June 2010

Why Does AT&T’s Android Crippling Matter?

Android Central is reporting that the HTC Aria will be getting a bit of a lobotomy. You see, AT&T apparently hates the idea of sideloading apps. Sideloading means you can add apps that are not part of the regular Android marketplace through over the air download or via the USB cable on your computer. It’s for installing beta software, or software that’s only distributed through a developer’s site, and many of these are not as obscure as you’d think… Just to give you a few examples, I was away on a business trip last week. While I was there, I…

News

If Dad Loves His Tech Case-mate Has Some Nice Gifts For Dad’s Day…

Suddenly all the dads in my life are going Apple. My father-in-law loves his iPad and my dad is using a new 21″ iMac and is taking my iPhone 3GS. (Well that is… if I can ever order the iPhone 4…) If dad has an iPad you might want to get him Case-mate’s iPad cases. The Walkabout has an MSRP of $79.99. It is “Made of high-end tan leather, any dad will be happy to tote his iPad around in this case.” Information and ordering here. The Express has an MSRP of $34.99. It is “created out of a black…

Reviews

Review: Pocket Radar

I have mentioned my coaching exploits many times. I just finished my twelfth season as the head girl’s fastpitch softball coach. We had the best regular season in school history staying undefeated until losing in the state playoffs. One thing that has really changed over those twelve years is pitching. High school pitching now is as good if not better as some college pitching when I started coaching. With the pitching rubber only 43 feet from the plate, the speed of the pitching is a huge issue in my line of work. Most teams own a radar gun to not…

Game Diary, Reviews

Shift for iPhone/Touch

Once again my weekly app store search has brought yet another game. This week’s choice combines subtle, simple graphics and a cool soundtrack with platform game play and puzzle strategy into a truly addictive and unique gaming experience. Shift utilizes simple, yet intuitive controls to guide the character through each level. The game usually costs $.99 but has been free the past couple of days. Shift’s graphics are extremely simple, yet work amazingly well. No fancy 3D rendering or colorful puzzles, just black and white. Much like Spy vs. Spy, the game is entirely in black and white which is…

Editorials

Mac Mini Updated and Priced to Sell iMacs, that is

Image courtesy of GeekyGadgets By now you have likely heard that Apple did a refresh on the Mac Mini, greatly overhauling the internal and external hardware and enhancing the overall specifications … and the price. The basics are as expected – more or less a copy of the 13″ Macbook Pro with more desktop-like set of connectors. The big new features include the addition of a HDMI port, upgrade of the graphics chip, and the sleek new look. Here are some details: Most notable is the new aluminum unibody enclosure, which stands just 1.4″ tall and features an easy-to-access memory…

eBooks, Editorials

Will eBooks Rise from Borders Ashes?

(underlying image courtesy Unwitting Wit) Teleread featured an interesting article today from Laura Dawson, a publishing consultant. She believes that Borders is going to die, and the loss of a major bookstore chain will trigger more ebook adoption. It’s an interesting theory and it has merits, but I also think there are some reasons why it isn’t perfect. For starters, here’s a sample conversation from when I helped close the Framingham, MA Borders store back in 2005: Customer: Wow, I am so upset you guys are closing! I shop here all the time! (In my head): If you shopped here…

News

Dan and Larry Serve Up Gear Chat #11

We’re back with episode #11 of Gear Chat. In this episode Larry and Dan talk iPhone 4. We talk iPhone ordering, hardware likes and disappointments and more. And, of course, we’ll talk iPad and iPhone apps, tips, tricks and news. FiWi- Create 2 symmetrical Finder windows in a snap. $.99 Get it here. PadSync for Mac- Ease browsing, management and sync of iPad shared files. $9.95. Get it here. Reeder RSS Reader for iPad- $4.99. Get it here. Osfoora HD, Twitter for iPad- $3.99. Get it here. Weight Watchers Mobile for iPhone- Free. Get it here. reQall for iPhone- Free….

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

At nearly 70, Jeep is still the one.

Jeep has such a storied and legendary history while also being the one brand most synonymous with offroad. For nearly half a century the iconic runabout carried American servicemen and women to and from their assigned posts and in recent decades the Jeep Wrangler has garnered more “best of” awards in the offroad segment than all competitors combined. Several years back Jeep decided to expand the platform a bit, stretching the chassis from two doors to four, giving birth to the Wrangler Unlimited.

Reviews

Nixon Newton Satisfies My Inner-Geek Review

I’ve always wanted a Tokyo Flash watch but just haven’t pulled the trigger and ordered one. Partly because their designs are so intricate I’m worried I won’t be able to figure them out and partly because I’m a person that doesn’t like waiting. I need that immediate satisfaction. So when I stumbled upon the Nixon Newton while shopping at my local mall the other day I snatched one up. The Newton features a two-hand quartz movement with an LED light and rotating disc. No numbers on this watch. You’ll actually have to think about the time when you glance at…

Game Diary, Reviews

GearGames Retrospective: 5 PC RPG Games That Defined The Year 2009

Last month I provided an introduction to the series I am now kicking off for real: a look back at the last decade as seen through the lens of a PC Single Player RPG fan. Now after getting all of the full reviews completed for my top games for last year, it is time to begin the journey in earnest by looking at five games that shaped the genre in 2009! As a reminder of what I’m doing, as we enter a new decade I thought it was worth taking a look back at the last decade and what has…

Editorials

Is the Dream of Being a Mobile Worker Really a Nightmare?

[image via MidCo Systems ] My friends frequently give me a hard time over my obsession with mobile technology. Like the rest of the Gear Diary team — and very likely the majority of the site’s readers — I do my best to not only stay up to date but to get a lot of hands on use with various technological gear that help to untether me from the confinement of a desk. To me that’s the real point of it all: the freedom to go do what you want, when you want and still be able to take care…

Editorials

Does Android Need Custom Skins?

News has been leaking out over the last few days about the new Motorola Droid phones. They sound amazing, with high-end specs like a 4.3-inch screen, 8-megapixel camera, even HDMI out. Unfortunately, it looks like Moto is also going to be slapping MotoBlur on these phones, and that’s a huge disappointment for me. It’s not that I think stock Android is the greatest thing since sliced bread. To be honest, it’s far too plain for me. But I fix that with home replacements. I’ve tried several and for now have settled on LauncherPro. It’s simple, it’s customizable, it doesn’t slow…

News

C25K Week 5: Get Your Drink On

Larry: Week 5 done! Only four more weeks to go before Judie and I are officially 5K runners. Judie: W00t! Larry: This week the workout schedule got a little different, and we were both in for a little shock when we took a look at the schedule. Instead of like previous weeks where each of the three weekly workouts were exactly the same, during week 6 all three were different. The shocker came when we both realized that we’d go from running for eight minutes to running twenty. Judie: Larry likes to check in with me every Monday and see…

Reviews

Reeder- Finally An iPad RSS Reader I Can Love! – iPad App Review

I’ve tried them- RSS readers for the iPad that is. Seriously… I have tried pretty much every RSS reader that is available for the iPad. Why? Because the iPad is the perfect platform for catching up on numerous feeds quickly and easily and I don’t love the Google Reader web interface. Yes, I’ve tried them all and have been disappointed in all of them for one reason or another. In the end I started using the iPhone app Reeder and applying the “pixel-doubling” to it. The text and images weren’t the ebst but the RSS reader had everything I wanted…

Reviews

Belkin Dualfit Armband As a Droid Case

Since there are no specific Droid armbands, I had to get creative to find a way to carry my bulky phone while I run. A bit of google-fu led to some posts over on Droid Forums about iPhone and iPod Touch cases holding the Droid reasonably well. I’ve been using a Belkin Dualfit for the last few weeks. How does it stack up as a Droid case? Read on to find out! First of all, the Droid is a heavy phone. It’s fine when you’re carrying it in a pocket, but on your arm, you definitely notice the weight right…

Reviews

Feuerwear Jack Vertical Messenger Bag Review

Earlier this month I had a chance to review one of the most unique bags I’ve come across, the Feuerwear Scott Laptop bag, which is made from recycled fire hose. Feuerwear was also kind enough to send along one of their Jack Vertical bags after I mentioned that I thought it would be the perfect fit for the Apple iPad. I prefer vertical style bags to the more traditional horizontal briefcase or messenger style. Vertical bags just seem easier to carry and they’re more of an “eye-catcher.” The Jack is no exception. Since each Jack bag is handmade, you’ll select…

Reviews

JHAudio JH5 Custom In-Ear Monitors- Review

I love items that are custom-made. I love custom suits. I love custom shirts. I even like the custom skin I made for my iPad. But I never thought I would get a chance to use and review a pair of custom headphones. Well, thanks to JHAudio I’ve had just that opportunity. For the last week and a half I have been using their JH5 custom in-ear monitors. The monitors were custom-made from molds of my ears. Does it make a difference? Let’s take a look. But first… let’s look at the steps it took to get them made. From…

News

Growing Pains: Moving Time Again!

Apologies in advance, but we are about to change hosts, and you may notice some wonkiness with the site today as the move is made. Expect to see everything back up and running properly in the next 24 hours, or as soon as everything resolves. You’ll know if you are on the new host if you no longer see the “Old Host” notation in our footer. More on the WHY later …

News

Design Custom Jewelry Online with GemKitty

Ever wanted to design your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? Well, you no longer need to pore over the aisles at the craft store–just jump online at gemkitty.com and design your own earrings! Next week GemKitty is introducing their custom earring platform that allows users to customize a pair of earrings with five different styles, two quality metals, and over seventy real semi-precious gemstones. I was able to preview the site and it’s super easy to use–just a few clicks allows you to set your style, select from sterling silver or 14K gold filled findings, and choose…

Editorials, Vehicles & Gear

Chevy vs. Chevrolet: Social media schools GM

Call it a simple misunderstanding or an experiment in the power of the new social media, but General Motors quickly found out yesterday just how fast and wide a wildfire of emotion can spread electronically. No sooner did word come out from the General that anyone with corporate connections needs to shy away from using the nickname “Chevy” than the interwebs heated up to a frenzy level calling this decision anywhere from a bad choice to downright un-American. Wow, Chrysler did not get this much guff when they told everyone last year they had to start calling their pickup a…

Reviews

7Pipe Pro Review: A Pipe for the Self-Contained Medicinal Smoker

When I was first contacted by 7pipe about reviewing one of their products, I sent an email out to the Gear Diary team asking if any of them could use it; I asked if this might be a product they would be interested in. I’ll admit that I was a bit surprised when no one responded affirmatively. Because I thought the 7pipe to be an interesting piece of engineering, I figured I might as well take a look at it myself. I am not going to call this a full review, because I didn’t actually load the bowl and use…

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