Gear Bits | Gear Diary

With the Zoom iQ5 Your iOS Never Sounded So Good

The iPhone 5S shoots amazing video. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for audio. That’s where the Zoom iQ5 comes in. For under $100, the iQ5 plugs into any iOS device with a Lightning connector and captures impressively accurate audio. Using the free app makes it even better. Check out all the features and see it on video. The Zoom iQ5 comes in either black or white. The product tag line says it all- “Now your videos can sound as good as they look”. I hope it is true since this would be the ideal iOS accessory for shooting future…

Gear Bits

iSwimband Is Wearable Tech That Can Save Lives

iSwimband is a simple device with a lofty purpose. It’s a simple band that connects via Bluetooth to a companion app, and its sole purpose is to monitor how long someone is underwater, or if a non-swimmer is in the water. While you might think your own two eyes are enough, you’re wrong, and that’s why iSwimband matters.

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Spotify Predicts Major Grammy Winners Based on Listener Data

This weekend the Grammy Awards present the music side of insular industry self-celebration and back-patting. Trying to figure out who wins in the post-Esperanza Spalding years is as much about who the industry needs to ‘reward’ as anything else. But the folks at Spotify have used data gleaned from their streaming service over the last year to make predictions!

Gear Bits

What’s Up with Zinio? They’ve Gone Missing from the Apple App Store

I’ve been having issues with Zinio crashing while reading articles on my iPad for several months, and I’ve been patiently waiting for a fix. Last night, after Zinio had crashed yet again, I got a popup saying that the Zinio server I was connected to wasn’t the current server, and that I should remove the Zinio app and reinstall.

Events, Gear Bits, Music Diary, News & Features

M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014

If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…

Gear Bits

Darth Vader to Stormtroopers, “I’ll Do the Choreography from Now On”

Dancing Stormtroopers? This needs a good caption. “Twerkus interruptuss?” “You know you are in trouble when Darth Vader has to step in.” “Moves like Chewie?” “Use some taste Luke…” “Where’s Princess Leah when you need her?” “I don’t think I will ever be able to look at a Stormtrooper the same way again.” Via Elite Daily

Gear Bits

Schlitterbahn’s Verruckt – Would You Ride a 17 Story Waterslide?

I love roller coasters, but have never been as enthused about waterslides. There’s something comforting (false or not) about being securely strapped in, as opposed to a thin bathing suit being my only protection against plummeting straight down. Needless to say, I won’tt be riding the Verrückt at Schlitterbahn Kansas City … will you? Watch the video and share below!

Gear Bits

Samsung Note 3 Kit-Kat Update Reportedly Disables Third-Party Accessories

Back in October, word began to spread that Samsung was looking at integrating some type of authenticity recognition chip into all official accessories. Without this chip some advanced functions such as wireless charging, sleep/wake functions may not work on third-party accessories.

Editorials, Gear Bits

How Do You Feel About Feedly ‘Hijacking’ Shared Links?

The other day Dan shared a video on the Gear Diary ‘back channel’ that is really amazing. It shows a music video in French with the singer slowly being photoshopped over the course of a song. It is an amazing video – but what I didn’t know at first was it came from The Verge, because the link said ‘Feedly’.

Game Diary, Gear Bits, News & Features

Game Trading Site Goozex Seems to Be Gone for Good

I’ve loved video game trading site Goozex for more than 7 years since it launched in 2006. Initially it grew quickly as an alternative to paltry trade-ins handed out by GameStop or the cumbersome trade mechanics of early trade-site GameTZ. Goozex acted as middleman on millions of trades, but industry shifts doomed trading and now Goozex appears closed for good.

Gear Bits

Keyport Slide Ice Introduced to Reinvented Keychain Lineup

I hate having a pocketful of keys! Between work and home, I seem to have several pounds of them with me daily. The Keyport Slide 2.0 reinvented the keychain, allowing users to carry up to six keys or inserts at one tim,e keeping them neat and easy to use; their newly introduced Ice Keyport can be purchased for $29.

Gear Bits

Are You Experiencing Nokia Lumia 928 Earpiece Volume Problems?

I really like my Nokia Lumia 928, but it has a hardware bug that’s giving me more than a bit of a wandering eye. There’s an issue with the earpiece affecting at least some users where the sound cuts out during calls. Speakerphone, Bluetooth, and the headphones all work fine — just the earpiece fails. Worst of all, it comes and goes!

Gear Bits, News & Features

Guess What? 123456 and password Are Terrible Passwords. Here Are 23 More You Shouldn’t Use

If you use 123456 or password as your secure password – it’s time to stop (and change passwords). According to analysis of compromised password lists by Splashid password software these are the 25 worst passwords. Some are obvious – 00000000 anyone? – others are a little more obtuse – monkey?

Gear Bits

PBA Bowler Jason Belmonte Wears Google Glass While Qualifying for Tournament of Champions

We’ve seen helmet cams in football, in NASCAR in-car videos, and as point of view from other sports, but never bowling. Bowling is harder to video this way, as the bowler usually doesn’t wear headgear; with Google Glass this is now possible. PBA’s Jason Belmonte recorded rolling a 297 in the Tournament of Champions qualifier while wearing Glass.

Gear Bits

Here’s How Google Apps Users Enable Send and Receipt of Email via Google+

There’s been a lot of discussion about a recent decision to allow Google+ users to send Gmail directly to another Google+ user via their online profile. This new feature allows strangers to send a single email to any Google+ user (provided they have not disabled the option) without knowing that user’s email address.

Gear Bits, Outdoors

Here’s Why You Always Ski with a Buddy in Avalanche Country

This December 2013 YouTube video of skiers at Utah’s Alta ski resort shows the importance of skiing with a buddy within avalanche prone areas – and proceeding downhill separately. This GoPro footage shows a skier spotting his brother becoming engulfed in an avalanche leaving him buried to the very top of his ski helmet. All caught on video.

Gear Bits

Heartbreaking Destruction of Hurricane Sandy Revealed in Google Maps Street View

A post on Reddit titled “What’s the Most WTF Thing You Can Find On Street View” caught my eye. I was not quite sure what to expect though the top post caught my eye. It’s a pre and post street view of Kissam Ave in Staten Island, New York which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Game Diary, Gear Bits, News & Features

2K and Bethesda Duo Packs Release on February 11

2K and Bethesda will offer duo packs for players who missed Borderlands 2 and Dishonored or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. These treasures will cost $29.99 each (North America only) and include the base games without any downloadable content (DLC). This special team-up team will release February 11, 2014.

Gear Bits

Rdio and Spotify Open Up Time Limits on their Free Services!

If you’re a casual web user of Rdio or Spotify, chances are you’ve hit against their limits on occasion. Aside from not getting to do ‘on demand’ listening, you get ads and time limits as well as some other minor limits. This week both services set aside limits for web users and now offer unlimited use of their radio services.

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

Mac OS X Quick Tip: Manage Notifications in Mavericks

This morning I opened my Mac for the first time in … a while, since I mostly use my iPad. I had a series of birthday and holiday alerts I needed to dismiss before moving on. A bit later Dan asked how to get notifications in Mavericks to automatically go away. So I took a look, and it’s very easy!

Gear Bits

Stand Up If Your Tablet and Phone Are Always with You – Kanex Foldable iDevice Quick Look

Having a simple but functional tablet or phone stand with you all the time is a great way to get the most out of your mobile device. And at under $20 for a two-pack, the Kanex Foldable iDevice is an inexpensive way to make that happen. Small, inexpensive, and highly functional it is a great little gadget.