Reviews

Baseball Superstars 2010 for iPhone Review

Baseball Superstars from Gamevil was one of the very first sports games I loaded on my iPhone.  I’m a big fan of sports games and until its release there really wasn’t a good team sports game in the iTunes App Store. Gamevil has followed up it super successful title with an all new version of the game.  Baseball Superstars 2010 features several new enhancements and features which make it one of the top baseball games available for the iPhone OS.


ION Power Pack Review

I’ve tried a few external batteries for my iPhone 3Gs, but none of them have stuck.  The cases type (Mophie Jucie Pack Air, Incase Power Slider) are nice but I prefer to use a regular case most of the time and the case batteries result in a much larger phone profile.  The other choice, external batteries which plug into the bottom of the phone, are usually bulky or have an awkward connector. The iON Power Pack from FSP Direct solves many of my external battery pet peeves.  It features a 1500 mAh battery in a super slim credit card sized…


Altec Lansing Orbit USB iML237 Speaker Review

Last year Judie reviewed the Altec Lansing Orbit speaker.  It was an interesting speaker that can be used with any device sporting a normal 3.5 mm headphone jack.  The downside to using such a speaker with a laptop is that the internal sound card in most laptops can be a bit noisy. Altec Lansing recently sent me a sample of their  Orbit USB iML237 speaker. It solves the sound card issue perfectly.  



Skooba Designs CheckThrough Backpack Review

I. Am. A. Mobile. Computing. User… Period. I live for converged devices, laptops, netbooks, and data on the go. I’ve got unlimited data on my Smartphone account; and have tethered my laptop to my phone when I need to be online in a pinch. When I travel, I need to take it with me; and when it comes to airport security, I dread the TSA required aerobics and mandatory disrobing… Thankfully, to help make things easier, Skooba Design has created the CheckThrough Backpack.  Let’s take a quick look to see how (and if) this thing makes traveling easier…


SoundID 400 And Sound ID Remote Microphone – Review

Last April I reviewed the SoundID 300 Bluetooth Headset. I described it as “Comfortable; Great sound on both ends; Looks good.” Did I really like it? Well let’s just say that since April it is the headset I most regularly use. So how do you improve on at headset that already is comfortable to wear, not obvious when worn and offers great sound? The company has found a way. Here’s a look at the new SoundID 400 Bluetooth Headset…


Scosche tapSTICK For iPod Shuffle – Review

I bought the new iPod shuffle on the day it was released. I returned the new iPod shuffle the third day it was released. A few months later I repurchased the new iPod shuffle and am quite happy with it.What changed in that period of time besides the fact that I am “device fickle”? Only the fact that I recognized that the new iPod shuffle is a specific device for a specific purpose. The iPod shuffle is not meant to be someone’s primary iPod. Rather, it is intended to be a great device for listening to music when you want…


Review: Gran Turismo for PSP

The Gran Turismo series of racing games first arrived on the Sony Playstation in 1997, and have sold over 50 million copies over the last 12 years. The games focus on stunning graphics, tons of licensed vehicles, richness of driving simulation and ability to tune the vehicles. For PSP owners it feels like this new version has been in development for nearly that long! In reality the game has been in development since before the launch of the original PSP, leaving gamers to wonder – was it worth the wait? Read on and find out!


Gorilla Tube for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

Gorilla Tubes are “super slim, hard cases for your iPhone or iPod made from hi-tech fiber composite materials.”  Each Gorilla Tube is hand made in Germany. These cases are definitely different from your plain jane black leather pouch.  In addition to providing an incredible amount of protection the cases look super sleek as well. So step out of that old, tired, conservative leather sleeve and dive into a futuristic looking carbon fiber tube.


Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac – First Look

I was excited to see the release of Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac a few hours earlier than expected. Of course I immediately downloaded the application which is relatively small — the DMG file is just 28 MB. And they did a great job with it!



MailTones Review: Adds Personality to your iPhone Email

Tired of having just one sound when new email arrives? Want to know who has contacted you just by listening? Waiting for emails on a specific topic and want to be alerted as soon as they arrive? If any of these apply to you the new iPhone app MailTones might be just the thing. Let’s take a look…


Review: BugMe! for BlackBerry Phones: Now what was it I had to do?

My wife will tell you that I forget absolutely everything! But she’s my wife so she’s allowed to exaggerate, and the truth is I do forget stuff…as I am sure many of you do too!  I have gotten a little better now that I have my BlackBerry and the calendar and Notes apps, but creating calendars is very tedious and the notes don’t alert me. So what do I do now…BugMe! That’s what. Electric Pocket has just released the BugMe! app for BlackBerry phones, I had the chance to review it over the last week.


Otterbox Commuter Case for Blackberry Bold Review

I have used and reviewed a number of different device cases from Otterbox. They are always impressive cases that provide significant protection for delicate electronics. They do exactly what they say and then some. In fact, I have even submerged a device wrapped in one of their Armor cases in a glass of water to test it! I don’t recommend doing it, but when I did the case protected my iPod Nano perfectly!! Yup, Otterbox cases are the best thing going, but (and there’s always a but) they aren’t the most stylish of cases. Well… they weren’t… With the company’s…


Gene Pool for iPhone/Touch App Review

From the developer: Playing pool is so 2008. Meet Gene Pool. Your goal is to keep your organism healthy by merging genes of the same color. Merged genes grow in size and will eventually disappear. Only energized cells can merge with other cells. How? By bouncing them up against walls ofcourse! *Gene Pool is your ideal travel companion. *Relaxing music. Zen style. Why hurry? *Win all possible achievements *Submit and retrieve localized scores *Uses Weave Connect technology developed by Sticky Studios *Improve your score with multiple wall-bounces and great accuracy. *Destroy viruses that attack your largest genes


Wicked Blogging Right on Your BlackBerry Review

A few years ago someone would believe you were crazy if you told them you were going to manage a blog using only a smartphone.  Today, however, that notion seems just as commonplace as surfing the web, updating your social networks and communicating with friends, family, or colleagues in real-time — all from your “phone.” Sadly, BlackBerry devices probably are not the first device you think of when you consider doing anything beyond sending email or maintaining appointments.  That is changing with more and more applications being developed that help get the most out of the somewhat limited operating system…


Tales of Monkey Island: Siege of Spinner Cay (PC) Review

Arrgh! Here we are, matey … back for another episode of Tales of Monkey Island! While I can’t tell you where things stand at the beginning of the tale without potentially spoiling the first episode for those who haven’t played yet, suffice it to say that we can expect the events that were set in motion at the start of the first episode will be in play for the entire season!


ColcaSac MacBook Pro Sleeves- Review

Last week I reviewed Timbuk2’s new H.A.L. backpack. I like it a lot. I was impressed with the quality of the workmanship, the design itself, and the incredible utility of the backpack for anyone needing to carry a laptop and assorted other items. My one criticism of the backpack was that the area designed to hold the notebook, while convenient, or for no real fall protection. That’s where today’s review item comes in more than a bit handy. The ColcaSac is a simple, rugged burlap sleeve that offers excellent protection for your MacBook Pro from the daily bumps and grinds…


RockBox Review – Breathe new life into your iPod

I have a confession to make.  I love iPods.  I have been a consistent user of the iPod since I got my first one about the time Mac OS X Tiger came out.  Back then I was a Mac OS X fan and I had a PowerBook.  I loved my PowerBook.  I used iTunes on my Mac back when it was still clean and sleek.  Now iTunes is a bloated mess that I just dislike dealing with.  I have also transitioned to using Linux as my OS of choice, which can make life difficult if you love iPods, but not…


Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Week Five into the Rosetta Stone TOTALe Program

¡Hola mis amigas! This week, I was greeted by an instructional video that started the minute I signed into TOTALe. It gave a great overview of what the different parts of the course entailed, and how to navigate the various sections…and I couldn’t help but wonder why it didn’t show the first time I started the program! Of course, the likely culprit is my slow satellite connection of doom; it is totally possible that the screen tried to show when I first started the program five lessons ago, but was reset in all of the screen refreshes. Ah, country living……


Years for iPhone Review

One of the things about the built-in calendar app on the iPhone that surprises me is that it lacks the ability to view more than one month at a time.  Sometimes it’s just handy to see several months – or a whole year – at once.  So when Zicron Software, a new software developer based in Scotland, offered Gear Diary the chance to evaluate their new iPhone app, Years, we agreed to take a look.