News & Features | Gear Diary

US Cellular Launching Huawei Ascend II in January for FREE After Rebate!

Phones such as the Samsung Repp and HTC Wildfire have shown that low-end devices still have much to offer, and the Huawei Ascend II looks to step in at a somewhat higher level but still be available for free after rebate! This is the description: The Huawei Ascend IITM with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is your entertainment center, GPS navigator, news and weather hub, and your social network connection all in one powerful, pocket-sized device. Stream content from the web or your own media library and view it on the 3.5″ HVGA touchscreen display. Grab apps from the Android Marketplace and…

News & Features

It’s the End of B&N As We Know It

Oh Barnes and Noble…I keep saying you aren’t Borders, and then you go and stock crock pots for the holidays. Cooking appliances. In a bookstore. Not even near the cookbooks, just chilling near bargain titles. Why? Did the NOOK line open the floodgates? Are you morphing into Target by carrying appliances while Target morphs into a bookstore with their expanded book sections? Is it bizarro land? I just hope this isn’t B&N’s sparkly Jesus piggy bank. A few years ago, Borders sold sparkly, Jesus shaped piggy banks. Then they went out of business. Coincidence? I think not. Please stick to…

News & Features

TimeHop Rewinds Your Social Networking Calendar

One thing I like about the Facebook Timeline view (perhaps the only thing) is the ability to hop back in time to see what was going on in 2007. Now TimeHop will help you get a daily dose of short-term nostalgia. TimeHop sends a daily email of the user’s activity on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram, from exactly one year ago. You simply link those accounts and then you start getting a daily update of exactly what was happening the year before! Does that sound interesting to you? If so, head to TimeHop and check it out! Source: Neatorama

News & Features

Evernote Essentials Extra: Remember the Rare

Many of the people I’ve turned onto Evernote find it invaluable. Others, however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don’t see what the big deal is. That’s where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains: The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even include everything dealing with my job. We all struggle to keep our information organized and accessible,…

Music Diary, News & Features

University Report Attempts to Mathematically Describe ‘How to Make a Hit Song’

Do you know what it takes to make a hit song? Mathematicians from Bristol University in the UK purport that their ‘Hit Equation’ is extremely accurate at predicting what will and will not be a hit. They have a site called Score-a-Hit that describes all of this. Here is a snip: Mathematical Definition To quantify the hit potential of a song, we make use of the regression technique. Mathematically, the hit potential (peak UK chart position) of a song is denoted by a variable y and a set of audio features x of the song are also presented. A pre-trained…

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Box.net Becomes ‘Box’, Details Future Plans

For most people, when they hear ‘box’ related to cloud storage they might think of ‘another’ company, but Box.net has been a very popular service and has recently been giving away ’50GB for Life’ to mobile users. Now they are changing things again, starting with their name – they are now just BOX. Here are some details from their blog: We Dropped the .net Bet you didn’t even notice! Don’t worry: everything has transitioned seamlessly, including all your shared links, widgets, integrations and content. Thanks for being the most important part of … not Box.net … nor Box.com … just…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

OnStar and NORAD warming up the Santa Tracker

As Christmas Eve approaches and the world eagerly awaits the arrival of Ole’ Saint Nick, children of all ages can track the big guy as he and his sleigh make their way around the globe visiting those of us who have been naughty or nice. OnStar, in partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), is offering its Santa Tracker services once again this Christmas. Beginning at 7 a.m. EST Dec. 24, OnStar subscribers, including those with the new FMV OnStar systems, can simply press the blue OnStar button and request a Santa update. Advisors will share Santa’s current…

News & Features

The Hobbit First Teaser Trailer Released

The first view of JRR Tolkein’s universe most of us got was through the wonderful story ‘The Hobbit’, which is a less intimidating initial read than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now we get a first look at the upcoming Hobbit film made by Peter Jackson with most of the original Lord of the Rings cast! Here is the synopsis from the Apple trailer site: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug….

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“Healthy” Foods to Avoid

Sure, you want to eat better, and maybe that’s your new year’s resolution. But be very, very careful when shopping, as labels like “natural” and “low fat” don’t always mean something is good for you. While that’s become (somewhat) common sense, it seems like crappy foods are finding more and more ways to sneak into our grocery carts. Fitbie came up with a list of 16 foods that are significantly worse for you than they sound at first glance, and a few of them may really surprise you! Before you swap sugar for agave syrup or believe the “corn sugar”…

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Griffin and Third Man Records Put a Spin on Your iPhone 4S with a Case Custom Cut from a 7” Vinyl Record

My hometown of Nashville, TN is full of stars, and not just the country music kind. It’s a little-known secret that lots of actors and musicians from other genres choose to live in the area because, in general, we Nashvillagers pretty much leave them alone when we see them out in public. Nicole Kidman shops all the time at my local Whole Foods and can dine in peace at the food bar with no fear of autograph hounds. Peter Frampton has become a gentleman farmer in a Nashville suburb, and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit moved here from Columbus, OH to escape…

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If You Can’t Beat ’em, Eat ’em: Nuance Buying Vlingo

Last May we published a post entitled Bloomberg Businessweek: A More Nuanced Approach to Discussing Nuance Please. In it I wrote Yesterday Bloomberg Businessweek published a rather scathing article about Nuance and its approach to business; it was heavy-handed and one might say once-sided. I went on to say that The article highlights the back and forth between Nuance/Ricci and Vlingo and it is, at times, a bit unpleasant to read. It notes that Ricci offered significant monetary incentives to Vlingo’s co-founders if they could persuade the Vlingo board to sell to Nuance and, if that did not happen, would…

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This Holiday Season Let Slacker Radio Be Your Soundtrack with 4 Great Countdowns

Some music countdowns are based on so-called experts picks. Others are created by fan votes. Slacker Radio took a different approach to determining the Top 50 Songs of 2011- they looked at what Slacker listeners actually LISTENED to, shared and “hearted”. In other words, their list of the top 50 songs of 2011 consists of the top 50 songs people actually listened to in 2011. How unique! They also have released Top 50 Indie Songs of 2011, Top 50 Country Songs of 2011 and the Top 50 Alt/Rock Songs of 2011. I’m enjoying the Top 50 Alt/Rock Songs of 2011…

News & Features

That Bad Spray Tan Might Be the Best Thing for Your Skin!

Despite the fact that everyone knows tanning and overexposure to the sun is really bad for you in terms of cancer risk, having a tan is often described as a ‘healthy glow’, and celebrities wouldn’t dream of going out in public without a radiant but all too often orange glow. A new study published by Reuters finds that spray tanning might actually be the best thing you can do if you are determined to have a bronzed look to your skin! From the article: Women who use lotions and gels to produce a fake suntan tend to cut back on…

News & Features

mGifts Organizes Your Last-Minute Shopping Frenzy

Let’s say that you’re the type of individual who likes to wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping (in other words, there’s a strong chance you’re a guy). Or maybe for you, it’s just not the holiday season unless you find yourself in a crowded shopping mall, just a few days before Christmas, surrounded by grouchy, inconsiderate fellow shoppers. In these situations, you need to be ready, organized, and have a plan. Otherwise, you’re sure to leave out a favorite aunt or niece, in which case you had better just slink into the background and hide behind…

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Evernote Essentials Extra: Howdy Neighbor

As much as I “harshed” on Evernote last week after they released two ridiculous iPhone apps the service remains a key part of every aspect of my life. I’ve also turned countless people onto Evernote, and many find it invaluable as well. Others however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don’t see what the big deal is. That’s where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains: The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with…

News & Features

Rebecca Minkoff’s Offbeat Fashionista iPhone Accessories, Knuckles and Zipped Up

If most of the iPhone 4 and 4S cases you’ve seen have been too boring, then you might enjoy the “Knuckles” case by Rebecca Minkoff ($58). You certainly wouldn’t have to worry about dropping your phone when it’s in this silicone case, and the added benefit (?) is that when you hold the case a certain way, no one will mess with you. An offbeat case deserves an offbeat headset, so while you’re at it — take a look at “Zipped Up”, the new wired headset also by Rebecca Minkoff ($48). Both of thee items (and a few other gems) may be…

News & Features

Random Cool Video: The TRUE Meaning of Christmas!

Is there anything more pure and telling of the holiday spirit than tapping out a 200A service on a wonderfully gaudy light show synchronized to the song ‘Equinox’ by Skrillex? No … I didn’t think so. And no, this is NOT my house, despite how my younger son wanted to hook up the music and take a trip to Wal-Mart to buy a few thousand more strands of lights … Source: Buzzfeed

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Ford Using App for 2013 Fusion Unveil

Want to see the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion sedan? Ford has an app for that. The automaker has released iOS and Android smartphone and device apps to tease the eventual unveil of the vehicle that will occur in the app simultaneously as it does on stage at two stellar events. The 2013 Ford Fusion (which has been named the official car of CES 2012) will be unveiled at both the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month as well as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. These are two of the biggest shows held in the U.S….

Music Diary, News & Features

Manchester Orchestra Wants YOU to Help Them Create a Special Version of ‘Virgin’!

Back in July I wrote about Manchester Orchestra putting up their Simple Math song for free as part of the release of their excellent album of the same name. Now they are back with a new way to connect with their fans – by doing a remix version of the song Virgin incorporating sing-alongs from fans! Here are some details from their site: Help Us Sing “Virgin” As the year is coming to an end we wanted to take a minute to thank you ALL. Simple Math is truly an album for the fans and we wanted to give something…

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Roku Gets Even Better with FREE iOS Remote App

I’ve been a fan of the Roku streaming media set-top box since pretty much the beginning. The company tends to fly a bit under the radar but offers a great series of devices that have only gotten better over time. I have the original device (two actually) and just recently got the current, top of the line, device, the Roku 2 XS. (It not only streams tons of media but it also plays games.) Seriously, the selection of media the Roku brings to your TV is awesome- from Netflix to Amazon Instant Video to Hulu Plus and Pandora… the list goes…

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Something to Think of This Holiday Season: Hands-Free Just as Risky

New research suggests that even hands-free phone use while driving is a significant risk. A recent study by the NTSB says that your brain becomes heavily engaged in that function at the expense of attention paid to driving. The NTSB study shows that regardless of the source of distraction, the result is the same. From a report on the study at the Omaha World Herald site: The scientific evidence, however, is generally with NTSB, researchers said. “There is a large body of evidence showing that talking on a phone, whether handheld or hands-free, impairs driving and increases your risk of…