July 2009

Thanks For The Apology Mr. Bezos… Still… You’ve Been Served

Kindle-gate exploded when Amazon remotely removed a number of books by George Orwell. At the time I wondered what would happen to any notes taken on those various books if such a thing were to happen again. And although Jeff Bezos apologized for the action and promised to do better in the future, the question remained. Well now we have an answer. A student was taking notes for an AP class and found that his notes remained. No problem right? Nope, big problem. It seems the pages referenced were left useless once the book was gone hence the notes themselves…

Reviews

Fun Booth 2 for Mac Review

Fun Booth 2, from Spoonjuice software is an application for the Mac which lets you snap pictures or take video of yourself wearing all sorts of silly props. You can then e-mail the photos to friends or family, upload them to iPhoto, Twitter, Flickr, or burn them if they really embarrass you. 🙂 The application uses advanced face detection software to move the props into the right position no matter where you position yourself on the screen. If you’re really crazy you can even chat with your friends in iChat while wearing the props too.

Reviews

SplashID – A Second Look

A while back I took a look at two electronic wallet programs that are available for the iPhone. Both are applications I used on Windows mobile. Both come from reputable, long time, mobile application manufacturers. Both offer the flexibility to organize and protect a wide-range of information. Both protect your data with a high level of encryption. Both cost the same. And both have been revised a number of times since their initial release. The two applications are SplashData’s SplashID and ilium Software’s eWallet. As I wrote in my initial post — With so much in common “Sounds like a toss-up…

Reviews

These cases might put some lumberjacks out of work

JAVOedge recently released a new line of cases for the Amazon Kindle 2. These cases, called Hardwood Sleeves, are eco-friendly sleeve style cases made to protect your Kindle when you’re not reading. The cases, which are made to look like hardwood, come in two styles, Oak or Ash. JAVOedge was kind enough to send along both styles for me to review.

Reviews

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Director’s Cut (DS) Review

My wife thinks I am insane when I buy something more than once – she considers it extraneous. Generally she is right, and I seldom do it – but there are also times I go overboard. For example, there are several games I own for both Mac & PC so I can play whatever platform is available. Also, I recently bought ‘Puzzle Quest’ for the iPhone, which is now my 8th copy – I bought it for the PSP, two copies for the DS to play multiplayer with my kids, the PC, Mac, Wii, and normal cell phone version. All…

Reviews

RichardSolo BluePack S3 Review

I’ve been a big fan of the products distributed by RichardSolo since I reviewed their first iPhone battery for JustAnotheriPhoneBlog. That battery provided an extra 1200mAh of juice. I liked it! Then Richard gave me the opportunity to review the RichardSolo 1800 for iPhone. It was a bit bigger, bumped the extra runtime significantly and added a flashlight. I liked it even more. Now RichardSolo has introduced the BluePack S3. It ups the storage to a mind-blowing 2600mAh. That should be enough juice for even the heaviest iPhone user to never need to carry a wall charger again. That, however, isn’t…

Game Diary, Reviews

Nano Rally Review for iPhone/Touch

The idea of racing a tiny car around the kitchen table or other environments sounds like a really fun concept. I have been a huge fan of racing games my entire gaming life, but have not found the iPhone to be a great platform for these games. Nano Rally was released just over a week ago and adds a cheap and interesting twist on the driving genre. Nano Rally is a cute and attractive game. The idea is fun and the tracks have a ton of obstacles. This game has lots of potential, but there are issues (some of which…

Reviews

GearGames Review: Braid (Mac / PC / XBLA)

The hallmark of a great ‘casual’ game is that it takes elements from existing game types, wraps them around a new or innovative gameplay twist, and turns it all into something that feels fresh. It is how games like Plants vs. Zombies or Puzzle Quest take the existing gameplay from the Tower Defense and Match 3 genres respectively and turn them into engaging and addictive games that feel completely original. Today I look at another game that looks to join ranks with those by taking a fresh approach to another well-worn genre: platform games as re-imagined by developer Jonathon Blow…

Reviews

Handy Weather for S60 Review

It’s inevitable…you’re sitting on your couch, relaxing with your tivo and your Xbox…when you realize you need to go outside! But what is the weather like? How will you know whether to wear your crocs or your docs? You could get up and go outside, but that takes effort. Luckily for you, Epocware has the excellent utility Handy Weather so you can check the weather from your Symbian phone before you have to leave the couch.

Editorials

G-Map for iPhone vs. Mio – Fight!

iPhone owners have anxiously awaited the ability to run turn by turn GPS applications. AT&T has introduced a subscription solution, Tom Tom has announced a version coming soon and Navigon released their North American version last week. G-Map from X-Road (read Chris G full review from April here) is yet another option and is notably less expensive than the others. G-Map downloads maps directly to the phone so, unlike AT&T’s offering, a data connection is not required. Price points vary as there are several purchasing options. $34.99 buys either a U.S West or U.S. East version. Six regional versions are…

Reviews

CozyHoze Boss Management System Review

I have been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea over two years ago. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is where your airway closes off while you sleep causing you to stop breathing. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure is the best therapy for the moment. It uses a blower and a mask system to blow air into you as you breath in. This helps keep the airway clear so that you don’t stop breathing and you don’t wake up. As a Obstructive Sleep Apnea sufferer there are many frustrations. The first one is the mask and you just kind of have to get…

Reviews

You know, this is… excuse me… a DAMN fine cup of coffee!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I love coffee. Anyone that knows me well would have you believe I have a thermal stainless steel coffee tumbler surgically grafted to my hand. It’s my American Express — I don’t leave home without it. I don’t fiddle around and mess it up with cream, sugar, or milk. A cup of coffee, if done just right, is best au naturale. The saddest part of all this is that I’ve become accustomed to good coffee. I rarely order any at a restaurant since it’s usually weak, not made…

Reviews

The HP Pavilion dv2-1199us Laptop Reviewed

photos by Kevin As many of you know, two different MacBook Airs in a row have performed as my main computer for over a year. I can get away with using what others have called an “oversized netbook” because I don’t do a lot of processor-intensive computing beyond basic video and photo editing, and much of what I do can be done “in the cloud.” I would be lying if I didn’t say that part of the Mac’s attraction for me has always been hardware based. From the first time I laid eyes on Mitchell’s MacBook Pro, I knew it…

Reviews

BandGeek for iPhone Review

Anyone who has spent five seconds around a band room at some point in their life knows that the frequency of a middle A note is 440Hz – but what is its’ MIDI note number? Don’t know? Well then it is time for you to hit the iTunes App store and pick a very useful musical utility – BandGeek. Note: if you are asking ‘what’s a MIDI’ at this point, you should probably move along.

Gear Bits

Visit David Letterman Stage Door Weekdays 5:30 – New York Tourist Tip

Have you always wanted to see a celebrity (or two or three) up close and personal? I have a secret to share. If you’re in New York City while David Letterman tapes (check the web site because he does not tape every night) – you can wait by the stage door at 5:30 pm and watch the celebrities emerge from that night’s taping. Last night I was in the city for a Toshiba event and saw Diddy, Ginuwine and Missy Elliott. All three stopped, chatted and signed autographs for a crowd of under 15 people — Ginuwine’s manager even took…

Editorials

Credit Where Credit Is Due- Bravo Mr Bezos

I still have questions about the various DRM restrictions and policies on books bought through Amazon for the Kindle. But with regard to the most recent issue, when Amazon remotely removed books from people’s Kindles… today we all received a direct, un-compromised apology from CEO Jeff Bezos. When was the last time you saw a CEO apologize without making excuses, sidestepping or softening the blow? A CEO taking full responsibility for a mistake… Now THAT’S refreshing. Bravo Mr. Bezos!

Editorials

Rebel Scholar – Was I duped?

Rebel Scholar is somewhat new to the world of iPhone cases. They feature a wide range of slider cases each with a unique design. The company touts itself, somewhat brashly I might add, as the clear choice over its main competitor the Incase Slider and features in their blog reasons why you’d be foolish to purchase an Incase instead of one of the Rebel Scholar products. I’m okay with companies being bold when it comes to their product, as long as they’re right, and as long as they back it up when they are not. I recently placed an order for…

Reviews

Simply Tweet for iPhone Review

For whatever reason none of the big names in Twitter clients have released their updated versions that support push notification for Twitter. However, several solutions have emerged over the past few weeks to solve this issue. I recently took at look at Boxcar which is an add on to your existing Twitter client to enable push and then I looked at TwitBit which was the first full fledged Twitter client for the iPhone to support push. Now comes Simply Tweet, from Motion Obj, which has thrown its hat into the ring of new full Twitter clients with push notification for…

Reviews

Mosiaca for iPhone Review

Mosaica is an iPhone application that lets you take panoramic-like images on your iPhone and then upload them to the web where they can be shared with your friends and family. The finished images, called Mosaics are created by taking several pictures in a sequence and then overlapping them to create an interactive panoramic style image. How does Mosaica stack up against the other photography apps of its type I’ve tried?

Reviews

Handy Shell for Series 60 Review

I’ve recently become a convert to the Symbian OS. It has been a lot of fun to learn the ins and outs of a new system, especially one that approaches things as Symbian does. Nokia’s flavor of Symbian feels more phone oriented, with the PDA aspects tacked on as almost an afterthought. While this can be tweaked around a bit, the place it is felt most acutely is on the “Active Standby” screen (essentially the Symbian version of a Today Screen). The only major option if you want something that offers up more power is if you look to Epocware…

Editorials

Buying Prescription Eyeglasses Online – Why You Should Consider It

In 1999, I had Lasik surgery to correct my severe nearsightedness and astigmatism. At that time I was 32 years old, and I had been wearing prescription eyeglasses or contacts since I was 12. I have the ugly yearbook photos to prove it — just ask anyone who went to school with me in Eldorado. 😉 Because of my vision problems, it became a yearly ritual to go to an ophthalmologist or optometrist, have my eyes checked, get a prescription, and get a new pair of glasses; at best there may have been one or two years where I kept…

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