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iGo Review: Stop Vampire Power from Sucking

Vampire power is the power your electronic devices use when they’re turned off.  Example:  You plug your digital camera into an electrical outlet to re-charge its battery.  Once the battery is fully charged the camera keeps taking power from the wall and attempts to give it to the camera’s battery even though it doesn’t need it. iGo‘s new line of green power accessories seek to stop this wasted use of electricity.  This is turn should save you money in the form of less power used and a smaller electric bill as a result. While at CES 2010 I met with…


Wilson Electronics Sleek Cell Signal Booster- Review

Every now and then you come across a product that promises to do things exceptionally well for a lower price than you would otherwise expect and… it actually exceeds your expectations. That’s the case with the Sleek cell phone booster for Wilson Electronics. We had a chance to meet with representatives from the company when we were in Las Vegas for CES and, thanks to them, I’ve been using a review unit of the Sleek for the past week or so. The unit is small, surprisingly inexpensive and it works phenomenally well. I live in a part of New Jersey…


My Child ID from Amberalert.com Review

Having a lost child is never good.  The amber alerts that now go out can save precious time in the recovery of a child, be it a child who is just lost or a child who is abducted by strangers or people who know the child.  Part of what makes this work is accurate information given to law enforcement agencies.  One way for parents to make sure this information is with them is by carrying a My Child ID from AmberAlert.com.


Teavana Perfect Teamaker Review

Being the gadget freak that I am, I like to have gadgets in the kitchen almost as much as I do in the office or on the go.  I am a big fan of drinking tea (both hot and cold), but often I only want one mug of tea at a time, not a whole pot.  I was looking around at tea flavors I wanted to try when I happened upon the Perfect Teamaker from Teavana.  It seemed like the perfect solution, so I promptly added it to my Christmas list.


Pong radiation reducing case for iPhone Review

Are you concerned about cell phone radiation? Radiation is a form of energy. Your cell phones antenna emits powerful radiation in order to send and receive signals to and from its wireless network. According to researchers the problem with this is some of this energy radiates from the antenna into your head. Sound scary? You might want to check out the Pong radiation at reducing cell phone case for the iPhone. While at CES 2010 I met with the makers of Pong, and they presented me with one of their cases for review. Here are my thoughts …


Pelican i1015 iPhone and iPod touch case Review

Allow me to set the scene. You’re sitting on the beach in a faraway tropical location sipping on a fancy frozen drink, while listening to tunes streaming from your iPod touch which is resting gently on your towel. Looks good right? That is until the family of six comes marching by with a horde of beach toys, chairs, karts, umbrellas etc. kicking sand all over your precious Apple product along the way. Pelican has been in the business of protecting gizmos and gadgets for over 20 years. Their heavy-duty cases our industry known as ones that offer the maximum amount…


Griffin Elevator Review

Surviving marathon sessions working on your computer is all about comfort.  Putting yourself in the proper viewing and reaching position goes along way towards keeping your body feeling good. Ergonomics! According to Griffin Technology, Healthycomputing.com, the premier source for office ergonomics, recommends positioning the top of your screen level with your eyes and sitting at least an arm’s length distance from the screen. Both of these key ergonomic standards are made possible using The Griffin Elevator with an external keyboard.


ioSafe SSD Demo, fun in the desert unless you’re a hard drive

Gear Diary is no stranger to the ioSafe hard drive.  We tested the fire proof and water proof, original ioSafe drive by burning it up in the back of a car and then dousing it with several thousand gallons of water straight from a fire hose. While at CES 2010 ioSafe took the Gear Diary team to a special, top secret location, deep in the desert (okay, it was really three miles south of the strip) where they demoed their newest release, the all new ioSafe SSD drive. The new drive is not only water and fire proof like its…


The Klipsch LightSpeaker Shines a Light on Your Musical Tastes

I’ve got no word yet on how they sound, or whether it’s even practical, but Klipsch has come out with a way to wirelessly stream music to a dimmable LED bulb which also functions as a speaker. Their aptly named LightSpeaker screws into an existing light fixture, and when you attach a digital music player to the included transmitter, sound ensues. You can “connect two different music sources to the setup and separate the different music to play in two different zones.  For example, if you’re throwing a party, you can play certain playlist on your iPod in the kitchen…


The Porsche Design mPower Illuminator will shine a light on your financial situation

Do you have more money than sense? If you do, then the new mPower Emergency Illuminator will likely be your flashlight of choice. What does $289 get you — other than an LED flashlight that vaguely resembles the SS Enterprise? The mPower Emergency Illuminator™ is a personal illumination tool that offers Power On Command™. In addition to primary standard lithium batteries, the illuminator also features a groundbreaking reserve lithium battery with a shelf life of at least 20 years. Upon activation, via the simple twist of a knob, the reserve battery will provide power to light a high intensity LED…


Contour reCharge Universal Review

With all the restrictions on what you can and can not carry on airplane flying around, there’s one thing that seems certain.  The less you pack the better of you’ll be.  As I get my gear bag ready for CES 2010 I’m faced with a mountain of charging cables that I’ll need to stuff into my bag. One thing that will help is the Contour reCharge Universal.  The reCharge Universal is a home charger and car charger in one which allows you to simultaneously charge two devices via a USB  cable.  The reCharge comes with an iPhone/iPod cable, but it…


Review: Trane XL800 Programmable Thermostat & a Giveaway

When I had my house built in 1998, one thing I wanted but could not afford at the time was a programmable thermostat.  Thankfully, Trane was kind enough to send one that I probably would not have considered, the Trane XL800. The first thing I had to do was install the thermostat.  To do so, I had to turn off my HVAC system — which mean going into the depths of my garage and flipping the breakers.  Then I went back inside, removed the existing thermostat and replaced it with the programmable thermostat.  Make sure to pull the little plastic strip out…


ScoopFree Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box Review

Editor’s Note: This is a joint review between Adrian and Jessica. Adrian’s comments will be in black, and Jessica’s will be in blue italics Multi-tasking seems to be one of my strong points…work 40 plus hours a week, chase around a toddler, coach high school sports, have a small business, and have family priorities that put me in and out of Dr appointments and hospitals at least once a week…so honestly what else can I add? Oh … let’s throw in mowing the lawn, maintaining the house, and helping my wife with the everyday chores (ok so I duck as…


Amber Alert GPS Keeps an Eye on Your Child’s Location

Amber Alert GPS is a tiny matchbox sized GPS device used to track the movement of your child. According to the manufacturer you slip the GPS into your child’s backpack (or other article that stays with them) and can then track their location for up to 24 hours. There’s also several  interesting features like speed, temperature and remote audio monitoring that are offered as well. For the last few weeks I’ve been putting this to the test and using it to track my kids. Here’s what I found. The normal pricing for this Amber Alert GPS is $279 though I…


Moshi Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock – Review

I reviewed the Moshi Voice Controlled Alarm Clock a few weeks back and was rather impressed. It really works and makes setting the time or the alarm as easy as speaking. Love it! Well, turns out the company also has a travel alarm clock that uses the same voice technology. Here is a look.


Sony Dream Machine ICF-CL75iP Alarm Clock for iPhone and iPod Touch – Unboxed

Sony just released their Dream Machine ICF-CL75iP Alarm Clock for iPhone and iPod Touch. It is a pretty impressive unit that works well as an alarm clock but has the special quality of working with your iPhone, iPod touch and just about any other iPod with a dock connector. At an MSRP of $149.95 is is not cheap.At the same time it offers a huge amount of functionality including a gorgeous screen that makes watching video from your iPhone or touch a pleasure. We unboxed one. Here’s a look…


Moshi Voice Response Alarm Clock – Review

This is one of those products that kind of snuck up on me. It looked like it was one of those electronic curiosities that catches your eye, leads to an impulse buy and then, within a week, is in a box collecting dust. As it turns out the Moshi Voice Response Alarm Clock works quite well, is remarkably useful and the review unit I was sent can will remain on my night table once this review is done. Lets take a look at this unusual, and useful, clock. A video demo follows…


MobiValet Review

When I saw an advertisement for the MobiValet in a tech. magazine I was recently reading I immediate had one of those, “now why didn’t I think of that” moments. My car has plenty of cup holders.  But often times every single one of them is filled with a drink belonging to one of my children, snacks, sunglasses, toys etc.  When I do find an empty one to stick my iPhone in I’m usually hesitant to do so.  The iPhone is slimmer than what’s meant to go inside a cup holder and this results it in being tossed around as…


HAVA Review: Live TV for PC and iPhone

When I saw the press release announcing that HAVA was coming to the iTunes App Store and that it was an application which allowed for live streaming of your home television, I was intrigued.  I like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the live TV options available for the iPhone but I have to admit I’d never heard of HAVA. I’m currently running both a Slingbox Solo and an EyeTV Hybrid in my home office.  The Slingbox allows me to view live TV on my Mac as well as my iPhone and doesn’t require the connected computer…


Get Your Caffeine on with Gear Diary

It started innocently enough.  One morning last week Wayne sent an email asking if any of the writers liked Starbuck’s after he had accumulated a fairly large amount of points — $370 worth — on his own Starbuck’s rewards card.  Then today Carly spotted a great deal on Woot! for a Breville 15-Bar Expresso & Cappuccino Maker for $179.99 (that’s it pictured above). These messages sparked an entire back and forth coast to coast between what gear we each used to  quench our lust for caffeine.    See what the team is using, and sound off in the comments on what…


Hour Glass Coffee: The World’s Coolest Coffee Maker

Soon temperatures will finally start to cool off here in South Texas and it will finally be time for some serious coffee drinking.  Yes, I know many of you cannot live without your daily dose, but I only drink it when it is cool outside and without caffeine.  First of all, I don’t do caffeine at all, and if I drink coffee everyday the acid starts to bother my stomach.  The Hour Glass Coffee maker produces a low acid coffee extract via a cold brew process.  (hence the title “World’s Coolest Coffee Maker”) The video shows how the system works. …