Editorials

NOOKcolor: Swing and a Miss or a Home Run?

As per internet rumor, Barnes and Noble unveiled their newest addition to the NOOK lineup: NOOKcolor. It’s sort-of an ebook reader, sort-of a tablet, and B&N seems pretty excited and confident it’s going to win them marketshare over the Kindle (and possibly the iPad). I’ve been debating with myself about whether this is going to be successful or blow up in their faces, and the only way to settle this is to lay out both sides. The optimist in me thinks this could be a big win for B&N, and the cynical side of me thinks this is an awful…

Editorials

End of a Long-Lost Era: Sony Finally Kills the Cassette Walkman (In Japan)

Ah, the Sony Walkman … that wonderful device that has let parents add ‘hearing loss’ to their list of worries and kids add ‘was listening to my Walkman’ to their reasons to justify ignoring their parents. It was the first mainstream product to really let you take your music anywhere without forcing others to let you know your favorite mix tape included Debby Boone, Christopher Cross and the Bee Gees … well, until you started singing along, anyway. This past week Sony announced they were ending production of the cassette Walkman after 31 years. It might be hard for some…

Editorials

Random Scary Stuff: Privacy vs. The Internet

We all know that being a so-called ‘netizen’ requires sacrificing a bit of privacy. The problem is knowing exactly where that line is between what you need to expose to get business done and what you should keep private even at the expense of being able to do something you want. Well … as the funny Venn diagram above shows, it isn’t easy to find that line, and often not even in our control! Because as a recent WSJ.com article shows, our ability to find the balance between online activity and personal privacy is being greatly outpaced by the race…

Editorials

Eenie Meenie Miny Moe… MacBook Airs but Which Way to Go?

When Apple announced the new MacBook air this past Wednesday I knew immediately that I would be ordering one. The question was – which one? Dan- Let me go back a few years. I have always wanted a thin and light computer that allowed me to do everything but was simple to lug around. When my arthritic wrists became increasingly painful the need for a light notebook grew significantly. As a result I ordered the first MacBook Air as soon as it was available. In fact, mine came in the very first day the computers were hitting the United States….

Editorials, Travel

The Five Stages of Smartphone Withdrawal

Regular readers of Gear Diary may remember I got married earlier this month. We just returned from our honeymoon, a fabulous week on beautiful San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. It’s absolutely gorgeous; white sandy beaches, sun, drinks, food…what more do you need? Well, in my case, the one thing missing from the island (and the one thing that had Sarah practically doing cartwheels of joy) was the distinct lack of internet service. Yes, I had to go an entire week without a smartphone. Just like the five stages of grief, I went through five stages of connectivity withdrawal. It’s…

eBooks, Editorials

MyPadMedia: They’re baaaaackkkkk!!!!!

with apologies to Poltergeist, the movie They’re baaaaacccckkkkkkk! Like a rat that just won’t go away, like a bad penny that just keeps returning, like your Aunt Gertrude who just won’t stop coming to visit each Sunday … one of our all-time “favorite” post subjects is back – and they have become even bolder than ever. Yes, once again we are hearing from MyPadMedia … and the lack of a link is because we aren’t about to help promote their page rank. They’re continuing to play their games, continuing to use highly deceptive tactics to draw people in, and attempting…

eBooks, Editorials

NPR’s Libraries and eBooks Report Highlights eBook Ignorance

The good folks at NPR’s Marketplace did a story on the state of ebooks and libraries the other night. At first I was excited, since it’s great to hear any story about ebooks, especially library programs that tend to fly under the radar. But NPR’s reporting was so horribly, egregiously, painfully inaccurate that I really wonder if they did any research at all. Let’s start with the biggest head-scratcher: Kai Ryssdal: For all that die-hard bibliophiles say they will never ever give up their actual printed books, they may be fighting a losing battle. E-book sales are up 118 percent…

Editorials

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Commercials: Folks At Home … Is It Me?

Yesterday Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7, the ground-up reboot of the failed Windows Mobile platform. By all accounts the hardware and software look solid and intriguing, with reports of great performance and an interface built around a quick look at lots of information rather than being largely app-centric like iOS and Android. Of course, only time will tell how it will all shake out. In the mean time, Microsoft has released two advertising spots for the new phone OS, one called ‘Really?’ and the other ‘Season of the Witch’. Each of the ads is focused around the tag line: It’s…

Editorials

Product Placement Goes to New Heights (Lows?)

The world looked on when all 33 Chilean miners were brought to the surface safely there was much to celebrate. The world looked on and, for once, it was all good news. How often does THAT happen??? Then I was checking my Twitter feed and I saw this Tweet from Travis… It made me laugh. Then this morning I read on 9to5 Mac (image from there also) that Steve Jobs gave each of the miners an iPod. This was a nice gesture, but I think they would have been even more appreciated during the miners’ 68 days under ground. “So…

Editorials

Windows Phone 7: Too Little Too Late? Or Just In the Nick of Time?

Francis: Monday’s press conference marked the official announcement of Microsoft’s highly anticipated Windows Phone 7. Microsoft has officially been tooting their own horn in the past months about their new phone OS and hardware, claiming that this is the new vision of Microsoft Mobile devices. Judie: The dust is finally starting to settle, and now we’ve had a chance to digest the information which came … as well as a chance to formulate some questions. Make no mistake about it, Microsoft needed a new vision for their mobile devices. The company, which for a time enjoyed their position as a…

Editorials, Game Diary

Is Gaming REALLY Cheaper Than Ever?

Image courtesy of ArsTechnica Many times I have mentioned that games today are relatively cheap – especially in light of my memory of paying $60 for a Sega Genesis game for my brother-in-law nearly 25 years ago! And that is exactly the point of a new article at ArsTechnica, which calls it an ‘inconvenient truth’ that game prices have actually fallen over time. From the article: During one of our discussions on the issue of game pricing, we tracked down a press release putting the suggested retail price of both Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 at $69.99. Halpin says that…

Editorials, Game Diary

Lord of the Rings Online Doubles User Base, Revenue With ‘Free to Play’ Model

I have written about Lord of the Rings Online when it was announced that it would be free-to-play, when it actually launched, and included it in a review round-up as well. It is an excellent MMORPG … and apparently it has done extremely well in the transition from subscription to free-to-play. Turbine, the developer, noted at GDC Online that the game has doubled both the subscriber base and revenue since the game became free to play. The game’s Executive Producer, Kate Paiz, noted that the revenue had doubled in spite of removing the subscription fee. But there is even more…

Editorials

Wired Magazine iPad App–an Ironic Fail

I didn’t begin today thinking, “Boy, I better review the Wired Magazine iPad app, or Judie will really get on me”. Nope; I have lots of other stuff on my plate, including news items and reviews of other apps (e.g., Mushroom Age!). But as I sat there waiting–and waiting and waiting and waiting–for the one issue I bought to download, I ended up writing a review in my head, so I figure hey, better get it down. Here’s the history: I loved Wired magazine. Loved it. I used to wait for and immediately read every issue, almost cover-to-cover. Yes, it…

Editorials

Beware the Ice Pack, a Post-Run Safety PSA

Yesterday Carly shared one of what I consider to be the more important posts in recent memory (a close second to Michael’s post the other day). Carly related the story of a woman running with headphones on who “turned left abruptly, and went directly into the path of an oncoming bicycle.” The post highlights the potential danger of running or biking with headphones on. Increasingly we are (finally) talking about the issue of distracted driving. The fact is, distracted exercise is also an issue, and it is one that Larry has warned me about numerous times. Well, along similar lines…

eBooks, Editorials, News

The Lunacy of eBook Pricing – Example from the Forgotten Realms

Considering I am a huge fan of classic role-playing games, greatly enjoy the whole Dungeons and Dragons universe, have read and enjoyed some of the popular book series from author R. A. Salvatore including the Icewind Dale Trilogy and the Cleric Quintet, and have been intrigued by the recent announcement of the upcoming online-but-not-MMO computer game Neverwinter … you might say I was a ready-made target for the new book Gauntlgrym: Neverwinter Book I. Naturally I wanted to read it on my iPad, because as many others here have noted – it is just a great way to read things….

Editorials

iPhone 4 + Aluminum = ?

The ElementCase Vapor 4 is a beautiful case for the iPhone 4. It looks great. It feels great. And it is, as Judie explained last month, totally unusable. As she explained in that post Larry, Dan & I recently reviewed the Element Case Vapor 4. All of us agreed that it was easily one of the most beautiful cases we had ever used, but we all experienced a significant signal drop when our iPhones were in them. One of the things that ETS Lindgren is able to do is scientifically measure the antenna strength of a mobile phone inside one…

Editorials

AAFES Still Says No to M.O.H. on US Bases, Even After EA Removes “Taliban” Label

Image courtesy of HDWallpapers Video game developers and production studios and publishers are no strangers to controversy over video game titles and content. In the past few weeks Electronic Arts and Danger Close have been under fire from the military organization AAFES (Army Air Force Exchange Service) about their new Medal of Honor (MoH) title. The new game has a multiplayer mode, where you can choose to be on either the American Force or the Opposing Force — which in the game was formerly called the “Taliban”. When the game was initially announced, AAFES made the call to ban MoH…

Editorials

iPhone 4 Cases: a Case of Case Confusion

I recently uploaded a new video on my YouTube channel, where I reviewed the newest case for the iPhone 4 from Case-Mate. The Hula case is a bumper style case that comes in a variety of colors and includes both front and back screen protection. At the end of the video I also added a comparison video to a case offered by Scosche, the bandEDGE, which happens to look almost identical. While I was in NYC for the Pepcom event last week, I had a chance to preview the Hula case at Case-Mate’s booth and I remarked to the company how…

Editorials

Default Case: Good Customer Service Only Gets You So Far

A few weeks ago I told you about the Default Case company. I was pretty impressed with the newly launched iPhone case company’s approach to doing to business. They seemed to be willing to go out of their way and pretty much willing do anything to satisfy their customers. I liked the fact that their representatives used their first names when communicating, they answered the phone when I called, and they were willing to answer all of my questions and concerns. Their current promotion (all cases cost only 1 cent plus a $3.99 shipping fee) has garnered a ton of…

Editorials

Which Automated Cat Litter Box Is Better? CatGenie vs Litter-Robot

I’ve reviewed both the Litter-Robot and the CatGenie, two automated Cat Litter Boxes here on Gear Diary, and I’ve had several years to test each extensively. On top of that, when I started using the CatGenie, and it became evident that it would work out for me, I gave the Litter-Robot to my friends Steven and June; they have been using it since early 2009. Since reviewing both, I’ve received questions about how the two stacked up to each other, but none covered as many issues as a recent letter from Danielle.

eBooks, Editorials

State of the eBook: The Return!

Hello and welcome back to State of the eBook! The series had a bit of a summer vacation, but the news is slowly picking back up! So pull yourself away from your new Kindle/nook app/iBooks and check out what’s been going on in the ebook world! Fuzzy Math A few bits of creative and flexible number reporting first. The Bookseller claims iBooks is “more popular than Facebook and Twitter”. Yes, they phrased it exactly like that. As one commenter on their post pointed out, iBooks is the default PDF reader on the iPad and iPhone, so that explains a big…

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