Gear Bits | Gear Diary

Will You Pay Apple for More iCloud Storage When Your MobileMe Bonus Expires?

When iCloud launched and MobileMe was mercifully bludgeoned, those of us fool enough to have paid for the service were rewarded for our stupidity with an extra 20GB of free iCloud storage for a limited time. That time was extended once, but is now set to expire at the end of September according to emails that went out this week. Here is the message from Apple on their support site. Former MobileMe members received a complimentary storage plan after moving to iCloud between October 12, 2011, and August 1, 2012. On September 30, 2013, the complimentary iCloud storage plans will…

Google Nexus 7 Still Made for Watching Movies

Gear Bits, News & Features

3 Reasons I Almost Bought a Nexus 7 2 … and 5 Reasons I Held Back

Over the last few years it has become somewhat of a mantra – a new 7″ Android tablet comes out, I buy it and quickly lose interest, sell it off for a minor loss, and repeat. I have gone from Samsung Galaxy Tab to HTC Flyer to Acer Iconia to Kindle Fire to Nexus 7 to Fire HD … but it all pretty much stopped with the iPad Mini. With the Mini I found the perfect intersection of a size I knew would work and the functionality I need. Still … I kept contemplating new Android tablets as I heard…

Gear Bits, Outdoors

Goal Zero Helps You Do ‘Real’ Camping Without Giving Up Your Gadgets!

My wife and I love to go camping … our boys, not so much. And when I say camping, I am not referring to an RV with TV and microwave and air conditioning! I mean a tent. One of my memories from tenting with our boys last fall was the ‘tech huddle’ in the public bathroom. There were four outlets, and all of the teens would go hang out to charge up their stuff in the evenings. So I was intrigued when I saw the Goal Zero Katabatic solar powered tent over at Wired. The tent is being sold through…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Start Your Child on the Right Geek Path with The Star Trek Enterprise

When Sarah was pregnant with our son, we received two pieces of advice from nearly every parent we knew: get lots of sleep while we still could, and go see as many movies as possible before the little person arrives. This advice is the only reason Sarah relented and agreed to see “Star Trek: Into Darkness” with me. And while she found it less than exhilarating, our unborn child LOVED it. Yes, he spent the entire movie kicking and moving. Now, it might have been the vibrations from all the explosions, but I prefer to believe the little one…

Gear Bits, News & Features

TokyoFlash Introduces the Kisai Neutron Motion Sensor LED Watch

While in recent years the only watches I seem to wear are GPS watches, I have always loved distinctive ways of displaying time. Way back in the early 80s I was on a team that programmed an early LED communications device that scrolled the time, temperature and messages in a major hallway at my university. So when I saw the Kisai Neutron I was intrigued. Basically it is a thin and sleek watch that displays the time using large numbers on a bright and distinct scrolling LED panel. More than that, the Kisai Neutron has motion sensor technology, so if…

Game Diary, Gear Bits, Health and Fitness

Blue Goji Fitness Game Company Launches – Cardio Exercise Experience Through Immersive Gameplay

Blue Goji has begun and aims to combine fitness and gaming into a brand new platform where working out is more fun by adding interactivity using various tech devices, especially mobile and tablet devices. The Blue Goji fitness game platform will function with tablets and smartphones (Android and iOS) on cardio equipment such as treadmills, stationary bicycles, and elliptical machines. The Android/iOS first platform will release near the 2013 holiday season. The formation of this new interactive fitness company was announced on July 29, 2013. This company looks to use their Goji Play game system and other interactive methods to “transform the cardio…

Gear Bits

Photos Taken with the Nokia Lumia 1020 Are Amazing!

Gear Diary reader, David Min, recently purchased the brand new super camera smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 1020. Because I haven’t yet got mine (yes, I am planning on buying one, too), he sent in some comparison photos so we could see the difference between the Lumia 1020 on High Resolution, the Nokia Lumia at 5MP, and the iPhone 5. All I can tell you is that after seeing these photos, I have no doubt that I will be buying this phone! All photos are thumbnails; if you click on them they will open and enlarge in a new window. Of…

Gear Bits

Leap Motion – the Future Remains a Work in Progress

ARS Technica has a hands-on look at using the Leap Motion Controller. If you aren’t familiar with this device, which just began shipping this week, it is a small box that connects to your Mac and allows your hands to act as input devices for your computer. Now in and of itself, that isn’t so interesting. After all, it is your hands on a mouse or trackpad that currently allow you to input and control your computer. The difference here is that the Leap Motion Controller allows you to simply wave your hands in front of the screen and control…

Gear Bits

Vertu Ferrari Ti Limited Edition – Inspired by the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

I have owned four different Vertu phones over the past decade, and while I can’t quite bring myself to spring for another one (yet) — I’m not gonna lie — I miss owning one. There is something to their saying that “Nothing will ever feel the same”. Vertu phones are handmade of the finest metals, ceramics, and leathers, and they are basically works of art that also happen to be rock solid phones. The concierge feature is a big part of why they cost so much, but the odd thing is that even though I had access to the service…

Gear Bits

This Six-Shooter Coat Rack Means Business!

Bet you’ve never seen a coat rack quite like this one. Composed of four pistols, this unique piece of rustic-but-useful furnishing is just one of the more “unusual” pieces of decor in Pete’s Cabin, an exclusive runaway initially built for personal use by the owners of The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Other rustic touches includes a stuffed rattlesnake (“Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?”), a jackalope, a jacuzzi that gives Elvis’ Jungle Room and run for its money and much more. The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is owned by Maggie Hardy Magerko, president of the 84 Lumber Company, and…

Gear Bits

Miniot’s New iPad Mini Cover is Woodlicious!

I have made no secret about how much I loved my Miniot Mk2 wood iPad cover, but I had to set it to the side when I moved to the iPad mini. Of course, I knew that the day would come when Miniot created the mini version, and sure enough — that day is here — and now I have a decision to make. Prices start at €59, and all it would take is a few moments spent on the site placing my order … and a few weeks of waiting. I have to admit that as tempted as I…

Gear Bits, News & Features

New App Channels ‘SETI @ Home’ Technology for Android Smartphones!

Do you remember the heyday of ‘SETI @ Home’? The program was very popular just over a decade ago, and it made use of the millions of desktop computers that were not continuously hooked up to the internet via early broadband but sat idle much of the time waiting to chime ‘You’ve Got Mail!’. Now the folks at Berkeley are putting the same core computing principles at work with a project called BOINC. BOINC stands for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing, and is known for the software that allows unused CPU cycles to be tapped by as many as…

Gear Bits, Health and Fitness, News & Features

Sweat Machine from UNICEF Turns Perspiration into Drinking Water

I have never had a problem perspiring – and given that I am also a distance runner who doesn’t shy away from the heat and humidity, and you have the recipe for some drenched workout clothes! All of my Dri-Fit stuff is still wet after several hours! Imagine if there was a way to harness all of that perspiration and convert it back to drinking water? Well, there is, and it is called simply the Sweat Machine and it is part of a UNICEF campaign to raise awareness for the 750 million people around the world without access to clean…

HTC One Screen Protector GLAS.tR SLIM Premium Tempered Glass

Gear Bits

Don’t Get the Spigen GLAS.tR for Your AT&T HTC One – Not Yet, Anyway

I have a GLAS.tR screen protector on my iPhone 5, and I absolutely love it. When I purchased an AT&T HTC One, I was very pleased to find out that the same excellent tempered glass screen protection was available for it. I purchased the GLAS.tR, installed it (it looked great, btw), marveled at how clear and responsive my screen was after the installation … and then was ultimately disappointed when I found that the back and home capacitive buttons on my AT&T HTC One no longer worked. I had noticed that the front of the GLAS.tR’s box said this ……

Game Diary, Gear Bits

Titanfall Game Preview Video

The sci-fi, first-person shooter (FPS) game Titanfall is one of several highly anticipated Xbox ONE games releasing next year, and it will mark game developer Respawn Entertainment’s first game release. The studio’s founders,Vincent Zampella and Jason West, previously developed the highly popular Call of Duty game series. Respawn is slowly releasing more details about Titanfall and Electronic Arts will be publishing this game, which will also release on Xbox 360 and PC. The action packed preview video features footsoldiers/pilots and mechs/titans. Titanfall will have single player and multiplayer game modes and include team-based objectives. The impressive physics and action include some…

Gear Bits

SPIbelt Makes Their Kids Pouches Insulin Friendly

I think I enthuse about SPIbelt almost as much as I enthuse about RoadID. SPIbelts are small low-profile waist packs that are ideal for running, hiking, and other activities where you need to keep your phone, a granola bar, or some other small items close to your person. They are an American company that consistently improves and refines their product based on the feedback from users, and their latest refinement shows they pay close attention to how parents and children use SPIbelts! SPIbelts are very popular with kids who have medical needs such as diabetes. It’s much more attractive and…

Gear Bits, Yum Log

Sugar Skulls for Your Coffee – More Meditative Than Macabre

If you take your coffee with a bit of sugar, and you don’t mind a not so subtle reminder of your mortality, then these sugar skulls should be right up your alley. Perfect for celebrating Halloween, Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), or for using on crappy days as a reminder of the other alternative. I first spied these on Crnchy, but there was no purchase info. I did manage to find etsy seller Dem Bones, who carries quite a few ready-made sugar skull sugar cubes in their shop — no leg bones, alas. If you are the crafty…

Gear Bits

Join Us In Wishing the Best to Stacey and Perry

Over the past few months, you have likely read posts by our two newest writers, Perry and Stacey. They love their gear and love to share that passion with others. We have been thrilled to welcome them to the site, and we have been enjoying their contributions to the Gear Diary community. Stacey and Perry also happen to be one of the newest married couples in America. That’s right, yesterday afternoon Perry and Stacey were married. The bride looked gorgeous, the groom looked handsome. So please join us in wishing Stacey and Perry the very best as they begin their life…

Gear Bits

Five Reasons Why the Samsung Galaxy S4 Is a Great Android Phone

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the newest incarnation of the most popular Android phone series in the world; it comes jam-packed with state of the art tricks and tweaks, and it is definitely the phone to choose if you want to experience things that might one day be standard on all mobile phones without waiting for that day to actually arrive. Mitchell recently reviewed the S4, and I have been using the US Verizon version for a little over a month. I have become so well acquainted with the S4 that even though I recently purchased an HTC One, I have found…

Gear Bits

Evernote Turns Five- When Did You Subscribe?

Evernote is five years old and its growth sees no time of slowing any time soon. The company’s iOS app was one of my most important productivity apps early on. And, since then, Evernote’s various apps have become increasingly powerful. (I love capturing handwritten pages with the new Page Camera!) The other day they sent out emails to all Evernote subscribers thanking them for their support and indicating what number subscriber each was. Here’s the text of Mike’s email and his number. Yes, there are 65 million Evernote users and Mike is below 100,000. Not bad! Judie, however has been using…

Gear Bits

The Greatest Use for a Smartphone Camera for New Parents

Sarah and I are adjusting to being new parents, and it is definitely a major change. From the sleepless nights to the diaper duty, we are making a few rookie mistakes and having a good time trying our best. Luckily, our son seems to grasp that we’re all winging it a bit, and we’re hoping to get some sleep sometime in 2014. In the meantime, we’ve come up with a use for our smartphone cameras that make our lives infinitely easier, and it’s not just playing paparazzi every time our baby does something remotely cute. See, often our son prefers…