Reviews | Gear Diary

Gear Review: Icon’s Solo and Link LED Flashlights

I loved Icon’s Rogue 2 Flashlight. It was the most durable flashlight I have ever had the opportunity to use. It was bright and well designed and will last many years. Paul Kim, the designer of the Icon line of flashlights is a genius at designing flashlights that are not only very good-looking, but very functional. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review flashlights of another shape and size. Icon sent me a Link and a Solo LED Flashlight and they are the smallest lights that Icon makes. First up is the rugged and handy Link. The Link…

Game Diary, Reviews

Din’s Curse (PC/Mac RPG, 2010) Review

I have consistently sung the praises of Soldak Entertainment since their first game released in 2007, which they have earned by consistently serving the RPG community with well-made, fun and interesting games. The most recent release from Stephen Peeler and crew is Din’s Curse – but let’s take a quick look at their earlier releases. The first Soldak game was Depths of Peril (DoP), which was interesting because it featured a dynamic game world. At the core was an action RPG, but DoP offered much more than a simple Diablo-esque experience. As a player you head up a faction charged…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: 2 Of Dexim’s New Cases

Dexim is one of the leading manufacturers of accessories for a variety of mobile devices. The company has a wide range of products for the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, HTC and now the iPad. The company recently launched several cases for the Apple iPad and they were nice enough to send along two of their new offerings for me to review. The Dexim Durable Protection Sleeve for the iPad is made from thermoplastic polyurethane. Also known as TPU this material is harder than straight silicone and offers a fit that’s tight and form-fitting. The Sleeve is available in either black…

Reviews

Arctic Sound P311 Stereo Bluetooth Headphone Review

The iPhone added stereo Bluetooth capability some time ago, but I have yet to try it. Finding quality with affordable prices can sometimes be difficult, so I never looked very far. There are times when wireless stereo headphones can come in pretty handy, so I was excited to test out the Arctic Sound P311 headphones. Most mornings I workout early in the morning long before the rest of the family wakes up. Speakers are not really an option to avoid waking the crew, so I always use headphones. Some of the exercises allow me to hold my iPhone in my…

Reviews

Dynomighty Wallet Review

If you’re like me, you probably don’t give much thought to your wallet. It holds stuff, then slowly parts of it disintegrate, or it gets worn and uncomfortable to carry, so it’s time for a new one. Mine all look essentially the same; I tend to favor plain leather wallets with plenty of pockets to hold credit cards, business cards, discount cards, etc. Still, I’m always open to new ways to hold everything together, especially in a thinner package, so when Dynomighty offered the chance to review the Mighty Wallet I thought it would be fun! Dynomighty offers a great…

Reviews

The Alphasmart NEO Review: The Ultimate Draft Writing Tool

Alphasmart NEO Portable Electronic Keyboard It has a full-size keyboard so it is definitely not pocketable and a sports a 5.75″ x 1.5″ Mono Liquid Crystal display which shows a “generous” 2 to 6 lines of type. It has a whopping 512K memory. It runs on 3 AA batteries. It has no ability to connect to the internet. Finally, to get “all this,” you’ll have to pay a little more than half the price of a bargain Netbook. No, you haven’t just accidentally stumbled on a review from the Gear Diary Archives. This amazing little piece of retro tech is…

eBooks, Reviews

The Elements, by Theodore Gray Review: Adapted for the iPhone 4 by TouchPress

I spend a lot of time on my own. My family is in Austin, but I work in Sunnyvale, leaving me with a two-week period where I’m, in essence, a bachelor who doesn’t date. So when I’m in Sunnyvale, I revert to my true nerd state, spending extra time at work, obsessing over work-related details, making a nuisance of myself to workmates, writing posts for Gear Diary, and chatting incessantly about gadgets and tech. By the time I get back to my room, I’m usually so beat that I just flop down on my bed (after inhaling some food), and…

Reviews

Speck SeeThru SATIN for iPad Review: It’s Smooth As Silk

I’ve been finding myself using the “snap-on-back-cover” style of case with my iPad more and more lately. I prefer the ease at which this style case allows me access to the iPad’s screen. There’s no cover to peel back and no annoying tab to push out of the way. The Speck SeeThru SATIN case has quickly become one of my favorite cases from this genre. The SATIN is made from a soft, grippy material. If you’re familiar with the See-Thru SATIN for the iPhone 3Gs, imagine it, just on a much larger scale. It’s fairly light-weight at 9.0 ounces and…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: TwelveSouth Compass Mobile Stand for iPad

Here is an early draft of the email I sent to Apple accessory-maker TwelveSouth yesterday after opening their new Compass Mobile Stand for the Apple iPad. My name is Dan Cohen and I am one of Gear Diary’s Editors. I just bought a Compass and will be reviewing soon. It is by far one of, if not the, best accessories I have bought/received for my iPad. Beautifully built, thoughtfully designed and a great price-point. Well done. Dan Cohen Sent from my iPhone It kinda says it all… but why not read the rest of this review anyway? From TwelveSouth: Compass…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2010 Nissan Titan in Heavy Metal Chrome

The more things change, the more some things seem to stay the same. Take Nissan’s Titan fullsize pickup. When first introduced it bowed with the highest power in the half-ton segment nearly eight years ago and was one of the first to offer more than four gears in an automatic. As we approach the arrival of the 2011 model vehicles on the lot, Titan has fallen nearly to the back of the pack. It is still a robust truck but Nissan has been putting most of its attention of late into the smaller spectrum of the lineup leaving the fullsize…

Reviews

Android App Review: B&N’s nook

Amazon, Kobo, and Borders have all weighed in with their ebook apps for Android, and now it’s B&N’s turn. They’ve rebranded all their reader apps to “nook”, and finally they’ve released the nook app for Android. Right from the start, the nook app and I didn’t get off on the right foot. It almost froze the marketplace trying to download! As it turns out, it’s because the file is a whopping 17.69 megabytes! For reference, I have two games on my Droid (Replica Island and HSN Shootout) that are fairly graphic-intense. They clock in at 5.40mb and 13.47mb, respectively. The…

Game Diary, Reviews

PSP Mini Game Review: Mystery of the Crystal Portal

As I mentioned in my iPad review, I had bought that version of Mystery of the Crystal Portal for my iPad when I was heading out on vacation. When I got a message from G5 offering a review code for the PSP Minis version, I quickly accepted but also immediately knew there might be significant enough control and graphics differences that I would need a separate review. Unfortunately … I was correct. The Hype: Embark on a brain-bending adventure that’s full of unique hidden object fun. Journalist Nicole Rankwist has always been close to her archaeologist father. So when her…

Game Diary, Reviews

iPhone Game Review: mTanks!

I am embarrassingly tardy with this review, but the reasoning is actually good news and worth mentioning. I had been playing mTanks on my iPod Touch but then the kids got out of school, we went on vacation, and I got busy getting my iPod Touch set up for my wife to use to read ebooks on vacation. Long story short, I forgot about the game completely. Before I finish the story, let’s see what this mTanks is all about: The Hype: 4 days ago NASA’s Spirit rover discovered a growing army of tanks beneath the surface of Mars. The…

Reviews

JAVOedge Axis Case for iPad: Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

JAVOedge has been churning out accessories for our “i” devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) for quite some time. I’ve been happy with many of them but their recently released “Axis” case for the iPad might be one of the most innovative cases I’ve had the opportunity to use. The Axis case looks like a traditional book style iPad case, but don’t judge a book by its cover. The Axis allows you to prop up your iPad in both the vertical and horizontal positions, a feature I’ve not yet seen on any other iPad case. The case is available in three color…

Game Diary, Reviews

Omino for iPhone/Touch App Review

Games are advancing at a blistering rate and the iPhone has become a wonderful platform for today’s video games. Most new games are all about reality and 3D graphics. When I try to explain Atari or NES games to my son, he thinks it is crazy nothing was 3D and totally realistic. The joy of playing 16 bit games while I was in Jr. High School cannot be explained. With power-ups and level bosses, our idea of video games completely transformed into what would become modern-day gaming. I still remember sitting up all night during the summer with my buddies…

Game Diary, Reviews

iPad Game Review: Mystery of the Crystal Portal

I had bought Mystery of the Crystal Portal for my iPad when I was heading out on vacation. While I was quite occupied with Puzzle Quest 2 on the DS, I love the occasional ‘hidden object’ game, and have been VERY happy with stuff from G5 games (like Mahjongg Artifacts) … so I figured I’d give it a try. When I came back I got a message from G5 noting that the game was being released as a PSP Mini and offering me a review copy, which I quickly accepted! I figured that I would be able to quickly decide…

Game Diary, Reviews

PSP Mini Game Review: Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2

Not long ago I reviewed the recently released Mahjongg Artifacts, which was a sequel to one of the earliest PSP Minis, Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2. Recently Sony announced that more than 1 million PSP Minis had been downloaded worldwide … and guess what game was #8 on the ‘top ten most popular’ list? That’s right – Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2! So to celebrate that achievement the kind folks at G5 have provided us a review copy of their hit game. The Hype: Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 is one of the most popular mahjong games on PC now available on PSP…

Reviews

MyJobChart Web Site Review: A Fun Way To Track Kids’ Chores

Anyone who is a parent knows the struggle of keeping your wonderful kiddos on top of their chores. As the father of two young and arguably crazy boys, it seems that we could spend the entire day cleaning up their messes. There are many strategies to getting the younglings to take care of their chores and I think I have tried them all. The problem in my house is not getting the kids to help out but more of them cleaning up then dragging out a different room full of toys five minutes later. They seem to not mind helping…

Reviews

Speck PixelSkin HD – Review

My search for the “perfect” iPhone 4 case that strikes just the right balance between protecting my iPhone, reducing the chance of an antenna issue and maintaining the thin design of the handset has brought me to check out Speck’s new PixelSkin HD. Designed with their well-received PixelSkin cases in mind, the PixelSkin HD uses smaller “DPI” (read- smaller boxes in the design) and is made from a significantly harder material. From Speck- Patterns and textures can turn “plain” into absolutely fabulous. PixelSkin HD has a shiny polished back with matte pixel overlay, creating an eye catching, sophisticated, and modern…

Reviews

Speck PixelSkin for iPad – Review

The folks at Speck keep rolling out new cases for the Apple iPad. This time around they sent a review unit of a case that uses their increasingly familiar pixel design and brings it to a skin that wraps the iPad in a thick protective layer shielding everything but the screen. Let’s take a look. From Speck: The tactile pixel texture and perfect amount of “squish” is what makes this rubberized iPad case so grippy in-hand and famously protective. Works great with our ShieldView screen films. When I first opened the case and took a look at it I talked…

Reviews

Wowee One Portable Speaker Review

There is a constant issue I am on a quest to resolve. With all of these wonderful mobile devices and streaming music etc, I have spent a lot of time listening to my media on what are, at best, sub-par speakers. My iPhone, iPad and even MacBook Pro are all amazing devices, but none provide audio of acceptable quality. I do have several speaker devices around the house that sound great but none of them are particularly mobile. Recently the folks at Wowee One allowed me to review their new Gel Audio mobile speaker unit. The company promises full range…