Apple iPhone

Use Protection with Heat Sensitive Rub & Reveal…Now for iPhone 5

All right, all right, have a chuckle. Get your sophomoric locker room humor out of your system. Take a deep breath. Better? Okay, for those able to stop channeling Beavis and Butthead, anokimobi has recently introduced their Heat Sensitive Rub and Reveal cases for the iPhone 5. The heat-sensitive cases are the first of their kind on the market using a special heat-sensitive ink imprinted on the case. When friction or other heat source (I would not recommend an open flame of any kind) is applied, the special ink alters its form and reveals a hidden image underneath. Simply slip…

Gear Bits

Libratone Zipp Wireless AirPlay Speaker, First Look

Every now and then a product comes along that not only meets your expectations but actually exceeds them. That’s the case so far with the Libratone Zipp AirPlay Wireless Speaker. Sure, it has a cool, unique look. And sure, the fact that you can change the wool covers then, in seconds, have a speaker that looks completely different is very cool. And sure, it has AirPlay. All that is true, but what really makes this speaker stand out is its Play Direct and its awesome sound. Play Direct means you can stream great audio wirelessly even when you don’t have an…

Editorials, News & Features

Gear Diary Video Chat – Smartphone vs Smartphone Edition … and More!

For the last couple of Gear Chats, Dan and I have compared and contrasted things we both owned – the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. But as I have been greatly enjoying the Samsung Galaxy S III the great folks at US Cellular have provided me for review, and Dan has had his iPhone 5 for a bit, it seemed like a great opportunity for us to discuss the things we thought about what are arguably the ‘twin flagships’ of the iOS and Android world. Of course, from there we veer off into discussions of other things…

Reviews

iEraser Screen Cleaner Review

Nearly every device most of us use today involve some type of touch screen. Phones, tablets, GPS units…you name it and we are smudging the screens. In fact, laptops and desktop monitors somehow seem to get greasy after just a couple of days use. There is not a day that passes that a smudged up screen is not annoying me. Anyone who is a parent of young children like myself know that anytime a kid gets near one of the screens it seems to get grungy. Our devices seem to be magnets for fingerprints and smudges. I recently had the…

Health and Fitness, Outdoors, Reviews

iBike POWERHOUSE Complete Cycling Fitness Plan

Through the years, I’ve reviewed several devices for iPhones and iPods that purport to be sturdy protective mounts for bicycle usage. Keeping in mind that there are inherent dangers in listening to music while you’re cycling, especially if you have to worry about dangling headphone wires, it’s important to make sure that safety is your first concern. The iBike POWERHOUSE ensures both the safety of your iPhone and your body with its well-designed mount for the 3 and 4 series iPhones. (No luck for you early iPhone 5 adopters yet.) Add in a software solution for exercise and cycling technique…

Editorials

My Journey to the Dark Side…er, Apple is Complete

A long time ago, in a service provider far, far away, I had joined the ranks of mobile phone users, sporting a Motorola Razr V3m back when it was de rigueur for mobile types. For a time I was content, and as technology evolved I migrated my mobile phones, ever searching for the trifecta of ease of use, reliability and variety of peripherals. Here is a representation of all the major phones I’ve owned and heavily used over the past seven years or so. Certainly a lot less than some Gear Diary members or readers out there, but a variety nonetheless….

Game Diary, Reviews

Bad Piggies for iPhone Review

Type of app: iOS for iPhone Platform/where to buy: iTunes, App Store Developer: Rovio Entertainment LTD. Description (from the App Store): The Bad Piggies are after the eggs again — but as usual, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate flying machine and steer them safely to their destination? Those tricky pigs have a few objects they can use, but they need your help to turn these into the perfect transportation! With more than 60 levels, and free updates coming up, you have hours and hours of pig-crashing, exploding, and flying fun! Get three stars on every level to unlock…

Gear Bits

iPhone 5 Plus AT&T MicroCell Equals… a Quiet Afternoon (and not in a good way) UPDATED

Meet my iPhone 5 lock screen. Now take a close look… See the ATT Microcell symbol at the top? No? Me either and that’s a problem. You see, I live in rural Texas where there is no AT&T cell reception without the help of a signal booster. Oh, no, sorry, I got that wrong. I live in SUBURBAN NEW JERSEY WHERE THERE IS NO AT&T RECEPTION WITHOUT THE HELP OF A MICROCELL. And guess what? The microcell doesn’t work with my new iPhone right now. And those two bars you see? That’s actually the best reception I’ve gotten, and that…

Reviews

Run Roo Run iOS Review

Type of app: iOS, Universal for iPad and iPhone Platform/where to buy: iTunes, App Store Developer: 5th Cell Description (from the App Store): Hop, skip and jump Your way across tons unique and interesting obstacles in the Australian Outback! Run Run Roo is a micro-platformer featuring single screen levels filled with unique, fun obstacles and easy to learn one-touch gameplay. Play for only a few minutes or a few hours; your journey to Sydney always picks up where you left off. Major features: Run Roo Run is a micro-platformer, meaning each level is a single screen. Make it across and…

News & Features

Otterbox on Track to Keep Your Soon-to-be Shipped Shiny iPhone 5 Protected!

Otterbox takes device protection seriously, and their cases reflect a company passionate about doing just that, unsurprising since their About Us page lists “work hard/play hard” as part of the company culture. Now that the Apple iPhone 5 has been announced, Otterbox has just released for pre-order two cases: the Defender and Commuter Series, with the Reflex and Prefix cases not quite available, but coming soon. These cases, most of which offer several color combinations to choose from, should be ideal for owners who want to keep their iPhones very safe but also easily useable, treading the fine line between…

News & Features

Welcome to Apple PR-Nightmare Fall 2012 Edition

image from Cult of Mac Something tells me that Apple is about to have another PR nightmare, and it has everything to do with their handling of the move from the 30-pin adapter to the new Lightning port. Change happens; no one can deny that. So Apple’s decision to change the port in order to, in part, allow for a smaller size, is something that was going to happen eventually. Few argue that point. But then they went from bad, to worse to… Kaboom!!!! Bad #1. The phone doesn’t ship with an adapter. It should. The adapter costs Apple little…

Editorials, Vehicles & Gear

Five Ways the iPhone 5 Event Disappointed, and One Sign It Started the ‘Great Apple Decline’

So we have lived through yet another iPhone announcement, the first one conducted by Tim Cook and out of the ‘shadow of Steve Jobs’. The conclusions? Some pretty sweet looking iPhone hardware, promising stuff for iOS 6, iCloud and iTunes, and a welcome refresh for the iPod line. But if you look around at tech websites there is much gnashing of teeth and hand-wringing amongst the Apple fan-sites, sneering derision from Android fan-sites, and hopes of a market share beyond 5% from the Windows Phone faithful who were just happy to see the Nokia Lumia 920 in spec line-ups with…

Editorials, Events

Did Amazon’s Kindle Announcements Out-Apple Apple?

My day job is in client facing sales and service, so I spend a great deal of time making sure I present my message correctly. First, we establish the basic facts. Then there’s a discussion of what they mean, implications, risks, etc. Finally, these all lead to the conclusion and (ideally) the implementation of whatever solution we think is best. While my presentations are far, far less flashy than a big tech announcement, I still like to see how companies hype up their products, especially since that showmanship does overlap with my own skills and job needs. Normally, Apple announcement…

Events

Join Us for the Apple iPhone 5 Press Event!

Are you ready to see the end of all the rumors and speculation regarding the newest iPhone? We are, too! Let’s get something straight, although we do our best not to report on rumors, it doesn’t mean we don’t read them. We have, and we’ve gotten more and more excited. Sure it does seem like pretty much everything that needs to be known about the new iPhone has already been leaked, but that doesn’t guarantee the rumors are correct and, even if they are, it doesn’t make us any less excited for the announcements and that One more thing…! And…

Editorials

New iPhone and iPods Next Week? Or Perhaps iOS 6 Will Be the Biggest Star

Apple’s Special Event is scheduled for next Wednesday. At it, we assume, we will see the new iPhone (or whatever it’s called) and won’t be surprised if we see a new iPod lineup. We’re still hopeful we will see the iPad mini, but all indications are that Apple will wait a bit. After all, why would they announce two much-anticipated devices at the same time and, in the process, compete with themselves for attention. The iPhone 5, new iPod touch and nano etc are not, however, the reason for this post. No, this post is about the three features I’m…

Reviews

SwankoLab for iPhone Review

Unless I am taking a quick shot to show someone a random item, I never simply use my iPhone camera app and a raw photo. Every image taken is run through some application to reach my desired outcome. The iPhone has truly become a wonderful platform for amateur photographers. I think my love for photography stems from a young age when my father was into it and we even had a dark room at our print shop business. I can still smell the peculiar scent of the chemicals and see the red lights. The entire process always intrigued me. The…

News & Features, Outdoors

Esoterism Presents the Moat-4 Aroused Comrade Urban Camo iPhone 4S Case

Most of our readers know I am an avid outdoorsman and hunter, but you all should also know I am a huge fan of our military. As a history teacher and patriot, anything that shows support for our troops is OK by me. I have many ex-students/athletes that have defended our nation bravely. One of my athletes gave the ultimate price, and my best friend took multiple rounds during the Battle of Fallujah and lived to tell about it. I also have a recent graduate who has become an Army Ranger. With all of that said, I naturally like all…

News & Features

Apple’s Big Patent Win, and What It Means for Smartphones

The Apple/Samsung patent trial’s jury shocked everyone by returning a verdict extremely quickly on Friday afternoon. Once we had the full details, I asked the team here at Gear Diary what they thought. Was this a game changer for Android and smartphones in general, or just another chapter in “lawyers gone wild”? Bryan: Yeah but remember, some of us don’t want to hear it: 😉 (Sorry, couldn’t help myself! :)) Dan: Agreed. Not surprised but I do think people will debate the issue for a long time. After all, as we learn in the Jobs bio, much of what Apple did initially…

Reviews

iShower Bluetooth Water Resistant Speaker Review

I’m a guy who needs constant input. Whether it’s sport talk on the radio or music from Spotify while I’m working or a television droning in the background while I’m fixing supper, I always want something to entertain me. So the five minutes I spend in the shower every morning is problematic. I do have one of those old shower radios that had a television tuner as well so I could keep up with the Today Show while I completed my morning ablutions. But once digital tv pretty much killed over the air transmission, that eliminated the usefulness of that…

Reviews

Catapult King for iPhone Review; It Brings Tons of Fun

Many iPhone users have spent countless hours tossing birds at various structures in an attempt to defeat the pigs. While I do fall into this group, I have also taken a hiatus from the game series and have been searching for something fresh. Despite the change, the idea of tossing items to knock down things is still an enjoyable task. I recently found a new game that requires structures to be destroyed by flying objects and I am totally addicted. Catapult King allows users to go medieval on some castles in a fun, destructive game. Let’s take a look. Become…

Gear Bits

Mountain Lion Roars 3 Million Times, and Now It Is Time to “Read” the Manual

OS X Mountain Lion, the Apple’s updated desktop operating system, is already a big hit. Downloaded over 3 million times in less than a week, the OS looks pretty much the same as OS X Lion, but it adds some great features. Mountain Lion is, according to Apple’s Phil Schiller, “the most successful [operating system] release ever”. What Mountain Lion does is key for any of us who use an iPhone and/or an iPad; it gives Mac desktops and laptops the same tools already been available to us on mobile devices.In other words, it integrates the Apple-experience. iMessage, Notifications, Notes…

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