Apple iPad Gear

MiLi Power iBox 8000mAh Battery Charger Case for iPad 2 review

Just before CES last year Judie and I both purchased a 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab in order to blog on the fly. At the time both of us were already pretty heavily invested in iOS but the first generation iPad’s lack of a camera made it problematic for blogging. Add in the fact that, at the time, iPad blogging apps were rather limited in functionality and you begin to see the problem we faced. Unlike the iPad, the Tab had a decent enough camera and blogging from it worked rather well. As such, it solved many of the issues and…

Reviews

Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review

Last year Travis reviewed Sena’s Keyboard Folio for the original iPad. (You can read it here.) Here’s what he found: The keyboard is not the best, but it is fully functional and simple to use. Having a keyboard does make it far easier to write long posts, articles or homework assignments on the iPad. There are people who have resisted jumping into the iPad world simply because they need to enter large amounts of text and find the onscreen keyboard too limiting. The Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad solves that issue and brings that functionality to the iPad in a…

Reviews

ePillow Tablet Pillow review

Every now and then we are invited to review something that just looks… well… ridiculous but we end up agreeing to take a look anyway. When the “ridiculous review item” first arrives and we open the box our first impressions are, for the most part, confirmed. Yes, more often than not the product is silly, looks like a bad joke and poses a bit of a challenge with regard to actually writing the review. Every now and then however, once we actually start using the item we discover that our first AND second impressions were actually wrong! Sure, the item…

Reviews

Joy Factory Klick Desk Stand for iPad 2 Review

The other day Bryan (who we are THRILLED to have writing for Gear Diary now!!) wrote an interesting piece entitled Where’s My “Made for Android”? In it he reflected on the fact that there are so many different accessories available for iOS devices but a relative few for Android-running phones and tablets. Of course this is, in part, due to the fact that iOS devices are few in number and their specs are tightly controlled by Apple while Android is all over the place (go ahead, shoot your flaming arrows but you KNOW it is true!). That doesn’t change the…

Reviews

Eskuché 33i and Control-i Headphones Review

Back in November we brought a pair of on-ear headphones to your attention that look great, sound good and don’t break the bank. At under $70 for each pair eskuché’s 33i and Control-i headphones are worth considering if you’ve been looking for a pair of on-ear headphones that include an in-line mic. We’ve had both of them here for the past few weeks and have used them to listen to a variety of music. In this lightening review we will take a quick look at both, give you some of the upsides and some of the potential downsides and then…

Reviews

Gear VS Gear: The JawBone JamBox Faces Off Against the Spar Zephyr 300

The JawBone JamBox is one impressive device. It is a Bluetooth speaker, a speakerphone and one of the best gadgets of 2011! At $199 it isn’t inexpensive but it is a quality device that is well worth the money. Spar’s Zephyr line of speakers looks to step into the fray with the JamBox and one up it by including a backup battery that can charge your device on the go. They even got Wired to run a piece entitled “Like a JamBox, Only More Generous” despite the author never having heard one. So how do the Zephyr’s (which cost between…

Reviews

The Beyzacases Downtown Series Folio Case for iPad 2

I’ve always thought there was a certain “something” about a leather folio that made its carrier appear to be smartly pulled together. Maybe it’s that a folio limits its owner to only the absolutely essential “stuff” — all organized and safely zippered up. Whether it’s true or not, folios create an appearance of maximum efficiency with minimal clutter; I like that. And now that our documents, presentations, pictures, music, movies, receipts — and just about every other thing possibly imagined — can be carried digitally, my image of the pulled together professional has become even more narrow. Ask me which person…

Reviews

Pelican i1075 HardBack Case for iPad and iPad 2 Review

Some reports suggest that the vast majority of iPads and other assorted tablets spend the majority of time at home. That may be the case for some, even many, iPads but it is certainly not true for mine. No, my iPad goes pretty much everywhere these days, and that means I need a good way to carry it. And when I am going on a trip I need a good way to protect the iPad AND carry some assorted accessories such as the charger, headphones and, at times, a wireless keyboard. That is why I was so curious about Pelican’s…

News

Eskuché 33i and Control-i headphone Headphones Look Great and Won’t Break the Bank

Is it more important to have headphones that look good, sound good or are priced right? eskuché doesn’t think it needs to be a choice and their $69 33i and Control-i headphones are here to make the point. Here’s a quick look at both and what the company has to say about them. We’re hoping to have some in hand for review shortly. First up are the eskuché 33i headphones. As the company explains, The 33i looks to one of our first headphones, the 33 1/3, for its chassis, and merges it with the improved structural components of the 45….

Reviews, Travel

Yoobao Power Bank 11,200 mAh Battery Review

Welcome to another edition of “What’s Coming to CES 2012.” In our last episodes, we visited with two PowerBags (I’ll carry the messenger, and Kevin will carry the backpack) and a Mission Workshop Sanction waterproof rucksack that Francis will bring along for the ride. The PowerBags will give us a total of 12,000mAh of device-charging goodness. That’s good… but it is not good enough. Thankfully, we’ll have a few additional external batteries with us. One example is this 11,200 mAh battery from Yoobao. Despite its relatively small size and weight, it is a beast in the energy department. And the lovely…

Reviews

Andrea SuperBeam Phones SB-405 Stereo Headset Review

If you are into voice recognition, then you need to have a good microphone. It’s a basic fact of life. Yes, you can use the built-in microphone on the MacBook Air (for example), and you’ll probably get good results. But if you want great results you’ll need something that’s going to help filter out the background noise; that means a good headset. Among the issues with such headsets? The best of them have boom microphones that make you look like a Bell telephone operator. Sure, this is all about getting the work done and dictating your text but what if…

Reviews, Yum Log

The Belkin iPad Kitchen Cabinet Mount Review

Long-time Gear Diary fans may remember me from my stint a few years back as our resident “Stunt Reviewer.” Well, like a bad penny, I’ve turned up again and Judie and the gang have been nice enough to welcome me back to contribute the occasional review or announcement, specifically for the “Yum Log” section where we take a look at kitchen, food and cooking products and gadgets. In the couple years since I stopped writing here, I’ve been a full-time food blogger for the Nashville Scene in my home town and an occasional contributor to regional and national food magazines…

Reviews

ZAGGkeys FLEX Bluetooth Keyboard for iOS and Android review

My experience with keyboards for the iPad has been rather mixed. Some keyboards and keyboard cases have worked fairly well but none have been comfortable enough and portable enough for me to carry all the time. Moreover, most of the keyboard cases I have tried have just been too bulky for daily use. After all, what is the point of having the super-thin iPad 2 if you are going to then toss it into a thick, bulky case? The keyboards that have come closest to my wanting to carry and use them each day have been the offerings from ZAGG….

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: modulR Anywhere Pack

“Where do you use your iPad?” That’s one of the key questions you need to answer before you can make the right choice with regard to what case you buy and what accessories you order. If, however, your answer to the question “Where do you use your iPad?” is something like “Everywhere!” or you simply don’t want to make a choice, there’s a great option for you. The modulR system lets you use you iPad on the go, at home, in the car and everywhere in between. It might not be the most refined iPad accessory/case you can find but…

Reviews

Using a Touchscreen Device in the Cold? Thumbs Dogs Are for You!

BRRRRRRR!!!!! It’s cold out! (Okay, not so much since it is going to be 66 degrees and sunny today in NJ.) Still, we’ve already been hit with winter weather, and there is more to come in the next months. That’s a problem for any of us who use touchscreen devices. Sure, there are gloves that are designed to work with touchscreens, but they tend to be a bit pricy and the styles offered tend to be limited. Besides, most of us in the northeast already have more than a few pair of gloves around.Why buy more when you don’t have…

News

Beyzacase’s New iPad 2 “Downtown Series” Case Looks Organized and Streamlined

One of the things I don’t like about folio cases is that they can add a bunch of unnecessary bulk to an otherwise thin device. I mean, its great to be able to add ID or business cards along with other slips of paper into your folio, but such convenience usually comes with a thickness caveat. I spotted the new Beyzacases iPad 2 “Downtown Series” Case this morning, and thought it might be a good alternative to all of the more cumbersome folios we’ve seen. If these pictures have you thinking about gorgeous pebbled leather covering your iPad, then you are…

Reviews

QuickLook: Qmadix USB Dual Mobile Charging Hub 4.2amp

I like to be able to charge my iPhone and iPad on the go. After all, I constantly rely on both and, at least for now, iOS 5.0 is killing my battery life. That means I have wall chargers around my house, at the house and, of course, I always have a charger in my car. I’ve used a number of car chargers over the past few years and the new Qmadix USB Dual Mobile Charging Hub 4.2amp has me pretty impressed. From Qmadix: The Qmadix USB Twin Tablet Charging Kit 4.2 gives you maximum power on the go when charging…

Reviews

Review: BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S

I have always been a huge fan of minimalist iPhone and iPad cases. After all, why hide such sweet, beautiful pieces of metal and glass in large, bulky cases if you don’t have to? The operative word here is, of course, “cases”. While I have always liked minimalist cases, I’ve never been a huge fan of carrying my iPhone or iPad with nothing on it but a scratch protective skin. That changed earlier in the week when BodyGuardz was kind enough to send me their BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for the iPhone 4S and and the iPad 2. Both kits…

Reviews, Yum Log

iPad Accessory Review: Belkin Chef Stand and Wand

It comes as no surprise to anyone who lives on this planet that the iPad is finding its way into pretty much every aspect of our lives and certainly into pretty much every room of the house. Among the places where it can come in particularly handy is the kitchen. Thanks to the iPad, the days of needing a special under-cabinet television if you want to watch a show while cooking are gone. Similarly, the days of needing a separate music player/boombox are over. In fact, unless you are my purest, like my wife Elana, you don’t even need paper…

Gear Bits

Twelve South PlugBug QuickLook

We brought word of Twelve South‘s new PlugBug Mac/iPad accessory the other day. Within seconds of learning about the new product Judie and I had both ordered one. It is a great traveling companion if you have a Mac and an iPad or iPhone, so it seemed like a no-brainer. It is! Mine just came and, once again, I’m impressed with what Twelve South has done. Here’s a quick video look at the PlugBug. You can order yours for here on the company site for $34.99.

News

TOM BIHN Introduces the Cadet Briefcase for Apple Laptops and iPad

We love TOM BIHN’s bags and are always happy to see them bring out a new design. Today that design is the Cadet, a bag that is a laptop briefcase designed for Apple laptops including the 15″ MacBook Pro, 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air and the iPad 2. The Cadet is designed to carry your laptop or iPad, a few files or magazines, power supplies, pens, notebooks, and other small accessories. The Cadet is also a checkpoint friendly laptop bag. The Cadet comes in two sizes with one designed for a 15″ or 13″ MacBook and the other sized for…

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