Apple iPhone Gear | Gear Diary

Reviews April 13, 2009

Lifetrons Multi-Functional Charger Review

It’s hard to travel light when you’re a gadget lover. You can’t bear to leave your toys behind, so you bring ’em all… Or at least I do. And then there’re the required accessories – sync cables, spare batteries, chargers, and international plug adaptors. Add everything up, and you end up with… A lot of luggage. The Lifetrons Multi-Functional Charger is powered by AC, USB, car cigarette lighter, or a 9V battery, and charges any mobile device for which an appropriate tip is available. Can it replace the 42 different chargers currently cluttering up your gadget bag?

Reviews April 13, 2009

Speck Tough Skin Review

The Speck Tough Skin case is a thick, rubberized case that offers a unique raised back for extra grip. The rubberized skin wraps your phone in a thick layer of protection from bumps and drops. The corners of the case feature even more padding and the bottom of the case is hinged allowing you to dock your phone while the case is on.

Reviews April 12, 2009

External iPhone Batteries: Tekkeon myPower for iPhone and Konnet PowerKZ

As much as I love my iPhone 3G I am the first to point out that it has some serious short-comings. The biggest for me, by far is battery-life. I use my iPhone a lot. I do use my Touch whenever possible so as to save the iPhone’s battery but even with that I never make it through the day without having to charge the 3G at least once. That makes having an external battery a neccessity. Quite frankly, I don’t leave home without one of my external batteries charged and waiting. Fortunately there are a growing number of battery…

Reviews April 10, 2009

Altec Lansing Backbeat Plus Mobile UHS206 Review

After reviewing the Backbeat 106 headphones, the folks at Altec Lansing sent out a version of the headphones designed for mobile phones. The Backbeat Plus Mobile UHS206 are virtually identical to the Backbeat 106 ear buds in my earlier review. The design is a little different, and the cables are wrapped in the same tangle proof cloth covering. This is a nice extra which keeps the cables from kinking up and getting tangled while floating around in a pocket or in your gear bag. Other than the extra ring for the mic, the mic itself and the call button, the…

Reviews April 7, 2009

Sennheiser MM50 IP Headset for iPhone

I’m always on the quest to find new headphones to use with my phones and as we all know the headphone set that comes with the iPhone are most inadequate to the task. In my own case, I couldn’t keep them in my ear!

Reviews April 1, 2009

The Otterbox Defender – It might just save the life of your phone

There are a lot of cases out there for the iPhone 3G. Some are stylish, some functional, others appeal to different age groups, some are minimalistic while others big and bulky. There isn’t one perfect case for all of us, and that’s a good thing. This individuality has allowed an influx of case manufacturers to come to market with a variety of choices. Those of of who can’t decide on just one case are able to own wide array of “outfits” for our phone. One thing is undeniable though. No case out there offers the amount of protection that the…

Reviews February 26, 2009

V-Moda vibe II: Earphones with a Fashion Sense

In recent months, I’ve had the privelege to try out a number of different earphones/earbuds. In a former life, I did the “band” thing – writing, recording, performing. The end result of all this is that I tend to be extremely picky about my audio equipment. In some ways, however, it’s like the old saying – I don’t know art but I know what I like. Enter the vibe II – earphones that try to be a little of both – an excellent audio delivery system and art. images courtesy of V-Moda

Reviews January 14, 2009

The Element LIQUID iPhone Case Review

When I was first contacted about reviewing the Element LIQUID Case, I was really quite excited. I have now been writing about iPhones for over a year and a half, and in that time I’ve written numerous case reviews. I still enjoy doing these reviews, but after a while cases start to look increasingly similar. But here was a case that was anything but the norm — how cool! In addition, here was a case that was not only unique, but it also offered customization and personalization the likes of which is rarely seen; I was anxious to receive the…

Reviews December 29, 2008

The Altec Lansing moondance GLOW Review

Like many of you, my days are structured around a general time by which I try to be in bed and a specific time at which I prefer to awaken. In order to get up in a timely manner, I have to use an alarm. I haven’t ever really given much thought to whether my bedside alarm clock could fulfill functions other than simply making sure that I was jolted out of bed when I needed to be, but the new Altec Lansing moondance GLOW has caused me to realize that there might be more to a bedside device that…

Reviews December 18, 2008

Griffin Clarififor iPhone 3G Review

I love my iPhone. I love Evernote. I love using the camera on the iPhone to snap pictures and send them to Evernote. I love the fact that when I send pictures taken on my iPhone to Evernote they are automatically scanned and completely searchable. I hate the fact that the iPhone’s camera take lousy close-ups of text. That’s why I was so excited to see that Griffin was releasing the Clarifi, a special case with the built-in lens that boosts the eye phones camera resolution. The good folks at Griffin were kind enough to send a review unit of…

Reviews December 10, 2008

Audéo PFE (Perfect Fit Earphones) from Phonak

We review a lot of personal audio equipment here at Gear Diary, and I’ve reviewed a number of different earphone packages over the years. The Audéo PFE from Phonak are a little different than many earphone products I’ve reviewed because they have the interesting distinction of being developed by Phonak, a company that specializes in making equipment for people who are hearing impared. The claim is that the Audéo PFE provide wonderful clear sound and a “perfect fit”. Read on to see how they stood up to my expectations.

Reviews December 4, 2008

The Altec Lansing inMotion MAX Portable Speaker for iPhone and iPod Review

I’ve covered iPod stereo docks in the past, but this is one of the first I’ve seen that claims to combine a clear and powerful speaker system with a rechargeable battery for true portability. I went into this review with a bit of skepticism; I guess I just wasn’t expecting much from a battery driven speaker system. It would be up to the Altec Lansing inMotion MAX Portable Speaker for iPhone and iPod to either impress me or prove that my skepticism was warranted; read on to see what happened… Wander around the house, and take your music with you….

Reviews November 16, 2008

Seattle Sling by Camera Armor Review

More and more people are carrying Digital SLR or Single Lense Reflex cameras as their main camera, even for taking family pictures. However, these are still very pricey cameras. Sometimes the accessories themselves can cost more than the camera body. That’s why if you have a DSLR, camcorder or other small piece of electronic equipment, you need to run – don’t walk, to the web and order yourself a Seattle Sling.

Reviews November 13, 2008

Case-mate Vroom for iPhone 3G Review

A while back the good folks over at Case-mate were kind enough to send me one of their Vroom cases for the iPhone 3G. To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed upon opening. Its description explains why. “Kick it into high gear with this new tire-tread pattern iPhone 3G case” “Hooray,” I thought to myself “an iPhone case that looks like a car tire. What could be more exciting.” Fact is, I ask you find myself using it quite often now. Here’s why…

Reviews October 30, 2008

Griffin WindowSeat for iPhone & Touch Review

When I’m driving in the car typically my iPhone sits loosely on my seat. This means that when I take a sharp turn suddenly my phone slides all the way across the seat — sometimes on the the floor. So I was interested to see how Griffin’s WindowSeat would work to keep my iPhone firmly in sight – and in place in the car.

Reviews October 28, 2008

Griffin Aircurve boosts your iPhone audio without power

I’ve been testing the new Griffin Aircurve with my iPhone for the past week. My primary alarm clock each morning is my iPhone which I’ve set to wake me at the same time each weekday. Usually I just leave it flat on my nightstand. Sometimes I plug it into a power cable and other times I forget. Here’s a new product from Griffin that does three things – (1) Acts as a stand — (2) Amplifies the iPhone sound and (3) allows for powering your iPhone through your charging cable. How well does it work?

Reviews October 19, 2008

Waterfield iPod Suede Jacket Review

Apple got it right with the second generation iPod Touch. The device is sleek, thin and feels great in the hand. It works fantastically well as a touchscreen iPod, as a video and gaming device and as a mobile internet device. The addition of a physical volume control was much needed and, even though the speaker is a bit on the weak and tinny side, it is a great addition to the device. Sure, I wish Apple had added GPS and Bluetooth, but that doesn’t keep me from being extremely happy with this slick device. The new iPod Touch does…

Reviews October 12, 2008

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Speaker Review

My wife calls it the silver bullet. I think from behind, it looks like a twisted alien face, staring out at you. In reality, however, it is one of the most unique speakers I have ever used. Modeled after the Zeppelin flying machine, if this speaker sounds half as good as it looks, then I think we will have a real winner here. Hit the jump and listen along…

Reviews September 2, 2008

We take the iStik magnetic 3G Nano case out for 26 miles of road testing

When the people from iStik contacted us to test a new magnetic iPod Nano cases I was intrigued. They claim it holds your Nano tightly to your clothes via a set of four magnets that attach through your clothing. I was a little skeptical. Would these magnets really hold an iPod Nano 3G with all the jolting that occurs during a run? Even worse, if the magnets didn’t hold the case – you’d be left carrying an iPod during a lengthy exercise session. Since I’m not a runner, I had to rely on two eager volunteers. First up – my…

Reviews August 13, 2008

Purebuds earbuds one word review: Amazing

We get a lot of requests to review earbuds, headsets and earphones. Usually I can’t really tell the difference between one set and another. This time there were several things that made me sit up and take notice of the Purebuds earbuds. These promise to use something called “Reverse Sound Technology” to deliver safe and clean sound.

Reviews August 7, 2008

Review – iPWR Mobile Power For iPhone and iPod Touch

[This is a joint review between Dan and Doug. Dan’s comments are in normal font and Doug’s are in bold italics.] I’m liking a whole lot about the iPhone 3G I picked up the other day. It feels good in my hand and, even though it is a bit thicker, the curved sides make it feel smaller and lighter. I am liking the 3g speed a lot more than I expected. While home and work have WiFi, the 3G speeds make a much bigger difference than I expected when I am out and about. I’m pleasantly surprised how common 3G…