2013

DryCASE for Smartphones Lets Your Gear Go for a Swim

When we were in Aruba snorkeling, I was able to use a 4th generation iPod touch in a LifeProof case to shoot some under-water video. The experience made me an even stronger believer in the whole LifeProof approach to gear protection. There are, however, times you might want to waterproof your phone or media player, but not have it in a LifeProof case. That’s where one of the products from DryCASE can come in rather handy. Unlike the LifeProof approach which places your gadget in a specialized case, the DryCASE approach lets you use your device in a standard, non-waterproof case…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

How to Maximize iOS Notes App

I have a confession to make. Despite an Evernote account, and a Catch.com account, being a dedicated Todo and Pocket Informant user … I use Apple’s Notes App more than almost any other piece of software on my devices. Sometimes, when you’re taking notes, you don’t want lots of bells and whistles, you just want to take notes. There’s a reason the pen and paper have endured, and that’s the simplicity of pen to paper. No sync, no cloud, no tag this and categorize that. Notes is the closest to that sort of simplicity, and I use it for just…

Music Diary, News & Features

AVID Teams with Katy Perry & Adele’s Producer for Online Talent Competition

If you are like me, you love the IDEA of a musical talent competition for a recording contract that slowly funnels from thousands to just a few … but the execution always gets muddled down as the music becomes secondary to what works on TV. But what if there was an online contest that will result in three lucky winners having their music heard, mixed and mastered by some of the industry’s top folks? That is exactly what Avid is announcing in conjunction with Abbey Road Studios. Avid is the maker of Pro Tools, which is THE system of choice…

Gear Bits

Brainwave Controlled Cat Ears and Tail for Those who Really Love Their Pets

I know a lot of people who totally connect with their household pets. They can tell me what (they believe) it’s thinking, it’s intentions are, and how it’s feeling today. Those people will do almost anything for their pets; whether it’s throwing a birthday party, baking homemade treats, or building enormous pet palaces for them to sleep in. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a dog lover who has had a dog almost all of his life and I absolutely love my dog, but I’m not going to take her for an all-inclusive doggy spa day with shiatsu massage and…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Mackie Updates Master Fader Control App for DL Series Live Mixers

Last year at NAMM Mackie brought iPad control to their DL1608 mixer. Now for 2013 NAMM they have introduced the DL806 mixer and major updates to their Master Fader control app. This EQ is great for getting vocals, guitars and other instruments to sit perfectly in a mix. Now, DL users can choose between clean, surgical modern processing and the new range of classic vintage plug-ins for more flexibility in use. You can grab the app for free now, and the update will be coming soon. Mackie has added an episode to their DL Series podcast regarding Master Fader v1.4…

Gear Bits, Health and Fitness

Here Are Just Some of the Other Benefits of Sex

Sex is great because … well, if I have to explain THAT then I probably can’t help. But aside from the obvious benefit of being sex, there are numerous health benefits … and the folks at Greatist have detailed them out with links to some of the studies. Here are a few: • It can ward off the cold and flu • It can improve overall physical fitness • It decreases risk for heart disease * It lowers risks during pregnancy Head to Greatist to check out the full list, along with all of the links to the studies and…

Reviews

OGIO Manhattan Messenger Bag Review

One of the great thing about mobile technology is that it is, well, mobile. Laptop, iPad, phone, eReader — they all go wherever we go. And more and more that includes shuttling your gear between home, the office, and everywhere in between. Where do you look when you want to be professional but still stylish? Ogio has a strong contender in their new Manhattan messenger bag! The Manhattan bag has what I would call a more feminine style. There are six decorative buttons along the front, very similar to the types of buttons on a nice suit. And the interior…

Game Diary, News & Features

GoG.com Adds 10 New Mac Games for January!

The answer to the question ‘where do I get Mac games’ has changed over time. A few years ago you would answer ‘I’m sorry dude, really sorry’. Then along came Steam, then the Mac App Store, and most recently GoG.com. Now you can proudly answer that there are great choices and prices at Steam, GoG.com and the Mac App Store. And GoG.com is advancing at an amazing pace, today announcing the addition of 10 Mac games to their roster. And like every other game, you now get the Mac and PC version of the game as well as all the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Old Clockmaker’s Riddle HD for iPad Review

Type of app: Match-3 Puzzle Adventure game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: DAVA Inc. / G5 Entertainment Description: ? Over 50 amazing levels to play ? 25 adorable houses to save from ruin ? 25 challenging mini-games to master ? 12 powerful upgrades and five magic tools ? Two game modes: relaxed and timed ? Game Center Support ? iPhone 5 support Major features: I admit to expecting Old Clockmaker’s Riddle to be a standard story-based Hidden Object game. But after I started reading the description I was thrilled to see the…

Gear Bits

Who Is the 21st Century Salesperson? This Free Publication Offers Insight

It is a new world and in it many traditional jobs are changing. On the list is the work of the salesperson and those looking to sell in the 21st Century need to adapt. This free Forrester White Paper tries to answer the question “Do you know what seller types you have and what it takes for them to succeed?” It identifies four different archetypes of salespeople of the 21st century: the expediter, the specialist, the consolidator, and the conductor. It is valuable insight, and it is free — so why not download it by clicking here?

Outdoors, Yum Log

Beer Hunter and Drinkmaster Will Keep You Warm and Your Beer Cold

It’s time for slightly embarrassing admissions here at Gear Diary: I can personally vouch that when I was in college (hmmpty-hmmph) years ago, I learned that it is possible to smuggle an entire eight-pack of 8 oz. Little Kings Cream Ales into a movie theater stashed within the various pockets of a denim jacket. I mean, have you seen the price of concessions at the movies lately?! Unfortunately, I can also verify that when you drape said blue jean jacket around the back of a theater seat, there is a very high probability that at least one of those little…

Gear Bits

RADIUS iPhone 5 Case Is Minimalistic Protection Done Right

How much protection is too much? When it comes to your iPhone 5, that’s a tough call. You want enough protection to keep your corners from crumpling and your screen from shattering, but do you really want to cover up those hard lines and sexy curves? With the solid billet aircraft grade aluminum RADIUS Minimalist case, you won’t have to. RADIUS started as a Kickstarter campaign, was successfully funded, and is now available for preorder to the public with shipping in early March. The RADIUS is $69.99, but you’ll need to add your own screen protector. I recommend (and use) the SPIGEN…

Events, Reviews

Just Mobile AluPen Pro Review

As much as I have tried to go paperless, it’s been impossible for me to totally quit writing down shopping lists or jotting quick notes to myself or others. Whether I like it or not, I think I will always need to have a pen handy. Add to that my occasional need for a capacitive stylus — one that will work on the iPad or iPhone’s screen — and you’ll understand why the AluPen Pro caught my eye when I was visiting the Just Mobile booth at CES. Sculpted from aluminum, the perfectly weighted AluPen Pro features a high-quality, retractable…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

Create Shortcuts in iOS, Your Gear 101

One terrific (but often unused) tool baked right into iOS is the ability to create keyboard shortcuts. With them, you can type in just a few brief letters and have a much longer piece of text appear in the body of whichever document you are working on. They are particularly useful when you have a block of text that is used on a frequent basis. For example, our Kickstart This! posts all use the same basic structure. Having the ability to type kkick and have the entire template replace those five letters is exceptionally useful. Best of all, it is…

News & Features

Thermometer for the Naturalist that Will Leaf the Competition Behind

For those seeking escape from the mechanical, desiring a more natural space, yet have the nagging desire to have an idea of what the approximate room temperature is in you sanctuary, Gizmine may have the thermometer for you. The aptly named Leaf Thermometer not only looks natural and realistic, it actually gives you a rough idea of how warm or cold it is by changing its color accordingly. No more straining eyes at small gradients on glass thermometers or glancing at digital readouts … just check the color! Henry David Thoreau would have been proud to have one while loitering…

Music Diary, News & Features

HDtracks Offers a Master Quality Music Experience for the Masses

I was recently cleaning up some Iomega Jaz disks and came across a folder with stuff I used to keep on my Pocket PC devices. In there was a bunch of music I had ripped from CDs to store on Compact Flash drives from 32MB to 256MB as my devices progressed from the HP 430se to the Jornadas and iPaqs. For some reason I decided to listen to some of the music, and it sounded AWFUL! The undersampling was atrocious, and the lossiness was readily apparent. Of course, the compression schemes used by iTunes, Amazon and others is much more…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

How to Get Your Google Contacts onto Your iPhone

In the past week, we’ve heard results from AT&T and Verizon, and in the particular case of Verizon which had iPhones account for TWO THIRDS of its smartphone sales, 20% of those sales went to former Android users. I have detailed my years long Android exclusivity, which just ended in late December with the purchase of an iPhone 5. I got one for my wife and we got them for our teenage sons … so we are an iPhone Family now! But we are also all heavy GMail users, and users of Google services in general. So while my contacts…

Yum Log

Tres Generaciones Anejo Tequila, a Taste of Family History

Life is short. I see that all the time in my work, and I have seen it far too often in my own life. Life is too short to fill it with worries about the small stuff, and it is too short to fill it with bad people, bad experiences, bad food or bad drinks. Speaking of drinks; I have long been a scotch drinker, but just as often as not I enjoy relaxing while sipping tequila. Recently I decided that, except when making margaritas, I would begin drinking higher-end tequilas, and I decided to have some fun with it….

News & Features

No More “Either Paper or Tablet” Decisions Thanks to the New Booqpad mini

Booq has just announced their new Booqpad mini, an iPad case that combines protection for the iPad mini with the tried and true efficiency of paper and pen. As booq explains, the Booqpad mini “allows you to conveniently keep your business cards, stylus, pen, cash and other important documents close to your iPad mini, as well as your important hand-written notes. Booqpad mini: • Easily stores pen, stylus, cash, business cards, paper notepad, and iPad mini, all in one elegant folio • Is designed symmetrically for left and right-handed users • Secures and protects iPad mini, providing in case access…

Events, Reviews

Rokform RokShield v3 for iPhone 5 Review and CES Booth Gallery

When opting to put my iPhone in a case these days, I tend to go one of two directions. I either seek out a slim, minimalist case that will protect my iPhone from scratches while adding the least amount of weight and bulk, or I put the phone in a LifeProof case for maximum protection. The new Rokform Rokshield v3 for iPhone 5 that arrived the other day may change that. The Rokshield v3 isn’t exactly minimalist, but it also doesn’t offer the maximum protection found in a LifeProof. Instead it falls somewhere between the two extremes. Actually allow me to…

News & Features

Geeksphone to Ship FirefoxOS on Developer Hardware Next Month

The biggest criticism I have of Android and iOS challenger UbuntuOS is that they made an announcement with no hardware that was even close to shipping. Well, the Mozilla project has gone a step further and announced that they will have not one, but two developer phones to ship next month with the new FirefoxOS. The Mozilla Project announced the Keon and the Peak, both to ship next month, and they will be made by an up and coming company called Geeksphone. Both phones are very similar in design with the Keon being the lower end of the two phones with a 3.5 inch…

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