News & Features

News & Features October 24, 2011

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 October 24, 2011

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 October 23, 2011

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 October 23, 2011

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 October 23, 2011

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 October 21, 2011

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 October 21, 2011

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 October 20, 2011

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 October 20, 2011

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 October 19, 2011

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 October 18, 2011

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 October 18, 2011

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 October 17, 2011

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 October 14, 2011

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 October 14, 2011

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…

News & Features October 14, 2011

iCloud Quick Tip: Manage Your Backups!

I’m already a big fan of iCloud and its ability to seamlessly back up your iDevices without your having to even think about it. I liked it so much that, even while still in Beta, I upgraded to a 25GB account (20GB paid, 5GB free). That should be plenty of space but, as it turns out, it wasn’t. Not by a long shot. In fact, when I checked this morning (Settings, iCloud, backup…) I had just 1.5GB of space left. I tapped “Manage Storage” and immediately saw the culprit. My iPad was using 12.8GB for backup and my iPhone was…

Gear Bits, News & Features October 13, 2011

Ask Siri anything…as long as you’re in the US

Having trekked down to the Apple Store this morning, I had no trouble picking up my brand new white 64GB 4S. The feature I was most interested in trying was Siri, the “Personal Assistant” included with every new 4S, but unfortunately between the US and the rest of the world, everything is not equal. Asking Siri to find the closest petrol station greeted me with this unexpected rebuff: Having had a look through the Apple Australia website and rewatched the Siri section of the keynote (link), I can’t find anywhere that it says that business listings are not available outside…

News & Features October 13, 2011

Watch out for Fake Netflix Apps

Here’s the dark side of Android fragmentation: if you have an Android device that’s not running 2.2 (or a device that doesn’t have the Android marketplace), you don’t have Netflix app access. So you conjure up some google-fu and find a copy of the Netflix app floating around, or maybe it’s an Android app store you’ve never used before. Be very, very careful before you download it. Apparently, there’s a fake version of Netflix floating around that steals your login data. As you can see from the image, it looks super similar. In fact, it looks EXACTLY like the login…

Music Diary, News & Features October 13, 2011

Music Diary Notes: Watch Wynton Marsalis 50th Birthday Concert Live Stream

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis has been a touchstone in the ‘what is jazz’ debate for more than three decades now. After growing up in a jazz family – his father is pianist Ellis Marsalis – Wynton came up through the ranks with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and then did a stint with Herbie Hancock’s VSOP before striking out on his own. Soon Wynton was simultaneously winning Jazz and Classical Grammy Awards, and record labels were signing jazz artists to recording contracts again. He has maintained a high profile – and been very vocal with his opinion of music –…

News & Features October 12, 2011

Kogan Launches 8″ and 10″ Android Tablets

As Michael pointed out this week, pricing of some upcoming tablets has shown that the manufacturers haven’t been listening. Some people want tablets, but most want iPads, and to get the average consumer interested, the price needs to be low enough to make it an impulse buy. Kogan’s new Android tablets look to fit the bill. Available in 8″ 800×600 (SVGA) and 10″ 1024×768 (XGA) models, the tablets come with Gingerbread 2.3 (no Honeycomb here, folks), a single core 1GHz Cortex A8 processor with 512MB RAM, 4GB built-in storage, microSD slot (up to 32GB can be added) HDMI output and…

News & Features October 12, 2011

More iOS 5.0 Fun as Apple Releases New Apps

Today is shaping up to be a fun day for anyone who loves their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. As you know iOS 5.0 should be released some time today. That also means iCloud is coming and, of course, the iPhone 4S arrives Friday (although reviews are already coming in, and it is awesome). The fun has already started with two new apps from Apple being released. The free Find My Friends app that was discussed last week is now live in the iTunes App Store. We will be trying it out and will bring a full review shortly. Grab…

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