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Beam N Read Lights Review

Needing a light in a dark room is a funky thing. Flashlights are okay, but they take up one hand (or your teeth if you’re extra tough). Headlamps don’t always provide an even light, and don’t even bother to try those tiny LED keyring lights. If you’re reading, there’s always booklights, but I find those are tough to position well. Either the light shines wrong on one area, or it isn’t bright enough. That’s where the “Beam ‘n’ Read” light steps up to fill that gap. Is it useful? Does it work as well as it claims? Let’s find out!

Reviews

Gear Diary Deal or Dud: Bottle Tops

Bottle Tops are another invention from the “As Seen on TV” folks. Meant to work with most size cans, the snap-on tops are said to create an air-tight seal which prevents spills and allows you to keep your carbonated beverage fizzy for longer. The Bottle Tops also prevent “things” from crawling into your drinks on hot summer days when you’re outside. I recently picked up a set of 12 Bottle Tops for $9.99. Are the Bottle Tops a Deal or a Dud? You’ll have to watch for yourself to find out. Bottle tops are available on the “As Seen on…

Reviews

The Hillcrest Loop Pointer Review: a Mouse for Your TV

It never failed that when someone would visit while I was testing the Hillcrest Loop pointer, they would invariably pick it up and wear it like it was an over-sized bangle — because at first glance, that is exactly what it resembles. But the Loop is much more than just a piece of giant plastic jewelry. The Loop pointer actually got its start as an “iconic concept product to showcase Hillcrest Lab’s Freespace technology and HoME system solutions.” People who saw it liked it, and they wanted one; so Hillcrest, whose primary focus remains “licensing interactive media systems software for…

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Bluebeards Original: Look Like a Pirate Minus the Itch

If you’ve ever tried to grow a beard you know the first few weeks are the toughest part. Why? It itches! New hairs growing in on your face can be bothersome not only to you but to your family members as well. I’ve let my beard grow before, sometime just out of laziness on the weekend, other times just for fun, but my family members often complain that it’s scratchy. Especially when my daughters ask for a good-night kiss and my wife often catches me scratching and pawing at my scruffy face. I recently stumbled across Bluebeard Original, who makes…

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Super Notebook Stand – Monitor Combi

My man cave/guitar room/sports memorabilia room/computer room is not the largest room in the house. Last summer we decided to replace a large computer desk with a small one on wheels. My only problem with new table was finding a place for everything. I liked the smaller footprint, but needed a way to organize my desk while making it still look good. One morning on my summer break I headed out the shop and built a small shelf out of some scrap wood. I painted it black and slapped a couple of Apple stickers on it and had me a…

News & Features

These Cufflinks Will Open That Beer for You

Nothing says classy like a set of cufflinks, and nothing says Redneck more than drinking your beer out of a bottle at a formal occasion. There’s no need to confirm that Redneck stereotype when a bottle opener isn’t handy by slamming your bottle’s lid on a table edge, using the top of your Skoal can, or worse – prying the bottle cap off with your teeth. Leave the other guests guessing by wearing these bottle opener cufflinks from CuffLinks.com. They’re made of stainless steel so they’ll keep their shape through thousands of cap removals, and you can get them for…

Reviews

The Turbo Snake: Gear Diary’s Own Deal or Dud

One of the local Philadelphia news channels has a weekly segment called “Deal or Dud” where they put a product or service to the test to see if it actually lives up to its claims. A few weeks ago they featured the “Turbo Snake.” What is the Turbo Snake? Straight from the manufacturer: Introducing Turbo Snake™ – the quick & easy way to clear slow-moving or clogged drains! Simply glide Turbo Snake™ down the drain, twirl, then pull out – Turbo Snake’s™ specially designed head grabs & locks onto hair clogs to remove and free the drain instantly! It’s that…

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Hookette with a Twist Purse Hook Review

Photo courtesy of The Purse Hook website Over the past few years, I have fallen in love with higher-end leather goods, specifically pretty (and functional!) purses and bags. I’ve always been a bit of a purse girl, but I eventually realized that buying one or two nice leather bags a year makes much more sense for me than buying a lot of bags that fall apart on me within 3 to 6 months of carrying them every day. I started collecting Coach bags one Christmas when I got a particularly nice bonus from work, and it all slid downhill from…

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Darktide Tees, Historic and Gothic Inspired T-Shirts Review

I probably wear t-shirts more than any other piece of clothing I own. It’s what I’m most comfortable in and it allows me to wear a wide variety of colors and designs. T-shirts go with anything too and that makes planning my wardrobe all that much easier. Darktide Tees makes historic and gothich inspired t-shirts for both men and women. The t-shirts are some of the best quality shirts I’ve come across. They use a special digital transfer process to place images on ring-spun cotton shirts. This results in a multi-colored, high quality image that both looks and feels amazing….

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Eos Converge Multi-room Wireless Audio System – Review

We live in a rather unusual house architecturally speaking. Built using post-and-beam construction, it may not look like a barn but it is built in the same manner. This means there are no joists or other type of space between one level and the next. The ceiling of the downstairs rooms is the floor of the upstairs rooms. Between one floor and another are just 6 inch thick boards. And every 8 feet there is a solid beam spanning the depth of the house. We love the house and its unusual look and feel. But during renovation it has posed…

Reviews

Primo Bottom Loading Water Dispenser Review

We have all seen them and most use them daily. The old office cooler. The place where office rumors are spread and the big game or reality show is discussed. There is something about that cool clean water that makes the day seem to go by faster. What about having on in your home? Some people might, but the main reason for not having one is that they are not exactly attractive. For those who agree with this, Primo has released a new era of water coolers for the home. The unit Primo allowed me to review has a stylish…

News & Features

Dog-e-Minder for the Absent Minded Pet Owner

I have mixed feelings about the Dog-e-Minder pet assistant. On the one hand, it looks like this device could be an invaluable tool for remembering pet medications – especially when they have to be administered more than once a day, or it could serve as a way to remember the last time you took your puppy outside during potty training. On the other hand, it seems like the type of person who needs help remembering when the last time they fed or walked their dog might be better off with a cat. Was that too judgmental? Anyway … The simple,…

News & Features

The Urbantrim Squidarella Brings Color to a Rainy Day

the dry Squidarella Like much of the country, West Texas has been experiencing a wetter than usual late winter. Rather than snow, we have had rain … nearly 6″ in some parts of my county alone. Due to the weather, I’ve found myself reaching for an umbrella more times in the last couple of weeks than I had in the last few years. And since my umbrella has basically become a regular accessory, I can’t help but wishing that it was as colorful and interesting as this one. Urbantrim has just launched a new collection of color changing umbrellas. “The…

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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…

Reviews

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…

Reviews

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.

Reviews

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.

Reviews

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 …

Reviews

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…

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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.

Events

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…

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