Reviews

Reviews November 26, 2010

WordStorm for iPhone/Touch/iPad Review

The other night, my wife said she needed a new game to play on her iPhone. Being the Blue Plate Special guy, I started spouting off a list of free or cheap games we already owned. Of course, she said thanks and walked off to find her own application. I finally noticed that she had been silent for a long while and was affixed on her phone. She explained that she found a new game that was addicting and challenging and that I could use it in my Blue Plate thingy. I am a sucker for puzzle style games, especially…

Reviews November 24, 2010

iPhone 4 Case Review: monCarbone HoverCoat Carbon Fiber Case for iPhone 4

Dan: I recently had the opportunity to review the monCarbone HoverCoat fiber Carbon case for the iPad, and I liked it a lot. I liked it so much in fact that I still use it daily, even when my iPad is in a case. I love the way it protects the back and sides of the iPad, feel more comfortable knowing that the iPad is easier to grip thanks to the texture of the material and appreciate the way it looks on my iPad. Recently monCarbone sent two of their iPhone 4 HoverCoats to us to review. The cases are…

Reviews November 23, 2010

iPhone 4 Case Review: ingear Flexi Grip Edge

ingear is an iPhone case company that I hadn’t heard of until they reached out to us at Gear Diary to see if we’d be interested in reviewing some of their cases. I happily accepted and in a short time a giant box filled with iPhone and iPad cases arrived on my doorstep. Based in Singapore, ingear manufacturers accessories for a variety of mobile devices throughout Asia. The company does so with a three-pronged approach. Their goal is to create a product which looks good, functions well and is affordable all at the same time. They were kind enough to…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear November 23, 2010

2011 Ford Edge Sport Fresher and Hipper

The Ford Edge crossover utility vehicle paved the way to a new segment for Big Blue Oval to compete. We recently got familiar with a 2011 Edge Sport model, aimed at customers who want a fresher, hipper crossover and this year Ford has updated styling AND technology. The Edge Sport rolls on up to 22-inch polished aluminum wheels, a first for this segment. The Edge Sport 22-inch wheel/tire handling package elevates the already “sporty” crossover to a new level of handling and control. It feels at home on a road course or twisty mountain road, but still delivers a ride…

Reviews November 22, 2010

Gear Review: Mikey For iPod, Records Anything, Anywhere, Anytime

I was pretty excited when Blue Microphones announced the new version of their iPod microphone, the Mikey, at CES 2010. Unfortunately the product faced some considerable delays but as with many things good things come to those who wait. The all new Mikey 2 was released last week and I was lucky enough to receive one to review. Blue touts the Mikey 2 as the “perfect tool for mobile recording.” It features a 230-degree rotating design, two custom tuned Blue capsules which enable you to record in stereo and USB pass through. Perhaps most impressive is the Mikey’s three gain…

Reviews November 21, 2010

Home Gear Review: Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built-in WiFi (v2)

I’ve had a chance to check out more than a few Internet radios in the past year or so and I am impressed with the growing feature-set and fidelity we are beginning to see. I have been checking out Aluratek’s current offering and can safely say that while it doesn’t stand out from an increasingly competitive market it does have some compelling features and a price point that make it a worthy contender. Here’s a closer look… From Aluratek: Aluratek’s new Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi allows you to easily access more than 11,000 radio stations in…

Reviews November 21, 2010

Review: Everki Agile Slim Laptop Bag

I recently found my first laptop bag. The bag is from an era when laptops were big, bulky and weighed a ton. Simply being able to carry them made them mobile. The bag was huge, heavy and had no features. Today, mobile computing keeps getting smaller. Full screen laptops are much thinner and netbooks and MacBook Airs seem to be the best way to be on the move. As our devices shrink, so should the bags we carry them in. Thinner and lighter have become a must for my gear. Some of my favorite gear bags come from Everki. They…

Reviews November 19, 2010

iPhone 4 Case Review: Case-Mate Bounce with Pong Radiation Reducing Technology

While at CES last year I had to chance to chat with the team from Pong. The Pong case for the iPhone was the first case which was designed with the goal of blocking the iPhone’s potentially harmful radiation from reaching your brain. Then a few weeks ago at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular I ran into the gang from Case-Mate. They informed me that they had teamed up with Pong and were going to be releasing a new version of the Pong case very soon. Well the case has arrived and it’s called the Case-Mate Bounce. The Bounce case features…

Reviews November 19, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 Movie Review

The Harry Potter series has a great tradition with my family. The first book exploded on the scene when my younger son was just 3, and as a result I was reading the books aloud to both boys and my wife, providing all of the voices. As the movies arrived alongside new books I modified my voices to more closely match the movie actors. And even when the last book arrived, in spite of the fact that my two boys tore through re-reads of the entire series in less than a week … they wanted me to read it aloud,…

Reviews November 18, 2010

iPad Accessory Review- Mophie workbook

I love Mophie’s products. Their batteries are among the best designed and most useful I have found. Last year at CES, the Mopie juicepack air saved us over and over and over when our iPhone batteries wore down as they searched for a signal on AT&T’s network. Now Mophie has extended their line to include their first ever case… the Mophie workbook. I’ve had one here for the last couple of weeks and really like the design. It takes all of the best features of other portfolio-style iPad cases and adds its own twist that makes the workbook unique. Here’s a…

Reviews November 17, 2010

ioSafe SoloPRO Fire & Water Proof External Hard Drive Review

Our love of ioSafe‘s fire proof and water proof external hard drives is no secret. I mean how can one not love something that’s able to survive this, or this? I’d been using ioSafe’s original product, their Solo model, since I first tested it back in August of last year (they sent me a replacement after I’d burned the original up in the car.) So when they asked if I was interested in being upgraded to one of their newer Pro models I happily accepted. The SoloPRO is available with either eSATA/USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 connectivity and you can…

Reviews November 17, 2010

Guitar World Lick of the Day for iPhone/Touch/iPad Review

Recently, I have reviewed many apps for guitarists. From tuners, chord libraries, effects, to tableture. IOS devices have proven to be an exciting platform for musicians. Virtually any guitar related activity has been available on my devices except a way to improve my playing. How about I use my iPad and or iPhone to tune up, find my chords, plug in my guitar to get the right sound and then receive lessons?!?! Agile Partners, developers of several of my favorite musician apps, has just released Lick Of The Day in partnership with Guitar World Magazine. Through in app purchases,…

Reviews November 16, 2010

Case-Mate Fuel Lite & Max Review: Packing Serious Power for the Power User

I think those of us Gear Diary writers who own the iPhone 4 have been pretty impressed with its battery life. Unlike the iPhone 3G or 3Gs, on most days we’re able to make it through an entire day without a recharge. However, on days when we’re out and about for extended periods of time or just really relying on our phones recharging sometime during the day becomes a necessity. And for us specifically CES is fast approaching and that’s one week where an extra battery, or two, or three, for your phone becomes a must have. Case-Mate recently released…

Reviews November 16, 2010

Review: Guitar Sidekick For Mobile Devices

If you follow reviews here on Gear Diary, then you have noticed an exciting new trend for guitarists. A ton of apps have been developed to use while playing the guitar. Tuners, metronomes, tablature, chord diagrams, effects. You name it, it can be found on various mobile devices. As an iPhone user, I have reviewed and been an active user of many of the IOS guitar applications. Here is the one problem I have found with this new genre of apps: Where do I hold my iPhone?!?! I have tried balancing on my knee and setting it on a table…

eBooks, Reviews November 16, 2010

The Aluratek Libre Review

Talk ebook readers, and everyone thinks Kindle or NOOK. But there’s a whole subset of hardware out there for people who aren’t interested in connected readers, and just want a simple device that handles multiple formats. That’s where an ebook reader like the Aluratek Libre comes in handy. The Libre is physically very similar to the Jetbook Lite we looked at last spring. It has the same slider along the left side for page turns, along with page turn buttons on the bottom. There are d-pad and navigation buttons along the right side, plus a T-9 keyboard along the right…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear November 16, 2010

Lexus CT200h Sporty New Hybrid CrossTourer

Lexus has a new hybrid vehicle being readied for market and let me begin by saying I wish them more luck with this CT200h hybrid sportwagon than they saw with the HS250h hybrid sedan that debuted last year. Lexus’ last sporty wagon was on the inaugural IS300 platform and was dubbed SportCross. I was assured the CT200h is not intended to be the next SportCross but the two do share bloodlines and driving dynamics. We spent some time with Lexus and the new CT200h in New Orleans recently and I was left with the impression that the CT should see…

Reviews November 15, 2010

Review: Charge All Of Your Devices At Once With Arctic C2 USB Charger

I do not know about you, but I have collected quite the array of USB devices. From iPhones and iPads to battery chargers, it seems that my life is constantly filled with charging via a USB cable. For a while I did have a wall adapter with a USB port that I could use to charge some devices, but only one at a time, which was not working. One day, my wife said, “look at all this junk we have sitting here waiting to charge, and you only have one plug?” After explaining that none of it was junk, I…

How to Do It Yourself!, Reviews November 15, 2010

iPhone 4 Jazzin’ Up Photography

All images by author I finally upgraded to the iPhone 4 from Apple and my “hand-me-down” 3GS went to my new bride Tish. When Apple first began to release details of its latest phone I was eager to test the higher resolution 5 megapixel camera (versus 3ish of the previous phone). And with the last iOS update this new device now has the capability of HDR or High Dynamic Range photography. What a pleasant surprise. What is HDR? An easy explanation would be to think of it as “high-def” photography as the range of colors and tones displayed is greater….

Reviews November 13, 2010

Review: Cgear Sand-Free Multimat for Camping

Let’s face it: The outdoors can be dirty and dusty. You go to the beach and try to lay a towel out and end up getting sand all over it. You go for a swim and then get sand in your eyes when you dry off. Not fun. How do you cure this? Cgear’s Sand-Free Multimat! That’s how! The Multimat is made from a special technological material similar to what the military uses a to keep dust down when landing helicopters in dusty environments. This also works wonderfully to keep the sand and dust on the ground where it belongs…

Reviews November 12, 2010

Apolis Global Citizen Transit Issue Smartphone Wallet iPhone 4 Case Review

Companies like Apolis don’t come around very often. After I had agreed to review their latest offering, a wallet style case for the iPhone 4, I went to read up and learn more about the brand. What I read really made me stand up and take notice. Work conditions at the Chinese factory that produces the iPhone have been all over the news of late and details on the numerous suicides by the Chinese workers are shocking. We’ve all read the stories about the less than stellar work conditions in factories that product sneakers and other brand named clothing too….

Reviews November 11, 2010

iPad Accessory Review: Saddleback Leather Company iPad Sleeve / Large Gadget Pouch

There aren’t many materials that are more long-lasting, beautiful or more protective than thick, full-grain leather; Saddleback Leather Company is one of the few companies that takes advantage of that fact. I recently received their iPad Sleeve / Large Gadget Pouch, and have since had a chance to put it under the microscope (figuratively, of course).

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