Misc Gear

Useful Things: The Plasma Bulb Night-Light Review

In the 1980s, the coolest accessory you could have in your bedroom wasn’t a lava lamp, it was a plasma globe. I can still remember ogling one at the Service Merchandise store in San Angelo; they cost $199, and I had to save up for several months before I could purchase mine. Before seeing my first globe, I didn’t know anything about plasma; that in “the world of physics it’s also known as the fourth state of matter, and is the closest we can get to “seeing” electricity.” [source] I didn’t know that the “plasma lamp was invented by Nikola…

Reviews

Android WiFi Tablet Review: The HTC Flyer and HTC Scribe Digital Pen

Judie: When I attended Mobile World Congress earlier this year, there was one device which stood out for me above all others — the HTC Flyer. The Flyer is an aluminum-bodied 7″ Android tablet; my introduction to it came while I was still carrying a Samsung Galaxy Tab daily, and I could not get over how much better the Flyer looked and how much more solidly built it felt. It was positively Apple-esque, and that is not a bad thing. Couple that with the matching aluminum digital pen which suddenly made note-taking and doodling seem like some long-lost table feature…

Reviews

The CleanDr LCD/Plasma Screen Cleaning Kit and More Review

It’s been a while since I have heard from Digital Innovations. They have since released many updates to their cleaning products I have previously reviewed so they sent me a box of goodies to share here on Gear Diary. Let’s see if they are any better than the 2009 versions. First up is their 2 new products made for cleaning both high-definition TV’s as well as LCD’s of all types from desktops to laptops, along with a product line for mobile devices. Both of these are similar, but the mobile device screen cleaner is sized smaller. They both do an…

Reviews

Review:Swann Flying High with New RC Indoor Helicopter Line

With Father’s Day right around the corner and fuel prices causing many to think perhaps of a “staycation” this summer, those looking for a different sort of gift should check out Swann and their new line of RC Indoor Helicopters. Many ask themselves, “Aren’t remote control helicopters difficult to fly?” Yes they are, or were. Swann, a company mostly dedicated to security devices, offers a break from the routine with this new line of rechargeable RC Indoor Helicopters. Within minutes of making my tester “flight ready” I was buzzing around the den and terrorizing the cat. Fun is had in…

Reviews

The Linksys E4200 Max Performance WiFi-N Router Review

A few months ago Linksys announced their new E4200 Wireless N router. Linksys was kind enough to send out a review unit, which I have been using for a few weeks. The dual band router sports both a 2.4 and 5 GHz radio setup and a six-pack of internal antennas to maximize wireless coverage and throughput. Wireless N is pretty much the standard these days, and as you all know the force behind WiFi N is the need for streaming media. With all the new web connected TV’s and streaming media services, the last thing you want is your router…

News & Features

Award Winning “Ring” Mouse Now Available in North America

Coming to you straight out of Taiwan, a small country off the southeast coast of China, the most innovative mouse available in the mainstream tech world is now available in North America. Crafted to fit snugly around your fingers, the newest entry to the remote control family is activated solely by your thumb, providing a uniquely flexible take on computer peripherals. Created and manufactured by the aptly named Genius corporation, the mouse is meant to come as a pint-sized revolutionary, a wireless liberator fighting off genuine banality and discomfort. Really though, it’s just a ring-shaped mouse. As the recipient of…

News & Features

Click n Drink Bottle Opener Catches Your Caps and Protects Your Feet

How would you like to open your beer and soda bottles without having to worry about where those pointy bottle caps land? The ‘Click n Drink’ bottle opener allows you to do just that. Boasting the ability to hold up to 100 bottle caps with its strong magnets, the ‘Click n Drink’ magnetically mounts to metal surfaces or it can be drilled into others. I’m wondering if it would void our hot tub’s warranty to screw one to its side; if it means being able to pop a bottle of Spaten without worrying about stepping on a cap later, I…

Reviews

Smartphone and Tablet Accessory Review: The i-Microphone Voice Recorder

I do a tremendous amount of writing using voice recognition and if there is one thing that makes or breaks the accuracy is the microphone you use. Both my iPhone and my iPad do fine on their own but I do see a significant improvement when I use a high quality headset. That’s why I was interested in the i-Microphone. It is a small attachments that promises good audio recording without the hassle of a wides headset. It isn’t expensive so I thought I might order one and check it out. Fortunately the company was kind enough to send along…

News & Features

The SCOUT Toolkit Lightens Field Service Reps’ Loads

Do you need to locate, acquisition and verify satellite links? Probably not unless you have a military title before your name or you deal in some kind of surveying industry; if that describes you, then this is probably news you’ll welcome: Coolfire Solutions has just introduced SCOUT, a Satellite Communications Operational User Toolkit which has been “engineered to assist in the location, acquisition and verification of satellite links.” The total SCOUT Toolkit consists of The SCOUT Surveyor™ and SCOUT Observer™ mobile applications which run on the iPhone and iPad and are connected to the SCOUT™ hardware. As Coolfire Solutions explains:…

News & Features

Onion Goggles Keep You from Crying in the Kitchen

I tear up when I am chopping onions, and even though sometimes it’s just a sniffle, there have been times — like when I am on a marathon chopping streak while making multiple freezer lasagnas — when the tears just started to flow. What in the world is happening? According to Mental Floss (a fantastic magazine and blog): 1. When you cut into an onion, its ruptured cells release all sorts of goodies, like allinase enzymes and amino acid sulfoxides. The former breaks the latter down into sulfenic acids. 2. The sulfenic acids, unstable bunch that they are, spontaneously rearrange…

Reviews

Wet Circuits Waterproof Power Strip Review

Next in my “Kids, don’t try this at home” series of tests I examine the power strip sent us by WetCircuits.com – the Wet Circuits Waterproof Power Strip to be precise. Initially I thought this was a joke, especially with the image they provide of a person holding a pair of metal tweezers inserted into an outlet while the power strip is energized. CRAZY. Like a fox, actually. This thing works. While I did not drop it into the bathtub with me and the rubber ducky, I did take it out to the greenhouse, a normally moist-to-wet environment that should…

Reviews

PhoneSuit Primo Power Core Rechargeable Battery Pack for Tablets and Phones Review

Electronic devices always seem to run out of power at the most inopportune times, don’t they? Figuring out ways to keep those devices powered for as long as they are needed is key. Whether you are a regular road warrior or simply away from the office for the day, if you aren’t going to be near an outlet or power port, and if you carry multiple devices that will require energy doses at random times, carrying a portable power supply is the best option. Many times, these power supplies can best be described as bricks.

Gear Bits, News & Features

WD-40 Limited Military Collectible Series

Collections are fun. I have a collection of fountain pens still even though I rarely use pen and paper these days. I have a collection of gadgets, but that is more about my involvement with Gear Diary than anything else. And there was a point in my younger days when I collected unusual beer bottles. It was a fun collection and a great excuse to buy interesting six-packs. And since I was collecting EMPTY bottles… well you know… I’m sure dad was onto the scam, but he went along anyway. Thanks, dad! Yes, collections are fun, and when the…

News & Features

B-Squares Makes Solar Power Flexible

Kickstarter allows some really cool projects to become reality by giving startups the opportunity to be funded by small, individual commitments of support. (I know a few of us on the site have helped fund some projects and took great satisfaction in being part of something new. It also doesn’t hurt that sometimes the funding also yields an early units of whatever is being created. ) One project that I really hope becomes reality is B-Square’s Modular Solar Powered electrics. B-squares are solar power cells that have magnetic connectors at each corner for connecting one solar panel to another. Since there…

Reviews

Review: Belkin Conserve Insight

With the economy in the state it is in we are trying to conserve what we spend anyway we can. Whether we are turning the thermostat down, turning off lights or buying compact fluorescent bulbs that use less electricity, we are all trying to save what we can on our electric bill. All of this got me wondering: how much power your laptop really uses? How about my TV? Do compact fluorescent bulbs really save any money over standard incandescent bulbs? With Belkin’s new Conserve Insight finding the answers was simple. The device is simple and easy to use. All you…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Unruly Cables and Cords? Take Two Apple(cores) and Call Me In the Morning

Cords are a pain. Seriously. They are a royal pain. You got your headphone cords. You got your sync cords. You got your power cords. You got your… Never mind, you get the idea. The list goes on and on. Well here is one solution that is inexpensive, effective and a lot of fun too. The Applecore is a simple system for getting your cords in line. They come in small, medium and large so that headphones, sync and computer cables and power cords can all be effectively tamed. Better still they comes in a variety of colors. AND, and…

Reviews

Review: Samson Meteor Mic

About two weeks ago Thomas mentioned a brand-new microphone that was about to be released, the Sampson Meteor Mic. He told me that it not only had a great look to it but that all reports indicated it worked beautifully. It was small, easily transportable thanks to its fold up design, and it looked pretty cool. Most importantly it apparently offered excellent sound quality. I told him I’d have to look into it. I was fortunate enough to have a review unit waiting for me just two days later. I’ve been using it ever since and have been incredibly impressed…

Reviews

Computer Accessory Review: Field Monitor Pro with DisplayLink Technology

This is my 13″ MacBook Air. I love it. Especially now that Apple fixed it after my clumsiness a few weeks ago (when I dumped a drink on top of it). With 4 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid-state storage, the laptop doesn’t feel like a compromise in any way shape or form. It is super-fast, and super quiet. Add in the fact that the 13″ screen has the same resolution as the 15″ MacBook Pro that I was eying a few months ago, and you have what has become, by far, my favorite laptop ever. No, actually,…

Gear Bits

I Reviewed It and I Still Use It: The “Thank You Ergotron” Edition

I reviewed the Ergotron Sit–Stand Desk last September. This work-station modification allows you to work at your desk in either a sitting or standing position merely by lifting the entire assemblage up or down. It is truly an impressive piece of equipment, and at close to $400 certainly not inexpensive. My review concluded with: So do I like this? YES! If I had not been sent a review unit would I be buying one? YES again. Having the option to work either sitting or standing and to quickly move between the two is great. Having a unit as well-built and…

Reviews

The Swingline Stack-and-Shred Cross Cut Shredder Review

This is my husband’s and my pile of things that needed to be shredded; it started in a drawer, was moved to a shelf, and eventually ended up in a bag under our bed. What’s in it? Everything from those “convenience” checks that credit card companies seem to think we can’t live without, to credit card applications that simply need a signature and mail-back to be approved, to health insurance settlement statements, to all those bit of paper that have numbers, names, addresses and other information that get scribbled down when we are trying to be efficient. Why were we…

Reviews

Review: Amplicom US PowerTel 601 Wrist Shaker Offers Room to Roam

Hearing loss is something many of us never think about, yet at some point in our lives we will either experience it or know someone who does. For me, it’s my father-in-law as he uses a hearing aid these days (although we think he turns it down quite often to tune some of us out). Amplicom USA is addressing hearing loss issues through technology in their telephone products, both corded and cordless. They recently sent out a new product designed to expand the activity range of folks who are home-bound for fear of missing a phone call and being without…

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