Posts in the “gadgets” category

iPad price drops; iPad 2 coming soon?

I just read on techradar that both T-Mobile and Orange have reduced their iPad prices, most likely to reduce inventory for a new iPad 2 model. This is of particular interest to me, because I've been reading a lot of books with the Kindle software lately, and I'd like to buy an iPad soon to make that reading experience more enjoyable.

iPhone bedside mode

iPhone bedside mode FAQ: Does the iPhone have a "bedside mode" like the BlackBerry bedside mode? If so, how does it work?

The iPhone currently doesn't have a bedside mode like the BlackBerry, but there are some things you can do to get a similar behavior. Here's how I create something like an iPhone bedside mode.

My "iPhone bedside mode" setup

I use my iPhone as an alarm clock, and so I achieve something like an "iPhone bedside mode" as follows:

How to delete all iPhone photos (using your Mac)

Delete all iPhone photos FAQ: How can I easily delete all of my iPhone photos at one time (using my Mac)?

First off, a word of caution: This iPhone photos tip demonstrates how to delete all iPhone photos, which is obviously a dangerous thing to do, especially if you like your photos.

Second, this tip requires a Mac. (Sorry, I don't know how to do this from Windows, as I don't have a Windows PC at this time.)

How to delete all iPhone photos using your Mac

To delete all iPhone photos using your Mac, just follow these steps:

Apple iPhone 4 recall?

Cnet reports that a newspaper named the Daily Mail accidentally quoted a fake Steve Jobs Twitter account as saying that there would be an iPhone 4 recall.

While they didn't quote the real Steve Jobs, with the many early reports of reception problems, and the need to hold the iPhone a certain way, this brings up an interesting point: What will it take to have an iPhone 4 recall?

Seven great gifts for Father's Day, 2010

I've come to really enjoy holidays with this website, as it gives me an excuse to take time out and look around the internet for great gift ideas, in this case, great, the best geek gifts for Fathers Day, 2010.

Gifts for Father's Day 2010 - background information

Before I get into my list of the best Father's Day gift ideas I can find, a little bit of disclosure. First, while I've seen these gift ideas on several different websites, I generally link to them at ThinkGeek.com, because we are an affiliate of theirs. 

A short HTC Evo review

A friend of mine that is currently in Alaska just got an HTC Evo (HTC Evo 4G) and while it's a decent smartphone, it seems to have a few flaws.

My HTC Evo review

Based on her comments, and my experience working with it yesterday, here are the things I didn't like about the HTC Evo:

Apple iPad design - incomplete, intentionally

Thesis: Apple is willing to ship an incomplete product when entering a new market, such as with the new Apple iPad design. Because they are entering a nascent market, this has the effect of generating more revenue from the product line. This has been demonstrated repeatedly by Apple (when led by Steve Jobs), first with the original Macintosh, and then the iPod, iPhone, and now the iPad. By shipping incomplete products initially, Apple gives "early adopters" and affluent buyers compelling reasons to upgrade when new product versions are produced.

Cool product - Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700

I don't write about products or services too often, but I really like the idea of the Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700, pictured here:

Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 - Laptop cooling fans and speaker system

I don't own a tv any more, but from time to time I'll watch some videos before going to bed (either shows on Hulu, or something from my DVD collection), and this "Speaker Lapdesk" looks perfect for that occasion.

Smartphone life in Alaska - no Verizon, no Sprint

If you live in Alaska, and you want to use a smartphone, you better be going with AT&T, because for all their commercials, Verizon and Sprint won't do you any good here. Here's the beatdown from Verizon Wireless when you tell them you live in Alaska:

There's no Verizon in Alaska

Roku Netflix 2009 "review" (via some friends)

Okay, I have to say up front that I don't currently have a Netflix subscription or a Roku digital video player (the Roku HD Player at Amazon

Geek gifts - the world's most expensive pen?

A few days ago a friend and I were talking about gifts for geeks, and she told me about a "smart pen" from a company named Livescribe. When I went to their website and looked at the Livescribe pen, I originally saw the price as $24.95, and I thought wow, that's a pretty good deal; you must have to buy their paper refills, and that's probably where they make all their money.

After that, I had a very good laugh.

Comments on the Motorola Droid keyboard?

I'm not looking to start a flame war here, but after getting my hands on a Motorola Droid this weekend, I am curious: Is the keyboard too small and too hard to press? I'm looking at buying one for a friend, so any tips are appreciated.

Magnetic toy gift ideas

Geek gift ideas 2010: As a geek, I've always been fascinated by magnets, so any kind of "magnetic toy" has always been a great "geek gift idea" for me. Given my fascination with magnetic toys, I just took a LOT of time :) looking at magnet toys at ThinkGeek and Edmund's Scientific, and came up with this list of magnetic toy ideas.

iPhone users "blows past" Windows Mobile

I don't know about you, but I was surprised to read this morning that the iPhone user base has surpassed the Windows Mobile user base.

I never knew the numbers, so I always assumed the iPhone was this "premium" phone that a relatively small percentage of people owned, and that Windows Mobile was on a lot of phones.

Surprise!

My tablet experience (circa 2004)

Haha, this is funny: I forgot that I wrote a review of a Tablet PC that I used back in 2004. I just found that article, and ran across this line:

"Having this Tablet PC ... is like having a sexy girlfriend who also has a lot of irritating habits and no substance. There's a lot of excitement at first, but when the excitement wears off, you've got a decision to make."

Shure SE110 noise cancelling earbuds

It's been a year since I bought my Shure SE110 noise cancelling earbuds, and I just realized that I never wrote about them here. Since I have just a few opinions about them, I'd like to share those here today.

CES - New Palm smartphones (Palm Pre and Pixi)

I think they're fighting a big uphill battle against a few heavyweights, but Palm has some nice-looking new entries in the cellphone/smartphone market.

While the iPhone, Droid, and Google Nexus One have all the smartphone attention of the media these days, PC World reports "Palm announced upgraded versions of its Pre and Pixi smartphones, and announced that it devices would be coming to more carriers."