Gear Patrol

Now that you’ve got your Philips Cinema Display hanging on the wall, what about your Mac Mini turned home theater PC? Well, give it some ambient back-lighting love with a backlit mount. The mount, made of recyclable materials replaces the newer unibody Mac Mini’s stock base without any sacrifices in features or connectivity. Once replaced,…

As men, we’ll always be suckers for shiny things. There’s no point in fighting it. Particularly when they can help do things like battle our inbox(s), catch up on missed episodes of the shows we’re too busy to watch, or single-handedly sway the tide of battles using just our thumbs. This gift list is a…

Well the folks at Engadget leaked it some time back, but now it’s official. The MacBook Air has received a much-needed update and emerged as the new belle of the laptop ball.

Like Apple but looking for a more natural look? Check out Combine Collective’s Black Walnut Keyboard Trays ($64-$79). They also work well for those of you who start twitching when their separate wireless peripherals start to scatter (att: Eric Yang). Made in Vancouver, Canada from whole and solid-joined sustainable hardwoods harvested in North America, Combine…

Get one iPod Nano, shave a little here, tweak a little there, add a dash of multi-touch. Voila, the 6th generation iPod Nano ($149-$179). Square and only half the size and weight of the previous generation iPod Nano, Apple has packed a 1.5″ 240×240 pixel Multi-Touch display, 8GB/16GB memory, FM Radio, pedometer, Genius Playslits, Nike+iPod…

New iPhone, new iPod Touch. Right? Right. Not too unexpectedly, many of the new features on of the new iPod Touch ($229-$399) come from its well-connected sibling, but that doesn’t stop us from being any less impressed. Designed to be even thinner than its predecessor, the new iPod Touch packs the pixel-packed retina display, Apple’s…

Well what do we have here? Apple seems to be taking their AppleTV “hobby” a bit more seriously with the release of the all-new, um, AppleTV ($99). The new AppleTV comes in at a quarter the size of its predecessor and housed in a home theater-friendly black matte finish. The remarkable shrinkage (the good kind)…

There are few greater ironies on this earth than buying a super sleek gadget like the iPad only to let the fear of scratching or damaging it cause us to mummify them in cases, sleeves, et al. Since we’re doubtful the trend will change or relent anytime soon though, we’ve scoured our offices, the web,…

After releasing the 27-inch iMac in the fall of 2009, it was only a matter of time until a 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display ($999) made its way to Apple’s shelves. Now we’ve been given an official date of September for the IPS (In-plane switching) display, that features a massive 2560×1440 resolution, and a true…

Apple is bringing the, um, “magic” of the Apple laptop multi-touch trackpad to a Mac desktop near you. The Apple Magic Trackpad ($69) supports full gesture control. Swiping, flipping, inverting, inertial scrolling, momentum, caressing, cooing, and hugging have all made it to the Magic Trackpad including features like the smooth, wear-resistant glass surface that’s 80…

So, like it or not you’ve probably been victimized by the blitzkrieg of iPhone 4 reviews, images, fanboy raving, and hater ranting. Gear Patrol is a little guilty of feeding the hype beast too, but rather than do the typical hands-on review, my editor said “you use Android, why don’t you take this on and…

Just in case you missed Engadget’s note, we wanted to share that Apple has released an update for its white-headed step child computer otherwise known as the Mac Mini. Why they opted to pull this move amidst the mad iPhone 4 pre-order scramble is a bit of mystery, but that always seems to be Apple’s…

The all-new Apple iPhone 4: it’s nothing that hasn’t already been talked, tweeted, posted, or chatted about six ways from Sunday. But here we are, posting about it. Tsk tsk. Well, at least it’s an excuse to post a gallery (after the jump).

Longtime Gear Patrol readers may remember our post on a similar product called the Truepower USC Power Outlet that promised to integrate powered USB ports into the universal American outlet. Unfortunately it looks like that particular model which featured its USB ports on either side of the main AC sockets has since been scrapped. Macheads…

Updated in the fall of 2009, Apple’s entry-level MacBook packs a bevy of worth while features that make it a promising computer for those uninterested in PCs and with no need for the more powerful MacBook Pro line. Squeaking in just below the $1,000 price point, the white polycarbonate MacBook now features Apple’s new unibody…

Steve Jobs and all his buddies at Infinite Loop just unveiled the latest (and long overdue) iteration of the iPhone operating system today. While it is (unfortunately for some) still exclusive to AT&T for the time being, and it is still not open source, over 100 new features have been added that will undoubtedly breathe…

It’s important to realize that the iPad isn’t intended to be a list of awesome, mind-exploding specs. The iPad is a different kind of device, one that disappears into the users hands as they immerse themselves in content, games, and apps. After all, the best kind (but perhaps least appreciated) kind of technology is the…

The iPad has landed and it’s definitely blanketing the news, partially because the same news organizations are hoping this will be their savior. That, and of course iPad’s feat of claiming the most-overhyped gadget in recent history. Either way, the GP Crew is pretty much divided when it comes to the iPad’s relevancy as is…

Your music. To go. Using the SoundJam based music management software (tentatively called “iTunes”), the Apple iPod features a massive 5GB mechanical Toshiba hard drive capable of holding a 1,000 songs in MP3 format. Featuring a high-output amplifier, 2″ monochrome LCD, unique mechanical scroll wheel controller for one-handed operation, sleek “iBook white” & stainless steel…

Apple products are notorious for their gorgeous factory finishes being as magnetically attractive to scratching and scuffing as seedy women are to Tiger Woods. While there are a plethora of products on the market for protecting your iNvestment, those offered by Speck Products shine through. Speck has been making cases for various Apple products for…

Apple has just rolled out the latest iteration to its semi-pro/pro photo management and editing software. Aperture 3 ($199, $99 upgrade) brings it with 200 new features including Faces (facial recognition), Places (geotagging), and Brushes: an enhancement tool that lets photographers and editors paint, use filters, and make adjustments directly onto their images. Aperture 3…

The Apple iPad is here, and it’s both as much/little as people had hoped, expected, worried, drooled over, and even prayed for. The Apple Newton 2010 iPad ($499-$829) will arrive well equipped: 9.7″ (1024×768) IPS enabled Multi-Touch LED backlit display, 1GHz A4 processor, built-in speakers, Bluetooth, microphone, ambient light sensor, 720p video playback, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic…

Five years ago, if you wanted a laptop that even remotely matched the power of a desktop, you’d have to kiss your dreams of portability goodbye. So-called “desktop replacement” machines were enormous, weighed more than Kathy Bates, and in most cases seemed better suited for landing F-16s in the Pacific than computing on the go….

At $999, the new Apple Macbook is officially the best deal going in Apple’s laptop lineup, especially for those looking to make the jump. The new polycarbonate MacBook is equipped with a 1280×800 13.3″ LED backlit display, 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, clever non-skid bottom surface, NVIDIA 9400M graphics (shared), built-in iSight camera, multi-touch…

Today, the iMac gets a face (chin) lift. 21.5 and 27 inch 16:9 LED displays with 1000:1 contrast ratios, ridiculous power, and welcome new features round out the new iMac and it’s all about bringing power to the people.

Despite a relatively good track record by the Apple rumor mill for predicting the company’s latest breakthrough before its official announcement, today’s details regarding the new iPod Nano came as a refreshing surprise. Contrary to ideas circling the iPod touch (which did receive updates, though less than imagined) Apple instead gave the iPod Nano the…

Apple drops their evolution to OS X today with Snow Leopard. As if you didn’t already know. We picked up our copy this morning and are happy to report that, well, it’s a screamer. Version 10.6 of Apple’s new OS is all about the speed, Bolt and Phelps style. Some of it you won’t recognize…

By Gear Patrol Reader Kirk Ward So you went and bought the 13-inch MacBook based on the glowing article posted a few months ago. Kudos to you; that’s a great start. The only problem is, well, (screen) size is everything and this guy is only 13-inches. That’s where the Mini Display Port to HDMI Adapter…

Somewhere in between tiny and miniscule resides something known as the iPod Shuffle. The 2nd generation iPod Shuffle has been around for a couple years now, and today Apple’s unveiled the new 4GB iPod Shuffle with VoiceOver. What’s VoiceOver you ask? Well, it’s pretty simple. The iPod shuffle has no screen on it, so there’s…

Empower your iPhone with these 25 best and must have iPhone Apps, as curated by Gear Patrol.