News & Features | Gear Diary

You and Your iPad Can Travel Light with BlueLounge’s Bonobo Series iPad Sling

BlueLounge’s new Bonobo Series iPad Sling looks like a great way for you and your iPad to travel light. As the company explains, Our new iPad Sling stylishly accommodates your everyday necessities. Ultra-light, modern, and sleek the iPad Sling features a padded main compartment, a zippered exterior pocket, easy-snap magnetic closures, and a comfortable cross-body fit. It’s the ideal accessory for commuting to the office, or simply to the coffee shop. For all iPads.

News & Features

Really Cool Time Lapse Pregnancy Video Shows 9 Months in Under 2 Minutes!

I am really happy that I made my wife let me snap a couple of shots of her while pregnant with both of our kids. A couple of weeks ago when our ‘baby’ turned 14 we were flipping through and it was a sort of time lapse as we looked at my wife as she progressed and then the baby and our son as he grew. But this cool video shows the entire pregnancy from start to finish, one week at a time. It is amazing to watch the personal changes, the move from smaller to bigger space, and so…

Music Diary, News & Features

Stream Vijay Iyer’s New Album ‘Accelerando’ on NPR Before Next Week’s Release!

While the collaborative recording Tithra didn’t quite make my ‘tops of 2011’ list, Vijay Iyer’s Historyicity remains one of the best recordings of the last five years and a personal favorite. So when I heard that Vijay Iyer’s trio was releasing a new album in early 2012 I got excited … and when I discovered that NPR was hosting the full record for streaming I was REALLY excited. And after listening … I am ecstatic!

Music Diary, News & Features

Free Album ‘Electronic Encounters – The Special Edition’

Electronic music can get rather ‘spacey’ or ‘sci-fi’ at times, but this takes it to new levels! Electronic Encounters – The Special Edition is a compilation of electronica tracks inspired by the classic film, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and the collection is available for FREE! Head here to check out the song ‘Believe’ by Logan 5: Here is the synopsis of the inspiration: Back in June 2001, I went searching on the internet for anything relating to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What little I did find was not very impressive. It was then that I decided…

Music Diary, News & Features

A ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Duet Actually Worth Seeing

At the recent Grammy Awards the producers were constantly talking about artists they were throwing together for ‘once in a lifetime’ performances you ‘won’t want to miss’. But in reality the Coldplay / Rihanna medley was the perfect example of how lousy they were – she sang her song, they sang their song, and in between they sang a duet song about 10 feet apart with Rihanna never really acknowledging Chris Martin and the whole thing reminding you that just because two artists appear on a song together doesn’t mean they have ever met.

News & Features

Save Big for 72 Hours on Skooba Designs V.3 Collection

Back in November we reviewed Skooba Designs’ new V.3 Tablet Messenger. I liked it a lot and wrote this: What I Like: Small and light; lots of well-organized pockets; Special slot for your tablet; Grab and go handle; interior tablet access without opening the flap; Funky closure method for the flap What Needs Improvement: The blue highlights make it a bit less professional-looking You can read the full review here and find out more details here on the product page. That’s not the reason for this post however. No, the reason for this post is that Skooba Designs is running…

News & Features

Tom Bihn Updates Their Ristretto Bag

I love when a company has a really good product but looks for ways to make it even better, and that’s exactly what Tom Bihn did with their Ristretto bag. We’ve reviewed the bag in a number of different sizes. You can read our review of the Ristretto, the Ristretto for iPad, and the review of the Ristretto for MacBook Air. The new Ristretto has a number of key improvements. We have a review sample on the way, but I wanted to run down the key changes in advance of that.

News & Features

Apple’s March Event News (Updated As It Happened)

Apple is about to hold its March announcement. We will have the news as it comes in…

News & Features

Which Muppet Would Survive in the Arena?

It seems like everyone in my social circle, from Gear Diary to Facebook to coworkers, are anxiously awaiting The Hunger Games. Know who else is excited for them? Surprisingly, The Muppets!

Editorials, News & Features

Google + Is Now Almost HALF as Popular as MySpace (Yes, It Still Exists)

Quick – if you want to just blast out how awesome the new Mary Halvorson CD is, where do you go? Most likely to Twitter. And if you want to see what sorts of pictures have emerged from the weekend event your kids attended? Head to Facebook. Once on Twitter you will likely check out a few feeds, click around for a minute or two before exiting. On Facebook, your engagement will turn from seconds to minutes to hours as you check out friends and photos and chat with folks and so on. For many teens and young adults, Facebook…

Music Diary, News & Features

Alfred Music Releases ‘The Rock Guitar Songbook, Volumes 1 and 2’

One of the first things most kids looking to pick up the guitar do is imitate the lines from a popular rock or pop song. Rock music is rife with simple hooks that are guitar-centric and easy to play (Smoke on the Water, Baba O’Reilly, and so on). But beyond a single line is a fully composed song – and after learning the line you will find you want more! Alfred Music has just released a two-volume set of classic rock songs from the 1950s through the 2000s! The first volume looks at the 50s-70s, and the second volume looks…

News & Features

Apple Hits 25 Billion App Downloads, is the Most Admired Company

To say that Apple is on a roll seems a bit superfluous, as the company has spent much of the last dozen years as one of the most reported on and profitable companies in the world. And yet it seems like every time we turn around there is something new and amazing to discuss. First off, last week Fortune magazine reported that Apple was the most admired company in the world. This just after a number of reports tried to single out Apple as the singular cause of poor working conditions in China. Other reports noted that tech companies like…

News & Features

Batman, the Joker, and Moral Philosophy: Perfect Together!

Much to my family’s chagrin, I majored in Philosophy in college. I chose philosophy because I loved everything about it, especially the thought experiments. Basically, we’d look at a situation or an example, and debate the underlying moral/metaphysical/ethical/political themes until we either came to a conclusion or talked ourselves in circles. Philosophy taught me the importance of standing behind my beliefs, of expressing myself in a clear fashion, and of making sure any argument I laid out could be defended (often in front of the rest of my class, and while my professor tore into me until I gave in or…

Music Diary, News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Newly Discovered Wes Montgomery Tracks Hit Retail Next Week!

One of the most important figures in jazz and greatest guitarists in any genre was Wes Montgomery. He died in 1968 at age 45 of a heart attack and cut short an amazing career. Despite getting started in the late 1940’s with th eLionel Hampton orchestra, he left the band and returned home to Indianapolis to start a family, and recorded only once between 1950 and 1957, making his first recordings as a leader in 1959 … or so it was thought! Next week we get a look at never before released recordings that Montgomery made in 1957 and 1958…

News & Features

Stack the Odds in Your Favor with Hunger Games Skins!

I admit it-I devoured the “Hunger Games” trilogy in less than three days while on vacation! The story combined everything I love about a good series; there was political intrigue, a strong female heroine, and lots of action and gore! While I’m not rushing out and buying tickets for the midnight showing, I do stop and watch the trailer whenever I see it on TV. But if you really love The Hunger Games, there’s only one way to show it: with a device skin from SkinIt! This way when you whip out your iPhone, iPad or another device, you can…

News & Features

THIS is Why Ben Jerry’s ‘Taste the Lin-Sanity’ Apology is Correct

Recently the Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream shop in Harvard Square created a flavor called “Taste the Lin-sanity” … and ended up quickly pulling the product and apologizing. This follows the two separate same-night incidents from ESPN where in writing and on television hosts used the phrase ‘chink in the armor’.

News & Features

Bamboosa’s Lap Log for iPad and Tablets review

Enjoying our electronic devices can, at times, be at odds with our desire to be more environmentally friendly in our daily actions. While we here at Gear Diary like our energy-consuming, heavy-metal-containing gadgets, we also appreciate having the opportunity to select gadgets and gadget accessories that are more sustainable in their approach. That’s where the Lap Log by Bamboosa comes into the picture. The Lap Log is, in its simplest description, a stand for tablets that can be used in multiple locations and positions. You can use it on a desk or other flat surfaces, but, thanks to its use of a…

News & Features

The AV Club Tackles TV, Digital Availability, and Piracy!

Earlier today I was driving home from work and chatting with a friend of mine about “The Vampire Diaries”. I convinced her to start watching the first season via Netflix, and now she’s blown through seasons one and two and is totally hooked. Unfortunately, she’s coming into season 3 partway, and so Hulu and CWTV aren’t offering the early episodes. She’ll have to wait until the DVDs are released, likely at the end of this summer. We commiserated about how annoying it is that she can’t track down season 3 yet, and moved on…but I’ve been on both sides of…

News & Features

Samsung Galaxy S II Now Available On US Cellular

I had mentioned recently that U.S. Cellular was bringing the Samsung Galaxy S II to their network ‘soon’ … which turns out to be NOW! Here are some details: The Galaxy S II is ideal for the multi-tasker who also wants easy access to entertainment wherever they go. You can quickly update your calendar and browse the web to read the latest news, check the weather or get driving directions. The multimedia functions allow you and your family to keep up with your favorite TV shows and keep the kids entertained while you’re traveling with HD Games. With its superior…

Music Diary, News & Features

RIP Davy Jones, Lead Singer of The Monkees

For a fake band, The Monkees were a huge success. Formed in 1965 as a TV-friendly pop group with the intent to release singles and offer a weekly comedy show, Brit Davy Jones joined Americans Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz as the fabricated pop group. The requirements were more about look, basic singing skills and personality – in fact none of the group played drums, which became an issue when they needed to perform live! But the face of the Monkees during their 58-episode, 2-season TV run was Davy Jones – to the point that he ended up…

News & Features

Write Android Apps? Write a Samsung Galaxy Note S App and You Could Win $100K!

Are you a savvy Android programmer? Would you like a chance to win some slick prizes? Samsung is offering a huge contest to encourage developers to write applications for its new Galaxy Note S phone using its Galaxy S Pen SDK. Samsung invites software developers to create S Pen-integrated apps for Galaxy Note using the S Pen SDK. Winners will receive $205,000 in cash and prizes as well as promotional exposure and recognition in Samsung digital social media. Prizes will be awarded for the best overall apps and for category honorable mention awards in games, media, sports, social,…