GeekSugar

Long And Lean Haier P7 Pen Phone

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:00:53 -0700

This phone reminds me of one of those cell phones that are so hot we can't get one or how about the ever-so-teeny Nokia Icon Wrist Band Phone.

The Haier P7 Pen Phone may look like a concept phone, but in actual fact it's a fully-functioning cell jam packed with tons of great features. Shaped like a pen, the Haier P7 includes a digital camera, a 90-minute voice recorder and a LCD display that supports Multimedia Messaging Service (which basically means you can share pics quickly and easily). Standby time is about 150 hours and talk time is up to 4 hours. Unless I can justify the fact that having a $250 Zoolander phone is practical, you won't see me using one of these anytime soon.

Take Note on an iPhone-Inspired Notepad

GeekSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:31:14 -0700

While I love my gadgets, sometimes typing thoughts onto the "notes" application on my iPhone won't work. But now I can go old-school pen and paper without abandoning my techy tendencies. Check out these great notebooks, inspired by the iPhone.

The Notepod ($18 for a set of three) comes from Australia and contains 100 sheets printed to look like a blank iPhone on one side and grid lines on the other - "perfect for notes or jotting down the phone number of a hot geek," according to the Notepods website. I agree!

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Geeks We Love: Joshua Topolsky of Engadget

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:01:30 -0800

You'd think that Engadget's editor in chief, NYC-based Joshua Topolsky, would be too busy doing things like manhandling the new Kindle to have time to talk to geeksugar for this year's installment of Geeks We Love. But this is a man who says if he could, he'd be called "super king" rather than simply "editor-in-chief." Do not underestimate him.

Since taking over Engadget's top spot last year, the mass of responsibility that's been heaped on Josh is matched only by his irreverent sense of humor (just listen to an Engadget podcast). And from music-industry beginnings (he was a music producer with a studio in Brooklyn) to excellent taste in eyewear, Josh is nebbishly cool - the definition of one of my favorite cliches: geek-chic.

GS: As a fan of your podcast, I know you're a funny guy - does not taking things so seriously make it easier to process all the information overload of tech news?

JT: I think our industry has a history of taking itself a little seriously. I'm not sure that having a sense of humor makes it easier to process the information overload, but it definitely helps to keep things in perspective. Ultimately, I know that if one day our technology becomes self-aware and turns against us, chases us down with a Green Goblin 18-wheeler, and forces us to sail to an island where there's no electricity - at least I'll have my sense of humor. And this iPhone I whittled from driftwood, and these apps I made from leaves.

To read more of my interview with Josh Topolsky, which includes his love for books and zombie-infused video games, read more.

GS: Favorite gadget right now that you cannot live without?

JT: It's safe to say that I would be useless without my laptop. I wish I could tell you that all I need is a notebook and a pen, but that would be a blatant, cool lie.

GS: Gadget rundown! Cell phone?

JT: I'm currently juggling three phones - the G1, iPhone 3G, and BlackBerry Bold. I'm really frustrated because each one does at least one thing that I really love, but none of them do exactly what I want. For instance, the G1 is great for Gmail (perfect, really), the iPhone has its killer app ecosystem and is really good for getting around/doing "fun" stuff, and the Bold is the ultimate serious-phone, for when I need to impress bankers and stockbrokers. Which is often.

Mac, PC, or Linux?

JT: I use all three. I write for Engadget!

Home tech setup?

JT: My TV is a really depressing Olevia 37-inch, I really need to upgrade. I've got Time Warner's DVR, which is made by Scientific Atlanta (if you must know). We've got a huge pile of consoles here, and my favorite game is anything with zombies, and preferably so terrifying that people actually die while playing it.

GS: What do you do when you're not Engadgeting (that's my clever way of asking about spare time)?

JT: We actually don't get a lot of spare time, but I'm really a big book nerd - we have a large collection here, though I don't read nearly enough (hardly at all lately). I also enjoy video games, as previously stated, and I try to watch complete television series in a single sitting. I collect old calculators, Dune toys, and I love comic books. Oh, and I'm usually trying to get new distros of Linux and/or BeOS working on my many, many computers.

GS: You're married; is your wife also a geek?

Well, my wife and I work together (she's an editor at Engadget), so there is a lot of crossover, but she's really much more of a book person than I am. In fact, her collection of books is far more impressive, and she read something like 500 new books last year. It's staggering. Essentially, she makes me feel bad that I haven't read anything in ages.

GS: Lastly, what's your absolute favorite thing you've done with Engadget (like that open letter to Palm)?

I really loved the letter to Palm, and doing the first iPhone unboxing for the site was pretty wild - but the thing I love best about the job is all the nuts and bolts stuff that a lot of people don't see. Hunting down stories, working with the brilliant team we have, actually scooping something - it's thrilling. It's kind of impossible to pick one thing, but a friend of mine told me the other day that I have the dream job my 13-year-old-self would have wanted, and that's pretty much true. It doesn't really get better than that.

Image Courtesy of Morini & Montanari

Website of The Day: DIY Planner

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:00:13 -0700

There's just something about actually writing down your to-dos that makes you get 'em done. I admit - as much as I tout the joys of using my iPhone to list what I have to do during my day, I always find that I remember more when I'm physically writing them down on a piece of paper. So if you are also a fan of low-tech methods to help you get things done, then check out DIY Planner.

DIY Planner is your one-stop shop for free downloadable and printable to-do lists, exercise logs, budget planners, and the like; plus, you can find tips to making your own planners and productivity templates. You can still get your digital fix (by going online and downloading your planner) while still getting that fulfillment of checking things off your list the trusty old analog way - with a pen and paper.

Carry Your Laptop and Still Be Eco-Friendly

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:35:28 -0800

The best part about the Levity LCD Laptop Case isn't the fact that it fits your workday essentials like your laptop, pens, files, and phone, or that it comes at a very affordable $58 dollars. I think the best part about this case is its sustainability.

Made from super-strong hemp canvas and seagrass, the LCD case is easy on the earth. Made by granola-crunchy Levity Outernational who promises that all its products are biodegradable or recyclable. So even when your style has moved on, you can still be totally on trend by being green.

Do You Keep Your Plans Electronically or By Hand?

GeekSugar — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:10:11 -0800

Pretty much everything I need to know, I have in my iPhone or BlackBerry.

Appointments, plans with friends, meetings, events - they're all in there somewhere. But I can't deny the secure feeling of a leather day planner in my hands, and knowing that the paper pages inside have my plans on them in ink.

Even though I'm a geek and I love and trust my electronics to get me through everything, I still find myself reaching for the tactile confidence of a pen and piece of paper (even Gina Trapani said so) for notes and the occasional reminder. . . which then, ends up in my phone. And yet, I kind of want something beautiful to write my plans in, like this Kate Spade Day Planner.

Anyway, tell me: How do you keep your plans?

Go Geeky Glam With Luxurious Gadget Accessories

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:32:32 -0700

In need of something extraordinary to spice up your favorite gadgets? You know that I'm otherwise an el cheapo when it comes to anything with a hefty price tag, but I couldn't resist these accessories and just had to share! The Leather Computer Portfolio Case offers a sleek, protective tote for your laptop, and can also hold papers, a notepad and pens. You can pick one up in light brown for $475. Next up is the leather iPhone Case that zips up your iPhone in style for $165. And last but definitely not least, the iPod Case that may look like it's plastic at first glance, but it actually boasts an aluminum frame and has a leather exterior. This case can fit 30GB, 80GB and 160GB iPod models and costs $125.

Lomo Notebook: For All Your Deep Photography Thoughts

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:01:17 -0700

The vintage-loving souls who are into Lomo cameras (myself included) will dig this Lomo Notebook ($20), which asks you to get back to pen and paper for note-taking, not some fancy cell phone app.

Not only does the Lomo Notebook give you space to make notes about shots and locations, but it comes packed with Lomo info for you: lomography products, stores, "Lomo doctors" and a calendar.

Plus, you get to say "lomo" a lot, which is just fun.

Does Email Hurt or Help Friendships?

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:27 -0700

In Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (yes, I saw it and am not afraid to admit it), America Ferrera's character Carmen, long the thread (pun intended) that held the four friends together, becomes exasperated over her foursome's inability to communicate over distances. When they cite email as being the way they connect, and don't connect - Blake Lively's character Serena - er, Bridget - says, "It's not my fault I have a lame server!" (Oh you went there, Bridget, really?!).

Carmen retorts, "Email, you guys? Really? That's lame," and as the characters hung their heads guiltily, I did too. To see why I think email hurts friendships, just read more.

I generally operate under the notion that email has helped me stay in touch with my friends, which sure, it may have - but if I didn't have email, would I not be communicating with this friend at all, as I reassure myself, or would I be picking up the phone and hearing their voice?

While email gives you another opportunity to get in touch, you tend to begin to only email that person, and even then, despite its ease that tends to drop off too. Of course, many friendships naturally face expiration, but email is pretty much the least committal form of communication.

In an email, we have time to compose and project the most sanitized version of events in our lives - having voice-on-voice communication adds a more personal element - how many times have you said, "I missed hearing your voice" or, "It's so good to hear your voice?" I doubt anyone has ever said they missed seeing your typed words.

On the phone (or in person, even better), you might say everything's fine, but your tone might convey something else, which a friend may pick up on. In an email that's that. There's no organic back and forth. And I know that those gloriously exalted letters of old, of pen and paper, also consist of written word, lacking tone - but let's not kid ourselves, guys; emails will never be letters.

Don't get me wrong! I love email; I love having it as an option and I communicate via email all day every day, but for those you love and who love you - it should be a supplement for talking to your loved ones, not your main form. Which I think was Carmen's point. Whether or not pants were involved.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Mr. Big Speaks Geek!

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:30:25 -0700

I think me and a few thousand other women who saw the Sex and The City movie would like to have a few words with Mr. Big. But I'm going to leave that up to the writers and instead focus on his alter ego: Chris Noth. Having embodied TV's most famous commitment-phobe for years, Noth had some 'splaining to do on behalf of Mr. Big when it came to some of the silly and plot-altering tech habits he had at the press junket for the movie.

Are you tech savvy?

To a point. And then I stop. I mean, I have a cell phone, I have a computer, and it's great for sending some emails. But we do lose something by not being able to compose a letter. When I was at an age falling in love, we wrote letters and when you write a letter, you’re taking more time and it's just certainly a little bit more of a poetic medium. I can’t even see a poem or an email that would even go there.

For more of Mr. Big's sentiments (spoiler alert!), just read more.

Does technology hurt the chance of finding true love?

More difficult. I don’t think you walk away from a wedding and have an easy way of explaining it the day of. That said, I think it is harder for people to find, possibly harder, for people to find in this day and age. Do you ever think that an email can equal a letter?

I see what Big, I mean Noth! is saying here, and I like that he didn't necessarily defend his character's actions. As much as I love me some email, I wish he had actually written a pen-and-ink letter to Carrie. What do you think? Do you think technology makes it harder to find love?

Photo courtesy of New Line