Search Results for gloves

Make the Most of the Runs that Matter – The Monday Mile

Recently I calculated my mileage for the first half of 2013, and came up just over 1400 miles (1411.2 to be precise). Looking at the breakdown, that consists of a median run distance of 7.5 miles (not a normal distribution), and an average of 6.5 runs per week. My frequent work travel this year has resulted in more than 45 ‘double days’, which pushes the ‘runs per week’ number up. I have run on four pairs of shoes, with ~200 miles on my old Nike Free Run 3’s before I retired those and put ~750 on my ‘new’ orange Nike…


Tenba Discovery Photo/Tablet Daypack Mini Review

If you’re looking for a thin and light camera backpack that not only protects your gear, but also has enough room to let you carry your tablet or 11″ MacBook air, then you’ll want to check out the Tenba Discovery Mini Photo/Tablet Daypack. The Discovery Mini Photo/Tablet Daypack is a great way to take your camera gear on the road for the day but it also converts into a standard backpack in a matter of seconds. That flexibility, combined with the bag’s subtle but effective design and $109.95 pricetag combine to make a compelling way to carry your small DSLR…


Huawei Ascend Mate Australian Launch Review

Huawei is making a splash in Australia with the launch of the new Huawei Ascend Mate, a 6.1-inch “phablet” to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note II. At the launch today in Sydney Australia, Gear Diary was able to spend some one-on-one time with the phone that Huawei describes as “Designed for a multimedia experience”. There is no question the Ascend Mate is a large phone, with a 6.1” IPS+ display dwarfing even its obvious rival, the Samsung Galaxy Note II. Just as surprising is the price, AU$429 when it launches on April 20, 2013. To put that in perspective,…


Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition Review for PlayStation 3

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition, the 16th release in this game series, offers players an in-depth, rewarding golf experience.  This high quality golf game features  improved graphics, PlayStation Move controller capability, real-time weather system, and Legends of the Majors mode. Players can now create their own unique experience facing Tiger Woods or his fellow golfers, past and present like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Bubba Watson. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition includes tournament practice facility, extra content, online pass (broadband connection required), The Masters’ green jacket ceremony and five additional courses in additional…


Kutsko Cutting Boards Offer Novel Kitchen Solutions

Nate Kutsko is a born problem solver. His day gig is a partner with his father in a handyman service that has earned a reputation for coming into houses and being able to fix just about anything that needs repairing, from plumbing to electrical to woodworking. In his home workshop, Kutsko likes to tinker around with projects, especially with wood. He noticed that when he and his friends were picnicing outdoors at concerts or at Nashville’s Steeplechase, it was really difficult to find a flat surface to serve your food and drink on. So he added two adjustable stakes to…


Huawei Ascend P2 has Speedy 4G LTE

When choosing a smartphone these days one of the key “features” worth considering is speed. After all, with smartphones now serving as powerful on-the-go pocket computers having a fast, ever-present connection is key. The Huawei Ascend P2 promises just that. Judie went hands-on at Mobile World Congress. Here’s a look. The company is calling the Ascend P2 the “World’s Fastest 4G LTE Smartphone”. It features a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and LTE Cat 4 that can offer speeds of up to 150 Mbps. The phone is just 8.4mm thick and sports a 4.7″ IPS HD in-cell touch display. Of course…


Merrell Road Glove 2 M-Connect Minimalist Shoes Review

I had the opportunity to check out Merrell’s M-Connect line of minimalist shoes recently. They were kind enough to send me three pairs of their shoes to get to know the line, and while all three are part of the M-Connect lineup, each has its own unique styles and benefits. Of the three, the Merrell Road Glove 2 is the most minimal choice. How does it stack up? Read on for the full review to find out! There isn’t much to the Road Glove 2. The upper material is quite thin, and the sole is quite flexible. It does take a…


It is Cool to Run in an Arctic Blast!-The Monday Mile

This past week was a deep freeze for much of the northern and eastern parts of the country. In our area the temperature when I went out for my morning runs was sub-zero on four days, only creeping up to +2 on Friday. Adding in wind-chill, morning temperatures in the dark were about -10 to -15 degrees F. If you believe my Facebook timeline, I am clearly insane for going out running in these temperatures. And while I am not complaining as the morning temperatures are predicted for 20s and 30s this week, I was never too cold last week,…


Beer Hunter and Drinkmaster Will Keep You Warm and Your Beer Cold

It’s time for slightly embarrassing admissions here at Gear Diary: I can personally vouch that when I was in college (hmmpty-hmmph) years ago, I learned that it is possible to smuggle an entire eight-pack of 8 oz. Little Kings Cream Ales into a movie theater stashed within the various pockets of a denim jacket. I mean, have you seen the price of concessions at the movies lately?! Unfortunately, I can also verify that when you drape said blue jean jacket around the back of a theater seat, there is a very high probability that at least one of those little…


Just Mobile AluPen Pro Review

As much as I have tried to go paperless, it’s been impossible for me to totally quit writing down shopping lists or jotting quick notes to myself or others. Whether I like it or not, I think I will always need to have a pen handy. Add to that my occasional need for a capacitive stylus — one that will work on the iPad or iPhone’s screen — and you’ll understand why the AluPen Pro caught my eye when I was visiting the Just Mobile booth at CES. Sculpted from aluminum, the perfectly weighted AluPen Pro features a high-quality, retractable…


Garmin ForeRunner 10 Still Going Strong All Winter Long

Since I reviewed the Garmin ForeRunner 10 back in mid-October, the YouTube video has continued gathering comments. So I figured it was time for an update. You can see the Garmin peeking out above between my two thermal-tech layers and gloves. You can even glimpse the toll all of the salting and slush are taking on my beautiful new bright orange running shoes! Quick summary: the Garmin ForeRunner 10 is an amazing running watch that is precise and reliable, and only the 5-hour battery time is a drawback. What have I done since the review? Finished training for the Corning…


GMC Sierra Denali 1500 AWD and Auld Lang Syne

“Out with the old, in with the new…” How many times have we heard that saying this week? In the test garage it is no different, as we say goodbye to the outgoing 2013 GMC Sierra Denali pickup on the heels of the automaker announcing the next-generation coming this year. Overall, GM light-duty (half-ton) pickups have changed little in recent years and continue to sell well, very well in fact as they are at the top of sales charts for respective divisions. One thing that eludes the General though is segment leadership as Ford continually outsells the Silverado and Sierra…


Nokia Lumia 920 & Windows Phone 8 – Thoughts from an iPhone & Lumia 900 User

A while back I did an experiment where I switched from an iPhone to a Lumia 900.  I liked a lot of things about the 900, but in the end some of the limitations and missing applications drove me back to the iPhone. Now Windows Phone has made the rather painful transition from 7.x to 8.x and Nokia has released new models including the Lumia 920.  Did things change for the better or were things lost in the transition?  I decided to take myself down to my local AT&T store and pick one up, and now I’m here to fill…


Magellan Switch Review – a Full-Featured Yet Flawed ‘Wrist-GPS’

I recently reviewed the Garmin ForeRunner 10, and have been thrilled with it as a simple, entry-level running GPS-watch. But what if you want to use a heart-rate monitor, ride a bike, go into the water and so on? At that point you need a new device – something like the Magellan Switch series. Magellan is very explicit that the Switch is designed as a multi-sport device, and was kind enough to send along a review sample of the Switch for me to check out (UPDATE: Magellan recently sent me a pre-release update for the Switch, and I will comment…


My Hurricane Sandy Survival Gear

I started this post prior to losing power Monday night. In the middle of writing it, the power went out … and it stayed out until late Thursday night. We had no heat or electric; because we are on a well and septic system, we had no water. We had no internet and no phones either, since I had insisted we get rid of our landline a few years ago (Oops!). We, however, were among the lucky ones. We had no property damage, and the two trees that came down fell as perfectly as if I had actually planned the…


Ford Rises to New Levels of Luxury with 2013 F-Series Pickups

This fall, Ford is bringing a refreshed F-Series lineup to the consumer that will include new top-of-the-line trim levels as well as enhanced technology. The 2013 F-150 and Super Duty pickups will now feature some exterior and interior refinements along with some new running gear (wheels) while across the board Ford will offer new MyFord Touch and SYNC systems across the entire lineup of new trucks, technology optimized in these platforms for truck owners. Big Blue Oval gave members of the automotive media a sneak peek (and early drive) of both F-150 and F-250 pickups as they prepare for the…


The Proporta Quillit Stylus Pen Review

Remember when we carried electronic organizers called PDAs? Remember how they all used a stylus, which is how you would enter information on their resistive touch screens? Remember how fingers weren’t used to tap out anything, because leaving finger grease on a screen was gross? Remember how using a screen protector was an absolute necessity, because if you used a cheaper stylus you could leave deep gouges in your device’s screen? My how things have changed. In 2007 we saw a shift occur with the introduction of the iPhone; it soon became de rigueur for every device to have a capacitive screen…


Big Green Egg vs. Primo XL: Kamado Dragons Face Off in the Ceramic Grill Octagon

Anyone who is slightly befuddled by the title of this post probably isn’t a member of the cult of ceramic grills, which are also known by their Japanese name of kamado grills. I used to be one of those people who sneered at my friends who went on and on about how wonderful their Big Green Eggs were and how they could cook perfect ribs or chickens or pork shoulders all the time because of the incredibly well-insulated ceramic grills’ ability to hold a constant temperature for so long.


Hand Stylus Review, Kickstart This!

Using an iPhone and or iPad throughout most days, there is one thing I have learned. My hands can sure make a touch screen smudged up and grimy. While coaching my high school softball team this year, we used the iPad to collect all of the game stats. While this was awesome, I found myself cleaning my iPad after every game just to be able to see the screen. At one point I thought using a stylus might be best to keep it clean while also making the stat keeping easier, but did not have one to use. Recently I…


Thief Deadly Shadows Lands on Good Old Games!

Just over two years ago I did a ‘Netbook Gamer’ review of Thief Deadly Shadows, the classic third entry in the stealth series. I highlighted one of the classic levels of gaming: The other is one of the most amazing areas I have ever played – Shalebridge Cradle. Once an orphanage, later also used as an insane asylum – while it still housed orphans – it is a dreadful place, and your character comments “If there’s a way to cram more misery into one building’s history, I can’t think of it.” The area is packed with spirits and other hostile…


C9 by Champion Flip Top “Glommit” Review

It hasn’t been too cold yet this winter, but I am sure now that it is January the cooler temps will be coming. And like every year, I’ll have two issues. One, my hands get super cold when I run, but then they heat up in gloves, necessitating a gloves on/gloves off routine every half mile. Second, using a smartphone in the dead of winter is a huge pain. It’s a juggling routine to free my fingers from gloves to tap the screen, then cover them back up before it gets too cold. I could use special gloves with capacitive…