2013

The Gtech AirRAM Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review

In our home we have a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, three girls with shoulder-length or longer hair, and three mohair rugs; there are days when I am not sure who or what sheds worse. We have a conventional upright vacuum cleaner, and although it works well enough, it is a pain to have to get it out. As you likely know, in order to use a traditional upright vacuum cleaner, you generally have to get it out of a storage closet, unwind the cord, plug it in, and move it about as needed; I’m not sure about your upright vacuum, but…

Reviews

BROpener Lets You Turn Any Surface Into a Bottle Opener

Summer is here, and that means sun, fun and beer. It also means that GearFest 2013 is coming soon. THAT means we’ll be enjoying lots and lots of IPAs. After all they are Kevin’s favorite, and he has made an IPA-lover out of me too. Last GearFest our bottle opener saw a good bit of use. This year it will be staying in the drawer, because instead of using a standard bottle opener, we will be using the BROpener. The BROpener was a successful Kickstarter project that quickly, and easily turns any surface into a bottle opener. And while I…

Reviews

Think Tank Photo Mirrorless Mover 30i Review

Think Tank Photos Mirrorless Mover line of bags is a great way to carry and protect your mirrorless camera. The line is “scaled to fit today’s compact, mirrorless cameras, this collection of bags offers the same top quality materials and craftsmanship that Think Tank is known for. “The Mirrorless Mover 30i is also the first accessory I am getting to review for it.

Secret Society Game Tweaks Your Dopamine Reward System

Game Diary, Reviews

The Secret Society from G5 Tweaks Your Dopamine Reward System to the Max!

The most ‘addictive’ games are the ones that activate your ‘dopamine reward system’, which is your brains way of dealing with things that feel good. It is the system that makes any positive achievement feel so great and send a ‘rush of good feelings’ over you in those moments. For the new generation of mobile games fueled by in-app purchases, ‘dopamine management’ is a critical factor to keeping gamers on the hook and paying up. Several months ago G5 Entertainment introduced The Secret Society, and have been updating it ever since. I started playing a week or so ago, and…

Reviews

Cozi Family Organizer for iPhone and iPad – a Blueplate Special

My kids have finally reached the age that our family is going twenty directions at once. This spring we have had my varsity games I coach as well as both of my sons’ baseball games. Of course, most of these all occur at the same times on the same days in different towns. Since I am almost always coaching during this mess, my wife is in charge of keeping it all running smoothly. We recently found an iPhone app that has helped keep the chaos to be somewhat controlled while I was grocery shopping. Cozi Family Organizer made my usually…

Crowdfunding, Yum Log

Smart Food Scale Promises to Up the Game in Your Kitchen and Reaches Kickstarter Goal

Regular GearDiary readers know that I’m a big fan of a good kitchen gadget, and I love my digital kitchen scale. But I’ve recently seen a new toy that might encourage me to mothball my Bakers Math scale. (Even if it was a really nice holiday present.) Chef Sleeve is known for what they call “counter top technology,” products which make it easier for you to use your tech in the messy environment of the kitchen. The latest product that promises to make your life a little easier is a Bluetooth-enabled kitchen scale they are calling the Smart Food Scale….

Game Diary, Gear Bits

Buy GRID 2: Mono Edition – The Most Expensive Video Game Ever

NOTE: This collaborative article was co-written with our special correspondent Wayne Beck. Got $190,000 laying around? Then you can make history and purchase GRID 2: Mono Edition, which includes an actual 170mph BAC Mono supercar in exclusive GRID 2 livery, BAC factory tour, branded racing helmet and race suit, and a PlayStation 3 console. Note: Terms and conditions apply. The standard edition of GRID 2 will release on Tuesday, May 28. This one lucky buyer will appear in the next Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition as the “Most Expensive Video Game Commercially Available – Special Edition”. The GRID 2: Mono…

Editorials

Switching Smartphones and Carriers Is Getting Harder Than Ever

Reading over Carly’s post and the comments made something clear to me – plenty of people have at least a vague sense of dissatisfaction with pretty much ALL of the available smartphone choices. iOS is ‘stale’, Android remains klunky, Blackberry is dead-end, and Windows Phone is the also-ran that just can’t seem to win. Many polls suggest general dissatisfaction with all current smartphone brands. Yet when you read about smartphone loyalty, Apple leads the way and in general most people are likely to stick with the brand and operating system they currently use. Which leads to the obvious question ……

Reviews

Fast & Furious 6 Film Review

The ‘bigger is better’ filmmaking mantra works as this monstrous action-racing film series keeps upgrading with Fast & Furious 6 (a.k.a. Furious 6). The featured film gear this time is a special device called the “Nightshade”, which can disable power in a large area. Other featured gear in the film include special electronic discs (relating to the “Nightshade” technology), specially customized F1-style “flip cars”, modified cable guns, BMW M5s, a Navistar MXT truck, a rare 1973 Jensen Interceptor, and a custom-made Dodge Daytona for Vin Diesel…the perfect acting name for this successful film series. In this sixth film installment, Dominic…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Heavy Gear Assault Multiplayer Game Launches Kickstarter Campaign

The Heavy Gear world dates back to the 90s as a tabletop boardgame and card combat game, and came to the PC after Activision lost the rights to the Battletech/Mechwarrior series. There were two games introduced that brought the Heavy Gear world to gamers, with the second game being very well received as the best game in the genre at that time … but then the franchised remained dormant until last summer when Stompy Bot Productions announced they were bringing back Heavy Gear in a new game based on cutting edge Unreal Engine 4 technology. Now they are seeking help…

Game Diary, Reviews

Combo Crew for iOS and Android Pulls No Punches!

Type of app: Action-Fighting Platform/where to buy: iOS or Android; available in the iTunes App Store or available in the Google Play Store Developer: The Game Bakers Description: • Fight with your fingers: slash enemies to trigger crazy combos, tap to guard. A modern beat ’em up with no virtual D-pad! • The first mobile brawler with asynchronous multiplayer across devices. Rescue your friends, or be rescued by them! • A true arcade experience with a great combo system and super moves. • Several heroes with unique combat styles and more than 80 moves to master. • Hundreds of missions…

Gear Bits, Health and Fitness

Why I Don’t Run First Thing in the Morning

Yesterday afternoon we had a surprise softball game for Kev’s youngest at 5:30. We made it to dinner at 7, and we were home by 8. Since I hadn’t yet had time to get my run in, I thought I would go ahead and do it before it got too dark. I was almost to our back gate, a little over two miles into the run, and it was getting pretty dark. I saw a rattlesnake about 15 feet away, stretched out across the middle of the crushed limestone road. There was just enough daylight left that I felt safe getting…

Gear Bits

World Tarot Week? World Tarot Day? What?!

Best I can tell, the people who use tarot cards are those who want to believe in the idea of pre-destiny, or that there is some mystical “if I do this, then that will occur” order to the universe — beyond simple cause and effect. It’s kind of sad, really, to imagine someone thinking that by spending time with a deck of decorated cards, they’d be able to figure out what makes them or their loved ones tick. Even sadder is that in most cases people will pay someone else good money in order to have these “insights” given to…

Reviews

Baofeng UV-5RA Review: Can a $50 Ham Radio Be Any Good?

I hope you have been enjoying my series on Amateur Radio. It’s been one of my favorite hobbies for about 20 years now, and I love sharing my knowledge with our readers. Today I am bringing you another radio review, only the second one ever for Gear Diary. Just like when I reviewed the Icom ID-31A last year, this Baofeng UV-5RA review is coming from real-life experience with the radio.

News & Features

Zinio Introduces Z-Pass – 3 Digital Magazines Per Month for $5

If you haven’t already discovered how awesome it can be to have all of your magazine subscriptions delivered to your iPad or mobile phone digitally via Zinio, then perhaps this is the deal that will convince you to give it a try: Zinio has just opened up their new Z-Pass service, where customers can choose three magazines for just $5 a month from over 200 of Zinio’s most popular titles. All you have to do is make your selection and provide a credit card, and then each month your magazines will automatically be added to your Zinio library. If you…

Vehicles & Gear

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT All About Value and Functionality

An automotive anniversary is quietly approaching, but I doubt anyone will notice. Of course I am not talking about the 50th anniversary of Mustang – no, I am speaking of the 30th anniversary of the minivan. Yes, that once-ubiquitous soccer-mom vehicle is still rolling off the assembly lines despite being outpaced over the last two decades by SUVs and CUVs. While the number of models available are about half what they were 20 years ago, the granddaddy of them all – the Caravan from Dodge – is getting ready to hit the big 3-0. Now offered only in Grand Caravan…

Reviews

The Zooka Wireless Speaker Bar for Tablets and Laptops Review

This is our review of the Zooka. Before reading further please say that out loud five times fast. Now please say it five times slowly. Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka It is just fun to say isn’t it? Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka Zooka! Okay enough of that. Let’s dig into this successful Kickstarter project. The people behind it, Carbon Audio, were looking to raise $25,000 dollars. By the end of the campaign they had 678 backers and had raised $70,540. Neither Judie nor I backed the Zooka, but now the Bluetooth speaker is available…

Game Diary, News & Features

Classic RPGs Wizardry VI, VII and 8 Come to GoG.com!

When you look back at many of the classic moments and structures in gaming, the name Wizardry comes up all the time. It is the basis of all western RPGs from Ultima to Mass Effect, and its impact in Japan was key in the development of the Final Fantasy franchise. In short, all RPG roads lead to Wizardry. Now GoG.com has updated these classics (Wizardry VI came out in 1990, Wizardry VII in 1992, remade for Windows in 1996, and Wizardry 8 arrived in 2001) Here are some details on Wizardry VI and VII: – Includes Wizardry 6: Bane of…

Game Diary, News & Features

G5 Entertainment Casual Games Land on the Windows 8 Store

G5 Entertainment is one of the premier casual game companies for iOS, and has made quite a splash on Android, Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook. Now they have launched two of their popular games – Supermarket Mania® 2 and Stand O’Food® 3 – on the Windows Store. This is just the start for G5, as they hope to expand their reach to what looks to be the ‘third mobile OS’ going forward. You can download the games from the Windows Store for free, and use an in-app purchase to unlock the full games for Stand O’Food® 3…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

Turn off iMessage Before Switching away from iOS

I ordered a new Lumia 928 yesterday, and am anxiously awaiting a shipping notification from Verizon. In the meantime, I am beginning to research this huge leap into a whole new platform. Microsoft has a very helpful website that gives you an idea of how to transfer your calendar, contacts, and email, as well as answers some frequently asked questions. All my contacts are in Gmail, and I have an Outlook.com account, so I am in good shape there. However, I did find a thread at the Apple support forums that raised a red flag-apparently switching operating systems without turning…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Dungeon of Elements Game Launches Kickstarter Campaign

I continue to be amazed at the crazy-cool ideas that indie developers come up with. Years after being declared ‘dead’, PC gaming remains the most innovative source of new gaming styles. Take Dungeon of Elements – this game looks like a dungeon crawler, yet has a 3D Tetris element mixed with things like crafting and so on. Intrigued? I know I was, so I immediately checked out this new Kickstarter! Project Title: Dungeon of Elements Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: Wednesday Jun 19, 10:03am EDT URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frogdice/dungeon-of-elements From the developer: Here are some key features:

« 1 … 49 50 51 52 53 … 85 »