The Gadgeteer turns 10 years old!

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On 12/08/07, it will be 10yrs since I started The Gadgeteer website. It actually turned 10yrs old this past summer, but I like to count the real birthday on the day that I registered the domain name. Before that, I was running the site on GeoCities. So tomorrow is the day! I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by. Back when I started this site, the PalmPilot Professional and Personal were cutting edge technology!

During these past 10yrs, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really great people and companies. We’ve had over 150 contributing writers and have posted over 1800 reviews and articles. Of those 1800 posts, almost 900 are mine. Wow! That’s a lot of typing :o) So far, I’ve enjoyed every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year and decade of running this site and plan to do it for as long as I keep enjoying it, and you all keep enjoying it as well.

To help celebrate this milestone, I’m going to give away a very nice prize bundle to one lucky poster. This prize bundle includes:

Waterfield Designs $200 gift certificate
Brando $100 gift certificate
Vaja $100 gift certificate
Handango $50 gift certificate
Skooba Design $50 gift certificate
SCOTTeVEST $50 gift certificate
Proporta a device case of your choice
Astraware $20 gift certificate

To be the winner, you just need to reply to this post with suggestions and comments about what YOU think would make this website better. Maybe it’s a feature that you’d like to see, maybe it’s a product that you wish we’d review, etc. Post your ideas and comments and on Wednesday the 12th, I’ll choose a random post as the winner. Good luck to you all!

71 thoughts on “The Gadgeteer turns 10 years old!”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. Congrats Julie! My suggestion….lessee….how about more posts? I know, it’s hard, but that’s the thing that would make it better. Otherwise, everything’s good.

  3. I’d like to see more “real world” reviews. We can see the specs on things, but I’d like to know how these gadgets hold up over time.

  4. I think I second the opinion that long term follow ups to reviews of popular items like MP3 players, laptops, and phones would be helpful. There are a lot of devices that do not age gracefully so it would be helpful to find out the easy way !!!!

  5. Wow. Has it really been ten years?

    As for what I’d like to see? More device reviews, definitely. I see so many accessory reviews (particularly for the iPod), but I miss the days of seeing new Palm and PocketPC devices reviewed when they came out.

  6. how about removing that Google Ad that appears on the top of a post (not on the main page) when it’s opened. It’s really annoying! I know you make money out of ads, but this ad + the gadgeteer banner eats up like 35% of my screen (i’m on a laptop) each time i open a post. Plus the first time I opened it, i had the feeling it was a viral site and that i was directed somewhere else, until i saw the gadgeteer banner, of course.

    I also agree on the real life reviews, like 2-3 months after your review a gadget, tell us again what you think of it. No matter how good of reviewers you are, there’s always some situation you’re not it, some problem you don’t face, some little feature you don’t explore, that would come in later while using a gadget and not in the first weeks, and the excitation of the first days is gone.

  7. Just wanted to thank you for the site! I’d have to agree about more posts. The review I’d like to see is still the Axiotron ModBook…can find any review on it anywhere. Here’s to another 10 years!!

  8. Julie, congratulations! In the 10 years you’ve created a must-read site for many of us. Here’s a virtual toast to many more years. Yay!

    How about showing some love to the revolutionary Nintendo Wii? It seems to be one of the coolest gadgets missing from your collection. It’s also got an interesting and growing collection of games and accessories.

    Another call is for more iPhone accessories. This an ever growing collection and online reviews are sorely lacking the thoroughness you’ve gotten us used to.

    One site change that would help is the ability to edit comments to your gear diary.

    Otherwise an excellent site. And another vote here for follow-ups on existing reviews. Cheers!

  9. Love the site Julie!

    I’m a newcomer. I just discovered the site when I was searching for some gadget travel bags this summer. Thanks to reviews from here I purchased some Waterfield Designs bags and I love them. Thanks for that.

    I love gadget gear of all kinds but especially stuff for travel so I would love to see more gadgets and gear for the traveler. Especially if it has been tried and tested. So an initial review followed by an update after real world travelling would be great. I would be willing to help if you need it.

    Happy 10th birthday and thanks again for the site!

    Ed

  10. Congrats Julie on 10 years with the site!

    I was hoping you’d review the Asus EEE PC laptop. I dont see what the big deal is about regarding this ultra portable, but your common sense reviews always straighten things out with whats useful and whats hype.

    Here’s to another 10 years.

    Charlie

  11. Congratulations Julie! It’s always great to see someone reach the top of their profession through hard work and perseverance. The only thing I’d ask of the site is to add more coverage of smartphones – I feel this is the future of technology – mobile connectivity. Having begun my Crackberry addiction, it has driven home the need and convenience of full time access.

  12. Julie,
    Congratulations on ten years! I agree with other posters on more follow up reviews on gadgets. I would also like to see a review of the Kindle, more gear bag reviews, and maybe a continuing spot on gadgets that you, other reviewers, and the readers use on a regular basis.
    Here’s to another ten years! Cheers!
    ps: did you ever find a chair?

  13. 10 years goes by soooo fast doesn’t it.

    I would suggest keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve stayed successful by differentiating yourself from other more specialized tech reviewers. If you want reviews for Windows Mobile and Smartphones there are plenty of specialized sites for that. GPS units? Yep, they have plenty of specialized sites for those too.

    You have remained successful by not covering more of this or that.

  14. Congratulations on 10 years, what a great site, keep up the good job you are doing. Maybe a Gadgeteer Rating (1 micro chip for low and up to 5 micro chips as outstanding) or something along that line. A quick glance look at an item.

  15. WOW! Great job, congratulations!

    Hmm…the site is pretty awesome all by itself…one thing that might be cool is a “gadget graveyard” review section, maybe where someone reviewed old gadgets that they loved and how they see it with several years of tech changes behind it.

  16. congrats! great site.
    i think the ability to compare products would be nice. for example: all of the high end Nokia N series phones.

    thanks for all the info over the years.

  17. My suggestions include – more posts – although balanced with quality. Most of the posts you have on this site are very good vs. other sites where it is just about a new ipod accessory.

    I like all the bag reviews for some reason.

    Also more interviews — such as the one with the Vaja guy. Those are always good.

  18. Congrats, Julie! 10 years on the web is like . . . a lifetime! I love the stie — check it several times a day just so I don’t miss anything. I appreciate the wide variety of items you review. Keep up the good work. Any improvements I would suggest is maybe a makeover of the webpage — nothing major, just a few nips and tucks to keep it from showing its age. ;>))

  19. How about reviews of MP3 players other than the iPod…Zune for instance? Accessories as well. Otherwise, it’s an awesome site, and is on my “visit daily” list.

  20. I have been a fan for about a year and love the column. Thanks for all you and everyone have done. The only thing that would improve the column and website for me would be for it to be updated more frequently. I realize it’s a lot of work for y’all but if it could be done… that would be great!

  21. How about gift ideas for techies (giving and receiving). It is Christmas after all.

    Love the content and also support long term use reviews of products.

    Bill

  22. Wow! Ten years! Congratulations! That’s a long time! Hope I can go for ten years.

    I think that there could be an improvement on the layout or categorization of the specific reviews. For instance, if we’re going into the Palm related link, rather than list everything on that page (and having to scroll down the entire page), maybe have it with either a drop down menu or those mouse over menus so that you can select the relevant category first before the page gets loaded. Hope you understand what I mean.

  23. Wow, I wish I could say I’d been a faithful reader for all 10 years, but truthfully I’ve only been lurking for about 2 years now. Congrats on the decade marker, that’s amazing!

    Hmmm, suggestions eh? When looking through the archive of reviews & articles it would be really helpful to see the original post date in the mini-description, before going to the full write-up. Not huge, but it would be cool.

    Maybe a user-ratings system on items too, just to get some additional input from the site regulars. I’ll try to stop lurking & post more, promise!

  24. Congrats! I remember the days of geocities sites =)

    Anyways, lets see suggestions hmm… of course we always like more of a good thing, so it would be great to see more frequent posts or reviews. 😉

    Oh and on the fun side it would be great to see a review on the new pleo dinosaur.

    And of course contests are always fun to have 🙂 and make a great site even greater to visit 🙂

    Thats all i got, but i really like the site as it is! You all are doing a great job!

    Merry Christmas
    Fishgal

  25. I appreciate all your comments so far! Looks like the most popular requests are for more posts and follow up reviews of products.

    I have to chuckle when people ask for more frequent posts. I mean we do post 4 times a week now. I can’t blame you all for wanting more quality reviews though. I’ll try to figure out a way to maybe add 1 additional review per week. Maybe posting an extra review on the weekend or something. But realize that The Gadgeteer isn’t my main job. I also work a full time day job… So sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. :o)

    Regarding follow up reviews, this has been a request that has popped up often. The best products for these type of reviews would be main device type reviews. That can be a problem though as often phones that I get for reviews are eval units that get sent back after the review is complete. I will definitely keep this idea on the list though for those products that I do continue to use on a regular basis.

    Keep your ideas coming everyone! I’m keeping a list and will seriously consider implementing them!

    Julie

  26. congrats on 10 years! i’ve been reading this site since 2001 and it’s been great!

    how about more garage sales of gadgets and accessories you don’t use anymore? i’m still waiting for you to sell that vaja messenger bag! 😉

  27. Congrats on 10 years. I know I have been visiting for years, and enjoyed every minute of it.

    I like the ‘follow-up reviews’ idea, and it might be worthwhile to just occasionally post a list of stuff that a follow-up article might be useful for- maybe a place for readers to request such follow-ups?

    Personally, I’d like to see a revision to the archives. it can be tough to find old reviews there- although that would be a big job.

    Snicker- I like the gift guide idea too. Hehe!

    You have pretty regular reviews of Palm and Pocket PC stuff, bags, phones, MP3, and flashlights- maybe creating semi-regular categories for ‘pocket tools’, ‘make it yourself’ (nice stuff- not duct tape cases and such), ‘$10 Tech’ (cool stuff for under $10), etc.

    Most of us are also bag/kit freaks. How about sharing ideas for:

    • small, effective survival kit (urban or wilderness)
    • small, effective toiletry kit (get ready for that big meeting after a hygiene mishap)
    • small, effective repair/sewing kit
    • make your gearbag a mini-boombox/party unit
    • basic tools every gearbagger needs
    • etc.

    As I envision it- this would be a matter of you posting the challenge/request, getting the ideas, then consolidating them to a coherent article of ideas (I would love to help on something like this!)

    Hey, no matter what you come up with, though, I am looking forward to another fun decade!

  28. Antonio Carlos Matos

    Congratulations! 10 years is a very impressive mark on these days of quickly vanishing sites!
    My suggestion? Hard to say, but I also woldn’t mind more reviews about the gadgets we dream about: Kindle and Asus EEE PC come to my mind right now.
    Keep up with the good work! We’ll be here in 10 years time!

  29. Hello Julie,

    Usually read the Gadgeteer through my RSS reader, but noticed that the front page banner takes a lot of real state, making it harder to notice the most recent content…

    I also would like to see more posts, and like the idea of follow-up reviews. Maybe you could ask for feedback from real life users about your initial impressions… and an occasional give away like this would bring a lot of feedback 😉

    Great site, congratullations!!

  30. Ten years, wow! I’ve been using PDAs since time immemorial (ok, since the Psion 3 series) and have been a regular visitor since the start.
    Suggestions- seems hard to improve on such a winning formula but there have ‘seasonal’ item that I felt were very popular and I found very interesting namely the photos of whats in your bag and whats your workspace like?
    Rightly or wrongly I feel such items greatly add to an already fantastic site.
    Thanks again for ten years of sterling service!

  31. I am a site newbie. How about a “home” link on the left on every page? Where appropriate, a link to a price comparison site such as pricegrabber or epinions? Congratulations on your anniversary.

  32. Mark Rosengarten

    This site has been invaluable…devices included a list of web sites you could go to for software, SUPER sites, accessories…I relied on it for my HP200LX back in the day. Same thing with the IBM PC-110 and the Libretto 50 and 70.

    I like that some of the reviews are now video reviews. I think that more of these should be done. Perhaps more musical instrument reviews, too! I just ordered a Moog theremin, I will try to get a review put together for this interesting device once I get it.

    It might also be interesting to add a section for devices that people have put together, unique, one-of-a-kind gadgets that might give these inventors a little recognition. It is these folks the really drive the innovations that we crave so much.

    HM’s suggestion of links to gadget buying sites is a good one. Pricegrabber, Techbargains…

  33. I would like to see a section for user reviews. Where someone can submit a review and then the admin can approve or disapprove it. Also ability to scroll the gear diary section on the mainpage. If not that maybe a separate blog since I found so many cool gear here that I would not hear about anywhere else.

  34. Congrats on 10 years and many more 🙂

    I would love more followups. An initial review of a product is useful. Still, I also want to know how does it perform in the long run – did the OS start to frustrate over time or the batteries start dying fast or did the power button break?

  35. Congratulations on 10 years!

    I’d love to see more user feedback a couple of months after a product is launched. Specs are nice but how each of us uses our gadgets varies and what is important to some is irrelevant to others.

    That Google ad is, shall I say, more than obvious.

    List of reviews in the sidebar and links to sites for purchases (gotta have instant gratification sometimes) would be grand.

    Keep up the good work.

  36. Julie – Congratulations –

    I have been a reader for nearly all of those ten years and have seen your site grow and improve continuously.
    Since you have a real day job, I am impressed with all that you have done for all of us on the side.

    Thanks for being the “go to” site for my gadget habit.

    John

  37. Hi Julie,
    I’m not a wet blanket, really. Really. But what I find most helpful in your reviews is when they lead me to an item of gear or goods that a) enhance the quality of something I already do; b) improve the experience of something I already do; c) open my thinking to doing something differently, better, and with more panache; d) give me pause to reconsider the act of consumption. It’s not about looking for more things. It’s about finding things that work, work well, reveal a sense of design, and speak to other tangible parts of life in a consumer society….like goods made to last, made by real people, made to be used by real people. I learned about Waterfield Designs through you. I use their gear. My University now uses their gear. We love it works and puts people to work making real goods that makes our work: a) better, b) more fun, c) easier.
    Value ripples out from the original idea and should be measured to include what happens when the work is done. To borrow Charlie King’s lyric, “Our life is more than our work, our work is more than our job.” I’d like to see the site feature and consider tools and gadgets that do more than pretend otherwise on their all too brief sojourn from manufacture to landfill. Thanks.

  38. Hi, Julie:

    My suggestion for The Gadgeteer is the inclusion of a Most Wanted list where readers would describe the gadget they’d like to have, even if that gadget is not yet available.

    You seem to have the ear of at least a few manufacturers. Wouldn’t it be cool if one or more of them actually listened to us and made some of the gadgets we described?

  39. I am not a 10-year veteran of this site, only sporadically over the past few years when a search would point me to a review from this site.

    My suggestion is this: reorganize the archive to include a picture matrix (similar to notcot.org, but with smaller thumbnails) to make viewing older reviews much faster. Or rather, selecting which reviews to read.

    Organizing the archive like this would allow me to more quickly browse which gadgets I’d be interested in without having to read the name of every item. Sometimes, I already own a solution, or have no need for it altogether. A picture would allow me to glance and decide “that looks interesting,” or “I need something like that.”

    Especially as your site gets older and grows in the material reviewed, I think this would be an asset to new readers especially, and a quick way for your veterans to find articles on objects whose name they might not recall (but can remember what it looks like).

  40. I echo the call for a few more reviews, even if they (gasp) are more of the “quick hit” variety.
    I would also suggest that you look for another full-time reviewer- I’ve been a reader since before Judie came on, and I’m a reader since- but those ‘group reviews’ really were top notch, and having two perspectives on certain products really worked.
    Keep up the good work!

  41. Not sure if you are a gamer/casual-gamer (other than on your pda)…but it would be nice to see the occassional game review for DS/PSP/PS3…etc.

    Here’s to another 10 years!!!

  42. Way to go, Julie! Obviously, you don’t make it to ten years with a lot of improvements needed. I too would like to see more real-life reviews aimed a little more at the “average joe”. It is great to find out how things hold up over time and how useful they are without having to shell out my hard-earned money based on speculation and product marketing. Overall, though, keep up the great work!

  43. This is always my daily “must go see julie’s site”. Enjoyed the period with judie as well. I remember the first time I fell on this site in 2001, I was overjoyed with its content. Never bored.
    To improve upon it??? Eventhough it is concerned with new gadgets, I’d like to see some old stuff that people use that are optimised them beyond their original purpose. As well dividing the site by kinds of gadgets (I.E. phones, pda’s, computers, other).
    Marco Bianchi. Montreal, Canada

  44. Congratulations on 10 years! Keep up the good work.

    The only improvement I can think of is to have more pictures and review abstracts at the top.

    JK

  45. Christopher Spera

    I’d like to see more on Mac and mobility. I know you have a Mac, and would love to hear your comments about Leopard as well.

    Congratulations on the anniversary! Its quite an accomplishement!!

    Chris Spera

  46. I wasn’t an original reader, but I’ve been reading the site since at least 1999.

    I’d just like to see more of everything. The variety in reviews is good. More Mac gadget connectivity info would be useful. The Tungsten T I was using died, so I’ve been PDA less for a few months.

    I am trying to drop hints to my sisters to get me one of the remote control helicopters for Christmas… 🙂

  47. Ten Years! Congratulations! (from a long-time lurker…)

    Follow-up reviews would be nice.; I think someone also mentioned video reviews.

    Keep up the great work!

  48. I have to agree with follow up reviews.

    Also, it would be nice if more manufacturers realized how many people make decisions based upon your reviews. You deserve to be in the pipeline of receiving more products for review. I have purchased the Kill-a watt, several Vaja cases, and most recently I am purchasing the Intelli IMT-500 among other items based upon your reviews.

  49. Congratulations from the Philippines on your 10th year 🙂

    Been a lurker for about 7 years now, always find your reviews on Palm hardware/softwares highly valuable, now I’m a PPC user and still a “Gadgeteer” ..more power Julie and keep those toys rolling and going! 😉

    Jon
    Tech Support
    Ph

  50. I would like to see a listing of all reviews being broken down into alphabetical order, either by the product name itself or the manufacturer.

  51. Congrats – have been lurking for years and love your reviews! How about more product comparisons – summaries of past reviews for a particular category? Just knit-picking though – it’s great as is!

    Carolyn

  52. I agree with several posters that the Gadgeteer should do more follow-up posts. This way, we can better judge a product past its initial wow and more into real life usage.

    I would also like to see more gadgets that are geared toward the Mac OS X platform, or those that work well on multiple platforms (OS X, Windows, and Linux).

    Finally, how about a “gift idea” post once in a while in which you can categorize your gift ideas into a couple of categories such as price (e.g. under $50, under $100, …) or target audience (student, business people, home…).
    This idea is especially attractive in the holiday, or prior to mother day.

  53. I’d like to add my congratulations on 10 years! I’ve been reading your site for a loooong, time, but I think you were already pretty well established when I started, so I’m going to say I’m a 8-9 year fan. I found you when I bought my first Palm, a IIIx, and went looking around on this new Intarweb thingy for info, tips, etc. I’ve been coming back at least a couple times a week ever since.

    As far as suggestions, I can’t really add anything to what’s been said above, other than – more pix of that cute puppy! 🙂

    Thanks for all your hard work. Hope to see you around for at least another 10 years.

  54. Wow, 10 years. I have a hard enough time keeping active on a Flickr page.

    As for suggestions…
    Perhaps there could be a user/reader submitted items for reviews, which would appear in a column on the main page, where everyone could then vote on which item they would like to see get a review. It would let you know where your readers interests are, as well as give you an ever changing list of gadgets you may not have heard of.

  55. Congrats! I’ve always been a big fan of the site. I’ve been coming for most of those 10 years.

    I’d like to see more follow-up reviews. 2-6 months in on a gadget, I’d like to see what you think of it.

    Keep up the good work!

  56. Congrats Julie! I’ve been reading the gadgeteer for at least 8 or 9 years (ever since I got my trusty palm III!) I can’t think of any major improvements. Maybe a guest reviewer program (like the gadgeteer of the month, only you send him/her a toy to play with and review).
    -Keith

  57. Congratulations on the 10 years, Julie…

    As for website suggestions, some Windows Mobile reviews would add alot, in my opinion. I am always looking for accessories and gear to go along with my Windows Mobile phone.

    Again, congratulations on the big 10.

    • Chris –
  58. Danielle Lockwood

    Congrats on 10 years!
    Glad to see a good site going strong for so long!
    As for suggestions, I do think that the proposed win mobile reviews are definitely a good idea, particularly since I read about half of this content directly from my mobile phone. Other than that, perhaps “roundups” where the top items are compared are always a good way to have a good summary of newer products and products you have covered in a concise post.
    Thanks!

  59. First of all, congrats to the ten years! Is there a such thing as internet years like dog years? Perhaps this is an even bigger milestone!

    This isn’t so much of an idea but rather a keep it up! I LOVE how all of your reviews have super sharp and large images that show off the item being reviewed. There is nothing worse than a review that leaves you with more questions because of thumbnail sized images. I’m a visual person.

    (You sold me on the Waterfield bag that currently cradles my IBM X61 Tablet!)

    Reviews online are a dime a dozen and what sets your content head and shoulders above the rest is the truthfulness of each of the reviews. It never sounds like I’m reading marketing hype from the company.

    Keep up the great work and thanks again for the wonderful content!

  60. Congratulations on the anniversary. I think I was still using a Psion 3c back then and bought my first Palm a little while later.

    The variety and quality of the reviews is great – I would like to see a few more reviews on portable GPS units. Prices have been coming down recently and I’m thinking of getting one of those Garmin Nuvi units.

    Thanks!

  61. Julie,

    Congrats on hitting the decade milestone! Its hard to believe I’ve been visiting your site for seven years now.

    You’re to be commended for all the great work you do here. Especially since you actually have a real day job that takes up most of your time. How you do it all, and yet still maintain a healthy and functional personal life, I’ll never know!

    It’s always nice to see fresh gadget/tech info and reviews here. That’s always better than regurgitated news or overly personal self-aggrandizement. I love the new feature where you interview industry insiders. Those are very interesting and informative.

    Oh yeah, congrats on having the most successful year (07′) yet!

    Here’s to many more years of you being an innovator,

    Steve

  62. I just wanted to chime in on Steve’s comments:

    Happy 10 years! You’ve taken this site and made it an icon of the industry, one that is often (poorly) imitated, but never surpassed. How cool is that?

    I also wanted to let you know that I am so delighted to be a part of your editorial team. What an august group of colleagues I have!

    Here’s to many more decades of excellence,

    Meredyth

  63. It’s interesting to look back on the site and the types of gadgets that have evolved and unveiled to the world.

    Where will we be in another 10?

    The sky’s the limit.

  64. Hey, Julie….Happy Birthday!

    What do I like about your site? Hmmm……let me think. I like the fact that you review usable gadgets and such from an adult perspective. When I’m looking for a new gear bag, I check your reviews. God knows, there are enough sites out there that review items that are high on the Christmas list of 13 year old boys (sorry, boys!), accompanied by opinions and comments that would embarrass even Eric Cartman. I’m glad you’re a grown-up, and your style reflects that.

    I love the spotlight items on the right of the screen; they’re always an entertaining read.

    How to make it better? Index your reviews/articles into categories, so that searching is simplified. It would be great to have one page that would provide links to just about everything.

    Now, do you really want to make this site better? How about a ticker across the top, highlighting the latest and greatest Chippendale Dancers? Scantily clad buff young men would be……oh……um……..ah…..how do you say…….

    Sorry; now I’M regressing into 18 year-old girl humor 😉

    Here’s to another 10!

  65. I’ve just chosen the winner of the gift certificates, and it is cb4crc. Congrats!

    And thank all of you for all of your comments and ideas of things that will make The Gadgeteer better for the next 10 years. I’m going to compile all the ideas and get started implementing them.

    Julie

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