Events

MWC: One Last Look at Mobile World Congress 2011

Beyond hamming it up with wandering oompah bands at Mobile World Congress, Helena and I managed to get hands-on time with some of the new devices and technologies that will be causing a stir in 2011 and beyond! HTC’s New Android Devices HTC won me over with their lovely new ChaCha. After using the BlackBerry Bold for a week, with its tiny little keys that I never got used to, the generously sized keys on the ChaCha, along with its softly curved body … I so wish that my Tru SIM had been installed in one of these babies. Helena…

Events

MWC: Hands-On with HTC’s Newest Devices

Helena and I were able to spend some time at the HTC VIP lounge this afternoon, time that was well spent fondling the six devices introduced by HTC earlier today. Of course the one that most captivated us was the 7″ Flyer, HTC’s new tablet device. It will be shipping with Gingerbread instead of the newer Honeycomb, which seemed odd given that all of the other tablets and the majority of new phones we’ve seen have featured the newer version of Android. If it means that we can get our hands on it sooner (and that there might be a…

Events, News & Features

MWC: AppUp, MeeGo, Open Source, and Tablets

The partnership between Nokia and Microsoft that was announced the other day has caused some speculation that the Intel powered AppUp store in general, and the MeeGo in particular might be the losers in this story. Helena and I spoke with Peter Biddle, General Manager to AppUp Products and Services, and he said that despite this partnership, AppUp and Meego will thrive. Proprietary systems have a place in the ecosystem, and so do open ones. Further scaling the development of flexible, open software platforms and applications for all mobile devices, Intel demonstrated a compelling new MeeGo tablet user experience to…

Events, Reviews

A Lifesaver in Barcelona, the Tru Enabled BlackBerry Bold 9700

I wanted to put in a quick mention for Tru, the service that offered to send me an international BlackBerry Bold 9700 to use for Mobile Congress Week along with their Tru SIM. The ultimate goal is that we’ll compare what I would have spent on the same amount of Tru usage versus AT&T’s best international rate (since they are my regular carrier) after Mobile World Congress is done. Here’s where it gets even better, though. DHL came through and got the BB Bold to me before I left. Because Tru was worried that it wouldn’t arrive in time, they…

Events

MWC: Hands-On Photos with Sony’s Three New Experias

CES saw the release of the new Sony Ericsson Experia Arc, but tonight we got to see three new Experias: the neo, the pro and the long-awaited PLAY — the Playstation phone. Oh my. I had a chance to attend the press conference where these were introduced, and a moment to fondle all three. The Experia neo: The phone I am most excited about personally is the neo; it has a beautiful screen and an amazing camera that works well in even the worst lighting situations. This phone is very media focused, and it comes equipped with HDMI support, an…

Events, Gear Bits

Mobile World Congress for a New Perspective

I’ve been to CES 9 times in the last 10 years, and for discovering or covering consumer electronics, there is no better show. But for really digging into the latest mobile phones and the technologies that power and differentiate them, there has been one show that has long been on my radar: Mobile World Congress. Last year, I was talking to Helena from Chip Chick, another long-time tech blogger who has never been. When the subject of MWC came up, we both got reflective, remarking upon how we had both always wanted to go. Without much thought for how we…

Events

En Route to Mobile World Congress: Swiss Air Gets It!

There’s nothing like boarding an international flight with the worry of whether or not your battery will die become you are done working, or if you’ll luck out and have a charging port under your seat. Swiss Air takes a proactive approach and sticks a USB charging port at eye level; its the perfect solution for people traveling with Mobile devices!

Events

CES: Oakley 3D Glasses

CES Day 1: Dan to Judie “3D TV is one of the big things this year… I just don’t get it.” Judie to Dan “I KNOW, me either…” Kevin (thinks, but does not say) “Phew, one less new gadget this year…” CES Day 2, Morning: Judie, Dan and Kevin spend time with Oakley to learn about, and experience 3D TV using their passive 3D glasses. CES Day 2, Afternoon: Dan to Judie “WOW, I take back what I said about 3D TV yesterday.” Judie to Dan “I was JUST saying the same thing to Kev… I WANT!” Kevin (thinks but…

Events

CES Snippets: Jadu iPad Stand

I did a full review of the Skadoosh iPad stand from Jadu Industries a short while ago. At $69.99 it is on the pricey side for an iPad stand but the build quality, ease of use and awesome industrial design make it one of the most desirable iPad stands I have seen. It is, in fact, the stand I personally use at home now. While we were at CES I passed by the Jadu Industries booth and stopped to chat with the owners/reps for a bit. They are some great people who are committed to bringing thoughtful quality products to…

Events, Reviews

CES Snippets: Mogo Talk XD iPhone 4 Case and BlueTooth Headset in One – Review

Sometimes you have to see a product up close to actually appreciate it. That was the case for me with regard to the MoGo Talk XD. Judie had mentioned this headset and case in on to me a few months ago and I scoffed at it. “After all,” I thought, “who needs a case that actually HOLDS the headset in it?” The idea struck me as an example of “just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.” Then I saw the Mogo Talk XD at CES and ate my words. The idea of a case and…

Events

CES Snippets: Wrapsol Offers Protection, Reduces Glare

At one of the evening events during CES Wrapsol was showing off their wares. The company offers protective skins for a wide range of devices. That is not big deal since there are a host of other companies that do the same thing. What was impressive was their Wrapsol Clean Screen Protection Kit. At $29.95 the iPad screen protector is on the pricey side for a kit that offers screen protection only but when you see it up close and personal it impresses. As the company explains, Wrapsol Clean screen protector film is the easiest to apply and the most…

Events

CES Snippets: Speck Rolls Out a Host of New Cases at CES

Let’s get this out of the way- we love Speck Case. We love them on our iPhones. We love them on our iPod Touches. We love them on our iPad. We love the amazing variety they offer. And yes, we love visiting with Speck at CES because we get to try them all. 🙂 This year was no exception and we wanted to give you a quick look at some of the cases we had a chance to check out. First off we wanted to see what Speck has to offer for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. They have a bunch…

Events, News & Features

Victorinox Cuts Into the Digital World in a BIG Way

Just before I left for CES Elana got an 11″ MacBook Air and made it her main computer. I encouraged her to upgrade from the stock 64GB of storage but she said not to, after all, she does little to nothing with movies and music on her Mac so she really doesn’t need the space. I dutifully ordered the computer she said she wanted but INSISTED that she at least upgrade to 4GB of RAM. After all, with the MBA you can’t easily upgrade ANY of the components and the 4GB upgrade makes a HUGE difference. The MBA was a…

Events, News & Features

CES Snippets- Yurbuds- Sound Great, Stay In

One of the great things about CES events such as Pepcom’s ShowStoppers is that you never know what you might discover at one booth or another. This was certainly the case this year when I stumbled upon YurBuds. Perhaps it should not be such a surprise since the earphones have been selling well at BestBuy in recent months. This graph shows just how well they have done… Still, when I first met YurBuds the year before they were simply molds that snapped over your existing earphones. They were kinda silly looking, weren’t all that comfortable and, at least in my…

Events, Gear Bits

Veruca Salt Had It Right!!!

Gear Diary, Today I was going through some of the pictures Francis took while we were at CES 2011 last week and I came upon one that captures the two words we “instant gratification-loving” tech bloggers like most…

Events, News & Features

CES Snippets- Ooma Updates Mobile Calling

My home telephone is now free thanks to Ooma, the company that advertises that you can buy their hardware once and get free calling for the life of the system. It is a bold promise and… It delivers. I switched to Ooma over two years ago when I bought one of their original systems, and have not looked back. Better still, for a few dollars a month you can subscribe to Ooma Premier and get a host of extra features — and get Ooma To Go for your handheld device. While we were are CES the Ooma booth was packed….

Events

CES: Meeting with Timbuk2

At CES we met with one of our favorite gadget bag companies, Timbuk2. While with them, we got to see some of the bags and accessories they’ll be introducing this year. Not surprisingly, we were impressed with the continuing evolution and utility of their designs. We have reviewed several of Timbuk2’s bags over the years, and we were impressed anew by the design and quality of the bags being shown. Among the bags they will have coming out this year is the upcoming Command ($130, shown above). The Command won a CES Innovation award, and it is TSA-compliant so that…

Events, News & Features

iGrill Wins 6th Annual Bluetooth SIG Best of CES 2011 Awards – Best New Product

I know most of you are stuck inside looking out at the snow. If you like to BBQ, your pit is probably frozen in a drift of snow right now. One thing great about living in Texas is the fact that I can BBQ almost anytime of the year. In fact, last night I grilled steaks and Brats. Maybe that is why Texas has the best BBQ! As a dedicated griller, the idea of joining two of my favorite hobbies, the barbecue pit and my IOS devices sounds like an amazing idea. The iGrill does just that, allowing all of…

Editorials, Events, How to Do It Yourself!

Surviving My First CES Experience: Learned Some New Rules of Engagement

As I sat in my hotel room waiting for my flight home, I had some time to reflect back on my first CES experience. CES for me was as amazing as I ever imagined it would be. More than anything though, it also prepared me for my trip back in 2012. I thought I might write something up that would give you an idea of what it was like and how to prepare yourself. Now that the show is open to the industry as well as the vendors, bloggers, and manufacturers, some simple preparation can maximize your time and coverage…

Events, News & Features

CES 2011- Livescribe Smartpens Strike the Right Note

The most wasteful time Judie and I spent at CES was the hour and a half we had at the Casio Press Conference. They really had nothing of substance to show us yet they made it out to be a huge deal.Yes, it wasted our time but, more than that, the hyperbole they used in their ridiculous attempt to make it look like there WAS something to share was insulting. (At least we got a post out of it…) 🙂 When I had a chance to meet with Jody Farrar and Andy Van Scaack, some of the representatives from Livescribe,…

Editorials, Events

Gear Diary at CES Brought to You by Google

We hope you enjoyed Gear Diary’s coverage of CES 2011! All of the editors of the site worked with various devices, but they all had one thing in common: Google. Yes, Gear Diary at CES was brought to you by various Google OSes and services. What were our favorite Google-y gadgets? Read on to find out! Carly My day job is fairly restricted, and so I don’t have access to anything behind the scenes at Gear Diary on my work PC. Thankfully, I have the CR-48 Chrome OS computer, and that made my life very easy all week while Dan,…

« 1 … 58 59 60 61 62 … 64 »