Reviews

Kidz Gear Wireless Car Headphones Review

Inside this bag resides the key to peaceful car trips with the kids. Seriously. If you’ve ever crammed the family into your personal vehicle and driven hundreds of miles you know that the addition of an in-car entertainment system makes all the difference.  Something about watching a DVD makes kids able to sit, comfortably.  But unless your kids have headphones with which to listen to their movie, you, the driver, is forced to endure hours upon hours of High School Musical, One, Two and yes, even Three. Travis recently reviewed the Kidz Gear Wired Headphones.  Kidz Gear was kind enough…


Ragdoll Blaster 2 Lite for iPhone/Touch/iPad App Review

The iPhone has become a great puzzle gaming platform.  A style of game I have come to enjoy are physics puzzles.  There are many different versions of the genre, but each of them use the amazing physics possibilities on the iPhone to create a unique game.  So to carry on the idea of uniqueness, how about firing rag dolls out of a canon to solve the puzzle?  Well, that is exactly how Ragdoll Blaster 2 is played. The idea of the game was strange to me at first also.  Once you play the game though, the addictiveness of shooting rag…


Native Union Moshi Moshi 02 Review

I enjoy reviewing gear.  I enjoy it even more when the product I’m reviewing just makes sense.  Such is the case with the Native Union Moshi Moshi 02. I still have a land line at home, but I know many people do not.  With today’s unlimited long distance mobile plans and even more companies offering unlimited everything, more and more people are choosing to rely on their mobile phone’s at home and well as on the road. If’ there’s one thing I’ve always struggled with when using my mobile phone at home for extended periods of time, it’s the comfort…


Books on the iPad: Comparing the Printed Page to ePub and PDFs

PDF. ePub. Kindle. iBooks. eBooks. Nook. eInk. Web Browser. Laptop. Audiobooks. For over 10 years, I have been trying to move to an all-electronic workflow for reading and consuming books, especially technical books. It started when I was a consultant traveling in planes to a variety of locations all over the US and internationally. Even when I was working locally, I had a 3+ hour commute daily for a number of years. One of the first things I did was switch to listening to audiobooks (via Audible) for my long daily commute via car. It not only kept me more…


Vampire The Masquerade – Bloodlines: GearGames Retrospective

Hello, L.A., you’re up way past your bedtime, aren’t you? That is the line that greets you when you arrive at your apartment ‘haven’ in Santa Monica after a poorly done cutscene and wonderful tutorial, coming from a radio show that is just one of the many delicious undercurrents that make Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines one of the absolute best role-playing games of the past decade. It is hard to think that a mere five years ago releasing a product based on vampires would be considered a commercial liability, and that there hadn’t been a game released based on the…


Review: Kidz Gear Wired Headphones

My wife recently had to replace her car and bought our first real family vehicle.  My 5-year-old son said he did not care what kind of car she got as long as it had a DVD player.  Well, the vehicle she purchased did not have an installed player, so we bought a portable unit that includes a screen for each seat (one for each boy).  We were all really happy!  They can now watch movies when we travel, while keeping the chances of fights and “are we there yet” questions to a minimum.  So we set out on a trip…


Otterbox Commuter Case for the Motorola Droid Review

I take my phone everywhere. During work and everyday life I don’t worry much about it; I work in an office and live in suburban New Jersey. It’s not really a rough life for a smartphone. I do, however, take it when I go hiking, biking and running as a GPS tracker, plus it rides along in my pocket when I walk the dog, rain or shine. So I’m always on the lookout for a solid case that can protect my phone during outdoors-y times, and still look good for everyday use. Needless to say, I was VERY excited when…


Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (2003, RPG): The Netbook Gamer

The only thing better than playing a great game is getting a great deal on a great game. Heck, even a great deal on an average game is a pretty great thing! As I’ve said in the past, I came back to the RPG genre on the PC after a long absence in mid-2003, starting with Neverwinter Nights on the Mac and proceeding to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic on the day it was release, then starting to ‘backfill’ with games like Gothic 2 and Baldur’s Gate 2. By engaging many folks on forums in discussions I got…


The Skooba Design Cable Stable DLX Review

You can always get a laptop or a gearbag to handle your larger electronics, but what about the little things — the cables, cords, chargers, memory cards, flash drives, dongles, batteries, and miscellaneous doo-dads — all of the “stuff” that winds up getting lost or forgotten when you’re traveling? Say hello to a possible solution – the Skooba Design Cable Stable DLX, which features “over 15 intelligently organized, flexible spaces hold cords and cables, AC power blocks, adapters, batteries, USB drives, office supplies, even compact cameras and MP3 players.” Similar in style to a zippered binder, the Cable Stable DLX…


This Post Brought to You by the Camangi Webstation

The new Camangi Webstation software is much, much better than it used to be. It is faster and definitely more stable (though it does have some issues with coma-mode if left unused for a long period.) Anyhow, I couldn’t let Judie, Dan, Larry and the other Gear Diary members with iPads have ALL the fun…so I decided to write this post entirely on the Camangi Webstation. I downloaded the WordPress app for Android, and I’m banging away nicely on a full-size USB keyboard. It looks a bit silly, admittedly, but it’s working remarkably well. There is no lag between typing…


Neuros Link Review

Imagine being able to watch Hulu, Fancast, Youtube and many other streaming services on your TV.  How about Boxee?  Yes, that too.  What if you don’t want to share your local video viewing?  XBMC is on it too.  What can do the things I am talking about?  The Neuros Link, one of the latest products from Neuros Technology. Setup To setup the Link, you plug a HDMI cable into your HDTV, plug in the power, and then plug in the keymote’s dongle.  If you do not have a HDTV, you can use it with a DVI or VGA monitor, although…


Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf … MMO Game?

Like many others, I joke with friends who regularly line up for the new edition of Madden NFL or NBA or NHL or whatever annual sports game they choose, that they are really just paying an annual subscription fee for roster updates and tweaks. Apparently EA Games was listening, and has released the dominant golf video game – Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf – as an online web browser-based game based on an annual subscription model. I have been playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf for many years across PC and (more recently) PSP, and was fortunate enough to participate…


Jetbook Lite Hardware Tour

I’ve been playing with a Jetbook Lite the last few weeks, and as I put together my full review, I thought I would start with a quick overview of the hardware. There are a few features of this particular ebook reader that make it stand out in a sea of eInk devices, and they were worth showcasing separately. First of all, unlike most ebook readers that use built-in rechargeable batteries, the Jetbook Lite uses plain AAs. Battery life is excellent (it’s still on full bars with the initial set of batteries), and it’s nice to know if you’re traveling you…


e.ez LA robe iPad Allure – Review

The iPad cases are starting to roll on and, as expected, they are coming in a few basic designs. Among the most popular thus far are the slip-cases or sleeves that offer full protection for the iPad when in transport but let you remove the iPad and use it naked (or protected by a clear skin) when you want to use it. Case in point- the be.ez LA robe iPad Allure. From the company- Don’t compromise with “net book-compatible” sleeves, LA robe iPad is adjusted to fit your iPad exactly, offering the best protection and style in the minimum volume…


Review of the Google Nexus One Car Dock Kit

I was very excited when I found out that the Google Nexus One Car Dock was available. As I mentioned during my review of the desktop dock, I thought that it was very well designed. In fact, I liked it enough that I bought another one for work. I was hoping that the car dock would be just as useful to me. I will make some comparisons with the TomTom car kit for the iPod Touch, which I currently use. Read on for my impressions of the car dock after its paces over the past couple of days. As soon…


Dead or Alive Paradise: PSP Game Review

When you hear a title like Dead or Alive, you naturally think about scantily clad women in bikinis prancing around an island giggling and … WHAT?!?! OK, so perhaps you would think of the famed fighting game franchise … but that isn’t what you get here. But let’s get to the real question: is the game any good? No it isn’t, in fact it is downright abysmal … but you can read on for more details.


2010 Toyota 4Runner the “Miley Cyrus” of SUVs

Photos courtesy of Toyota The State Fair of Texas hosted the world debut of the fifth-generation 4Runner midsize SUV this past fall. The event marked the 25th anniversary for 4Runner, and celebrating more than 1.5 million units sold since launch. “Backed by a quarter-century of heritage combined with the integration of the latest comfort, convenience and performance technologies, the all-new 4Runner has evolved into one of the most advanced mid-sized truck-based SUV’s on the market while at the same time staying true to its roots as a rugged and durable off-roader,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager…


Keyport Review: Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

The saga that is the Keyport key fob has finally come to a conclusion; and yes, it’s a successful conclusion at that. After months — years, actually — of waiting, several revisions, updated philosophy and updated direction,  Keyport launched its brand new web site today, and most importantly is ready to begin accepting orders for their key fob. If you need some back story on what Keyport’s gone through over the last 3 years to get to where they are today, head here. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a select group of individuals who were included in…


Beats By Dr. Dre Solo HD Red Review

We all love buying new gear.  That’s why we’re here right?  But when is the last time you bought an amazing gadget and made a donation to a worthy charity at the same time? The Beats By Dr. Dre Solo HD Red headphones not only look and sound great (we’ll get to that in the review), but a portion of the profits from every pair of headphones sold goes directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. These headphones are made from a proprietary titanium coated driver technology ensures they preserve every “bit of the lush bass and…


Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve For iPad- Review

You are headed out for the day, and you want to bring your iPad with you. What you really want to do more than anything is throw it into your bag and not have to worry too much about it. The problem is the device is relatively delicate. Yeah, it is well-built and solid, but it is delicate nonetheless thanks to the large touch screen. That’s where Hard Candy’s Bubble Case comes in. Let’s take a look… From The Company- Bubbles on the Outside, Rubber on the Inside Hard Candy’s signature bubble design tangoed with the Hard Sleeve, and the…


Camangi…After the Update

Camangi sent the updated Webstation back today, and there are some good improvements. It also looks like some things haven’t changed at all. Nevertheless, the Camangi Webstation is one of the only Android tablets that has managed to appear in the USA, so the question is: If you didn’t buy an iPad, and you’re holding out for something Android-based, is the updated Camangi worth it? Let’s start with what didn’t happen. It didn’t get upgraded to a new version of Android, so it’s still stuck on 1.5. However, Camangi now claims that any future changes are user-upgradable. Hope the Webstation…