Happy Halloween! Some of you may be heading out to go trick or treating this afternoon. Oothers may simply be hanging out and enjoying this last day of October. We thought we might do a bit of trick or treating ourselves here on Gear Diary; we’ve turned on our porch light, and we are ready to hand out some treats!
Over the last week we’ve lost two visionary artists in very different musical genres; two men whose names might not have been household names and who might never have burned up the pop charts, but their impact was broad and far-reaching, and who will be sorely missed. Those men were jazz drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and rock musician Lou Reed.
View N Me is a new online dating site that provides an alternative to the sometimes awkward and oftentimes generic online dating profiles. While View N Me allows users to have written profiles, the main selling point is the ability for their users to upload video profiles. This allows users to connect on a different level than traditional dating profiles.
Belkin has an entire line of iPad Air cases ready to help you personalize and protect the upcoming thin and light 9.7″ iPad. The collection features 10 different cases and folios that are “designed to match any style, activity or use”. There’s something for every style and budget. Here’s a quick look at some of them.
Electronic Arts/Maxis has announced The Sims™ 4 will be shipping in fall 2014 worldwide on PC/Mac. This specific date range follows the initial 2014 release announcement. Pre-orders are available at www.TheSims.com/. Pre-order now to receive the Limited Edition which comes with The Sims 4 Life of the Party Digital Content.
Belkin was quick to announce a slew of new cases and accessories for the upcoming iPad Air. Key among the offerings are a series of keyboard cases they are calling the Qode line. Three different price points mean there is something for everyone who wants to turn their thin and light 5th generation iPad into a productivity machine.
The popular Rosetta Stone® language learning modules now have game! The company has launched Rosetta Stone Arcade Academy where users can expand their Spanish linguistic skills through various games within a mobile application. Users can get the app (149 MB) on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad for free (as of October 2013).
Judie and I recently got pitched to cover the Grilled Cheesus. Yes, it is exactly what is sounds like — a grilled cheese gadget that makes “grilled cheese sandwiches easier and tastier — and more divine”. It is a real product that costs $39.95. We got to thinking, what would other faith-based grilled cheesers look like? Let’s take a look.
It’s not often that a press release can make my jaw drop (and my eyes go googly), but that’s exactly what happened when I opened the email from Calypso Crystal. Their new Furry Fury Collection has to include some of the most hideous examples of fashionista excess that I have ever seen. And the prices! Let’s look, shall we?
If you practice Yoga anywhere other than at home, then you’ll need a bag for carrying your mat, towel, water, and clothes. Hotdog Yoga’s Rollpack manages all that and more; its exclusive design “packs like a gym bag, hangs like a garment bag, and carries like a mat bag”. It’s already available in onyx, and amethyst is coming soon.
Way back in the summer of 2006, my mother took my boys to the Boston ‘10th Anniversary of Pokemon’ event. That Pokemon had sustained popularity that long was stunning, but now we’ve hit a new milestone as the latest games – Pokémon X and Y for Nintendo 3DS – sold more than 4 million copies on October 12th and 13th.
The 2013 edition of the Nexus 7 has been available for a couple of months; I recently decided to make the leap from a 10″ tablet to this 7″ beauty. While there isn’t a new name, I have to say Google has done a great job refining this popular tablet. For now, I believe it is the best Android tablet available.
Do you, like me, have boxes of old pictures and greeting cards that are just begging to move into the digital age? Thankfully Epson recently announced the solution.The Epson Perfection V550 Photo offers “superior quality scanning and the ability to upload scans directly to services like Facebook and Picasa”. Just $199.99.
When you think of the classics of adventure gaming, you think of LucasArts and Jane Jensen, of Maniac Mansion and Gabriel Knight. We have seen many LucasArts game brought back through TellTale Games, and now Jane Jensen herself has returned to revamp Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers for a 20th anniversary release in mid-2014.
Periods of back trouble can’t slow me down, so I’ve had times when all my writing was done while standing. Many actually feel more productive when working at a standing desk, and I cannot disagree. If you have ever considered using a standing desk, Ergotron’s new WorkFit Sit-Stand Workstations for Apple are worth a look. Check both out here.
While I was unable to successfully ‘go all in’, my family absolutely loves the Samsung 11.6″ Chromebook. It is perfect for writing reports, doing email, Facebooking, and web research; it has been in constant daily use since I got it. Now Google has announced the next version of their budget laptop – the $279 HP Chromebook 11.
I’m so picky about my backpacks, that for the longest I didn’t carry one. I had finally found one I liked well enough, but it’s not the one. I had just about admitted defeat and given up on backpacks, but now there’s no need. Say hello to the Staad, Waterfield’s perfect backpack available in two sizes and multiple color combinations.
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?
iPads are cropping up everywhere, from homes to work and even in school settings. But can an iPad truly be secured to the satisfaction of a conscientious IT department? One expert says no, and a high-profile example may prove him correct. The city of Los Angeles has been planning to roll out iPads to their students, but it backfired slightly for them this past week. They initially rolled out the iPads with web restrictions, and within a few days many of the schools realized they underestimated the ability of children to circumvent technological roadblocks. All the students had to do…
My iPhone photo library is a random mix of pictures for work, home, Gear Diary and so on. When I am showing things to colleagues, I really don’t need to skip past silly pictures of my kids dressed up for ‘Spirit Week’ or a screenshot from the latest G5 game. Enter PhotoPresenter, keeping me in charge of what others see. Here is the idea behind the app: “Bastian, our video guru, recently hosted a Boinx workshop. During his presentation, he decided to put together a slideshow that showcased people using Boinx’s iStopMotion. All of the media was located on his…
We can debate whether it’s a good idea to base a decision about driving on a smartphone app and accessory, it’s better than just saying ‘I feel fine’ and getting behind the wheel. Breathometer is a device that plugs into your smartphone and measures your blood alcohol concentration quickly and easily. And the product will be on Shark Tank 9/27! Here is the description: Small enough to fit on a key chain, Breathometer, which is officially registered with the FDA, plugs into a smartphone audio jack, and together with a mobile app, transforms it into a sleek, portable and accurate…