Articles by Gear Diary Staff

Why the eBook World Makes Me Nuts

Editorials March 20, 2011

Why the eBook World Makes Me Nuts

Image taken from the Wayback Machine In the beginning, there was Peanut Press . . . Seriously, though; as you’ve probably noticed from Carly’s great postings, the eBook industry is . . . well, the polite way to put it is, “In flux.”  The less-polite way to put it is, “A big friggin’ mess.”  The same book cannot be read on different eReaders; paperbacks are cheaper than eBooks; eBooks are being delayed to give hardcover books a chance to sell more; books can be summarily deleted from your library without notice; and on and on.  It’s enough to drive you…

iDisplay Review: Gives You Second Monitor Capability on Your iPad (and iPhone)

Reviews March 19, 2011

iDisplay Review: Gives You Second Monitor Capability on Your iPad (and iPhone)

All images courtesy of Shape Services A couple of months ago, Shape Services–the makers of IM+ and IM+ Pro for the iPad and iPhone (which I will also be reviewing)–let me test out their iDisplay program.  The idea behind iDisplay is simple:  why not turn your iPad or iPhone into a second monitor?  How did it work out in practice?  Read on. I tested this app with my  Lenovo T-61, which has an Intel Core Duo 2 Ghz/777 Mhz, with 2Gb of RAM, running Windows XP SP 3.  Being a work laptop, it also has considerable security software running, which…

How to Get Zinio "Unofficially" Working on Your Android Device

How to Do It Yourself! March 18, 2011

How to Get Zinio “Unofficially” Working on Your Android Device

If you’re like me, and you have been waiting for the official Zinio app for Android, then you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. I like to harass Zinio every once in a while on twitter about the Android app, and they usually tell me that it’s being worked on and to be patient. That’s all fine and well, but in the meantime, since I don’t have an apple device it’s really not worth buying any subscriptions because I have nothing to read them with. Some of the members of the XDA forums found that unacceptable, so they…

Tycoon Windows 7 Tablet Review

Reviews March 15, 2011

Tycoon Windows 7 Tablet Review

It’s been quite some time since I last mentioned Tangent’s Tycoon Tablet.   Part of the challenge with also getting to often evaluate technology during my ‘day job’ is that I’m often not the only one who needs to work with it during any given time.  After it got the once over by a few of my colleagues, I (finally) got it back and can now give you my full review.   So how does this Windows 7 Professional tablet stack up to the competition?   While I don’t believe you’ll be rushing to exchange your shiny new iPad 2 for the Tycoon, I was…

When Fandom and Philanthropy Meet

Editorials March 14, 2011

When Fandom and Philanthropy Meet

Photo courtesy of James Wong One of my favorite works of any genre–fine arts, performance arts, what-have-you–is Shinichir? Watanabe’s future-cowboy noirish anime Cowboy Bebob.  I’m not going to get all gushy and fanboy-like telling you about how wonderful Bebop is, and why you should ignore the kinda silly name and rent it from Netflix right now–I’ll restrain myself to just saying that, if you like Joss Wheadon’s Firefly, you’ll almost certainly like Bebop.  (Even if you don’t ordinarily like anime, which is the case with me.) Our heroes (yes, even including Ein the Corgi) One of the best things about Bebop…

Verifone vs. Square, a Perspective

Editorials March 14, 2011

Verifone vs. Square, a Perspective

The recent Square vs. Verifone kerfuffle/gymkhana/embroglio/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is, I think, a pretty important one.  Not just for itself, but for what it says about the tech industry. (This also happens to be my industry.)  There are a number of companies right now trying to muscle and/or bully their rivals out of the marketplace– Twitter is a recent example with their attempt to be the only one offering a Twitter client etc and, of course, there is Apple’s involvement in the eBooks space.  (Carly has talked about this a few times already and things are just getting started!) Frankly it honks me off….

Apple's iPad 2's Camera Placement and Software Features Show Apple Still "Thinks Different"

News & Features March 11, 2011

Apple’s iPad 2’s Camera Placement and Software Features Show Apple Still “Thinks Different”

(image courtesy of Apple) Apple’s iPad 2 adds new hardware, including a front and back camera. What is interesting is the difference in where and how their front facing camera works, compared with other upcoming tablet offerings. Apple, in typical Apple fashion, was “thinking different”. Rumors that Apple would be adding front and back camera to the iPad 2 were circulating for months, and now we know it is true. Apple almost had to put both cameras in, as all other tablet manufacturers are putting them in. It’s essentially become a “required” feature. So, what makes Apple’s approach so different…

Call of Duty and C.O.D.E. Help Educate our Vets

Game Diary, Gear Bits March 11, 2011

Call of Duty and C.O.D.E. Help Educate our Vets

Image courtesy of ClubLakers. Thanks Kobe. It’s always good to see organizations so willing to support our troops and veteran soldiers, and it’s even better to be a part of it yourself. After returning from a conflict or war, sometimes soldiers need help gaining their civilian life back and often times need to find new employment. Call of Duty Endowment is a program spearheaded by Activision Blizzard to increase awareness for our veteran soldiers. CODE often aids with large grants and donations that assist troops in getting back on their feet. We all know the video game Call of Duty…

Google's Reaction to Android Exploits; Conspiracy Theory or Keeping Us Safe?

Gear Bits March 9, 2011

Google’s Reaction to Android Exploits; Conspiracy Theory or Keeping Us Safe?

Original image courtesy of KnowYourCell If you were following mobile news over the weekend you probably saw some reports about Google remote killing some malicious apps that found their way to the market. While most were simply noting this because you may have been one of those affected users , others took some pretty hard jabs at Google for using an exploit of their own to remote into your phone and kill the apps. While this is not far off base, I think some people are taking it to an unnecessary level of conspiracy theory like ideas that Google is…

Arctic Gear Review Pt 3: M571 Laser Gaming Mouse

Reviews March 3, 2011

Arctic Gear Review Pt 3: M571 Laser Gaming Mouse

Image courtesy of Arctic For the third and final installment of my Arctic Products review we will be looking at the M571 Gaming mouse. The past 2 reviews we looked at some gaming headsets, but this time it’s all about control. The K381 is a white and silver full size mouse that offers some great gaming features without breaking the bank while doing so. This mouse is an enhanced version of the earlier M551 and is targeted at the gaming community. The mouse I tested this against is my trusty Logitech G9 gaming mouse. I have been using the G9…

iPads in Education: Some Thoughts on Pros and Cons

Editorials February 14, 2011

iPads in Education: Some Thoughts on Pros and Cons

The new look of textbooks? The iPad app Solar System, by Touch Press The discussion started out because my daughter Maggie, who is a freshman at the local High School, spotted an opportunity to get herself a device that she covets . . . an iPad. Here’s the deal:  Maggie’s school district is holding a vote on whether or not the parents think it’s a good idea to get the High School students iPads. The idea is that you get them an iPad as a freshman, they keep it for four years, using it for textbooks, note-taking, and whatever else,…

WritePad for Android Review: It Has the Write Stuff

Reviews February 13, 2011

WritePad for Android Review: It Has the Write Stuff

[Sigh]  I miss Graffiti. I was pretty fast writing with Graffiti on my old Palm devices. I’ve never been very speedy typing with my thumbs. I carried a BlackBerry for years because that is what my employer supported, but I never was all that fast (or accurate) typing with a thumb keyboard.  The BlackBerry keyboards were great, but, you see, I’m just not all that coordinated. Of course, more recently voice recognition has gotten much better and is now being deployed for mobile devices – and I love it – but still, there are situations in which you just aren’t…

Arctic Gear Review Pt 2: P301 Professional Stereo Headset

Reviews February 10, 2011

Arctic Gear Review Pt 2: P301 Professional Stereo Headset

Image courtesy of Arctic Last week in Pt 1 of the Arctic reviews, I took the P531 5.1 Surround Headset for a spin, and found that they were indeed impressive. This week I am checking out the P301 which is your basic 2 channel with adjustable microphone. I again turned to my gaming roots and suffered through a few more hours playing Black OPS on my PC. I like testing sound equipment with games because of the many different types of sound and how precisely you can measure the smallest of details. Black OPS has a quite the soundtrack, and…

The Notion Ink Adam Unboxing and Initial Hands-On

Reviews February 3, 2011

The Notion Ink Adam Unboxing and Initial Hands-On

So the day has finally come for the Notion Ink Adam to become a reality. On pre-order day I ordered myself a Pixel Qi WiFi model and my brother a LCD WiFi model. Unfortunately due to some broken hardware reported during initial shipping, mine has yet to even post a ship date. Today the LCD model arrived on our doorstep and so far I can tell you it was worth the wait. After all the bad mojo Notion Ink was experiencing, I think the tablet was well worth the wait and heartbreak, well at least as far as I can…

Arctic Gear Review Pt 1: P531 USB Powered 5.1 Surround Sound Headset

Reviews February 2, 2011

Arctic Gear Review Pt 1: P531 USB Powered 5.1 Surround Sound Headset

I’m pretty particular when picking out my PC gaming gear. I have been through a pretty good amount of hardware over the years and keep up my life cycle of gaming gear. Arctic sent us out some gear to check out and review a few weeks ago. I had a chance to check it all out and see how it fared on a few solid hours of Call of Duty Black Ops for the PC. I had a chance to check out some gaming oriented hardware including 2 headsets, a mouse, and a standard slim profile keyboard. Arctic offers some…