Reviews | Gear Diary

The Barnes & Noble nook; or how I managed to completely waste my Saturday on a piece of over-hyped hardware

The Barnes & Noble nook eBook Reader has been touted by some as a Kindle-killer, and after what seemed like a ridiculously long wait, when mine finally showed up today I was ready to be wowed. It’s not that I don’t already enjoy reading eBooks on my Kindle DX (Kevin is using the Kindle2) and on my iPhone, it’s just that the nook was the “next new big thing”, and I allowed myself to be caught up in the excitement. I was perhaps a week later ordering mine than many were, because I found out that American Express Rewards offers…

Reviews

Christmas Sudoku for the iPhone/iPod Touch Review

I love to play Sudoku. There’s something about the challenge of getting all those pieces of the puzzle into the right combination that appeals to my inner geek. Keeping with the season (if you celebrate Christmas, that is), I felt compelled to check out the release of Christmas Sudoku from 99 Games. 99 Games was nice enough to give me a copy to check out!

Reviews

Review: The treasures of Montezuma 2 for the iPhone/iPod Touch

I’ll admit it. I really like playing games on the iPhone. This time around, Alawar Games sent me a copy of Montezuma 2 to take a look at. So again, I’ll make an a small admission and mention that I never played the original Montezuma, but I have played many of these match-three type of games like “Bejeweled” or “Alchemize”. So let’s take a look at this one!

Reviews

ScoopFree Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box Review

Editor’s Note: This is a joint review between Adrian and Jessica. Adrian’s comments will be in black, and Jessica’s will be in blue italics Multi-tasking seems to be one of my strong points…work 40 plus hours a week, chase around a toddler, coach high school sports, have a small business, and have family priorities that put me in and out of Dr appointments and hospitals at least once a week…so honestly what else can I add? Oh … let’s throw in mowing the lawn, maintaining the house, and helping my wife with the everyday chores (ok so I duck as…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Jaguar and Land Rover spice things up but hold the curry

They may not be serving hamburgers at the corporate cookouts anymore, but luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover still have the heart and soul of the British Isles. The 2008 purchase by India’s largest automaker Tata is yet to be readily apparent and each luxury brand is still about two-thirds UK sourced and about one-fifth German. For 2010, each line gets some minor touchups (OK, the Jag XJ is all new, and Land Rover upgrades LR3 to a 4), but the biggest news is under the hood. New V-8 engines all around for the two brands, complete with more power…

Reviews

Review: Blue Microphone’s enCore 100 and 200

Blue has long made studio mikes and other devices like the Blue Eyeball web cam with a focus on quality construction and great audio. Now they are trying to enter the live performance arena with their brand new enCore series of Microphones. Blue was kind enough to send me samples of both the enCore 100 and the enCore 200 stage mikes. Are they going to be good enough to unseat the venerable Shure SM57 and SM58? Let’s find out.

Reviews

Joby Launches Gorillacam iPhone Camera App

I’ve been using my GorillaPod flexible tripod more and more. It works great with my iPhone and came in super-handy when I was using a number of iPhone camera apps while on vacation last week. Well Joby, the company behind the GorillaPod has released a free iPhone camera app. It is free, offers some nice features, works great and… did I mention… it is free!

Reviews

Gboard Review: Gmail at lightening fast speeds

I recently made the move to making G-Mail my full time e-mail client. In conjunction with the move, I also stopped using the Mac OS Mail application and am strictly reading and writing my e-mail via the G-Mail web based client. The transition has take some getting used to. Reading and writing via the G-Mail site is a different experience than doing so via a regular mail application. Simply put, it takes a heck of a lot more mouse movements and clicks when using the web based G-Mail method. When I first spotted the Gboard I immediately knew it was…

Reviews

Proporta Antimicrobial Silicone Case for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

Ever since the H1N1 virus made national headlines, it seems more and more people are becoming uber-germ conscious. I can’t seem to turn my head without spotting another bottle of hand sanitizer strategically placed near the front of some store or by the check out lines. Computer keyboards and mobile phones are some of the worst offenders when it comes to spreading germs around. According to Proporta the average mobile phone has close to 26,00 germs on it per square inch! Yuck! To help protect you from these germs they’ve released an Antimicrobial Silicone Case for the iPhone 3G and…

Reviews

iClassic Review: iPod Classic Emulator for iPhone OS

While it’s true the iPod which is bundled on the iPhone and iPod Touch is pretty slick, sometimes you just have to break it down “old scho0l.” Check out my video demo of “iClassic” for jailbroken iPhones, which emulates the iPod Classic in every which way right on your iPhone. It’s just amazing.

Game Diary, Reviews

iAssociate Lite for iPhone/Touch App Review

I have begun to like playing puzzle games, especially word games. Maybe I am getting old, but games that require thought have become more fun for me. I have reviewed many different types of puzzle games, including several word games but iAchieve has turned out to be not only fun and addictive but very unique. One of my Sophomore students showed me iAchieve Lite and told me I must try it because she thought I would love it. She was correct! I was instantly addicted.

eBooks, Reviews

First Impressions of the Barnes & Noble nook

All day I have been perking up at the sound of trucks on the street, each time hoping it would be the UPS truck delivering my much-anticipated Christmas present from my wonderful husband–the brand new Barnes & Noble nook eBook reader. My husband pre-ordered my nook on the very first day, so I knew I would get it before December 9. I did a little dance of joy yesterday to learn that he had gotten the tracking number for the shipment and that the nook was winging its way to me overnight!

Reviews

Review: Blue Microphone’s Mikey iPod Microphone

I have tried at least 2 different iPod recording solutions since the invention of the dock connector. The first one was the Belkin Tune Talk. I loved it and it allowed me to record a podcast away from my computer. Well it met an untimely demise in a toilet. Yeah it got flushed accidently. That’s all I will say about that. The next one was the Griffin iTalk Pro. Griffin no longer makes this, but I loved using it as well. However, a great new challenger has come to challenge Belkin for iPod/iPhone recording microphone superiority. It is from…

Reviews

PC Game Review: Risen

A recent trend in games has been altering the naming structure to try to either dissociate with older games or mask how many games have preceded the release. Recent examples include the indeterminate ‘Wolfenstein’, the third Red Faction game being called Guerrilla, and the removal of he ‘Call of Duty’ from much of the ‘Modern Warfare 2’ advertising. Now we have Risen. Risen is the fourth entry by developer Pyranha Bytes in the classic Gothic game franchise that … what? Huh? Really … are you sure? Hmmm … well apparently Risen is NOT part of the Gothic series. I just…

Reviews

The Netbook Gamer: Star Wars: Mysteries of the Sith (1998, FPS)

While in theory this could be game could have been called Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith expansion, fortunately it was just called Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith and is easily abbreviated as MotS. It was released in early 1998, a mere four months after the release of a game still marked as one of the best first-person shooters of all time, and despite getting lower reviews than that game it remains a fan favorite and a standout release for an expansion pack. Yes, and since it was released more than ten…

Reviews

iBend iPhone/iPod touch Stand Review

When Larry posted news about the iBend’s release, he hit the nail on the head with regard to the iPhone accessory’s main draw. As he put it “not everything in life has to be fancy”. He was right and no one could say the iBend is fancy. A few months after its initial release however, the iBend did get a bit fancier with the release of their new Artists Series. These added some artistic flair to the accessory and $1 to the $4.99 price of the “iBend Classic”. We got our hands on one of the iBend Artist Series stands;…

eBooks, Reviews

Questia iPhone App Review

When I first downloaded and played with Questia, I thought, “I don’t get it.” I understood that it offered access to loads of academic humanities texts, and had a free public domain section, but what was the value in it? You could hit up your university library if you needed to do research, and public domain books are available in loads of places. Then I had the chance to talk with Tim Harris, CEO of Questia, and that’s where I learned the true value of this application. “We are a research library, for people who want to access as much…

Reviews

NFL Quarterback Challenge for iPhone OS Review

As a youngster I can remember watching various NFL quarterbacks compete in challenge events during the off season. Often times the events took place in Hawaii or some other tropical paradise and I had dreams of being my favorite signal caller competing in the various challenge events. The NFL and ProAppSports recently announced the immediate availability of NFL Quarterback Challenge game for the iPhone OS. The game allows you to test your QB skills and accuracy as you navigate the QB of your favorite NFL team through a series of challenges just like those old TV specials. NFL Quarterback Challenge…

Game Diary, Reviews

iFarm for iPhone/Touch App Review

Attention Farmville and FarmTown fans! Many of us spend way too much time on Facebook. If much of that time is spent on one of these farm simulation games, do I have an app for you! This summer I did fall into the Farm Town trap and spent (wasted) a lot of time harvesting and planting crops in hopes to buy more stuff and a larger piece of land. Yes, there is no point, but for some reason it is extremely addicting. So, how about taking this addicting waste of time mobile!?! iFarm will give you the chance!

Reviews

The Motorola T215 Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone Review

Laws are continuously evolving to deal with technology and the potential hazards of using it while driving. As a consequence, it is now considered unsafe in many states – or it has been made illegal – to drive without some kind of hands-free solution when using a mobile phone. Many people are wearing headsets, but there is another option if you aren’t yet ready to embrace your inner Borg – a Bluetooth speaker system for your automobile. Say hello to the Motorola T215 Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone; let’s take a look at the hardware, and then I’ll tell you how…

Reviews

Universal iPhone/iPod Cradle from USBFever Review

iPhone and iPod docks are great. They keep your device upright while charging and syncing which allows you to easily access them. They look cleaner on your desk and there’s no fussing with cables or connector plugs that might become damaged from overuse. But docks are not without flaws. Many docks are device specific. One that you purchase for your iPhone may not fit your iPod Classic and so forth. Another problem is cases. Most of us carry our devices protected in some sort of case. Often these cases prevent the device from fitting properly on the dock which means…