Reviews

Reviews October 16, 2009

Review: MapQuest Navigator for iPhone

Last week, I took a look at MotionX GPS Drive. The hits just keep coming, and this week a big player stepped into the ring. MapQuest comes to us with a new off-board (maps are loaded over the Internet on the fly) navigation app which they have kindly allowed me to test drive. With the iPhone Navigation market getting quickly populated, I was curious to know how a big player like MapQuest would do in this space, especially given their long experience in mapping and route navigation. So let’s take a look!

Reviews October 16, 2009

Whac a Mole iPhone Game Review

I am 100% a child of the Jersey Shore…I have fond memories of begging my parents for a handful of quarters, which I then immediately blew on Skee Ball and Whac a Mole. Skee Ball was fun, but I have a terrible throwing arm, plus Whac a Mole would arm me with a hammer! So when Kiloo Apps offered Gear Diary the chance to review Whac a Mole for the iPhone, my inner 5 year old volunteered immediately! How did the iPhone game measure up to the real thing? Read on to find out!

eBooks, Reviews October 16, 2009

Disney Digital Books Review

It’s a ritual around my house, and I imagine it’s done in households everywhere — the bed time story. Whether one of my kids is laying down for a mid day nap or getting tucked in for the night, they always get a story before they close their eyes. With three girls at home we’ve become fans of many of the Disney characters, so when Disney Digital books asked us to review their new online service I jumped at the chance. Disney Digital Books provided me with a one month test subscription to try the service out at home with…

Reviews October 15, 2009

Review: Wolfenstein for PC, XBOX360 & PS3

As I’ve tossed out before while talking about the Wolfenstein iPhone releases, my history with Wolfenstein is nearly 30 years old. I’m not sure how I initially found out about it – it could have been an impulse buy at the local computer center – but from the moment I started playing Castle Wolfenstein on my Apple ][+ I was hooked. Locks that told you they would take 75 seconds to pick – and that was *real time*! During which you were vulnerable to the ever-roaming guard patrols. By the time Wolfenstein 3D came out in 1992 the gaming press…

Reviews October 14, 2009

Why I Love Roboform

One of my first favorite ‘free’ Internet programs was Claria’s “Gator”. What I naively found out later is, so far as I’m concerned, Gator essentially invented the Spyware industry. It originally allowed you to store passwords to all your websites so that rather than remember them, you could allow it to fill them in automatically. However, over time they started pushing pop-up ads onto your computer and started overwriting Google search results. Eventually people found out about the adware but the product itself actually worked until Gator was shut down in 2006. In came RoboForm which has nothing to do…

Reviews October 14, 2009

Review: MySims Agents for Wii

The Sims franchise has been a major powerhouse of sales and popularity on the PC for years, but has never really translated into success on consoles and handhelds, managing only modest sales and average reviews. As the franchise moved to the Wii in 2007 it was transformed into MySims, which removed all of the teen and adult-focused content and targeted a younger audience. The MySims franchise has been focused on the Nintendo platforms (aside from a single PC entry), and while it has been better than the dismal Nintendo DS entries, the response has still been mixed reviews and unspectacular…

Reviews October 14, 2009

Mobile RSS Free Google Reader for iPhone App Review

MobileRSS is a full featured Google Reader client for your iPhone & iPod touch. All you need to use MobileRSS is a free google reader account. We have built a great offline integration that you will find using MobileRSS is a wonderful experience. Two-way sync will help you to keep track of your favorite contents in a simple and elegant way. MobileRSS is designed in a way as the mail app comes with iPhone, very simple to use. Stay in sync with Google Reader about everything. (Subscriptions. Folders, Tags, All items, Read items, Starred items, Shared items, Notes, Unread count)…

How to Do It Yourself!, Reviews October 13, 2009

Rosetta Stone TOTALe Program, Week 7

Buenos Noches. This week I began Unit 3, Lesson 1, and as had happened when I began the previous other two, I was immediately immersed into a new world where unknown words were being thrown at me as if I should understand their meaning and context. But this time was armed with something I hadn’t had before — an ever expanding vocabulary. By paying attention to what was being written or said, even when I couldn’t understand much of it, I was able to pick out words I knew that helped put the unknown words into context, even when their…

Reviews October 13, 2009

PlanOn Printstik Bluetooth Printer for BlackBerry Review

Back in August, we wrote about the PlanOn Printstik Bluetooth printer for BlackBerry devices. This past week, PlanOn provided a review unit on loan, and allowed me to put it through its paces for several days. Now that the Printstik has been returned, what did I like about it? What could be improved? More importantly, is this an item that should be added to your gear for daily use? Let’s find out…

Reviews October 12, 2009

Novatel Mifi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot Review

I get asked an awful lot to name my favorite mobile device. My answer is usually the same. Well, I like this device for these things, or another device for those other things, but favorite device really depends upon what you want to do. I never found a device which was perfect for all things. Until now. Today, I am ready to name my favorite mobile device, and it is probably not what you expect. This one does not have a screen or a keyboard. It does not make phone calls. It does not access the Internet. What it does…

Reviews October 12, 2009

Tenqa SP-99 Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Speaker – Review

I am not one of those guys who thinks that everything goes better with Bluetooth. At the same time, I do see the usefulness of Bluetooth in a variety of items. I like using Bluetooth headset, have had some positive experiences with Bluetooth stereo headphones, and I swear by the Bluetooth speakerphone in the car. I had not, however, ever tried a Bluetooth portable speaker before taking a look at the TENQA SP-99 Bluetooth speaker. Am I sold on this Bluetooth gadget? Let’s take a look…

Reviews October 12, 2009

Add Personality And Run-time To Your Blackberry Bold With Case-Mate

I have really been enjoying the experience of using the Blackberry Bold over the last few weeks. It is a fantastic device for e-mail and IM;and the integration with Google voice, while not as good as you’ll find on a device running Android, is quite good. I cannot see giving up my iPhone, but I am glad to have the opportunity to use both devices in parallel. While I have not gotten into the practice of surrounding myself with accessories for the device in the way that I have with my iPhone, I have discovered a few key accessories that…

Reviews October 11, 2009

Agent18 Rolls Out Two New Cases For iPod Nano G5 – Review

Sure it was a bummer that the new iPod touch didn’t add any camera. We all expected that it would be coming with a camera and perhaps even a GPS chip, but we got neither. At the same time, there was a significant advantage to the fact that there were no external changes to the new iPod touch. All of the cases, batteries and other accessories we had purchased for the second-generation device still worked. Yes, I also would have preferred to have a camera but being able to continue using accessories was certainly a nice benefit. That’s not the…

Reviews October 10, 2009

Review: Case-Mate iPhone 3G / 3GS Barely There Clear Case – Review

I tend to be a bit of a minimalist when it comes to iPhone cases. I have tried a wide range of cases over the years including expensive leather cases, fancy cases that include a wallet, and everything in between. Time after time, however, I come back to the simplest, lightest and most low-profile cases I can find. Last week Larry was kind enough to send me Case-Mate’s Barely There Clear Case. Larry had ordered one for himself, and when it did not arrive in the expected time frame, the company’s excellent customer service overnighted him a new one and…

Reviews October 9, 2009

Review: Altec Lansing inMotion CLASSIC

I’ve never had a great iPod speaker. I bought a cheap one at Kroger that didn’t last a month. It also required you to have it hooked to the wall all the time which limited its use. The inMotion CLASSIC that Altec Lansing sent me solves both the quality issues with my old speakers and let’s me be free of the wall. While the inMotion CLASSIC isn’t the first speaker dock to have integrated batteries, it is my first one and that has to be my number one favorite feature of the inMotion CLASSIC. If I want some music while…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear October 9, 2009

2010 Acura RDX is a truly good sport

I am not sure just exactly who coined the phrase “sport utility vehicle” but I feel they were a bit remiss in the target segment they were identifying. Most of those giant grocery-getters of the past decade-and-a-half were anything BUT sporty. Fast forward to the 21st century and we have seen an entire new breed of SUVs, yet most have been redefined as crossover utility vehicles given the nature of configuring some form of cargo box on top of a car-based platform. We recently spent some time behind the wheel of the latest Acura RDX, junior sibling to the MDX…

Reviews October 9, 2009

Review: MotionX GPS Drive

I’ve been looking at iPhone GPS navigation applications for a while now, and some products need more work, and I’ve seen highly-polished products. One thing that continues to surprise me is that more companies keep jumping into the competition! One of the new entries is GPS Drive from the folks at MotionX. They were kind enough to send me a code for their $2.99 program (which comes with 30 days of live voice guidance) just in time for my semi-annual road trip to visit my mother – about a 1000 mile long trek. So lets take a look at how…

Reviews October 8, 2009

Nintendo DSi After a While Review

I had grand plans to do a review of the Nintendo DSi right after I bought it on release day back in April – I was going to take a quick look at the new cameras, SD slot, MP3 player, and the DSiWare store. But at the time I was in the middle of playing one of the better games the DS has seen – Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars, in my opinion the best game in the GTA series – and then I immediately started playing Broken Sword and Black Sigil and … well, time sort of got away,…

Reviews October 7, 2009

OtterBox Commuter Series cases for iPhone 3G & 3GS Review

OtterBox has always been one of my favorite case manufacturers. I use their Defender Series case for my iPhone 3GS religiously. My review of it was the very first article I wrote for Gear Diary. There’s no denying the Defender Series is a bulky case. While it provides an unparalleled level of protection for your device it also increases the overall size of your phone substantially. I realize the Defender series isn’t for everyone and OtterBox does as well. For this reason the company has just recently released two new cases, under their new Commuter line. The cases, the Commuter…

Reviews October 7, 2009

Hip Holster 6000 for Mophie Juice Pack™ Review

One of the most important accessories I carry day in and day out is the Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 3G and 3GS. ($79.95) It is light, doubles as a protective case, and its 1200 mAh battery adds up to 270 hours of standby time, for 4.5 hours of talk time (on 3G) and more. It is a great accessory to keep around, especially on days such as today, when I will be out and about for the next 12 to 14 hours. There is, however, one problem with the case/battery- it adds just enough bulk and weight but…

Reviews October 7, 2009

Word Scramble 2 for iPhone App Review

Scramble is the fast fun game of finding words in a jumbled grid. Compete with friends and play live with fellow word game fans. The iPhone has proven to be a great gaming platform especially for puzzle games. I am a fan of word games like scrabble and text twist. Way back when we used to actually play board games (like physical games, not on a screen!), I liked to play boggle. You remember it! Letter covered dice are shaken up and fall into a grid then each player forms as many words as possible while the sand timer drained. …

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