May 2013

B&N “Innovates” by Becoming Yet Another Tablet Company

News broke today that Barnes and Noble is opening up the NOOK hardware to Google, adding Google Play to their NOOK HD and HD+ devices. Is this a canny move to capitalize on tablet demand, or a desperate grab for any port in a storm? Does this actually matter to the average buyer? As our own Mike Anderson asked, “Is abandoning their own ecosystem a desperate move?” I think this is great news for the ten bloggers who really love the NOOK HD hardware. Except for a few Android users who can re-download their apps across their phone and NOOK, the…


Travel HoodiePillow Hooded Travel Pillow Review

Welcome to part two of my two-part hooded pillow review humiliation. In Part One I came clean and related that, while still watching the good folks from HoodiePillow make their pitch on SharkTank, I ordered a hooded pillow case from them. The HoodiePillow is a quality pillowcase made from sweatshirt material. What makes this pillow case special is that, as the name indicates, it has a hoodie built right into it. And as if that wasn’t enough, the HoodiePillow also has drawstrings, a pocket for your phone or mp3 player and a cable pass-through so the headphones can run from…


Just Mobile AluFrame for iPhone 5 Review

Leave it to our friends at Just Mobile to get the aluminum bumper frame for the iPhone 5 just right. Yes, Just Mobile AluFrame for the iPhone 5 is an aluminum bumper that makes all the right moves. It’s gorgeous and refined, protects the sides and edges of the iPhone admirably, and, perhaps best of all, I’m not seeing any signal degradation when I use it. That last point is particularly striking considering the fact that this aluminum frame doesn’t have any cuts or openings in it. (Many companies looking to create an aluminum frame without signal degradation resorted to…


Neverwinter Enters Open Beta Testing – My Hands-On Impressions

The realms of Neverwinter and the Sword Coast are beloved by all fantasy RPG gamers, and they have been featured since the very earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons. Some of the most famous games set in this universe are Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, Icewind Dale 1 & 2, and Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2. Though its main campaign was criticized by some in 2002 as lacking depth and excitement compared to the Baldur’s Gates games, multiplayer and player-created content have kept Neverwinter Nights and its sequel popular for more than a decade. So when Cryptic Entertainment and Perfect…


GE’s Incredibly Creepy Matrix-Themed TV Ad

Apparently, GE’s ad people are living in the late 1990’s. I can’t judge them for this since my musical tastes are clinging tenuously to the earlier part of the same decade. However, I do question what they were thinking with their latest ad touting their medical equipment business. And since GE apparently bought all the daytime airtime and has been playing the ad non-stop on news channels, I’ve seen it many, many times, to the point where I can follow along with the script. Which gets creepier every time I watch it. Seems like someone saw a few random scenes…


Tagg the Pet Tracker Review

I rarely give a “don’t buy” rating to gear. I try really, really hard to find some good aspect to products, because so many times the issues are opinion and not fact. A particular phonecase may not be my taste, but it could be yours, or I might miss a certain feature that someone else never uses. But then there are times when gear fails so miserably that I can’t in good conscience recommend it, and unfortunately my experience with Tagg the Pet Tracker falls into that category. It’s a shame, as Tagg has some really great features, but those…


Molly Ringwald Except … Sometimes Review

Similar to video games, I will often buy music on impulse. Most times I do this, it is like my recent Kris Davis or Ches Smith purchases where there was limited ability for me to preview – and based on previous experience with the artists I had confidence. Or something like Justin Timberlake, where I was able to take advantage of a special deal and expiring credit and knew my family would enjoy at least a couple of songs. But when I heard Molly Ringwald was releasing a traditional jazz vocal album, I went ahead and used another expiring credit…


Are You Still Using Mailbox?

When Mailbox, the app designed to tame, manage and control your inbox, arrived, I was thrilled. I was the first person on the Gear Diary team to gain access, and for the first few weeks I was doing nothing but singing its praises. Judie, Dan and Mike all joined over the next several weeks, but not all of us are still using it. Who is? Who isn’t? And for those who quit — why did the shine wear off? Read on for our thoughts.


Linksys Expands its Smart Wi-Fi Router Portfolio with AC 1200 Advanced Multimedia and AC 1600 Video Enthusiast

Linksys recently announced the addition of new models to its Smart Wi-Fi Router portfolio and they promise to be a great way to get, and stay, online. The $169.99 AC 1200 Advanced Multimedia, EA6300, is already available and the $189.99 Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router AC 1600 Video Enthusiast, EA6400, is coming by the end of May. The AC1600 is a dual-band router that allows for five to seven connected devices at a time and offers Wi-Fi speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. The dual-band AC1200 offers up to…


Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! for iPad Review

  Imagine a game that combines a classic fantasy story, told as a ‘create your own adventure’, loaded up with fantasy RPG gameplay, and with a unique and engaging visual style. Intrigued? You should be! Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! is the video game realization of the classic early 80’s book series. Can it actually deliver on expectations set across the decades? Let’s take a look and see!


Think Netflix Streaming is Light on Titles? It is Getting MUCH Lighter this Month!

This past November, I got a ‘one month free’ thing to rejoin Netflix, so I signed up … and we’ve kept up the subscription ever since. Now, between Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus and Netflix, we are covered pretty well and are getting closer to ‘cutting the cable’ … once we can get Time Warner to agree that fewer services should make our bill lower! One reason I had joined and quit Netflix a couple of times before was due to the selection – when we had the DVD plan and started moving to streaming the selection was … um, lacking….


STM Scout 2 15″ Laptop Bag Review

There seem to be nearly as many laptop bag designs as there are laptops – backpacks, sleeves, messenger bags and every variant in between! I have always preferred a messenger-style bag, but there is a trade-off of how much you can carry. Eventually it just becomes more efficient to lug around a backpack. But even within the messenger bag category there is a wide array of possibilities – and the STM Scout 2 Medium bag is on the ‘small & thin’ end of the spectrum. Let’s take a look! Description Here are some of the features: •High quality canvas fabric…


Tommy Santora Interview on Mi (Mobile Intelligence) Alert Systems

Tom Santora, the creator of Mi (Mobile Intelligence) Alerts, recently explained these new, multipurpose systems to me that all stem from one central communication hub – your mobile phone. “Our mobile intelligence technology called MiAlert involves several functions where people get important information via their mobile phone/device,” says Santora. “Our multi-phased plan will make this technology available for several practical uses including video footage immediately after incidents. The Mi (Mobile Intelligence) Alerts represents intelligent mobile alert technology with initial uses for automobiles/vehicles, homes/buildings, people (children, family, etc.), and pets. Users can monitor activity using their mobile phone using a free…


Red Crow Mysteries: Legion for iOS Review

G5 Entertainment works with a number of developers as well as doing in-house work. Recently they have partnered with Cateia Games for some cool games, including Where Angels Cry and Fate of the Pharoah. Each of these were compelling games that I very much enjoyed, so when I heard that they were behind Red Crow Mysteries: Legion, I was already intrigued to check out the latest hidden object game from G5 Entertainment!


ContourROAM2 Action Camera Is Built for Life in Motion

Perry recently wrote up an awesome action camera that allows you to shoot video in two different directions at once. The Oregon Scientific ATC Chameleon is a neat idea that lets, for example, not only see where you are going but also shows you the slow-pokes behind you on the ski slope or in the bike race. (Check out the review here.) The camera Perry wrote about is only one of a growing number of action cameras that offer quality, durability and great features. We received word of another one yesterday and it looks quite interesting. The ContourROAM2 action camera gives you…