News & Features

Princess Kate is Pregnant and The Onion Wastes No Time Chiming In

By now most of the Western world has heard that Princess Kate Middleton is pregnant, as the official announcement was made on December 3rd: Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news. The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. As the pregnancy is in its very early stages,…

News & Features

Element Case Releases the Ronin FE for the iPhone 5

This is easily the most beautiful iPhone 5 case I’ve seen, and you know how I have a softness for wood. Element Case has just released their new limited edition Ronin, which uses a combination of aluminum and Zircote wood. They’ve based the design on the “clean lines of the “Katana,” or Samurai sword. The Ronin 5 sets new heights in iPhone case technology and style with never before seen details like proprietary micro machined volume/mute mechanism, and near impossible CNC machined details in exotic wood.” If you’ve never heard of Zircote wood, you’re not alone; I hadn’t, either….

Game Diary, News & Features

Murim Wars Massively Multiplayer RPG for iOS and Android Coming in December!

As more and more mobile gamers are connected to high speed networks and are looking beyond simple puzzle games, genres previously tied to computers and consoles have sprung up on mobile devices. Of course, having the graphics capability to run those apps is also a big bonus! It seems that every few months we see a new game that expands the realm of possibilities for online interaction in a mobile setting. In just a couple of weeks we will see a new MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) for mobile devices – this is a genre previously restricted to…

Gear Bits, News & Features

New Sleek, Functional Designs From Tablet-Case Creator ‘Solid Gray’

I probably won’t be the first to admit that we don’t need anymore tablet or phone cases. There are already thousands of competitive products available in this category, many of them priced very reasonably. Walking into Best Buy, Verizon, or even Five Below becomes a sensory assault of competing, well-designed cases. As you know, the editors here at Gear Diary are prepared to handpick the best and most interesting products for inclusion on the site. So check out the latest from Netherlands-based design firm Solid Gray. While the studio’s earlier productions focused on creating unique, functional backpacks, it’s newest creation…

News & Features

Look at How Much the Galaxy Market Push Is Costing Samsung

This year has been pretty awesome for Samsung – they have seen huge success with the Galaxy SIII, surprise success with the Galaxy Note and Note II, as well as big wins in all of their other businesses. And as I have said, the Samsung Galaxy SIII is one of the best phones I have ever touched and deserves the accolades … and my wife says I will pry it from her cold dead hands! We have also often talked about ads – Apple, Samsung and others (but mostly Apple and Samsung). Apple does loads of advertising, and has created…

Music Diary, News & Features

AC/DC Finally Comes to iTunes, Posts Big Sales in First Week

I remember that with the rock band I played with in high school, one of the first songs we learned was the (new at the time) Highway to Hell by AC/DC. The following year AC/DC really exploded with their greatest album – Back In Black, with a load of classic rock songs that most people would recognize. It was a solid record with little ‘filler’, but AC/DC was really a singles rock band in an ‘AOR’ (album oriented rock) time. Why do I mention this? Because AC/DC has been a hold out in terms of getting their stuff digitally on…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News & Features

Sinister Design Launches a Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!

I have written several times about the cool hybrid indie RPG ‘Telepath RPG: Servants of God’, and while I never finished the review I started, it remains a unique experience and one of the best indie games I have played this year. For a while now developer Craig Stern has been talking up the progress on his turn-based game Telepath Tactics – and now he has launched a Kickstarter effort in order to deliver a game with a robust single-player experience and more graphics content than the original simple turn-based multiplayer game he planned. Project Title: Telepath Tactics game for…

Game Diary, News & Features

Battlefield 3 Expansion Pack Aftermath Releases

Battlefield 3: Aftermath, the fourth expansion pack which features a four new maps (Azadi Palace, Epicenter, Markaz Monolith, and Talah Market), three new vehicles (Barsuk, Phoenix, and Rhino) plus modified military and civilian vehicles. Players can also enjoy the new “XBOW” crossbow weapon, and a new “scavenger” mode where players search for weapons while starting with only a pistol. New assignments, dogtags, achievements, and trophies are also included. PlayStation 3 premium members can get this expansion pack now (associated Battlefield 3 game copy required) while it release for Xbox 360 and PC premium players on December 4. Players without premium…

News & Features

Apple’s Profit Compared to Everyone Else’s Profits

Everyone familiar with the tech world knows that Apple is insanely profitable … but have you ever wondered just HOW profitable? The folks at Statista took on the challenge and made a chart of Apple profits compared to other companies. But if you have looked at similar graphs in the past, you know that Apple is SO MUCH more profitable that there is a lack of perspective! So instead the graph stacks up groups of other companies and compares their cumulative profits to Apple. It is pretty amazing to look at the graph: Apple is more profitable than the combination…

Health and Fitness, News & Features

Cool Story Behind a Great Picture

Chances are if you or anyone you know is into running, you have since the picture above this week. Running clubs and individuals have picked it up everywhere, but as so often happens it was done without attribution or a link to the original source. Today on my own local Facebook running group there was a link to the original source. In case the image isn’t clear, it says: 50 Fat Diabetic Ahead of you Turns out the picture was taken by a woman who blogs as the ‘T-Rex Runner’, and she tracked down the guy wearing the shirt and…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News & Features

Legend of Dungeon Opens Up Kickstarter Effort, Launches Free Demo

I wrote about the teaser trailer for Legend of Dungeon last week, noting that the title sounded like a joke. Developer RobotLovesKitty got back to me and mentioned that it actually started as a joke – but then stuck! They also mentioned that they were launching a Kickstarter to fund even more features for the game – and offering a free demo! Project Title: Legend of Dungeon game for PC/Mac/Linux Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: 12/16/2012 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotloveskitty/legend-of-dungeon From the Creatives: As you explore the sparsely lit dungeon, gather items and battle monsters you will no doubt…

News & Features

Set Aside Four Hours to Check Out Every Apple Commercial … Like, Ever

Apple has created some of the most iconic advertising campaigns in history, including the infamous ‘1984’ and ‘Lemmings’ to ‘Think Different’ to ‘I’m a Mac …’ and more. Of course, there are some real clunkers out there as well. They are all available to watch on youtube – and user EveryAppleAds has rounded up the 485 ads into a single playlist … which will take about four hours to watch! But you can just peruse the list and watch a few here or there. It’s definitely worth checking out! Source: via CultOfMac

News & Features

SwannSmart Remote Camera Gives You Piece of Mind

We spend summers and many vacation breaks up in Pennsylvania. Much of the year, however, the house is unoccupied. And while we have neighbors who keep an eye on it for us, there’s nothing like seeing for ourselves that everything is okay. The SwannSmart camera should let us do that and a whole lot more. Best of all, set up is simple and quick. As the company explains, the SwannSmart harnesses the power of the cloud to free you from the constraints of a traditional IP camera. There’s no complicated network set up required and your video feeds can be…

Music Diary, News & Features

Dying to Hear the New Ke$ha Album? Stream It FREE at iTunes!

My wife likes to call Ke$ha a guilty pleasure similar to Nickelback – she would never call it ‘good’, but enjoys grooving to the tunes on occasion. I reviewed 2011’s Cannibal here, and called most of it ‘garbage’ – which is an opinion I still hold. Now she has a new album ‘Warrior’ launching on December 4th, but you can stream it for free on iTunes right now! But considering I like pretty much all of Cannibal more than the lead song ‘Die Young’ from Warrior … my expectations were pretty low – and based on sampling the stream I…

Music Diary, News & Features

Pyle Audio Drums up Partnership with Wiley to Create First Drums for Dummies Kits

For decades now, the ‘For Dummies’ book series has shown itself to be much more than just basic advice on computer and home tasks. I had done a comparative review between an ‘Idiot’s Guide’ and a ‘For Dummies’ book – on music theory, no less – and found both to be excellent resources. Now the publisher Wiley has teamed up with renowned audio product maker Pyle audio to bring drumming to the masses! Pyle has produced two drum kits to meet the needs of users at all levels. There is the tabletop drum kit for $179.99 that features 7 pressure-sensitive…

News & Features

Happy Thanksgiving from Gear Diary!

We all have so much to be thankful for; it’s good to take a day off to remind ourselves about what — and who — is most important to us. We wish everyone a day that is full of love, good memories, and a stress-free time spent with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Health and Fitness, News & Features

Things You Didn’t Want to Know – THIS Is One Serving!

I have generally had two thought patterns about Thanksgiving and eating: when I am thin and health-conscious I choose to eat whatever I want for Thanksgiving dinner and maintain my normal eating and exercise routine otherwise … and when I am neither thin nor health-conscious I choose to eat whatever I want for Thanksgiving dinner because – well, just because. Based on my weight and general eating habits, my portions and servings will vary, but regardless I have certainly never really considered my real-world servings compared to ‘single serving portions’. Over at Greatist, they take a pictorial look at the…

News & Features

Common Sense, Please! Apple is NOT Releasing Android Apps on Google Play

I know I shouldn’t even have to say this, because the news IF Apple was going to port something like GarageBand to Android would be so huge that no one would be surprised when it landed. But this weekend some Android users managed to get tricked into thinking that Apple had ported and released some of their key iOS apps to Android … and paying ~$5 – 10 for the fake apps. It isn’t clear whether those buying the apps were refunded, and what was done to the people who posted the apps – it is the downside of the…

Editorials, Gear Bits, News & Features

Does that ‘Unsubscribe’ Button MEAN Anything?

I know that I am not unique, but I will say it anyway – I get too much email! And I get it across six different accounts, not even counting the .Mac/.Me/.iCloud stuff as separate. So a few weeks ago when the Black Friday sales email flood started, I decided enough was enough. I mean, when was the last time I bought something from Circuit City? (answer: when they had stores) I have never bought from Wal-Mart based on their emails. Same for Tiger Direct, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and many of the other places – some of…

News & Features

iLuv’s Stylish ReF Line of Headphones Make Clear, Music Is Fashion

Headphones are fashion and are now music to your eyes, just as they are music to your ears. Recognizing this fact, iLuv has just introduced their ReF line of premium headphones. As Brian Kim, Global Product Marketing Manager of iLuv’s Premium Headphone Division notes Headphones are quickly becoming a part of the language of fashion, and we at iLuv recognize that consumers are searching for quality headphones that also feature a stylish design. That is why we are introducing Fashionology®, a combination of fashion and technology. Headphones traditionally appealed to a small group of audiophiles and technology enthusiasts, but that…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

iGrand Piano for iPhone and iPad Review

Type of app: Music Making Software Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: IK Multimedia Description: iGrand Piano puts an entire gallery of the world’s finest pianos right at your fingertips with studio-grade quality never heard before in any other app that stands up to the most powerful virtual instruments available on a computer. iGrand Piano features: – 8 world-class, multi-velocity stereo grand and upright piano instruments (including one by registering) – Expandable library of 9 additional studio-grade instruments instantly available via in-app purchase – Intuitive instrument edit controls including ambience, lid, brightness, release,…

« 1 … 152 153 154 155 156 … 237 »