Travis Ehrlich | Gear Diary

Review: Math Ninja For iPhone/Touch

Today’s gadgets are often a great source of wasting time, especially for kids. Many complain that all of these games and mindless fun keep the youth from learning the important things. Who wants to study math flash cards when an iPhone or iPod Touch is sitting there loaded with games? As an educator, I love to see games that build knowledge especially in children. I remember the pain I felt when my parents forced me to sit down and memorize my flash cards. I also remember the joy I felt when my friend’s parents would let us play Math Blaster…

Reviews

ID Vault for iPhone/Touch/iPad App Review

One thing that has come to annoy me on the iPhone is logging into sites. Whether it be a website for shopping or a forum, for some reason logging in seems to be a task I try to avoid. Clicking on the small log in screen boxes is not always easy and sometimes formatting issues makes the experience not very iPhone like. How about an app that can do all of this for you while keeping all of that log in information as well as credit card numbers secure? ID Vault proves to solve this issue with a one tap…

Reviews

Review: iLuv 9.7″ Neoprene Sleeve for iPad

Last week, I joined the ranks of new iPad owners. Yes, I’m a little late to the game, but you do what you have to! The device is all it is made out to be; it is a beautiful piece of gear. The first thing that crossed my mind when I pulled it out of the box was how to protect this beauty. I was not completely interested in a large case to carry the iPad by itself. Since I have a gear backpack, I thought it would be best if I just had some sort of sleeve to hold…

Reviews

Knocking Live Video for iPhone App Review

This weekend, my brother Sam asked me if I had that app that you knock on somebody’s phone and then can see what their camera sees. When I told him I did not, he was excited to actually have an app recommendation for me. I was also surprised to find out the app did not require the 3GS. The app actually creates a live stream to another iPhone using the built-in camera. Now this Blue Plate recommendation is sort of a mixed review and your mileage may vary. We quickly tested the app both ways with fairly good results. …

Reviews

Review: iParadise for iPhone/Touch/iPad

Need a vacation, but just cannot get away? Maybe you are single and just wish for a romantic trip to paradise with a significant other. Either way, your iPhone can now take you away with your love to an exotic island. iParadise offers a truly unique and deep iPhone experience. Almost any activity that can be enjoyed at an island resort is available in the iParadise getaway. I have to admit, when I first opened the game, I was not too sure what exactly to expect. The idea of taking a fake vacation seemed strange. Puzzle, word and arcade style…

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Air Video Free for iPhone/Touch/iPad App Review

Last week I was syncing my wife’s iPhone and she told me she wished a couple of movies would fit on her phone. I could fit a movie on the phone, but would have to delete some of her music which she did not want me to do. When our boys go to bed, she sits in their room while they doze off and plays on her phone so that is a perfect opportunity to watch some video. I immediately went to the app store and began to search for a solution and found Air Video Free. Air Video Free…

Reviews

Calorie Counter by FatSecret for iPhone/Touch/iPad

As I explained in a recent review, about six years ago I lost a large amount of weight and began getting back into shape. I have kept up a strenuous workout routine until just recently. The stresses of work, kids, bills and most of all graduate school caused me to begin to slack on my workouts. I was still jogging or lifting weights, but only a couple days a week at best rather than my six days of disciplined workouts. During that time, I briefly tried a few apps on my phone to help count calories but my heart, energy…

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FoodEssentials Scanner for iPhone Review

About six years ago I made the decision to change my life. Being an athlete all of my life, I was pushed to get bigger and had always consumed a lot of calories since I burned so many. When I began coaching, I spent all of my time teaching others how to be athletes, and there was no time to do my own sports. I tried many dieting options with no luck until I tried the Atkins plan. Long story short, I lost 100 pounds and got back into shape. I now live a low-carb lifestyle and have maintained my…

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Review: Basketball Coach’s Clipboard For iPhone/Touch/iPad

The clipboard is a tool of the trade for basketball coaches that has been used for decades. I never coach a game without my trusty board sitting under my chair. The basketball clipboard is simple. A white dry erase clipboard with a basketball court diagram and a dry erase marker. The come in many sizes and configurations but all have the same function. Not high-tech by any means, but extremely useful. In fact, the only change in this technology is the switch from chalk boards to dry erase. Watch any game and you will see the boards come out at…

Game Diary, Reviews

Ragdoll Blaster 2 Lite for iPhone/Touch/iPad App Review

The iPhone has become a great puzzle gaming platform. A style of game I have come to enjoy are physics puzzles. There are many different versions of the genre, but each of them use the amazing physics possibilities on the iPhone to create a unique game. So to carry on the idea of uniqueness, how about firing rag dolls out of a canon to solve the puzzle? Well, that is exactly how Ragdoll Blaster 2 is played. The idea of the game was strange to me at first also. Once you play the game though, the addictiveness of shooting rag…

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Review: Kidz Gear Wired Headphones

My wife recently had to replace her car and bought our first real family vehicle. My 5-year-old son said he did not care what kind of car she got as long as it had a DVD player. Well, the vehicle she purchased did not have an installed player, so we bought a portable unit that includes a screen for each seat (one for each boy). We were all really happy! They can now watch movies when we travel, while keeping the chances of fights and “are we there yet” questions to a minimum. So we set out on a trip…

Game Diary, Reviews

Flip It! Lite for iPhone/Touch/iPad App Review

This week and next week are the craziest weeks of the spring for us as coaches. I have four games and will work at two track meets and this year I add my son’s four t-ball games. While I was on my weekly search for an app for the Blue Plate Special, I decided I wanted something fun and different. The craziness of work made me not want to do something productive or the usual games. I stumbled upon Flip It! Lite and my interest was piqued. Remember the days of youth when you spent a boring class period in…

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Review: World’s Smallest USB 2.0 4-Port Hub

Have you ever actually looked at how many USB devices you own or use? I recently had this realization while moving my desktop computer set up around. My mid-2007 Mac Mini does not have near enough ports to connect all of my gear so I have a standard USB hub which is full and only leaves me with one hard to reach port for a drive or other item. That also led me to realize that my MacBook Pro only has two ports. Of course, this is not usually a problem except when you need to attach two items and…

Game Diary, Reviews

Collapse! Chaos Free for iPhone/Touch

Just when I thought I had played or reviewed just about every puzzle collapse game, I found Collapse! Chaos Free. The game was number two on the free app rankings this week so I gave it a try. At first I was leery of another match the color blocks collapse game and did not expect anything we have not seen many times. To my surprise, this is a fresh and fun version of an old favorite style of game. Details after the break…

Game Diary, Reviews

Cops and Robbers for iPhone/Touch App Review

This week’s Blue Plate is time sensitive, so read quickly and get to downloading. Most of the games featured in the weekly column have been puzzle type games. Cops and Robbers is going to break this streak with a 3D scroller that is sure to provide an entertaining diversion. The game is usually $2.99 but is free for the time being, so if this one looks interesting you better jump on it; I think you will not be disappointed. Details after the break…

Reviews

Review: Arctic Sound E352 Earphones

Arctic Cooling has recently entered the noise isolating earphone market. I reviewed the Arctic Sound E361 earphones which proved to be a great solution that I carry daily in my away game bag. The E352 earphones match the E361 in build and quality and add a touch of style with an attractive wooden chassis. The E352 do not include a microphone, so these will have to be used for audio only, no iPhone for me. Click through the break to see how the Arctic Sound E352 earphones stack up.

News & Features

Never Miss a Minute of the Game to Open a Brew!

It is March Madness, the game is coming to a close and yet another of your bracket picks is about to fall. You do not want to miss the last second shot from the latest 14th seed Cinderella story. If you are like me, there will now be three or four bracket pools that will need to be paid up soon. As a tear goes into your beer, you notice one last sip. This is no time to be hunting that bottle opener! Another brew needs to be opened quickly to serve as a celebration for a miracle that keeps…

Game Diary, Reviews

Finger Physics Free for iPhone/Touch App Review

The number of puzzle games in the App Store is staggering. I have played or reviewed a fair amount of them myself. Many of the games are very similar with their own different twist. Once in a while we run across a puzzle game that is unique. Finger Physics Free is one such game. Find out what it is after the break.

Reviews

Word Warp Xtreme for iPhone/Touch App Review

My addiction to word games is still growing at a dangerous rate. Forming words seems to have become one of my favorite past times! I am not sure if my vocabulary has improved or if my ability to apply spelling rules has improved, but I am improving on a number of word puzzle games. Several weeks ago I reviewed Word Warp Free for the Blue Plate Special. I enjoyed the game and continued playing until I found Word Warp Xtreme which is the sequel to Word Warp Free. Find out what new features are included after the break.

Reviews

Super Notebook Stand – Monitor Combi

My man cave/guitar room/sports memorabilia room/computer room is not the largest room in the house. Last summer we decided to replace a large computer desk with a small one on wheels. My only problem with new table was finding a place for everything. I liked the smaller footprint, but needed a way to organize my desk while making it still look good. One morning on my summer break I headed out the shop and built a small shelf out of some scrap wood. I painted it black and slapped a couple of Apple stickers on it and had me a…

Reviews

Review: Milk Crater For iPhone/Touch

Browsers have become a huge part of all of our computing lives. Internet, operating systems, phones, music players all use a browser. It is interesting that most browsing experiences are similar. Other than slight differences or innovations, they really stay the same. The same rings true with the iPod function on the iPhone/Touch. Nothing is wrong with the music browser, but what if you wanted something different or new? Milk Crater takes browsing to the future turning your iPod library into a visual field of cover art. Click through to find out more.

Articles by Travis Ehrlich