Everyday Carry (EDC) Items

Pebble Smartwatch’s New App Store Coming Today

I like watches. It’s not as if I have a large collection of them, and it wasn’t until the last few years that I actually started taking an interest in fine time pieces. Before that, it was all about the functions … the gadget part of them, in other words.



Pebble Steel Is Now Shipping

I really love my Pebble watch. Since I never turn on my phone’s sounds, that little wrist buzz has become my way of knowing when I have a notification or a call. While some people do not prefer the styling of the first generation, the Pebble Steel looks amazing. The newly designed Pebble Steel begins shipping today for $249.



Pebble Steel Announced At CES

  When I first started wearing a Pebble watch it seemed more like geek fun rather than actual function. As the software has matured, my Pebble has become a must wear daily device. Today at CES, the makers of Pebble have announced Pebble Steel. Available in matte black and brushed stainless for $249, the Pebble has become much more attractive and wearable. 



Swatch SISTEM51 – This Ain’t the Swatch of Your Youth!

I had numerous Swatch watches when I was younger, but that was a long (LONG!) time ago. The upcoming Swatch SISTEM51 has, however, renewed my interest in non-smart watches. SISTEM51 is the first fully automated assembly of a mechanical movement watch. There are 51 components 1 central screw a 90 hour power reserve and it is 100% Swiss made.


Score Band Review – The Best Scorekeeper on Your Wrist

I am a huge fan of sports, whether it’s watching professionals or playing myself.  When the weather is right, I love playing tennis with friends. Unfortunately, I get too into the game itself and forget to keep score.  Now, there’s a Score Band on my wrist to keep track for me; Score Band sells for $24.99.


Time Gets Some Style With Tokyoflash’s Kisai Maru Wood

Tokyoflash is offering a very limited edition Kisai Maru Wood watch for $99 until Thursday September 19th. After that it will be $129. Kisai Maru Wood is “a combination of edges and circles”. It features an intuitive time display in mirrored LCD, framed by a custom designed natural wood case.



Nixon Luxe Heritage Watch Collection Arrives This October

Smartwatches may be all the rage and news that an Android Smartwatch is on the way will only add to the hype. Still, a gorgeous timepiece made from leather and chrome will always have its place. Nixon’s Luxe Heritage Collection fits the bill and arrives just in time for Halloween. Priced from $125-$900, you can Check them out here. via The Awesomer


Pebble Adds Email Notifications For iOS Devices

I have become quite dependent on my Pebble smart watch. Being able to see my messages without looking at my phone is actually extremely convenient. When I am in front of a class teaching, on the field coaching or even driving, the watch makes it super easy to glance at my watch when I get a message. It only takes a second and I never skip a beat in what currently is going on. Really, the only reason I like to check is to just make sure it is not an important message from my wife or anything dealing with…


TokyoFlash Introduces the Kisai Neutron Motion Sensor LED Watch

While in recent years the only watches I seem to wear are GPS watches, I have always loved distinctive ways of displaying time. Way back in the early 80s I was on a team that programmed an early LED communications device that scrolled the time, temperature and messages in a major hallway at my university. So when I saw the Kisai Neutron I was intrigued. Basically it is a thin and sleek watch that displays the time using large numbers on a bright and distinct scrolling LED panel. More than that, the Kisai Neutron has motion sensor technology, so if…


How To Customize Your Pebble Watchface

Pebble has been in the news the past few days since they have signed a deal to be sold in Best Buy retail stores. The once almost impossible to obtain smart watch will be available to everyone. Early reviews of the product were mixed at best. I think people were underwhelmed by the functionality of the $150 watch. Basically, out of the box, it showed the current text message and acted as a caller id but as the product matures, several updates have made it a fun gadget. A recent update added an area in the Pebble app that makes…


Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android Review

Back in early May of 2012, Dan posted an article about both Judie and him supporting the Pebble e-Paper Watch Kickstarter project. The project became noteworthy in that it became one of the most heavily supported Kickstarter projects in Kickstarter history. Initially hoping to raise $100,000, it meet that goal two hours after going live. In less than a week it raised nearly $5 million dollars — talk about interest in a project! While the concept of smartwatches was not new, the notion of a dual Android/iOS notification smartwatch that could support 3rd party applications and be extremely customizable was very intriguing…


Slickwraps Add Colorful Skins to Your New Pebble Watch

The other day I received my Kickstarter Pebble Watch in the mail, and I was excited as you might imagine. However, as I began to use it, I quickly noticed how well the device face ergonomics might lend itself to skinning and screen protection. As it turns out, Slickwraps.com has released attractive skins to do just that with their Wraps for the Pebble Watch. Now Pebble Watch owners can choose one of 38 skins to customize their Pebbles the way they want. The skins boast an accurate Pebble face template, and cover not only the periphery around the watch face but…


Martian Watch Gets Smarter with iOS App

  For us, one of the CES 2013 hits was the rapidly emerging smart watch category. During the Electronics Show Judie attended a media event from the makers of the Pebble smart watch, we saw many wearing the I’m Watch as the company tried to stealth promote their (mostly disappointing) offering, and we spent over an hour in a private meeting with the key players at Martian Watch. (Read the post.) Judie and I both walked away with watches, and I’m glad we did. You see, for my money, the Martian Watch is currently at the top of the smart watch…


Martian Watches Land at CES 2013

During CES, Judie and I had the opportunity to sit down with Martian Watches to chat about their product, the experience of going on Kickstarter in order to first promote and back it, and to gain some insight into their thoughts about the overall smart watch market. We both came away impressed by the product itself and the people who turned an idea into reality in an impressively short amount of time. What really stands out about the Martian Watch is that it actually works. The company took a different approach than the one we have seen other smart watch companies…


Gear Diary’s First Ever CES Top Picks!

You may have noticed over the years that, unlike many other sites, we don’t give stars or other quantitative scores to the items we review. The reason for this is quite simple: while there may be quantitative aspects to a device review — an example being a laptop that claims to get ten hours of battery life and only gets two hours in real world use deserves a low rating — there is also a highly subjective aspect to any and all electronics. Case in point, I’m not an overly enthusiastic fan of Android. I have had the chance to review…


Why Is Garmin the Gold Standard in GPS Watches?

My first day on the CES floor, I saw the Garmin booth. I bypassed the various dedicated GPS units, and headed right for the display of Forerunners in all their glory. Along the way, I was stopped by one of Garmin’s reps, and when I explained how excited I was to see their booth because “I love Garmin!”, he laughed and said “You must be a runner, people always say that because of the Forerunner.” We had a good laugh, and he showed off their various new watches. I was deeply in awe of how much smaller and sleeker each…


The Pebble Watch Press Conference

Are you one of the people who backed the Pebble watch on Kickstarter? Dan and I were, but unlike every other smartwatch that we have personally backed on the crowd funding site Kickstarter since the phenomenally successful Pebble was successfully funded, the Pebble still hasn’t shipped. We’ve been curious about the holdup; not alarmed, just curious. (Note: after the press conference we got an update with more info, scroll to the bottom to read!) So when I found out that they would be hosting a press conference at CES, I was completely interested — not only as a tech journalist…