Reviews | Gear Diary

PDAir Luxury Silicone Case for Nexus One Review

I like lots of different kinds of cases and switch depending on what I need at a given moment. For quite a few years, I was really into aluminum cases (Rhinoskin, anyone?), then slip cases, pouch cases, play-through cases… you name it. More recently, I’ve preferred to put as little on my devices as possible. With my iPhone, I’ve settled into using just a screen protector and an Incipio Feather case much of the time to protect it from scratches. So when I picked up a Nexus One, I started looking for ways to protect it, but with minimal weight…

Reviews

Waterfield Muzetto Portable – Review (Conclusion- Perfect For Carrying An iPad)

One of the things that is perhaps most fun about reviewing technology and being an iPhone user is the opportunity to compare and test various iPhone cases. Fortunately there are plenty of nice ones out there from which to choose, and boy have we had a chance to look at many. One of the more striking things about the iPad, now that I have been using it for three weeks, is that while Larry and I will often talk about the latest iPhone case one or the other of us have tried, when it comes to the iPad we have…

eBooks, Reviews

Jetbook Lite Ebook Reader Review

Earlier in the month I did a tour of the Jetbook Lite’s hardware. Now it’s time to delve into the software side, and really get to know this little ebook reader! Upon booting the Jetbook Lite, you have three choices; ebooks, pictures and settings. Pictures is nice, but only if you desperately love showing off your photos in black and white. Otherwise, you’re more likely headed into either settings or ebooks. Settings offers the usual complement of options, from font changes to serial numbers. You can also adjust settings within the book by accessing the contextual menu. Adding books is…

Game Diary, Reviews

Don’t Trust That Label!: The Netbook Gamer

Image courtesy of GameSpot There are two paths I take when working on games to review for the Netbook Gamer: on the one hand I love to dig up classic PC games from the late 90’s that will still run on WIndows XP. On the other hand – particularly recently – I have been pushing the boundaries of what a standard netbook is capable of doing. Sometimes – like in the recent Tron review – things go very well. Sometimes – like in the Thief Deadly Shadows review – they work at a level that is barely acceptable. Sometimes I…

Reviews

Shanghai Mahjong for iPad

Mahjong is one of those games that has always fascinated me – both the solitaire version that most PC gamers are familiar with and the competitive version of mahjong (sometimes called the “real” mahjong). Shanghai Majong is one of the former – the solitaire version of the game. For those who have never been exposed to the game, the idea is simple – a number of tiles are places in a stacked pattern on the board and you need to find open (free on one side) pairs in order to remove the pairs from the board. The goal is to remove all of the…

Reviews

Calorie Counter by FatSecret for iPhone/Touch/iPad

As I explained in a recent review, about six years ago I lost a large amount of weight and began getting back into shape. I have kept up a strenuous workout routine until just recently. The stresses of work, kids, bills and most of all graduate school caused me to begin to slack on my workouts. I was still jogging or lifting weights, but only a couple days a week at best rather than my six days of disciplined workouts. During that time, I briefly tried a few apps on my phone to help count calories but my heart, energy…

Reviews

WiebeTech ToughTech Mini pocket drives: Functional portability

For many, portability is a key determiner when considering new technology, and functional portability is an absolute priority. Myself, I chose to ditch the behemoth desktop computing system years ago in favor of a highly capable new generation of laptops. And as has been the case for my workstation at home, I am ladened with many “extensions” in my portable workspace as well. These days that includes an external hard disk drive. I never thought I would fill the internal drive of my latest laptop when I purchased it but that ship has sailed. Enter WiebeTech and their new ToughTech…

Reviews

Gear Diary Deal or Dud #3: Wonder Hangers

Have you run out of hanging space in your closets? The As Seen on TV Wonder Hangers promise to triple the amount of closet space you get without any fancy or costly custom alterations. A set of 8 Wonder Hangers sells for only $9.99. I recently picked some up at a local home store and decided to put them through the Gear Diary Deal or Dud test. How did the hangers perform? Are the Wonder Hangers a Deal or Dud? Watch the video below to find out. You can learn more about the Wonder Hanger by visiting their official web site.

Game Diary, Reviews

Dragon Age Origins: PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review

The other night I was watching VH1’s ‘100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80’s’, and was thinking about Bioware and the whole ’spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate 2? thing surrounding Dragon Age: Origins. Baldur’s Gate 2 is the 2000 classic PC RPG that is not just one of the best RPGs ever but one of the greatest games in video game history. Not only that, it is one of those rare sequels that is better than the original – and the original itself is always on the ‘best video games ever’ lists! Put into that context, it is hard…

Reviews

Go800 Connects SMS to 800 Numbers.

Ok I am still trying to figure out why this is a good idea. Go800corp.com has started a service that is kind of neat, but then kind of makes me ask why. What it does is supposedly makes it easier to contact companies with 800 numbers on your cellphone. You basically text a keyword to 46800 and then your phone will ring and be connected to the 800 number the keyword belongs too. They call this a Voice Keyword, and yet you can’t just call them and use your voice to establish the call? Plus since smart phones are becoming…

Reviews

Review: Speck Products Kindle 2 Cases

Speck Products was kind enough to send me one of each of the new cases that they just released for the Kindle 2. While I have heard of Speck from Dan’s review and Judie sharing her thoughts on some of Speck’s line, this is my first hands on experience with a Speck case. Will the cases match up to what I have been using? Since I received a Tom Bihn pouch from Judie, I have been using it to hold my Kindle 2 while commuting to work. While the pouch is perfect in size in most every way, it does nothing to…

Reviews

HTC Desire with HTC Sense and Android 2.1 Review

While the Google Nexus One has been on the market for a few months now, its HTC-branded brother has only just started to make it out. I’ve been using the HTC Desire for the last week or so, and it has surprised me just how good it really is. HTC have been a bit presumptuous from the get-go, calling the phone the Desire. While it looks quite different from it’s Google branded sibling, the two phones are very similar underneath. Both share the same 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, 3.7” 800×480 AMOLED capacitive display, and run Android 2.1. There are a few…

Game Diary, Reviews

Mass Effect 2 (RPG, 2010): PC/XBOX360 Game Review

Way back in late 2007 (early 2008 on PC), Bioware released a game that was unique and interesting in several ways: it was their second game featuring all-new intellectual property (Jade Empire was first), a game designed from the start (or so we were told) as a trilogy, and the gameplay mechanic was a third-person squad-based shooter similar in some ways to Gears of War. The game was a tremendous commercial and critical success, thereby ensuring that the remainder of the trilogy would be produced, but there were some significant criticisms (even in the early 10/10 ‘bestest gaem EVAR’ reviews):…

Reviews

ReaddleDocs For iPad Review

There are a number of different ways to get PDF documents onto the iPad and then view them wherever you are. One of the best is ReaddleDocs. The developer describe the application adds, “a revolutionary PDF reader, file manager, and attachment savor for iPad. Let’s take a look. From the company, This is a revolutionary document viewer, file manager and attachment saver for the iPad. You can catch documents from any source you can imagine: PC or Mac computers, websites, e-mail, attachments, iDisk, Dropbox and any other online file storages, even iPhones. All files are saved to your iPad locally…

Reviews

A Quick Look at the Verizon HTC Droid Incredible Android Phone

Just a few days ago we announced the new Verizon HTC Incredible, and tonight they just went live in the Verizon Wireless store. I happen to have one here, so let’s take a look inside the box, shall we? Look at all of that shiny black plastic on the front, just waiting for you to breathe on it, smudge it up, and allow dust to land on its pristine surface. The Droid Incredible measures roughly 4.6″ tall x 2.3″ wide x 0.5″ thick; it’s slightly thinner than an iPhone, with a screen that puts the iPhone’s to shame … even…

Reviews

FoodEssentials Scanner for iPhone Review

About six years ago I made the decision to change my life. Being an athlete all of my life, I was pushed to get bigger and had always consumed a lot of calories since I burned so many. When I began coaching, I spent all of my time teaching others how to be athletes, and there was no time to do my own sports. I tried many dieting options with no luck until I tried the Atkins plan. Long story short, I lost 100 pounds and got back into shape. I now live a low-carb lifestyle and have maintained my…

Reviews

Waterfield Ultimate SleeveCase for iPad and iPad Suede Jacket – Reviews

Back in February we shared news that Waterfield was rolling out a number of different ways to protect your newest Apple device thanks to their Ultimate SleeveCase and Suede Jacket for Apple iPad. Well both are shipping and we’ve had a chance to check them out. Are they a good way to protect your iPad in a rough and tumble world? Read on and find out… First up is the iPad Ultimate SleeveCase. According to Waterfield… Ultimate iPad Sleeve Protection. Safeguard your iPad with a properly fitted SleeveCase. Cushioned with high-grade neoprene and wrapped in a nearly indestructible ballistic nylon…

Reviews

Multitasking for iPad Review

When the iPad was first announced, the one missing feature which bothered me more than any other was the lack of multitasking. However, for me multitasking is the wrong word. What I want on the iPad is what I like to call “multiviewing.” I could honestly care less about being able to listen to Pandora Radio while browsing the web. The iPad has a big, beautiful screen and what I want is to be able to open up a few applications and be able to view them side by side, all at the same time. With all the cool multi-touch…

Game Diary, Reviews

Tron 2.0 (2003, FPS): The Netbook Gamer

As a long-time techno-geek I loved the Tron movie back in the early 80’s and pumped loads of quarters into both the Tron and particularly Discs of Tron arcade game a few years later. I have watched the movie on a couple of occasions over the decades, but never owned or rented a copy until late last year. Sharing it with my kids, I found that they enjoyed it – though some of the ‘inside the computer’ references were terribly antiquated and the kids had no frame of reference to get the jokes. More recently we’ve seen the Tron Legacy…

Reviews

Review: Basketball Coach’s Clipboard For iPhone/Touch/iPad

The clipboard is a tool of the trade for basketball coaches that has been used for decades. I never coach a game without my trusty board sitting under my chair. The basketball clipboard is simple. A white dry erase clipboard with a basketball court diagram and a dry erase marker. The come in many sizes and configurations but all have the same function. Not high-tech by any means, but extremely useful. In fact, the only change in this technology is the switch from chalk boards to dry erase. Watch any game and you will see the boards come out at…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2010 Jeep Liberty offers bit of freedom from the day-to-day

Photos courtesy Jeep While Jeep heritage has been going strong for more than half a century, most of its product lineup is still in its infancy. Compass and Patriot are actually more like adopted children – loved by their new parents but not sharing any DNA. Then there is Liberty. The Jeep Liberty was first introduced as a 2002 model but was quickly relegated to popularity around college campuses and sorority houses. Seeking to get back to its roots, Jeep gave Liberty a complete redux for the latest model. All-new from the ground up, the (Gen-II) Liberty returns to Jeep’s…