Misc Gear

The SanDisk Ultra 8GB USB Flash Drive Review

I collect thumb drives.  At least it seems that way, as I have a whole bag of them.  One of these days I’d like to replace all of the smaller ones with one larger one or a few larger ones.  This 8 GB SanDisk Ultra flash drive is my second 8 GB flash drive and one of my favorites.  Let’s take a look at its features. Speedy – Faster file transfer speeds Stylish – Attractive slider design houses your data in style Secure – Store your private files in a password-protected and encrypted vault on the USB flash drive Added Protection…


Review: The Joy Factory Zip USB Touch-n-go Multi-Charging Station with ZipTail Receivers

Charging cables and cords… they’re everywhere. Literally everywhere. Have an iPhone? You need a 5W wall adapter and a USB cable. An iPad? You need a 10W wall adapter and a USB cable. Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab? You’ll need one of their proprietary chargers. Have a Blackberry or Android phone? Most likely you need a microUSB adapter connected to a wall charger. And the list goes on and on. I hate the mess of cords. That’s why I’ve been so interested in the various conductive charging systems that have been coming to market for the past few years. The…


Hex Launches New Collection of Tech-Friendly Bags and Cases

The seemingly everlasting style conundrum – fashion vs. function, might finally have a solution. According to Hex, makers of those stylish iPod Nano watchbands, you can have your cake and eat it too. Having recently released a brand-new Fall/ Winter bag collection, the Oxnard, California-based trend-setters are banking on the dual appeal of fashion and function. Currently available for pre-order, the tech-friendly bags feature a versatile combination of pockets, padded pouches, compartment separations, organizers and adjustable straps. If you’ve been hunting for a more fashionable way to carry your laptop or iPad, this seems like a pretty straightforward solution. Hex,…


Summer Tech: Qi-wear by iharmonix Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses

I’m someone who ALWAYS wears sunglasses when I am outside. I also always have my iPhone and am often either making calls or listening to music when I am out and about. As such the idea of sunglasses that can double as a Bluetooth headset for making calls or listening to music really appeals to me. There was something like that on the market a few years ago but by the time I went in search of them the line had been discontinued. That’s why I took note of the announcement of iharmonix’s Qi-wear Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses. As the company…


Gear Diary Video Round-Up

  Last week saw us post a larger number of videos than ever. In them we took a first look at the AT&T Status phone running Android 3.2.2, Carly talked to us about the benefits of Chromebooks and why they might be a great choice for you and we launched not one but two contest/giveaways. Missed any of them? Well we’ve gather all of them together along with links to each post… Gear Talk: iPad 2 Case Roundup  Read It! Judie’s Orbino Padova for iPad 2 Has Arrived: Here’s a First Look  Read It! Gear Giveaway: Judie Attended Intel’s Upgrade…


Victorinox Swiss Army Releases Innovative Luxury USB Line

Need an expensive and colorful device to store your extremely important personal or professional data? Want a USB stick with a self-destruct function? Look no further. Consumers may be surprised to learn that Victorinox Swiss Army’s latest products, the Slim and Slim Duo USB lines, have just one function. Marketed as an innovative and decidedly “Bond-esque” luxury flash drive, the new Swiss Army USBs are ready for anything, that is, unless you need a can opener or knife. Buyers can now not only store their personal data, but also keep it protected via passwords and a vaguely described “unhackable” feature….


The Epitaph by AUTUM Won’t Be Seen in the Tour de France

If you’ve been watching any of the Tour de France, you’ll know that this cruiser is the antithesis of all those bikes … four low-profile tires on a custom frame that’s been built from scratch make for a bike that will turn heads and empty the pocketbooks of twelve lucky owners. The Epitaph started as a humble cruiser but has somehow willed itself into the behemoth you see before you. Each Epitaph features a custom crafted wheel set that allows us to mount a total of 4 low profile tires. The seat, grips & frame inserts, also made from scratch,…


Could This Be the Computer for Your Grandma?

A lot has been said about the iPad and how suitable it could be for people who have never used a computer. Way back during the late 90’s there were many companies attempting to make an appliance computer. That is, a computer that doesn’t require the overhead of a Windows PC, Linux PC or a Mac. Netpliance tried and utterly failed with the iOpener, which was a darling of the hacker community back when a 180 MHz computer was considered acceptable. Other than the iPad and Google’s Chromebooks, others have also tried at bringing the appliance computer to reality; Telikin…


The Maxxeon WorkStar 220 LED Pocket Floodlight Inspection Light Review

photos by Kevin There is not much worse than being in an unfamiliar dark area with no idea where to find a light, or that feeling you get when you have dropped something vital into a dark crevice, but you aren’t sure if there is a “critter” down there that might bite or sting. Carrying a pocket flashlight (or penlight, as we’ve always called them) is an easy solution, and I’ve found one that you might like to consider. The Maxxeon WorkStar 220 LED Pocket Floodlight is a slim penlight that uses three AAAA batteries, the first set of which…


Intel’s “Upgrade Your Life” Event

Along with 12 other site owners, I was invited to attend the Intel “Upgrade Your Life” experience in Santa Clara, California on July 13th. I went into this event with no itinerary and no idea of what we were going to see, but I figured it had to be more than “just” processor chips. Sure enough, I was in for an eye-opening day … After a greeting by Intel’s Social Media guru Alison Wesley and an ice-breaking game of ‘guess the tweet’ game, we were on to the first speaker … Suzanne Fallender – Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and…


Review: MusicSkins Music, Style, Protection

Phones, mp3 players, laptops, cameras, hard drives, headphones. We all have so many gadgets that may have a splash of color or chrome, but basically are simply black, white or silver products that may not be exactly custom or a representation of the owner. For many, these plain, boring gadgets need something colorful and stylish to make them their own. It could be even better if these customizations could also provide some protection. MusicSkins allows users to decorate their products with musicians, cartoons, artwork or even their own photos while also protecting the devices. MusicSkins sent me a few of…


Red Bull “Creation” Event — the Official Gear Diary Report

If the apocalypse comes, I want to spend it with the teams who competed in the Red Bull Creation event. They were given 72 hours and a pile of junk, along with the mission to illustrate “Energy in Motion”. Any scraps were fair game, from metal to electronics to slabs of wood, and the creations were just astounding. What they created was absolute brilliance, from hamster wheels to see-saws, and did I mention they did it in 3 days? If you left me in a room with a pile of junk and Red Bull, you’d come back to find a…


Enjoy Being ‘King of the Road’ with the Magellan RoadMate Pro 9165T

What good is spending $200K on a land yacht if you end up RVing down a scary rut road that winds through the middle of Deliverance country? Sure, you could buy one of those huge atlases that they sell at every truck stop on the interstate, but this is the middle of 2011! Any self-respecting captain should have the finest navigation tools at his fingertips! And as much as we all love convergence, that doesn’t mean placing your smartphone on a mount in the middle of your 7′ wide x 5′ tall windshield — squinting at its 4″ screen —…


Useful Things: The Glow-in-the-Dark Playing Cards Review

July is a month for camping trips and summer camps, and I’ve found an item that you might want to consider packing the next time you send the young ones off — a set of Glow-in-the-Dark Playing Cards from Useful Things. Think about the uses that your kids will find for a set of playing cards that are both glow-in-the-dark, and waterproof. Imagine your child playing cards with his or her cabin mates well after lights-out, and you’ll begin to see the usefulness of such an item; you’re providing a means for them to bond with their fellow campers! Or…


Skooba Design Introduces the Cable Stable Mini; a Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place!

If you are still tucking all of your loose cables and supplies into the bottomless pit that makes up your favorite bag, then you seriously ought to take a look at the new Skooba Design Cable Stable Mini. Smaller sibling to the Cable Stable DX, the Cable Stable Mini is designed “to carry a basic assortment of power cords, adapters and other small accessories, and zips shut into a compact, (9 x 5.5 x 1.5 inch) “book” that slips easily into a laptop case, messenger bag, backpack or suitcase.” You won’t be able to help yourself from becoming more organized,…


Review: emWave 2 Portable Stress Relief Device

A while back I tried the emWave Desktop software for stress relief.  There were and are still many things that I did not like about the emWave Desktop, but my major discouraging issue with the product was that I had to be tethered to a computer during the session.  Jim from HeartMath send me the new emWave 2 Portable Stress Relief Device, which alleviates my biggest pet peeve.  Will it help me to be more diligent about using the device?  Maybe.  Did it enhance my prayer and meditation, and did it really work?  Let’s find out. The emWave 2 is…


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…


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…


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…


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…


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…