2011

Google to Expand to Periodicals?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is looking to sell more than just books. Apparently, they also want to sell newspapers and magazines, probably as a way to offer more content to the slew of Android tablets coming out this year! According to the WSJ: Google has discussed its intentions with a range of publishers, including Time Warner Inc.’s Time Inc. unit, Condé Nast and Hearst Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The three publishers declined to comment on any talks. In recent weeks, these people say, Google has told publishers it would take a smaller slice…


Music Diary Notes: The Smithsonian Institute Challenges You to Test Your Jazz Knowledge

Do you love Jazz? Do you like taking sound quizzes? Do you think you know the history of jazz well enough to take a huge online test? Well, the Smithsonian has a challenge for you! Next March, according to the Smithsonian site, an all-new anthology of jazz music, featuring 111 songs across 6 CDs. There is 80% new material compared with the classic 1973 collection – I had this one tape for years until I wore them out and bought it on CD back in the 90’s. Here are some details on the release: Seven years in the making, ‘JAZZ:…


Android Market Gets New Look and New Features!

I noticed changes to the look & feel of the Android Market over the holiday break when grabbing some apps for my Droid, but just had the chance to search the Android blog and found more details. Here is some info from the blog: This new Market client introduces important features that improve merchandising of applications, streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, and make it easier for developers to distribute their applications. With a focus on improving discoverability and merchandising, we’ve introduced a new carousel on the home and category screens. Users can quickly flip through the carousel to view promoted applications…


Gear Diary’s NoBC to CES for Haiti Plunge- the Packing Episode

Don’t forget: This challenge is benefiting The Haiti Plunge – They are building a road and a new medical clinic among other things in a rural part of Haiti. Please take a second and support them HERE. Today is the day when the SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge for Charity becomes a reality and moves into high gear. Yes, tomorrow morning Larry and I both fly out for Las Vegas and the Consumer Electronics Show 2011. That means today, Sunday, January 2, 2011, is the day when we need to pack our clothes into our luggage. Scratch that, not into our…


iPhone Accessory Review: XCEL Case

It would be no exaggeration to say that after I placed the ElementCase Vapor 4 on my iPhone 4, no other case felt quite right. I loved the heft that my iPhone got with that ring of aluminum around it (because yes, I am weird like that), and the colors available made the iPhone unmistakably mine. Unfortunately, that ring of aluminum also managed to nearly kill my iPhone’s reception, and at the end of the review process the Vapor 4 had to come off. Since then I have tried quite a few cases — wooden, plastic as well as some…


Gear Diary 2010 Gear of the Year and Predictions for 2011

The past year has seen interesting developments in the gear we all use: the term iOS replaced iPhone OS as the OS that started on iPhone was also on the new iPad when it took the world and Gear Diary writers by storm, Android phones blossomed and became real competitors to the iPhone, and the iPad got its first real competition in the Samsung Galaxy Tab just a few months before 2010 drew to a close.  While there’s much more that happened in the past year, I thought let’s ask the following questions of the Gear Diary Team. 1. What was your…


CES 2010 Redux- A Look Back Before We Head Out to CES 2011

Before we head out to CES 2011 tomorrow we thought we might take a look back at some of the things we saw… And did… At CES 2010. Amazing to think that this was BI (Before iPad) and how much has changed since. It is also amazing to realize how many of the products we saw that never made it to market. Yes, vaporwear was everywhere last year. 🙂 Oh, and then there was that little trip out to the desert to torture a poor hard drive. Good times…. Good times…