2009

Nintendo DSi After a While Review

Reviews

Nintendo DSi After a While Review

I had grand plans to do a review of the Nintendo DSi right after I bought it on release day back in April – I was going to take a quick look at the new cameras, SD slot, MP3 player, and the DSiWare store. But at the time I was in the middle of playing one of the better games the DS has seen – Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars, in my opinion the best game in the GTA series – and then I immediately started playing Broken Sword and Black Sigil and … well, time sort of got away,…

Stationstops returns to iTunes Apps Store - Metro North Train Scheduling

News & Features

Stationstops returns to iTunes Apps Store – Metro North Train Scheduling

You may have read about the plight of StationStops. The application uses train schedules from the New York MTA to create an incredibly useful iPhone train schedule listing for trains going into and out of Grand Central Terminal. At some point the MTA took issue with the use of train schedules in a paid iPhone app. In August, negotiations between StationStops and MTA seeking a licensing agreement for transit data broke down, resulting in MTA Marketing and Legal departments sending a cease and desist to Apple. Well fortunately the two parties have worked out their differences and StationStops is once…

No Picture

News & Features

Firefighter Robot might save lives one day

Hoya Robot, A South Korean company, is developing a robot that one day might just help save the lives of both victims and firefighters.  The Firefighter’s Assistant Robot can enter burning building and size up the scene as well as check for victims who may be trapped inside. The unit can operate for up to 30 minutes and withstand temperatures of up to 320 degrees F.  Weighing in at only 3 pounds the robot is water resistant and it can survive falls of up to 6 feet.  It’s small enough that it can fit in the palm of your hand….

iPhone/AT&T Feature Checklist... MMS- CHECK! VOiP Over 3G - CHECK! Tethering - NOPE!

News & Features

iPhone/AT&T Feature Checklist… MMS- CHECK! VOiP Over 3G – CHECK! Tethering – NOPE!

I am still a bit surprised by AT&T’s sudden decision to allow VOiP over 3G. Happy but surprised. Sure the decision might just be an attempt to deflect some of the mounting criticism over lousy service (30% of calls in NYC are dropped!!) and numerous conflicts over apps like Google Voice and Slingbox. But no matter what the reason, I’ll take. AT&T has had a good couple of week. First they finally got MMS pushed out to iPhones. Now 3G VOiP. What’s next?? Perhaps tethering? NOPE! Don’t expect it any time soon. Here’s why… According to a Wall Street journal…

OtterBox Commuter Series cases for iPhone 3G & 3GS Review

Reviews

OtterBox Commuter Series cases for iPhone 3G & 3GS Review

OtterBox has always been one of my favorite case manufacturers.  I use their Defender Series case for my iPhone 3GS religiously.  My review of it was the very first article I wrote for Gear Diary.  There’s no denying the Defender Series is a bulky case.  While it provides an unparalleled level of protection for your device it also increases the overall size of your phone substantially. I realize the Defender series isn’t for everyone and OtterBox does as well.  For this reason the company has just recently released two new cases, under their new Commuter line.  The cases, the Commuter…

Hip Holster 6000 for Mophie Juice Pack™ Review

Reviews

Hip Holster 6000 for Mophie Juice Pack™ Review

One of the most important accessories I carry day in and day out is the Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 3G and 3GS. ($79.95) It is light, doubles as a protective case, and its 1200 mAh battery adds up to 270 hours of standby time, for 4.5 hours of talk time (on 3G) and more. It is a great accessory to keep around, especially on days such as today, when I will be out and about for the next 12 to 14 hours. There is, however, one problem with the case/battery- it adds just enough bulk and weight but…

Word Scramble 2 for iPhone App Review

Reviews

Word Scramble 2 for iPhone App Review

Scramble is the fast fun game of finding words in a jumbled grid. Compete with friends and play live with fellow word game fans. The iPhone has proven to be a great gaming platform especially for puzzle games.  I am a fan of word games like scrabble and text twist.  Way back when we used to actually play board games (like physical games, not on a screen!), I liked to play boggle.  You remember it!  Letter covered dice are shaken up and fall into a grid then each player forms as many words as possible while the sand timer drained. …

SPB TV Review: TV in my pocket!

Reviews

SPB TV Review: TV in my pocket!

With my schedule I find myself with tons of down time throughout any given day. Being in Dr’s waiting rooms, bus rides in the spring during baseball season, or just sitting on a bench while my wife spends hours in the mall emptying our bank account…I always turn to one thing, my BlackBerry. While I have tons of games that could pass the time, RSS feeds to read, or movies to watch…sometimes I just want something more, something live, maybe even a newscast to watch instead of reading the news. Well SPB TV Is an application that shows live TV…

New Trojan Horse Targets Online Banking, Does More Than Steal Login Information

News & Features

New Trojan Horse Targets Online Banking, Does More Than Steal Login Information

This is one of those bits of news that bears repeating, particularly if you use online banking.  CNET is reporting about a new type of Trojan horse, known as URLZone, that is designed not to steal your login information for online banking sites, but rather to actually steal your money while you’re on the bank’s website.  URLZone is sophisticated enough that it calculates how much money to steal based on how much is in your account, then displays a false balance to the user so as not to arouse suspicion. The Trojan is being distributed through emails, infected sites that…

Golvellius - The Valley of Doom for iPhone Review

Reviews

Golvellius – The Valley of Doom for iPhone Review

Over the past few months I have highlighted the anticipated release of the Sega Master System classic Golvellius for the iPhone. A couple of weeks ago the game finally released, and the folks at DotEmu were kind enough to provide a promotional code for the App Store, so I’ve been enjoying playing it since. For me there are two questions: does it hold up as a standalone gaming experience for folks like me who never played before, and does it work as fan service for fans who played it two decades ago? Read on and find out!

Baseball Superstars 2010 for iPhone Review

Reviews

Baseball Superstars 2010 for iPhone Review

Baseball Superstars from Gamevil was one of the very first sports games I loaded on my iPhone.  I’m a big fan of sports games and until its release there really wasn’t a good team sports game in the iTunes App Store. Gamevil has followed up it super successful title with an all new version of the game.  Baseball Superstars 2010 features several new enhancements and features which make it one of the top baseball games available for the iPhone OS.

ION Power Pack Review

Reviews

ION Power Pack Review

I’ve tried a few external batteries for my iPhone 3Gs, but none of them have stuck.  The cases type (Mophie Jucie Pack Air, Incase Power Slider) are nice but I prefer to use a regular case most of the time and the case batteries result in a much larger phone profile.  The other choice, external batteries which plug into the bottom of the phone, are usually bulky or have an awkward connector. The iON Power Pack from FSP Direct solves many of my external battery pet peeves.  It features a 1500 mAh battery in a super slim credit card sized…

Altec Lansing Orbit USB iML237 Speaker Review

Reviews

Altec Lansing Orbit USB iML237 Speaker Review

Last year Judie reviewed the Altec Lansing Orbit speaker.  It was an interesting speaker that can be used with any device sporting a normal 3.5 mm headphone jack.  The downside to using such a speaker with a laptop is that the internal sound card in most laptops can be a bit noisy. Altec Lansing recently sent me a sample of their  Orbit USB iML237 speaker. It solves the sound card issue perfectly.  

Inconsistency ... Skype App- Yes, Vonage App- Yes, Google Voice App- Nope...

News & Features

Inconsistency … Skype App- Yes, Vonage App- Yes, Google Voice App- Nope…

Leave it to Michael Arrington to hit the nail on the head. In a post over on TechCrunch, Arrington points out how the recent approval of an iPhone app for Vonage merely serves to highlight the total nonsense Apple spewed when trying to explain their Google Voice rejection. The gist… Apple said the Google Voice app was rejected because it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls… All good and well until you take a closer look and see…

Windows Mobile 6.5 is Officially Released

News & Features

Windows Mobile 6.5 is Officially Released

Last week Wayne and I had the opportunity to sit in on an NDA workshop discussing the new and updated features of Windows Mobile 6.5. Wayne got hung up and couldn’t attend (pesky day job getting in the way, again!), but I was able to sit in an hear a bit about 6.5 and Marketplace, Microsoft’s new software store for Windows Phones. Those of you who read our GearChat back in February will recognize many of the new 6.5 screens, and yes – the Zune-like interface is still present.

Skooba Designs CheckThrough Backpack Review

Reviews

Skooba Designs CheckThrough Backpack Review

I. Am. A. Mobile. Computing. User… Period. I live for converged devices, laptops, netbooks, and data on the go. I’ve got unlimited data on my Smartphone account; and have tethered my laptop to my phone when I need to be online in a pinch. When I travel, I need to take it with me; and when it comes to airport security, I dread the TSA required aerobics and mandatory disrobing… Thankfully, to help make things easier, Skooba Design has created the CheckThrough Backpack.  Let’s take a quick look to see how (and if) this thing makes traveling easier…

SoundID 400 And Sound ID Remote Microphone - Review

Reviews

SoundID 400 And Sound ID Remote Microphone – Review

Last April I reviewed the SoundID 300 Bluetooth Headset. I described it as “Comfortable; Great sound on both ends; Looks good.” Did I really like it? Well let’s just say that since April it is the headset I most regularly use. So how do you improve on at headset that already is comfortable to wear, not obvious when worn and offers great sound? The company has found a way. Here’s a look at the new SoundID 400 Bluetooth Headset…

2010 Mazda6: Zoom-zoom evolution

Vehicles & Gear

2010 Mazda6: Zoom-zoom evolution

Despite building some decent midsize sedans over the years, Mazda knew it needed to undertake a significant model makeover in order to keep pace with the CD-segment, namely Accord and Camry. With this newest Mazda6 they have done just that. Their mantra? Zoom-zoom evolution.