2012 October

Archive | October, 2012

News October 29, 2012

Livescribe Introduces the Sky WiFi SmartPen

Having a LiveScribe smartpen has very much helped me stay organized and keep my projects in line over the past few years. The biggest problem was that I needed to remember to connect the pen to my laptop sync things up so I had access to my notes offline. Now LiveScribe has taken care of [...]

Keeping Trick or Treaters Away from Your Home while Scaring Your Kids in the Days of Yore!

What you see before you, gentle reader, is an instrument of torture, a 33 1/2 RPM record euphemistically titled “The language and music of the Wolves – narrated by Robert Redford”, circa 1971. Ostensibly a product of environmental awareness and respect for Nature, it was an excellent tool for acquainting modern America with wolves, which had [...]

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Events October 29, 2012

by Judie Lipsett Stanford

Windows Phone 8 Launch Event

I’m at the Windows Phone 8 launch event this morning in San Francisco, waiting in the lobby of the Bill Graham Civic Center with roughly 150 other members of the media. There are probably fewer in attendance than originally intended, due to Hurricane Sandy’s grip on the Eastern states, but the mood here is upbeat [...]

JBL Offers a Complete Portfolio of Wireless Speakers

The other day my favorite Kickstart-Addicted friend (aka Judie) and I were debating backing an awesome project for iOS devices. I commented that we needed to place a moratorium on projects that are specific to the iPhone 5 or the iPad since, at the moment, we are in a transitional period. Yes, with the iPad [...]

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eBooks October 29, 2012

by Carly Z

Penguin and Random House to Form Franken-Publisher

Now that the Agency Model has been rendered toothless as a way to keep publishers afloat, we’re seeing the next phase in book publishing evolution: mergers! Random House, which was already the biggest publisher in the USA, is buying a controlling stake in Penguin, forming a super-publisher! According to the New York Times: PARIS — [...]

DomeSkin Bumps Up to iPhone 5

With the announcement of any new device come the announcements of matching accessories. And if the device in question is a new iPhone, then you get a LOT more accessory announcements, given the popularity of that handset. Skins for iPhones (and other devices) are nothing new, of course, but the announcement Gear Diary received from [...]

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News October 28, 2012

by Joel McLaughlin

Last Man Standing: Mainstream TV and Radio Connected for Special Event Today

I hope you are enjoying my continuing series of posts on Amateur Radio. Occasionally, we get to have fun and come close to touching those who we watch on TV. Well, not exactly but today there was a special event that almost never happens. What on earth am I talking about? Well, today there was a very [...]

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News October 28, 2012

by Carly Z

CW Returns to Cablevision Subscribers

I complained bitterly a few weeks ago about my cable company’s fight with Tribune, and how the result was that we, the viewers, were being punished by losing access to the CW network (and, apparently, Fox if you live in Connecticut). However, I was overjoyed to get the following email from Cablevision this morning, even [...]

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Editorials October 28, 2012

by Carly Z

Apple’s Announcements Are Amazon’s Gain

Immediately after the iPad Mini was announced, one of my coworkers asked me what I thought. I told her it seemed like a neat device, but the price came in higher than I had expected. She was a bit surprised at the price as well, and she basically said at that level she was more [...]

A Week in Cuba and the Gear I Carried

I spent last week in Havana Cuba touring the city, listening to lectures, and doing some good as we visited with Havana’s Jewish community and shared the medical supplies we’d brought. While there, certain key pieces of tech came in rather handy; I thought I would run down just a few of them. First and [...]

Asgeir and Mo – ‘Danza de Andalucia’ CD Review

Asgeir & Mo – Danza de Andalucia Asgeir & Mo – Danza de Andalucia I have been fortunate to see many great artists perform live, several of whom have sadly left us since that time. Thirty years ago I attended a concert of the trio John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola and Paco de Lucia performing ‘flamenco [...]

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Editorials, Gaming October 26, 2012

by Michael Siebenaler

Two Longest Running TV Shows Dedicated to Video Games to End

Enjoy watching “X-Play” and “Attack of the Show” on while you can because the cable channel G4 will cancel them by the end of 2012. “X-Play”, which began airing in April 28, 2003 and now airs on Weeknights 6:30 p.m. EST with new episodes from Monday through Wednesday, and “Attack of the Show”, which began in [...]

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Health and Fitness, Quickies October 26, 2012

by Michael Anderson

Beware the ‘HumbleBrag’!

Despite the fact that in February of next year I will mark 24 years since I first ‘went out for a jog’ at almost 23 years old in order to help lose weight, it has been less than 6 months that I can say that I have really been ‘in love’ with running – and [...]

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Music Diary, News October 26, 2012

by Michael Anderson

iRig Keys Now Shipping, Review Coming Soon!

Today IK Multimedia announced that they were shipping the iRig Keys, their first entry into the hardware controller world. Building on their growing base of experience with iOS-based music accessories, IK is positioning as a mobile controller for your tablet or laptop that provides a solid range of functionality while also easily fitting in your [...]

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Reviews October 26, 2012

by Joel McLaughlin

Icom ID-31A D-star Radio Review

I hope you have been enjoying my series on Ham Radio and its various aspects; today’s post is the first review of a ham radio on Gear Diary! Specifically, I will be reviewing the Icom ID-31A, which is the most advanced handheld radio I have yet owned and the most advanced currently available. What this won’t [...]