April 2012

Nike+ Fuelband Review; ‘The Out-Of-Shape Geek’s Dream Fitness Motivator

It’s been few weeks since the release of the Nike+ Fuelband and, until last week, I had been unable to get my hands on one. This is probably the first fitness related gadget I have ever bought and, besides the super geek-esque Back to the Future style LED’s on it, I was excited to have something that would motivate me to get back in shape. I’ve had the FUEL for a week now and have worn it almost every day during my routine activities. Unfortunately I have not been able to take a jog or “officially” work out with…

News

Striiv Fitness Motivating Pedometer Gets Smart, Gets Social

Back in January Judie and I found ourselves in an unplanned competition of sorts. Judie was using the FitBit fitness device and I was using the Striiv Smart Pedometer. The devices could not have been more different. The FitBit was black and the Striiv white. The FitBit clipped to your cloths and has a small LED readout to let you know what was what. The Striiv has a large, touchscreen face reminiscent of a tiny smartphone. The FitBit had a USB dock that, when the device was synced to your computer, tracked your progress and even offered the ability to…

Outdoors, Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Case Logic and LoveCases Can Outfit You for your Next Adventure, Urban or Remote

I love it when a great plan comes together, even if totally by accident. Recently Gear Diary received a request from LoveCases online camera bag and gear case retailer to pick a bag or two we would like to review. As many of the bags they offer are for photographic gear I was asked if I would like to participate. I jumped at the chance despite my being smack-dab in the middle of recuperation from right shoulder surgery and at the time could not even pick up a camera let alone shoot with it. As my shoulder progressed so did…

Reviews

Wrapsol Ultra Hybrid Wet/Dry Combination Film Protection Kit Review

There are a number of protective films for the iPad from which to choose. We’ve written quite a bit about Bodyguardz, Zagg and ClearCoat, but if you are in the market for this kind of protection, there is another film worth considering — Wrapsol. I’ve used Wrapsol’s products before and had a mixed experience with the application process; this time out however, everything went smoothly, and the result… well the result is excellent protection! Let’s take a look at the Wrapsol Ultra Hybrid, and why you might want to consider it for your new iPad! From the company: Wrapsol makes the…

Reviews

Pic Stitch For iPhone

Despite owning a digital SLR, my iPhone is always one of my favorite photography tools. Many believe that the best camera to use is always the one with you. While this is certainly true and makes an easy case for iPhone photography, the phone itself is actually a good camera. Simply taking photos is usually not enough for me, I love to edit and change them using applications on my phone. It really is pretty amazing that I can take some photos, edit them and share them from virtually anywhere without a computer. Pic Stitch allows users to combine multiple…

Editorials, News

Monsanto, Already ‘Most Evil Company of 2011’, Buys Bee Research Company to Hide Ills

There are few insects as critical to just about every part of the ecological cycle as the bee. Some estimates say that one-third of naturally grown food requires pollination by bees, including most fruits, vegetables and nuts. Coffee, soy beans and cotton are all dependent on pollination by bees to increase yields. It is the start of a food chain that also sustains wild birds and animals. And yet in recent years the bee population has been in freefall, with reports stating that a decline of 90% or more has occurred over the last few decades. The reports are not…

Music Diary, Reviews

Gary Husband Delivers State of the Art Fusion on ‘Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2’

Gary Husband – ‘Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2’ I reviewed Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 early last year, concluding : There is no fluff here – perhaps that is why this is ‘volume 1?, as the next volume is due in 2011 sometime. And while I might have appreciated getting more time to get to know each grouping on the record, this is Husband’s project, and if the goal was to show how vital and vibrant and versatile fusion can be in 2010 … and if that wasn’t the goal he should review the original goal! Because this record takes…

Editorials

Rock ‘n Roll Marathon’s New “Mascot” Proves to Be Divisive

I have run a few Rock n Roll sponsored races, and I don’t view them with the same enmity that some runners do. Yes, they are big, commercial parties, but they also (mostly) organize well-done races. I gave them a pass on their disastrous Rock n Roll Las Vegas race; they really ran that into the ground, but a few months later at Rock n Roll DC, I was extremely impressed with how smoothly everything went. However, I really have to question their judgment with their new Facebook mascot/campaign. As you can tell from the graphic above, their new campaign…

Gear Bits, Travel

Quick Change Artist OneSole Shoes Allow You to Pack One Sole, Yet Bring Many Pairs of Shoes

If you are used to traveling with a pair of sneakers (or boots) and a backup pair of flip-flops, then I know you won’t be able to relate to what I’m about to confess … and that’s fine. But when I am packing for a trip that will last a week or more, and I know that I’ll be in both casual and dressy situations, it is typical for me to bring no less than six pairs of shoes. I would bring even more along if there weren’t weight limits on checked luggage. Part of the reason that I’ll pack so many,…

News

Skype Now Available for Windows Phone 7.5 Devices

Windows Phone users rejoice! Microsoft has at long last released Skype v1.0 into the Windows Marketplace for supported devices. So now owners of Windows Phone 7.5 devices sporting at least 512MB RAM can now make and receive Skype calls as well as chat with contacts/friends on their handsets over 3G and 4G and of course Wi-Fi. A few important caveats, however: As previously mentioned, currently only 7.5 devices with 512MB of RAM are supported** Skype calls cannot be received if the Skype app isn’t running in the foreground (i.e., Skype must be the “active” task) Skype currently does not support…

Gear Bits

Siri Says, “Keep it in Your Pouch”

Back in February we reviewed Sena’s Creativo pouch for the iPhone 4 and 4S. I loved the look and the feel and found it to be one of the classiest ways to protect my iPhone. At the time I was rarely carrying my iPhone sans case but, in the months since, it has become increasingly common for me to do just that. As a result, both the Creativo and the Sena UltraSlim pouch have seen more use that ever. In my review of the $39.99 I wrote the following: … if Sena were to make it possible to activate the…

Reviews

Hawkspy LT-712 Helicopter w/ Spy Camera Review

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the EGOFLY Hawkspy LT712 RC helicopter with spycam from xenonproject.com! Want to know what’s going on around the corner and need to do some reconnaissance? Xenonproject.com’s Hawkspy RC helicopter is just for you! Sporting a tiny DVD-scale (720×480) video camera with included removable 1GB microSD card, the Hawkspy is an affordable fun RC toy for vicarious pilots. In addition to the review, we are offering a lucky reader the chance to win a Hawkspy for themselves. Details below. But first, the review. RC helicopters just got even cooler with the new Hawkspy…

Reviews

DEEP BASS Active Control Headphone Amplifier for iOS Devices Review

Last week we took a look at the latest iOS app from SRS labs. The app takes the audio coming from the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and enhances it in remarkable ways. The main downside with the app is that in order to get the audio enhancement you need to use the app for your music. Try to listen to music from any other source, for example Spotify, and you are out of luck. There is, however, a way to enhance ANY audio coming from your iOS device and it comes in the form of a new audio adapter…

Game Diary, Gear Bits, News

Summer Release Set for Hybrid – XBLA Tactical Shooting Game

The creative team behind Scribblenauts, Run Roo Run, and Drawn to Life just released a developer walkthrough video for their new third-person tactical shooter, Hybrid.

News

Want Better Sound From Your iPad? Foco-ize It! Kickstarter Project

I love my new iPad but I’m not a huge fan of the sound coming from it. Honestly, it is a bit too anemic for my taste. Sure, it gets the job done, but it could be so much better. And, in fact, it can be. Need proof? Just play something on your iPad and then cup your hand behind the speaker with the open part of your hand pointing toward you. The difference is… Amazing. By simply redirecting the sound that would otherwise go FROM you toward to the sound increases in both volume and quality. That’s the idea…

Reviews

Gear4 AirZone Series 1 AirPlay Speaker Dock Review

Back in January, Judie and I spent some time with the folks from Gear4. We got to know a bit more about the company and its vision, spent some time with their current products, and we even got to see one or two items that were not yet released. We were not, of course, allowed to photograph or discuss the latter items, but were assured that when they were released we would get to discuss and potentially review them. Gear4 were good on their word; they sent over one of their new AirZone Series 1 wireless home stereo systems. At…

Reviews

GoPano Micro Review

Everyone knows the iPhone has an amazing camera. You can take some amazing videos right out of the box with it. But one of the great things about the combination of a solid camera and a popular phone is that aftermarket case and accessory makers create ways to make the camera features even better. That’s the goal of the GoPano Micro, a case and lens combination that lets you take 360-degree panoramic video. Does it succeed? Read on to find out! The GoPano system has two parts, a case and a snap on lens. The case is a simple slider…

News

Boston’s Fenway Park Celebrates 100 Years of Baseball Traditions

Even as the world was still reeling from the sinking of the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic, a new era dawned in Boston, and in sports history. On April 20, 1912 Fenway Park opened to the public with a capacity of 35,000 seats … and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Highlanders in an extra-innings thriller to launch the storied baseball stadium. At this point, Fenway Park is the oldest professional baseball stadium. Chicago’s Wrigley Field is the only other ‘classic’ park remaining. It is also one of the most famous venues in all of sports, with many legendary moments transpiring…

Reviews

Your Tablet Needs to Clean Up Its Act, Qmadix Smudge Free Can Help

Your tablet is dirty. Dirty, smudged and a mess. That’s what happens when grubby fingers are constant tapping, poking and sliding around on it. Seriously, it’s a bit gross. That’s where the Qmadix Smudge-Free Dry-Foam Cleaning Kit comes in. The kit is formulated to safely clean your device from smudges, dirt, grime and makeup. Our dry foam formula utilizes smudge-resistant properties that help minimize the transfer of most smudges.Smudge-Free is safe for mobile devices, computer monitors, televisions (Plasma, LCD and LED), E-readers, tablets, keyboards, household electronics and more. Each kit includes a 3oz can of cleaning foam and two 10″…

Game Diary, Reviews

FIFA Street for PlayStation 3 Review

The most popular sport in the world gets the personal treatment as Electronic Art’s FIFA Street offers a very involving street football game experience features a huge real-life player cache and several worldwide locations.

Music Diary, News

Rush Streams New Song in Advance of New Album Release!

Rush is no stranger to … well, just about anything at this point. Releasing their first album nearly 40 years ago, they have spent the decades remaining faithful to fans, providing some of the best prog-rock accompanied by impressive musicianship that complements without overtaking the songs. Now they are preparing a new album, ‘Clockwork Angels’ due out on June 12th. To build anticipation, they are streaming “Headlong Flight” for free in a variety of places, including an official version with lyrics streaming on YouTube. The song will be instantly recognizable to anyone with even passing familiarity with the band: Geddy Lee…

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