News & Features | Gear Diary

Your Ferret Doesn’t Want to Run!

Okay, maybe the headline is a bit misleading. You see, it is not that “your ferret doesn’t want to run!” as much as it is the fact that your ferret “won’t enjoy running”. Yes, researchers have determined that ferrets do not get the same “runners high” that humans and dogs get when they run. Now, this leads to a few questions: -Why did the researchers choose ferrets? Were ordinary house cats so disinterested in running that they didn’t even show up for the study? -How did researchers measure this? Did the ferrets run on little ferret-sized treadmills or normal human sized…

News & Features

Nokia Backtracks on Lumia 710 Backplates

When Judie was in New York last month we had the opportunity to attend a special Nokia event and spent some hands-on time with the Nokia Lumia 710, 800 and 900 Windows Phones. We were, and are, impressed. And we left the event with our own shiny new Lumia 710s courtesy of Nokia! They are nice phones that, on contract, can be had for no more than a song. (You can read Judie’s full review here.) They look quite nice and feel good in the hand. Yes, there is something to be said about smaller phones that actually fit IN…

News & Features

The Stark Contrast Between iOS and Android Platform Adoption

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, look at the picture above – it shows the iOS 5.1 adoption rate since the new version was made available on March 6th alongside the announcement of the new iPad, as compiled by developer David Smith. After two weeks … 63% of the total userbase had switched. And that percentage includes folks who have iOS 3 limited devices like my first-gen iPod Touch (or first gen iPhone), or iOS 4 limited devices like anything before the iPhone 3GS. If you were looking just at ‘opportunities’, the percentage would be even…

News & Features

Is Microsoft Going to Get Smoked by Their Own Challenge?

When your platform is at a very delicate time, you really cannot afford having negative press about a promotion get more viral attention than the promotion itself. This is a problem facing Microsoft today based on some stories related to the latest version of their ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’ challenge. The challenge started out simply enough – timed simple tasks with a $100 prize. The tasks required user interaction, and were obviously designed to favor Windows Phone. But last week Microsoft upped the ante to a custom Hunger Games PC worth $1000! That obviously brought in more challengers. Of course,…

Gear Bits, Music Diary, News & Features

Korg Introduces New microKEY Controllers

Last week at the Musikmesse fair in Frankfurt Germany (the largest music fair in the world) there were a number of announcements of cool technology. While many things were already shown at NAMM, there are a few things I will highlight. The first is that Korg has expanded the microKEY series of USB-powered MIDI controllers with two new models (25-key and 61-key in addition to the 37-key) and an expansion to the software suite included with the top-end model. Here are some details: Compact USB Powered MIDI Controllers For added flexibility and control, the microKEY 37- and 61-key models both…

News & Features

Miso Media is the Latest ‘Shark Tank’ Attention, um, Seeker

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about Scott Jordan of SCOTTEVEST appearing on the ABC ‘reality investment’ show ‘Shark Tank’. It was an episode my family had been anticipating all season for a few reasons: Scott Jordan has worked with Dan and Judie in the past, I have several SCOTTEVETST items and LOVE them all, and finally because Scott appeared in all of the previews to be a total arrogant confrontational jerk on the show which we figured meant some good theater … and we weren’t disappointed. What my family remarked on, which has been discussed here and pretty…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Adult TV Ads Poke Fun at Adult Movie Tropes!

You don’t even have to be a fan of adult movies to know about some of the clichéd plots – a pizza delivery guy comes to the door, and a beautiful woman answers and the next thing you know … well … Anyway, over at AdWeek they have a look at commercials made for the Canadian Adult station ‘Amour’. The spots cannot (obviously) use X-rated content, but still need to lure customers to check out the station. Here is the run-down: Doing ads for adult-television networks—not an easy job. You can’t use the channel’s content, for one thing. Yet Amour,…

News & Features

Elements 2.3 Adds Retina Display Support and Much More

There are a lot of different choices when it comes to word processing on the iPad, iPhone and Mac. One key to deciding which to use, at least for me, is finding one that works seamlessly on all my different Apple devices. iA Writer is a good option, so is simply using the native notes app. Elements is another good choice, and it just got updated to version 2.3. Of course support for the retina display on the new iPad is a key feature of the update, but there are others as well. As SecondGear, the company behind the app…

Music Diary, News & Features

Musicalight LED Sleeve for Learning Chords and Songs on the Guitar

In a strikingly odd development, we had news of TWO Kickstarter campaigns centered around parsing guitar tablature and delivering it via light-up fretboard overlay to aid with learning music. I wrote about Tabber earlier, now we have the Musicalight LED Sleeve! This is the problem they hope to solve: Let’s face it: learning to play any instrument is difficult. Most of us have probably started and quit learning an instrument at some point in our lives. With guitar in particular, it can be frustrating learning chords and finger positioning. We learned to play the guitar by staring at tabs, placing…

Music Diary, News & Features

Tabber Is an Awesome LED Guitar Teaching Sleeve Kickstarter Project!

Apparently interactive guitar training is ‘a thing’, as evidenced by the number of iOS apps designed around teaching you the guitar as a game, and now projects like Tabber that seek to ease your way into learning guitar by putting everything you need right under your fingers. According to the Kickstarter page: Tabber is an open-source LED guitar teacher. Tabber creates a whole new field of visual learning for your guitar. We put the notes that you need to play, when you need to play them right on the neck of the guitar. Our LED light sleeve can be placed…

News & Features

Native Union’s Curve Twin Handset Perfect for Multi-Device Professionals

We’ve previously reviewed a number of products from Native Union, and we have been impressed by the design and utility of them. That’s why Judie and I made sure to set aside time to visit the Native Union booth at CES. We are glad we did, because a couple of the items that were in the pipeline for 2012 really impressed us. One of them, the $59.99 Curve Twin, is finally available and for those of us who use multiple mobile devices; it promises to be a great accessory. As the Press Release notes, Universally appealing to anyone who uses…

News & Features

Apple Updates iMovie to Work on Original iPad!

One of the frustrations when iMovie was initially released was that it worked on the iPad 2 but not the original iPad. This was due to the intention of using it with the camera for video-on-the-fly and the hardware capabilities and memory limitations of the original iPad. Now Apple has quietly updated iMovie for iOS so that it will run on the original iPad. Of course there is always a ‘but’ … and in this case it is iMovie Trailers. While you’re able to edit video with ease, you don’t have access to the app’s new Movie Trailers feature. For that,…

Music Diary, News & Features

Joe Walsh Announced Upcoming Album, Releases First Song for Free!

If you are a fan of rock music from the 70s or 80s, the name Joe Walsh is immediately familiar – his time with the James Gang and the Eagles as well as his solo career produced a number of hits. His work as a sideman cemented him as a legend on the guitar. He is the force behind hits like James Gang’s ‘Funk #49’ (trust me, you know it), Eagle’s ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ and ‘In the City’, and his own ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ and ‘Life’s Been Good’ amongst many others. Walsh has a knack for delivering sardonic…

Music Diary, News & Features

The Who Launch Fan-Made Work as the OFFICIAL Video for ‘5:15’

Late last year in conjunction with the massive release of the wonderfully remastered Quadrophenia in a ‘Super Deluxe Edition’, the group asked fans to create a short film for the song ‘5:15’. The goal was to come up with a video that “does for the track what the Quadrophenia film did for the album.” Recently we heard that the winner was chosen, and now we have the video to match. The winner was created by Jeff Rodenberg, who won $2000 for his winning effort, as well as the chance to work with Universal Music Group’s marketing team to finalize the…

Music Diary, News & Features

Katy Perry Plays Rapper in N*ggas In Paris

The thought of Katy Perry singing in general doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in me – she has about a 6 note range, requires all-too-obvious auto-tuning, and in live performances is a poster child for pre-recorded tracks. As for her rhythm … Well, she really can’t dance and certainly can’t sing and dance simultaneously. So again, not a lot of confidence there. Let us just say she is at her best walking around the stage singing along with a pre-recorded track in a way-too-short and way-too-tight dress. So how is it that I just watched her doing a cover of Jay…

News & Features

Feeling Blue? Element Case’s Vapor COMP Epiphany is for You

It is no secret we are huge fans of Element Case’s products. From their Joule iPad stand, to the Vapor Pro iPhone stand, to the upcoming Vapor Dock, the company’s products all have style and refinement that enhances the experience of using your iPhone or iPad. The Vapor COMP Epiphany iPhone Case is no exception, and a limited number are now available. The Vapor COMP Epiphany features styling of a timeless classic with a durable powder coated frame in Epiphany Blue and a crystal clear polycarbonate cap that has been back painted with white acrylic urethane paint. You have your…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Bodyguardz mykase Turns my iPhone into a Gear Diary Phone

Back in January we posted a look at Bodyguardz new mykase for iPhone 4S. The case allows you to protect your iPhone while changing the look to fit your mood thanks to an innovative swappable back plate. Here’s the video look at it in action. Well the mykase is even more customizable than that. You see, the company now allows you to purchase one-of-a-kind custom back plates that you can make yourself right on their website. The customization engine is easy to use and walks you through the process step by step. You can upload a favorite image, adjust it to…

eBooks, News & Features

Einstein’s Life Goes Digital!

I was fascinated by Albert Einstein as a kid. I didn’t really grasp the details of his work, and to this day my grasp of physics is a bit shaky, but I still thought he was awesome. Call it nerd hero-worship. Learning more about what made him so awesome involves learning more about the man behind the math, and that’s why I am excited that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is digitizing his correspondence and creating a portal where you can read and browse their archives. It’s certainly cheaper to read it online than hop a flight to Israel to…

News & Features

Yoga Is In the Bag with Hot Dog Yoga’s New Rollpack

Getting the right tool to do the job properly was something I learned the hard way, the first time I did the “Couch to 5K” program. The same goes for pretty much any activity, and that includes yoga. Yoga doesn’t require a lot of equipment, but you do want to have your mat with you, along with water, some snacks (Elana has taught me that it is crucial to eat immediately after working out so the “snacks” aspect is key), and a few other assorted items. One could use a regular gym bag, but that means you’d have to carry…

News & Features

Walmart Will Offer to ‘Upgrade’ Your DVD to Ultraviolet Cloud Movies for $2 on April 16th

Have you ever thought: I wish I was able to get digital versions of my DVD movies? I mean, without using HandBrake and feeling like the movie industry is going to have you star in their next ‘You wouldn’t steal a car …’ promo? If you are concerned about the legality making a digital copy of a movie, you are not alone. Recent rulings seem to indicate a reversal in prior findings that came down to ‘it is legal to have a digital copy, but not to make one’. The new ruling says that being lawful owner of the disk…

News & Features

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…