December 2012

Bluebird Lets You Add Cash to Your Account at Any Walmart

Last week we begin a series of review posts regarding 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 of the bluebird system. (Read the post.) The second post went a bit more deeply into the features Bluebird offers and the specifics that make this card unique. (Read the post.) In this third sponsored post, we’ll begin looking…


Record Numbers of Devices Activated on Christmas, iPad and Amazon Tablets Big Winners

It is not terribly surprising that oodles of new devices were opened up and activated on Christmas morning – in fact, we had three new iPhone 5 activations in our house alone! The site Flurry.com tracks and estimates the daily activations of iOS and Android devices, and is reporting that more than 17 million activations took place on December 25th alone. As it is, 4 million combined smartphones and tablets is a HUGE number – and that is happening every day! Now think that on Christmas there were more than 4 TIMES that many activations … insane! But wait –…


Aranez Flip iPhone 5 Leather Case Review

Stacey just did a review of the Aranez Aquila iPhone 5 Leather Case. (Read it here.) She liked it. Mike reviewed the Aranez Book Samsung Galaxy S3 Leather Case. (Read Mike’s review.) He liked it too! Let’s go for the trifecta and look at the Aranez Flip iPhone 5 Leather Case. More accurately, let’s let my father-in-law Mark go on camera and talk about it. Mark Down South… WAY Down South When last my father-in-law (aka Gear Diary’s Grumpy Old Man) appeared on the site, he was discussing why he was finally taking the leap and getting an iPhone 5….


Get In Shape For 2013 With The Right Footwear

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: Get in Shape in 2013 It’s a new year and you’ve decided to make it a new you! So you’re really going to buckle down and get fit, but before you pick up a new gym membership or start downloading “Map My Run” to your iPhone, you need the right gear– starting with your feet. Even if you aren’t going to head out for a run, footwear matters. You need a good…


Monitor2Go and iPad 3, a Gear Diary Video Look

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to review an incredibly useful mobile device that quickly and easily doubles your screen real-estate. The FieldMonitorPro is a large screen that, right out of the box, extends your computer to give you additional screen space or allows someone/s to look at your computer screen without having to crowd in next to you. It is terrific for on-the-go demonstrations. While reviewing the device, I was covering an Apple keynote and found my MacBook air to be too small for watching the video, checking feeds, and writing the post. I pulled…


Green Jelly for iPhone and iPad Review

Type of app: Physics/Puzzle game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: MaxNick / G5 Entertainment Description: ? 60 Levels in three locations: Cake, Chocolate and Waffles ? Over 10 types of objects for physics-based interaction ? 20 Funny achievements to share with friends ? Cute graphics and amusing sounds ? Updates with new levels to keep you entertained ? Game Center Support ? New iPad Retina Display Support Major features: Green Jelly is a physics-based game in which you play as a green jelly candy seeking to collect up all of the candy,…


Raspberry Pi Hacked to Allow Siri to Open Your Garage Door

What a world we live in – We now have computers that fit in our pockets, gorgeous televisions that are 1″ thick, and a dude who skydived from the edge of space.  Continuing along that vein, now you can program your credit card sized computer, otherwise known as the Raspberry Pi, to open your garage door for you using Siri’s voice commands on your iPhone.  Seriously. RaspberryPi.org forum user “DarkTherapy” was able to code his Raspberry Pi saying he used “SiriProxy running on the Raspberry Pi, along with wiring Pi to access the Pi’s GPIO pins and turn a relay…


Randi Zuckerberg Learns the Hard Lesson of Facebook Privacy First-Hand

Over the Christmas holiday, Randi Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg’s sister and former director of Marketing at Facebook) posted a picture of her family around the kitchen island having fun, and someone else shared the image on Twitter. This was picked up on Buzzfeed and more thoroughly explained on GigaOm amongst other places. Zuckerberg called the person out, saying that she had no idea how they got it, but that sharing the image to Twitter was ‘way uncool’. The thing that some pointed out was that Zuckerberg had very publicly taken the stance that “Anonymity Online ‘Has To Go Away’”. Personally I…


Speck WanderFolio Luxe for iPad Review

Truth be told, I’ve always been a fan of Speck’s product design, though I haven’t owned any of their products for any of my devices.  So I was very excited when I got the opportunity to review their WanderFolio Luxe iPad case. The WanderFolio Luxe is made with top-grain leather and has pockets for your travel needs, like passports, cash, cards, etc.  It also has the always nice magnetic sleep/wake function that we all like to see on our iPad cases.  Speaking of magnets, there is also a magnetic latch that keeps your iPad closed.  Speck calls this a “smooth-close”…


Save Money on Talk, Text, and Data in 2012 with Republic Wireless

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. First up… New Year Resolution: Spend Less on Cellular in 2013 republic wireless offers one single handset. If you want more choices you need to go somewhere else. republic wireless offers a handset with just a 3.7″ screen. If you want something larger go somewhere else. republic wireless offers a handset running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. If you want something newer go somewhere else. While it might seem that republic wireless is the worst cellular option…


Aranez Aquila iPhone 5 Leather Case Review

The first thing I did when I received the Aquila iPhone 5 Leather Case by Aranez, was sniff it for that real leather smell.  My nose (and the case’s specifications) confirmed that this case is made from genuine cow leather. This case is extremely lightweight, yet feels sturdy enough to protect your iPhone 5 from minor drops and bangs.   The right side of the case that holds the phone in place is a thin piece of molded plastic, which does its job of securely holding the phone.   On the left, the case has two slots dedicated to holding credit…


Incipio Stashback for iPhone 5 Review

This is the third of three Incipio iPhone 5 case reviews. This time out we are looking at the STASHBACK Dockable Credit Card Case. This case looks like a simple shell style iPhone 5 case but it doubles as a wallet. Better yet, it is not apparent to anyone looking at the case that it holds credit cards, ID or cash. That’s a great benefit if you want to go out for the day carrying just your iPhone. Let’s face it, we all left the house without our wallet at some time or another (some people even go to the…


LifeProof fr? for iPhone 5 Review – Helps Keep Your iPhone Safe and Secure

I was blown away earlier this month when I went snorkeling and used my 4th generation iPod touch as my underwater camera. I expected the LifeProof case I put on would keep it dry, and it did. What I didn’t expect was how amazing the video I shot with it underwater would be. I mean, take a look at this footage shot underwater with an iPod touch!! And if that is the quality you can get with a last generation iPod touch, then just imagine how amazing the images and videos would be if taken with an iPhone 5! Fortunately LifeProof…


Incipio Stowaway for iPhone 5 Video Review

This is the second of three Incipio iPhone five case reviews we have going up. The first case was a simple slider case that didn’t offer much excitement. This time out we’re taking a look at the Incipio Stowaway for iPhone 5. It is a far more compelling case thanks to two unique features hidden away in its seemingly simple design. First, this case can also function as a wallet. It will hold three credit or ID cards. Second, the door of the “wallet” can double as a stand for viewing the iPhone in landscape. Here’s a look. Features: Rigid…


Byook Enhanced eBooks Review

Various developers have been trying since the original iPad to make enhanced and video eBooks a success. There seems to be this impression that books+tablet+video=profit! Yet plain old eBooks have managed to hold their ground quite nicely, leaving the question of whether there’s really a market for a book with video, music, and other bells and whistles. Byook think they can add to the eBook reading experience, and I had the opportunity to test a few of their titles and experience the multimedia eBook for myself! My first Byook was Sherlock Holmes “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”. The Byook…


Incipio EDGE PRO for iPhone 5 Video Review

Incipio has released a wide range of different cases for the iPhone 5. A few months ago we reviewed a number of them. Now we’ve got a look at three more. First up, is the Incipio EDGE PRO Co-molded Hard-Shell Slider Case. This is a simple slider case with a unique design. Here’s a look.   Rigid Plextonium™ shell with impact resistant core Superior Protection Two-part sliding design for easy docking Access to all controls Here’s a video look with additional images in the gallery below. What’s Inside: (1) Clear Screen Protector Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Applicator Card I’m not overly…


US Cellular Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean Update Now Available

When the Samsung Galaxy S3 arrived it had Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as the operating system. Since the release, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 launched with the Nexus 7, and more recently 4.2 Jelly Bean also arrived. While Ice Cream Sandwich had loads of great features, Jelly Bean was a smaller update – but what it brought were refinements and loads of under-the-hood updates that once used become essential. Over the last month all of the US carriers have rolled out Jelly Bean 4.1 for the Galaxy S3 … and as of yesterday US Cellular has the update available as…


SGP Slim Armor Case for the iPhone 5 Video Review

I’m a fan of SPIGEN SGP’s products. From the GLAS.t screen protector (read the review) to the Hardbook Case for the iPad mini (read the review) their products never fail to impress me. So when our contact at the company emailed me that a new case was on the way and he described it as his favorite  “my favorite iPhone 5 case” I couldn’t help but be curious. Turns out it is one of my favorite cases thus far as well. Better still, it is a remarkable value. Let’s take a looks at the SGP Slim Armor for iPhone 5….


Baker’s Math Kitchen Scale – KD8000 – Unleash Your Inner Alton Brown Again

I’ve often said (including here on Gear Diary, I think), that in the kitchen you’re either an Alton or a Mario. “Altons” refer to Alton Brown, the Mr. Wizard of the Food Network who combines science and math with recipes to teach you how to cook and why precision is important. I’m an Alton. “Marios” are more like Mario Batali, cooks who throw in a dash of this and a sprinkle of that and never measure anything. My girlfriend is a Mario. Well, maybe she’s more of a Maria… These two archetypes can work well together in a kitchen, as…


Ibattz Mojo Hi5 Powerbank Case Review

My first reaction when I received the ibattz mojo Hi5 Powerbank Case was underwhelming.  Here you have a plastic shell that you slap on your phone like most cases, and a separate battery pack that clips onto the plastic shell that needs to be plugged into your iPhone with a lightning cable. Here’s the rub:  You have to provide your own lightning cable, plus, you have to carry said lightning cable around with you if you plan on using the battery pack to charge your phone. The fault here can not lie solely on ibattz, however.  A lot of the…


If You Want GOOD Service, Use the Apple Store Instead of Apple Support

Apple has a reputation and standing as one of the best customer support organizations in all of the consumer world. They top the ratings each year; due to their retail stores, the ability to quickly talk to someone knowledgeable has made using Apple products easier than ever for millions of folks. Truth is, in more than 30 years of owning Apple products starting with the Apple ][+, I have never needed service of any type. I have had a couple of questions, and had to email support about a couple of iTunes issues, but I have never had an actual…