Reviews | Gear Diary

Vinyl Re-Visions: The Art Ensemble of Chicago – Reese and the Smooth Ones (Jazz, 1969)

Art Ensemble Of Chicago – Reese And The Smooth Ones When I first thought about doing a ‘Vinyl Revisions’ series, there were three records that came to mind: Anthony Braxton’s Five Pieces 1975, Steve Lacy’s The Wire, and this record. As mentioned in a comment on my Braxton review, that music was compiled in 2008 on the Complete Arista Recordings as a digital release. This record was briefly available in 2002 on Get Back Records as a CD release but has otherwise been out of print – even though Amazon claims a 2009 re-release on vinyl, it has been ‘out…

Reviews

Sena Creativo Pouch for the iPhone 4S review

I have never been a huge fan of smartphone pouches preferring, instead, cases that protect the device full-time. After all, at the moment you pull a phone from its pouch you remove it from its protective enclosure and suddenly face the possibility that the now-exposed device will tumble to the ground. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it? But what if you had a pouch that was (a) so nice you wanted to find a way to use it and (b) was designed in such a manner as to reduce the frequency of having to remove the phone in the…

Reviews

Adobe Premiere Elements 10 & Photoshop Elements 10 Review

If you use a Mac, then you probably use iPhoto for basic image editing and iMovie for basic video editing. But what if you use a PC? The tools included there are not nearly as capable, friendly or integrated. And what if you want to go further than the basic editing capabilities of the iTools? That is where Adobe Premiere Elements 10 & Photoshop Elements 10 come in – offering integrated photo and video editing and production tools for both OS X and Windows 7. The folks at Adobe sent me a review copy, so let’s take a look!

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

‘Godzilla’ Terrorizes City Streets: Mothra and Rodan Flee in Fear

Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say “Godzilla?” For most it is the star of childhood monster movies that feature horrible voice-dubbing. For the true auto enthusiast it means one thing – Nissan GT-R. I took delivery of a 2012 GT-R for Super Bowl weekend and despite a few little things, this is one SUPER car. GT-R is the North American version of the Skyline GT-R, Nissan’s answer to the likes of Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and ZR-1. The 2012 model GT-R generates a modest 530 horsepower and 448 lb. ft. of…

Game Diary, Reviews

Supermarket Mania 2 for the Kindle Fire Review

I loved the PC version of SuperMarket Mania 2, and now that it is available for iPhone and iPad I wanted to take another look and see how it would work as a port! Read on and find out how they did! The Hype: Nikki and her friends are back in Supermarket Mania 2! Help her uncle Ross manage and run his chain of grocery stores on the other side of the country. Keep the supermarket shelves stocked up, floors clean and customers coming as you work on improving the stores and increasing profits. It’s not all peachy though, as…

Game Diary, Reviews

Mystery of the Crystal Portal for the Kindle Fire Review

I had bought and enjoyed Mystery of the Crystal Portal for my iPad and also loved the PSP version in spite of some issues with having to pan around the scene, so I was excited to try out the Kindle Fire version. It had been a while since I played, so it felt fresh as I had forgotten most of the game. Let’s take a loot at hwo the experience translates to the Kindle Fire!

Reviews, Travel

The Cenoire Eluo Sonic Toothbrush Review

Your teeth are precious. And as tough as they are, they actually need to a good bit of attention if you want them hanging around. Brushing and flossing are a must. Water picks are good too. And while it is easy to get into a healthy routine when you are home, it can be much tougher when you travel or are out and about for a 14 hour work day. That’s where Cenoire’s Eluo Sonic Toothbrush comes in. The Eluo is easy to carry, simple to use and, believe it or not, even looks kind of neat. Here’s a look.

Game Diary, Reviews

XIII Lost Identity iPad Game Review

Almost two years ago I did a review of the 2003 PC game called ‘XIII’, which took a French intrigue-filled graphic novel and brought it to life in a unique graphical style. Late last year the game made the jump to the iOS platform as a hidden object adventure. Let’s see how it did! The Hype: Imagine waking up to discover you’ve led several different lives. Based on the comic book series by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance. A man suffering from amnesia is found washed up on a beach by an elderly couple. He has to unravel who…

Reviews

GuitarJack Version 2 for iPhone and iPad Review

iOS devices are becoming increasingly more versatile and even specialized if chosen to be. I am blown away by the uses for my devices with my guitars. From tuners to chord libraries and tabletures to effects pedals. There are numerous hardware interfaces available for iPhones and iPads allowing users to connect an electric guitar and output the sounds. I am sure some savvy musicians are even finding a way to use their iOS devices to record records and even use during live performances. For me, I love the ability to be mobile and easily practice my guitar with headphones so…

Reviews

Seidio Charging Vault Review

I deal with the same battery scenario at least twice a week. When we have game nights, I go hours without a chance to charge my iPhone. There is no charging port in our buses and really never anywhere in a gym or field for me to charge during the games. Of course road games are extra tough since I listen to music or podcasts during the trip to and from our opponent. That is a lot of use with no power and usually a late night. Take this past Friday for example. We left the school at 1:45 in…

Outdoors, Reviews

iPhone Cases For Country Boys! Case Mate Review

Yes, it is true! Country boys do have tech gear and iPhones! In fact, as you will see with the Gear Diary Outdoors series, gear and the outdoors are actually a wonderful match. We use camo gear for just about everything. Of course, I mostly use it when hunting, but it is also a bit of a style for us outdoors nuts. It really is something you only understand if you live in the country and live that lifestyle. I by all means do not run around in full camo gear all of the time, but some items are fun…

Reviews

Arkon iPad Table Mount Review

I love my iPad; I mean, I really love it. If I could figure out a way to get it to completely replace my laptop, I would do it. I use it to watch movies, read books, follow my Twitter feed, and lots of other things. As a nerd– and this is no exaggeration– it’s the kind of device I’ve been waiting for most of my nerdy, computer-geek life. It does have some issues, though, one of which is that, after a while, you do get tired of holding the durn thing up. It’s not that it’s so heavy but,…

Game Diary, Reviews

Hands on With G5 Games Navigator for Kindle Fire!

Late last year G5 Games released a ‘Game Navigator’ for iPhone and iPad, and has since integrated part of it into all of their games. That familiar interface where you see a number of recommended games, the most recent release, and the game you are starting all at once, has become an integral part of every G5 game – which is a testament to how well this app works. Let’s take a look!

Reviews

Movie/Book Retrospective: The Accidental Tourist

I have said before that I have been reading much more since getting my Nook Touch last June, which has really been wonderful. The Nook Touch in my Oberon case is just a thing of beauty to hold and behold. It has allowed me to catch new books like Robopocalypse and recent releases like The Art of Racing in the Rain, re-read almost my entire Kurt Vonnegut collection, get ready for The Hunger Games, and grab books I always meant to read but had long forgotten – like The Accidental Tourist. Whenever a movie is made from a book, the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Royal Trouble: Hidden Adventure iPad Game Review

Even after reading the description of Royal Trouble I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect in terms of gameplay – and frankly I was nervous that I was getting burnt out on hidden object games after Spirit of Wandering (though ‘Letters from Nowhere 2’ tells me otherwise). Fortunately this is an entirely different sort of casual adventure game – and an absolute blast that you simply MUST try! Let’s take a look! The Hype: In this critically acclaimed adventure quest, help two charming royal heirs escape from a secluded island! Princess Loreen and Prince Nathaniel find themselves locked in a…

Reviews

Kingston Wi-Drive Review

There are some smartphone accessories that make you go “huh? Who would buy this?” And then sometimes there are ideas so smart you think, “Wow! Why didn’t anyone do this sooner?” Finally, there’s the “GREAT idea, poor execution” accessory. The Kingston Wi-Drive fits into one of these categories, but you will have to read to the end to find out which one!

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2012 Toyota Yaris Marks Forward Progress for Automaker

Toyota is working feverishly to recover from a few setbacks in global production last year. Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the automaker in the Asia-Pacific regions in 2011, and at a time when Toyota was releasing new or redesigned product. One such re-launch is the 2012 Yaris. Toyota has found that 70 percent of new car buyers in the subcompact segment prefer the liftback (hatchback) body styling. It is because of this that the Yaris sedan is gone from the lineup with 2012 models arriving in base LE three-door or, as in the case of our recent tester, a five-door…

Reviews

PDFpen for iPad is Powerful and Simple to Use, Review

Smile software makes some of the mainstay apps I use on my Mac. Their PDFpenPro is an amazing application for working with PDFs and I’m honestly not sure what I would do without their TextExpander application. It lets me create shortcuts for terms, phrases and especially HTML code that I use all the time. Now, for example, if I want to put in the site’s URL instead of typing out the entire thing I simply type “ggd”. TextExpander sees it and replaces it with the address. There honestly isn’t a post or an email I writer where TE doesn’t jump…

Game Diary, Reviews

Hyperkin Supaboy Portable Pocket SNES Console Review

Still got actual Super Nintendo games? Well, get them out of storage for this portable SNES console that also plugs into a television and features two SNES controller ports.

News & Features, Reviews

Sling Media Brings SlingPlayer to Kindle Fire!

Sling Media, makers of the SlingBox, today announces the availability of the SlingPlayer app for the Kindle Fire. What is the SlingBox? It is a device that works with all of your various set-top boxes to: allow folks to watch their TV from wherever they are with their PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone. And now, with SlingPlayer for Kindle Fire, they can bring their living room TV experience to their Kindle Fire tablets. The SlingPlayer software is already available for Apple iPhone and iPad devices, Android Phones, Android Tablets as well as for the Blackberry, Windows Phone and other devices….

Outdoors, Reviews

Montie Gear Precision Gun Rest Review

As a South Texas Country Boy, I am an avid rifle and bow hunter, fisherman, camper and all around outdoorsman. Technology and gadgets have come to play a huge role in the outdoors lifestyle, and we hope to bring more reviews and news of this type of gear in the near future. When you see the Camo Gear Diary logo, you know it is Country Boy approved! As an avid shooter and hunter, I love to spend time at my friend, Travis’s place sighting in rifles or just working on accuracy. A while back I reviewed the X-Rest from Montie…