iBike POWERHOUSE Complete Cycling Fitness Plan

Through the years, I’ve reviewed several devices for iPhones and iPods that purport to be sturdy protective mounts for bicycle usage. Keeping in mind that there are inherent dangers in listening to music while you’re cycling, especially if you have to worry about dangling headphone wires, it’s important to make sure that safety is your first concern. The iBike POWERHOUSE ensures both the safety of your iPhone and your body with its well-designed mount for the 3 and 4 series iPhones. (No luck for you early iPhone 5 adopters yet.) Add in a software solution for exercise and cycling technique…

Music Diary

Wolfgang’s Vault As Membership-Only Site; Have You Joined? Will You?

I have always loved Wolfgang’s Vault – great classic music, and more recently loads of video content as well. We have written about the site several times here before, including 2011’s introduction of video content. But as more and more content – requiring more and more bandwidth – came online, I had wondered how the largely ad and merchandise supported site would survive. The answer: it couldn’t. Ads, merchandise and downloads alone were not enough. Back in early August I got an email from Wolfgang’s Vault that said: Hey Music Fans, we are thrilled to announce that we’ll be launching…

Reviews

Incipio feather SHINE for iPhone 5 Review

My favorite case is “no case”. Unfortunately, “no case” also means “no protection” and with a phone whose unlocked cost approaches $1000, that’s not an option. That’s why I’ve always been a fan of Incipio’s feather cases. They don’t offer a great deal of drop protection but they do help keep scratches at bay. Incipio offers the traditional feather for the iPhone 5 but they also have the feather SHINE for iPhone 5. Here’s a look… From Incipio: feather SHINE – The feather® Shine for iPhone 5 remains sleek while providing full access to your media functions. The feather® Shine…

Gear Bits

Sirius XM Kills Off All of the One-Year Free Trial Deals Not Actually ‘Won’

A sad thing happened when I tried to log into SiriusXM on my iPad this morning – I was greeted with the message above. So I tried the other account I had grabbed when I posted about it a couple of weeks ago. I had used Sirius for the 6 month trial that came with my car, but couldn’t justify the $9.99 monthly (back in 2007) fee – particularly as we moved and I changed from a hour commute to a fifteen minute drive. But I knew there was loads of cool stuff, so when I had the chance to…

Reviews, Yum Log

KeyShark Takes a Bite Out of That Bottle

The other day I received a KeyShark from the folks at Cranky Monkee for a review here at Gear Diary. The timing was perfect, as it arrived just before for my annual U of I football tailgate. So, what is a KeyShark you ask? And what does it have to do with football tailgating? Well, I’m glad you asked. A KeyShark is a lightweight, but strong, bottle opener that is designed to fit on your keychain. I have to say, though, that when it first arrived I was a little skeptical. It’s pretty darn small and pretty darn lightweight. It was…

Game Diary, Reviews

Zaxxon Escape for iOS/Android Review

Type of app: Action Platform/where to buy: iPhone/iPad or Android Developer: SegaDescription: It’s been thirty years since gamers first took on the evil robot Zaxxon, and Zaxxon Escape continues the story of what happened after his defeat. Players must escape a crumbling asteroid base by shooting, swiping, and tilting their spaceship through an ever-changing maze of corridors, guided only by their reflexes and handy powerups like auto-pilot and tractor beams. Find out if you have what it takes to survive the total destruction of Zaxxon. Major features: I was a huge fan of Zaxxon back in the early 80s (it…

Game Diary, Gear Bits, Music Diary

Random Cool Video of Ohio State Marching Band Video Game Themed Halftime Show

Now that my son is in the high school marching band and each weekend involves a trip to watch a dozen different great school bands put on shows, I appreciate marching bands more than ever. So seeing this video from Ohio State University from this past weekend was just awesome. Check it out! Source: Reddit

Vehicles & Gear

Ford Rises to New Levels of Luxury with 2013 F-Series Pickups

This fall, Ford is bringing a refreshed F-Series lineup to the consumer that will include new top-of-the-line trim levels as well as enhanced technology. The 2013 F-150 and Super Duty pickups will now feature some exterior and interior refinements along with some new running gear (wheels) while across the board Ford will offer new MyFord Touch and SYNC systems across the entire lineup of new trucks, technology optimized in these platforms for truck owners. Big Blue Oval gave members of the automotive media a sneak peek (and early drive) of both F-150 and F-250 pickups as they prepare for the…

Game Diary

Angry Birds Star Wars Set to Cause a Disturbance in the Force on November 8th!

By now it should be clear to anyone that Rovio is ready to cash in on any opportunity to keep their money-printing Angry Birds franchise in the public mind … and what better example of how best to do that than the 35-year old Star Wars franchise? On November 8th Rovio will be releasing a Star Wars themed Angry Birds game for iOS and Android. Not many details yet, just this little snippet: On November 8, the Angry Birds and Star Wars universes will collide, in our best game to date. It doesn’t stop there though, we’ll have a whole…

Reviews

Incipio KICKSNAP Case for the iPhone 5

Incipio’s KICKSNAP Impact Resistant Case with Integrated Kickstand for the iPhone 5 is the second iPhone 5 case we are looking at from Incipio. This case has an MSRP of $34.99 and offers decent protection in a choice of a few different color patterns. From Incipio: A package deal with dual-injected materials, a low-profile NGP® core, a Plextonium™ frame, and a custom retractable, built-in Kickstand® for hands-free viewing, the KICKSNAP™ case is a well-made, sleek and functional solution. The case offers: Rigid Plextonium™ shell with impact resistant core Built-in Kickstand Excellent shock absorption Hands free viewing Here’s our video look at it……

Reviews

Incipio FREQUENCY Textured Impact Resistant Case for the iPhone 5 Video Review

Incipio’s FREQUENCY Textured Impact Resistant Case for the iPhone 5 may not look like much but it offers amazing protection in a light and easy-to-hold case. And it has a great price too! From Incipio: This next level case by Incipio employs the impact resistant NGP® soft shell construction to provide full-coverage protection for the iPhone 5 and incorporates a design reminiscent of the post-analog, digital FREQUENCY™ waves. The case features: Excellent shock absorption Easy wrap around design Tear and stretch resistant Will not fade Here’s our video look… The FREQUENCY Textured Impact Resistant Case comes in a range of colors…

Editorials

The Need for Training Wheels on Twitter

I have a coworker who often complains about our limited abilities to discuss work over social media. He claims it is a draconian and old-fashioned approach. Most of the time I let it roll past me, but more and more I think that it’s not strict or unreasonable, but in fact extremely smart. For some reason, Twitter seems to trigger the worst in public tweeters, from celebrities to companies. Don’t believe me? Lets look at some of the worst offenders. Just this week, there were two tweets that ignited a firestorm of criticism. First, KitchenAid tweeted this: Obamas gma even…

Reviews

Incipio Faxion for iPhone 5 Video Review

Incipio has announced a number of cases for the iPhone 5. This is the first in a series of quick-looks at each. This time out we have the Incipio Faxion. The cases simple but,as this diagram makes clear,there is a lot going on with it. The cases features: Rigid Plextonium™ shell with impact resistant core Excellent shock absorption Innovative hybrid design Superior Protection I like the case a lot. As you can see from the video, it offers a simple but effective means of providing your iPhone 5 complete protection, including a bit of lay on the table protection. And…

News

Evernote Smart Notebooks Now Shipping

Evernote is now shipping their new Smart Notebooks. They work great with the Evernote Page Camera that is now part of the Evernote iOS app. (We wrote about it here.) The Page Camera lets you capture images of text on a page and optimize it for saving to Evernote. It works great on its own but, when combined with the Smart Notebooks it is truly an impressive way to record and later access information. I saw the notebooks in person a few weeks ago and was impressed. They are pricey but… quality costs. Plus there is the added benefit of…

Reviews, Yum Log

Widmer Brothers Nelson Imperial IPA Review

Hi. My name is Kevin, and I like beer…a lot! Other things I like: Judie (well, actually, I love her), my kids (I love them too), Otis (my dawg), fresh air, wide open spaces, rain and… did I mention? Beer! I developed a taste for the stuff (beer that is) during college. At the time, it probably wasn’t as much a taste thing as it was a social thing, if you catch my drift. I have plenty of vintage stories about Colorado’s 3:2 beer (swill), and escapades with cheap beer bought in bulk with my buddies. After some time my…

Reviews

Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Speaker Review

I’ve had my Jawbone Jambox for well over a year, and I’ve loved it. It is small, easy to use, and it packs a punch! More recently I had the opportunity to review the Braven 600. It is about the same size, but it has a built-in battery that will also charge your mobile device even as it fills the space with music. Then there is the most recent entry into this category – the Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Portable Speaker. It costs $200, is a bit bigger than the other two speakers and, quite frankly, looks like it wants to…

Music Diary

Celebrating 50 Years Since the First Beatles Single!

Growing up and buying our first music in the wake of the Beatles break-up and with my brother a huge fan, I developed quite an in-depth knowledge of their music and history and enjoy their stuff to this day. My preference has always been their ‘middle years’ of Revolver and Rubber Soul, but over time I have appreciated everything they did. It is hard to think that they started 50 years ago. As noted at the Guardian UK, today marks the 50th anniversary of that release. Here is a bit of what they said: Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ newly appointed…

Editorials

My Journey to the Dark Side…er, Apple is Complete

A long time ago, in a service provider far, far away, I had joined the ranks of mobile phone users, sporting a Motorola Razr V3m back when it was de rigueur for mobile types. For a time I was content, and as technology evolved I migrated my mobile phones, ever searching for the trifecta of ease of use, reliability and variety of peripherals. Here is a representation of all the major phones I’ve owned and heavily used over the past seven years or so. Certainly a lot less than some Gear Diary members or readers out there, but a variety nonetheless….

Reviews

Mission Workshop R6 Arkiv Field Pack Video Review

We reviewed Mission Workshop’s Sanction Weatherproof Rucksack in November of 2011. (Read the review here.) This time out we are taking a look at the company’s R6 Arkiv Field Pack. The Mission Workshop Sanction Weatherproof Rucksack is one of the more unusual backpacks we have ever seen. In fact, it isn’t exactly a backpack. A more accurate way to describe the R6 Arkiv would be to refer to it as “backpackS”. You see, the R6 Arkiv is highly configurable and can be used in a variety of ways. Here’s our video look, the company’s description, and how you might end…

Gear Bits

This Week’s Entertainment Weekly Has Tina Fey and a Free Phone

Grab the latest Entertainment Weekly edition (the one with the lovely Tina Fey doing her best Audrey Hepburn on the cover), and you’ll also get a bonus inside. An active LCD screen which when freed from the magazine reveals … a working phone? Check out this video where Christina and Lance, from Mashable, tear apart the October 5th Entertainment Weekly to reveal what powers the CW advertisement inside. “It’s a phone! It’s a phone! It’s a PHONE!” Priceless. If you want to get your own free “fully working Android [skeleton] phone” — one that would make MacGyver’s head swim with possibilities —…

News

Phorus and Play-Fi Want to Bring Music to Every Room in Your House

If you read the site, then you know that I love my Sonos audio system; you also know I am an OS X and iOS guy. Still, I’m always on the lookout for the next awesome home audio solution. That’s why I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with a number of the key players from Phorus a few weeks ago. Phorus, and their signature Play-Fi wireless technology, are poised to challenge your assumptions about home audio on every level. The system is simple to set up, sounds great, offers flexibility with regard to connectivity, is priced to be accessable, can…

October 2012