iPhone 4 Wooden Case Roundup: Miniot iWood vs Species Case vs Root Case

There’s something to be said about wrapping your electronics in a wooden case; not only does wood give devices composed of metal and plastic a warmer feel, wood’s organic nature also ensures that your case’s pattern will be one of a kind – even if it is one of many similarly styled cases sold. One of my absolute favorite iPhone 3GS cases was the Miniot iWood Cobra, a case I paid € 130 (~$170) for and waited over 4 weeks to receive. When I moved from the 3GS to the iPhone 4, it pained me to know that my favorite…

Editorials

The Story is Ancient: a Work in Progress; Build Your Own Passover Haggadah

For the past few years I have used a different Passover Haggadah each time I led the family seder. I realize that I may have just spoken Greek – or rather Hebrew – to some of you, so let me explain. The Haggadah is the service or story book used at Passover to retell the Israelites journey from slavery to redemption as told in the book of Exodus. It is read during the seder, the the festive meal that starts the week long festival. There are a tremendous number of different versions of the haggadah available from publishers. Each has a…

Gear Bits

Gear Diary Quickie: Oscar Weekend!

The Academy Awards are here. Get ready for a film filled weekend!

Gear Bits

GD Quickie: Gear Tie 18″ Tie Your Gear

Seriously, how could I NOT post on this??? After all, the product name is Gear Tie. (And we’re Gear Diary… Get the tie-in??) So what’s the deal with these Gear Ties? Simple- The 18″ Nite Ize Gear Tie is the perfect size to wrap and organize medium-to-large appliance cords and wires. Keep your jumper cables, extension cords, dog leashes, and larger electric cords neat and untangled with a quick simple twist. The 18″ Gear Tie is also great for looping and hanging lightweight tools and lanterns—and reusable nature makes it easy to reposition and adjust conveniently. Available in packs of…

News

Amazon to Prime Members: Get Streaming

It was rumored to be coming, Michael posted on it the other day and this morning Amazon sent a blast of emails to announce that the switch had been flipped on video streaming for its Amazon Prime members. The streaming service launches with just 5000 television shows and movies, but since it is absolutely free to Amazon Prime members I’m not complaining. For those who already pay for Amazon Prime service, it is a nice value-added feature. For those who do not have Amazon Prime, it is another reason to consider it. For those people who have a Netflix subscription…

Gear Bits

GD Quickie- iPhone Explains the Big Bang Theory

It will come as no surprise that the iPhone played central role on tonight’s episode of the Big Bang theory. In fact, an entire scene took place over Facetime! Yes, Apple had over 30% of the product placement in movies last year and that percentage is much higher on geek-centered sitcoms such BBT.

Reviews

Hewlett Packard Elitebook 2540p Laptop Review

Last year I reviewed the Hewlett Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, declaring it one that I would love to be able to keep and use in my daily life, and as the best business laptop I’d ever used. Well, move over 8440w – because I have a new favorite, the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p! The Hype: Stay connected and productive on the go—without getting weighed down. Starting at just 3.38 lb, the durable HP EliteBook 2540p is HP’s smallest and lightest EliteBook, designed for maximum portability and uncompromised performance. Ultra-portable: • Compact, lightweight design with a 12.1-inch diagonal…

Gear Bits

GD Quickie: You Get What You Pay For

Meet my cousin Jamie. (Okay, so that’s Jamie’s cat and not Jamie himself, but you get the idea.) Jamie loves his toys. Jamie also loves a deal. That’s what led Jamie to this MID running OS Android. Yes, Jaimie wanted an iPad but didn’t feel like dropping the coin he would have to spend on one so he went out and bought this Android Tablet instead. On one side of the box you find the word MID in block letters. There’s nothing else on that side. Come to think of it, there’s nothing on the other sides except the word…

Reviews, Travel

SCOTTEVEST SeV Sport Coat Review

When I first heard that SCOTTEVEST was releasing a sport coat, I didn’t know what to think. I did, however, know that I wanted one. There’s no big surprise there, considering the fact that I wear something from the company pretty much each and every day. I’m grateful to SeV’s Scott Jordan for giving me the opportunity to review one of their new SeV sport coats! I have worn the review sample at various times for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I’ve worn it with jeans and boots one day and with dress pants and a tie another. I did…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Nissan Murano: Premium Crafted Crossover

Truth be told, yes, I would much rather be writing about the new Nissan Juke or Leaf but the rep for the automaker only sent me a Murano, a crossover that has been in the Nissan lineup for a few years now. Murano was one of those vehicles that, at first glance, was polarizing – you either loved it or hated it. To be perfectly honest I was not a big fan of the original styling. But Nissan pushed forward and evolved Murano with tweaks and improvements here and there and the latest edition scores significantly higher points with me….

Editorials

Jenny McCarthy: Still Sticking with Debunked Autism Theory and Using ‘Mob Mind’ as Excuse

There are conspiracy theories everywhere that describe nearly every major political and social event throughout history, but until recently most common sense people simply dismissed them while allowing the theorists the ability to hold their nonfalsifiable opinions. Now there are those who think that conspiracy might be replacing democracy as the primary motivation in some people’s minds – in other words, they see every choice as motivated by some secret undercurrent hidden to most people. Most of these conspiracies are harmless differential theories that have an alternate explanation to an event. However, there have always been certain ‘lunatic fringe’ elements…

Reviews

Ringtones Maker for iPhone Review

Just the other day I was approached by a friend who just replaced all of their family’s flip phones with iPhones. The first question she asked was, “how do my daughters make their songs into ringtones?” This is a common request from people switching to the iPhone so I decided to find a way to do this. I came across Ringtones Maker which happened to be marked down from $19.99 to free. I figured it was worth a look at that price. Ringtones Maker takes .mp3 or .m4a from your iPhone library and turns them into custom ringtones. Please remember…

News

Gear Diary Quickie: Leave it to the Libertarians!

This isn’t a political ad or statement or anything else inflammatory … just one of those images that stops you in your tracks. In theory, I could be well suited as a (small ‘l’) libertarian – I’m a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. But as was shown years ago, that is pretty much the makeup of the majority of Americans who consider themselves ‘moderate’ and don’t strongly align with either major party (or the nut-jobs who front the (capital ‘L’) Libertarian Party). Back in Massachusetts at one point several years ago I met the two folks who have gone…

Editorials, Music Diary

Are 10,000 Albums the New Bar For Success?

Last year’s music sales were … um, dismal. And not to kick an already flailing music industry, but the numbers look even worse in context: when adjusted for inflation, with the former 45% decline in the last decade turning into a 64% tail-spin! While we’re at bad news, how about this one: only 1,215 albums sold more than 10,000 copies last year! That is a 20% decline in just TWO YEARS! Here are some details from the report: The incredibly-shrinking album is forcing everyone to adapt. But why can’t artists even sell 10,000 units anymore? Especially when top-line album sales…

News

Sonance Wants to Provide Your Sound Garden

So you didn’t get picked for the latest episode of Yard Crashers. No worries, just record a bunch of episodes and copy what projects and techniques you fancy. And when it comes time for an outdoor sound system that blends into your suburban jungle, Sonance has you covered. Sonance, the technology leader that introduced the world’s first in-wall loudspeaker is now shipping the acclaimed Sonance Landscape Series that debuted recently. The new 70V Sonance Landscape Series system of two-way satellite speakers and in-ground subwoofer has been designed with a long life UV stable material to withstand extreme weather. The new…

Music Diary

Music Diary Songs of Note: If Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery …

I really hadn’t planned on editorializing this early, but this weekend my wife and kids and I were discussing the new Lady Gaga song ‘Born This Way’ and the similarity to the old Madonna song ‘Express Yourself’. So we queued up both on Spotify and listened. They aren’t identical as some claim, but it is pretty clear that everything about Born This Way is derived directly from Madonna’s song. They are laid out the same, the ratio of ‘rapping’ to singing is nearly identical, the harmonic structure is basically identical, and many melodic fragments are shared. Some have also said…

News

Apple ‘Wins’ Product Placement Award for 2010

Tracking Apple products in shows is somewhat of a hobby for many folks, and we even did a number of ‘Apple on TV’ posts here at Gear Diary. Of course, Apple is just one of many companies that spend heavily to get their products featured prominently in TV shows and movies, and keeping in the spirit of awards season the folks at BrandChannel have compiled their annual ‘Product Placement Awards’ … and not surprisingly Apple has come out on top again. Here are some details from the award: Apple products appeared in ten (or 30%) of the 33 films that…

Game Diary, Reviews

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Monster Kingdom

The final expansion to Majesty 2, Monster Kingdom, was originally supposed to be released in early December, but was delayed into January. I was very concerned – this was going to land it square in the midst of other releases such as Venetica and Two Worlds II. Fortunately, those games were delayed so I had the chance to spend some quality time with the final expansion to a game I have really enjoyed for the last year and a half. How did they do closing the book on Majesty 2? Read on and find out! The Hype: The King would…

News

Random Cool Video: Hotel Room Boredom at 2,564 Frames Per Second

Last week many sites posted images shot at 2,564 frames per second. Now we have full video, and more details about the monster camera that can shoot that fast at full 1080p resolution! The cameraman was Tom Guilmette, and here is what he had to say: Violating the laws of nature. Playing God. Capturing stuff we are not supposed to see. Potentially opening up a wormhole in the fabric of time. These are a few of the things I think about while shooting with a Phantom High Speed Digital Cinema camera. The above video is a bunch of test footage…

Gear Bits

GD Quickie: Can You Clean Me Now?

If you can’t stand bring without your smartphone for even a second a vendor on Etsy has a way you can now bring it into the shower with you. That’s right, the vendor twoeggplants.com was selling a bar of soap sculpted to look like the original Moto Droid. Stocks of the shea butter and vegetable oil soap were quickly cleaned out (I know, I know, that’s not punny, sorry about that) but if you are willing to accept apple-martini scented bar of iPhone soap you just might be in luck. Via Laptop Magazine Dec. 2010

Gear Bits

GD Quickie: Adventures in iPad Adoption; Retail Edition

Via janchipchase.com Last week Elana was at the Short Hills Mall with her friend Melissa. They went to look for something at Restoration Hardware and found that their salesperson was walking around with his MacBook. He was, quite effectively she added, using it to show customers pictures of additional products as well as various material options for some items. Well apparently this method is already old school. This morning Elana was listening to CBS 880AM radio and heard a report that some Nordstrom and Burberry stores are already experimenting with giving employees iPads so they can they can walk around…

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