Misc Gear

FCC Cellular Signal Boosters Certification Specifications Adopted Today

I’ve made no secret of the fact that if it weren’t for the Wilson Electronics AG Pro 75 Celluar Signal Booster, mobile phone service at my house would be pitiful; we would have likely had to incur the (possibly substantial) expense of putting in a landline. I live outside a rural community and in the middle of a ranch; you could argue that poor signal is the price Kev and I must pay for being able to enjoy the great outdoors, and perhaps you would be right. But what about people like Dan, who live in the middle of an urban…

Events, Vehicles & Gear

2014 Kia Sorento Test Drive: Mid-Size SUV Loaded with Luxuries

Last week I joined a group of bloggers and traditional press in Scottsdale, Arizona for a chance to take a test drive and learn more about the 2014 Kia Sorento (SUV) and Forte (4 door sedan) models. I should probably admit that other than knowing a few people who own or have owned Kia vehicles, I haven’t had much personal experience with the auto brand — unless you count taking a few hair-raising test rides in the Optima Hybrid Carly reviewed last summer! But I digress. So here are some things you might not have known about Kia: Safety is a priority for them, and every…

Gear Bits

Everything You Need to Know About Electrostatic Discharge in One Funny Video

Having worked with electronics through instruments companies or the semiconductor industry most of my professional career, I am keenly aware of the potential impact of a minor static shock on electronics. Static is more technically called ‘electrostatic discharge’ or ESD. From my very first job I was introduced to the concept of grounding straps, anti-stat mats, and on and on. For a great reference on the topic, check out this old magazine article on the impact of ESD on electronics. When I was learning, there were documents on the impact that talked about the technical impacts of how current and…

Outdoors, Reviews

Dorcy LED Headlamp Review

I’ll admit that the first time Kev slipped his headlamp on to go do something outside in the dark, I smirked. Why not just carry a flashlight? Why go out of your way to look like a coal miner or a caver? I’m being facetious, of course. I totally understood why he would want to be able to do things outside handsfree, but there’s no getting around the fact that wearing a headlamp makes you look a little silly. Only, you are the one getting the last laugh. If you have a headlamp on, it’s like you’ve grown an extra…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Prophet 12 Synthesizer by Dave Smith Introduced at NAMM 2013

One of the first synths I did serious work on was the Prophet 5. That synth was introduced by Sequential Circuits in 1978 as one of the first polyphonic instruments, but the reason it is still popular is the amazing sounds. The Prophet 5 was the brain-child of Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith. If that name sounds familiar it is because Smith is also known as the ‘Father of MIDI’, and I recently wrote about the 30th anniversary of MIDI. After Yamaha bought Sequential Circuits in 1987, Smith went on to head up the new US research lab for Korg…

Reviews

DryCASE for Smartphones Lets Your Gear Go for a Swim

When we were in Aruba snorkeling, I was able to use a 4th generation iPod touch in a LifeProof case to shoot some under-water video. The experience made me an even stronger believer in the whole LifeProof approach to gear protection. There are, however, times you might want to waterproof your phone or media player, but not have it in a LifeProof case. That’s where one of the products from DryCASE can come in rather handy. Unlike the LifeProof approach which places your gadget in a specialized case, the DryCASE approach lets you use your device in a standard, non-waterproof case…

Gear Bits

Brainwave Controlled Cat Ears and Tail for Those who Really Love Their Pets

I know a lot of people who totally connect with their household pets. They can tell me what (they believe) it’s thinking, it’s intentions are, and how it’s feeling today. Those people will do almost anything for their pets; whether it’s throwing a birthday party, baking homemade treats, or building enormous pet palaces for them to sleep in. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a dog lover who has had a dog almost all of his life and I absolutely love my dog, but I’m not going to take her for an all-inclusive doggy spa day with shiatsu massage and…

Outdoors, Yum Log

Beer Hunter and Drinkmaster Will Keep You Warm and Your Beer Cold

It’s time for slightly embarrassing admissions here at Gear Diary: I can personally vouch that when I was in college (hmmpty-hmmph) years ago, I learned that it is possible to smuggle an entire eight-pack of 8 oz. Little Kings Cream Ales into a movie theater stashed within the various pockets of a denim jacket. I mean, have you seen the price of concessions at the movies lately?! Unfortunately, I can also verify that when you drape said blue jean jacket around the back of a theater seat, there is a very high probability that at least one of those little…

Events, Reviews

Just Mobile AluPen Pro Review

As much as I have tried to go paperless, it’s been impossible for me to totally quit writing down shopping lists or jotting quick notes to myself or others. Whether I like it or not, I think I will always need to have a pen handy. Add to that my occasional need for a capacitive stylus — one that will work on the iPad or iPhone’s screen — and you’ll understand why the AluPen Pro caught my eye when I was visiting the Just Mobile booth at CES. Sculpted from aluminum, the perfectly weighted AluPen Pro features a high-quality, retractable…

News & Features

No More “Either Paper or Tablet” Decisions Thanks to the New Booqpad mini

Booq has just announced their new Booqpad mini, an iPad case that combines protection for the iPad mini with the tried and true efficiency of paper and pen. As booq explains, the Booqpad mini “allows you to conveniently keep your business cards, stylus, pen, cash and other important documents close to your iPad mini, as well as your important hand-written notes. Booqpad mini: • Easily stores pen, stylus, cash, business cards, paper notepad, and iPad mini, all in one elegant folio • Is designed symmetrically for left and right-handed users • Secures and protects iPad mini, providing in case access…

News & Features

Quirky Ham Radio Gadgets from Yesteryear: The Wouff Hong and the Rettysnitch

Well, the Wouff-Hong is not so much a gadget, but it has been a part of Ham Radio lore since 1930’s. What is a Wouff Hong? According to 1930 edition of The Radio Amateur’s Handbook: The Wouff-Hong is amateur radio’s most sacred symbol and stands for the enforcement of law and order in amateur operation. The story goes that T.O.M. ( The Old Man) wrote stories in the American Radio Relay League’s magazine, QST, titled Rotten Radio. It excoriated bad operating practices using caustic humor and satire. It was in one of these stories that the Wouff-Hong was born. It wasn’t…

News & Features

The Good and Bad of HDMI Switching

This holiday season was the season my family finally made the jump to HD TV. I absolutely love HD TV, and I am really looking forward to watching NASCAR and actually being able to read the tickers! As result of getting the TV, I ended up receiving or giving products that needed an HDMI connection to the TV. We got an Xbox 360 for Luke and I, plus I was given a Roku 2 XS and a Blu-ray player for Christmas. One of the things on my Amazon list was a Kinivo HDMI switch as I knew right away I…

News & Features

The Tricorder Could Be Just Around the Corner

I love Star Trek. One of the things I like the best about Star Trek is the gadgets, and the gadget I have always thought was the coolest was the Tricorder. There were, of course, two different Tricorders. One was used to look at items in the environment to get away teams the info they needed to find people, to discover other objects and more. The other is the Medical Tricorder that Dr. McCoy, Dr. Crusher and Dr. Bashir used to determine the extent of a red shirt’s injuries and other medical uses. Now the Xprize foundation, with the help…

News & Features

APC Releases Rock and Paper Computers

The Raspberry Pi has been openly embraced by the hacker community for all sorts of projects. From roll your own set-top boxes to Amateur Radio uses, it’s become a fast favorite of the hacker community. Not to be outdone, APC has released two new computers that are sure to peak interest of the hacker community and anyone who wants a nice, simple computer without worry of viruses or other malware. The Rock computer is a board only device that runs a customized version of Android 4.0 that is designed to work with a keyboard and mouse. The Rock has a Via…

Gear Bits

Let MobileFun.co.uk Be Your One-Stop Mobile Accessory Stop

If you are looking for mobile accessories you have a host of options from which to choose. There are brick and mortar stores like Best Buy and there are online retailers like Amazon. One online retailer you might not think of first is MobileFun.co.uk. They recently reached out to us and challenged us to make a list of a few accessories we might need and then go shopping to see if their site offered the listed items. That’s exactly what we did and, as luck would have it, we found a plethora offerings in each and every category. I decided…

Events, News & Features

Etón Proves Nature Is Pretty Darn Good at Empowering Innovative Technology!

Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for much of New Jersey, and at our house we lost power for about a week. Unfortunately, it was the same week we were scheduled to move out, so we found ourselves doing all the last minute packing in the dark. Luckily we weren’t totally on our own, as my handy Etón emergency radio kept us happy with music, a flashlight, and the chance to top off a smartphone once in a while. Basically, it was the first thing we grabbed when the power went out and the very last item we packed. So I was…

Gear Bits

Foldboat is a “Seamless Folding, Leisure Boat”

Remember taking a sheet of paper, folding it into the shape of a boat and seeing if it would float in the bathtub? Yeah, me either. I do, however, recall seeing origami masters create all kinds of three-dimensional items from flat sheets of paper. And yes, that did include boats. And yes, they did float… for a time. Now take the idea of a small origami boat, multiply it by a few thousand and make it out of a sheet of plastic rather than paper. The result? This flat-boat that folds up to create a real, three-dimensional vessel. Here’s what…

Health and Fitness

iHealth Brings Out Monitoring Tools for Your iBaby

My friends with kids all marvel at how instinctively their children grasp iOS. They seem to easily master the touch interface and love playing games. The folks at iBaby have a few ideas to get your child started early on integrating smartphones into their lives … even in utero! The HeartSense won’t be out for a few months, but the video monitors are available now. The price and features are in line with other video monitors, but being able to control and watch them on your iPhone brings the experience to a whole new level! It makes me wonder what’s…

News & Features

The Leap Motion Controller Is a Tiny Gadget Poised to Change Computing

The Leap Motion Controller is small but powerful. It has yet to ship but, if it works as advertised, it will change computing forever. That’s not hyperbole. I mean, seriously, the Leap promises to let you scroll by simply waving your hands, use your finger as a gun while playing a first person shooter or draw by waving a pencil IN FRONT of the screen while never actually touching it… how cool is that? Sure, it looks and sounds a bit like Microsoft Kinect on speed, but that’s not a bad thing. Here’s how the company describes their invention. For…

Gear Bits

Adobe Creative Suite – Subscription vs. Retail

If you work in a creative industry, chances are you use software programs from Adobe’s extensive creative suite. The issue, of course, is that these applications are insanely expensive. Interested in image-manipulation through Photoshop CS6? MSRP will cost you $700 for that program alone. You can grab it off Amazon right now for $560, but that’s not exactly a bargain. What about Illustrator? Dreamweaver? After Effects? The list goes on and on. How can anyone possibly afford to keep a solid library of digital tools? Here’s the answer: Adobe Creative Cloud. Subscription services have been around for ages, but software-based…

Crowdfunding, Events, News & Features

The Pebble Watch Press Conference

Are you one of the people who backed the Pebble watch on Kickstarter? Dan and I were, but unlike every other smartwatch that we have personally backed on the crowd funding site Kickstarter since the phenomenally successful Pebble was successfully funded, the Pebble still hasn’t shipped. We’ve been curious about the holdup; not alarmed, just curious. (Note: after the press conference we got an update with more info, scroll to the bottom to read!) So when I found out that they would be hosting a press conference at CES, I was completely interested — not only as a tech journalist…

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