Gear Bits | Gear Diary

The Voice of Siri Revealed

In 2005 Susan Bennett went to Apple to record some audio of her saying some words that iOS users know really well. Yes Susan Bennett is the voice of Siri. Susan did not know that she was recording Siri’s voice at the time and imagine her amazement when her friends asked her if it was her. In the story, we also find out that she was also the voice of an ATM called “Tillie” and she’s also done voices for Delta Airlines as well. What other voices do you hear that she may have done?

Gear Bits

Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition for Mac & PC Confirmed for November 15th Launch!

Updating an absolute classic of gaming, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition combines both Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. The Enhanced Edition includes four new characters with their own quests. Beamdog announced November 15th launch date for the game on Mac & PC with a $24.99 pre-order, iOS and Android versions to follow.

Gear Bits

Never Lose your Sole-Mate Again with Sock Snappers

We’ve all been there, one of your socks, probably from your favorite pair, goes missing. The sock monster strikes again! Sock Snappers is funding on Kickstarter now to help keep your sock pairs together while washing and drying. These ingenious little snaps clip onto your socks and allow the socks to snap together so they won’t be separated. The plastic snaps clip onto your socks, and they remain there without any special tools and are made of soft plastic material so you won’t even feel them while wearing your socks. Before you put them in the laundry basket, snap the…

Gear Bits

TremorFX Home Theater Seating by RedSeat Entertainment Brings the Sound to Your Seat

RedSeat Entertainment recently introduced its new TremorFX Home Theater seats, which are perfect for any home theater setup. These seats vibrate and pulsate to correspond to the movie’s soundtrack. TremorFX seats use audio processors and wireless transmitters to bring the sound from your receiver straight to your seat. An available HDMI-Out jack on your receiver is all that’s needed. The TremorFX seats can even be used for gaming as long as the video game is run through your receiver. I’m a huge movie buff and these chairs look incredibly comfortable and would absolutely enhance my enjoyment of my movies. Now,…

Gear Bits

The Wonder Woman Short That Puts Hollywood to Shame

Despite the success of Lynda Carter in the 70s TV show, there has never been a Wonder Woman movie or another TV show. There was a failed attempt a couple of years ago, and the rumored Justice League movie became a ‘Man of Steel’ sequel. Now Rainfall Films gives a short look at Wonder Woman with great costumes and atmosphere.

Gear Bits

Time to Grab Your Kindle, a Blanket and a Steaming Mug of Starbuck’s New Caramel Coffee

The temperature may be in the 80s in New Jersey today but there is no doubt fall is here. The temperature is sure to plummet and, when it does, a mug of Starbuck’s new Caramel or Vanilla K-Cup coffee will be just the thing. I’ve tried both and all I can say is… yum!

Gear Bits

TiVo Is the Hidden Linux of the Week

The internet and Linux were both relatively new things in 1999 for much of the world outside of academia. It was at that time that a new device came out that has since been eclipsed by other services. What am I talking about? What many consider the first DVR, the humble TiVo. And yes, TiVo runs Linux. TiVo was originally started by Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay, via the original company which was named Teleworld. Teleworld was then renamed TiVo Inc at a later date. The first TiVo was demonstrated at the 1999 Consumer Electronics show and then released in…

Gear Bits

Still Looking to Pre-Order an Xbox One or PS4? NowInStock.net May Help

Every time a new generation of gaming consoles is released, there tends to be great buzz and excitement as fans start pre-ordering their devices. As is the case almost every time, retailers start selling out of the first shipment of consoles very quickly. If you’re still looking to pre-order, check out NowInStock.net which can alert you when pre-orders become available. I, like many consumers, was on the hunt for an Xbox One pre-order. If you navigate to NowInStock.net’s Xbox One page, it lists all available packages, bundles, etc. and lets you know where you can order them. You’re also able to…

Gear Bits

Give My Yad a Hand – Technology Meets Tradition

That great source of Jewish knowledge Wikipedia describes a yad (literally “hand”) as “a Jewish ritual pointer, popularly known as a Torah pointer, used by the reader to follow the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls. Yads can be made from silver, wood or any material. Mine, however, is something Moses could never have imagined. Since the Hebrew of the Torah has no vowels or punctuation, the yad allows the reader to track from line to line more easily. In addition, the yad prevents the reader from touching the parchment while reading. This is important since…

Gear Bits

Bring Some Color to Your Audio With Blue Microphones’ Colorful Snowball Mics

Blue Microphones’ Snowball mic is an impressive plug-and-play USB mic for PC and Mac. Now the $99.99 microphones are available for a limited time in Hot Pink, Wicked Purple, Bright Orange, Neon Green and Electric Blue. The Snowball has two condenser mic capsules and can switch between three settings for the best possible recordings. Just $99.99, check it out now.

Gear Bits

Boy with Down Syndrome + Dog with a World of Patience = A Video to Make Your Heart Melt

When I had my wrist fused, my rambunctious golden didn’t move from my side for three weeks. She KNEW what was up and what I needed. The video I found on the Huffington Post shows a dog with more patience and tenderness than I thought possible. Watch it through and see if it doesn’t make you tear up. (And if you don’t get teary, see a doctor to make sure you are actually human.) via HuffPost

Gear Bits

Belkin’s New Express Dock May Be Your iPad’s Best Friend

Belkin’s New Express Dock will sync and charge your iPad or any other iOS device with a Lightning connector. The $59.99 stand has a 4′ built-in Lightning-to-USB cable. An adjustable dial on the back of the device means you can dock your iPad without having to remove most cases. You can learn more here. Watch for our full review.

Gear Bits

UE Mini Boom Bluetooth Speaker – Get a Pair and Rock Out

The new UE MINI BOOM is a small speaker with huge sound. It has simple controls, gets up to 10 hours per charge, and offers a 50′ Bluetooth range. Like its big brother the UE Boom, you can wirelessly pair two UE MINI BOOMs via the free iOS or Android UE MINI BOOM app for big, stereo sound. Learn more. We’ll have our full review and audio samples up soon.

Gear Bits

TrackingPoint XS2 Unboxing Goodness

I have been following the TrackingPoint smart rifle system and their releases. The mixture of technology and amazing weapon technology is mind-blowing to me. TrackingPoint has released an unboxing video of the XS2 Smart Rifle. The rifle itself is amazing in its own right, but it even comes complete with an iPad mini. Check out the video for all of the cool features. TrackingPoint Super Gun Technology Enables 3,100 Yard Shot Consistency TrackingPoint Releases Precision Guided Firearm iOS Simulator App TrackingPoint Presents The World’s First Precision Guided Rifle Technology

Gear Bits

What’s Round, Covered In Wool, and Promises Awesome Sound? The Brand New Libratone Loop

I loved the Libratone Zipp I reviewed, and Elana still uses it daily. Now Libratone is introducing the Loop. This $499.95 wireless speaker packs AirPlay, DNLA, and Libratone’s PlayDirect when WiFi isn’t available. Set on the floor, a table, or hung on the wall it promises a great look and sound great. Features: Works wirelessly with iPad, iPhone and Android or Mac/PC, enabling awesome sound through AirPlay or DNLA Can be used without a Wi-Fi network router through Libratone’s patented PlayDirect™ technology Streams wirelessly from Internet radio stations and services such as Pandora and Spotify, as well as integrating with…

Gear Bits

Clean Up Your Desktop with Dropbox 2.4’s “Save Screenshot” Feature

I take a lot of screenshots when writing Gear Diary posts. Historically they have ben a disorganized mess that increasingly cluttered my desktop. Thankfully, Dropbox 2.4 offers a new feature that automatically saves screenshots to one’s Dropbox folder. That neatly puts all my screenshots in a single place and makes sharing them easier than ever. Get Dropbox 2.4. To activate this new feature, download Dropbox 2.4, launch it, got the preferences, and then select “Share screenshots using Dropbox.” It is that simple. But there is more. Dropbox 2.4 also introduces: Move to Dropbox: A context menu item that will show…

Gear Bits

Own a Smartphone? Order a Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit NOW!

If you own a smartphone, then you NEED one of these. The DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit saved Elana’s iPhone 4S when it went into the sink. Now it’s doing the same for her iPhone 5C. (Or at least we hope it is.) Smartphones cost hundreds of dollars to replace, and that makes keeping one of these Emergency Kits on hand no-brainer. You can get one for$31 at our Amazon Affiliate Store.

Gear Bits

Now That Was Fast- iOS 7 Updated… Again

Apple has been getting pretty bashed over the fact that their TouchID security on the iPhone 5S has already been by-passed. It is enough of an issue that some Apple employees have clearly been pulling all-nighters. iOS 7.0.2 adds security back to the phone… for the next five minutes. Plus it lets you use Greek for Passcode. Thank goodness!

Gear Bits

No, iOS 7 Does NOT Make Your Phone Waterproof!

The reality is the internet is largely populated with lies. Marketing disguised as information or personal anecdotes, news that’s agenda-driven propaganda, falsified information to sway opinions, and Photoshopped images presenting a false reality. So when a fake ‘iOS 7 makes your phone waterproof’ image came out I chuckled until someone asked if it was true. No … it’s a lie.

Gear Bits

Get the Boost Mobile Warp 4G Today, and Enjoy an Affordable Smartphone

If you are considering a prepaid mobile plan, and you are interested in keeping your hardware costs down, but you don’t want a budget phone, then Boost Mobile has some news that should pique your interest. Today they are releasing the Boost Warp 4G LTE, their $199.99 Android-powered smartphone that has a 4.5″ display and an 8 megapixel camera. The Boost Warp 4G comes with • Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean OS • Dual Mode 3G/4G LTE • 4.5inch HD IPS touchscreen display with durable glass • 8-megapixel camera with 1-megapixel front-facing camera • 1.2GHZ dual core processor • Wi-Fi & GPS enabled • Stereo Bluetooth 4.0 • Visual Voicemail • Services: Boost…

Gear Bits

The Hidden Linux of the Week is Your TV

Valve’s announcement of SteamOS it reminded me of another hidden Linux system. It is the GPL software license that has allowed many devices to adopt Linux. Android and kiosks are just two of them. This also can include devices you wouldn’t think would need an operating system like your TV. Your TV probably runs Linux. The GPL or GNU Public License is the license that the Linux kernel and the surrounding pieces of code that make a Linux system use. It is this reason that many hardware developers started looking to Linux to run the core of their devices. This…