2011

Music Diary Songs of Note: Get Ready for a New Release from the Monster Trio of Tony Levin, David Torn & Alan White!

I have written about bassist and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin several times here at Gear Diary – regarding a 1984 concert recording, Bill Bruford’s autobiography, and in my review of Trey Gunn’s Modulator – yet his name has yet to appear in a headline. Today I finally remedy that! I have been a huge fan of Tony Levin since first hearing him on King Crimson’s Discipline and then seeing him live on the tour supporting that record – which was 30 years ago! He has remained a strong creative voice in instrumental music and a tremendous innovator on the…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Rdio and MOG Offer Gift Cards, Rdio Introduces Family Plans

With the launch of Spotify crowding the relatively small on-demand music market, Rdio and MOG are working hard to maintain current members and to continue to grow their businesses. Rdio already has a great iPad app – the first one in the category – and MOG is working hard on one of their own. Loyal users recommend one service or the other to their friends. Now each has introduced ways for music fans to enjoy the services – MOG and Rdio now offer Gift Cards, and Rdio offers family subscriptions. Gift cards are a great way to give someone the…

News & Features

Waterfield Unveils Their New Tablet Ultimate SleeveCase

As much as I have been disappointed with the Blackberry Playbook, HTC Flyer and other 7″ tablets I have tried I still love the size. They are easier to carry and hold than their larger cousins. That alone makes them worth considering if you are in the market for a tablet this fall. If you have a small tablet or plan on getting one Waterfield has a great way to take it with you. Their new Ultimate SleeveCase looks great and offers tremendous protection thanks to its great build-quality, impact plastic and a thick nylon shell. Here’s what they have…

Game Diary, Reviews

Drop7 Free by Zynga for iPhone/Touch/iPad

I recently noticed my wife enthralled with an iPhone game. That is kind of strange in itself. I didn’t ask what it was for a few evenings, but could tell it was some sort of puzzle game. When I finally inquired about what she was doing, she told me I had to download Drop7 Free. That was either a big mistake or a good thing depending on how you look at it. Now we both cannot put the game down. In fact, while trying to finish this paragraph, I have played the game twice! Let’s take a look at how…

Music Diary, Reviews

Music Diary Review: Nat Janoff – ‘Come Together Move Apart’ (2010, Jazz)

Nat Janoff – ‘Come Together Move Apart’ As I have said before, I have been thrilled and overwhelmed by how many great artists have contacted me as a result of my reviews here at Gear Diary. On the one hand it has meant discovering artists and music I would otherwise have missed … but on the other hand it becomes challenging to properly absorb all of the great music (I know, pity me right?). I still find myself discovering new things in recordings from last year, so it is great in many ways when the craziness of life and new…

News & Features

Gaypon: Daily Deals and Giving Back to the Community!

This is such a cool idea, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more “daily deals” type sites trying the Gaypon concept. Basically, they are a regular deals site, but a portion of the proceeds go to gay and lesbian charities, plus the companies featured in the deals are specifically vetted as being gay-friendly. It’s a great bit of niche marketing, and supports some very worthwhile organizations. Here’s a bit more background on Gaypon: Gaypon offers deals, discounts, coupons & special offers from gay friendly businesses that support the LGBT. We make arraignments with businesses that agree to extend special savings to…

Editorials

To iPad or Not to iPad?

It’s simply the latest variation of that popular topic: is your [thing] better than my [thing], or is it the other way ’round? Wine, or beer? Ford or GM? Tastes great, or less filling? Mac or PC? “Firefly” or “Buffy”? (“Firefly”, dammit!) Yesterday, your faithful Gear Diary team was hashing over the topic of iPad, or Android tablet. As you might expect with a collection of Appleheads, PC mavens, UNIX and Linux folks, and all the rest, it got heated, involved, and nerdly. It started with a friendly discussion between Francis and Joel as to which device Joel might…

Game Diary, Reviews

Gear Games Review: Everything You Need to Know About Madden 12 for iPhone/iPad in a Single Image

Late last night I spotted Madden 12 HD in the iTunes App Store, and like the impulsive fool I am … I bought it. I had planned to run through a full and thorough review of the game, but instead spent a few hours trying to be sure that I wasn’t actually still playing Madden 11! This afternoon I came across the review at TouchArcade … and it really sums things up perfectly. All they did was take their review from last year and make a few cross-outs and changes: ‘m kind of at a loss as to what to…

News & Features

Wacom Inkling Digital Sketch Pen Is New Spin on Digital Analog Technology

(Image courtesy of Wacom) While the iPad has become synonymous with the term “tablet”, there has been other digital tablet technology, such as the Tablet PC and the Livescribe Pulse Pen which came out before and is surviving, albeit in more of a niche market. So it is rare for me to see any new devices, especially in the analog-to-digital space. While I love handwriting recognition on the Tablet PC and touch typing on the iPad, there has always been an appeal to writing on actual paper. The Livescribe handles this well, but requires the use of their special (Anoto-based) paper…

Reviews

Nook Touch Cover Review: Oberon Design Large and Small Sleeves

The Hype: For those that like to use their E Reader without a cover, we’ve designed the Oberon E Reader Sleeve with extreme portability in mind. Lighter and thinner than our E Reader Corner Cover, our sleeve fits easily into a purse, backpack or briefcase. Our sleeve is leather lined and our magnet closure ensures the security of your device. We designed our sleeve so that the magnetized strap is on the front of the cover and our signature Britannia pewter strap attachment is on the back to avoid any potential scratching of the E Reader screen. All of our…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Fiat’s New 500c Cabrio: Now THAT’S Italian!

Move over MINI, we got the real Italian Job right here… Fiat is taking the ‘New World’ by storm and the hottest thing since the Vespa scooter has landed in America – the Fiat 500c Cabrio. The first “Nuova Cinquecento” debuted in the summer of 1957 as a cabriolet model and offered a distinctive canvas roof that opened right down the middle to the rear of the vehicle. Fast forward 54 years and Fiat builds on the brand’s spirit of building world-class small cars that ignite a “spirit of the times through simple design.” Sporting unique but modern Italian styling,…

eBooks

Time Traveling with Macworld!

Here at Gear Diary, we try to keep you up to date on the latest news. We’ve managed to get our hands on the December issue of Macworld! What’s coming up this Fall/Winter for Apple? Read on to find out! First up, new OS! Yes, OS X 10.1 is finally here, and it promises to bring even the most faithful Classic users into the new OS X fold. Plus Microsoft Office V.X is being released, so productivity will skyrocket with your new 700mhz iMac! But Apple needs to keep their eyes on the competition, since Microsoft now has their big…

News & Features

Chatbots Prove Robots Want intro to Philosophy, Not War

Engadget caught this bizarre and amazing video from some Cornell researchers, who pitted a Chatbot in a conversation with itself. Apparently, all Chatbot wants is to study philosophy! Don’t believe me? Watch the video below, and then check out my commentary showing how the Chatbot(s) just want to talk Plato. Let’s see…the Chatbot(s) start with social contract theory. They exchange pleasantries and indicate an attempt to set rules of engagement so no one gets stabbed in their sleep (do Chatbot(s) sleep?). Then they move on to personal identity theory; what are they? What is a robot? If one Chatbot is…

Gear Bits

Saved by ‘Old’ Technology!

I have said it before and I’ll say it again – the iPod Touch is the worst iPod I have ever owned. Why do I say that? Because one of my main listening modes is in the car to and from work and between different offices, and changing anything requires you to look at the iPod Touch – and therefore away from whatever else you are doing! And as Carly mentioned here, that can be a very dangerous prospect. For a long time I used a second generation 4GB iPod Nano, but the screen slowly stopped functioning and then the…

Reviews

Nook Touch Cover Review: Oberon Design ‘Tree of Life’

I had written about my nifty new Nook Touch a couple of months ago, and it has really become my constant companion for ebook reading. My family got me a basic cover from Barnes & Noble that clips in the device and closes with a magnetic strip. It gets the job done, but not nearly as stylishly as the cover my wife and son have on their Nooks. So when I had the chance to check out the new covers specifically for the Nook Touch by Oberon Design, I jumped at the chance! Let’s see how the new cover in…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: No, The Irony of MTV Having a Video ‘Music’ Awards Show Was NOT Lost on Me!

I feel I need to make a few comments on the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). But before I get started, let me share the one opinion that many, many long-time music fans share, as told on Twitter by Adam Levine, front man for pop group Maroon 5: As I said, at this point MTV hosting the VMA show is much more a matter of tradition than one of them being at the vanguard of music videos … or even very much involved in them at all! There was an early moment of self-irony when they had the case of…

News & Features

Keep Other Kid’s Hands off Your Kid’s Food with Lunch Bugs

Now that the kids are back in school, it’s time to think about practical matters such as how to make sure your son’s lunch doesn’t end up in some other kid’s mouth. Here’s an idea: Lunch Bugs sandwich bags. Lunch Bugs Sandwich Bags have a skittery surprise. Need some security when it comes to your sandwich? Our Lunch Bugs Sandwich Bags have a pre-printed bug on the sandwich bag. So the pest that goes to steal your sandwich will see a pest of another kind already calling dibs. There are 24 Lunch Bugs sandwich bags in a pack, and if…

News & Features

iPad 2 Case Review: Aranez iPad 2 Notebook Kangaroo Leather Case

The other day we brought word of a new folio-style case for the iPad 2 that is made of kangaroo leather. It looked great and carried a premium price north of $100. Then again, the case is made from kangaroo leather and that stuff ain’t cheap. (Or so we hear.) Well, the Aranez iPad 2 Notebook Kangaroo Leather Case arrived right after the news post went live and we’ve run it through its paces. Is it worth the price? Does the kangaroo leather really make a difference? You decide. Fortunately, while the case comes in a nice box it didn’t…

Music Diary

Music Diary Songs of Note: When Live is Better Than Studio

In pop and rock music, the benefits of seeing a live show are largely about the experience – either the artist has a great stage show, loads of energy, or just presents a great opportunity to share a love of music with other like-minded individuals. Seldom is what happens live better than the studio representation – and sometimes when the theatrics of the stage show are highlighted the live elements are enhanced with pre-recorded elements. Of course, there are many, many exceptions to this … but for every Frank Zappa or Bruce Springsteen there are a dozen Tom Pettys or…

News & Features

New Sony Reader Leaks — How Badly Do They WANT to Fail???

Big news if you’re a Sony fan! A Dutch site has leaked pictures and specifications of the new Sony Readers. (The same ones Sony has been denying were coming) They look…well, let’s check out the specs and then I’ll give my opinion. Translated from Google: Description The Sony PRS-T1 watching his brother looks on Mobile, the Xperia, with its curves and high quality chrome finish. Thin and light, so easy to take. The Sony PRS-T1 weighs only 168 grams. The screen is of the highest quality and provides optimal reading conditions. And while the battery will not suffer it. The Sony PRS-T1 read it one…

Editorials

Not Everyone is Ready to “Think Different” or Even to “Think Smart”

There’s an old story about three blind men. One grabbed an elephant’s trunk and thought it was a snake. One grabbed a leg and thought it was a tree trunk. Another grabbed… Oh you get the idea. The bottom line is, when you look at only one piece of anything you are not going to see clearly… Or correctly. Yet time and again decisions get made upon this small-picture limited-think. Here’s yet another example. A post over on Cult of Mac today offers the following. Here’s an idea: let’s cut Apple in half. Sure, the company is the most profitable on the…

« 1 … 27 28 29 30 31 … 84 »