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Good is as good does, and good is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

“So – what’s good?” Oh, don’t I wish I had a nickel for every time I am asked this question about new cars. And “good” can mean so many things to so many folks. A quick check over at thesaurus.com gave me some 250-plus ways to describe “good.” I would add to the list the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s good – darned good. I guess good minds think alike in Detroit these days as both Jeep and Ford are delivering completely new vehicles carrying each automaker’s iconic SUV moniker. Ford is readying a new Explorer later this fall and…


Music Diary Reviews: Dogs & Cats Living Together Edition

Over the last few months I have done dozens of short CD reviews articles here, here and here. I continue to get great feedback about this ‘Quick Review’ format, so I plan to keep using it as a way to give a brief overview of a number of new releases all at once. Last time I changed things up a bit by looking at a couple of not-so-good releases. Fortunately I have some great stuff to review this time – but am changing things up again! Did you notice the title doesn’t say ‘Quickie Jazz CD Reviews’? That is because…


First Drive: 2011 HD trucks from General Motors

This past winter we got our first experience with the new Heavy Duty trucks from Ram. Spring brought a new Super Duty from Ford (along with more HD Rams) and finally, summer 2010 put us in the driver seat of the newest big rigs from General Motors, wearing Silverado and Sierra badging. Along the way I noticed one thing different about the way marketing folks presented information from their colleagues pitching cars and SUVs – customer conquests. It seems truck buyers, especially heavy duty truck buyers, remain very brand loyal. Three-quarter- and one-ton pickups account for about 30 percent of…


Music Industry Says Sales Still Lousy, Still Blaming Piracy, Still Trying to Raise Prices and Force Album-Only Sales Model

There is a great Veggie Tales song The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, where they are supposed to be singing about ‘piratey stuff’ but Larry is singing about … nonsense. At the end they conclude ‘you just don’t get it’. And THAT is exactly what I was thinking when I read the news about the sorry state of album sales at NPR. Here is the video, just in case you don’t know the song: From the article: The month of August — like, basically, every month for the past 10 years — has not been kind to the music industry….


Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500M Watch Review

Anyone who knows me personally knows that long before I struck up a love affair with gadgets my heart belonged to watches. As early as junior high school I had a fascination with time pieces and started a blossoming collection. Back then I could only afford Swatches and Casios, but as I grew older and as my income increased I began to acquire more valuable pieces including Rolex, Cartier, Panerai, and more. I’ve sold off most of them because in this economy it’s just too hard to hold onto so many valuable things, but I have never lost my addiction….


2011 Subaru Outback: Swiss Army Knife on Wheels

If I were told today that I would have to choose only one vehicle that I would drive for the rest of my life, not knowing what the rest of my life would entail, that vehicle might very well be a Subaru. And tempted as I would be to pick something like the WRX, in the end my decision would probably be the Outback.


Microsoft’s “PC vs. Mac” Site: What on Earth Are They Thinking?

Mac vs. PC ad still courtesy Chiat/Day One of the things that’s wonderful about writing for Gear Diary is the diverse  mix of folks involved in the endeavor.  You got your PC folks… you got your Appleheads… and you got your LINUX fans (well fan… Joel) and so on. We’ve got gaming folks; hard-core gadget nerds; exercise mavens; and gear heads (“petrol heads” to you “Top Gear” fans). You have folks who are into fashion and making sure their high-end handbag matches their Oberon iPad case, and people who get help from their partner when matching shirts with pants for…


Review: Arctic Sound S11 Speakers And Arctic Power C1 Solar Charger

Arctic Sound calls it “the combination of this summer.”  Basically, two ultra portable laptop speakers coupled with a solar power source make any summer trip in the sun complete with your favorite tunes.  I absolutely love my MacBook Pro, but the speakers are far from useful in my eyes.  This leaves me with a constant search for audio solutions.  I have tried many combinations, some with good sound but no portability and others being portable with just ok sound.  The S111 speakers are tiny making them easy to carry and the addition of the C1 Mobile makes them usable without…


The Augen Tablet Does Even More Damage to Android’s Brand

This has been a sore spot with me for some time. We keep hearing about these potentially wonderful Android tablets, and what ends up appearing is something underpowered, with a poor resolution screen and underwhelming built-in software. Augen’s tablet was the darling of the internet world for a few weeks, since it was cheap, being sold at KMart, and promised Google Marketplace! Of course, like all things that sound too good to be true, the Augen tablet didn’t live up to the hype. It was slow, the resistive screen was unimpressive, and Google Marketplace didn’t work. Augen kept promising it…


Toyota Tacoma now calling Texas home

Big news for Texas and Toyota yesterday. OK, the news actually came out a while back that the automaker would shift midsize pickup production to their full-size truck plant in San Antonio but it was guns blazing Friday as Governor Rick Perry helped kick off the official celebration.


Arctic Sound P311 Stereo Bluetooth Headphone Review

The iPhone added stereo Bluetooth capability some time ago, but I have yet to try it. Finding quality with affordable prices can sometimes be difficult, so I never looked very far. There are times when wireless stereo headphones can come in pretty handy, so I was excited to test out the Arctic Sound P311 headphones. Most mornings I workout early in the morning long before the rest of the family wakes up.  Speakers are not really an option to avoid waking the crew, so I always use headphones. Some of the exercises allow me to hold my iPhone in my…


Dynomighty Wallet Review

If you’re like me, you probably don’t give much thought to your wallet. It holds stuff, then slowly parts of it disintegrate, or it gets worn and uncomfortable to carry, so it’s time for a new one. Mine all look essentially the same; I tend to favor plain leather wallets with plenty of pockets to hold credit cards, business cards, discount cards, etc. Still, I’m always open to new ways to hold everything together, especially in a thinner package, so when Dynomighty offered the chance to review the Mighty Wallet I thought it would be fun! Dynomighty offers a great…


2010 Nissan Titan in Heavy Metal Chrome

The more things change, the more some things seem to stay the same. Take Nissan’s Titan fullsize pickup. When first introduced it bowed with the highest power in the half-ton segment nearly eight years ago and was one of the first to offer more than four gears in an automatic. As we approach the arrival of the 2011 model vehicles on the lot, Titan has fallen nearly to the back of the pack. It is still a robust truck but Nissan has been putting most of its attention of late into the smaller spectrum of the lineup leaving the fullsize…


Men, Women and Cars- New Survey Reveals What’s Similar and What’s Not

 photo credit: PDXdj New national survey data gives an interesting, and at times frightening, picture of the driving habits of the genders. On the good side of things, 89% of women and 83% of men report having a clean driving record for the past two years. On a more neutral front while 25% of women report not trusting their sense of direction only 9% of men do. Interestingly less women use GPS to find their way (58% of men vs 48% of women). Then there is the truly frightening statistic. While both sexes agree that texting while driving should be…


RadTech I-Sight Review: Let There Be Light

If you have significant other and you sleep in the same bed chances are it’s happened to you at least once. It’s nearing bedtime but one of you just isn’t ready to go to sleep yet. Do you like to read in bed? A lot of us do, it’s probably where I do most of my reading. But does your partner get frustrated when your bedtime reading because it means leaving lights on so you can see? Enter the RadTech I-Sight. When I do early morning running in the winter/fall it’s sometimes still dark outside. What do I do to…


State of the eBook: Fight!

For this week’s “State of the eBook” I thought we should look at potential winners and losers in the ebook world. With competition and price wars getting fiercer, there’s a few major battles shaping up that may change the competitive landscape. One is (at this point) a slam dunk, while the others are subject to many variables. Without further ado, here are the matchups! Borders vs B&N B&N vs Amazon Amazon vs B&N and Spring Design Spring Design vs B&N Amazon, B&N, Spring Design and Borders vs the iPad Borders vs B&N Let’s start with what I think is just…


The NewerTechnology NuVue Clear and Privacy Shield iPad Screen Protectors Review

One of the best features of the new Apple iPad is its gorgeous screen which is meant to be constantly touched, pinched and flicked. As a result, the screen is often left exposed and vulnerable to scratches even when the iPad isn’t being used. Adding a protector just makes sense. I was recently sent two screen protector samples from NewerTechnology, the NuVue Clear and the NuVue Privacy Protector with Privacy Shield. Both install in exactly the same way, but each delivers a dramatically different experience. Each protector comes in a no-frills baggie without any of the more common screen protector accoutrements…


First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Well, I did it. I drove the new Chevy Volt extended range electric vehicle that will be available later this year. What is it? In many ways it is similar to the current Toyota Prius hybrid. It features a battery pack that powers an electric motor that turns the wheels to make the thing go. It also has a combustion engine powered by gasoline that charges the battery pack when voltage drops too low. Where it differs from the current breed of hybrid electric vehicle is that the combustion engine does not propel the Volt at all – it is…


IDAPT i4 Universal Charging Solution Now Compatible with iPad and iPhone 4

A few weeks ago we gave away an IDAPT i3 Universal Charging Solution. It is a fantastic solution for anyone who has more than one gadget in daily use. (And if you are reading GD it is a pretty good bet that means YOU!) We got word yesterday that the new IDAPT i4 is compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4. That means you can now charge your iPhone AND iPad AND 2 other devices at the same time. Awesome! The IDAPT i4 is available in black, white or silver for $59.99 MSRP at www.idaptweb.com. The packaging includes 6 tips…


Attrition in the eBook Ranks!

It’s been an interesting week in ebook-land. We’ve seen the opening shots of a price war, and the beginnings of what may prove to be many players dropping from the ebook market. It’s an exciting time to be an ebook fan, so read on for more details and exciting news! First, in case you missed it earlier this week, B&N attempted to gain the upper hand in the ebook world with a twofold strategy. First, they announced a WiFi-only nook for $149, effectively out doing Borders Kobo Reader, and then they dropped the price of the famous original nook to…


White Leather iPad Case Review: Classic Apple

White is the quintessential Apple color. Both my iPhone 3G and 3Gs are white and I’ve owned a bunch of white iPods too. White accessories just make me think Apple so it was with a certain amount of nostalgia that I began to test the iPad Leather Flip Case – White from GearZap.com. Let’s face it, we all can’t afford $200+ Vaja leather cases for our iPads. For many the expense of the iPad alone just about breaks the bank. But you still need something to protect your invest and why shouldn’t it be something that looks good while doing…