News & Features | Gear Diary

Portrait Professional Studio v10 Review

Let’s be honest here. If you’re over 40 years old, there’s a good chance you’re not looking your best. I’m not saying that you’re a hideous monster or anything like that, but it’s certainly possible you could use a little work. If you’re much older than 40, you could definitely use some work. That’s where the Portrait Professional Studio software enters the picture. Portrait Professional Studio is capable of “airbrushing,” a technique of photographic retouching and enhancing that removes imperfections and similar surface-level “problems.” Usually reserved for models in the glamor and fashion industries, Anthropics Technology has created an intelligent,…

News & Features

Readdle’s Scanner Pro for iOS Gets iCloud and a Makeover

This isn’t an uncommon exchange these days … The other person says, “Dan, let me make a copy of this document for you.” To which I reply, “No need.” as I pull out my iPhone or iPad, fire up the Scanner Pro app and snap a picture of the document or picture in question. Yes, who needs photocopiers when you can quickly and easily snap a picture with a high-quality phone or tablet camera? And as apps like Readdle’s Scanner Pro for iOD becoming increasingly powerful this unexpected use for mobile devices will only grow. The latest update to Scanner…

News & Features, Reviews

Bento 4 for iPad Lets You Cut the Cord and Become a DataBase Power-User

The next generation of iPad is here, and it has nothing to do with the hardware or the OS. No, the next generation of the iPad is coming into view, thanks to the apps that run on it. Not only are they becoming more powerful but, at the same time, they are increasingly reducing their reliance on “host” desktops and laptops. This process of “cutting the cord” is moving iPads out of the realm of add-on device that supports and extends your computer into one that stands on its own. A great example of this is Bento 4. Bento for…

News & Features

Relax, The Government Says Mermaids Are Not Real

(image courtesy fanpop) There are moments that make you stop and wonder exactly how crazy and/or stupid people can be. Just when you think you have all the conspiracy theories organized in your head, from the “Elvis lives!” crew to the Area 51 believers to the people who believe the moon landing was faked, there’s another crazy theory du jour. But I grew up spending every summer swimming in the ocean, and never once gave a thought to mermaids! See, the National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration had a very busy weekend. The mid-Atlantic region had nasty storms roll in, and…

Gear Bits, News & Features

MOG Music Service Aquired By Beats

I used MOG as my subscription music service for a time but have settled in on Spotify and am quite happy with the decision. I have, as a result, been wondering what would happen when these various music services began to shake out. Who would survive? Who would close? Who would be acquired. Well it turns out MOG is the first to go. They have been acquired by Beats and, while they will continue to operate as an independent company, it clearly means we will see some changes coming. As the acquisition notice states Fellow Music Lovers, My first love has…

Music Diary, News & Features

10 Video Clips for the 10th Anniversary of John Entwistle’s Death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eFMqKC2C554 Back in early 2002 The Who looked to make a comeback, regrouping and heading out on tour with renewed energy. But before the tour could quite start, legendary bassist John Entwistle collapsed and died of a heart attack … certainly not helped by years of cocaine use. In various interviews he lamented somewhat at how long it took for The Who to ‘get rich’ compared to some of their contemporaries – which wasn’t helped by their pioneering of the ‘rock & roll lifestyle’. He also lamented the level of recognition given to bassists such as Stanley Clarke and Jaco…

News & Features

Google Brings Out Nexus Q

Just saw this on Google+ just a moment ago right before Vic Gundotra took the stage at Google IO. The Nexus Q is a social streaming media player made for Google Play at home. When you have an Android phone or tablet on your home wifi network, you and your friends can send songs to the Nexus Q and modify the playlist as it’s playing. The Nexus Q will be available in 2-3 weeks and should be about $299. Update: Some more features have come up during the keynote about the Nexus Q. The Nexus Q will also allow multiple devices to stream simultaneously….

News & Features

Watch the 2012 Google I/O Keynote Right Here at 9:30 PDT

In a few hours, Google will have the opening keynote for the 2012 edition of Google I/O and you can watch it right here on Gear Diary. What will they announce? The only thing we know for sure is that Android 4.1 will probably be talked about, since they have the statue erected at the Googleplex. In fact, Google has released a really cool video of Googlers assembling the statue. So, for now, take a look at that. Comment below as the keynote unfolds, and look for a summary of the announcements later today right here on Gear Diary.

News & Features

Ahead of Google I/O, the Jellybean Statue Arrives

In case you didn’t know, every time Google is ready to issue a new version of Android, there’s a new statue that shows up outside of the Googleplex. We had Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s been all around the web that the next version would be code-named Jellybean, and that it will be version 4.1 with the Galaxy Neuxs getting it first. Well, today the Jellybean statue has shown up at the Googleplex, leaving all but the official announcements for sometime tomorrow during Google I/O. Also, they will likely be introducing the first Nexus tablet, named the Nexus 7….

Music Diary, News & Features

Slacker Launches Personalized Lifestyle Stations with ABC Radio

Here at Gear Diary we have a bunch of Slacker Radio fans. For me, aside from listening to my massive iTunes collection, Slacker is my ‘go to’ spot as they offer on-demand streaming content as well as a great array of preset music stations. Recently they also introduced highly customizable ESPN radio stations, and now they have teamed with ABC Radio to launch new ‘Lifestyle’ stations. These stations are called Men’s Life and Women’s Life, and offer targeted content for each gender. But if that sounds limiting – as it did for me – rest assured that you get the…

News & Features

Music in 2012, The Juncture of Art and Tech

Music purists like Mike may not be all too happy about this post but I can live with that. I’m a huge fan of the iOS app Discovr Music. It lets me find bands and performers who are related to one another. For example, I might start with one act and then find three or four other acts that were influenced by them or influence them. Most recently using Discovr Music led me to Late Night Alumni via a rather circuitous route. I love the music, the mix of some Downtempo tracks and some more Trance-related tracks that LNA offer….

News & Features

Fujitsu Introduces the ScanSnap S1300i for PC and Mac; Fast Scanning and Powerful Integrations

My move toward becoming increasingly paperless began a number of years ago when I saw my cousin Jamie’s ScanSnap scanner. I was impressed with the speed with which it was able to create digital copies of hard documents. I bought the same scanner and then, when I “saw the light” a year later, swapped it out for the version that worked with Macs. (Current models work with both Windows and OS X.) In the years since I have used and reviewed a number of other ScanSnap scanners. In spring of 2010 I reviewed the S1300. (Read the review.) And last…

News & Features

Mo’Beats Portable Stereo Bluetooth Speaker Stand Brings Sleek Design and Good Functionality to a Tablet Near you

I’m really loving some of the new gear iLuv is offering these days. We are currently working on a full review of their iMM377 MobiAir Bluetooth Stereo Speaker Dock for Smartphones. (Check it out here.) Now they have released another Bluetooth speaker and this one is truly universal… and practical! The Mo’Beats Portable Stereo Bluetooth Speaker Stand looks great, holds your tablet or smartphone at just the right angle for view and includes a Bluetooth stereo speaker in the base. As iLuv Notes: Mo’Beats is a slim, compact portable stereo speaker stand that comes with a cradle that can hold…

News & Features

TabToolkit Receives Update and Opens the Tab Store

My iPhone has become an invaluable tool while playing the guitar. Two apps pretty much cover everything I need, and both are developed by Agile Partners. GuitarToolkit takes care of tuning, chords and scales and TabToolkit keeps all of my tabs in order. As a hobby guitarist, I love to collect all of my favorite song tabs in one place. When playing on the deck with friends, it is best to have the chords and words to look at. TabToolkit has been my go-to app for both my phone and iPad to keep everything with me at all times. When…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Ford Opens Silicon Valley Lab, Enshrines SYNC in Computer History Museum

There has been quite a bit of technology news coming from Ford over the past week including its announcement of the new Silicon Valley Lab opening and its SYNC system being enshrined in the computer museum. Founder namesake and Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford was on hand in California to participate in both events saying, “We have been innovating for more than a century at Ford, but we acknowledge we don’t have a monopoly on creativity. Our new office will complement our existing research efforts by allowing us to tap into the region that has been driving consumer technology forward…

News & Features

Nuance Introduces Swype Platform for Android, Mobile Keyboards the Way They Were Meant to Be

Nuance has just announced their new Swype platform. It is, to use their words, “Swype’s new living, learning keyboard” that “gets smarter every time you use it”. I had the opportunity to use it for the past few days and it almost makes this iOS guy want to consider jumping over to Android. Yeah it is that good. Swype, which the company bought last fall, is, a four-in-one keyboard that is a revolutionary step forward in the way people communicate and input text on their mobile devices. Swype now combines touch and voice input with unique adaptive capabilities to understand…

News & Features

TP-Link Brings Out New Power Over Ethernet Switch for Businesses

My experience with TP-Link is more from the SOHO and home product networking lines. Those routers and switches have had good performance and have been reliable in my home environment. TP-Link also has products for the enterprise as well. That also includes the new power over Ethernet Layer 2 switch they just brought out, namely the new TL-SG3424P switch. This switch packs in: Power over Ethernet supply up to 320W Complete lineup of layer 2 features, including 802.1Q tag VLAN, Port Mirroring, STP/RSTP/MSTP, Link Aggregation Control Protocol and 802.3x 4 combo SFP slots Provides high performance, enterprise-level quality of service,…

News & Features

The Proporta Quillit Stylus Pen Review

Remember when we carried electronic organizers called PDAs? Remember how they all used a stylus, which is how you would enter information on their resistive touch screens? Remember how fingers weren’t used to tap out anything, because leaving finger grease on a screen was gross? Remember how using a screen protector was an absolute necessity, because if you used a cheaper stylus you could leave deep gouges in your device’s screen? My how things have changed. In 2007 we saw a shift occur with the introduction of the iPhone; it soon became de rigueur for every device to have a capacitive screen…

News & Features

BRAVEN Ships Their SIX Series, Speakers That Offer Big Sound and Power on the Go

Some number of months ago I ordered a really neat speaker from a company called SPAR. The speaker reminded me of the Jawbone JamBox. It was small, got loud and could function as a speakerphone as well as an audio device. I was impressed with the small device but there was one problem. The sound wasn’t very good. In fact, it was bad. I emailed the company and had one of the most pleasant experiences I have ever had when returning a product. They took it back, did so promptly and subsequently told me they too were not so happy…

Editorials, News & Features

A Response to GameSpot’s MOH: Warfighter Article; Let’s Remember why we Play Games

Image courtesy of EA, Medal of Honor The other day a friend showed me an article on GameSpot that made me perk up a bit; they published an article on Friday called “When did regenerating health become realistic”. As an avid fan of First Person Shooters, and a veteran of two Iraq tours myself, I have to say that Tom Mc Shea is quite off the mark on this one. In the article, Tom pretty much slams Medal of Honor’s latest title “Warfighter” as disrespectful to soldiers and for not being as “realistic” as claimed. I like Mc Shea’s…

News & Features

Upping My Photographic Game, Part 2

The other day I posted part one of a new series of posts entitled, Upping My Photographic Game. (Read it.) Truth be told, it really should be “Upping My Photographic and Videographic Game” since the camera I chose was picked, in part, because it also shoots excellent video. Part 2 in the series is actually a video post shot with the camera. What did I get? I bought a Canon Rebel EOS T3i. It came with Judie’s recommendation, and after a lot of research topped with a nice deal from Amazon. ($749 for the kit, camera and lens, and then $150 off…