Articles by Gear Diary Staff

Skype Now Available for Windows Phone 7.5 Devices

News & Features

Skype Now Available for Windows Phone 7.5 Devices

Windows Phone users rejoice!  Microsoft has at long last released Skype v1.0 into the Windows Marketplace for supported devices. So now owners of Windows Phone 7.5 devices sporting at least 512MB RAM can now make and receive Skype calls as well as chat with contacts/friends on their handsets over 3G and 4G and of course Wi-Fi. A few important caveats, however: As previously mentioned, currently only 7.5 devices with 512MB of RAM are supported** Skype calls cannot be received if the Skype app isn’t running in the foreground (i.e., Skype must be the “active” task) Skype currently does not support…

Hawkspy LT-712 Helicopter w/ Spy Camera Review

Reviews

Hawkspy LT-712 Helicopter w/ Spy Camera Review

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the EGOFLY Hawkspy LT712 RC helicopter with spycam from xenonproject.com! Want to know what’s going on around the corner and need to do some reconnaissance? Xenonproject.com’s Hawkspy RC helicopter is just for you! Sporting a tiny DVD-scale (720×480) video camera with included removable 1GB microSD card, the Hawkspy is an affordable fun RC toy for vicarious pilots. In addition to the review, we are offering a lucky reader the chance to win a Hawkspy for themselves. Details below.  But first, the review. RC helicopters just got even cooler with the new Hawkspy…

FIFA Street for PlayStation 3 Review

Game Diary, Reviews

FIFA Street for PlayStation 3 Review

The most popular sport in the world gets the personal treatment as Electronic Art’s FIFA Street offers a very involving street football game experience features a huge real-life player cache and several worldwide locations.

Whirlpool Sticks Me with the Dirty Laundry, but Lowe's Picks up the Tab

Editorials

Whirlpool Sticks Me with the Dirty Laundry, but Lowe’s Picks up the Tab

 Image courtesy of automaticwasher.org Is it really that hard to get good customer service anymore? Is the fine art of quality customer service a thing of the past? Looking through some past rants we’ve had here on Gear Diary, it’s evident that some companies just don’t care about anything dealing with “after the sale.”  Even dealing with major brand names on larger ticket items clearly doesn’t mean you’ll have quality support after the sale is complete. Having worked retail for about 7 years, I understand how important good customer service is, even if it means going out on a limb…

Puss in Boots-HD Interactive Story for iPad Review: More Than Just a Story!

Reviews

Puss in Boots-HD Interactive Story for iPad Review: More Than Just a Story!

Children’s books have sure come a long way since I was a tyke, and popular fairy tales are no exception. (Non-electric dead tree version ca. 1951) Not too long ago I gave Puss in BootsHD by Intech-Global a spin, reading it to my 4 year old son on my iPad 2. It was my son’s first foray into the realm of electronic book media. Summary from Intech-Global: Fairy tales are the best instrument for spiritual and moral development of a child. Fairy wisdom is simple, but at the same time rich and diverse. It gets into the child’s life and…

Order Up! for PlayStation 3 Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Order Up! for PlayStation 3 Review

This virtual kitchen simulation PlayStation 3 game features a chef (male or female) working up the professional ladder in the island setting of Port Abello complete with multiplayer options, 3D viewing options, and PlayStation Move compatibility.

Nokia Lumia 900 Free for AT&T Customers After $100 Rebate

News & Features

Nokia Lumia 900 Free for AT&T Customers After $100 Rebate

When I first picked up my Nokia Lumia 900 Monday morning, both the AT&T store reps and I were perplexed why my phone could initially make phone calls but data functionality was, well, nonfunctional for a few hours. We eventually swapped out a SIM card and later the phone was able to function normally, so we initially thought it might just be a registration issue with the new device on AT&T’s network. However, news began to circulate that many users were experiencing a similar problem. Now, just two days after the semi-official (well, it was  supposed to launch on Easter…

Normincie's Revolutionary Laptop Bag Review

Reviews, Travel

Normincie’s Revolutionary Laptop Bag Review

I’m not much of a shopper, usually.  When it comes to clothes, the quicker I can get in and out of a store, the better, so far as I’m concerned.  Same with shoes, or cars, or appliances, or pretty much anything, really.  Although Judie has made some headway over the years in helping me to see the beauty of quality accoutrements for my gear.  Nice laptop bags.  Vaja cases for my iPhone.  Things like that.  But usually, I’m pretty immune. However, when I wrote up the news item for Finnish company Normincie’s new high-end laptop bags, I must admit I…

Teething Troubles for Tablet Adoption in the Workplace

Editorials

Teething Troubles for Tablet Adoption in the Workplace

It’s always tempting to impute Unlikely virtues to the cute. – Ogden Nash The tech world is abuzz with them, many of us own our own and several of us use them at work. They have transformed the personal computing landscape and become a standard in their own right, sized  from the neighborhood of 10″ down to 7″. I am speaking, of course, of tablets. Whether the Apple iPad, the varying Android builds, HP Touchpad or even the BlackBerry PlayBook, tablets have become very popular mobile devices and increasingly showing up in the business world. Before you start gallivanting off…

Does iOS Need a User Interface Overhaul?

Editorials

Does iOS Need a User Interface Overhaul?

I posed a question to my fellow staff at Gear Diary, asking all iPhone users why Apple hasn’t really changed their UI since 2007. As a non iPhone user, my questions stemmed from a post that Carly had put up about her finding her original iPhone, when she posted a side by side of the home screens. Original iPhone (left) iPhone 4S (right) As an Android user, I enjoy changing up my home screen or theme on a weekly basis. That might seem a little excessive to some,  but with so many cool launcher options, icons, and tweaks, I feel like…

The Z-Connector iPhone Case (with Chain!) Review

Reviews

The Z-Connector iPhone Case (with Chain!) Review

I’m a pocket watch kind of guy.  I have asked for, received, and used nice pocket watches since I was a teen.  In fact, I managed to initially catch the eye of one of my pre-marriage gas with a pocket watch: at a party, she spotted the gold chain attached to my pants, came over, and said, “Is there a watch attached to that chain?”  (We dated for 3 years!)  So yeah, I like pocket watches. The iPhone is small enough to fit in pretty much anyone’s pants pocket, of course, and I have long wondered why someone didn’t create…

SBCGlobal Users, Are You Having Trouble Sending Your Mail? Here's Help!

How to Do It Yourself!

SBCGlobal Users, Are You Having Trouble Sending Your Mail? Here’s Help!

Image courtesy of OrganicKuwait blog Hi there, SBCGlobal users!  I’d like to speak to those of you who work on Macs or Macbook Pros; I’ve been off Windows for a while (wow; I make it sound like heroin, don’t I), so I don’t know if what happened to me today is true on Windows boxes as well as Macs.  Read on if you like, though, because maybe you’ve bumped into this problem, too! One of the things that pleased me when I upgraded to OS X Lion was with regard to the email program.  I like Apple’s email program; I…

Nokia Lumia 900 Now Available for Pre-Order from AT&T

News & Features

Nokia Lumia 900 Now Available for Pre-Order from AT&T

For those chomping at the bit for the Nokia Lumia 900, AT&T is now offering the phone up for pre-order on their website. Retailing off-contract for $449.99 or $99.00 with contract, this has been a heavily anticipated phone in Windows Phone circles. For me, this device will mark my departure from the Android realm for the first time in nearly two years, so I am very excited to give the Lumia 900 a whirl. Sporting a 4G LTE, a 4.3″AMOLED screen, Carl Zeiss optics with an 8 MP primary camera with dual LED flash, autofocus, a 1 MP front camera…

Missing some Zzzs? Try zsnuz Nap App for iPad/iPhone

News & Features

Missing some Zzzs? Try zsnuz Nap App for iPad/iPhone

It’s a curious thing, perception of Time as a child as compared to that of an adult’s. As children, Time was a thing without meaning as we played and played, until our parents found us and compelled us to take a nap. Suddenly Time became a precious commodity, now subjugated by cruel Afternoon Nap rudely interrupting fun. As adults, however, Time can seem to be a slave under the domination of the twin temporal tyrants Responsibility and Obligation. Meeting deadlines, raising children, maintaining a home and so forth devours our time and more than a few beleaguered adults wish for…

Is Pottermore Going to Change the eBook Market?

Editorials

Is Pottermore Going to Change the eBook Market?

As Michael told you the other day, the new Harry Potter official site Pottermore has been launched with much fanfare.  Your source for all things related to the Potter universe, including (finally!) electronic versions of all the books.  (And your faithful Gear Diary team has discussed that a bit in other posts as well.) Now, this is a big deal, of course, because the Potter books are insanely popular and Rowling’s going to make a ton of money from the site.  But Matt Yglesias, a man who is almost always thoughtful when it comes to politics, decided to throw his…

Not into the iPad? Here Are Some Smaller, Cheaper Alternatives

Editorials

Not into the iPad? Here Are Some Smaller, Cheaper Alternatives

  After a week of record busting sales if you were uncertain before then you should be now. The iPad is indeed the ruler of the roost on all things tablet. Everyone at Gear Diary was thrilled by this model’s updates, and it’s clear that the new HD display, 4G/LTE, 5MP camera graphics upgrade was enough to put sales through the roof and beyond. Reports were 3 million units moved the first weekend and probably double that count since then. This honestly comes to no surprise as the consumer support behind Apple is evident by its sheer volume of sales…

Hey Amazon, Can You PLEASE Let Me Change the Paragraph Justification in Your Apps?

eBooks, Editorials

Hey Amazon, Can You PLEASE Let Me Change the Paragraph Justification in Your Apps?

Image courtesy of (believe it or not!) furnitureconsignment.com So as you’ve probably heard–Michael posted about it, for example–J.K. Rowling’s latest cash cow, the Pottermore web site, finally went live today (a mere 6-9 months after it was originally promised, but that’s a whole different ranty post).  For me what this meant was that, finally, I would be able to actually buy the eBook version of the Potter books.   Yay! There was a catch, though:  the books aren’t available via iBooks, but only through the Pottermore web site for Kindle, Nook, or straight ePub format.  Which is okay, I guess…

MapiCases iPad 2 Cases Can Enrobe Stylishly

Reviews

MapiCases iPad 2 Cases Can Enrobe Stylishly

The other day I received a medium-sized padded mailer at work. I receive these from time to time given my work requirements, but when I opened this particular package there was something special about it. Enclosed within the mailer was a gray felt bag with an embroidered MapiCases logo emblazoned on it. Wafting out of the suede bag was the distinct smell of fine leather. The two MapiCases for my review had arrived!

App Avalanche! How Do You Deal with Constant App Updates?

Editorials

App Avalanche! How Do You Deal with Constant App Updates?

For anyone in the tech biz, one of the scariest words is, “Upgrade”.  You’re bumping along just fine, things are going well, and you get that dreaded email from your IT department informing you that some critical change has been made (usually to security and networking software), and you are required to upgrade your system.  If you’re lucky, you can do it without stopping your work completely and rebooting your system; if you’re unlucky, you lose some hours and have to reboot multiple times and end up on the phone with your support guy. But in the age of iOS…