2012

BodyGuardz HTC Titan Armor Carbon Fiber Review

Reviews

BodyGuardz HTC Titan Armor Carbon Fiber Review

I made the mistake of buying a carbon fiber skin from a company I had never heard of, when I decided that I didn’t want to keep my HTC Titan in a case. My disappointment with the product started when I realized that there was a huge cutout in the back so that the HTC logo would show through. No offense to HTC, but I don’t need to see their logo to know that the phone was made by them. I was able to easily get all of the pieces installed, but the skin just didn’t seem very substantial. I…

I'm the 3,500,001st Person to Watch this iPad Video

Gear Bits

I’m the 3,500,001st Person to Watch this iPad Video

So maybe I’m the last person to see this video, but it’s still funny. Not so funny, is when your mother in law has to tell you about something having to do with the iPad. Regardless, if you have not seen this video you can be the 3,500,002nd person to watch it. It’s worth the 30 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v0FVm_H_D18

News Flash - You Can Use Up Your Data Plan Faster on Your iPad With 4G Speeds!

Gear Bits

News Flash – You Can Use Up Your Data Plan Faster on Your iPad With 4G Speeds!

We already know that Dan is a heavy data user – AT&T has him nationally ranked, after all! Today Dan mentioned that in the first week with the new iPad he has already exceeded 2GB of usage. My usage has been much lower, but I am surrounded by WiFi much of the time – but the 4G service has been indispensable, as has the WiFi hotspot! But Dan isn’t alone – there have been several articles about people suddenly finding themselves going over their 2GB data limit and having to pay an extra $10 per GB of data. In the…

Native Union's Curve Twin Handset Perfect for Multi-Device Professionals

News & Features

Native Union’s Curve Twin Handset Perfect for Multi-Device Professionals

We’ve previously reviewed a number of products from Native Union, and we have been impressed by the design and utility of them. That’s why Judie and I made sure to set aside time to visit the Native Union booth at CES. We are glad we did, because a couple of the items that were in the pipeline for 2012 really impressed us. One of them, the $59.99 Curve Twin, is finally available and for those of us who use multiple mobile devices; it promises to be a great accessory. As the Press Release notes, Universally appealing to anyone who uses…

Apple Updates iMovie to Work on Original iPad!

News & Features

Apple Updates iMovie to Work on Original iPad!

One of the frustrations when iMovie was initially released was that it worked on the iPad 2 but not the original iPad. This was due to the intention of using it with the camera for video-on-the-fly and the hardware capabilities and memory limitations of the original iPad. Now Apple has quietly updated iMovie for iOS so that it will run on the original iPad. Of course there is always a ‘but’ … and in this case it is iMovie Trailers. While you’re able to edit video with ease, you don’t have access to the app’s new Movie Trailers feature. For that,…

Fix It Up World Tour for the iPad Game Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Fix It Up World Tour for the iPad Game Review

When I reviewed Fix It Up: Kate’s Adventure last year, I found it fun and loaded with content, but there were a few things I didn’t enjoy that kept it from being one of my ‘go to’ casual apps. Now Kate is back, joined by Steve and Martin, and she is ready to take on the world – literally! Let’s see how things go this time! The Hype: Go global in this fantastic strategy adventure! In this sequel to “Fix-it-up: Kate’s Adventure”, you must help Kate expand her car-repair empire around the world! Build car-repair shops anywhere from snowy Canada…

Joe Walsh Announced Upcoming Album, Releases First Song for Free!

Music Diary, News & Features

Joe Walsh Announced Upcoming Album, Releases First Song for Free!

If you are a fan of rock music from the 70s or 80s, the name Joe Walsh is immediately familiar – his time with the James Gang and the Eagles as well as his solo career produced a number of hits. His work as a sideman cemented him as a legend on the guitar. He is the force behind hits like James Gang’s ‘Funk #49’ (trust me, you know it), Eagle’s ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ and ‘In the City’, and his own ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ and ‘Life’s Been Good’ amongst many others. Walsh has a knack for delivering sardonic…

Fitbit Adds an Android App

Gear Bits

Fitbit Adds an Android App

I picked up a Fitbit while at CES, and it has been my constant step-tracking companion ever since. Well, I take it back … after I washed and dried the original Fitbit that I was given at a press show (which effectively killed it), I went a few days without one until the replacement I purchased could arrive, but I digress. Fitbit is a great motivator, because it shows you in no uncertain terms whether you have been moving enough to meet your daily goals, and whether you have done it with enough intensity to make a real difference. The Fitbit device will show you…

The Who Launch Fan-Made Work as the OFFICIAL Video for '5:15'

Music Diary, News & Features

The Who Launch Fan-Made Work as the OFFICIAL Video for ‘5:15’

Late last year in conjunction with the massive release of the wonderfully remastered Quadrophenia in a ‘Super Deluxe Edition’, the group asked fans to create a short film for the song ‘5:15’. The goal was to come up with a video that “does for the track what the Quadrophenia film did for the album.” Recently we heard that the winner was chosen, and now we have the video to match. The winner was created by Jeff Rodenberg, who won $2000 for his winning effort, as well as the chance to work with Universal Music Group’s marketing team to finalize the…

Katy Perry Plays Rapper in N*ggas In Paris

Music Diary, News & Features

Katy Perry Plays Rapper in N*ggas In Paris

The thought of Katy Perry singing in general doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in me – she has about a 6 note range, requires all-too-obvious auto-tuning, and in live performances is a poster child for pre-recorded tracks. As for her rhythm … Well, she really can’t dance and certainly can’t sing and dance simultaneously. So again, not a lot of confidence there. Let us just say she is at her best walking around the stage singing along with a pre-recorded track in a way-too-short and way-too-tight dress. So how is it that I just watched her doing a cover of Jay…

Feeling Blue? Element Case's Vapor COMP Epiphany is for You

News & Features

Feeling Blue? Element Case’s Vapor COMP Epiphany is for You

It is no secret we are huge fans of Element Case’s products. From their Joule iPad stand, to the Vapor Pro iPhone stand, to the upcoming Vapor Dock, the company’s products all have style and refinement that enhances the experience of using your iPhone or iPad. The Vapor COMP Epiphany iPhone Case is no exception, and a limited number are now available. The Vapor COMP Epiphany features styling of a timeless classic with a durable powder coated frame in Epiphany Blue and a crystal clear polycarbonate cap that has been back painted with white acrylic urethane paint. You have your…

Bodyguardz mykase Turns my iPhone into a Gear Diary Phone

Gear Bits, News & Features

Bodyguardz mykase Turns my iPhone into a Gear Diary Phone

Back in January we posted a look at Bodyguardz new mykase for iPhone 4S. The case allows you to protect your iPhone while changing the look to fit your mood thanks to an innovative swappable back plate. Here’s the video look at it in action. Well the mykase is even more customizable than that. You see, the company now allows you to purchase one-of-a-kind custom back plates that you can make yourself right on their website. The customization engine is easy to use and walks you through the process step by step. You can upload a favorite image, adjust it to…

GAIN Fitness for iOS Is Pocket-Sized Personal Training

Outdoors

GAIN Fitness for iOS Is Pocket-Sized Personal Training

Exercise. It’s something we all need to do, with the exception of those among us who are genetically gifted. But it is too easy to get caught in a rut, slogging through the same workouts each day. Or to avoid working out entirely because a meeting ran late, the car is in the shop, dinner needs to get made, or the moon isn’t full. There are a million ways to track the workout you didn’t do, but what about learning how to work out? That’s where GAIN Fitness comes in. It’s an app used in conjunction with a website that…

Zombie Highway for iPhone/Touch and iPad

Game Diary, Reviews

Zombie Highway for iPhone/Touch and iPad

As I watched the season finale of The Walking Dead Sunday night, one of my kids hollered from the other room, “Why does everything have to do with zombies?” We do not let them watch the show of course, but he knew I was watching what he calls, “that zombie show.” Even though he had a point, I did not have a good answer. I simply replied, “because killing zombies is so fun.” He definitely agreed and told me there are some fun games where you have to kill zombies. It just so happens that I also found a game…

Einstein's Life Goes Digital!

eBooks, News & Features

Einstein’s Life Goes Digital!

I was fascinated by Albert Einstein as a kid. I didn’t really grasp the details of his work, and to this day my grasp of physics is a bit shaky, but I still thought he was awesome. Call it nerd hero-worship. Learning more about what made him so awesome involves learning more about the man behind the math, and that’s why I am excited that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is digitizing his correspondence and creating a portal where you can read and browse their archives. It’s certainly cheaper to read it online than hop a flight to Israel to…

Mercalli Easy Video Stabilizer Makes Fixing Movies Easy

Reviews

Mercalli Easy Video Stabilizer Makes Fixing Movies Easy

  If you are like me, you enjoy taking occasional videos of sundry things, and if you are like me, you are hardly an expert. Far too often there is something going on at the drop of a hat that you would love to get on video, only to later discover on playback that the quality of the resulting video isn’t quite in the same league as David McLean’s Dr. Zhivago. No, the output looks more like a scene from “Battle: Los Angeles”, except you were just trying to film the kids on the swingset, not experiencing a ground-shaking alien…

HopStop iOS App Review

Reviews

HopStop iOS App Review

This past weekend Sarah and I were in Washington, DC. Neither of us had been there in years, but we were able to navigate flawlessly all weekend. We traveled by foot, Metro, and cab, and never once had to ask for directions or look like lost tourists. How did we do it? HopStop’s amazing iPhone app!

i-FunBox App Gives Direct File Access to iOS Devices

Reviews

i-FunBox App Gives Direct File Access to iOS Devices

i-FunBox was a serendipitous discovery for me. An avid Windows PC, Pocket PC and Android user, I’ve been accustomed to connecting a device and using simple File Explorer drag-and-drop to send files to and from the target peripheral and vice versa. Not so with Apple iTunes. iTunes was a different beast altogether, one that took some getting used to for this intrepid newbie into the realm of Appledom with his iPad. I don’t particularly like how Apple handles (or does not as the case may be) direct access to the device. I want to add a particular (read: single) photo…