News & Features

Video Game Soundtrack Nominated for Grammy Award

Game Diary, Music Diary, News & Features December 7, 2012

Video Game Soundtrack Nominated for Grammy Award

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. That’s the nomination that was just received by Austin Wintory, the composer for Thatgamecompany’s excellent PS3 game Journey. Let me be clear, this is history being made, as this represents the first time that a video game soundtrack has been nominated for the prestigious Grammy Award. While the aforementioned category is usually reserved for film scores, it appears that interactive media is also eligible, and that this could become a landmark year for the industry. This revelatory announcement comes in the wake of MoMA’s recent video game acquisition. Despite the ongoing argument over the validity…

New T-RackS Custom Shop Available from IK Multimedia

Music Diary, News & Features December 7, 2012

New T-RackS Custom Shop Available from IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia’s T-Rack software allows you to build custom effects processors as plug-ins to soup up your sound. Now they have come out with the latest version called T-RackS® Custom Shop version 4.0 – and it has a load of new features including five new analog-modeled and digital processors, the Custom Shop, and more. The Custom Shop is IK’s online gear shop, which allows users to purchase gear models from within the T-RackS software itself. Here are some more details: 5 New T-RackS Processors, CSR integration, Improved Sound The new T-RackS CS includes five brand-new processing modules. Four belong to…

That 'Warm Feeling' of Nostalgia Might Just Be Real

Health and Fitness, News & Features December 6, 2012

That ‘Warm Feeling’ of Nostalgia Might Just Be Real

Have you ever had a pleasant sentimental thought and felt ‘all warm inside’? Turns out that feeling might be an actual physiological response, at least according to some research cited over at the Greatist. Here are the basics: Researchers conducted five separate studies to see if there was a connection between nostalgia — a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past — and physical warmth. •In the first study participants kept a journal for 30 days. Results showed they recorded more nostalgic thoughts on colder days. •In the next, volunteers were placed in either a cold, comfortable, or hot…

Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy SIII Hands-On Review

News & Features, Reviews December 6, 2012

Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy SIII Hands-On Review

If there is one constant in life, it is that portable electronics don’t ever have enough battery life. With each new product we get new features that beg for more power, so regardless of what the manufacturers do to extend battery life … our usage always seems to keep up! Enter Mophie, a company that has had great success making iPhone battery cases for several years. Now they are branching out with their first non-iPhone case, for the hot-selling Samsung Galaxy SIII. Mophie sent me one to check out – let’s take a look! The Hype: Get the most out…

Virgil Guitars Create The Most Elaborate Custom Made Guitars Ever Built!

Gear Bits, News & Features December 6, 2012

Virgil Guitars Create The Most Elaborate Custom Made Guitars Ever Built!

Looking for an amazing gift for the guitar person in your life? How about an amazing looking guitar that is also designed by and for guitarists? That is what Virgil Guitars is offering. Here is what Virgil Mandanici says about his inspiration: An artist and guitarist since the 1970’s, Virgil Mandanici set out to make guitars that would be exceptional in tone and playability first and foremost. After 35 years of playing guitar, he decided it was time to craft guitars that would feel, play and look better than anything anyone has ever played before – thus Virgil Guitars was…

iKazoo is on IndieGoGo

Gear Bits, News & Features December 6, 2012

Ogaco Gadgets Introduces the iKazoo

There are controllers for just about everything that utilize touch, motion, and breath. Now we get one that integrates all of these, and utilizes the latest Bluetooth protocols to interface with just about anything! The first thing you might think when you hear ‘iKazoo’ is … what IS it? Here is an explanation from the creators: iKazoo is basically a gadget compatible with any electronic device with a camera that lets anyone, from beginner to professional make and play music and a whole lot more. Music, games, art, sports and fitness are just some of the applications you can use…

RIP Jazz Pianist Dave Brubeck at 91

Gear Bits, News & Features December 6, 2012

RIP Jazz Pianist Dave Brubeck at 91

Picture of Dave Brubeck from the 1984 JVC Newport Jazz Festival, taken by my friend Jeff. Chances are you know the song ‘Take Five’. You might not immediately call it to mind, but when you check out the video below you are almost certain to say ‘oh yeah, THAT song!’. Congratulations – you have absorbed a lesson on extended harmonies and advanced time signatures! Brubeck was a major figure in jazz and music for several reasons: – He brought jazz to academia at a time when only classical music was studied, and moreover gave students something to think about and…

Are Video Games Art? MoMA Answers with New Exhibit

Events, Game Diary, News & Features December 6, 2012

Are Video Games Art? MoMA Answers with New Exhibit

It’s the question everyone’s asking nowadays: can video games be considered art? Should they be? While it’s been over two years since film-critic Roger Ebert blew up the debate with his now-famous commentary, the fight rages on. This time, it’s New York’s Museum of Modern Art that’s taking a side. In the past, curators and critics alike have been hesitant to put a label on gaming. Pundits of established artistic disciplines were the worst offenders, often heard dismissing the industry in favor of their own respective fields. Ebert’s notorious quote that “video games can never be art” unleashed what has…

Release Windows ARE Stupid ... But They Don't Justify Piracy

Editorials, News & Features December 5, 2012

Release Windows ARE Stupid … But They Don’t Justify Piracy

Most people know of the popular trope called ‘Step Three: Profit’, in which an idea is started, no plan is developed, but there is an expectation of profit in the end. A random example from South Park: Step 1. Collect underpants. Step 2. ? Step 3. PROFIT The reason I bring that up is that in a recent article at MondayNote the author basically makes the point that release windows are stupid. What is a ‘release window’? It is the decision by a company to make their content (movies, TV shows, albums, etc) available at different times in different countries…

Living with the Nokia Lumia 920 - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Editorials, News & Features December 5, 2012

Living with the Nokia Lumia 920 – The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

A few weeks OK I bought a shiny new Red Nokia Lumia 920.  Generally, I love it, although I am STILL waiting for my wireless charging base to show up.  It’s not perfect, in some ways far from it, but the overall approach the OS takes to delivering apps and services is a good one for the way that I want to work – most of the time.  But the journey has been a little bumpy with things needing some serious attention from Microsoft, Nokia, or both. I have most recently been an iPhone user, and a Lumia 900 (Windows…

Sonos Goes iOS Direct

News & Features December 5, 2012

Sonos Goes iOS Direct

One of the things I most love about the Libratone Zipp is its ability to play music directly from my iOS and OS X devices. It is a small convenience but one that I have come to truly appreciate. Now Sonos has added some similar functionality. As an email this morning explains… The latest software upgrade helps you play even more music, quickly, in deep, richly textured HiFi sound. Sonos now plays your iTunes® music direct from your iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod touch® anywhere there is a Sonos speaker or player. No more syncing your Apple® mobile device with your…

Is Apple's Pricing Scheme Hurting Its Profits?

Editorials, Gear Bits, News & Features December 5, 2012

Is Apple’s Pricing Scheme Hurting Its Profits?

The strategy Apple adopted a couple of years ago of continuing to sell older iPhone models at reduced prices has helped broaden adoption and penetration at the lower end of the market. But another side-effect is that it reduces the average selling price (ASP) of Apple phones, and also the subsidy that they get from carriers. The implication is that this will lower their gross profit margins from the iPhone business, which has been the leading profit generator for the company. All of this is of concern as new research estimates that the iPhone 5 accounts for significantly lower percentage…

Sleep Better At Night Knowing Skynet Is Being Studied

News & Features December 4, 2012

Sleep Better At Night Knowing Skynet Is Being Studied

Any good geek knows that “Terminator” isn’t just a great sci-fi story, but a cautionary tale about computers run amok with too much intelligence. It’s all fun and games until Twitter and Tumblr get ahold of the nuclear codes. Instead of just letting this fear live in the “what if” realm, researchers at the University of Cambridge have formed the “Cambridge Project for Existential Risk”, which is analyzing how to prevent a robot uprising. From their website: Many scientists are concerned that developments in human technology may soon pose new, extinction-level risks to our species as a whole. Such dangers…

Is 'Ugly Scan' The Worst Idea EVER for an App?

Editorials, News & Features December 4, 2012

Is ‘Ugly Scan’ The Worst Idea EVER for an App?

I have two teenage boys who have both male and female friends, so I know that the pressures and mean-ness hasn’t abated through the years but has continued in daily life and also online. Since I keep track of my kids online, I often see them engaged in things such as ‘Like my status for … ‘ or ‘Truth Is …’ or ‘Rating …’ sorts of back and forth with friends. Within their groups of friends, I have never seen anything particularly terrible – and certainly nothing mean-spirited. But from a variety of news articles, tragic suicides as well as…

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

News & Features December 4, 2012

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,…

Element Case Releases the Ronin FE for the iPhone 5

News & Features December 4, 2012

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….

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

Game Diary, News & Features December 3, 2012

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…

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

Gear Bits, News & Features December 2, 2012

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…

Look at How Much the Galaxy Market Push Is Costing Samsung

News & Features November 30, 2012

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…

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

Music Diary, News & Features November 30, 2012

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…

Sinister Design Launches a Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News & Features November 29, 2012

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…