March 2012

Open Letter to Google: Fix Android Now

Dear Google, I love Android. Ever since Judie gave me my G1 I was in love. You had an OS that was pretty good then, even better now and getting better all the time. So I don’t have too many problems with your OS. However, the problems that remain are ones that are bad enough to want me to consider buying an iPhone. Yes they are that bad. First my complaints about the OS. I know it’s not entirely your fault, but the current state of updates on different devices is crazy. Here we are almost 4 months into the new year and…

News

Just Mobile AluCube Mini Joins the Tangled Cable War

Just Mobile makes some great accessories that always combine style and function. They have just rolled out their latest offering and it brings simplicity of style to the fight against tangled, loose and lost cables. At first pass the Just Mobile AluCube Mini is an accessory in search of a purpose. The more I thought about it, however, the more I thought this might be a useful accessory. Then I sat down at the kitchen island, saw the jumble of iPhone, iPad and MacBook air cables and realized that this is a great little accessory. Here’s what they have to…

News

Jabra SUPREME UC, Calls At Your Desk and On the Go

We reviewed the Jabra SUPREME last year. It is the first non-stereo headset that includes Active Noise Cancellation. It is a bit bigger than I usually like but it sounds great and is a good choice if you are in the market for a new BT headset. Here’s what we had to say at the time I’m really impressed with the Jabra Supreme. It is comfortable, sounds good and offers all of the features that I want and need in a headset. The active noise cancellation is an interesting new feature. It works quite well and allows for good…

Editorials

Not into the iPad? Here Are Some Smaller, Cheaper Alternatives

After a week of record busting sales if you were uncertain before then you should be now. The iPad is indeed the ruler of the roost on all things tablet. Everyone at Gear Diary was thrilled by this model’s updates, and it’s clear that the new HD display, 4G/LTE, 5MP camera graphics upgrade was enough to put sales through the roof and beyond. Reports were 3 million units moved the first weekend and probably double that count since then. This honestly comes to no surprise as the consumer support behind Apple is evident by its sheer volume of sales…

eBooks, Editorials

Hey Amazon, Can You PLEASE Let Me Change the Paragraph Justification in Your Apps?

Image courtesy of (believe it or not!) furnitureconsignment.com So as you’ve probably heard–Michael posted about it, for example–J.K. Rowling’s latest cash cow, the Pottermore web site, finally went live today (a mere 6-9 months after it was originally promised, but that’s a whole different ranty post). For me what this meant was that, finally, I would be able to actually buy the eBook version of the Potter books. Yay! There was a catch, though: the books aren’t available via iBooks, but only through the Pottermore web site for Kindle, Nook, or straight ePub format. Which is okay, I guess…

Reviews

Angry Birds Space for iPhone/Touch

I cannot tell a lie. I have spent countless hours flinging various birds at devious green pigs on my iPhone and iPad. Until recently, Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio had kept me free from boredom and often avoiding tasks around the house to complete three stars in just one more level. For several months, though, the games had become stale for me. Even with new updates and levels, I just was not interested in playing much. I guess the three games were different, but it was just the same old gameplay with newer levels. I cautiously…

Gear Bits

The Bunny Rabbit of Your Nightmares

My coworker very excitedly called me to her desk today to show me pictures of a giant rabbit she saw in a pet store (and nearly purchased!) Apparently they are called “Flemish Giants” and can grow to be up to 50lbs! According to Wikipedia: Flemish Giants can be docile and tolerant of handling; frequent interaction with humans is a requirement for this to occur. Flemish Giants, like all rabbits, can become fearful, and sometimes violent, if handled incorrectly or irresponsibly. Their larger frame requires special attention paid to the spine alignment when handling a Flemish Giant, or any rabbit for…

Music Diary, News

Metallica Releases a New Song from their Live DVD

Back in 2009 Metallica played in Mexico in front of 150,000 fans, and released the show on the DVD called Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México. Be sure to check out the stunning DVD of Metallica performing live in front of 150,000 fans at three sold out shows in Mexico City. Filmed during the World Magnetic Tour, Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and as a Deluxe Box Set in the MetStore at Metallica.com Now they are preparing to play an epic set at the…

Reviews

A Linux Geek on Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Now I know what your thinking: why would I care about Windows 8? Well, even though I am a Linux guy and use it almost everywhere, I still have to use Windows on a daily basis for my job as well as supporting my wife and family as no matter what I say, I cannot get them to even try Linux. So, to get an early look at Windows 8, I downloaded the Consumer Preview and installed it both in a virtual machine using Virtual Box and on a Netbook that has a touch screen. I installed a few apps…

News

Your Ferret Doesn’t Want to Run!

Okay, maybe the headline is a bit misleading. You see, it is not that “your ferret doesn’t want to run!” as much as it is the fact that your ferret “won’t enjoy running”. Yes, researchers have determined that ferrets do not get the same “runners high” that humans and dogs get when they run. Now, this leads to a few questions: -Why did the researchers choose ferrets? Were ordinary house cats so disinterested in running that they didn’t even show up for the study? -How did researchers measure this? Did the ferrets run on little ferret-sized treadmills or normal human sized…

News

Nokia Backtracks on Lumia 710 Backplates

When Judie was in New York last month we had the opportunity to attend a special Nokia event and spent some hands-on time with the Nokia Lumia 710, 800 and 900 Windows Phones. We were, and are, impressed. And we left the event with our own shiny new Lumia 710s courtesy of Nokia! They are nice phones that, on contract, can be had for no more than a song. (You can read Judie’s full review here.) They look quite nice and feel good in the hand. Yes, there is something to be said about smaller phones that actually fit IN…

News

The Stark Contrast Between iOS and Android Platform Adoption

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, look at the picture above – it shows the iOS 5.1 adoption rate since the new version was made available on March 6th alongside the announcement of the new iPad, as compiled by developer David Smith. After two weeks … 63% of the total userbase had switched. And that percentage includes folks who have iOS 3 limited devices like my first-gen iPod Touch (or first gen iPhone), or iOS 4 limited devices like anything before the iPhone 3GS. If you were looking just at ‘opportunities’, the percentage would be even…

eBooks, Gear Bits

Pottermore Store Now Open, Harry Potter eBooks on ‘Sale’!

In what is a huge surprise (as it isn’t yet April), the Pottermore Store opened up today to the public including ebook versions of all seven Harry Potter books. As noted at the WSJ, the ebooks will spread to the Kindle, Nook, Sony and Google Play shops (but not Apple): By selling the e-books on her own site, Ms. Rowling will keep most of the revenue, rather than sharing much of it with her publishers as is usually the case. Several major retailers will have the opportunity to participate. Mr. Redmayne said that Harry Potter fans will be able to…

News

Is Microsoft Going to Get Smoked by Their Own Challenge?

When your platform is at a very delicate time, you really cannot afford having negative press about a promotion get more viral attention than the promotion itself. This is a problem facing Microsoft today based on some stories related to the latest version of their ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’ challenge. The challenge started out simply enough – timed simple tasks with a $100 prize. The tasks required user interaction, and were obviously designed to favor Windows Phone. But last week Microsoft upped the ante to a custom Hunger Games PC worth $1000! That obviously brought in more challengers. Of course,…

Reviews

Sculpteo 3D Printing Engine iPhone Case review

Shark Tank is my new favorite show. It continues to entertain and surprise me and last week was particularly interesting because, this time, everyone who came on the show actually seemed to WANT a deal. (Shocking but true… some don’t really seem that interested.) One “contestant” who stepped into the tank but didn’t get a deal was a young entrepreneur who is building his business of unique, customizable clothing. I have to admit I am a big fan of items you can design and personalize so I was sad to see him not get a deal. That’s why I love the…

Reviews

MapiCases iPad 2 Cases Can Enrobe Stylishly

The other day I received a medium-sized padded mailer at work. I receive these from time to time given my work requirements, but when I opened this particular package there was something special about it. Enclosed within the mailer was a gray felt bag with an embroidered MapiCases logo emblazoned on it. Wafting out of the suede bag was the distinct smell of fine leather. The two MapiCases for my review had arrived!

Reviews

Bodyguardz Garrison for New Apple iPad First Look

Let me be clear, I can’t very well call this a review. After all, the review sample of the Bodyguardz Garrison for the New iPad just arrived a short while ago. I mean, the case isn’t even on the market yet and this is only one of a handful that are already in use. No, this cannot be called a review. But I can unequivocally say that… I have a new go-to case for my iPad. Yeah, it is that good! (so far) Let’s take a (first) look. From Bodyguardz: The Garrison is the latest offering from BodyGuardz in the…

Editorials

Apparently Some Critics Want to Call Her ‘Fat’niss

My household has been abuzz after all of us finally saw The Hunger Games this weekend – my wife and I and older son went together on Friday, and younger son went to a birthday party featuring heading to the movie on Saturday. There were a load of highlights – and of course a number of ‘that’s not how they did it in the book’ nitpicks – but overall we loved the movie and thought the casting was key to the artistic success of bringing the first book in the series to the screen. We knew Josh Hutcherson from ‘Zathura’…

Gear Bits

The Hunger Games, Hit or Hype?

image courtesy THG – The Hunger Games Blog at http://thg-thehungergames.blogspot.com/ It seems that everywhere you turn people are talking about the release of the feature film The Hunger Games this week. Here at Gear Diary, we are the same way and we have been burning up the wires talking about it too! Some have read the books, some not. Some think it’s all hype, some not. In the end, we decided to share with you our thoughts going into the release of this high-profile film! Read on…

Gear Bits, Music Diary, News

Korg Introduces New microKEY Controllers

Last week at the Musikmesse fair in Frankfurt Germany (the largest music fair in the world) there were a number of announcements of cool technology. While many things were already shown at NAMM, there are a few things I will highlight. The first is that Korg has expanded the microKEY series of USB-powered MIDI controllers with two new models (25-key and 61-key in addition to the 37-key) and an expansion to the software suite included with the top-end model. Here are some details: Compact USB Powered MIDI Controllers For added flexibility and control, the microKEY 37- and 61-key models both…

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