2009 | Gear Diary

Phaze for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

The developers at Astraware are at it again. Their newest release for the iPhone or iPod Touch, Phaze, places you in the pilot’s seat of a futuristic speedster spacecraft and allows you to race against opponents along an intergalactic race track. Along the way you steer your ship for the boost pads to achieve warp speed, pick up weapons to blast your opponents and collect power boosts and defensive shields. Phaze game is a fun break from traditional racing games.

Reviews

Voice Control with Vlingo 3.0 Plus Review

Vlingo provides voice-control for BlackBerry devices, iPhones, and is currently beta-testing a version for Nokia smartphones (N95, N95 8GB, E51 and E71). I have been using free versions of Vlingo on both a BlackBerry and an iPhone, and have been very impressed. When Vlingo released version 3.0 for the BlackBerry, I immediately wanted to put the update through it’s paces.

Reviews

Griffin TuneFlex AUX SmartClick

Like many of the people here at Gear Diary, I am a gadget freak. I have mobile gadgets, gadgets in my house, and gadgets in my car. The problem with all these gadgets, of course, is all the cables and wires that go along with the gadgets. In the car, at least, Griffin has addressed part of my problem with their TunFlex AUX SmartClick. It allows you to mount your iPhone on a lighter-based stand, eliminating the power cord. So does it work well? Read on…

Editorials

China Blocks… Pretty Much Everything

It’s amazing that in these troubling times filled with economic uncertainty and unbridled social woe, the petty-minded governments of various countries still manage to find the time and resources to censor media outlets in order to protect their citizenry from the corrupting influence of free speech. Iran briefly blocked access to Facebook, ahead of its June presidential elections. China has upped the ante by blocking, amongst others, Twitter, Flickr and Hotmail. Even Microsoft’s newly unveiled bing search engine hasn’t been spared. The ongoing media blackout occurs ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre this Thursday (June 4).

Reviews

The Sims3 for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

As we reported last night, the iTunes App Store was set to release one of its most anticipated titles since its launch. EA has just released the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the most popular PC game of all time, The Sims3. If you’re not familiar with the game, The Sims focuses entirely on the lives of virtual people called Sims, placing the player in control of their virtual “world” and their daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, reading, and bathingPriced at $9.99 the game is on the pricer end of titles in the App Store. I’ve had some time with the game…

Vehicles & Gear

New Sport model gives Ford ‘Edge’ on competition

The Ford Edge crossover utility vehicle paved the way to a new segment for Big Blue Oval to compete. The big story for 2009 is the new Edge Sport model, aimed at customers who want a fresher, hipper look – a more personalized vehicle.

News & Features

The Jitterbug J: Keep Gramps Connected Through Simplicity

Still looking to bring your parents or grand parents into the wonderful world of wireless communication, without needing to spend a month conducting a technical seminar covering how to use the phone’s features? GreatCall, Inc. has just come out with the Jitterbug J cell phone, manufactured by Samsung, which offers a loud speaker, large buttons, and easy-to-use interface. The Jitterbug J is primarily geared towards the elderly and technophobic; but can be an alternative for anyone needing basic wireless service without paying for unneeded or unwanted features never used. Additional features and Rate Plan information available after the jump.

Reviews

Wordulous for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

Cut from the same style of games as Chicktionary, Sextuple Word Challenge and Wurdle comes Wordulous from 99Games Online. Wordulous challenges you to make as many words as you can from a jumbled group of letters. With “old-school” graphics, three different types of game play and a .99 cent price tag, there’s a lot to like about this game.

Reviews

DreamGear Rumble Blaster Review

One of the best technology purchases I made was the Nintendo Wii, which was a family present two Chanukahs ago. It is a fantastic gaming platform, especially for younger children, and the motion sensitive controls are nothing short of amazing. The only problem I found, though, was that the Wii remote can get in the way of the illusion of some games. I initially found this when I was playing Star Wars on the Wii. The Wii remote just did not approximate a sword or light saber very well. Fortunately, at that time, DreamGear contacted me with a Wii lightsaber,…

Reviews

LaCie iamaKey Ultra-Mobile Storage Solution Key Chain Review

Here’s a doo-dad that James Bond might appreciate and use: the LaCie iamaKey. Available in 4 or 8GB sizes, this tiny flash memory drive is neatly camouflaged as a key. To further the illusion, the iamaKey comes complete with a weighty slipring and fob.

Vehicles & Gear

First Drives: New Lexus IS convertible, HS250h hybrid

Despite all of the news coming out of Detroit recently, the rest of the automotive world is pretty much “business as usual.” Case in point, Lexus recently rolled out a pair of new models to the automotive press – a convertible version of IS sport sedan and a new entry-luxury hybrid sedan.

How to Do It Yourself!

Take Control of Time Machine

I’m a Apple fanboy through and through. This I admit freely. But I’m also man enough to admit that not everything Apple does is perfect. Time Machine, Apple’s default back up program, is one of those not so perfect things. My biggest problem with Time Machine is the inability to customize just when Time Machine backs up. The only time management setting offered by Time Machine is on or off. When it’s on it backs up everything on your Mac, every hour. I find this to be a major nuisance as it seems my iMac is always backing itself up and it’s…

Reviews

Clue for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

Life, Sorry, Monopoly, and Clue were just some of the board games I grew up playing. Times change and with new technology comes new, updated versions of some of our favorite classics. Sometimes the updates are improvements, while other times the original seems better. Electronic Arts has become one of the premier iPhone and iPod Touch application developers. With hits like Spore, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Need For Speed Undercover and more, they are setting the bar for gaming in the iTunes App Store. One of EA’s newest releases is a remake of one of those games I grew up…

Reviews

Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 Storage Array Review

If your drive goes south, without backup storage and some type of backup strategy, you could be in a world of hurt. Everyone here at Gear Diary knows what that means… We’ve had a couple of server issues over the past few years that have caused all of us some major pain. Enter the Elite-AL Pro Qz2. It’s a RAID drive system and backup device that will accommodate up to 8TB (yes… that’s 8 TERABYTES) of data in a single drive array. Let’s take a look and see how it does with both Windows and Mac systems. The Elite-AL Pro…

Reviews

Spb TV for Symbian S60 Review

A while ago, I ranted on a Symbian forum about what a piece of cr disappointment the Nokia N96 was, and how it’d put me off Nokia smartphones forever. Until a recent firmware update, the N96 was slow, buggy and practically unusable. It creaks so much, I’ve actually come to think of the squishy casing as a feature – use it as an expensive stress ball, and it’s entertaining; the built-in DVB-H TV tuner is essentially useless anyway. Given the vitriol, you can imagine that it’d take a lot to get me interested in using the N96 again. Spb TV…

Reviews

Innocase 360 case for BlackBerry 8900 reviewed

About three weeks ago I noticed that online case and accessory distributor Seidio was introducing a new Innocase 360 for the BlackBerry 8900. What’s unique about this case is that it includes a full keyboard cover which looks nearly identical to the BlackBerry keys. I thought the cover would be useful against wet weather and keeping stray debris away. After having spent a couple weeks using the case I can say that it indeed excels in protection while falling short in a couple other areas.

Reviews

Card Mystery Review

Are you a fan of magic tricks? I’ve always been fascinated by card tricks and while in the back of my mind I know there’s often a reasonable explanation for how most tricks are done there’s still a part of me that’s happier not knowing. Card Mystery from Sunphonia is a recently released application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that will leave you wondering, “hey how’d they do that? ”

Reviews

Mobiola Snapshot for BlackBerry Review

Mobiola Snapshot is an application from Shape Services that gives BlackBerry users the ability to quickly take screen captures of applications running on their device. How well does it work? Is it worth trying out or even buying? Read on for the full review.

Reviews

GV Mobile – Update Makes It A “Must-Have” iPhone App

I would normally do a quick post over on whatsoniphone.com about an application update but this update for GV Mobile is so significant that it deserves an entire post in its own right. The application takes Google Voice and makes it a truly usable application/service on your iPhone or iPod touch. In fact, this app has now replaced the phone application at the bottom of my iPhone screen. Here’s why —

Reviews

Pogo iPhone/iPod Touch Stylus from Ten 1 Design

I know, I know, why would anyone need a stylus for their iPhone or iPod Touch? It’s designed to be finger friendly, right? Well there are a few reasons I can think of and I’ll bet, if you think about it, you’ll think of them too. Still not sure? Read on to find out and learn if the Pogo fits the bill!

Reviews

2 Games from Astraware Review

I’ve always been a big fan of Astraware. As a former Palm Pilot user I can remember playing Bejeweled on my IIIc. It’s been a long time since the days of Palm games and Astraware has come a long way since the introduction of Bejeweled. They’ve turned a blockbuster handheld game into a mega-gaming company with tons of popular titles. When Astraware asked if I’d be interested in reviewing a couple of their games for the iPhone and iPod Touch I jumped at the chance. Today I’ll be reviewing their latest game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Bubble Babble…