2012

Best Gear Surprises of 2012

As 2012 comes to an end I thought I might take a quick look at a couple of specific gadgets that surprised and delighted me over the past year. So here a quick list of my personal “Best Gear Surprises of 2012”. MacBook Pro with Retina Display The biggest change in my gear this past year came in the form of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. I loved using and carrying my MacBook Air but the pull of a retina display-equipped laptop was too much. I bit. So did Judie. In fact, there was a bit of back and…

eBooks

Ways To Read More In 2013 On Any Budget!

I love books. I know I am slightly biased, being a former bookstore employee, but I like to think that most people like reading books. The hard part is finding books you want to read. Maybe you can’t find the right authors, or books have gotten too pricey, or you haven’t made the leap to ebooks yet…but don’t worry. No matter the obstacle, at Gear Diary we are here to help you make sure your 2013 reading list stays nice and full! Book Discovery: This is the hardest part. Maybe you have a local bookstore you can pop into…

Editorials, Game Diary

Video Game Violence

As recently reported in USA Today, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) introduced a bill to examine the impact of violent content, including video games, on children…This possible bill would require the National Academy of Sciences to submit a report within 18 months on whether violent video games and other programming adversely affect children. Other studies have not been able to provide conclusive evidence that video games, movies, television programming or media in general have adverse effects. It’s not a simple issue of finding evidence or a “smoking gun” because there is no way an entity, including the National Academy of…

Reviews

ProClip iPad Mini Mount System Review; Be Safer on the Road in 2013 with ProClip

From now until 2013, we’re going to take a look at some New Year’s Resolutions and a Gear Diary way to help you keep them. New Year Resolution: Drive More Safely Okay, let’s get this out-of-the-way upfront – the safest place for your phone while driving is in your pocket or bag. That helps ensure that it won’t become a distraction while you fly down the road at 65 miles an hour. If you aren’t going to keep your phone out of the way, however, you’d best have a secure place to keep it lest it become a projectile during…

Reviews

TmTeam Gen. L. Case for iPhone 5 Review

TmTeam’s Gen. L. Case, made from genuine Turkish leather, is more of a protective pouch than a typical iPhone case. The design is simple; the pouch resembles an eyeglass case but has a tab that weaves from inside the case to the outside. When the phone is in the case, pull the tab, which causes the nylon strap on the inside to become taut and raises the phone for removal. The tab remains on the outside of the case and has a magnet to help keep the phone in place. Note: The printed leather case’s tab is magnetic while the…

News

2012, the Year the Netbook Died, a Eulogy

It’s been widely reported over the web that Acer and Asus are pulling out of the netbook market as of today effectively ending the netbook as a viable platform. It says a great deal when Asus, who practically invented the netbook, has said they are done. I write not to bury the netbook but to praise it for what it was: a great and cheap way to get things done on the web. I remember the very first netbook, the Asus EeePC 701. It wasn’t the most powerful thing out there. It had a 900 MHz Celeron, 7 inch screen…

Reviews

AT&T LG Optimus G Android Phone Review

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Android for some time; I’m not sure exactly when it started, but I think that it was around the time that I realized that just because an app was available, it didn’t mean I could necessarily install it on my phone. Lockdowns by carriers and various hardware limitations made Android apps non-universal across the platform, and that was a hard concept for me to accept. The very nature of Android being an open platform meant that the OS could be made to run on some rather unimpressive hardware, but it didn’t always run smoothly or offer a…

Game Diary, News

Need For Speed Most Wanted DLC Released, Ultimate Speed Pack

Still need some speed? Electronic Arts delivers in impressive fashion with the Ultimate Speed Pack, which is available for download on $9.99 at PlayStation Store (PS3) and Origin (PC), and for 800 Microsoft points on Xbox Live Marketplace (Xbox 360). This Need For Speed Most Wanted downloadable content (DLC) includes 70 new “speed-themed” milestones and five amazing exclusive cars – Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, Pagani Nonla R, McLaren F1 LM, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, Lambourgini Aventador J. Players also get 25 challenge events for each of these five cars. Players can also nab this DLC pack and Time Saver…

Gear Bits

Sick in Bed? It’s FaceTime to the Rescue!

I have the flu. It’s quite inconvenient, especially since we are trying really, really hard to keep Sarah from catching it. As a result, I am staying in a different room on another floor, plus both of us have been armed with Lysol every time we enter a common area. The real bummer is not being able to hang out together. But this is temporary, and we’re working around it — by using FaceTime! It’s a bit silly, but it makes both of us feel less lonely, and it beats facing each other in a common area and setting off…

Reviews

Mophie Juice Pack Pro for iPhone 4/S Review

Tough on your iPhone 4/S? Prone to drops and breaks, and your slim case just isn’t cutting it? Want longer power for your iPhone? If you said yes to any of these questions, you might want to consider taking a gander at the Mophie Juice Pack Pro. Designed to exceed the U.S. military’s MIL-STD 810G specifications, barring any full submersion in liquid, the Mophie Juice Pack Pro will keep your iPhone safe and secure under most conditions. While lacking complete immersion protection, the case will protect your device from rain and splashes, sand and dust, vibration and shocks, as well as drops…

Gear Bits

Adding Money to Your Bluebird Account Directly from Your Bank Account

This is the next in our series of sponsored posts about Bluebird, the new joint venture between Walmart and American Express. Bluebird is a system that “allows you to have a card with minimal or no transaction fees coupled with the convenience of a debit card backed by all of the protection offered by American Express”. The first post was a brief overview. The second delved more deeply into the features. The most recent walked through the process of adding money to a Bluebird account using cash at a local Walmart. In this post we’ll walk through the process of…

Editorials

For 2013 Make Sure Your Resolutions Are S.M.A.R.T.

From now until 2013, we’re going to take a look at some New Year’s Resolutions and a Gear Diary way to help you keep them. New Year Resolution: Attain My Goals in 2013 It is not breaking news that most New Year resolutions are broken – in fact at this time of year there are as many articles about how most will fail their resolutions by the end of January … and loads of advice columns about how to make yourself different. All of those columns are loaded up with analysis of why the typical resolutions fail, and also some…

Reviews

Tom Bihn Zephyr Briefcase Video Review

If you are looking for a serious briefcase that is tough, carries a ton, and has plenty of organizational pockets — but nimbly avoids the pitfall of looking like the stuffy, square briefcase your father carried — then you’ll want to check out the Tom Bihn Zephyr. The Zephyr is built with the quality we have come to know and expect from Tom Bihn. Materials are stellar; the design takes into account the varied ways people use their bags, and the build-quality is second to none. Oh, and as is always the case with Tom Bihn bags, the Zephyr is…

Health and Fitness

10 Simple Ways to Eat Better in 2013

From now until 2013, we’re going to take a look at some New Year’s Resolutions and a Gear Diary way to help you keep them. New Year Resolution: Eat Better in 2013 I have been very public with my running goals and accomplishments as well as my weight loss this year on Gear Diary, Facebook, and in my daily life. As a result, I have often been asked in every forum ‘how do you do it’? The simplistic and truthful answer is ‘eat less and exercise’. Of course it is never so simple – my exercise routine has me running…

Reviews

Camera FX for iPhone Review

These days it seems as if pretty much every mobile device has a camera; phones, tablets, laptops — almost anyone on the go can now take a picture when and where they want. While these small cameras are pretty good, a little software help can make them great. There are many offerings for iOS users at many price points; you do not necessarily have to spend a lot to get good results. Camera FX falls into the ‘cheaper with results’ category. Lets take a quick look. Camera FX is designed to present a DSLR like user experience. You can see…

Gear Bits

Xbox 360 Thoughts from an Open Source Guy

I know! I know! How could I, an Open Source guy, send my money to Microsoft by purchasing an Xbox? Well, when my family is concerned, I need to consider them when purchasing tech. My son wanted an Xbox, so Santa got him one this year — no matter what Dad thinks. So, here are my thoughts about the Xbox system as a whole, from the perspective of an open source guy. Updates Updates Updates I swear my son was about ready to bust when it took HOURS to get the updates installed. It’s not that there were so many,…

Gear Bits

Keep Your Data Safe in 2013 with Dropbox’s Packrat Feature

From now until 2013, we’re taking a look at some New Year’s Resolutions and Gear Diary ways to help keep them. New Year Resolution: Protect Your Data in 2013 This is one of those lessons you learn, forget, and then learn again once a data-loss disaster strikes. Here’s my story, and why DropBox’s PackRat feature is my new best friend. I have spent the last year on and off creating an interactive iBook that can be used by all my Bar Mitzvah students to help them study toward becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The iBook has the prayers the…

Gear Bits

Content is Everything – My Mom’s Thoughts on Netflix

As I have been in Knoxville, TN visiting my folks this holiday season, I have had the opportunity to show my parents Netflix on a TV. I have not one, but two devices with me that can stream Netflix to a TV. My Roku 2XS and my son’s new Xbox. One afternoon I was flipping through the Netflix app on the Xbox looking for something to watch, and lo and behold my Mom said one thing: How can they expect me to pay for this when everything is so old? Boom. There’s the problem. Every streaming service I showed her…

Crowdfunding, Gear Bits

Whooz? Are a Huge Hit at My House

On Christmas morning, as packages from under the tree were divided into piles and then opened, I got what would turn out to be one of my biggest Christmas surprises: the best gift was something I had stuck into the girls’ new Jon Hart bags, almost as an afterthought — Whooz iPhone and iPad Character Sets! Kev’s youngest daughter stopped everything to start installing a set on her iPad charger, and Kev’s oldest daughter was right there with her. Let me back up for just a moment. Everyone in my house has an iPhone or an iPad (or both), and…

Game Diary, Reviews

Nintendo Wii U Game System Review

The Nintendo Wii U ushers in a new wave of “next generation” video game console systems with expanded functions and convenient backward-compatible functions stemming from a sleek rectangular console and portable GamePad with screen. The Wii U had an original launch window between March 2012 and December 2012 and eventually debuted on November 18, 2012, so gamers experienced a predictable pre-order frenzy for the holiday season. The impressive high-definition graphics make a winning combination with Nintendo’s vibrantly colorful games while the lightweight GamePad with separate screen offers great gameplay/viewing options. The Wii U is currently available in the following two…

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