Reviews | Gear Diary

Dark Nebula for iPhone/Touch Review

Labyrinth style games are nothing new to the iPhone. You know the games where a ball or marble rolls on the screen and is controlled by tilting the phone like it is a table. This style of games are fun, but are usually the same. Move the ball around avoiding the holes and reach the end of the maze. Dark Nebula takes this idea, puts a fresh, futuristic style and adds a new class of obstacles. As the developer puts it, “it’s like a labyrinth game but on steroids.” Check out the review after the break.

Reviews

Mariner Paperless – Review

I am a huge user of Evernote for saving, storing and accessing my documents. I find that it works remarkably well. I especially love the fact that, thanks to the ability of it to apply OCR to documents and images that are put into the system, it lets me search for information using just a few keywords. I have a Fujitsu highspeed scanner and find that it works quite well in conjunction with Evernote. I have many friends however who are not all that comfortable with storing data “in the cloud”, even when local copies can be kept as well….

Reviews

Speck SeeThru Satin Soft-Touch on a Hard Shell Case – Review

Speck offers a wide range of ways to protect your devices. In recent months they’ve kicked things up a few notches in the style department. One of the newer cases that they’re offering is the SeeThru Satin shell for the MacBook Pro. I’ve been using one for a week now and am quite fond of it. Let’s take a look …

Reviews

Speck Fitted Case for iPhone Review: Explodes with Choices

While at CES 2010 we spent a good deal of time hanging out in one of our favorite accessory manufacturers’ booth, Speck. Okay truth be told they had free beer, but we would have been there regardless, that’s how much we like the stuff Speck has to offer. One of their first cases for the iPhone, the Fitted Case, started out with only two designs but has since been blown out with all new styles. We had the chance to preview some of the new designs and Speck was kind enough to send us home with some samples to review…

Reviews

Bandshell sound amplifying case for iPhone Review

While it’s true CES is made up of a lot of exciting electronic type gadgets including TVs, stereos, gaming consoles, and other large ticket items sometimes cool things are also found in small packages. Walking the show floor one day I came across the Bandshell booth. The Bandshell case is simple in design yet wonderful in function. Not only does the case amplifiy the sound emitted by your iPhone’s speaker it also doubles as a video stand placing your phone and the proper angle for watching content. I left the show with a few samples of the Bandshell for review…

Reviews

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, a GearChat Review

Judie: I was recently offered the chance to review Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, and figuring that I probably wasn’t the only female on the Gear Diary staff who was going through weather-related skin issues, I requested extra samples so that Carly, Jessica and Amy could also give it a try. Since we all have different skin types, and we all have different issues, I thought that it would be good to gather notes from all of us based on our experience with the product. For those of you with absolutely no concern for softer skin without smelling like a…

Reviews

SplashNotes for iPhone and Desktop Review

I like lists. Probably a little too much, actually. I practically have lists to organize my lists. So when someone offers to show me software that allows me to make more lists, I just can’t resist taking a look at it. When SplashData asked if I’d like to take a look at SplashNotes, I was definitely interested. I have been using other programs from SplashData for quite a few years, starting with their password keeper program, SplashID, and find that their software tends to have a nice, consistent aesthetic. SplashNotes is a no-frills note taker with outline capabilities. You can…

Reviews

Switch Easy Torrent for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

SwitchEasy has quickly become my favorite manufacturers of cases for the iPhone 3G/3GS. They’re super stylish designs fit the phone as well as any case on the market and always come with that little box of goodies that switch easy includes in every case. The SwitchEasy Neo, for iPhone, was one of the first cases I ever reviewed on my YouTube channel. Admittedly I wasn’t a huge fan of it but since then I’ve learned from my mistakes and now consider Switch Easy one of the premier case companies. The Torrent case is one of SwitchEasy’s newest offerings. Born from…

Reviews

Active Media Wink USB Drive Review

One of the things I like to do when attending shows like CES is collect flash memory press kit thumbdrives to use again once I get home. In years past, it was considered a huge score if I was given a drive larger than 1GB, and this year I actually got several which were 2GB – along with a single 4GB drive, but alas … the thrill was almost gone, because at home I had a 16GB flash drive which was smaller and cuter than anything I was handed at CES.

Reviews

Pong radiation reducing case for iPhone Review

Are you concerned about cell phone radiation? Radiation is a form of energy. Your cell phones antenna emits powerful radiation in order to send and receive signals to and from its wireless network. According to researchers the problem with this is some of this energy radiates from the antenna into your head. Sound scary? You might want to check out the Pong radiation at reducing cell phone case for the iPhone. While at CES 2010 I met with the makers of Pong, and they presented me with one of their cases for review. Here are my thoughts …

Reviews

The Netbook Gamer: Torchlight (2009, RPG)

One comment I received when I started the Netbook Gamer series was that it was as much a ‘Retroscpectives of My Favorite Games’ series as anything else … and to an extent that is true (though the next entry will be a game I never played before). The problem is that Netbooks are not designed pumping out pixels in a way that is needed for modern games. However, every once in a while something comes along that works – and when I started playing Torchlight and saw a ‘Netbook Mode’ under visual options I was thrilled. So is the game…

Reviews

ProCamera Basic for iPhone Review

One of the lacking points of the iPhone is often the camera. Even though there have been improvements made with the 3GS camera, it is still lacking. Many apps are available to change the camera UI, edit photos or improve the experience. I have used many of these apps with mixed results. One problem with the camera is getting clear shots without blur from shaking. Lets face it, holding the small phone still enough to get a great shot is not like bracing yourself with a nicely weighted DSLR. ProCamera Basic proves to address some of the basic photo taking…

Reviews

Pelican i1015 iPhone and iPod touch case Review

Allow me to set the scene. You’re sitting on the beach in a faraway tropical location sipping on a fancy frozen drink, while listening to tunes streaming from your iPod touch which is resting gently on your towel. Looks good right? That is until the family of six comes marching by with a horde of beach toys, chairs, karts, umbrellas etc. kicking sand all over your precious Apple product along the way. Pelican has been in the business of protecting gizmos and gadgets for over 20 years. Their heavy-duty cases our industry known as ones that offer the maximum amount…

Reviews

4iThumbs Tactile Keyboard for iPhone

photo courtesy of cultofmac.com The idea is pretty clever: You take a thin clear plastic layer, much like a screen saver, and give it a few “bumps” to force your finger into the correct locations, and you will make typing on the iPhone a better experience. 4iThumbs has done just that. They released their Tactile Keyboard for iPhone to help you in typing better and faster on the iPhone without obscuring your vision of what’s on the screen. Does it work? Read on…

Reviews

Reason to jailbreak #89: Infinidock

Still looking for a reason to jailbreak? Infinidock is an incredibly helpful utility for the iPhone OS. In my opinion it might just be the most useful add-on application released for the iPhone to date. The concept is quite simple. Infinidock allows you to place any number of icons (up to 10) in your dock. And then turns your dock into its very own springboard allowing you to swipe and scroll through the various icons. You may also, in the settings, configure, the number of icons you see on your dock by default. For example, if you place 10 icons…

Reviews

DVD Box Set Review: Complete Fawlty Towers Collection

… or was that WA RTY TOWELS … or perhaps WATERY FOWLS … or maybe even FLAY OTTERS? Whatever the sign outside said, you knew that once inside the lobby you were in for some hilarious and cringe-worthy shenanigans with Basil Fawlty and the rest of the gang! Now you can enjoy all twelve episodes in a three-disk collection that also includes gobs of extras!

Reviews

Griffin Elevator Review

Surviving marathon sessions working on your computer is all about comfort. Putting yourself in the proper viewing and reaching position goes along way towards keeping your body feeling good. Ergonomics! According to Griffin Technology, Healthycomputing.com, the premier source for office ergonomics, recommends positioning the top of your screen level with your eyes and sitting at least an arm’s length distance from the screen. Both of these key ergonomic standards are made possible using The Griffin Elevator with an external keyboard.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2010 Ram Heavy Duty

As the automotive industry prepares for the 2010 North American International Auto Show I thought I would lead my ‘teen’ reviews with the vehicle that garnered truck of the year honors, the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty. Notice I did not say “Dodge Ram” as the vehicle brand. Chrysler has chosen to spin its truck division apart from the Dodge world and simply call it “Ram.”

Reviews

Nexus One First Impressions

After having seen the Nexus One in the flesh prior to it being launched, I knew that I would have to order one as soon as it officially launched. As soon as the online store went live during the presentation, I placed an order for the unlocked version, as my T-Mobile family plan doesn’t qualify for the subsidized version. Read on for more thoughts on the ordering and delivery process, some unboxing photos, and some initial thoughts on the Nexus One hardware and Android 2.1. The Ordering Process The Google launch event was not quite a rock star event like…

Reviews

Mr. Puzzle Genius 3D Puzzle for iPhone / iPod Touch

It’s no mystery that I’m a fan of casual gaming. So I was excited when recently I was given a copy of Mr. Puzzle Genius 3D Puzzle for iPhone. This game looked like it might be a real challenge with possibly lasting play value. So did it hold up to the hype? Let’s take a look…

How to Do It Yourself!, Reviews

Staying Motivated: Learning a Language on a Budget, Week Six

photo credit: woodleywonderworks So you’ve been at this language learning thing for a while now and you find yourself losing interest – or getting too busy – or whatever the case may be! Now a few days or even weeks have gone by and you need to get yourself back into studying again. One of the most important things in learning a language is to keep working at it and using it. If you don’t, you will start to lose what you’ve learned already. So how do you keep yourself motivated? How do you keep things interesting? This week, I’ll…