Articles by Gear Diary Staff

Mediafly for BlackBerry Review

You may remember our recent coverage of the Mediafly service that syncs media content — specifically podcasts for now — to a wide range of devices.  Well, Mediafly is wasting no time.  Their goal is to launch on multiple smartphones throughout 2009, and then hit even more home stereo/video equipment in 2010 so you can have your media content synced and shared on just about any consumer device out there.  The fact that Mediafly is device-agnostic is exciting in that your content goes with you, regardless of what device you may use or decide to uopgrade to in the future….


Motorola Rival A455 Review: Messaging Machine

The Motorola Rival A455 is one of the newest phones to be added to the Verizon Wireless handset lineup. This messaging workhorse gives you instant access to IM style texting, emoticons, a slide out keyboard, and an on screen touch pad right out of the box. I had the opportunity to use the A455 over the last two weeks, and here are my thoughts on this multimedia powerhouse.


FoxL Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

The foxL is a portable speaker, about the size of two chocolate bars but considerably heftier. It comes in two versions – the plain old foxL, and the foxLmb with bluetooth connectivity. I’ve had the foxLmb for a while now, and I was wondering whether it was time for an upgrade. I went to the Bose store ready to purchase a battery powered SoundDock but then I sampled it and decided to stick with the foxL. The SoundDock doesn’t sound bad; it’s just that the foxL manages to hold its own against the SoundDock in terms of audio quality. And…


My Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh – The Installation

This is Part One in a series about my journey with my new Dell Mini 9 into Hacktinosh territory…I’ll be talking about my installation process, my impressions of the Mini as a Mac netbook, performance, software, and more. I was pretty early to jump on the netbook bandwagon.  When I saw the original 7″ Asus Eee PC for the first time, I knew that I had to have it.  I had been lusting after computers like the Sony Picturebook for a long time–something that could fit in my purse and go with me everywhere!  As a writer, having a full…


Scrapbook for dummies!

Review: Unibind MyBook 4×6 Photobook OK so I am a man, I am wired to take the photos and get them to my wife in some way shape or form. She does the scrap-booking because 1) she likes too and 2)I have no patience for making any type of photo book…way too cumbersome and it just plain takes forever. But then I get a little package in the mail!


iFrogz Crystal Clear Review

Gear Diary is proud to present a first ever video from Larry G the long lost cousin of Ali G. In his first video Larry G takes a look at the iPhone Crystal Clear Case for the iPhone 3G and 3G S. Does he like it?  Well you’ll just have to watch……


ModelBaker Promises Fast iPhone & Android App Development

So you’ve got your iPhone all up and running on 3.0, eh?  Maybe it’s now time to finally “mobilize” your website or application, but you are not a programmer.  Widget Press has you covered with a rapid application development tool called ModelBaker, which provides a drag-and-drop interface that will create an application for iPhones or Android devices without coding.


iLaugh for iPhone Review

Everyone loves a good laugh, though sometimes coming up with something funny or original can be a challenge. For my tween sons, the breadth of humor consists primarily of body parts, bodily functions, and silly quotes from movies. However, as we mature (hopefully) we would like a bit more substance and diversity in our humor. Enter iLaugh, the new App for the iPhone and iPod Touch that puts a database of over 50,000 jokes at your fingertips!


PDAir Luxury Silicone Case for BlackBerry Storm Review

PDAir makes a case or skin for just about every mobile device currently available.  They have a wide variety of cases available ranging from leather to aluminum to silicone.  I was lucky enough to recieve a Luxury Silicone Case compatible with the BlackBerry Storm 9500/9530  to review.  Sporting a low $18 price and wide range of color choices, you could easily pick up one color — or several — to show off your individual style.


JAVOedge Jelly Case for iPhone 3G &3G S Review

Getting yourself a new iPhone 3GS and want to make sure it keeps looking like it did when you first pulled it out of the box?  Or have the iPhone 3G and just need a new case to spice things up a bit? JAVOedge recently released a new line of cases called the “Jelly.”  These cases, offered in five colors, do a great job of protecting your phone while adding some style at the same time.


Cocoon Innovations Netbook Case Review

The Cocoon Innovations netbook case is pretty much my ideal netbook travel case.  It’s durable, shock absorbent, airport friendly, comfortable, and it features a unique organizational system that I have never seen before in another bag.  There are a few key things I wish I could tweak a little bit, but otherwise I was very impressed by the Cocoon netbook case.



5 Years of Free Internet Left?

I saw this the other day on ZDNet and wanted to say a couple of things. I promise to make this short and not ramble on too much.  I’ve been cooking this response for the past couple of days, and it may still not be fully there yet… At the Advertising 2.0 conference, Barry Diller, Chairman and CEO of the IAC, an interactive services company raking in over $1.5 billion dollars in revenue a year, stated that the free internet would soon be a thing of the past. Picture from ZDNet.


Mobiola Photo Renamer for BlackBerry Review

One feature that is often missing in smartphone camera applications is the ability to rename — or automatically name — photos directly on the device. Sure, most smartphones are simply not going to completely replace point-and-shoot or D/SLR cameras; but, when you just want a quick photo to capture the moment, you will probably reach for your smartphone and use the standard 1.3 to 3.0MP camera. Then, once you take the photos, you have to go back and sift through all of those “IMG000XX” files, transfer them to your computer, and then manually rename each photo. It is not a very efficient or enjoyable process….


Bump for iPhone Review

Bump for the iPhone & iPod Touch has a lot going for it.  It happens to have the honor of being the 1 Billionth iPhone App downloaded.   It  is F-R-E-E.   The application actually makes what used to be a chore of swapping contact information with friends and colleages — gasp! — fun, and easy. I know, I know.  It’s not Tap Tap Revenge Fun.  It won’t entertain you like Peggle will, either.  Bump will, however, help you rid yourself of of a pocket full of business cards and keep you from manually typing in numerous fields of emails,…


Seagate Replica Complete PC Backup Solution Review

Wow!  Where was this when I was in high school?  One of the cool things about being so involved with computers and technology is watching the pace of change.  Dan mentioned that the other day with his look at an old 32 MB card vs his 32 GB iPhone. This change is most apparent in how we keep finding new and improved solutions for old problems.  And the oldest, biggest problem for me is losing data. Almost as long as I have had a computer, I have managed to find new and creative ways to lose my data.  As a…


Squibs Arcade for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

Remember those fun little “keychain” LCD games  that you probably played as a kid?  Maybe one was even your first taste of the “gaming” experience. Squibs Arcade, from Chillingo, for the iPhone and iPod Touch lets you relive the games you remember all over again. The application features seven games that each takes you back to a time when games were simple, addictive and most of all fun.


Auto Stitch for iPhone Review

Remember those old point and shoot cameras that had the selector on the back allowing you to snap panoramic images whenever you wanted? With the newly released application Auto Stitch from Cloudburst Research, taking quality panoramic images on your iPhone is just as easy. photo courtesy of Auto Stitch


Wuggle for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

4J Studios wants to know, do you Wuggle? Wuggle is a new tactile word game from 4J Studios.  The goal of the game is to make words by piecing together floating tiles. When you’ve got a word you want you smash the tiles together to submit then for score. You earn points based on the word’s length and each individual tile’s value. The game features two different game modes, colorful screens and funky background tunes.


Hexistentialism Review

It is not every day that you come across a truly creative and unique game.  Especially one that can be found deep within the recesses of the iTunes App Store.  Let’s be honest, a lot of the games here, regardless of how good or bad they may be, are derivative or even direct ports and copies of previously developed games.  So. I was pretty excited when I got an email from the folks behind the new game Hexistentialism.


No Baby Dino Extinction Here — Pleo Lives!

Good news Pleo fans, it looks like the news of the adorable baby dinosaur robot’s demise may have been a bit premature. Robert Oschler has confirmed that Jetta Company Limited, who manufactured the baby robot for Ugobe, bought the  intellectual property rights and other assets from Ugobe on May 21st. Jetta Company Limited is planning to re-launch the Pleo line as well as producing accessories such as the vital battery and charger component. Here’s hoping there will be many more years of consumer love for the Baby Dino Robot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2vrZzU1F__Y