Gear Bits


Booq’s Got Some Nerve, and It Ships Later This Month

I’m a fan of booq’s various bag offerings and love it when they announce a new product. The upcoming booq Boa nerve graphite is a slightly new take on a familiar and highly functional messenger bag. The $149.95 bag fits up to a 15″ laptop, has all of booq’s quality and ships later this month.


Google Glass Goes iOS with Release of MyGlass for iPhone

After a brief appearance earlier this week Google’s MyGlass app has made the official jump to iOS. That’s great news for Glass-wearing iPhone-users since it means more functionality than iOS-users previously enjoyed from Glass. That includes getting directions, capturing screencasts, and more. We’ll see how the iOS version stacks up over the next few days and report back.


More Colorful Picture Taking With Olloclip’s New 3-in-1 iPhone 5C Lens

I’m a big fan of Olloclip’s various smartphone lens offerings and they just introduced a $59.99 3-IN-1 clip-on lens solution for the iPhone 5C. Best of all, like the iPhone 5C, it comes in a range of awesome colors. It offers wide-angle, fisheye and macro lens and is ready to take the iPhone’s 8-megapixel iSight camera to new heights.


Mailbox Becomes More Universal, Adds iCloud and Yahoo! Mail!

We have discussed the Mailbox App here more than a couple of times, with the initial buzz and hype quickly falling off for all of the editors. But the app has continually improved over the several months since it launched, and this week has taken a huge leap by adding support for iCloud and Yahoo! Mail accounts.


New Laptop? ZAGGify It to Keep It Looking Great

If you picked up a new computer, phone or tablet during Black Friday you aren’t done shopping yet. Make sure to check out ZAGG and stock up on some protection for your new device. My 11″ MacBook Air looks great and I’m committed to keeping it looking that way. A ZAGG invisibleSHIELD is a big part of making that happen.


Chanting Torah – Technology Meets Tradition #throughglass

What does the world look like when captured through Google Glass? We’re taking a look at various things we do regularly. Yesterday I had one of my Bar Mitzvah students check out my Glass when he was practicing his chanting of Torah prior to becoming Bar Mitzvah this weekend. This is what chanting Torah looks like #throughglass.



Virtual City Playground from G5 Games is Now on Windows Store

I have reviewed Virtual City Playground multiple times on different platforms and tracked major updates since the game was released. The game takes all of the best elements of Virtual City 1 & 2 and adds great new features and constant free updates. So what remains? A release for Windows Phone and tablets on the Windows Store! Virtual City Playground is a sim social that lets your imagination run wild so that you can look down at your wonderful metropolis and marvel at the wonders you’ve created. Please your inhabitants by providing them with tons of business opportunities and true-to-life…


Sorry Apple Weather, That Is NOT How You Calculate Wind Chill

When I was a kid, the concept of ‘wind chill’ was new; the National Weather Service didn’t start reporting it until the 1970s, and it took a while longer to become popular with news viewers. Now it has evolved into ‘Real Feel’ or ‘Feels Like’ rather than just ‘Wind Chill’. Either way, Apple’s Weather app doesn’t have a clue.


GazerGlass Adds 1500mAh to Google Glass’s Puny Battery

One thing I love about my Google Glass is that it takes better hands-free video than anything else I’ve seen. One thing I dislike is that in under 40 minutes of shooting video, without some kind of external battery pack, Glass’s battery will die. For $50, GazerGlass adds a 1500 mAh battery to the skinnier Glass arm. Not too shabby!


The Eternal Optimism of Bing Weather

I have a few weather apps on my Lumia 928, but I’ve been keeping the Bing Weather app pinned to my launch screen because it looks the nicest. However, lately it has been all looks and no brain … either that, or it thinks if it doesn’t tell me how bad the weather is, I won’t notice the snow outside!


Aspects TD Turns Tower Defense on Its Head, Lets YOU Attack!

I love tower defense, and know that with games such as Plants vs. Zombies and Kingdom Rush there are several Gear Diary members who spend way too many hours on just-one-more-turn! But imagine a game where instead of just planning your defense, you actually got to attack your enemies!?! That is exactly what the newly released Aspects TD delivers.


New Space Runner Game Galaxy Run Blasts onto iTunes App Store!

‘Auto-runner’ games are fan favorites, and I know my kids have enjoyed a variety of them. A new release has gotten loads of attention with some new features and fun twists on standard gameplay elements – Galaxy Run. The game is featured on the app store and feedback from a couple of friends is that Galaxy Run is a blast!


Eschalon Book III Announced for February 14th Release!

While I never reviewed Eschalon Book II beyond my first impressions, the series remains one of my favorites of the last several years. I declared Book I ‘Indie RPG of the Year’ for 2007 at another site, and have been anticipating Book III for quite a while. Now Eschalon Book III has a release date: Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2014. The game will be simultaneously released on Windows, Macintosh and Linux platforms – and based on past releases all are native code and perform equally well. Here is some info from the official site: On February 14th the game will…


GoG.com Launches New 100% Guarantee Program on Digital Games

If you have been gaming for long enough, chances are you have come across a game that wouldn’t install or that you couldn’t keep running for more than a few seconds without a crash. You used all the tricks you know, consulted support and forums, and ultimately had to face the reality that the game would never work for you.


The Unifying Force of Bad TV

My Facebook feed recently exploded with snarky jokes; I was chatting with friends that I haven’t talked to in months, while Sarah and I were laughing so hard at Facebook that I worried we might wake the baby. What’s so funny? NBC’s live interpretation of “The Sound of Music”.


Carry Camera Gear in Style With booq’s New Python Slimpack Camera Bag

Booq has been coming out with some great new bags and sleeves for carrying all your mobile gear. Their new Python Slimpack Camera Bag now brings booq-style to carrying photography gear as well as a laptop and a few key essentials. The $149.95 backpack is made from great materials, offers superb ergonomics and looks great. Learn more.


Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore RPG Final Days on Kickstarter

For fans of traditional computer role-playing games (cRPG), there has been a bit of a drought of games the last couple of years. There have been some really good games, but they have been few and far between. Now there’s a Kickstarter for a new RPG that is something RPG fans can get excited about called Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore! Note: Deathfire is down to the final 3 days of funding! Here is the basic description: “Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore” is a party-based computer role-playing game with turn-based combat that hearkens back to the Golden Era of fantasy cRPGs. Built…