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…
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…
Are you ever out running errands or shopping, see an item in a store, and think, “hey, that would make a great gift for ______ …?” It definitely happens to me. The problem is that I pretty quickly forget about that great idea and when the intended recipient’s birthday or Christmas rolls around, I’m in a cold sweat, trying to figure out what to get them. Just before Christmas, Zicron Software released Gift Box, an iPhone application intended to help folks like me stay organized at birthday and holiday times. Zicron Software is still pretty new to the world of…
I have a confession to make. I like penguins. Part of this is I am a Linux user and Tux, the Linux mascot, is a penguin. The other part is they are so darn cute. That’s why I decided to take a look when Arimaz offered to send a sample of MyDeskFriend AKA Pingo. Part Tamagotchi, part Facebook app, part Tux Droid and all cute. That about sums up this tiny robot that fits in your hand. MyDeskFriend comes with a little USB docking station, Pingo the Penguin and a little rubber visor that Pingo wears.
Jabra None of the previous Bluetooth headphones that I have had the chance to use have really felt “right”. Many of them were either just like two enormous earbuds in each ear tethered to each other with a wire behind my head, or were too large to chuck in my slender laptop bag that I carted to uni everyday. The idea of cutting the cord between my head and my pocket was a good one, but there were just too many drawbacks. That’s until I tried the Jabra Halo, which has brought me that much closer to wireless freedom. The…
I just bought my Droid a few weeks ago, and I’ve been testing various programs and getting acquainted with Android 2.0. In the stock configuration, 2.0 only has 3 “home screens” for widgets and quick app access. A few quick scans around various Android forums, and I found out about one “home replacement” program that seemed to add a lot of functionality in addition to an extra home screen: DXTop.
The Cotton Hoodie from Scottevest has an MSRP of $70 and is available now. Now I know what you’re thinking — $70 is a little bit expensive for a cotton hoodie. And, in most cases you’re absolutely correct. A quick Google search for the garment yields a host of various offerings that are, for the most part significantly less than $70. Then again, those hoodies aren’t from Scottevest. Those hoodies don’t combine comfort with the kind of organizational system SEV is known for. So yes, this particular garment comes at a slight premium cost-wise but what you get for that…
When I still regularly used a Windows Mobile device, PhatNotes by PhatWare was typically one of the first programs that I installed on a new device. I now use an iPhone much of the time rather than Windows Mobile. I’ve tried several notes programs for the iPhone, and while many of them are quite good, none have quite hit the mark for me. I like being able to group notes of similar topics, and being able to synchronize easily with desktop software is handy also. So, when PhatWare offered Gear Diary a chance to examine their newly released version of…
With all the restrictions on what you can and can not carry on airplane flying around, there’s one thing that seems certain. The less you pack the better of you’ll be. As I get my gear bag ready for CES 2010 I’m faced with a mountain of charging cables that I’ll need to stuff into my bag. One thing that will help is the Contour reCharge Universal. The reCharge Universal is a home charger and car charger in one which allows you to simultaneously charge two devices via a USB cable. The reCharge comes with an iPhone/iPod cable, but it…
When I had my house built in 1998, one thing I wanted but could not afford at the time was a programmable thermostat. Thankfully, Trane was kind enough to send one that I probably would not have considered, the Trane XL800. The first thing I had to do was install the thermostat. To do so, I had to turn off my HVAC system — which mean going into the depths of my garage and flipping the breakers. Then I went back inside, removed the existing thermostat and replaced it with the programmable thermostat. Make sure to pull the little plastic strip out…
Are you an Apple fan-boy? Are you all Apple, all the the time? If you are then you probably think that Apple’s icons are part of what make’s their operating system so nice to look at. Now you can look at your Apple’s icons, dare I even say you can snuggle with them, when you’re away from your computer. How? Throwboy makes handmade pillows usually in the shape of Mac related icons. The pillows are available in two sets. There’s the icon collection, chat collection and they also make an individual RSS pillow. This holiday season I received the full…
AppVault Pro was released December 29 by C3 Software. The vault contains 25 applications for the price of one. Yes, there have been similar applications containing several smaller apps but often times those apps have a lower quality from a standalone app. After spending the day with AppVault Pro I have to say this is a well polished app with some very good content. Check out what is included for the one low price after the break.
Judie: As you may recall, I received my Camangi WebStation yesterday afternoon. Other than downloading some of my eReader library to it, I wasn’t able to spend as much time with the tablet as I might have liked before previously made plans drew me away. This morning I was greeted with tweets and links pointing to Michael Smith’s review, where he calls the Camangi a “total fail” because (among other reasons) it isn’t as fast as his first gen iPhone and because it doesn’t browse the internet as quickly as the Hackintosh he likes to couch surf from. Michael has…
A few months ago I reviewed Arcade Hockey for the iPhone, and found it well done but with some basic flaws that made it hard to recommend. Since then a couple of things have happened. First off, my kids had a go at two-player mode, and more recently the developers came out with a new version that makes use of the new ‘freemium’ in-game purchase capabilities as well as other things. Since BrainJuice had been kind enough to provide the review code for the original, I went ahead and ‘updated’ to the new version to take a look.
In my weekly search for the next Blue Plate Special, I search through the iTunes rankings and search newly released apps. I try several apps before deciding on one that is worthy of the Blue Plate tag. This week, my wife, (who never pays much attention to my weekly search) told me she had an app for me for the Blue Plate Special. It seems that Totemo has caught the attention of every free moment of her time. For a week or so she has been fiddling with her iPhone while she stands in the kitchen, while I was shopping…
I recently posted on the upcoming release of Kingdom of Gnester, and now the game is released on the App Store and there has even been an update. So after the excitement and anticipation, how is the game? Read on and find out!
It seems like it took forever, but my Camangi WebStation finally showed up today. Dan’s is out for delivery, so in the meantime, he is processing the raw video I’ve uploaded of my unboxing. While we wait for that, here are some pictures. I haven’t done anything other than unbox the Camangi, turn it on … and marvel at it before plugging it in So without further ado, here are some pictures. Video and more impressions from Dan and me will be up shortly. 🙂
I have to admit, I am not a big fan of music that uses Auto-Tune. On the other hand, I found the Ocarina app from Smule to be fascinating. Of course I had to briefly learn the Legend of Zelda theme. The app is truly amazing. With that in mind, I decided to try out the I Am T-Pain app. Whether you like the genre of music or not, the app works well. Two of my students, Kelsey and Danielle, gave it a try. Both of them can sing and Smule was able to transform them into virtual hip-hop stars.
Through my search of Blue Plate applications I have learned two things. First, there are some great games and apps available for $.99 or less. Second, well executed simple design makes for a better app than one who tries to throw in the kitchen sink. Zlider falls into this category. The gameplay is a simple concept, but with plenty of challenge and nice graphics they present a really fun game. Guide the little meteoroid through the galaxy and prevent him from colliding with the walls of blue and red stars. You need a bunch of coordination skills with this game…
Aerial7 is a company that specializes in stylish headphones that are meant to compliment your lifestyle. I just finished up a review on their Chopper2 headphones. I was also lucky enough to receive one of their Sound Disk Beanies. Since many of us are fighting off the chill of winter with a few extra layers of clothing, it only makes sense to take advantage of more “tech-enabled” clothing. The Sound Disk Beanie fits into that mold by integrating headphones right in the beanie, so you can stay warm and listen to your music collection without having to mess with separate…
Aerial7 recently provided us with the Chopper2 headphones to review. The headphones provide a nice retro styling, and fit over the ear. Apparently, Aerial7 Choppers are very popular with athletes and professional DJ’s. Now, I’m not anywhere near the same league as snow boarder Heikki Sorsa, or DJ Neil Armstrong — who is the DJ for rapper Jay-Z (I actually was pretty excited when I glossed over the press release accompanying the review unit, thinking that it was astronaut Neil Armstrong who used the headphones, but I digress). The Chopper2 combines a vintage look with what Aerial7 states are “sneaker-inspired aesthetics.” I…