Reviews

Dexim P-Flip for iPhone & iPod Touch Review

If you follow me here on Gear Diary you probably know I’m quite fond of convergence devices.  I really like when manufacturers release new, innovative products that complete more than one task.  Maybe it’s the fact that these devices lighten the load in my gear bag, maybe it’s the fact that as I get older I prefer to have to remember to pack less things.  Either way I appreciate these multi-function gadgets. Dexim has a variety of convergence devices for the iPhone & iPod Touch and they were kind enough to give my one of their newest to review. The…


Amazon Kindle for PC Review

(courtesy of Amazon.com) Just a few short weeks ago Amazon announced the Kindle was coming to PCs, and today it landed! Windows-only for now, with Mac OS X support promised “shortly”, Kindle for PC represents Amazon’s first attempt to strike back against Barnes and Noble’s eBook expansion. Does it succeed? I’ve been playing with it all day, read on for my review and thoughts!


An iPhone/iPod cable that withstands a beating

From what I understand it’s a fairly common problem with the iPhone & iPod charge and sync cable.  It’s also a problem that causes both costly and aggravating results. After pulling it out from the dock connector of your device countless times, the wire that connects to the dock plug becomes damaged.  It’s simply not built all that heavy duty and the stress from pulling and pushing on the cord over and over again breaks it down.


Unboxing – Seagate’s FreeAgent Go and DockStar

Seagate was kind enough to send me both the FreeAgent Go and the FreeAgent DockStar to review and the continue using. I’m quite impressed with the combination which now allows me to access over 600GB of content from anywhere in the world. Here is a quick unboxing video…


Archos 5 Internet Tablet: A Tale Of Woe In Two Parts…

I love tablets. I used a Windows Tablet PC for years and have been chomping at the bit for the Apple tablet. The iPhone and iPod touch have been and are awesome, but I have been longing for something a bit larger. When the Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android came along, I thought it just might be the ticket. Here was a slick slate tablet with a 4.8“ touchscreen with 800*480 resolution. The 32GB model is just thin and light and… it runs Android. I bit. It is an impressive device. But is it a “keeper”?


Vijay Iyer – Historicity (Jazz CD, 2009) Review

Because of – or perhaps in spite of – the fact that my musical tastes fall well outside of the mainstream, I have always been suspicious of something that has become the ‘latest critical darling’, even when it is from an artist I love. In recent years I remember buying ‘River: The Joni Letters’ on release because of the artist making the recording (Herbie Hancock), his guests (Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove and vocalists Norah Jones, Tina Turner), and of course the subject of the tribute (Joni Mitchell). I played it a few times, since nothing really ‘stuck’ the…


iSkin Vibes and Vibes FX for Blackberry 8900 and 9000 – Review

Shock One- Elana agreed to give up her Palm Centro and try a Blackberry Shock Two- She “loves it”!! and would not go back to the Centro now Shock Three- My wife who hates using a case has found one she LOVES thanks to iSkin. She seriously loves the iSkin Vibes case I was sent for her to try and review so here’s a look at the iSkin Vibes for Blackberry Curve 8900 and Bold.


Archibald’s Adventure by Rake in Grass for Windows Phone Review

Introduction Archibald’s Adventure is a unique action puzzle platform game. The story of Archibald’s Adventure goes something like this:- Archibald and his friends were near a dump behind a mysterious mansion of inventor – professor Klumpfus. Accidentally Archie fell down a pipe and ended up in professor’s basement. In the same time some crazy experiment went wrong and all genetically engineered creatures escaped from their containment in laboratories, while paranoid central computer locked the whole complex up! Now both Archibald and professor got stuck in the mansion! It’s up to you to help Archie to overcome all of the pitfalls…


Speck PortPack Shoulder Bag – Notebook Accessory Review

I’m a huge fan of Speck’s various cases. On any given day there is likely to be a Speck case on my iPhone or my iPod touch and there is always a Speck shell on my MacBook Pro. I like the companies approach to design which, for the most part, is rather minimalist while offering superb protection and full accessibility to the device in question. Turns out, the company also makes some pretty slick bags for carrying your gear. They were kind enough to send me a review unit of their PortPack. I’ve been using it for a few days…


Book Review: Microsoft Windows 7 Unleashed by Paul McFedries

A few week ago, I received a copy of this book to review. I’ll admit it, I’m primarily a Mac user, but I use Windows XP at work, and I run it on my Mac in a VMWare session so I can support my Windows Mobile devices and do those things that are available only for Windows. And yeah, I’m one of the many, many, people who played with the Windows 7 betas – and I like it. Not enough to give up my Mac, but it’s nice to see what Vista should have been finally come to fruition. It’s…


Genius G-Pen M609X Multimedia Tablet Review

I’ve always wanted to try a graphics tablet and was appreciative when Genius was willing to send me a G-Pen M609X to review and then continue using. When I opened the box I was immediately impressed. The tablet looks good, is well designed and, while light, feels quite sturdy. I’ve been using it for a while now and have to say it is rather impressive. Costing just under $110 at Walmart, it is priced far more competitively than many of the Wacom tablets (the small Bamboo pen tablet is currently $230 at Amazon while offering excellent and versatile functionality. Let’s…


The Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset Review

photos by Kevin It seems as if finding the perfect Bluetooth headset has become a never-ending quest for me; it’s not just about finding one that keeps me from sounding like a fish in a barrel anymore, it’s also about finding one that fits my ear without making me look like a telephone operator or worse – a borg.  Just to make things really difficult, so many headsets seem to fall into one of two camps: ridiculously complicated and over-featured or utterly simplistic and featureless. Finding a headset that strikes a balance between sound, comfort, and features has become my…


Review: Kanex High Capacity Battery for the T-Mobile G1

After using the G1 for about three months, I came to one conclusion.  The battery life just sucks.  You can’t get through a day with light use and if you are a heavy user, like myself, you will need to charge before you even get halfway through a day.  The Kanex High Capacity Battery for the G1 solves this and gives a heavy G1 user like myself all day battery life.


Boost Mobile i9 Review; Thin, Solid and Dependable

I stopped into my local Best Buy this afternoon and was amazed at the great selection of prepaid cellular phones. As recently as a year ago, the prepaid phone aisle was limited to cheap plastic throwaways. Fast forward to now, and the shelves are lined with current-model BlackBerry and Motorola phones available on no-contract prepaid plans.   Boost Mobile has been one of the leaders in selling affordable prepaid phones that don’t make you ashamed to use them in public.


Thrustmaster Sports Pack – Review

I love the Wii I received for my birthday last year. I never cease to be amazing by its motion-sensing controls and the remarkable flexibility of the system. I’m not a golfer in real life but on the Wii… love it. I’m not a tennis player in real life… but in my den I sure am, thanks to the Wii. Yes, with the Wii I can fight dragons, play tennis and then, minutes later start a workout routine. Until now, however, I used the Wii Remote and imagined it was a golf club, a tennis racket or a sword. Thanks…


HTC’s Sprint Hero Review

To watch the commercials for the Verizon Droid, being released tomorrow morning, one might get the impression that this is the very first android handset to be released. It certainly has garnered more attention and excitement and previous devices, but there are already a number of android handsets on the market that are actually quite good. I recently had a chance to spend a week with Sprint’s version of the HTC hero, and I found myself more than a bit impressed. So with that in mind, I thought we might take a good look at a fantastic Android device that’s…


WaterField Zune HD Suede Case is thin, versatile and convenient

, I’m a big fan of getting outside and walking. I find that listening to music or podcasts helps to pass the time, so like most people with MP3 players I always take my iPhone or Zune HD with me. I have recently started carrying my Zune HD because I love Zune Pass, which provides for nearly unlimited music downloads and automatically creates artist mixes – even from music I don’t own. WaterField’s new suede jacket is the perfect fit for my Zune HD. It’s thin enough to act as a shield and fits inside other WaterField cases.


Tuxdroid the Open Source Robot Review

I have often wanted to buy one of those Ambient Devices Judie blogged about a few weeks ago.  I’ve also wanted a Nabaztag as well, since they are cute and can do some really cool stuff like play mp3 files or provide e-mail alerts.  I don’t want either anymore, thanks to kysoh.com who sent me a Tuxdroid that is not only very cute, but is also based on open source software.


Enlighten, Case-Mate’s Gorgeous New Lighted Kindle2 Cover

photos by Kevin One of the things that I love about the Kindle – its eInk screen – is also one of the things that makes using the Kindle a bit difficult when lighting is poor. It seems silly in a way to complain about not being able to read a book in the dark, because it certainly isn’t something anyone could do with the dead tree version, but there are a couple of reasons I think it chafes more than expected when people read from non-backlit devices. I think many who use eReaders have also experienced reading on other…


Skee-Ball for iPhone/Touch App Review

I recently took my oldest son and a few of his buddies to Incredible Pizza in San Antonio for his 5th birthday.  We started with the pizza of course, but the boys could hardly contain themselves just staring into the game room.  Once I let them hit the games, we headed straight for the skee-ball.  They decided tickets were what they were after so they could get some wax lips and parachute men, you know the good stuff.  I can think of no better way to earn tickets in a game room than play skee-ball.  The game has been one…


Real Deer Hunting for iPhone OS Review

Sunstorm Games developed the very first deer hunting game back in 1997.  I can remember playing the game on one of my Motorola flip phones, using the phone’s center navigation pad to move and the OK button to fire. Times have certainly changed.  The iPhone has brought cell phone games to a whole new level.  Real Deer Hunting, Sunstorm’s latest title, is described as a game that “boasts realistic deer behavior, outstanding graphics and the most immersive hunting experience.” Does the game’s revival live up to the iPhone experience?  Read on to find out.