News & Features

Kobo Adds “Outside Book Loading” to Their iOS Apps

Kobo has an interesting new feature for iOS users; now you can add non-DRM’d ePUB and PDF files to the Kobo app on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. You can do the same thing through Stanza, so it’s not the feature set itself per se…it’s that Kobo is the first mainstream bookstore to support this feature! If you read your books on an ebook reader, you can load any supported files onto your device. Kobo Readers can load DRM-free ePUBs, as can Sony Readers, B&N Nooks, Jetbook lites, etc. But unless you’re going through Amazon’s Whispersync conversion it’s nearly…

eBooks, News & Features

Amazon Is Having a Great Week

While B&N had some disappointing financial results, Amazon is riding high on some good news this week. They’ve had glowing early reviews for the Kindle 3, and some (unofficial) numbers indicate they’re trouncing Apple in the ebook wars. First, the Kindle 3 reviews. CNET, Kindle Review, and several other sites received review units, and everyone uniformly loved it! It sounds like the new screen and smaller size really help the Kindle to shine. Len Edgerly did a great video review as well: So the glowing reviews of the Kindle 3 are certainly one way to kill the “OMG iPad IS…

Music Diary, News & Features

Random Cool Video: So I WASN’T Wrong Thinking All Pop Music Sounds Basically the Same!

I’m not just grumbling about the ‘good old days’ or something like that … as we have spent a good amount of the summer listening to the local pop radio station or the ’80’s, 90’s and Today’ station on Slacker I have commented repeatedly how so much of the pop music sounds like it was written by committee … and that the committees seem to share many common members! Now someone has looked at three of the hottest songs of the summer – Ke$sha’s Tik Tok, Katy Perry’s California Gurls, and Miley Cyrus’ Permanent December – are basically the same…

Music Diary, News & Features

The Coolest New CD Release of the Year: Tristan Perich 1-Bit Symphony

I honestly can’t recall the last time I specifically ordered a new release CD, and was excited about the arrival of the physical product. Sure I’ve been sent a few and won some others and have grabbed a couple of special releases over the past several years. In those cases either someone else made the choice or there were pack-ins that made getting the music in physical form necessary. But in general all I care about is the music and I am happy to get it in digital form through either iTunes or Amazon. But this week we have what…

Editorials, News & Features

All the iPad vs Vaporware Nonsense is Growing Tiring…

In a recent interview Acer’s Chairman JT Wang predicted that the iPad’s near-100% market share in the tablet space would drop to between 20 and 30 percent. Now PC World has posted an article entitled “Five Reasons to Pick an HP Tablet Over an iPad”. So I thought I would add my voice into the mix and offer up Five Reasons They Should SHUT IT! No, actually I only need ONE! Neither Acer nor HP has actually released a device and until they do there is NOTHING to talk about. Nothing! I mean, when we were at CES we saw…

News & Features

The Speakers Won’t Sound Tinny… Papery Maybe but not Tinny

The Muji Cardboard Speakers are “collapsible cardboard speakers”. They come from Japanese-based, Muji and take packing light to a new level because they are made from… paper (or cardboard to be exact). So you can collapse them when you are on the go and pop them open when you arrive at your destination. Oh, and they will go well with the origami swan you made last night. They even come with a nylon pouch for easy and safe transport. Available from the MoMa store for $38 the surprised looks on people’s faces when you pull them out will be worth the cost…

eBooks, News & Features

Barnes and Noble Doesn’t Eat Their Own Dog Food

If you knew nothing about Barnes & Noble and wandered into their stores, you’d assume the nook is a huge part of their business. After all, they’re promoting it like crazy, with signage everywhere, big bold displays, and what appears to be major corporate backing…but apparently the corporate backing only goes up to a point. And that point stops somewhere short of their chairman, Leonard Riggio. During an interview with NYMag, Riggio explained he doesn’t like the nook. He prefers physical books and turning pages to eInk, and refuses to use a nook to read. Fair enough if you’re the…

News & Features

iTiny Bluetooth Keyboard Makes Your iPhone a Mobile Word Cruncher

If you are writing anything longer than a tweet or SMS, then you know that the iPhone’s onscreen keyboard can cramp things up a bit. An external Bluetooth keyboard is a great solution, but carrying the 11″ x 5.25″ Apple BT keyboard seems contrary to the portable ideal. That’s where the 5″ x 2″ iTiny Keyboard looks like it could shine. The iTiny Keyboard allows you to enjoy responsive, feather light typing along with portability, and Bluetooth functionality everywhere you go. The sleek and slim design fits comfortably in your hand and allows for easy typing with its 49 soft…

News & Features

Intel’s Hands Free Research Lets Your Mind Do The Typing

Image courtesy of nairaland.com A few years ago OCZ introduced some technology that could potentially change gameplay as we know it with the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA). With this device you could use facial muscles and electronic signals from your brain to control movement and common keystrokes in games and could potentially free your hands for other functions. I never had a chance to actually try out the NIA, but from all the reviews I read and videos, it looks like a piece of hardware that a geek simply must have. Intel wants to build on that technology and take…

eBooks, News & Features

eBook Pricing Showdown!

(image courtesy Inkmesh) eBook pricing has been in a huge state of flux since the “agency model” went into effect this past spring. With many top titles pricing being set by the publisher it becomes a case of what store you prefer, and not necessarily what store offers the best price. However, there are still many publishers (Random House being the biggest) who don’t follow agency pricing, and the fine folks at Inkmesh did some number crunching to determine which store offers the best bang for your buck. Amazon was the winner, but by a lower margin than the pre-agency…

News & Features

Dr. Seuss Comes to Converse!

Who doesn’t love Converse All Stars? Many of my friends own at least one pair, and I own several, though my color choices have become far less garish as I’ve gotten older. Sure, you can grab a pair at your local Target, but if you’re looking to recapture the “cool” factor your first pair of Converse had, check out their new line of Dr. Seuss themed shoes! Personally, I like the “Thing One and Thing Two” style, but I have a ridiculous fondness for red Converse. Sarah (my fiancée) said I should wear the “Cat in the Hat” white ones…

News & Features

GreenSmart Gear Is Stylish AND Environmentally Friendly!

I reviewed some of GreenSmart’s Neogreene products last year; their basic philosophy is to make functional tech accessories using recycled and non-chemical materials. They had a great lineup then, but they’ve really come out swinging with their 2010 products! One of the great things about their products is that much of their material is made from recycled plastic bottles. If you have or used to have a soda addiction (I’ve been weaned off Diet Coke, but it was a long and painful process), there’s always the (infinitesimal) chance your bottles might be part of their gear! Check out this video…

News & Features

Zinio’s Reading Revolution Campaign! Let Them Eat Cake uhm… Read Magazines

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of Zinio’s awesome iPad app. Since I got my iPad I do most of my reading on it. That includes magazines and I much prefer to use the single Zinio app for all of them to cluttering up my homescreen with lots of individual magazine apps. In addition I love the fact that if I have a magazine through Zinio I can also read it on my iPhone, iPod touch and Mac. That convenience is a huge benefit. Mix in the fact that Zinio now carries over 2700…

News & Features

In The Soviet Era People Lined Up For Bread, But In 1990 … ?

The stark image above shows a pre-revolution era bread line in Russia in the 1915-1916 time frame, thought to be during the German occupation of Russia in World War I. Next we see that after the revolution and the promise of sharing and plenty … we still get bread lines and poverty and an authoritarian rule over those in need: Fast-forward to the time just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and guess what? Yep, more bread lines! Yet in Moscow in 1990, we see a different sort of line. According to the post at Neatorama: What are these…

News & Features

Dalton Ghetti’s Amazing Pencil Art

I was forwarded an email from my cousin Dusty this morning, and in it there were incredible carvings which had been done in the tips of pencils — some involving the lead (graphite) of the pencil, and some involving the wood around the lead. The name of the artist wasn’t listed, nor was the original source, but a quick Google search revealed both. Dalton Ghetti, a carpenter who lives in Bridgeport, New York, has been making his “miniature masterpieces” for about 25 years. From the February 11, 2007 New York Times article about him: “You could see how he could…

News & Features

Flowchart Helps You Answer the Question: Can We Date?

This summer has been interesting for my family: my older son had his first real date AND first kiss … but of course not with the same girl (oh the drama!), and my younger son is being pursued by the same 18-year-old camp counselor (and older sister of one of my kids’ friends) who chased my older son last summer. Fortunately I am into my third decade of not having to worry about dating … but for those troubled by this question, The Morning News is there to help! They have detailed out a ‘Can We Date’ chart in order…

News & Features

Vimeo Adds Ability to Embed Video in iPad-Friendly HTML5 Format

About a year and a half ago I took of my community’s website and rebuilt it from the ground up using the excellent program RapidWeaver. I wanted to create a site that was more flexible, could become an educational resource rather than just share facts and was easily updated in order to ensure that it was always relevant to my community. I also wanted to be able to share as many pictures and as much video as possible. The site was even built in such a way that when you go to it from an iPhone you are automatically redirected…

Editorials, News & Features

Looking Back at the ‘Girl Quits Job’ Hoax … OOOH the Irony!

Like everyone else, I got a million links to the article at The Chive and even started a serious post about it before it was revealed as a fake, which I noted here. In the serious story I was writing, I refused to use the word ‘girl’, as a I think a young professional person of the female gender should be referred to as a ‘woman’. I was dismayed about the treatment of her by a boss who treated her in a sexist and demeaning fashion, which struck a personal nerve with me as I have a 22 year old…

News & Features

Welcome to the Land Where 21st Century Technology Meets 17th Century Morals

Sometimes it is hard to believe some of the stereotypes and discrimination that persist all over the world. From the soccer player who was fired for refusing to fast to … well, THIS story! I am not intending to say this in a ‘look at how everyone else is backwards’ sort of way, as I could easily drum up 1000 links to sexist / racist / ageist / weightist / religiously intolerant / etc links directly related to day-to-day life in North America. In fact, that is part of my point – in this day and age when knowledge is…

News & Features

Everybody Wants a Meme … BrainResidue ‘Reviews’ the KFC Skinwich

If ANYONE really doubted that you could simply post something claiming to be a review and get some credible follows, here is the latest: the KFC Skinwich! A site called Brainresidue has a story saying that KFC is testing out the new sandwich at a few locations. Here is the description. KFC is testing a new sandwich: The Skinwich. 5 layers of fried chicken skin, lumped on a bun and topped with white american cheese and bacon. It’s only available at a handful of KFCs (for now). One happened to be right near our office, so I walked over. They…

News & Features

Homemade iPad Case from a Gear Diary Reader!

One of our loyal Gear Diary readers dropped me an email today sharing the homemade iPad cases she’s selling on Etsy. Sure, you can hit up one of the big case makers for a slipcover, but if you’re looking to support a fellow geek, this could be a fun option! As Dan pointed out, iPad cases come in all styles, from leather to metal to plastic snap ons and thin vinyl skins. And now with sites like Etsy, you can even get something homemade and custom designed just for you! Yasemin’s Etsy page can be found here, the iPad case…

« 1 … 217 218 219 220 221 … 238 »