Editorials

How to Guarantee That You Won't Get the Reaction or Results That You Want

Editorials July 28, 2012

How to Guarantee That You Won’t Get the Reaction or Results That You Want

There are very few “sure things” in life, but here are a few things about which you can be certain  … 1. How to Guarantee that We Won’t Review Your Product You can pretty much guarantee we won’t review your product if you introduce it to us by lying. Here’s a good case in point. The first email was just fine. Name: jon How does one go about having a product reviewed by your staff? We have created a awesome new product called EarSkinz that have been designed to help stabilize the apple earbuds. We not only achieved stability, we…

New 'Active Gaming' Doesn't Change Reality of Couch-Bound Stereotype; also, 'Brain Games' Doesn't Work

Editorials, Game Diary July 23, 2012

New ‘Active Gaming’ Doesn’t Change Reality of Couch-Bound Stereotype; also, ‘Brain Games’ Doesn’t Work

There are a number of stereotypes surrounding gamers: such as that of the male anti-social, under-hygenic basement dweller toiling away the hours on Dungeons & Dragons fantasy games; or the ultraviolent shooter player who is a bit ‘off’, also an outsider, one round of Doom/Halo/Call of Duty from wiping out his high school/college/post office; and even in the more enlightened recent years there is the image of a few somewhat unkempt and overweight friends on a couch (or couches in different locations connected by the internet) playing a bunch of games. If you look at the LAST console generation –…

If It Arrives, the iPad Mini Won't Be $199

Editorials July 23, 2012

If It Arrives, the iPad Mini Won’t Be $199

We have gone on record that we don’t do rumor and innuendo here in Gear Diary. How then is it possible that we are writing a post about our opinion that Apple’s supposed upcoming miniature iPad will not cost $199? Simple, this post is not based on any of the rumors swirling about, nor is it based on any supposedly special information we heard from our second cousin’s neighbor’s dry cleaner. No, this post is purely speculation on our part, and we are okay with that. In fact we are so okay with that, that we are going to put our…

Full Body Scans, the TSA and the Law: The Legal Maneuvers Continue

Editorials, News & Features, Travel July 23, 2012

Full Body Scans, the TSA and the Law: The Legal Maneuvers Continue

I used to travel a lot — basically once a week.  I had a job in California, but my family lives in Austin.  (it was 2008–I took whatever I could find.)  So I spent a lot of time in airports, eating, pulling luggage, searching for power outlets, unlacing and relacing my shoes, and getting scanned. Over that period, airports were transitioning from X-Ray-only to those “strip you naked” full-body scanners.  To say that I am dubious about these devices, their use, the lack of privacy, and so on would be a massive understatement.  The makers of the most popular machines…

It's the Apps, Stupid...

Editorials July 21, 2012

It’s the Apps, Stupid…

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) surveyed more than 1,000 consumers who purchased iPads between the end of 2011 and first quarter of 2012. The survey showed that 21 percent of them replied that they would, or do, use the device for business. That’s especially interesting for a device that was initially panned as being “just a big iPod touch”. The blogosphere has picked up on the research and done its typical “blog-thing”- repeating the same argument and information over and over again. For example, a post on AllThingsDigital attributes it to the same two factors mentioned in the CIRP report…

Name that Propaganda ... is the US Olympic Uniform Stance 'Anti-Olympic'?

Editorials July 18, 2012

Name that Propaganda … is the US Olympic Uniform Stance ‘Anti-Olympic’?

If you missed out on the whole kerfuffle around the Olympic Uniforms let me sum it up quickly. Basically, like pretty every other garment you can buy in stores in the US, designer Ralph Lauren produced the uniforms in China. In an election year play politicians saw a chance to show their patriotism and commitment to home-grown jobs by making elaborate demands that future Olympic uniforms be manufactured in the US. Personally looking at the image above I am more taken aback at the authoritarian pose in the picture. Rather than serving as a tribute to our Olympians, the pose reminds me of political/military…

Nokia of America Exec Says 'Plenty of Life Left' for Lumia 900, Do You Agree?

Editorials, Gear Bits July 17, 2012

Nokia of America Exec Says ‘Plenty of Life Left’ for Lumia 900, Do You Agree?

One thing we discussed at GearFest was the state of Windows Phone. There was quite a bit of enthusiasm when the Mango update arrived and breathed new life into the OS. Then came the partnership with Nokia, and it started to feel like Microsoft would see reasonable success – and the release of the Lumia 710 and 900 phones in particular just added to the feelings of excitement for the future of the platform. Then came the announcement that Windows Phone 8 wouldn’t support ANY device currently available – including the brand new flagship Lumia 900. For many who recommended…

Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Stop Spreading Hate; Remove the Book, "The Synagogue of Satan"

Editorials July 13, 2012

Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Stop Spreading Hate; Remove the Book, “The Synagogue of Satan”

Let us be clear about this from the start: this post is being written by a member of the clergy and someone who is just about as non-religious as you could find. Why is that important? Simple, we come at things from very different perspectives. When we see something and are both equally appalled, something is up. One more disclaimer before we jump into the post. Neither of us are fans of censorship. We believe that each individual, family or institution should make their own determination with regard to what is read, watched, consumed. At the same time, we respect those…

Adventures in Customer Service - Coco Key Water Resort Edition

Editorials, Travel July 11, 2012

Adventures in Customer Service – Coco Key Water Resort Edition

Nostalgia and fun memories can be a dangerous thing – they can lead you to look past some obvious signs of poor customer service until it is too late. Three years ago my wife and boys went back to Massachusetts to visit the town we lived for 15 years before moving to New York. They stayed one night each with friends, but then Sunday night stayed in a hotel so everyone else could get back to their normal life and Lisa and the boys would have an easier exit to head home. They chose the Coco Keys Water Resort Hotel…

To 7" iPad or Not to 7" iPad, That is the Question

Editorials July 10, 2012

To 7″ iPad or Not to 7″ iPad, That is the Question

The Gear Chat began with this message to the team… Okay, this is ground we have covered before but it really deserves a new Gear Chat so… 7″ iPad. Interested or Not Interest? I commented: Me, I’m interested. As Mike has said, the 7″ form-factor is quite nice. Easy to carry, good for books and “big enough” for most tasks. Yes, it will offer less productivity functionality than the iPad but I already used my iPhone for much of my work and then finish on the iPad or Mac and this would be better. I love my iPod touch and,…

Eastern Mountain Sports Edition - Adventures in Customer Service

Editorials July 9, 2012

Eastern Mountain Sports Edition – Adventures in Customer Service

This year on vacation we were right on the ocean, so we wanted to have kayaks for the week to take advantage of the easy access. Fortunately Eastern Mountain Sports had reasonably-priced tandem ocean kayaks available to rent, and said they could help strap them to our roof, so we were all set. Well, not quite, but the way things worked out turned what could have been a disaster into a highlight of the week – all thanks to a wonderful employee in a great store. When we called to reserve, we didn’t have to even leave a deposit but…

5 Reasons Why the $199 Google Tablet is a Terrible Idea ... But I'm Getting One, Anyway

Editorials June 28, 2012

5 Reasons Why the $199 Google Tablet is a Terrible Idea … But I’m Getting One, Anyway

OK, so this was a post I started writing three months ago – when we first started hearing about a $199 Google Nexus Tablet. At the time I thought it was a bad idea – and we didn’t even know who was making it or what the specs might be like at the time! Now that we know that it is an ASUS device, with a footprint essentially similar to the Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet/Samsung Galaxy Tab/etc, with some decent sounding hardware compromises for the price, and the newly announced Android OS 4.1. And guess what – I am more convinced…

MacBook Pro with Retina Display; Why We Bit

Editorials June 25, 2012

MacBook Pro with Retina Display; Why We Bit

Dan: In last week’s newsletter, Judie and I began to address our first impressions of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display. I sat down to flesh out a more in-depth post but soon realized that what might be more compelling was why we both felt this computer was worth the price of admission in the first place. I certainly won’t speak for Judie, but I thought I would lay out my reasons for buying the MBPr and why, after  using it for a week and a half, I realize they were spot on. In order to fully explain why this…

Microsoft Previews Windows Phone 8 (But it's not for Everyone)

Editorials June 21, 2012

Microsoft Previews Windows Phone 8 (But it’s not for Everyone)

Many of you know that I recently made the move over to Windows Phone as my daily driver. On the whole I’ve been pretty happy with it, but my big hopes have been pinned around the potential the platform has. Today MS made some announcements about the upcoming Windows Phone 8 (OS and devices)– some good.. some bad. As a recent Windows Phone convert, these announcements definitely had an impact on me, and I thought we might take a look at exactly what was announced… and what it might mean for the future of Windows Phone. Apps: Windows Phone currently has…

A Response to GameSpot's MOH: Warfighter Article; Let's Remember why we Play Games

Editorials, News & Features June 14, 2012

A Response to GameSpot’s MOH: Warfighter Article; Let’s Remember why we Play Games

    Image courtesy of EA, Medal of Honor The other day a friend showed me an article on GameSpot that made me perk up a bit; they published an article on Friday called “When did regenerating health become realistic”. As an avid fan of First Person Shooters, and a veteran of two Iraq tours myself, I have to say that Tom Mc Shea is quite off the mark on this one. In the article, Tom pretty much slams Medal of Honor’s latest title “Warfighter” as disrespectful to soldiers and for not being as “realistic” as claimed. I like Mc Shea’s…

Upping My Photographic Game, Part 1

Editorials June 10, 2012

Upping My Photographic Game, Part 1

  I recently decided that after years of writing for various websites and, as a result, taking tons of pictures, it was past time for me to do something about my photographic skills. I’ve been shopping for gear that would really make a difference but not break the bank, and I wanted to invite you along for the journey – especially since my new camera and lenses arrive tomorrow. Before we get into that, let’s take a quick look back at my “photographic history”. When digital photography first became popular I picked up a simple, inexpensive point and shoot. Over…

Did Google Pick Up Quickoffice for Integration with Google Docs/Drive?

Editorials, News & Features June 6, 2012

Did Google Pick Up Quickoffice for Integration with Google Docs/Drive?

When I first migrated from Windows Mobile to Android, my Android phone had a lite version of Quickoffice pre-installed and as a result I became a frequent user of the software suite. Right now I have Quickoffice for Android, WebOS and iOS, to maintain a semblance of consistency across my multiple platforms, so I therefore took pause when I contemplated the news that Google acquired Quickoffice the other day. On the one hand, I had a brief bit of sorrow on seeing another independent company absorbed by a much larger entity, but at the same time considered the potential tangible…

The Adult Vanquishing of Childhood Monsters

Editorials June 3, 2012

The Adult Vanquishing of Childhood Monsters

Two weekends ago I ran my first 5k road race. Ever … and at 46 no less. For most folks it is no big deal – a look at what Carly Z has done and my first little 5k seems meaningless. But for me it was a life-changing experience. Why? Well, that requires a little history. I was never ‘small’ or ‘thin’. Like my own kids I was always one of the tallest kids, and in spite of a life-long love of fruit and vegetables (also like my kids) I wouldn’t describe my eating habits growing up as balanced or…