2012

Braven 600 Takes on the JawBone JamBox, and…

Back in December we did a post and video comparing the Spar Zephyr 300 and the JawBone JamBox. (Read the post.) The Spar speaker promised excellent audio and the ability to double as an external charger. Unfortunately it didn’t deliver on the audio front. I returned it and let the company know why. They were gracious about it, refunded my purchase immediately and then shared their own disappointment with how the speaker turned out. I went bcd to using my JamBox. They stopped shipping. Fast forward and a few weeks ago Spar rebranded as BRAVEN and released not one but…

Gear Bits

Photojojo’s DSLR Bank

It may not keep a thief from finding your valuables if you’re ever robbed, and it certainly won’t take a great picture, but Photojojo’s cool DSLR bank will definitely look cool on a shelf while collecting about a pint’s-worth of your change. Even better; it’s a Canon … and you know how much I love mine! Aside from the coin slot, this hyper-detailed bank looks just like the real deal. It even has all the buttons and switches of a real camera, plus a viewing screen and a detachable lens! For $24; what have you got to lose? =)

Reviews

Sneaker iPhone Case Review

There are so many options when it comes to phone cases. A quick google search for iPhone 4 case will bring literally thousands of links to styles and colors of cases. With everyone walking around with the same phones, the case is what separates people and shows their style and individuality. With that said, there is a fine line between cases that are all style and cases that are all protection. I think it is important to bring the two together and get some style while effectively protecting the phone. Musubo has designed many cases that fit these requirements, and…

eBooks

Will The Nexus 7 Tablet Impact the Kindle Fire and NOOK Tablet?

When Google announced the Nexus tablet, I was surprised to see they didn’t seem to be aiming for the iPad. With a $199 starting price and a 7 inch form factor, Google is clearly taking aim at the devices that have defined the Android tablet market thus far; e-reading based tablets like the Kindle Fire and the NOOK Tablet both run off Android, but use their own proprietary app and content stores, and Google wants a piece of that pie! So I posed this question to the other Gear Diary editors: Carly: How much will the Nexus tablet pull…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

What Do You Think of Muse’s Olympic Anthem?

Muse was announced as providing the ‘Official Olympic Anthem’ for the summer games in London, and today they have released the song video officially, with the full album coming in September. The song is called ‘Survival’ and Muse singer Matthew Bellamy said: “It’s a huge honor to have the track chosen as such a major part of the London 2012 Olympic Games,” Bellamy added. “I wrote it with the games in mind as it expresses a sense of conviction and determination to win.” And here is the entire song: What do you think? Personally … I have no use for…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Tay Zonday Brings a Fitting End to the ‘Call Me Maybe’ Meme

If you haven’t experienced SOMETHING of the ‘Call Me Maybe’ meme, which takes the first line of the ultra-popular Carly Rae Jepson song and twists it around … you might need to come out from the bunker and tune into this whole ‘internet’ thing. The actual line is “Hey, I just met you … and this is crazy … but here’s my number, so call me maybe”. One of my favorites is also relevent to recent events, saying “Hey, I just met you … and this is crazy … but here’s my bath salts, your face is tasty”. But Tay…

Music Diary, News & Features

10 Video Clips for the 10th Anniversary of John Entwistle’s Death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eFMqKC2C554 Back in early 2002 The Who looked to make a comeback, regrouping and heading out on tour with renewed energy. But before the tour could quite start, legendary bassist John Entwistle collapsed and died of a heart attack … certainly not helped by years of cocaine use. In various interviews he lamented somewhat at how long it took for The Who to ‘get rich’ compared to some of their contemporaries – which wasn’t helped by their pioneering of the ‘rock & roll lifestyle’. He also lamented the level of recognition given to bassists such as Stanley Clarke and Jaco…

News & Features

Google Brings Out Nexus Q

Just saw this on Google+ just a moment ago right before Vic Gundotra took the stage at Google IO. The Nexus Q is a social streaming media player made for Google Play at home. When you have an Android phone or tablet on your home wifi network, you and your friends can send songs to the Nexus Q and modify the playlist as it’s playing. The Nexus Q will be available in 2-3 weeks and should be about $299. Update: Some more features have come up during the keynote about the Nexus Q. The Nexus Q will also allow multiple devices to stream simultaneously….

eBooks

Geoff Morrison’s “Undersea” Only .99 On Kindle!

I am always on the hunt for a good book, especially during the summertime. Once on a week’s vacation to the beach I blew through 12 books! Needless to say, I try to bargain hunt for new titles. So Geoffrey Morrison’s book “Undersea”, for only .99 on Kindle, has caught my eye! Here’s the description: In a world flooded and irradiated by a nearly forgotten cataclysm generations passed, all that remains of civilization clings to life in two war-torn, city-sized submarines. For fifty years, the only peace between them has come from separation. Now, young councilwoman Ralla Gattley has uncovered…

News & Features

Watch the 2012 Google I/O Keynote Right Here at 9:30 PDT

In a few hours, Google will have the opening keynote for the 2012 edition of Google I/O and you can watch it right here on Gear Diary. What will they announce? The only thing we know for sure is that Android 4.1 will probably be talked about, since they have the statue erected at the Googleplex. In fact, Google has released a really cool video of Googlers assembling the statue. So, for now, take a look at that. Comment below as the keynote unfolds, and look for a summary of the announcements later today right here on Gear Diary.

News & Features

Ahead of Google I/O, the Jellybean Statue Arrives

In case you didn’t know, every time Google is ready to issue a new version of Android, there’s a new statue that shows up outside of the Googleplex. We had Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s been all around the web that the next version would be code-named Jellybean, and that it will be version 4.1 with the Galaxy Neuxs getting it first. Well, today the Jellybean statue has shown up at the Googleplex, leaving all but the official announcements for sometime tomorrow during Google I/O. Also, they will likely be introducing the first Nexus tablet, named the Nexus 7….

Reviews, Travel

Waterfield Cozmo Lets Your Gear “Go First Class” Review

So you got one of the new MacBook Pro with retina displays and love it. But there is a problem. Thanks to its thinner design and lighter weight the 15″ notebook is far more portable than its predecessor but you aren’t quite sure what you should use to carry it. Waterfield SFBags has some great options. In fact, they have a new section on the site that gather’s the best options for carrying the MBPr in one place. You can check it out here. They all look great, and I’m thinking about picking up one of the new, larger-size Travel…

Game Diary, Reviews

Horses 3D for Nintendo 3DS Review

This Nintendo 3DS game presents an authentic world of horse training with realistic gameplay, entertaining scenarios, and various social elements.

eBooks

Extra, Extra! Zinio To Sell Themselves Instead of Magazines!

If you are a regular reader of Gear Diary, you probably know about Zinio, the digital magazine people. If you do, you might be surprised to hear they are for sale; and if you haven’t, you probably buy digital magazines from B&N or Amazon, if you buy any at all. CNN has the scoop on the sale: FORTUNE — Zinio, a digital magazine reading platform that competes with Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle app and Apple’s (AAPL) Newsstand, is seeking a buyer, Fortune has learned. The San Francisco-based company has hired investment bank Montgomery & Co. to manage the process, with one…

Music Diary, News & Features

Slacker Launches Personalized Lifestyle Stations with ABC Radio

Here at Gear Diary we have a bunch of Slacker Radio fans. For me, aside from listening to my massive iTunes collection, Slacker is my ‘go to’ spot as they offer on-demand streaming content as well as a great array of preset music stations. Recently they also introduced highly customizable ESPN radio stations, and now they have teamed with ABC Radio to launch new ‘Lifestyle’ stations. These stations are called Men’s Life and Women’s Life, and offer targeted content for each gender. But if that sounds limiting – as it did for me – rest assured that you get the…

Editorials

MacBook Pro with Retina Display; Why We Bit

Dan: In last week’s newsletter, Judie and I began to address our first impressions of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display. I sat down to flesh out a more in-depth post but soon realized that what might be more compelling was why we both felt this computer was worth the price of admission in the first place. I certainly won’t speak for Judie, but I thought I would lay out my reasons for buying the MBPr and why, after using it for a week and a half, I realize they were spot on. In order to fully explain why this…

News & Features

Music in 2012, The Juncture of Art and Tech

Music purists like Mike may not be all too happy about this post but I can live with that. I’m a huge fan of the iOS app Discovr Music. It lets me find bands and performers who are related to one another. For example, I might start with one act and then find three or four other acts that were influenced by them or influence them. Most recently using Discovr Music led me to Late Night Alumni via a rather circuitous route. I love the music, the mix of some Downtempo tracks and some more Trance-related tracks that LNA offer….

Reviews

The WhaleTail Tablet Vacuum Dock and Handle Review

I do a lot of news items here at GD — just keeping you folks abreast of new offerings, deals, and the like. Every once in a while an item pops up that makes me think, “Yeah, okay, I’ve gotta give that a try.” Such an item was the Octa WhaleTail tablet stand/holder. I mean, it just looked cool, and I have been in search of a decent “holder” for my iPad ever since I got it. Not just to hold it up on a table, but also to hold it up, ya know, in front of my face. This…

Vehicles & Gear

First Drive: 2013 Nissan Altima

Quick, name the No. 2 best-selling car in America last year. Difficult, isn’t it? I, for one, did not realize the Nissan Altima was the second-best selling car in the U.S. in 2011, nor have I really given it much thought (or digital ink) save for the coupe we took to New Orleans a couple of years ago. Altima has been on sale here in the states for two decades now and for 2013 Nissan has decided to lean a little heavier towards revolutionary (as opposed to evolutionary) for what will be the fifth-generation of the car. Granted, they have…

Reviews

a-JAYS ONE+ Headphones Review

In recent years we have seen an increasing number of headphones that use tangle-free, flat cords. They really do help you avoid having to deal with the tangled mess that is wired headphones. Plus, they look and feel neat. That’s why I was excited to review the a-JAYS One+ headset when it was offered to me. After all, not everyone can afford $150 for in-ear headphones, and that’s what I’ve been reviewing lately. At $59.99, the a-JAYS ONE+ look like a bargain. I was even more excited when I saw the box. It is unusually done in oval-shaped plastic., and…

eBooks

Microsoft Surface: The Trojan Tablet For Digital Textbooks?

Just about two months ago, Barnes and Noble and Microsoft announced that B&N would spin off their NOOK and college bookstore businesses into “Newco”, to be jointly owned by both companies. Obviously this has been good news for B&N’s finances, but aside from the press release both sides have been very quiet. There were rumors that B&N would be part of Microsoft’s Surface tablet event, but that was proved wrong. However, I think Surface tablets are a big part of why Newco was formed. When the joint venture was announced, I pointed out this benefit on the Microsoft end: As…

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