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Reviews November 25, 2009

YUBZ Magnum Review: Hands Free Calling and Audio Via Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology is often underused in my eyes. For a long time there was no use beyond sending ring tones and talking over a wireless ear piece. As of late, this technology has found greater utilization allowing for wireless syncing in vehicles and even multi-player gaming. Using Bluetooth to listen to music has become a great option while on the go or for wireless listening. The YUBZ Magnum takes several of these technologies and combines them in one attractive device. I was hesitant before testing the unit since crossover devices often do not successfully execute both tasks. Here’s how I…

Reviews November 25, 2009

ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler Review

If you have a desktop replacement laptop, you will know that they definitely get very hot. So hot that they have even been known to induce burns when they come in contact with skin. So hot that even Apple recommends not to use your MacBook on your lap. Laptop coolers have been on the market for quite a while to help with this, however most of them want you to use a USB port for power and reducing your battery life. The new ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler is designed to take the heat away from your laptop and keep it away…

Reviews November 25, 2009

Jabra Stone – Unboxed and Reviewed

The Jabra Stone Bluetooth headset came out a few weeks ago. It is, by far, one of the most unusual Bluetooth headsets we have seen. Larry and I have been using it for a little while, and we’ve found that it has some significant pluses and minuses. Let’s take a look.

Reviews November 25, 2009

PhotoCopy Mobile by Wizcode for Windows Phone Review

Most of you usually use your device’s in-built camera for catching some quick shots of friends and phone numbers, but have you ever thought of using it as a scanner? Honestly, I never really had until not too long ago when Wizcode released their latest application, PhotoCopy Mobile. PhotoCopy Mobile uses your Windows Phone’s in-built camera as a scanner, allowing you to ‘scan’ documents on-the-go, converting them into PDF files, which you can then archive or email. Features:- Archive and share documents on the go Photocopy text, magazine pages or other printed materials Scan business cards, recipes, meeting memos or…

Reviews November 24, 2009

HP MediaSmart Server EX495 Review

Back in August, I reviewed the HP MediaSmart Server LX195. I, the resident Linux Geek here at Gear Diary, was pleasantly surprised by how useful the little server was. Even so, I still thought there was a little something missing from that great device. HP has addressed a lot of this with the HP MediaSmart Server EX495.

Reviews November 24, 2009

Divine Divinity (2002, RPG) Review

or … Five Years Loving a Game With a Stupid Name. One of the quirky ‘top whatever’ lists that appears every now and then is the list of worst names for video games. And somewhere on every one of those lists is Divine Divinity. Yeah, it IS pretty obvious why. The game would also appear on another list – if someone could figure out how to name it. That list would be ‘best deep role playing game that fans of classic RPG’s have ignored because it features action-RPG combat and has a very difficult and long dungeon in the beginning.’…

Game Diary, Reviews November 24, 2009

Orba for iPhone/Touch App Review

My gaming tastes are either changing, or I have become a simple person in my older age. It seems the flurry of simple puzzle games not only entertain me, but also keep me addicted to the small bursts of gaming time I have. Orba is a simple screen clearing game. The premise is simple and has been seen in several games. Tap chains of three or more orbs in an attempt to clear the board.

Reviews November 23, 2009

InfeCCt iPhone Game Review

I like puzzle games quite a bit. I travel a lot, and so even though I enjoy things like Dark Nebula, Earthworm Jim (yay!), and Cro-Mag Rally, puzzle games like Myst or Beneath a Steel Sky or Bookworm or Glyph are better for me, as they are easy to stop in the middle, the time pressure isn’t a big issue, and I don’t have to worry about being jostled or hitting air-pockets and losing a life as a result. Thumb-twitch games are tough on the heavy traveler. So I’m big on puzzle games. (Also card games, but that’s another review.)…

Reviews November 23, 2009

Overboard & Snappy for the iPhone

For those of you who are running jail-broken iPhones take note. We’ve seen some really amazing releases over the last few days. I’ve chose to highlight two of them in the video below. Overboard, which is essentially a version of the Mac utility Expose, makes it really easy to jump around your iPhone’s various springboard pages. Overboard is available for $1.99 via the modmyi source. And Snappy allows you to quickly access the camera application from any screen including the lock screen allowing you to be able to quickly snap pictures when you choose. What’s really great about it you…

Reviews November 23, 2009

Oregon Scientific Marathon Walker Measures Your Progress Step By Step

The Marathon Walker from Oregon Scientific is a pedometer that measures the distance (steps or KM/Miles) you walk or run. Unlike other more basic pedometers the Marathon Walker uses accelerometer technology. This means you’ll obtain a reading whether you clip it to your belt or slip it into a pocket. I’m an avid walker so when the company sent us one to test I jumped at the chance.

Reviews November 22, 2009

First Impressions of the HTC HD2 Windows Phone

While at Mobius I had the opportunity to take a look at some of the cool phones other members were carrying. The iPhone 3G and 3GS were popular with many of us (that’s Alex‘s lovely wife gracing his iPhone’s screen), and the Motorola Droid (that’s Vincent with his beautiful wife Lynnsie, on his) was popular with quite a few others — even if nearly all of them were complaining about its keyboard. But the phone that every one of us was salivating to hold was the new HTC HD2; John Starkweather was kind enough to allow us all a little…

Reviews November 21, 2009

Coghlan’s Magnesium Firestarter Review

I really liked the Flint Striker from Coghlan’s I reviewed in September. It works really well but sometimes you need a little more. The Magnesium Firestarter from Coghlan’s not only gets the spark you need, but also provides you some tinder that burns a little hotter than dryer lint.

Reviews November 21, 2009

Seagate FreeAgent Go – Review

More and more of our digital lives is left sitting on our computers. As a result we need a better way to access it. Seagate has that covered with a system that is not only simple to use but simple to set up as well. It consists of three parts. The first is Seagate’s FreeAgent Go portable hard drive. (You can use any USB hard drive but the system is designed for the FreeAgent Go). The second is the FreeAgent DockStar that incorporates a PogoPlug for anywhere access to your data. The third, if you are an iPhone or iPod…

Reviews November 21, 2009

Review: Bolt Bags Netbook Cases

Netbooks are tiny. Finding a stylish netbook case is difficult. You can generally find sleeves and some smaller bags but sleeves generally fit your netbook a bit tight to fit the power cord too. If you want a mouse or a few other accessories, you can forget taking just a sleeve. Bolt Bags aims to change this with their new netbook line.

Reviews November 20, 2009

PSP Go! … or PSP No Go? Review

Sony has seen no end of bad press since just after they confirmed the early leak of the PSP Go. There was the lack of a second analog stick, the high price, the lack of clarity on what happened to UMD libraries, the price, and so on. But now the system has been released, and I’ve had it in my hands for several weeks and been able to evaluate the reality of things compared to the hype. So how does it measure up? Read on and find out.

Reviews November 19, 2009

Rescue Razzle for iPhone OS Review

Sunstorm Interactive is at it again with a new game for the iPhone OS. The company is quickly becoming one of my favorite game developers for the iPhone OS. With titles at only 99 cents a piece many of them are finding a permanent place on my phone. Rescue Razzle is a brainteasing, puzzle game where you are charged with rescuing a helpless rat named Razzle. Razzle is stuck inside a cage at the top of pyramid of wooden crates and other cages. The goal is to remove all the surrounding items allowing Razzle to safely to the ground. It’s…

Reviews November 18, 2009

Commodore 64 Emulator iPhone Game Review

I love classic games of all sorts. I still occasionally replay my copy of the original 1981 Castle Wolfenstein through an emulator and have always loved playing arcade games when the arcade collections are released. So when I heard that a Commodore 64 game emulation system was coming to the iTunes App Store, I was thrilled. Of course, that joy was short-lived as the app was approved but quickly pulled due to an exploit that allowed BASIC to run and potentially allow harmful code to execute (I know, I know, but still …). Anyway, recently Manomio have announced that a…

Reviews November 18, 2009

Review: Yurbuds Custom Fit Earbud Enhancers

The iconic iPod earbuds are either hated or loved depending on the person. Either you love them because they fit your ear well or you hate them because they hurt your ears. Yurbuds aims to change that with their new earbud enhancers.

Reviews November 18, 2009

Konnet HardJAC Graffito – iPhone Case Review

My favorite iPhone cases are those that are more a hard shell than a case. They take a minimalist approach to scratch protection and while they don’t offer much, if any, protection from life’s bumps and bruises, these snap-on cases don’t add much weight or bulk to the device. That’s a trade-off I’m willing to make. The latest snap-on shell I have been reviewing is a case from Konnet. The HardJAC Graffito is a three part-system that I really love using. (Well, more accurately loved since someone took a liking to it yesterday and, as a result, it is now…

Reviews November 18, 2009

Kensington K33926US Universal Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI and Ethernet Review

A lot of people are going to a laptop only computing experience. There are even some that are going to a netbook only experience as a netbook is all they need. Sometimes, however, it is nice to have a screen that is bigger than what a netbook can provide. The same can be said about the touchpad and the keyboard. Wouldn’t it be nice to plop your laptop or netbook down and have it attached to a 24 inch LCD? That’s where this dock comes in.

Reviews November 18, 2009

SiN (1998, FPS) Review

Context is everything. I hadn’t touched SiN since replaying SiN Gold when it was released for the Mac in 2000. Then they released the first ‘episode’ of SiN Episodes, called ‘Emergence‘ in 2006, which came with a Steam copy of ‘SiN 1? as it was called. Naturally I played some then as I waited for the release of the episode, but didn’t make it all the way through. Since it is now more than ten years since the original release, I thought it only appropriate that I should do a Retrospective for a franchise that has spent its’ life in…