Reviews

Case-Mate Mahogany Case for iPhone 3G &3Gs Review

Case-Mate blew us away a CES this year with their 2010 product line up. One case not even included in the mix at the show was their Mahogany Case for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs. The case, which is machine carved from 100% recycled mahogany is a stunner to both look at and to hold.  It’s smooth as silk and keeps your iPhone safely protected inside a thick layer of wood. The case is available for $49.99 directly from the Case-Mate web site here. Watch my video review to see this beauty live and in color.


Otterbox BlackBerry Bold 9700 Defender Case – Review

This is a joint review from Thomas and Dan. Dan’s comments are in black, and Thomas’ are in blue italics. Dan – Thomas was kind enough to send me his Blackberry Bold 9700 a few weeks ago. I have an AT&T branded version of the phone. His phone, however, had one distinct advantage over mine — because it is on T-Mobile it has a truly inexpensive international calling and data plan available. So I brought it to Las Vegas with me for CES and then carried it with me to the wedding I attended in Cabo. Because the connecting flights…


Everki Beacon Laptop Backpack w/Gaming Console Sleeve Review

Everki recently supplied me with the Beacon Laptop Backpack w/Gaming Console Sleeve to review. Since school started back up, I have spent the past few weeks using it as my main gear bag.  I am pleased with the style and ruggedness of the backpack with daily use; I am able to comfortably carry all of my gear and it is comfortable and looks great. Find out the particulars after the break…


Eveningstar For iPhone/Touch Review

Divine Robot has recently released a new scrolling shooter called “Eveningstar.”  The game is a sci-fi shoot ’em up packed full of action and enemies.  The game includes nine exciting levels, each of which require different skills and puzzle solving skills.  Check out the video trailer here then read the review after the break.


Blue Microphones Yeti Review

While at CES this year I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Blue Microphones booth.  One of the products which really “wowed” me during demo time was their “Yeti” microphone. The Yeti is being touted as the world’s first THX certified Microphone.  The USB powered microphone is the perfect tool for for a wide range of projects including podcasts, vocals, live or event recording, interviews, broadcasts, instruments, bands and more. Blue Microphones was kind enough to send both myself and Joel a Yeti for review and the following dual review contains both of our observations.


Plantronics Voyager PRO UC Review

My work here on Gear Diary has given me the opportunity to try a wide variety of Bluetooth headsets. The biggest common denominator with all of them is the degree to which they have improved in recent years. They have, for the most part, become more comfortable, easier to pair, and they have much-improved sound quality. Most recently I’ve had the opportunity to be using the Plantronics Voyager Pro UC. Plantronics describes it as “the most advanced noise-canceling Bluetooth headset available”. In my experience over the last week and a half, I can’t argue with that statement. It’s comfortable, easy-to-use,…


Cocoon Innovations GRID-IT! Review

Travis recently wrote about some of the great products Cocoon Innovations was showing off at CES to help organize all the wonderful gear we tend to carry around.   As soon as I saw their GRID-IT system in Travis’ post,  I knew this was a product I could use.   While I try to keep an organized gear bag, the daily wrangling of cords, chargers, etc. was beginning to wear on me.  Sometimes I need to quickly transfer gear from one bag to another — say, during a short trip where trying to keep up with multiple bags is more trouble than…


Dragon Age Origins: Video Game Soundtrack Review

Back when I wrote about the various packages available for Dragon Age: Origins, one thing I didn’t worry about was the soundtrack. Why? Because on the graphic that accompanied the article it said ‘Digital Soundtrack’. So I assumed it meant we got the whole soundtrack – since most games with samplers are pretty clear and up-front about the whole ‘selections from the soundtrack’ thing (most recent example is Dissidia Final Fantasy). Also, buyers of either the ‘deluxe digital’ or ‘collector’s edition’ got a selection of songs from the soundtrack, effectively half of the 35 songs, although there are some songs…


Speck See Thru Satin for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

While at CES 2010, Dan and I were blown away by the pending releases Speck has in the pipeline for 2010.  The uber-popular accessory manufacturer has a ton of goodies in store for the new year. One of the items we were given by Speck to review is the See Thru Satin case for the iPhone 3G/3Gs.  Made from the same material as its big brother, the Satin Case for the Mac Book Pro, which Dan recently reviewed, this case both looks and feels great! Check out my video review below.  Then head on over to the Speck website, and…


Neverwinter Nights Premium Modules PC Game Module Reviews:

“Bioware gives us more reasons to pay for Neverwinter Nights Premium Modules while still grabbing tons of great free ones!” That is what I said when I initially wrote this back in 2005 and still held true when I updated it in 2006 for a now defunct site. Since then Atari and Bioware are no longer connected by the D&D license, and due to contractual reasons Bioware has had to stop selling the Premium Modules on their store, but fortunately their master server will still authenticate the modules and let you play. Other than that note I’m leaving the article…


Jaybird Sportsband Review

Jaybird has brought out some good stuff in the last year. The last two things I checked out were the Tigereyes and Endorphin Rush wired headphones. I liked them a lot. This time, Jaybird sent me their new Bluetooth headset, the Sportsband. Is it as good as their original headset? In a word, no.


Dark Nebula for iPhone/Touch Review

Labyrinth style games are nothing new to the iPhone.  You know the games where a ball or marble rolls on the screen and is controlled by tilting the phone like it is a table.  This style of games are fun, but are usually the same.  Move the ball around avoiding the holes and reach the end of the maze.  Dark Nebula takes this idea, puts a fresh, futuristic style and adds a new class of obstacles.  As the developer puts it, “it’s like a labyrinth game but on steroids.”  Check out the review after the break.


Mariner Paperless – Review

I am a huge user of Evernote for saving, storing and accessing my documents. I find that it works remarkably well. I especially love the fact that, thanks to the ability of it to apply OCR to documents and images that are put into the system, it lets me search for information using just a few keywords. I have a Fujitsu highspeed scanner and find that it works quite well in conjunction with Evernote. I have many friends however who are not all that comfortable with storing data “in the cloud”, even when local copies can be kept as well….


Speck SeeThru Satin Soft-Touch on a Hard Shell Case – Review

Speck offers a wide range of ways to protect your devices. In recent months they’ve kicked things up a few notches in the style department. One of the newer cases that they’re offering is the SeeThru Satin shell for the MacBook Pro. I’ve been using one for a week now and am quite fond of it. Let’s take a look …


Speck Fitted Case for iPhone Review: Explodes with Choices

While at CES 2010 we spent a good deal of time hanging out in one of our favorite accessory manufacturers’ booth, Speck.  Okay truth be told they had free beer, but we would have been there regardless, that’s how much we like the stuff Speck has to offer. One of their first cases for the iPhone, the Fitted Case, started out with only two designs but has since been blown out with all new styles. We had the chance to preview some of the new designs and Speck was kind enough to send us home with some samples to review…


Bandshell sound amplifying case for iPhone Review

While it’s true CES is made up of a lot of exciting electronic type gadgets including TVs, stereos, gaming consoles, and other large ticket items sometimes cool things are also found in small packages. Walking the show floor one day I came across the Bandshell booth. The Bandshell case is simple in design yet wonderful in function. Not only does the case amplifiy the sound emitted by your iPhone’s speaker it also doubles as a video stand placing your phone and the proper angle for watching content. I left the show with a few samples of the Bandshell for review…


Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, a GearChat Review

Judie: I was recently offered the chance to review Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, and figuring that I probably wasn’t the only female on the Gear Diary staff who was going through weather-related skin issues, I requested extra samples so that Carly, Jessica and Amy could also give it a try. Since we all have different skin types, and we all have different issues, I thought that it would be good to gather notes from all of us based on our experience with the product. For those of you with absolutely no concern for softer skin without smelling like a…


SplashNotes for iPhone and Desktop Review

I like lists.  Probably a little too much, actually.  I practically have lists to organize my lists.  So when someone offers to show me software that allows me to make more lists, I just can’t resist taking a look at it.  When SplashData asked if I’d like to take a look at SplashNotes, I was definitely interested. I have been using other programs from SplashData for quite a few years, starting with their password keeper program, SplashID, and find that their software tends to have a nice, consistent aesthetic. SplashNotes is a no-frills note taker with outline capabilities.  You can…


Switch Easy Torrent for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

SwitchEasy has quickly become my favorite manufacturers of cases for the iPhone 3G/3GS. They’re super stylish designs fit the phone as well as any case on the market and always come with that little box of goodies that switch easy includes in every case. The SwitchEasy Neo, for iPhone, was one of the first cases I ever reviewed on my YouTube channel. Admittedly I wasn’t a huge fan of it but since then I’ve learned from my mistakes and now consider Switch Easy one of the premier case companies. The Torrent case is one of SwitchEasy’s newest offerings. Born from…


Active Media Wink USB Drive Review

One of the things I like to do when attending shows like CES is collect flash memory press kit thumbdrives to use again once I get home. In years past, it was considered a huge score if I was given a drive larger than 1GB, and this year I actually got several which were 2GB – along with a single 4GB drive, but alas … the thrill was almost gone, because at home I had a 16GB flash drive which was smaller and cuter than anything I was handed at CES.


Pong radiation reducing case for iPhone Review

Are you concerned about cell phone radiation? Radiation is a form of energy. Your cell phones antenna emits powerful radiation in order to send and receive signals to and from its wireless network. According to researchers the problem with this is some of this energy radiates from the antenna into your head. Sound scary? You might want to check out the Pong radiation at reducing cell phone case for the iPhone. While at CES 2010 I met with the makers of Pong, and they presented me with one of their cases for review. Here are my thoughts …