Jessica Fritsche

Ever wanted to design your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? Well, you no longer need to pore over the aisles at the craft store–just jump online at gemkitty.com and design your own earrings! Next week GemKitty is introducing their custom earring platform that allows users to customize a pair of earrings with five different styles, two quality metals, and over seventy real semi-precious gemstones. I was able to preview the site and it’s super easy to use–just a few clicks allows you to set your style, select from sterling silver or 14K gold filled findings, and choose the different [...]

Now that the Nook has been around for a little while, some really great cases have started coming out to protect it in style.  When I saw the new lines of cases coming out from JAVOedge, I was immediately intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on them!  Judie’s recent review of the new Croc cases for Kindle 2 only made me more eager to review the Nook cases. JAVOedge was kind enough to send me two cases from their Cherry Blossom Collection to review and keep for my Nook–the Flip Style Case in Twilight Purple, and the Book Style [...]

Photo courtesy of The Purse Hook website Over the past few years, I have fallen in love with higher-end leather goods, specifically pretty (and functional!) purses and bags.  I’ve always been a bit of a purse girl, but I eventually realized that buying one or two nice leather bags a year makes much more sense for me than buying a lot of bags that fall apart on me within 3 to 6 months of carrying them every day.  I started collecting Coach bags one Christmas when I got a particularly nice bonus from work, and it all slid downhill from there.  [...]

Not to be outdone by other accessory manufacturers, Proporta has announced three cases perfect for protecting your shiny new iPad when it launches from Apple this March.  The Proporta cases are always stylish and fun, so I’m excited they’re bringing iPad accessories to the table early. The Perfora Case ($27.95) is a slip case with a flap closure made of handcrafted faux leather and luxury lining to protect your iPad from wear and tear.  It features slots for storing memory cards inside, which might make it a great case for those photographers out there who plan on using the iPad camera [...]

Google Voice and Skype fans rejoice–the newest iPhone SDK has revealed that Apple has lifted the ban on using VoIP over the 3G network! Hopefully this means that apps like GV Mobile can stop being jailbreak-only and return to the App Store where they belong, and that current wifi-only VoIP apps like Skype will be quick about updating.  The first updated application is iCall, with others soon to follow I’m sure.  (Again, I entreat GV Mobile to head back to the App Store!)  But the real question is–what does this mean for the new iPad? Ostensibly, the iPad runs apps just the [...]

During the Gear Diary liveblog of the big Apple iPad announcement today, Joel and I both mentioned that while we love the idea of the iPad, it’s not exactly the eInk killer people are touting it to be–at least for us personally.  There is a very real possibility that people who might have once chosen the Kindle or Nook will choose the iPad for only a couple of hundred dollars more.  However, we’ve got our reasons for sticking with our (now likely outdated and outclassed!) eInk devices for reading books. We also discussed how we aren’t likely to be giving [...]

Being the gadget freak that I am, I like to have gadgets in the kitchen almost as much as I do in the office or on the go.  I am a big fan of drinking tea (both hot and cold), but often I only want one mug of tea at a time, not a whole pot.  I was looking around at tea flavors I wanted to try when I happened upon the Perfect Teamaker from Teavana.  It seemed like the perfect solution, so I promptly added it to my Christmas list. A bit about the 16 oz. Perfect Teamaker from the [...]

I am always excited to see new accessories come out for gadgets that I own and love, so I was very excited to see that JAVOedge has two beautiful new case collections for the Barnes & Noble Nook ebook reader. First up is the gorgeous Cherry Blossom case collection, with both a classic book style case and a flip case with a clever kickstand that allows you to prop your nook up while reading.  The Cherry Blossom collection features a beautiful Japanese floral print fabric and comes in Red, Twilight Purple, Cocoa, and Ocean Blue.  The Cherry Blossom cases retail for [...]

Judie: I was recently offered the chance to review Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, and figuring that I probably wasn’t the only female on the Gear Diary staff who was going through weather-related skin issues, I requested extra samples so that Carly, Jessica and Amy could also give it a try. Since we all have different skin types, and we all have different issues, I thought that it would be good to gather notes from all of us based on our experience with the product. For those of you with absolutely no concern for softer skin without smelling like a perfume [...]

Once again, Barnes & Noble was ill-prepared when it comes to the nook.  Now, don’t get me wrong–I really, really love mine.  Since I got mine on the 8th of December, I’ve read somewhere in the vicinity of twelve books and can’t wait to read more.  But today, when I tried to buy the Sookie Stackhouse 8 book set (a really great deal!) and Under the Dome by Stephen King, my nook let me down for the first time. Both books showed up under My B&N Library almost as soon as I bought them, but when you select either one, it [...]

baby, it’s cold outside … This year, Gear Diary has hit several milestones; I wanted to do something super-special to mark the event and thank the writers, other than just sending items from their Amazon Wish Lists which is what I have done in the past. After wracking my brain, I wrote to Scott Jordan, a long time friend and owner of SCOTTEVEST; I asked him what kind of price break he could give me if I ordered jackets in bulk, and his answer was surprisingly do-able. Why go with SeV? The answer for me was simple: they are extremely well made, [...]

Today Barnes & Noble pushed out the first software update (version 1.1.0) to nook owners, an update that promised to speed up the touchscreen, menus, and page refresh rate, add some promised features (like store connectivity), and improve some existing features, plus generally stabilize the operating system. Here are the details from B&N’s nook support page: Improved page turn and formatting of downloaded eBooks Improved startup time for My Library, The Daily, and Settings Immediate launch of the reader upon choosing Select from The Daily and My Library, for books and subscription issues that have already been downloaded; otherwise the book detail [...]

Editor’s Note: This is a joint review between Adrian and Jessica. Adrian’s comments will be in black, and Jessica’s will be in blue italics Multi-tasking seems to be one of my strong points…work 40 plus hours a week, chase around a toddler, coach high school sports, have a small business, and have family priorities that put me in and out of Dr appointments and hospitals at least once a week…so honestly what else can I add? Oh … let’s throw in mowing the lawn, maintaining the house, and helping my wife with the everyday chores (ok so I duck as many [...]

All day I have been perking up at the sound of trucks on the street, each time hoping it would be the UPS truck delivering my much-anticipated Christmas present from my wonderful husband–the brand new Barnes & Noble nook eBook reader. My husband pre-ordered my nook on the very first day, so I knew I would get it before December 9.  I did a little dance of joy yesterday to learn that he had gotten the tracking number for the shipment and that the nook was winging its way to me overnight! I really thought my nook was never going to get [...]

photo credit: ntr23 The internet was buzzing today with news that an unknown iPhone model had shown up in a number of different blogs. Since Apple is pretty consistent with its numbering sequences, all indications are that this will be a big update for the iPhone when it is released. You see, the first iPhone was designated version 1.1. The iPhone 3G just changed the case and the radio. As such it was a small bump in device specs and in numeric designation — 1.2. The iPhone 3GS moved the device’s guts forward significantly, and Apple appropriately labeled it 2.1. So why [...]

A Gear Diary Thanksgiving from Gear Diary on Vimeo. Today is all about stopping the rush, stepping back, looking at life a bit more clearly and being thankful for the things that matter. Sure, those are things we should try to do all the time but… too often… the rush of life gets in the way. So today we stop. We stop work. We stop posting. We stop. And we give thanks. Thanks for all of you. Thanks for the chance to write for this awesome site. Thanks for Judie who makes the rest of us really love being part of Gear [...]

New Droid owners (and other Android junkies) rejoice!  eReader announced tonight via their weekly email newsletter that eReader for the Android platform is now available. eReader for Android will allow anyone running Android 1.0 or later (they recommend 1.5 or later for optimal use) access to their eReader or Fictionwise.com library.  Users will be able to read ALL eReader/Fictionwise PDB content or other non-DRM PDB content (such as books from Manybooks.net) on their Android devices, purchase new books from m.ereader.com from their browser or the browser in the eReader application, bookmark, highlight, make notes, and look up words (with a compatible [...]

Do you have an old, broken Dance Dance Revolution dance pad collecting dust in your video game collection?  If so, you might want to take a cue from Liz McLean Knight and make yours into a stylish yet uber geeky purse! Liz had a DDR dance pad with a stuck control, so she decided to refashion it into something useful.  She cut a pattern out of the dance pad, added some thin foam and a lining, and sewed it all together.  If you’re interested in seeing the construction process documented so that you can make your own DDR bag, Liz put [...]

Rumor has it that the upcoming 10.6.2 build of Mac OS X has removed support for the Intel Atom CPU, which is the processor under the hood of many netbooks on the market today, including my beloved Dell Mini 9. This isn’t an issue for most Mac users, but if you’re like me and you’ve Hackintoshed your way to super-portable bliss, you might be a little worried.  See, Apple…this is why I wish you had your own official netbook! Currently no one has been able to substantiate the rumor 100%, and it may be less that they’re specifically blocking Atom [...]

Do you have summer photos just hanging around on your hard drive, abandoned now that fall is here?  (Well, or almost here if you live in Texas!)  Don’t let them get forgotten–upload them to Picaboo! Picaboo is a service that allows you to create photo books and cards from your digital photos, starting at just $9.99 for a softcover book. They offer easy-to-use software that guides you through the creation process with tons of  layouts, backgrounds, fonts, and sample albums to help spark ideas.  Possibly the coolest feature of the software is the ability to auto-create a photo book in just minutes, [...]

Pocket Cocktails is a really fun app that I’ve loved having on my iPhone–it’s a really comprehensive library of drink recipes, complete with beautiful “action shots” of what the drinks are supposed to look like it.  I reviewed it earlier this year at Daily Tech Diva after using Pocket Cocktails to help find a signature drink for my 29th birthday party.   Not only did I find a great drink, but I really enjoyed browsing the drink library and coming up with new things to order when my friends and I go out for cocktails.  The app has a great “Mad [...]

So, yesterday in my daily perusal of the web, I saw that AT&T had started silently rolling out MMS functionality for the iPhone in small batches.  It didn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason–some people on iPhone OS 3.0 had it, some on 3.01, and some on 3.1, all in different locations. Some people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were reporting working MMS, so the question at the forefront of my mind was HOW DO I GET IT!?  I’m an impatient girl, and I didn’t want to wait another 11 days for MMS on my iPhone if I could get [...]

As many of you tech-loving ladies out there know, it can be very difficult at times to find a nice, feminine looking case for your gadgets.  I love clothes and accessories just as much as I love technology, and I hate putting a gadget in a boring case into a cute handbag.  I just don’t understand why tech accessories have to be boring! When I saw the CaseCrown Alligator Slim Case, the first thing I noticed was that it was stylish looking and came in PINK…not just soft baby pink, but bright hot pink!  I knew I had to try it [...]

I am a huge fan of IKEA, the Swedish-based furniture and homegoods company.   So, when I go to IKEA I usually have a list of items I want to purchase that I made using the website and the yearly catalog, as well as a running total in my head.  Plus, once  you’re actually in the store, you must keep track of the aisle and bin numbers for the items you want to purchase.  I’ve been half-tempted to set up an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything I want at IKEA (with blank spaces to fill in the aisle/bin while [...]

I received my weekly email from eReader today, and for a change I was actually SHOCKED when I opened it!  Usually I find that, even on sale, eReader books are too expensive.  New eBooks often cost more than a brand-new physical copy!  Bestsellers have also been prohibitively expensive.  Well, eReader is finally answering my wishes–no book will be more expensive than $12.95. One thing that really impressed me about the Amazon Kindle Store was the fact that books were, for the most part, very reasonably priced.  I honestly feel that eBooks shouldn’t cost more than $9.99 at the VERY most for [...]

This is Part One in a series about my journey with my new Dell Mini 9 into Hacktinosh territory…I’ll be talking about my installation process, my impressions of the Mini as a Mac netbook, performance, software, and more. I was pretty early to jump on the netbook bandwagon.  When I saw the original 7″ Asus Eee PC for the first time, I knew that I had to have it.  I had been lusting after computers like the Sony Picturebook for a long time–something that could fit in my purse and go with me everywhere!  As a writer, having a full computer [...]

The Cocoon Innovations netbook case is pretty much my ideal netbook travel case.  It’s durable, shock absorbent, airport friendly, comfortable, and it features a unique organizational system that I have never seen before in another bag.  There are a few key things I wish I could tweak a little bit, but otherwise I was very impressed by the Cocoon netbook case. The Coccon Innovations case is made from rigid EVA plastic, used for shock absorption and protection, and covered in heavy duty cordura nylon.  The sample I was sent is a soft dove gray color, which could work for either men [...]

Belkin has announced a pretty awesome sounding product coming this fall.  The TuneCast Auto Live FM transmitter for iPhone is a GPS-enabled FM transmitter that automatically finds the best FM station based on where you are.  It uses the GPS to determine your location and then, using the ClearScan Live iPhone application, tunes to the right frequency for the clearest FM transmission. My main gripe with FM transmitters is that they don’t usually go high or low enough to get a good signal in Dallas Fort Worth, which apparently has a pretty packed FM lineup.  I also hated that I had [...]

The sad rumor that I heard this weekend was confirmed today on the Direct2Dell blog…Dell is discontinuing the Mini 9.  They are pushing the Mini 10 and 10v as the replacements to the popular 8.9 inch laptop, Dell’s first in the hot new netbook genre. I am pretty bummed about this, though I am glad that I got my hands on a Mini 9 before they were phased out.  I am constantly getting compliments, questions, and requests for netbook buying advice based on people seeing my Mini or knowing that I own one.  The fact that I have been able to [...]

Netbook popularity continues to grow every day, but cute netbook cases are still pretty hard to come by.  I love my tech toys, but I also love to accessorize them.  I like cases that look fresh and feminine, something different than the traditional, boring flat black leather or neoprene.  There is no reason that cases can’t be both functional and attractive! There are a few companies out there that understand the desire for a pretty laptop case, and CoverBee is one of them.  CoverBee is a company from Holland that is dedicated to creating functional, fashionable cases for laptops of all [...]