Misc Gear

Protect Your Gear with iSafeBags Urban Crew Backpacks

Have you ever had something valuable stolen out of a laptop case or backpack? Most people have. Whether it was an ipod, cell phone, or wallet, this type of thing tends to happen to everyone – especially in urban environments and public areas. Fewer people, I’d imagine, would consider arming their backpack with a full-fledged alarm system. That’s exactly the motivation for tech retailer iSafeBags.com, which specializes in protecting your stuff through specialized bags and packs. The company’s newly launched Urban Crew Campus Laptop Backpack features two 125 decibel sirens and a high-intensity strobe light. An allegedly undetectable activation switch…

http://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com/primo-versus-big-green-egg.html

Outdoors, Reviews, Yum Log

Big Green Egg vs. Primo XL: Kamado Dragons Face Off in the Ceramic Grill Octagon

Anyone who is slightly befuddled by the title of this post probably isn’t a member of the cult of ceramic grills, which are also known by their Japanese name of kamado grills. I used to be one of those people who sneered at my friends who went on and on about how wonderful their Big Green Eggs were and how they could cook perfect ribs or chickens or pork shoulders all the time because of the incredibly well-insulated ceramic grills’ ability to hold a constant temperature for so long.

Gear Bits, News & Features

Father’s Day Gifts: A Dashboard For Your Wrist

Express your auto-enthusiasm with the Max Speed Speedometer Car Watch. If you’re one of the few people out there that stills wear a functioning watch, innovative retailer Gadgetsandgear.com has the piece for you. Why bother pulling out your smartphone when you can check the time at lightning fast speeds, right on your wrist? Obviously inspired by a modern dashboard, this fashion accessory could be the perfect gift for the Forza fan or Top Gear freak in your life. Hidden behind the speedometer design is a standard Quartz movement, protected by a water resistant case for all of your auto-scuba expeditions….

News & Features

Drink Like a Winner with a Gold Medal Bottle Opener

I am extremely excited for the upcoming Summer Olympics. Winter Olympics are ok, but summer is the best. Track and field, beach volleyball, swimming, beach volleyball, gymnastics, and did I mention beach volleyball? Now, I am not so excited as to celebrate with a themed party (full disclosure: we did that in college for the winter Olympics, and let’s just say it was sort of like “The Hangover” but with mystery IHOP receipts instead of casino ones). But if you do, you need to fully commit to it, and Gadgets and Gear has you covered with a medal-style bottle opener:…

Reviews

BubCaps by Paperclip Robot Keep Kids in the Right Place

If you have an iPad or an iPhone and you have small children, then you’ve learned how much your kids love to play games and watch videos on these devices. The problem is that the same device providing entertainment for your kids is usually the very device that you’re using to organize your life. Sure, it’s fine if your 7-year-old plays Plants versus Zombies on your iPhone or iPad, but what if he lands on your big presentation with just a click of the home button and a few taps onscreen? Or what if your little girl stumbles across your…

Gear Bits

BANG! Your Lights Are Out

Back in the days when I was on the look out for the “perfect tablet” (in other words, before I got my iPad), I used to love checking out Dynamism. While I’ve become more focused in my “gadget-selection”, Dynamism apparently is branching out. I just received an email and one of the new products they carry looks rather neat. BANG! from bitplay is the perfect lamp for the aspiring sharpshooter, wannabe assassin, noir aficionado, or lazy bum in all of us. Simply point and shoot and the lamp will turn off and ‘play dead’ – until the next shot, when…

Crowdfunding, Editorials

Is Kickstarter Limiting Hardware Projects Because of the Pebble’s Unprecedented Success?

We love Kickstarter; Dan and I (along with others on the Gear Diary team) have backed many projects, and we are always on the look out for new ones. That is, of course, why we started Kickstart This! We love the way that Kickstarter helps inventors and artists get funding so that their products and projects will be available to the public. As anyone who has backed a project on Kickstarter likely knows, “every project is independently crafted, put to all-or-nothing funding,and supported by friends, fans, and the public in return for rewards.” While Kickstarter gives these projects a place…

News & Features

Wilson Electronics Adds to Industry-Leading Line of 4G Mobile Cellular Signal Boosters

I often joke that the iPhone is good for everything except phone calls. Problem is, it isn’t funny. As much as I love my iPhone, when it comes to using it to make calls I DO have a love/hate relationship with it. When it works it is fine. But often… too often… the calls are dropped, the quality of the call is inconsistent or worse. And before you tell me to move to Verizon from AT&T, while it MIGHT be an AT&T issue, I happen to know that it cannot ONLY be an AT&T issue. After all, none of my…

Reviews

DecalGirl Nokia Lumia 900 Skin Kit Review

I go through stages where I don’t want a protective case on my gear, but when I got the Nokia Lumia 900, I knew right away that there was no way I’d put that phone in a case. Why not? Well, let’s start with the 900’s size. The cases that I saw at the AT&T store, even the simplest bumper style, looked as though they would make the phone even wider; while the full-size cases looked as if they would make the phone much too thick. The Lumia 900 has such a beautiful polycarbonate body that I didn’t want to…

Editorials

Mophie and Customer Service “Done Right”

I had a bad purchase experience recently that came to a conclusion this week. I purchased a Mophie Juice Pack Plus from a vendor on Amazon. I noticed that the build quality wasn’t quite as nicely done as other Mophie units I had, but I figured it was just a manufacturing variation or maybe it was just that this was a different model than the others I had. I didn’t think all that much about it. After a few weeks, the USB connector started to act up. I couldn’t get the cable to stay in and charge. Very annoying. Finally, it…

Gear Bits

Organize Your Seeds with a Seed Organizer Binder Kit

I collect seeds when I find interesting plants in the reproductive stage where seeds can be gathered. Usually I am pretty good at remembering what I collected (and why), but recently I stumped myself. I had gathered some seeds and put them in a bag, and at some point (months later, I’m sure) mislabeled them “Mexican Paradise Plant”. After the seeds began to grow, there was no doubt in my mind that the seedlings were something completely different. Obviously my organizational skills had failed. Kev and I spent hours trying to figure out what this odd five-leafed plant was, and through…

Reviews, Travel

Babbel and LiveMocha, the Next Generation of Online Language Learning

Long time readers of this site may remember that in the past, I have reviewed many different sites, apps and solutions to assist with learning a foreign language. Now I’m looking at some newer language learning sites, namely Babbel and LiveMocha, that offer some interesting and unique things. In addition to the sites, Babbel offers companion apps for both iOS devices and Android devices. LiveMocha offers over-the-counter learning kits that you can purchase at brick and mortar stores like Barnes and Noble. Babbel takes a slick and professional look, feel, and approach, but only offers a few languages. LiveMocha takes a…

News & Features

Keep Your Camera in the Bag and STILL Get Your Shots

This is a nutty idea but it just might be nutty enough to actually make sense. If you carry a DSLR you know you need to have a decent camera bag to protect it. But if the camera is in the bag you might miss that great action shot during the ten seconds it takes to pull the thing out. Cloak has found a way to let you protect your camera AND leave it in the bag while taking shots. Seriously, it is a bag that is designed to let you take the shots you want from within the bag….

Gear Bits

The Avengers Gear Summary

Marvel’s Avengers fans can find plenty of related gear including comics, figures, various apparel, phone cases, wall decals, LEGO sets, mech toys, music, masks, NERF bows, and games.

Crowdfunding

‘Kickstart This’, a New Way to Get to Know Kickstarter Projects

Depending upon how you look at it, the last week has either been a great Kickstarter week for Judie and me, or it was a very bad one. I saw one project, and I was interested enough to back it. I emailed the link to Judie, and she backed it, too. The next day I got an email from her that had as its subject “I backed”; I looked, I backed, and… more money spent on Kickstarter. The next day I saw that a project I had previously backed, one that had been successfully funded, was suddenly closing down with…

News & Features

Geode on Your iPhone Could Equal the End of Wallets As We Know Them

We’ve all heard of (and many of us use) eWallet software and alternative methods to pay electronically; these apps and methods have been around for years. In our move towards convergence and the ultimate goal of lifestyle simplification, it seems that in the last few years there has been a push to eliminate our wallets and get all of our financial tools onto our cellphones. As Travis has pointed out several times, people are more likely to forget their wallet than they are their phone, so perhaps there is something to that. But understandably, security concerns are what keeps many from…

News & Features

Striiv Fitness Motivating Pedometer Gets Smart, Gets Social

Back in January Judie and I found ourselves in an unplanned competition of sorts. Judie was using the FitBit fitness device and I was using the Striiv Smart Pedometer. The devices could not have been more different. The FitBit was black and the Striiv white. The FitBit clipped to your cloths and has a small LED readout to let you know what was what. The Striiv has a large, touchscreen face reminiscent of a tiny smartphone. The FitBit had a USB dock that, when the device was synced to your computer, tracked your progress and even offered the ability to…

Gear Bits, Travel

Quick Change Artist OneSole Shoes Allow You to Pack One Sole, Yet Bring Many Pairs of Shoes

If you are used to traveling with a pair of sneakers (or boots) and a backup pair of flip-flops, then I know you won’t be able to relate to what I’m about to confess … and that’s fine. But when I am packing for a trip that will last a week or more, and I know that I’ll be in both casual and dressy situations, it is typical for me to bring no less than six pairs of shoes. I would bring even more along if there weren’t weight limits on checked luggage. Part of the reason that I’ll pack so many,…

Editorials

When Did Bed Shopping Get So Complex?

Sarah and I just bought a new mattress. This would not normally be news, but it was quite the shocker to discover just how complex buying a mattress has become. The last time I had to shop for a bed, I called 1-800-Mattress and bought the cheapest one they could quickly deliver. It was quick and it was simple. No longer. Now there are mattresses in every possible firmness, material, and price — except cheap. Honestly, I wanted to avoid the whole thing as long as possible, but Friday night our old bed struck back. I rolled over, and then…

Outdoors, Reviews

Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Review: A Hunter’s Best Friend

Spring turkey season has been in full swing for several weeks. My buddies and I have been spending countless hours in our pop up blinds on the weekends, both morning and nights. Mother nature has blessed south Texas with some much-needed rain this spring, making the land green and wildflowers colorful.

eBooks, Editorials

Using Tech for My Bible Study

I never really thought about it much, but I do something that for some who practice my faith, might be alien. Much like my friend Dan, I use either apps or eBooks to do most of my Bible studies. Why It’s Better The app that I use the most when doing my Bible reading on my Android devices is Youversion.com; it’s also available for iOS. I took to using it because I like to read from different translations. Sometimes I will read the same verse in three different versions of the Bible, and I can do this within seconds using a…

« 1 … 94 95 96 97 98 … 112 »