As a child who grew up through the arcade era, one popular game we played a lot of was Air Hockey. That was a game that required a big table, power and lots of quarters. Imagine playing Air Hockey in your home without even needing power? Enter Face-Off Frenzy Powerband Hockey.
Apple got it right with the second generation iPod Touch. The device is sleek, thin and feels great in the hand. It works fantastically well as a touchscreen iPod, as a video and gaming device and as a mobile internet device. The addition of a physical volume control was much needed and, even though the speaker is a bit on the weak and tinny side, it is a great addition to the device. Sure, I wish Apple had added GPS and Bluetooth, but that doesn’t keep me from being extremely happy with this slick device. The new iPod Touch does…
OK, granted it is now Friday, but we could not bring you the entire story of the all-new Ford F-150 before today due to embargo restrictions. The GearDiary team of Judie Lipsett and David Goodspeed spent two days in Michigan for a first-hand, full-tilt experience with the latest version of the world’s best-selling vehicle.
Yes, the BlackBerry Bold and Touch Pro reviews are coming, but the Mini 9 showed up on my desk two days ago and I just had to post my thoughts on it, since it’s the first “netbook” I’ve really used since I sold off my Eee PC, and I could instantly tell what I thought of it. Out of the box the Dell looks great. With its glossy black lid and compact dimensions, it’s absolutely fabulous to carry it around. This morning I left home early so I could go to the coffee shop for a little while before work,…
You know how there can be certain products that you see people using all of the time, or that maybe you’ve even used yourself for a while, but you just don’t really “get” them? Well, that’s been my relationship with Bluetooth headsets, or “ear roaches” as Kerry calls them. Sure, I have used and reviewed many of the best models available, and some of them worked so well, fit so comfortably, filtered out background noise so wondrously, or looked so tiny that I thought I might have actually found one I could live with. But in the end, I have…
I’ve been reviewing GPS-related items (receivers, software, PNAs) for several years now and, about a year and a half ago, I reviewed OnCourse Navigator 6 (sold in Europe as iGo 2006). I felt that OCN 6 was one of the best PDA-based navigation programs I had ever used, despite the fact it had fairly complicated menus and map quirks that were typical of TeleAtlas (the supplier of map data to iGo/OCN, Tom Tom, and others) map data in North America. Now fast forward to today, nearly 2 years after the original iGo 2006 release (the software that OCN 6 is based on), and OCN 8 (iGo…
My wife calls it the silver bullet. I think from behind, it looks like a twisted alien face, staring out at you. In reality, however, it is one of the most unique speakers I have ever used. Modeled after the Zeppelin flying machine, if this speaker sounds half as good as it looks, then I think we will have a real winner here. Hit the jump and listen along…
You might remember that when I attended the Seattle Mobius in May, I was given the European version of the HTC Touch Diamond, which for network reasons I opted to have sent to Mitchell in Australia. The Diamond version he received and reviewed was at first glance nearly identical to the Sprint version I’ll be covering today, with the exception of their back sides. During his testing period, Mitchell found that he liked the small size of the device, the multitude of radios packed in that small package (HSDPA, WiFi, BT, GPS and FM), the sharpness of the 2.8″ VGA…
I just recently got back from a business trip to Reston, VA. Along with me I had meant to take the pillow I’m reviewing today, but for some reason it did not make it into my bag. Fortunately for me, my flight wasn’t that long. When I go to Tennessee for my holiday in the Smokies, I fully intend to make sure that the TravelRest Pillow is in my bag. This is what the TravelRest Pillow looks like when it’s not in use. Unlike most of those horseshoe shaped pillows, the TravelRest is inflatable. When you’re not using it, the…
Do you live in Florida, Texas, or anywhere else along the Gulf Coast? Do you live in a area that is prone to power losses? Would you like a way to charge your devices that lasts a long time or is suitable for emergency use? If so, then the Medis 24-7 Power Pack is for you. The Medis 24-7 Power Pack is not just battery powered charger, it is the first consumer fuel cell based charger. Yes you heard that right, it’s a fuel cell. The Medis 24-7 Power Pack is not a battery, and it doesn’t use any batteries…
This is the one I have been waiting for – and I was not disappointed! Click on image for video walkaround. UPDATED: Review now posted.
I got my Vertu Constellation in a round about way, and while I have greatly enjoyed owning it there has never been a day when I thought for even a moment that I was in the same financial bracket as the typical Vertu owner. Today I got proof positive of that fact in the form of a repair bill; more on that in a moment… I had noticed soon after getting my nearly new Constellation that the leather on its battery cover was rubbed and might one day start to peel back. This is certainly not uncommon with the model,…
One of the many conveniences I’ve encountered while owning a MacBook Air has been the ability to slip the ultra-slim laptop into almost any bag for a quick carry solution; this includes larger laptops bags as well as some of my roomier purses. There are times however, when I’ve wished that I had a bag made to specifically transport the Air: something slim, streamlined, but still large enough to carry any peripherals and doo-dads I might need. Tom Bihn has released just such a bag; similar in style to their Cafe line, the Ristretto Messenger Bag is built with different…
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking at the iPhone 3G as a business tool. It’s been an interesting time. I’ve gotten quite a large number of comments on the iPhone OS and its advantages and challenges in the Enterprise and in a business environment. Last week’s comments on Calendaring, also in the Enterprise and in a business environment, created quite the off line discussion among the Gear Diary Team. Some of those comments have required me to go back and readdress some issues in this week’s commentary. If you remember, I said that I was going to tackle…
This week I had the opportunity to spend a day at the Texas Motor Speedway test driving 2009 GM Collection. There were so many gorgeous and impressive vehicles present, I would be hard pressed to say which was my favorite; but of course I had one…
How often these days do you see 4×3-aspect LCD monitors for sale? I’d be willing to bet it’s not often. Widescreen has simply dominated the PC market, from laptops to desktops, which a lot of people thinking is a wonderful thing. It makes laptops smaller, it’s better for watching movies and it lets you put documents side-by-side. But the downside to this is considerably less vertical room, and if you think about it that’s where you often need it. How often have to been to a website that is almost twice as wide as it is tall? Or written a…
The Treo Pro really needs to be a success for Palm. The company that was once a team of innovators has obviously been talking to the green movement, since for ages they seem to have just been recycling. The Treo 750 was good, but flawed when put up against the competition. For a kick off there was still no WiFi, despite the move by other manufacturers to make it a regular feature in their high-end phones. GPS was notably absent too, and the design was all too similar to the Treo 650, which came out in 2004. Its chubby dimensions…
It never fails that when I pack my gear, there are always small items which will sift to the bottom of my bag’s cavernous pockets. This doesn’t even take into account all of the times when I have needed a particular something, and no matter how neatly I thought I had it packed, I couldn’t find it when it was time. Well, no more. Tom Bihn makes a variety of Organizer Pouches, and I think that it would be safe to assume that there is something for everyone. Let’s take a look… Cordura Organizer Pouches
I am a GPS nut, and I have been since I won my first one, a Garmin GPS-12 at the Dayton Hamvention as a door prize. That Garmin had no maps in it, but fortunately it’s almost unheard of to not have included maps on a GPS unit these days. So what makes the Nextar I4-BC special? Let’s find out.
Despite the uncertain state of fuel prices and overall economy, there are still a few who place “fun” above “sensible” when making a new car purchase. We recently got to test a pair of German imports aimed at that extreme side of the “fun” factor: a BMW M3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan.
The Sierra Sound iN Studio 5.0 speakers are one of many iPod speakers available on the market today. I recently spent some time with them and I have to say I like them a lot, but there are some oddities. Read on to see what they are…