News & Features

Alex Anderson, Creator of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dead at 90

I don’t know about anyone else, but one staple of my childhood cartoon viewing was the Rocky & Bullwinkle show. The high-pitched squirrel and block-headed moose, along with the not-so-well-disguised Russian spies Boris & Natasha, My. Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, and so on wove a wonderful set of memories that have lasted through the decades. Today we learn that the creator of those shows, Alex Anderson, has died at the age of 90 after suffering for years with Alzheimer’s disease. For many years it was assumed that Jay Ward, the producer of the shows, was sole creator. That is…


IsoToner’s smartTouch Gloves Review

It has been getting cold here in the northeast. This morning was quite chilly and it’s only going to get worse. That means jackets, hats and – of course – gloves. And that is a problem if you’re one of the growing number of people who use the touchscreen device. You see, capacitive touch screens need some sort of resistance to register taps, slides and other kinds of input. Fingertips work great… gloves do not. .Yes, sadly gloves and iPhones don’t mix well. There are a number of solutions were just out there. You can opt to use a stylus…


TOM BIHN Introduces Cache sleeve for 11″ Apple MacBook Air

TOM BIHN is ready for the new MacBook Air notebooks with their Cache sleeve. There is one for the new 11″ MacBook Air that is available for pre-order and one for the 13″ that is already shipping. Here’s how the company describes their sleeve: A padded sleeve for your laptop, the Cache is designed to protect your laptop against scrapes and scratches. Its 1/4″ (6mm) thick foam padding laminated with an exterior of four-ply Taslan and an interior of brushed tricot cradles your laptop. No noisy Velcro® or zipper, the Cache closes by simply tucking a generous flap into the…


Skooba Gear Introduces Their New Ultralight Bag Collection, Techlife

Get ready for something special from Skooba Design! They are in the process of rolling out Techlife, a  collection of  sporty, casual, and Ultra-super-seriously-lightweight bags. Shown above is the Techlife Digital Daypack, which will retail for $99.95. According to Michael Hess, this collection includes … Updated versions of our iPad/Netbook bag and neo-skin, a slick new backpack in 2 sizes, a compact laptop messenger (for MacBook 13 and similar), a slim laptop case, and my personal favorite “big story,” which is… drum roll… The Weekend Warrior Duffel [$119.95] — nothing else like it on the market. A solution for “single-bag,…


Random News: Woman Who Put Cat in Trash Pleads Guilty to Animal Cruelty

Do you remember the story from a couple of months ago about a woman in Coventry UK being caught on a security camera tossing a cat into a trash bin? Well, take a look to refresh your memory: Well, after tons of international outrage and attention, the woman was charged with animal cruelty and was fined 250 British pounds. The reason for a fine compared to a more severe charge: District judge Caroline Goulborn said the potential for harm to the cat had been “substantial” but the reality was she had not been hurt. “The media interest in this case…


Disc No More! Wii and PS3 Now Have Netflix Streaming Channels!

See that image … that is the disc you would need to load and run in order to stream ‘Watch Instant’ movies on Netflix if you had a PS3 or Wii.. Yes, you needed a disc to watch disc-free movies. Strange, I know. A few weeks ago when Netflix introduced streaming content to Canada we got a hint that a change was coming, since the PS3 didn’t need a disc to stream content there. Now we have the official announcements – neither the Wii nor the PS3 need a disc to stream Netflix anymore. For the PS3, the change comes…


Relive Your First Love with a Classic Car Shelf

My first car, the one that I actually picked out and paid for on my own, was NOT a 1969 Corvette. It was a 1981 Toyota Celica Supra, back when they were still Celica Supras. It had a sunroof which leaked when it rained, and it was the most god-awful maroon. It didn’t matter; I loved that car. Evidently the Celica Supra wasn’t a cool enough (or American enough) car to be made available as one of the Classic Car Shelf Collection from Gadgets & Gear, but I suppose I’m not really surprised. Because the others that have been replicated…


iPhone App Quick Look: Haunted Face

Whenever I see my friend Meni, he always has a neat app or two to show me. This time the app was just in time for Halloween. There isn’t much to say about Haunted Face. For $.99 is lets you either take a new picture or choose one from your photo library, crop it, process it and… well you’ll see in a second. The processing happens on external servers so you need an Internet connection. In addition, while you can email an image from the video it creates you cannot email the actual moving image. Still, for $.99 is is…


Random Cool Image: Assembly Instructions ala M.C. Escher

I have long been a fan of the work of artist M. C. Escher. I love his realistic-looking structures that seem utterly plausible … until you look closer and see the impossibility. Well, what if he had designed assembly instructions? That is what an image adafruit suggests, as it shows some Mobius-strip inspired figured attempting to join into a single seemingly simple mechanism. The actual author isn’t specified … but it is a fun drawing in the style of Escher. Checking into it I found other versions floating around, including one with Dutch ‘assembly instructions’, and this one which was…


Stop. Think. Connect: Reminding Kids to Stay Safe While Online

Parents with kids who are growing up in this internet age have undoubtedly got more to worry about than parents even five years ago. It is imperative that our younglings understand that anything posted on the internet (even if only briefly) can come back to haunt the poster (or the postee) forever. Vicious gossip, bullying, hurtful photos … these are things that can be magnified to unbearable proportions when posted online. I found this cute video today; it may see simplistic at first, but it’s message is right on. This video was created by EMC Corporation and RSA, its Security…


eBook Price Comparison Site – Leatherbound.me

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ebook pricing insanity, citing the high prices of new release books using the newly released Gauntlgrym: Neverwinter Book I by R. A. Salvatore. At the same time I noted how the move to price ebooks at greater than $10 has slowed down my buying: I have definitely balked at buying books I would have bought without thought at $9.99. For example, Bob Woodward’s ‘Obamas Wars’ looked interesting, but the ebook cost $14.99 – basically the same as the $15.00 hardcover. Similarly Company Town, looking at industries that have become wrapped around a…


Teach Me Sushi for iPhone Sounds Tasty

I’ve flirted with making my own sushi, but I can never seem to get my rice just right or my rolls just so. If you are in the same (sushi) boat, then here’s an app that might be able to help. The new app offers helpful tools and over 45 minutes of instructional videos demonstrating how users can make advanced sushi rolls in their own homes. The Expert offering takes the lessons a step further, teaching users to create advanced rolls including Shrimp Tempura, Volcano Rolls and Spicy Crunchy Tuna Rolls. And just like that … I am now craving…


SpookyTones Helps Your iPhone Get Its Ghoul On

If you are a fan of both Halloween and customized ringtones for your mobile devices, then what we have here is a bit of convergence for you.  If you want to “spookify” your iPhone a bit, point your broom toward Electric Pocket’s space in the iTunes App Store and check out SpookyTones, a Halloween version of its MailTones app. SpookyTones allows you to assign distinct, frightening tones to your contacts, and then, rather than the traditional, boring email alert, your iPhone cackles, thumps, or rattles its chains.  Prefer giving the ghouls the silent treatment?  SpookyTones will also let you set certain…


Balanzza Intros Mini Luggage Scale to Help Avoid Added Luggage Fees

Airline luggage fees have been on my mind this week ever since I spoke to Scott Jordan about his dealing’s with Delta Sky magazine. (Heck, Scott even announced a new product, the Carry-On Coat to take things to the next level.) The fees for bags and extra weight keep growing and the free allotments keep diminishing. In a travel environment like this it is more important than ever to make sure your luggage doesn’t go over the weight limit. A new product makes it easier than ever. The Balanzza Mini, the lightest digital scale in the market, weighs less than…


App Update Alert: TabToolkit For iPhone/Touch/iPad

One of my favorite and most used guitar apps is TabToolkit from Agile Partners.  I love the ability to search, download and read guitar tabs on my iPhone and iPad.  The application actually knows when a tab is available on the page and will download and store it with a simple tap.  As great as this app is, a huge update just went live in the app store.  This is a considerable update to an already amazing app.  Click here to read a full review of TabToolkit. Some of the new features: Guitar Pro 6 file format:  Many TabToolkit customers…


Random Cool Gadget: Earos Cell Phone Ear Cushions

A few months ago I had a prolonged layover coming home from a business trip, and coincidentally my wife had an afternoon class she was teaching canceled so she was home. As a result, we took the opportunity to chat for quite a while and catch up on the stuff we never got to talk about during the week. By the time I hung up my ears were quite uncomfortable from pressing my Droid against my head for so long! Now Yanko Design has a solution for just that type of problem: Earos! These ear cushions easily slide over most…


Random Cool Gadget: Double Barreled Marshmallow Shooter

My younger son bought my older son a cool Nerf gun with easy-load clips for his recent birthday … my younger son already has a chain-load Nerf blaster he got for his birthday earlier this year. The result? A weekend filled with Nerf darts flying everywhere! And – especially with the new one – those things can still hurt when they hit! Last summer our kids had built PVC-pipe marshmallow launchers, neither of which worked well, but they looked cool and still get used as guns and other weapons on a regular basis. It was against this backdrop that I…


Random Cool Video: Airplane With No Jokes …

And surprisingly enough, it is pretty good! Of course, it is also only 15 minutes long! When you think about it, the core story of airplane is a classic – literally! The production team bought the rights to the 50’s drama Zero Hour!, which allowed them to use anything they wanted from the script. Check this summary out: Ted Stryker is an ex-World War II squadron leader and fighter pilot who, 10 years after the end of the war, is still haunted by a decision he made that resulted in the death of several of his men. He’s been unable…


Yet Another Reason to Switch to eBooks: Airline Fees!

We told you a few weeks ago about Scottevest’s ad rejection by Delta. Of course, Delta is far from the only airline with restrictive baggage fees. It seems like every company has extra charges for heavier bags, less room for carry-ons, etc. So what do you do if you’re a voracious reader? John Naughton of the Guardian UK stumbled on this particular issue. He was looking to bring books on vacation but realized his reading list would have eaten up a big chunk of the weight restrictions on his Ryanair flight. So he broke down and bought a Kindle, despite…


Love Is In the Air at Gear Diary!

This has been a celebratory two weeks for Gear Diary, as we have just seen two of our writers get married! Dan is officiating Carly and Sarah’s wedding today … probably right as you are reading this! And David and Tish were married on October 1. Please join us in wishing Carly & Sarah, and David & Tish a very happy, very wonderful, and very much loved rest of their lives!


Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of John Lennon’s Birth With A Live Concert Recording

Today John Lennon would have turned 70, had he not been shot in December of 1980. In November of 1980 he released his last record, Double Fantasy, after 5 years on hiatus from music recording. This week on iTunes they have a massive collection of his newly remastered work, including a free version of Starting Over from Double Fantasy. There is even a 11-CD ‘signature box’ with loads and loads of extras. If you want to listen to some great live Lennon, head on over to Wolfgang’s Vault John Lennon Tribute, where they are featuring a 1972 John Lennon concert…