October 2012

Disney Acquires LucasFilm, Including Movies and LucasArts Gaming Division

If you could name one company better and bigger at monetizing franchises than LucasFilm, it would have to be Disney. So perhaps it is fitting that the ‘House of Mouse’ that also owns Buzz & Woody and Marvel’s Avengers has taken on the Skywalker clan and Dr. Jones. Here are some details from BusinessWeek: Disney paid $7 billion for animation studio Pixar in 2006 and bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4.2 billion, adding the creators of “Toy Story,” and “The Avengers” to the company’s library. The Lucas acquisition brings the “Star Wars” pictures, which have generated $4.54 billion in…

Gear Bits, News

Cool Video of James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince on Stage in 1983!

Sometimes when checking out yet another random ‘list of stuff’ you will find a gem … and here is yet another cool video as a result! It is a 1983 James Brown performance, in which he calls Michael Jackson to the stage and later Prince. Michael and Prince are still reaching the height of their powers, whereas elder statesman JB was about to have his last big hit with ‘Living in America’ the following year. Regardless, it is a magical moment captured on film of sketchy quality, but definitely worth watching! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hPK12SymqeQ Source: BuzzFeed

Gear Bits

If You’ve ‘Gotta Know’, Here is How to Check iPad Mini Status at UPS or FedEx

If you head to Apple to check the status of your iPad Mini order obsessively, you will notice that all you see is ‘preparing for shipment’. This has stuck while credit cards were billed, Smart Covers have already been ordered … and November 2nd is rapidly approaching! Don’t worry – if your order is due on November 2nd it is already well on the way. For some reason, Apple just doesn’t provide the links! Here (thanks to Cult of Mac) how you can see where your iPad mini is right now: 1. Go to UPS.com’s Track By Reference Page, or…

News

How We Can Help the Victims of Hurricane Sandy

We knew for at least a few days before Hurricane Sandy hit that it was going to be bad, but knowing something will be bad and living through it are two completely different things. On October 29th, at about 8pm ET, Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the southern coast of New Jersey. Before hitting the shore, Sandy had already whipped and bruised a wide swatch of communities with brutal rains and winds as far away as Ohio. It wasn’t enough that people were holed up suffering from the effects of a late August style hurricane, they also had to deal…

Game Diary, Reviews

Righteous Kill HD for iPad Review

Righteous Kill is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game that is available for the iPad and iPhone from the App Store . Its developer is Starz Media / G5 Entertainment. Description: Hunt for clues to apprehend a vigilante killer in this thrilling hidden object adventure! Terry Collins is the prime suspect in the vigilante-style murder of a criminal who escaped justice. It’s up to you to find evidence that will help solve the crime and put a “righteous killer” behind bars. Search over 70 locations through 15 animated levels, play forensic based mini-games, find all the clues that lead to evidence and stop the…

Vehicles & Gear

Chevy to Offer Real Hot Wheels Camaro

Hot Wheels fans who dream of driving some of their favorite miniature toys are getting their wishes as Chevrolet has announced it will offer a limited-edition run of the Kinetic Blue Camaro it debuted at SEMA in Las Vegas. “Millions of us grew up playing with Hot Wheels,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “Offering a special production model of the Camaro Hot Wheels is an opportunity to bring those memories to life, for kids of all ages.” The unique model will be available for orders Nov. 1 and will be produced in the first quarter of 2013….

Music Diary, News

Thankfully, Apple Delays iTunes 11 Until Mid-Late November

Let me be blunt – I agree with those who have been increasingly critical of the state of Apple’s software releases in terms of readiness. iOS 5 was patched almost instantly for some awful bugs, iTunes Match stumbled out of the gate late and feeling like it should have been later, Siri was beta at release but hasn’t made all that many strides, … and then there is Apple Maps. So when the news that iTunes 11 was being delayed into November came out, I was actually relieved. I was glad that they hadn’t forced it to release for the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Spooky Treats for iOS Game Review

Type of app: Puzzle / Arcade game Platform/where to buy: iPad/iPhone (Universal); available in the App Store Developer: GameTantra Description: Play as Harry, a candy-obsessed boy whose sweet tooth has lead him into a haunting dilemma! Guide him through over 40 levels of mayhem and a never ending survival mode so that he can collect the bounty of a lifetime! Features – Unique gameplay combining puzzle solving and frantic arcade action! – Simple tap controls get you straight into the action! – Interesting villains, game modes and power-ups to keep you engrossed for hours! – Online leaderboards and fun achievements!…

Gear Bits

How Bodyguardz Saved My iPhone 5

Ugh! So aggravating! I took my iPhone out of its case while traveling (I know, I know) because it was so bulky. At least I had purchased and installed a Bodyguardz skin on my phone last week; because of that, my iPhone 5 survived a horrific flying drop and slide at the airport. The only damage is my slightly smooshed upper right corner, which is way way better than the cracked screen I expected to see when I picked the phone up from the hard tile floor. If (like me) you prefer to not have a case on your device…

Game Diary, News

Classic RPG ‘Chrono Trigger’ Launches on Android!

Square Enix has a reputation for making awesome RPG games … and a reputation for re-selling the same game over and again … and for having the most expensive games on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. Games such as Final Fantasy III still command $16 nearly two years after release on the iPhone – after releases on a host of other platforms including the Nintendo DS in 2006! And pretty much NONE of their games are universal, so you need to buy both iPhone and iPad versions where available. Nearly a year ago Square Enix released their classic…

Gear Bits, Travel, Vehicles & Gear

The Amazing American Cars of Cuba

I was in Havana last week with two dozen members of my community; we were there as part of a “religious mission”, which meant that we brought down supplies to share with the aging members of the Cuban Jewish Community and spent time learning about the history of Cuba, the Jewish community in Cuba, and even the architecture of Havana. That was the “serious stuff”. For fun, among other things, we spent time “car watching”. I couldn’t believe the American cars from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s that are still on the road. It was nothing short of impressive. Here’s…

Music Diary, News

Google Music Will Get ‘Match’ Capabilities

Google has a huge blog post here related to their product announcements On November 13, we’re bringing music on Google Play to Europe. Those of you in the U.K, France, Germany, Italy and Spain will be able to purchase music from the Google Play store and add up to 20,000 songs—for free—from your existing collection to the cloud for streaming to your Android devices or web browser. We’re also launching our new matching feature to streamline the process of uploading your personal music to Google Play. We’ll scan your music collection and any song we match against the Google Play…

Gear Bits, News

Warsaw ‘Alley-House’ Takes Minimal Living to a New (lack of) Dimension!

Imagine having to make a house translucent in order to minimize the fear-factor of such a compressed space? That is exactly what the architect of a new house in Warsaw did, according to a report at Time.com. Here is some more info: Wedged in an alleyway between two apartment blocks, the ‘world’s thinnest house’ opened this Sunday in Warsaw. The triangular dwelling is 33 feet long and 5 feet wide at its widest point. In some places it narrows to just 3 feet. The house’s architect, Jakub Szczesny, insists he hasn’t skimped on the basics. “It contains all necessary amenities…

Music Diary, News

End of an Era – The Final Jazz Session Episode Airs Today

As Judie has always said when recruiting for new writers at Gear Diary – blogging is not something you do for the money; it is all about the love – love of product, technology, sharing and interacting. All you hope for is to cover costs. Now imagine that instead of blogging you ran a jazz interview podcast that required frequent trips to New York City and other locations, attendance at clubs, festivals and concerts, and so on. Suddenly the costs start to spiral out of control. That is what Jason Crane discovered as he launched ‘The Jazz Session’, the jazz…

Reviews

XtremeMac Tuffwrap Case for iPhone 5 Review

XtremeMac has a full series of cases and accessories for the iPhone 5. Among the offerings is their Tuffwrap line of cases. These offer “powerful protection and added grip for your new iPhone 5 device”. Let’s take a look and then start a giveaway!! From XtremeMac: Made from flexible, high-grade TPE material, the XtremeMac™ Tuffwrap offers a high-level of protection for your new iPhone® 5. Custom built to ensure full access to switches, jacks and camera. Its form-fitting border wraps securely around the face for extra protection and its sides are designed for tactile comfort and added grip. Features:…

News

Livescribe Introduces the Sky WiFi SmartPen

Having a LiveScribe smartpen has very much helped me stay organized and keep my projects in line over the past few years. The biggest problem was that I needed to remember to connect the pen to my laptop sync things up so I had access to my notes offline. Now LiveScribe has taken care of that with their new Sky WiFi pen that will wirelessly sync new notes to your Evernote account! Here is their description: Livescribe 4GB Sky Wifi Smartpen Record everything you hear, say and write, and link audio recordings directly to notes with the Sky wifi Smartpen…

Editorials

Keeping Trick or Treaters Away from Your Home while Scaring Your Kids in the Days of Yore!

What you see before you, gentle reader, is an instrument of torture, a 33 1/2 RPM record euphemistically titled “The language and music of the Wolves – narrated by Robert Redford”, circa 1971. Ostensibly a product of environmental awareness and respect for Nature, it was an excellent tool for acquainting modern America with wolves, which had been nearly hunted to extinction in the lower 48 states. Robert Redford explains and enlightens listeners about the wolf and its habits, raising awareness of the plight of these magnificent creatures. This is all well and good, except for one problem: there is a Side…

Events

Windows Phone 8 Launch Event

I’m at the Windows Phone 8 launch event this morning in San Francisco, waiting in the lobby of the Bill Graham Civic Center with roughly 150 other members of the media. There are probably fewer in attendance than originally intended, due to Hurricane Sandy’s grip on the Eastern states, but the mood here is upbeat and we are looking forward to seeing how Microsoft will (hopefully) wow us this morning. I’ll have more soon, we still have 15 minutes before the doors open … And we’re in and seated. Joe Belfiore is on the stage, welcoming us and saying that…

News

JBL Offers a Complete Portfolio of Wireless Speakers

The other day my favorite Kickstart-Addicted friend (aka Judie) and I were debating backing an awesome project for iOS devices. I commented that we needed to place a moratorium on projects that are specific to the iPhone 5 or the iPad since, at the moment, we are in a transitional period. Yes, with the iPad 4 all iOS devices will be using Apple’s new, smaller, connector. Until then though we have a mix of devices using either the 30-pin dock connector or the new connector. That means there has never been a better time to go wireless. That’s why Judie…

eBooks

Penguin and Random House to Form Franken-Publisher

Now that the Agency Model has been rendered toothless as a way to keep publishers afloat, we’re seeing the next phase in book publishing evolution: mergers! Random House, which was already the biggest publisher in the USA, is buying a controlling stake in Penguin, forming a super-publisher! According to the New York Times: PARIS — Two European media companies, Bertelsmann and Pearson, confirmed Monday that they planned to combine their book publishing divisions, Random House and Penguin. Under the agreement, Bertelsmann, which owns Random House, would control 53 percent of the merged publishers. Bertelsmann and Pearson would share executive oversight,…

News

DomeSkin Bumps Up to iPhone 5

With the announcement of any new device come the announcements of matching accessories. And if the device in question is a new iPhone, then you get a LOT more accessory announcements, given the popularity of that handset. Skins for iPhones (and other devices) are nothing new, of course, but the announcement Gear Diary received from DomeSkin caught my attention because it sounded like a different design concept. Most skins are intended to be as flat and thin as possible, so as to protect a device from scratches without adding bulk. If it suits the consumer, the skin may also add…

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