July 2010

World’s Largest Gummy Bear … What is the Serving Size?

Sometimes you never know what a friend from a forum is going to send you. A site named Vat19 has launched what they are calling the ‘Worlds Biggest Gummy Bear’ (WLGB) and are actually selling it online! They also have a cool tagline – These are real. They are awesome. You can buy them. Here is what they say: The World’s Largest Gummy Bear is the lion of the candy world. There is no candy more magnificent or more powerful. This five-pound beast is the equivalent of 1,400 regular sized gummy bears and packs a whopping 12,600 calories. Its monstrous…


Ford to launch next Explorer into cyberspace

No pyrotechnics, no dazzling light show or blaring music, no lasers and no Vogue runway models. Ford Motor Company will not be using any of the usual tricks and effects found surrounding a new model launch when they introduce the world to the 2011 Ford Explorer next week. Instead, they plan on a massive Facebook attack combined with face-to-face events in key markets throughout North America. Like pornstars and musicians before them, automakers are migrating to the web for their venue of choice to reach the masses.


Pocket Informant HD for iPad Now Available

We had a sneak peek of Pocket Informant HD for iPad back in June. It… is… awesome! At the time we thought the app would be released within a week or so but it took a while longer. Well it is finally live in the App Store and right now it is 1/2 price. That’s means it is just $6.99. Grab it HERE. Seriously, I’ve had it for over a month and it rocks! Thanks for the heads up Travis (Now, stop bugging me about when it is coming!) 🙂


iPhone Game Review: mTanks!

I am embarrassingly tardy with this review, but the reasoning is actually good news and worth mentioning. I had been playing mTanks on my iPod Touch but then the kids got out of school, we went on vacation, and I got busy getting my iPod Touch set up for my wife to use to read ebooks on vacation. Long story short, I forgot about the game completely. Before I finish the story, let’s see what this mTanks is all about: The Hype: 4 days ago NASA’s Spirit rover discovered a growing army of tanks beneath the surface of Mars. The…


JAVOedge Axis Case for iPad: Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

JAVOedge has been churning out accessories for our “i” devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) for quite some time.  I’ve been happy with many of them but their recently released “Axis” case for the iPad might be one of the most innovative cases I’ve had the opportunity to use. The Axis case looks like a traditional book style iPad case, but don’t judge a book by its cover.  The Axis allows you to prop up your iPad in both the vertical and horizontal positions, a feature I’ve not yet seen on any other iPad case. The case is available in three color…


Omino for iPhone/Touch App Review

Games are advancing at a blistering rate and the iPhone has become a wonderful platform for today’s video games.  Most new games are all about reality and 3D graphics.  When I try to explain Atari or NES games to my son, he thinks it is crazy nothing was 3D and totally realistic.  The joy of playing 16 bit games while I was in Jr. High School cannot be explained.  With power-ups and level bosses, our idea of video games completely transformed into what would become modern-day gaming.  I still remember sitting up all night during the summer with my buddies…


The No-TV experiment Diary

Last week my fiancée and I set out to do a no-TV week, and here are my quick thoughts on how it went! Day 1: Not terrible. The worst withdrawal symptoms were right after work, when we would normally flop down on the couch until it was time to hit the gym and be tortured by the personal trainer. Instead, we cleaned the kitchen. And we ate dinner at the table, instead of on the couch (shocking) and were extremely productive! So far the biggest issue is that we may need to get a helmet for the dog. He keeps…


Turn your Apple iDevice Into a Universal Remote with the RedEye Mini

As Joel Evans from the Mobile Gadgeteer explains, “when it comes to Apple and its proprietary dock connector, many developers have been left out in the cold when it comes to wanting to create the perfect add-on for the iPhone or iPod touch.” But of course, no enterprising inventor is going to let a proprietary dock get in their way when there is another perfectly good non-proprietary dock available on every Apple iPod, touch, iPhone and iPad. Hello RedEye Mini … the headphone jack! Ahhhhhh! So what’s a RedEye Mini? Simply put, “it’s a dongle that plugs into your iDevice’s headphone jack,…


iPad Game Review: Mystery of the Crystal Portal

I had bought Mystery of the Crystal Portal for my iPad when I was heading out on vacation. While I was quite occupied with Puzzle Quest 2 on the DS, I love the occasional ‘hidden object’ game, and have been VERY happy with stuff from G5 games (like Mahjongg Artifacts) … so I figured I’d give it a try. When I came back I got a message from G5 noting that the game was being released as a PSP Mini and offering me a review copy, which I quickly accepted! I figured that I would be able to quickly decide…


PSP Mini Game Review: Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2

Not long ago I reviewed the recently released Mahjongg Artifacts, which was a sequel to one of the earliest PSP Minis, Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2. Recently Sony announced that more than 1 million PSP Minis had been downloaded worldwide … and guess what game was #8 on the ‘top ten most popular’ list? That’s right – Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2! So to celebrate that achievement the kind folks at G5 have provided us a review copy of their hit game. The Hype: Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 is one of the most popular mahjong games on PC now available on PSP…


OtterBox Will Defend Your iPhone 4 From Reception Issues … Among Other Things

Some people’s devices never have to brave anything worse than a little bit of travel time as they are transported from the house to the car to the building their owner works in; other devices get put in precarious situations every day — whether it be from danger from dropping, crushing, or simply dust and grit damaging the finish. For those devices, OtterBox makes a line of ruggedized cases that not only protect, they also look quite good. Newest is the iPhone 4 Defender Series Case, and for $49.99 you’ll be able to breathe easy while hiking, camping, biking, or…


Zoom’s H1 Handy Recorder Available for Pre-order

Zoom’s H1 Handy Recorder is small. How small? Here’s a picture of it in hand… In fact it is small enough to mount right on a camera. Despite its size the H1 records big sound. As the company explains… Like all Zoom recorders, the H1’s onboard microphones are configured in an X/Y pattern, for stunning stereo imaging. Because both mics are arranged on the same axis, they are equidistant from the sound source for perfect localization and no phase shifting. The result is great stereo recordings with natural depth and accurate imaging. The Zoom H1 has an MSRP of $159.99…


From the “Now Why Didn’t I Think of This?” Files- Antennaids For iPhone 4

Come on, admit it, somewhere along the line you thought for a fleeting moment “You know, a thin, strategically placed band-aid might fix the iPhone 4’s woes!” But then you didn’t do anything with the idea. Well someone has acted on it and you can now fix up to six iPhone 4’s for just $4.99. That’s right, for just $4.99 you can get six of these cute, Bandaid-looking strips that, when placed just right, might help eliminate the antennuation problem some are encountering with the iPhone 4. Personally I kind of prefer the subtle black of the skin I recently…


MyJobChart Web Site Review: A Fun Way To Track Kids’ Chores

Anyone who is a parent knows the struggle of keeping your wonderful kiddos on top of their chores.  As the father of two young and arguably crazy boys, it seems that we could spend the entire day cleaning up their messes.  There are many strategies to getting the younglings to take care of their chores and I think I have tried them all.  The problem in my house is not getting the kids to help out but more of them cleaning up then dragging out a different room full of toys five minutes later.  They seem to not mind helping…


Amazon Kindle DX Makes Difference In Centenarian’s Life

Here’s a great story about technology making a real difference in one person’s quality of life… My mom just turned 100 in June of this year. She says she has the mind of a 50 year old and the body of a 100 year old and in truth she certainly doesn’t look 100. But she is 100 (and has the Happy Birthday letter from the President to prove it) and, as a result, she has some physical limitations. Among them, she has macular degeneration. According to her eye specialist she won’t go blind but her vision has gotten so bad…


Speck PixelSkin HD – Review

My search for the “perfect” iPhone 4 case that strikes just the right balance between protecting my iPhone, reducing the chance of an antenna issue and maintaining the thin design of the handset has brought me to check out Speck’s new PixelSkin HD. Designed with their well-received PixelSkin cases in mind, the PixelSkin HD uses smaller “DPI” (read- smaller boxes in the design) and is made from a significantly harder material. From Speck- Patterns and textures can turn “plain” into absolutely fabulous. PixelSkin HD has a shiny polished back with matte pixel overlay, creating an eye catching, sophisticated, and modern…


Does Your GPS Have a Tone, or Is It All in Your Head?

I have road rage issues. I tend to get very frustrated by traffic and being lost; unfortunately, I live in New Jersey and have what amounts to a completely inverted sense of direction. So it’s not uncommon to find myself stuck in traffic in a strange place while trying to calm my frustrations…and then the GPS pipes up with a “RECALCULATING” and suddenly I am plotting the highest point from which I can drop the evil beast of a device. Luckily, I am not alone. According to CNN, it’s fairly common to have a negative reaction to GPS-voice. Basically, while…


Speck PixelSkin for iPad – Review

The folks at Speck keep rolling out new cases for the Apple iPad. This time around they sent a review unit of a case that uses their increasingly familiar pixel design and brings it to a skin that wraps the iPad in a thick protective layer shielding everything but the screen. Let’s take a look. From Speck: The tactile pixel texture and perfect amount of “squish” is what makes this rubberized iPad case so grippy in-hand and famously protective. Works great with our ShieldView screen films. When I first opened the case and took a look at it I talked…


Wowee One Portable Speaker Review

There is a constant issue I am on a quest to resolve.  With all of these wonderful mobile devices and streaming music etc, I have spent a lot of time listening to my media on what are, at best, sub-par speakers.  My iPhone, iPad and even MacBook Pro are all amazing devices, but none provide audio of acceptable quality.  I do have several speaker devices around the house that sound great but none of them are particularly mobile.  Recently the folks at Wowee One allowed me to review their new Gel Audio mobile speaker unit.  The company promises full range…


Random Cool Video – ‘Balloon Accelerator’ Made From Dyson Bladeless Fans

If you have ever used any of the products by British inventor James Dyson (who also does his own commercials), you know they are pretty cool. At Gear Diary we are all about technology that is cool, so this video immediately grabbed our attention. The image at the top shows how the fan technology works in terms of the mechanics, and the image below shows the flow-front produced. The fan draws in random air from behind and pushes it out with 15x the force in a nicely focused beam. Using the focused draw and push of the fan design, folks…


Steve Jobs- “There Is No Antennagate…”

Steve Jobs took the stage this afternoon to address the growing perception that the iPhone 4 has a fundamental flaw that can only be remedied by a recall. He took a multi-pronged approach and, in the process, turned lemons into some delicious lemonade. First he showed real examples of other smartphones displaying the same phenomena as the iPhone 4. Wrapping up he said that phones aren’t perfect and this is a flaw in many phones. It is just that the iPhone 4 marked the spot externally thanks to the thin black line separating the antennas. Then he used something that…