| ABOUT THE GADGETEER |
After running 3 successful dial-up BBSes (Bulletin Board Systems - remember them?) from 1990 - 1996, I started The Gadgeteer as a small hobby site on the Geocities free community pages back in the summer of 1997. By December of that same year, I purchased the domain name of the-gadgeteer.com and within 3 years, The Gadgeteer grew to become one of the most trusted product review sites on the net. Recognized by Microsoft, the Wallstreet Journal and many other industry sources as the site to go to for real hands-on reviews without the fluff...
Since 1997, we've reviewed hundreds of products and I want to express my appreciation to the 140 product reviewers that have contributed to this site over the years. The wide range of expertise from these folks has contributed to the credibility of our product reviews. So thanks again to everyone who has contributed thus far to The Gadgeteer. And now, here's a little information about our staff:
| STAFF |
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Julie Strietelmeier :
Editor in Chief [Columbus, Indiana] I was born a gadget freak. This is a fact that can be proven by looking at a note written by a teacher on the bottom of one of my grade school report cards. "...Julie continues to bring little toys and things to school to trade with the boys..." Lucky for me, my parents never condemned my love of tech. My Dad actually encouraged it, by allowing me to dismantle old household devices in order to retrieve the magnets from their motors. As for computers, I started out with a Texas Instruments TI/994a computer, then several Commodore 64's, an Atari ST, various home built Windows boxes and currently a 24" Apple iMac. My PDA and phone usage is in constant flux. I get bored easily and can never get enough new devices to try. |
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Rob Tillotson :
Web Developer and Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Odenville, Alabama] Ever since I my parents bought me a VIC-20 at age 13, I've been addicted to computers and technology. After spending far too many years in college I now do Python and Ruby on Rails software development, and I wrote and maintain the custom CMS used to run this site. My love of portable gadgets started when an Apple developer showed me his pre-release Newton, and since then I've had a 200LX, too many Palms to count, and now a Windows Mobile smartphone. Now, I spend my days working at home, surrounded by a collection of PCs and Macs and five gaming consoles (eight if you count the portable ones). |
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Kent Lanum :
Contributing Editor (Windows Mobile Software) [Jeffersonville, Indiana] I confess that I too have a problem...I am addicted to gadgets. I have always been strongly attracted to bright shiny objects, machinery, electronic gizmos, particularly handheld devices and all kinds of software. I have used punch cards on mainframes, cruised at 1200 baud on my first Tandy PC and found delight in portable computing power with the Apple Newton. Now as a contributor to this web site, I feel I can continue this life style of �geekness� with some legitimacy. I am currently supported in this addiction by my 5-year old Dell Franken-PC with all its non-native parts, a Toshiba Tablet PC, two Compaq servers and last but not least, my current PDA or "girlfriend" as my wife refers to her, an i-mate JasJar (aka the HTC Universal). |
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Mark Adkins :
Contributing Editor (Palm Software) [Omaha, Nebraska] I got hooked on technology in the mid-70's using Commodore PETs to learn BASIC on. Since then, I've managed to have, use, modify, or destroy pretty much any techno-gadget made- BetaMax to TiVo, 8-track to iPod, Timex-Sinclair 1000 to Fujitsu Lifebook. I work as an Adaptive Technologist, matching gadgets to the needs of people with disabilities, which gives me the chance to mess with a lot of stuff I'd never be allowed near otherwise. I now own way too much- MP3, GPS, cell phone, digital cameras, Palm PDAs, and can proudly boast that we have more computers in our house than we do people! |
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Meredyth:
Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]
I am an life-long gadget enthusiast. I started my addiction as a child with the 2XL, moving up to the Speak&Math and later (regrettably) a menagerie of Petsters and Teddy Ruxpin's less known cousin, Talking Mother Goose.
After the humiliation of middle school, I focused on less plushy electronics, such as computers and handhelds.
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Ryan Preston:
Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Columbus, Indiana] I have always been less interested in how a gadget functions compared to how its functionality can best serve me. From playing Pitfall on our Mattel Intellivision 16-bit videogame system and learning DOS commands, as a kid in hope of manipulating my grades, ala Matthew Broderick in �War Games�, to implementing global software applications for a major corporation, it has been a long, strange trip. The Intellivision, our family�s first VCR, then computer, an original Nintendo, my first cellphone, laptop, PDA (Palm V), digital camera, TIVO and MP3 player, these are a some of the devices that are associated with my journey�s milestones. Interested to see what new gadgets will accompanying me in the future. |
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Kelly Hall:
Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Kansas City, Missouri] Since we are all confessing, I must admit I have always admired gadgets, but I am the last to get them. To illustrate this point, I did not even own a computer until 3 years after Julie started up The Gadgeteer. To make matters more embarrassing, the Win95 OS was a hand-me down from my parents. I still have this computer and it sits in a corner of the house being used by my three toddlers. My gadget-life quickly changed when I entered the Air Force, where I served as a communications-computer systems officer. On active duty, I was paid to manipulate gadgets and research new technology. After that fast-paced life, I entered the realm of parenting. Now, the majority of my gadgets are ones that sing nursery rhymes, recite the alphabet, or moo. |
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Steve Hughes:
Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Baton Rouge, LA] I may be new to some of you, but Julie and I go way back and I've actually done some work here in the past. I happen to be related to fellow Editor Kelly Hall as she is my sister, "Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!". I got my start on an Apple Mac in the early 1990's as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. I am currently using the Samsung Trace t519 as my daily driver, it comes in handy during my worldly travels. And I love to travel with my gadgets, especially mechanical dive watches. My PDA consists of a handmade leather Saddlebag that contains a spiral bound notebook, ballpoint pen, and Passport. What can I say, I don't like being a total slave to technology.... |
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David Rees:
Contributing Editor (Hardware) [Renton, WA] Like a majority of the folks here at The Gadgeteer, I�m a lifelong tech-person too. It started with the original Pong and has progressed to the 24� iMac, 17� Macbook Pro, Blackberry 8800 and the list goes on & on. I am truly addicted to the tech-adrenalin rush, always searching for the coolest new tech-toy. So much so that when my wife and I got married we had to negotiate me starting a second job/small business to fund my habit. I will be representing the West Coast on this very Midwest/East Coast centric crew. |
