Reviews

iPhone Accessory Review: XCEL Case

It would be no exaggeration to say that after I placed the ElementCase Vapor 4 on my iPhone 4, no other case felt quite right. I loved the heft that my iPhone got with that ring of aluminum around it (because yes, I am weird like that), and the colors available made the iPhone unmistakably mine. Unfortunately, that ring of aluminum also managed to nearly kill my iPhone’s reception, and at the end of the review process the Vapor 4 had to come off. Since then I have tried quite a few cases — wooden, plastic as well as some…

eBooks, Reviews

NOOKColor Morphs from Quiet Little eBook Reader to Killer Little Android Tablet

If you have been following along here at Gear Diary you probably have seen Carly’s review of the NOOKColor. The NOOKColor was noted as Barnes and Noble number one seller for the holiday season and it’s pretty easy to understand why. I am not really an eBook user and don’t often find myself reading too many books, but what I do enjoy is pretty much anything Android and the hardware that it runs on. So far you’ve seen what the $250 devices gets you, a full featured, beautiful color screen eBook reader powered by Android 2.1. It was not days…

Reviews

ToonCamera for iPhone/Touch Review

The iPhone 4 has a really good camera and it shoots HD video. I have come to be pretty dependent on the phone as a camera device as well as my only video device. I have collected quite an array of camera and video apps. In fact, I have started my third folder full of photography apps. One problem with these apps is that they rarely qualify in price for the Blue Plate Special. I recently came across ToonCamera which happens to be a simple, yet fun app for both video and photos. Let’s take a look. ToonCamera is exactly…

Reviews

Review: Aluratek Bump AMS01F MP3/FM Radio Boombox

Aluratek has brought out a cool little boom box that might just come in handy on your next camping trip. Aluratek sent me one so I could play with it and see what makes it tick. Initially when I opened the box, I was expecting their AWS01F which includes a wireless speaker as well. However when I opened it, the instruction book indicated it was the AMS01F. The only difference between the two packages is the wireless speaker. Otherwise the rest of it is the same. The first thing you have to do is charge the radio up. You simply…

Reviews

Mobile Phone Accessory Review: the Oberon Design Cell Phone Sleeve

It’s not very often that I can get excited about a universally fitting mobile phone sleeve, mainly because most of the ones I’ve reviewed in the past were pretty utilitarian. But when I received an email from Oberon Design, the company responsible for some of my favorite Kindle2, Kindle DX and iPad cases ever, asking if I’d like to review their new cell phone sleeve, I was happy to oblige. Our cell phone sleeve is offered in twelve cropped versions of our most popular designs and accommodates many different smart phones and regular cell phones. As in the past, the…

Reviews

Solar System for iPad Review

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get a review copy of the iPhone 4 version of The Elements, a book/media/textbook/app that describes and demonstrates the Periodic Table of the Elements (with pictures of examples that could be manipulated). I loved it. In fact, I ended up absorbed in it so much that it put me behind on other reviews, because I had to tell you all about it. Now the same development company, TouchPress (Get it? It’s on iOS, so you can “touch” and “press” the app, but it’s also a publishing company, so “press” has a…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: EFO iPad Bluetooth Keyboard with Folding Case

One of my favorite gadgets of not only this year, but also all time is the iPad. The hardware is elegant and the technology is amazing and cutting edge. There are some limitations or concessions that must be made using the iPad instead of a conventional computer. One of the main changes is the use of the software keyboard. We have all learned to use software keyboards and I actually prefer them on a phone. The iPad is somewhat different since it is able to be used for tasks commonly performed on a laptop or desktop computer. Several options are…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Volvo S60 AWD Best Yet

When looking back on the list of cars I have driven this year there are a few that resonate driving enjoyment and would be nameplates I would like to see in my own driveway permanently. One of the biggest surprises was a Volvo – yes, I said Volvo. The new S60 sedan, delivered to me in All-Wheel Drive form, stood out enough to best the likes of BMW 3-series’ and Infiniti G. And while delivering one of the best-looking products in quite a long time, safety does not take a back seat with the new model. As Volvo has slowly…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: Revena’s ELEMENTS AXIS Mounting System and iPad Accessories

When I first caught wind of Revena’s ELEMENTS AXIS system for the iPad I was intrigued. Rather than having a case, a stand, a wall-mount and a car mount the system gives you all of them in a totally integrated package. You get one shell/case and then can use the iPad on a desk, on a wall or in the car. It looked neat and I was thrilled when the company sent one out for review. You can buy each piece separately or buy a packaged system; so let’s take a look at each piece of the system and the…

Reviews

MacBook Accessory Review- Rain Design mStand for MacBook

For the last few years I’ve had a large iMac sitting on my home desk. It’s been my main computer since shortly after I got my first iPhone. Initially I had a 20 inch iMac but eventually I upgraded to a 27 inch dual core iMac with eight gigabytes of RAM. It was an impressive computer to say the least. The screen was big and beautiful and although it wasn’t one of the new quad-core versions of the all-in-one computer it had plenty of speed. The 1 TB hard drive didn’t hurt either. Yes, it did make a bit of…

Reviews

Review: emWave Desktop

Christmas time can be an incredibly stressful time of year. Some of the reasons for this stree may be seeing family you haven’t seen in a year. Or perhaps facing a long drive with a car full of kids. Or even the stress of finding the perfect gift for that hard to buy for loved one. We all need a way to de-stress. Emwave sent me their desktop software to test. Will it help? HeartMath’s emWave Desktop is a desktop version of the portable heart math tool. Heart Math or heart coherence is a technique that many have proclaimed helps reduce stress…

Reviews

Gear Gadget Review: Veebeam Set-Top Box Lets You Stream Content from Computer to TV

Imagine if you could simply tap a button and both the audio and the video loaded on your laptop or desktop could be sent to your large HDTV? Sure, Apple’s AirPlay has brought us partly there. In fact, just the other night I wanted to watch a movie I had rented on my iPad and decided to view it on my large Samsung TV instead. I started the movie on my iPad, tapped the AirPlay button and, within a few seconds, it was being streamed from my iPad to my Apple TV to my HDTV. It works seamlessly. The only…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: Revena’s ELEMENTS EXECUTIVE FOLIO Plus

Since I got my iPad last spring I have increasingly moved toward working in a “paperless mode”. In fact, a few days ago I needed to write something down with a pen and it took me a good few minutes to find one to use. I am not, of course, in the majority. I know that most of the people who have iPads are not using them to displace pen and paper or reading “dead tree” books and magazines. For most people the iPad is another layer on top of the way they’ve worked previously. That’s where a case such…

Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Tab Case Review: Snap-On Protective Leather Case

When I’m at home I prefer to use my Galaxy Tab in the sleekest, slimmest, most lightweight form I can manage. However, I’m also a realist. With three small girls around and a dog my Tab needs some sort of protection. I keep an anti-fingerprint screen shield on the front and have been using the Snap-On Protective Leather Case on the back. This case comes in two leather color variations. The tan color I’m personally using as well as black. I choose the tan color, which reminds me of a baseball glove, because it’s just different. I’ve got so many…

Reviews

Akron Portable Fold-Up Stand for Apple iPad Review

(Note: All the photos here but one are from Akron–since they matched my experience, and are of better quality, I used them instead. Hope y’all don’t mind.) When I was planning what accessories–if any–to get for my iPad, one of the things I was pretty sure I was going to pick up was a stand. I fly back and forth all the time between Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, and while watching movies on my iPhone is okay, even with just an iPhone it gets fatiguing holding the durn thing up for two hours. An iPad? Nope; gotta…

Game Diary, Reviews

TRON: Evolution PlayStation 3 Game Review

Game adaptations from movies usually fall flat, but this decent action adventure excites the senses with considerable challenges while bridging the gap between the two TRON films.

Game Diary, Reviews

Wingnuts MotoChaser for iPhone/Touch Review

We are coming back from my first layoff of the Blue Plate Special since the series began. Last week the football team I coach for in Texas played for and won the State Championship. The week was so hectic that I just could not get around to finding apps or writing for that matter. We have this week off for a much needed Christmas break so I already decided this week’s selection would be a game. The players and coaches all need some down time to relax and reflect on winning our school’s first state championship. The selection this week…

Reviews

One Week with Chrome OS: A Mini-Review

It’s been just about a week since I received my CR-48 Chrome OS netbook. In that time I’ve turned on my Toshiba netbook (running Windows 7) twice, and only used my Macbook to check my email a few times. Otherwise all my home computer use has been on Chrome, including writing posts for Gear Diary. While it is still quite early in my Chrome experience, and the OS is very, very young, I thought I’d share my likes and dislikes thus far…think of it as a mini-review…a miniview! Likes: Getting started is dead easy. Once I did the initial setup…

Game Diary, Reviews

iPad Game Review: Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond the Horizon

I made no pretense about how much I enjoyed the original Mystery of the Crystal Portal, both the PSP Mini and the HD version for iPad. It was a well designed hidden object game with a story that offered an ending that pretty much called for a sequel – so now we’re back following Nicole on her quest to find her father in Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond the Horizon (which I’ll call ‘Crystal Portal 2’ henceforth)! The Hype: In the end of the first game in the series, Nicole managed to activate the Crystal Portal in her…

Game Diary, Reviews

DS App Review: Korg DS-10 Plus

For a while I thought I would never see my Nintendo DSi again … I mean, my younger son already permanently took over my original copy of Korg DS-10, and when we were playing around with the new Korg DS-10 Plus on my DSi and he realized that I could add a second bank … well, he took the whole deal! Fortunately I managed to get it back and now he just borrows the DSi when he wants to use the Korg DS-10 Plus. The Hype: KORG DS-10 Plus is an enhanced version of the revolutionary KORG DS-10 synthesizer software…

Game Diary, Reviews

DSiWare Game Review: Supermarket Mania

I recently reviewed the PC release of Supermarket Mania 2, and found it a ‘casual thrill ride’. I noted the basic plot from the original game – but I had never played it! It has been available for a while for the PC & Mac, came to the iPhone in early 2009, was released for the iPad and as a PSP Mini earlier this year, and has now arrived on the Nintendo DSi as part of the DSiWare store! Let’s take a look! The Hype: In Supermarket Mania, you’ll have to help Nikki operate a small grocery store; satisfying the…

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