News & Features

Music Diary Notes: The Smiths Complete (8CD Box Set)

I remember hearing The Smiths back in college when they had first come out, but since I was already deep into my avant-garde jazz I never paid all that much attention to them aside from noting the catchy jangly tunes. Later when my (future) wife and I started dating, I discovered that she was a big fan of The Smiths and had a bunch of their stuff on tape. Fast forward twenty-something years and we still listen to those same tapes and vinyl and a few digital songs I bought years ago and occasionally come across songs on Slacker. But…

News & Features

Rocking Accessories for Fall Cookouts and Tailgating

Fall is upon us, but there are still plenty of great days left for grilling while tailgating at the game or barbecuing at home! If you want to extend your summer and bring a little bit of head-banging to your grill, then look no further than the BBQ Guitar Spatula and the BBQ Rockin’ Fork available from GAMA-GO. Both the spatula and fork are full-size heavy stainless steel utensils, and they can be had for $20 each. As an aside, they will go perfectly with the Roast My Weenie grill tool that Wayne posted about some time ago. 😉

News & Features

As the Global Population tops 7 Billion, Some Interesting Facts

This month the world will cross over the 7 billion mark – more than 7 billion people alive at one time on the planet by estimates. That is an amazing number – when I was born 3.5 billion was a long way off, and even when I graduated high school we were nowhere near 5 billion. Yet in spite of dwindling fertility, global population growth continues unchecked. In ‘celebration’ of the milestone, SmartPlanet has put together a list of seven things to note about this population milestone: It took humans until 1800 for the world’s population to reach 1 billion….

News & Features

Star Wars Phantom Menace 3D Trailer Arrives, Coming to Theaters Feb. 2012

There are few things that split opinions and ignite heated debates like the Star Wars prequels, yet at least as visual storytelling they remain impressive achievements. LucasFilms has long been known to be bringing the movies back to theaters in 3D format, and now we have the first look! This weekend as one of the trailers before the (abysmal) Three Musketeers, viewers got to see the first trailer for the 3D re-release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The movie is slated to return to theaters in 3D on February 10th, 2012! Source: TheForce.net

News & Features

HTC Giving All New Phone Buyers 5GB of DropBox for FREE!

Smartphone maker HTC has unveiled a plan with cloud storage company Dropbox to give 5GB of free cloud storage to new HTC Android phone owners. According to reports, the deal is tied to phones using HTC’s new ‘Sense 3.5’ UI overlay. Drop Box gives users 2GB for free, so this is an extra 150% for free – plus HTC will pre-load the DropBox app on all new phones. This appears to be yet another reaction to Apple’s iCloud service, which offers 5GB free storage to anyone using an iOS 5 device. Microsoft offers 25GB of SkyDrive storage to Windows Phone…

News & Features

Sound ID is Back with the Sound iD SIX, a Siri-Ready Bluetooth Headset

I have had the opportunity to review each generation of Sound iD’s Bluetooth headsets. The first was a small but excellent device and with each generation the devices have gotten better and better. Now the company is back with their Sound iD SIX Series headset and it looks great. Here’s what the company has to say about it: Sound ID redefines the Bluetooth experience with the new SIX. Destined to be your go-to headset, the SIX boasts a sleek look and more than one new audio trick, resulting in a true marriage of outstanding sound, true comfort and advanced technology….

News & Features

HP TouchPad – Beware the (non) Deals

Just over two months ago HP created market hysteria by killing off the TouchPad tablet and then dropping the price for quick sell-off to $99 for the 16GB and $149 for the 32GB version. In a dazzling internet-breaking weekend, a variety of sites posted and quickly sold out of the TouchPad at those prices. All of which is nice history, but it is relevant because now we are starting to see some stock of the TouchPad trickling out to a few deals sites, Amazon.com and HP itself. All of this before the anticipated final rush of TouchPad inventory made to…

News & Features

Is Apple Inadvertently Making Piracy Easier Than Ever?

“Is Apple Inadvertently Making Piracy Easier than Ever?” That’s the question I posed to the rest of the GD Editors this morning. After all, I love my music, but Michael — well he is the music guy. Here was the full hypothetical I shared: Imagine there is a musical group whose songs you love. Now imagine they came out with an album, but it wasn’t released in the US. Problem is, none of the legal streaming music services seem to offer the album either. So what if, hypothetically speaking, you were to try the app MusicDownloader from the iTunes App…

eBooks, News & Features

Steve Jobs Biography Out Now

The 60 Minutes piece on Steve Jobs this evening was more than a bit interesting, and it gave some new insight into the man who created the amazing company that is Apple. Now the official biography is out. The easiest way to pick it up??? Through the Amazon Kindle Store [affiliate link], of course. If you read the book please make sure to share your thoughts with us below…

News & Features

Personalized iPhone Cases from iStylize

When my coworker was preordering his new iPhone 4S, we had a debate about colors. I was firmly on the side of black, and he said he was considering white because it stood out a bit more, and since most people have black iPhones, it eliminated that moment of “is this your phone or my phone” that happens when everyone has their iPhones on the table at the same time. Of course, you can solve this with a case, but who wants the same boring cases that everyone else picks up at the Apple store? Instead, you could snag an…

News & Features

Results of the “What’s Your Primary eBookstore” Poll

The votes are in, and I know you’re all thrilled to learn the results of our “What’s your primary ebookstore” poll. As it turns out, Gear Diary readers break down fairly similar to what’s widely assumed about ebook demographics. Amazon’s Kindle was overwhelmingly first, with B&N pulling a solid second place, but far behind Kindle’s numbers. Meanwhile, iBooks and Kobo duked it out for the remaining share, with one vote for “Other”. So what does this mean? As I said, this was highly unscientific, and you could argue there’s a lot of factors skewing the results: our readers may be…

News & Features

Siri at Work: Update Yammer on the Fly

The term “game changer” is thrown around far too often. (I am as guilty as the next blogger.) But the fact of the matter is, for those of us who are using Siri seriously, it really is a game changer. In this post I want to take a quick look at one of the many ways that Siri is transforming what I do and making it easier and more efficient than ever. A bit of background first. In my congregation I have the privilege of working with three other members of our clergy team. In addition, I have a full-time…

News & Features

Rabito iPhone 4 Case is Cute and Functional

Have you seen these Rabit cases? I was following a link to another item, when I found these and had to share. Rabit is basically a simple shell-style case with two cute bunny ears sticking out of the top. While that’s different enough on its own, the makers took it one step further by adding a tail. This tail isn’t just for looks, either — it’s functional! Held on by a suction cup, the tail acts as a stand when it is attached. Of course you’ll likely end up losing the tail somewhere, or you might get tired of…

News & Features

Xtreme Mac’s InCharge Sync Dock is Perfect for Multiple iOS Device Homes

So you have an iPad, and an iPhone and your kids each have an iPod touch. Keeping them all charged is a challenge and, if you want to use a dock/cradle it is almost impossible since each device has a different thickness. Now, thanks to XtremeMac’s InCharge Sync adjustable dock for iPod, iPhone and iPad you can have one dock to rule them all. The new dock not only accepts all different iOS devices but it is even case-friendly thanks to an adjustable rear support that can accommodate different device depths. Better still, the InCharge Sync includes a 4ft USB…

News & Features

HTC Wildfire S Lands on US Cellular for FREE (With Contract)

It is no secret that Android devices are extremely popular, based on the utility of the operating system as well as inexpensive pricing from most carriers. Now US Cellular introduces the HTC Wildfire S Android smartphone for FREE after rebate. It is a solid phone at a great price. Let’s take a quick look! Here is what US Cellular says: Get the HTC Wildfire STM to keep you at the center of your social world. Featuring AndroidTM 2.3 (Gingerbread) and HTC SenseTM, the HTC Wildfire S brings together all the different ways to communicate with your friends and family (calls,…

News & Features

Sprint Will Have the New HTC EVO Design 4G on October 23, and So Can You!

If you have been wondering when the next member of the EVO family would make itself known, the wait is over, as the fifth member of the HTC EVO family — the EVO Design 4G — is about to be available from Sprint. The HTC EVO Design 4G builds on the wildly popular EVO line, but brings you more in a sleek new package. The first EVO family member touting World Phone capabilities, the HTC EVO Design 4G builds on many of the “must-have” features of its predecessors, including a 1.2Ghz processor and large 4” qHD touchscreen display, while sporting a…

News & Features

What Your Kids Are Watching On YouTube Today: Epic Meal Time

Last week I wrote about going to the Skrillex with my 13 year old son. For good or bad, I got to hear loads of unfiltered teenage (and early 20s) discussions. Some of it made me wish I was elsewhere; much of it reinforced my decision that I be there with him throughout! Anyway, one of the YouTube video series my kids and their friends have been consuming fiendishly as of late is ‘Epic Meal Time’. You can check out their site for more info …but basically they cook massive and disgusting meals … then eat them on-air. Generally speaking…

News & Features

FanVision provides NFL Fans an Enhanced Stadium Experience

I have spent the majority of my life in stadiums. Some are big, some are small; in some I am a fan, in some was a player, and in some I am coaching. Bottom line is that I feel comfortable in a stadium. It is just who I am. My father went to high school in Houston, so while growing up we made many a trip to stay with my aunt who happened to live just a few miles from the Astrodome. By the time I was in Jr. High, I knew the dome like the back of my hand….

News & Features

Random Cool Image: Escher / Portal Remix

Once again I am back with a Portal themed fan creation … but it seems that the little puzzle game truly inspires creative works in a variety of media! This time it is a mix of Relativity by MC Escher with a bunch of imagery from Portal. This is part of a larger set of art from a collection called ‘Fine Arts’ on Imgur Here’s a nice gallery of video-game-themed fine art remixes, including this curiously appropriate Escher/Portal remix. The collection has art including juxtapositions of classic arts with games like Mario Bros, Half Life 2, Grim Fandango … and…

News & Features

Motorola Droid Pro (finally) Gets Gingerbread Update

Last fall Motorola and Verizon put out a trio of phones including the slider-keyboard based Droid 2, the large screen Droid X and the Blackberry-esque Droid Pro. I reviewed the Droid Pro here, and while I love the form factor and most other things, I did have some criticisms: The Droid Pro comes with Android OS 2.2 Froyo, and has seen a single ‘quick fix’ since release. It was released alongside the Droid X and Droid 2, both of which have been updated to Gingerbread (2.3), but it is doubtful the Droid Pro will get the update. That is just…

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: The Pied Piper of Dubstep

I have mentioned the musical sub-genre Dubstep before, and the practitioners including Daft Punk, Deadmau5 and Skrillex. My son is a MASSIVE fan of this style of music, so I have become more aware of it than I would otherwise. It is hard to describe the musical style to someone who hasn’t heard it, but from his bio at AllMusic they say he “combines the Benny Benassi and Deadmau5 styles of electro with the over the top samples and giant noises of acts like the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim.” Here is the official video for his biggest hit, Scary…

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