News

GoFlex Satellite Drive Firmware Update Arriving March 19th

At CES this past January, Judie and I had a chance to meet with Seagate and see their new and updated offerings. We saw, and later reviewed, their GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter. It is now a key part of my iMac setup. We also learned about a coming update to the GoFlex Satellite drive we had reviewed previously. As we wrote at the time, We were glad to see that an update is on the way, and that it will bring some needed improvements. Among them … – The update will double the battery life. That is a big deal since…


Marvel Comics Bridges the Digital-Paper Divide

I admit I don’t follow comics terribly closely, but I do keep one eye on Marvel Comics. They have my favorite superheroes (Spiderman and the X-Men) and I’ve consistently enjoyed their comics when I’ve had the opportunity to read them. I’ve noticed they’ve tried to keep up with the changing eBook world, and they’ve offered e-Comics through apps and ebook programs for a while. But they’ve made a giant leap forward in their embracing of digital content this week, one that eBook fans have begged publishers to try forever! Yes, Marvel is trying to bridge the digital and paper gap…


Don’t Worry … There are PLENTY of New iPad Specific Apps Available!

Do you remember when the iPad first came out and there were basically no apps made specifically for it? Even a bit later we were writing about the issue, wondering where the iPad specific apps were? Of course, now it has gotten to the point where if you see an app that claims to support the iPad app you’ll be surprised if you find an iPhone app with 1x/2x mode. Some were concerned that the new iPad would launch with only the Apple specific apps and a couple of showcase apps like Sky Gamblers that were shown off last week…


How Much Better is the New iPad’s Screen? Evernote has the Answer

As is always the case with a new iOS device update, we are seeing a slew of app updates being released in the iTunes App Store. In fact, this morning I had 29 updates waiting! That’s a lot… but not surprising. Evernote was among the updates and it makes clear just HOW sharp the new iPad’s retina display is. I mean, seriously, look at the picture at the top of this post and tell me that isn’t an amazing difference. (Of course, the iPad 2 screen is on the left and the new Retina Display is on the right.) Fact…


Phiaton PS 20 BT Stereo BT Headset Bring Advanced Technology

Phiaton’s PS 20 BT Stereo Headset may look like any other pair of Bluetooth headphones but they pack in a huge amount of new technology that makes them stand out fro the crowd. The PS 20 BTs have Bluetooth 3.0 capability and use the 2.4GHz frequency for things such as pairing and taking phone calls but for activities that use heavier data they switch to Wi-Fi (802.11). That, for example, allows “more information to be sent to your listening device, providing drastically improved sound quality”.



The 4moms Origami Stroller Makes All Others Look Lame

If you were a new parent even just five years ago, you’ll have noticed that the gadgets and gear aimed at this market have gotten significantly better and much more savvy to a new parent’s needs. Whether you’re using FaceTime on your iPad to communicate with your kids when at work or teaching them to read using an interactive eBook, parent’s today are enjoying gear that was only imagined when I was raising my daughter back in the early 90s. Back then, I thought having a state of the art baby monitor meant being able to clip a walkie-talkie to my pocket,…


Intel Ultrabook Temptations, Random Video Series of the Day

Judie and I had the chance to use the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook before it was even out. We live blogged, edited images and video and came away pretty impressed with Intel’s move into the “ultralight, ultraportable but still affordable” space. Now Intel is kicking things up with a series of amusing video ads. I’ll say one thing about them… they sure kept my attention! And here’s one more.


The CalypsoPad Cradles Your iPhone in Buttery Leather

If you hate putting your iPad in a case, but seeing it lay on a table completely naked (and vulnerable!) while charging makes you feel skeevy, then have I got a solution for you! Say hello to the gorgeous new CalypsoPad, a handmade iPhone desk accessory. Made of the finest premium Italian leather, the CalypsoPad manages to combine form and function; I like that there is a molded area to hold the iPhone, and the magnetic latch on the cable means it will be simple to remove the phone with cable when needed. Available in “Owami Peak” (beige) and “Karoo Slopes” (black with…


Learn Music With the Artists Using Jammit’s Unique Layered Approach!

When I was first learning to play guitar and bass, picking up songs meant rewinding a tape over and over again or manually repositioning the needle. Then you would have to pick out the part you were learning in a typically heavily layered production. With the digital age you can at least manipulate the playback to only hear the sections you want and repeat at will … but the rest gets tricky. Enter Jammit. Jammit is a service that provides you with everything you need to learn a song – sheet music with full professional transcriptions, tablature as well as…


Boinx Software iStopMotion Now Optimized for the New iPad

The new iPad lands tomorrow and, among other updates, it has a real camera instead of the nonsense offered on the iPad 2. Yes, the 5MP shooter on the back should take good pictures now and, as a result, an entire new world of iPad image manipulation will be opened. Sure, you will still look like a dork while using a tablet to snap pictures but at least you’ll get decent pictures in the process! One of the first apps updated to take serious advantage of the new iPad’s camera is iStopMotion for iPad 1.2 from Boinx Software. Optimized for the…


Prepare for The Hunger Games With the Book Trailer for … The Hunger Pains!

If your family is like mine, everyone has read the Hunger Games trilogy and is anticipating the film release next week. Perhaps you have even re-read the first book more recently to refresh your memory (though you also likely skipped the last book to leave the memory of THAT rushed mess out of your mind), but were you aware that the Harvard Lampoon had just released a parody book? Released just a few weeks ago, my son got it for his birthday and both my boys have already torn through it and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have checked out…


BodyGuardz is Ready for the New Third-Generation iPad, Are You?

We’re big fans of BodyGuardz and their various device-protective offerings. I used their skins to protect my iPod touch, my Kindle and even my iPhone. And I’m happy to see that they have jumped on protecting the millions upon millions of new iPad’s that will be arriving this Friday. Let’s take a quick look at a few of them.


NASA 5 Rocket Launches in 5 Minutes (Late) Tonight

Last night was unseasonably warm (still above 70F after sunset), and as I looked into the clear night sky I could see planets visible amongst the stars. If I was to stay up well past midnight I might catch sight of five rockets in the night sky, fired one minute apart by NASA. Here are some details: NASA is scheduled to launch five suborbital sounding rockets in just over five minutes March 15 from the Wallops Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. Based on the approved range schedule, the launch window for…


The End of a 244-Year Era As Encyclopedia Britannica Goes Out of Print!

For anyone under the age of 30, the concept of needing a set of encyclopedias in your home is at best archaic. I remember consulting the books as a regular part of doing homework in social studies and geography classes in particular, but also to feed curiosity for dinosaurs, biology, space, physics and more. Well, Britannica has just announced that they will not be producing a 2012 edition and that the 2010 version will be their last print volume. Britannica president Jorge Cauz said the move is a natural part of his company’s evolution. “Everyone will want to call this…


Navigon Updates Navigation App for Android

I’m a fan of navigation apps for mobile devices.  I’ve been talking about navigation applications for a lot of years now and Navigon has been one of the more interesting players for a long time.  They have history going back to the Windows Mobile days, consistently offering one of the nicest looking apps in the field.  Now Navigon, a part of Garmin, is releasing a new version of their navigation app for Android.  According to their press release, this version contains a number of interesting new features: NAVIGON Widget: Users can add the new NAVIGON Widget to their phone’s home…


FoxFi Android WiFi Hotspot App Now Available on Google Play!

It is very frustrating to be sitting with a WiFi-only device, a smartphone with loads of monthly data remaining and the capability to act as a hotspot, only to be thwarted for using the capability because your carrier wants you to sign up for a $20 monthly fee to use the hotspot … and you don’t want to pay. There have been numerous solutions to both tethering and hotspot creation, but most hotspot apps have required users to root their device, something which can have other unwanted effects (such as having to root in the first place).


FREE Readability Android App Launches on Amazon AppStore

Readability was a small app that hoped to make browsing the web better by making it a more simple and streamlined reading experience, but ended up gaining notoriety for publicly taking Apple to task for the in-app purchase revenue sharing system. Now the app has finally arrived on Android, and is launching exclusively on the Amazon AppStore for Android, and for FREE! The app has gotten solid early reviews, and is definitely worth checking out. Here is the overview: Read on Your Terms Readability turns any Web page into a clean view for reading now or later on your computer…


Stream Esperanza Spalding’s New Album ‘Radio Music Society’ on NPR Before Next Week’s Release!

With a ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy and the immensely critically and commercially successful (by jazz standards) ‘Chamber Music Society’ recording behind her, Esperanza Spalding faced the daunting task of producing a follow up. When I heard last year that the title would be ‘Radio Music Society’, I knew that she was shifting her focus from the ‘chamber jazz’ feel of much of her last outing to something more funky and pop-oriented. Of course, that direction can be a dangerous path – you can succeed, but you can just as easily alienate existing fans without making new ones. Fortunately, based on…


Lenovo Recalls Many of Their M70z and M90z Think Centre All-in-One Computers

Did you purchase a Lenovo ThinkCentre M70z or M90z All-in-One Computer? Or did you win one of the three that we gave away here on Gear Diary? If so, then you’ll want to pay attention to this recall notice. There are 16,000 M70z and M90z units affected, and the recall is focusing on the power supplies specifically because they can overheat and become a fire hazard! There have been two (world-wide) reports of this happening, and Lenovo is asking that people immediately stop using their desktops until they know for sure whether or not it is one of the affected…


Get Your Geek On with the Unicorn City Trailer!

Every now and then you come upon a movie trailer that really gets at your inner geek … well, at MY inner geek anyway! This is one of those moments. I saw a blog post by Jay at Rampant Games about Unicorn City, and simply HAD to check it out!