Apple

Case-Mate Mahogany Case for iPhone 3G &3Gs Review

Case-Mate blew us away a CES this year with their 2010 product line up. One case not even included in the mix at the show was their Mahogany Case for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs. The case, which is machine carved from 100% recycled mahogany is a stunner to both look at and to hold.  It’s smooth as silk and keeps your iPhone safely protected inside a thick layer of wood. The case is available for $49.99 directly from the Case-Mate web site here. Watch my video review to see this beauty live and in color.


Bandshell sound amplifying case for iPhone Review

While it’s true CES is made up of a lot of exciting electronic type gadgets including TVs, stereos, gaming consoles, and other large ticket items sometimes cool things are also found in small packages. Walking the show floor one day I came across the Bandshell booth. The Bandshell case is simple in design yet wonderful in function. Not only does the case amplifiy the sound emitted by your iPhone’s speaker it also doubles as a video stand placing your phone and the proper angle for watching content. I left the show with a few samples of the Bandshell for review…


Switch Easy Torrent for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

SwitchEasy has quickly become my favorite manufacturers of cases for the iPhone 3G/3GS. They’re super stylish designs fit the phone as well as any case on the market and always come with that little box of goodies that switch easy includes in every case. The SwitchEasy Neo, for iPhone, was one of the first cases I ever reviewed on my YouTube channel. Admittedly I wasn’t a huge fan of it but since then I’ve learned from my mistakes and now consider Switch Easy one of the premier case companies. The Torrent case is one of SwitchEasy’s newest offerings. Born from…


Do TONS more with your Magic Mouse

There’s no denying the “cool” factor of Apple’s Magic Mouse.  The sleek top, which allows for not only clicking but also swiping and pinching is a tremendous update to its previous version, the Mighty Mouse. But if you need even more out of your Magic Mouse, well then I’ve got the application for you. Magic Prefs is an add on for your Magic Mouse, which allows for a staggering amount of configurable add-ons.  “It features the ability to bind a variable number of finger clicks, taps, swipes, pinch and other gestures to functions like Middle Click , Hold Down Both…


Apple Wins a Permanent Injunction Against Psystar

It looks like Apple has won a permanent injunction against Psystar. The judge has ordered Psystar to comply with the injunction by December 31st. The injunction specifically calls on Psystar to stop: * Copying, selling, offering to sell, distributing or creating derivative works of Mac OS X without authorization from Apple. * Intentionally inducing, aiding, assisting, abetting or encouraging any other person or entity to infringe Apple’s copyrighted Mac OS X software. * Circumventing any technological measure that effectively controls access Mac OS X, including, but not limited to, the technological measure used by Apple to prevent unauthorized copying of…


Apple TV Software version 3.0 video walk through

Apple has released a major update to its Apple TV software.  The hardware did not change but the new 3.0 software version has been given a full makeover. With a totally redesigned start page, internet radio, support for iTunes LPs and more the new software version, although not the new hardware many people were hoping for, at least gives Apple TV users something new to play with. Here’s a brief video walk through of the new 3.0 software.


Stationstops returns to iTunes Apps Store – Metro North Train Scheduling

You may have read about the plight of StationStops. The application uses train schedules from the New York MTA to create an incredibly useful iPhone train schedule listing for trains going into and out of Grand Central Terminal. At some point the MTA took issue with the use of train schedules in a paid iPhone app. In August, negotiations between StationStops and MTA seeking a licensing agreement for transit data broke down, resulting in MTA Marketing and Legal departments sending a cease and desist to Apple. Well fortunately the two parties have worked out their differences and StationStops is once…


Monolingual: Delete unused language packs on your Mac.

I personally use only one language on my Mac computers, English.  Unless you’re multi-lingual or unless you’re like Judie and plan on taking up another language, chances are you only need one language on your computer as well. The Mac comes preinstalled with several language packs.  These packs includes fonts, and other things which all take up hard drive space. That’s where Monolingual comes in.  Monolingual is a free application (donations are accepted) which allows you to selectively remove any language pack from your Mac that you choose.


iPod nano 5th Gen First Look

As I’m sure many of you know Apple have announced their latest refresh of the iPod Touch and iPod nano lines, and while neither were really overhauled the nano picked up a few more features than its big brother. It’s been widely speculated that the iPod line-up would gain cameras, but the rumours were only half right, with the Nano squeezing in a VGA 30fps camera, whilst the Touch had to make do with a performance boost and higher capacities. The look hasn’t really changed much, with the same basic design of the 4th generation Nano. It is still super…


Comparing MacBooks – Mine is Better than Yours

I’ve had a Mac laptop since 2006.  I love my notebook and carry it just about everywhere I go.  That’s part of my problem. The contents of my Gear Bag My Gear Bag holds just about everything that I might need in my portable office.  I have my 13” Unibody MacBook, my MSI Wind, a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Business, Office 2007 Ultimate, various other CD’s, miscellaneous paperwork, a 320GB USB hard drive and charging bricks and cables for all of the above. The bag weighs near 40 pounds. This weight is the major reason why, when I…


Prowl – the way push e-mail on the iPhone should be

If there’s one thing that bugs me about the iPhone it’s the lack of proper notifications for new e-mail messages.  Sure you get a little sound clip or a quick vibration when a new message arrives but that’s about it.  If you happen to miss the alert you have to actually wake the phone up and slide the unlock slider to check your mail icon for any new badge alerts.  Why there’s no default alert for mail like there is for text messages (you get a brief look at the subject/sender on the lock screen with SMS messages) I don’t…


My Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh – The Installation

This is Part One in a series about my journey with my new Dell Mini 9 into Hacktinosh territory…I’ll be talking about my installation process, my impressions of the Mini as a Mac netbook, performance, software, and more. I was pretty early to jump on the netbook bandwagon.  When I saw the original 7″ Asus Eee PC for the first time, I knew that I had to have it.  I had been lusting after computers like the Sony Picturebook for a long time–something that could fit in my purse and go with me everywhere!  As a writer, having a full…


My First Impressions of the 13″ MacBook Pro

Since Dan posted his thoughts on the new 13” Pro compared to the previous 13” non-Pro, I thought I’d throw together the thoughts I’ve had in my first day of ownership as well. I bought my very first Mac back in 2006 and I have never looked back. It was a second generation 15” MacBook Pro, the first of the Core 2 Duo models, and it was fantastic. Beautiful screen, super fast, looked great and ran an OS that I would become very happy with. Today that laptop headed off to its new owner as yesterday I took delivery of…


Take Control of Time Machine

I’m a Apple fanboy through and through.  This I admit freely.  But I’m also man enough to admit that not everything Apple does is perfect. Time Machine, Apple’s default back up program, is one of those not so perfect things. My biggest problem with Time Machine is the inability to customize just when Time Machine backs up.  The only time management setting offered by Time Machine is on or off.  When it’s on it backs up everything on your Mac, every hour.  I find this to be a major nuisance as it seems my iMac is always backing itself up and it’s…


Review: iSkin Pro Touch for Apple Keyboard & Mouse

Do you share a computer at work?  Are you kids constantly spilling things around your home computer?  Do you simply want to make sure your home or work station stays clean?  Do you love the Mighty Mouse but wish it had some color to it?  The iSkin Pro Touch is a heavy duty silicone skin, made for the Apple Mighty Mouse, and Apple keyboards, which comes in a variety of colors.  The skin protects your Mighty Mouse and Keyboard from life’s dangers while providing the user with a nice feel.  I was recently sent a Pro Touch for the Apple…


iKlear iPod, iPhone & Macbook Cleaning Kit Review

Devices looking dingy and dirty?  Brand new iPod looking like it’s a first generation?  iKlear is a premier line of cleaning kits designed to safely clean, protect and preserve all Apple products.  Their products, which are manufactured in California, are all anti-static and alcohol and ammonia free.  The iKlear line or products will help you get your device looking like it just came out of the box.


Vaja 4G Nano iVolution Grip Case with GoClip Review

I honestly think that Apple makes the best MP3 player on the market.  I know there are a lot of people that would like to debate that point, but in my mind, and in my opinion, even though they didn’t release the first player, they were the first ones to get the experience right.  They win; but again, that’s a personal opinion… Recently I bought my daughter a 4G (RED) Nano for Christmas.  Her grandparents “bought” her a white and red Samsung Propel (she got a Visa gift card that we used to purchase the phone).  It was a, uh-hem……


Dual Booting the MSI Wind: How To

Over the past few months, I’ve seen a lot of people talk about netbook computers and how hackable they are. Sites like JKontheRun, The Gadgeteer, and even Gear Diary have all posted articles on hacking this particular netbook.  While none of these sites recommends hacking ANY device, it does go a long way to  showing everyone just how versatile this device truly, truly is. Honestly, I wasn’t really interested in any kind of netbook computer until Dan posted his article on the creation of a “hackintosh,” or non-Apple PC running OSX.  Before then, I really didn’t seen any real value…


Blowing in the Breeze Part 2 – OSX 10.5.6 & the MSI Wind

Before I get started, I wanted to say special thanks go out to Dan Cohen, who stayed up with me until 3am Eastern/2am Central working on the Flash drive needed to get this all done. So… OSX 10.5.6 and the MSI Wind… Yah ok… maybe not so much. Quick update – I’ve got OSX installed on my Wind (calling it miniMBP); and I’ve learned some interesting things as of this morning. 1. I can still survive and be human on as little as 2.5 hours of sleep as long as there’s good, strong coffee around…somewhere. 2. You have to find…


The Creation of a Hackintosh

(Note- This post is done in order to share my experience creating a Hackintosh. It is not intended to recommend or encourage similar hacks. Gear Diary neither recommends, nor takes any liability, if you choose to do the same.) I’ve been through the whole UMPC thing from the start. I had a TabletKiosk UMPC the day they were shipped. I had a Samsung Q1P, Q1Ultra, Q1Ultra Premium and a Sony UX 280P in rapid succession. I loved the whole UMPC concept but none of the machines ever fit the bill quite well enough for me. Each was either returned or,…


The iPhone 3G as a Business Tool – Part 3

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…