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.
I’ve been writing for a long time, and one of the things that I learned early on, is that there’s a lot to like about most everything you get to review. Your TRUE opinion usually hits after the honeymoon period is over. THAT can last a couple of months, depending on the device/gadget/thingy you’re reviewing. Getting past the WOW factor is important, and most product reviewers just can’t do it in a couple of days to a week. When I saw the Soda Stream Penguin Starter Kit, the wow factor for me was pretty high – a nine or a…
In the time I have been writing here at Gear Diary, I have made it my mission to find the perfect Bluetooth headset. Although we have tested dozens of headsets, that quest continues. In fact, considering the rate at which new headsets are developed, I would not expect this process to reach a conclusion anytime soon. Today, we will be looking at the Motorola H790, the latest entry in Motorola’s already extensive line of Bluetooth headsets.
A couple of years ago I got hooked on the original SPB Brain Evolution. It is a “brain training” game that helps you improve your brain skills in a variety of areas. The original Brain Evolution was fun and had a lot of different games, but the graphics were very simplistic, and the overall look left something to be desired. Still, the game received a lot of awards and was a bestseller in 2008! Now we have SPB Brain Evolution 2. Improvements in appearance and usability have clearly been made. How does it do? Let’s take a look!
Last week I reviewed Tab ToolKit from Agile Partners. The app is a must have for any guitarist wanting to learn songs using tablature. What about all other guitar needs? Agile Partners have an app for that too: Guitar ToolKit. There are many apps available that do what Guitar Toolkit does. This is a collection of all of these apps in one place. Not only are several apps rolled into one, but stand alone apps do not perform as well. Lets take a look at the features. Chromatic Tuner The tuner is the most responsive and accurate I have found…
I’ve never been a huge backpack fan. Instead, I have always been partial to messenger-type bags such as the Acme Courier Judie and I both reviewed a few months ago. The H.A.L. Backpack from Timbuk2 may just change that. It is versatile, well-designed and pretty impressive! Let’s take a look.
Welcome to the first entry in the new Netbook Gamer series! In the fall of 1997 LucasArts delivered into the hands of gamers something they had wanted since they first saw one twenty years prior – a lightsaber. Dark Forces brought the Star Wars universe a new level of immersion through the first person shooter perspective. The story brought in classic settings abd characters and introduced a new hero – Kyle Katarn. Former Imperial Academy hero shaken by the discovery of the nature of the Empire through tragic events, Katarn is joined by his partner Jan Ors as the pair…
Welcome to a new series here at Gear Diary! Called the Netbook Gamer, this will allow me to share two of my loves – playing computer games and exploiting my netbooks to deliver whatever performance I can squeeze from them. In this series I will look at games released over the last decade that might have pushed the boundaries of what was possible when released, but still work on a modern PC and will run smoothly on a current release netbook. In the title I will identify the game, the year it was released and the genre – expect these…
After years of ‘Match 3’ games like Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest and even multi-dimensional ‘Match 3’ games like Puzzle Quest Galactrix, there was only one natural course to follow .. MATCH 4! Of course, since Match 3 games already offered extra bonuses for a 4th matched item, the folks at SPB needed to do something different. Here is the scenario: you make the connection between three sides of a rectangle! So how well does this game work in terms of keeping interesting going in a seemingly saturated matching-game field? Read on and see!
When I began playing the guitar in the mid-80s, I loved going to the record store in the mall to look at guitar tablature books. Most of the time I would look up the song I wanted to play and try to memorize the chords or main parts then go home and figure out how to play it. The internet brought the ability to look up tabs at home or even print them. The addition of tablature software has revolutionized the ability to learn large quantities of songs quickly. The developers at Agile Partners which brought us Guitar ToolKit, have…
myKite is the Brightkite application for BlackBerry. Previously known as “BrightBerry” when it was in Beta, the MyKite app is a social networking tool geared to simplify meeting people based on the places you go. The fact that it ties into other existing social networks — like Twitter and Facebook — means myKite will compliment, instead of compete with, those more popular social networking tools. iPhone users have had a dedicated Brightkite application since October 2008. I’ve had a chance to use myKite for BlackBerry since it was officially released last week. Does the free application translate well to the…
AppBox Pro™ is huge set of applications which has 18 apps including, > Battery Life > Clinometer(Inclinometer) – Surface/Bubble Level > Currency Converter – 195 Currencies > Date Calculator > Days Until(Countdown) > Flashlight(Torch) > Holidays – 83 Countries > Loan Calculator > Periodic Calculator > Price Grab > Random Number > Ruler > Sale Price > System Info > Tip Calculator > Translator > Unit Converter – 17 Categories, 357 Units > Web Apps Links – Apps are configurable, Arrange, Show/Hide and Rename. New! – 8 New apps introduced, Battery Life, Flashlight, Random, Ruler, Sale Price, System Info, Translator,…
It is fairly amazing given the fairly thin release schedule for the PSP to think that there might have been two games released in the fighting genre in the last month … so it is simply stunning that we have gotten three! Alongside Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur PSP comes a fighting game from Capcom based on a Japanese adult graphic novel turned anime show called ‘Fate/Stay Night’. Each of these games provides fans of the genre with a satisfying array of the core elements required of any good fighting game, yet they are very different from one another….
I recently reviewed Nano Rally for the Blue Plate Special. The game showed promise with great graphics and a cute idea. There were a few things that I thought could be improved upon. The controls and camera view were not very intuitive and took a lot of practice to master. This turned me off to the game because my frustration level advanced faster than my driving skills. I also wanted other cars on the track to chase and race. Well, the developers at Sauce Digital seemed to have listened to their users and recently updated the game. Here is a…
As promised the new version of NetNewsWire for iPhone and iPod Touch is now out and available for download. Will it be my new RSS reader of choice? Read on in this first look…
Imagine Christmas day coming every single month — except without all the hassle of going out dealing with crowds, carolers, fruitcake, eggnog and extended family staying over at your house for just a few days longer than your sanity can muster. Just the goodies. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, if you are into the latest and greatest mobile phones — and you are tired of being bound by your wireless carrier’s contract determining when you can upgrade or swap out phones, then the service from Rentobile seems to come pretty close to becoming your very own monthly…
Not all flashlights are created equal. Back in 1979, Anthony Maglica created Maglite. Maglite is the bar where all flashlights are measured, for me. Almost nothing could top it back then. Well, Paul Kim, the designer of the Icon Rogue series of flashlights may be the new Anthony Maglica. The Icon Rogue 2 is the best flashlight I have come across in all of my LED flashlight reviews I have done. It is that good.
From the days of the cave man, starting fires has long been something man has struggled with. The Coghlan’s Flint Striker which is a twist on a fire-starting technology that is almost as old as time. Even with today’s more modern technology, you still might want to use one of these instead of matches or butane lighters. Coghlan’s Flint Striker is a rod made of magnesium with a striker attached with a piece of cord. It is simple to operate. You just take the striker and hold it in one hand with the word UP facing the top of the…
¡Hola Amigos! Even though I had the new Dan Brown book, The Missing Symbol, delivered wirelessly to my Kindle DX this week, and even though I have spent every spare moment I could trying to sneak in a few chapters, I still managed to get a good chunk of my TOTALe lesson done. Yay me! Now I can tell you that “Me llamo Judie,” which will probably not sound as elegant as Julia when pronounced properly, since the J’s in Spanish are essentially H’s. Hoolia verses Hoodie…guess which one wins? 😉
[Ed note: This review is being simultaneously posted on Gear Diary and Just Another Mobile Monday.] Quite often HTC will release several versions of a single model, and depending upon whether you buy an unlocked or carrier subsidized version, you might end up with very different features. Such is the case with their new QWERTY Windows Mobile Smartphone, the Snap. I was sent their unlocked European version, and Doug received the US Specific Sprint branded device; my comments will appear in black, and Doug’s will be in blue italics. The Unlocked HTC Snap (European Version) The first thing that impressed…
Back in late June Judie reviewed the SKYlasers 125mW green laser pointer, providing a fun look at some of the interesting things you can do with a laser such as that. Soon thereafter, TechLasers provided us with one of their 95mW Infinity II 532nm Green Laser Pointers to evaluate for review. Judie also sent me the SKYlasers pointer, so I could do a bit of comparing. I will also attempt to answer a slightly more serious question – why the heck does someone need a 95mW laser pointer?