort you can fire up, play for a few minutes, stop and pretend you are working when your boss walks by, then keep playing when the coast is clear. I had the opportunity to review one of these games, Amoebas by SDGames …is it worth playing or will it get lost in the deluge of options?

No More Excuses! Back Up Your Data the Easy Way with the Clickfree Transformer

Reviews

No More Excuses! Back Up Your Data the Easy Way with the Clickfree Transformer

Sure, we say we’re going to diligently backup our data.  Heck, sometimes we even actually do it. It starts out with the very best of intentions.  You backup all those files daily.  Then weekly.  Then, monthly. Soon enough, though, you’ve fallen off the cart.  You’re going to softball games, soccer games, working on…One.  Last.  Deadline. Then two, maybe three months go by since your last backup.  We are all guilty of neglecting our poor data.  Usually around that time is when — gasp! — everything is lost.  We become victims a file corruption.  A dead hard drive spun into oblivion. …

Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers Review

Reviews

Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers Review

Like a lot of people, I commute. My trip lasts about an hour each way on the bus.  There are a tons of distractions from people talking and the constant hum of the moving bus.  I tried the Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers hoping to create some audio nirvana on my daily commute.

DQ Craze Review

Reviews

DQ Craze Review

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  DQ Craze is a new match-3 game from Game Mill entertainment for the iPhone and iPod Touch.    Gaming got you hungry for a treat?  When you’re done playing, DQ will locate the closest Dairy Queen to you via Google Maps.

DVD Dashboard Review

Reviews

DVD Dashboard Review

I don’t know about you, but I walk into the DVD Rental Store and I immediately draw a blank as to what movies I’m looking for and then walk out with something that I just grabbed because I was in a hurry and got tired of scanning through the store.

Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset Review

Reviews

Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset Review

Can you hear me now?  Of course you can.  And now…now…and now.  why?  Because I am using the Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset.  This one uses a dual microphone design to ensure that you can be heard by every caller, in any environment.  Want to know more?  hit the jump for a closer look.

Sound ID 300 Review

Reviews

Sound ID 300 Review

One of the benefits of writing for both Gear Diary and whatsoniphone.com is that when I find a truly outstanding product, one about which which I am totally enthusiastic, I’m able to share that enthusiasm with a larger audience of both iPhone AND general tech enthusiasts. That’s certainly the case with the Sound ID 300 Bluetooth headset I have been using since last week and the reason I am posting this review on both sites. Bluetooth headsets are commonplace these days. They come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. When evaluating them there are, to my mind, four criteria…

Dual Dock Charging Station from RichardSolo.com Review

Reviews

Dual Dock Charging Station from RichardSolo.com Review

It wasn’t long ago that I was completely perplexed by the concept of a dual iPod charger. Unless a couple each had an iPhone who needs one? Fast forward a bit and the answer is… ME. Yup, with my iPhone, iPod Touch and nano (for when I want to go super-light), I am the poster-child for why someone might need a dual charger. Fortunately the new Dual Dock Charging Station from RichardSolo has me covered. Let’s take a look.