Apple iPhone

Pebble Adds Email Notifications For iOS Devices

I have become quite dependent on my Pebble smart watch. Being able to see my messages without looking at my phone is actually extremely convenient. When I am in front of a class teaching, on the field coaching or even driving, the watch makes it super easy to glance at my watch when I get a message. It only takes a second and I never skip a beat in what currently is going on. Really, the only reason I like to check is to just make sure it is not an important message from my wife or anything dealing with…

News

FX Photo Studio For iPhone/iPad Free Until August 5th

It is often said that the best camera is the one in your hand. This is true and our mobile devices have become the main photography tools for most people. Most modern cell phones and tablets have fantastic cameras and chipsets, but there often is something missing to make them the perfect shot. My favorite aspect of using my iPhone for photos is the ability to immediately edit and enhance images on the fly. I take pride in my ability to make my phone pics look great and use my iPad to edit images from my DSLR. With the use…

Editorials, News

What Is NFC and Why Do You Want It?

Today’s rumor mill has it that the next generation of the iPhone will include NFC (Near Field Communication). This will be yet another example of Apple playing “feature catch up” with other devices. After all, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.1, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active as well as the BlackBerry Z10, the HTC 8X and even the year-old HTC One X I have sitting here all feature NFC. Apple will be late to the game. But the question remains, should Apple even get into the game? What exactly IS NFC and do you want it in your next phone? Let’s…

News

Astronomy-Class 100X Telescope and Back Case for iPhone 5

A few weeks ago, we experienced a “super moon.” This is where the moon is full while at the closest proximity to the earth. My boys have a beginner telescope so we spent most of the evening in the back yard looking at the moon and discussing all of the markings and features. We were even able to see the rings of Saturn which surprised me using that particular telescope. While we took turns admiring the majesty of the moon, my oldest said, “Dad, I wish you could hook your iPhone up to the telescope and take a picture.” Following…

Editorials

Checking Out the Latest and Greatest Smartphones – GearFest GearChat 2013

During GearFest 2013 Carly, Mike, Judie, and I — the Editorial Staff of Gear Diary — sat down to take a look at the current lineup of super phones on each of the major platforms. We laid out a dozen or so different smartphones and talked about some of our likes and dislikes. Among the phones discussed are the iPhone 5, the Samsung GALAXY S4, the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active, the HTC One, the Nokia Lumia 928, the Nokia Lumia 920, the LG Optimus G, the HTC One X, the Google Play HTC One, and the Blackberry Z10. We then turned…

News

Have You Had to Exchange Your iPhone 5 for Warranty Issues?

A couple weeks ago, I realized that my iPhone had stopped taking clear photos. Shots that I would ordinarily have taken and expected to be good were now coming out fuzzy and unfocussed. It was pretty obvious that my iPhone 5’s camera had a problem, but it wasn’t clear why. Knowing that I’d be joining him and the other editors at his lake house for GearFest soon — and knowing that I didn’t have a nearby Apple store — Dan told me to send him my iPhone, and he’d take it to the Apple Store for them to check out….

Gear Bits

The Greatest Use for a Smartphone Camera for New Parents

Sarah and I are adjusting to being new parents, and it is definitely a major change. From the sleepless nights to the diaper duty, we are making a few rookie mistakes and having a good time trying our best. Luckily, our son seems to grasp that we’re all winging it a bit, and we’re hoping to get some sleep sometime in 2014. In the meantime, we’ve come up with a use for our smartphone cameras that make our lives infinitely easier, and it’s not just playing paparazzi every time our baby does something remotely cute. See, often our son prefers…

News

Shutter Release Grip and Remote Shutter Release Make iPhone Photography Even Better

While I do own a decent DSLR and love to use it, the best camera you can use is the one in your hand. Most of you have heard that phrase, and it is true. Obviously no image can be captured if there is no camera to see it. These days almost everyone has a camera with them in the form of their cell phone; I have an iPhone 5, and I have become pretty proficient at creating amazing images using it. From understanding controls to a great post image workflow, the iPhone can take some pretty stunning pics. With…

Editorials, Game Diary

Has Gaming Changed with Our New Mobile Devices?

Since the Atari 2600 days, I have loved to play games. I went through the different versions of Nintendo systems and PlayStations, amazed at how each release became so real and advanced. Many hours were spent trying to defeat Legend of Zelda or unlock all of the cars in Gran Tourismo or getting my playbook just right in NCAA Football. Not sure hardcore gamer would ever be one of my labels, but I did have my niche in the gaming world and loved to play. My gaming habits have changed so much as of late. Of course, some of that…

News

Wireless Emergency Alerts Coming to ATT iPhone Customers

photo courtesy of blog.chron.com AT&T has been rolling out Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for some time. The service is now being added to iPhone 4s and 5 phones through an over the air update. The alerts are sent via free messages and are issued according to geographic location. The alerts focus on messages of threats to life and property, amber alerts, and alerts from the president. I assume most of the threat alerts will be weather and natural disaster related. Amber alerts are obviously for abducted children in the area, but what exactly are presidential updates?

News

Mood O’ Clock App Lets You Choose the Right Mood to Wake You Up

As far as waking up in the morning, my wife and I are polar opposites. Whereas I’m nearly an “instant-on” waking up, my wife…not so much. Perhaps what she needs is Stereomood’s Mood O’Clock app to help set the right mood when she wakes up. Mood O’Clock is a clock/alarm application for iOS and Android devices that allows users to not just set a wake-up time, but set the mood for waking up. There are eleven alarm mood types to choose from, from “dreamy” to “sexy and furious”. Within each mood setting is a selection of themed tunes and a…

Editorials

WWDC iOS 7 Announcement from an Android User’s Point of View

Even though I am not a regular iOS user, I still watched the 2013 WWDC keynote as much of the Gear Diary team did. The blogosphere as a whole has had a lot to say about the similarities of some iOS features. It’s undeniable that Apple has drawn from Android, WebOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 here, but unlike some Android users, I am not mad at all. In fact, if I were Google, I would take it as a complement. Apple recognized that they didn’t have some of the features that Android did, and they figured out how to make…

Game Diary, Reviews

Sky Gamblers Storm Raiders Review

Throughout my career as a student and teacher, World War II has always been my favorite subject to study. I have looked at the war through all sides’ eyes and studies all aspects of the weaponry. The advancement of the air war has always intrigued me, and in my opinion it is what brought WWII into modern warfare. From fast fighter planes to huge bombers, the world was forever changed by the idea of air superiority. During college, I spent a lot of time writing papers and studying planes from the USAF, RAF and German Luftwaffe. When I saw Sky…

Editorials

Market Share and Profit Dynamics – Is Android REALLY Winning?

If you listen to most pundits, Android is absolutely DESTROYING Apple. I mean, if you look at the global smartphone market, Android has more than 70% and Apple has less than 25%. Even in the US market, iPhone and Android pretty much split the market. In the larger mobile phone market, Apple has an even smaller chunk of the total product volume. But as noted here, and as I have mentioned before, Apple continues to take in the majority of mobile device profits, with more than 60% for all of 2012 and 57% for Q1 of 2013. The rest of…

Reviews

Tetris Blitz for iPhone Review

The other day, my students and I were discussing how far computers have come, especially with gaming. I was telling them how my friends and I always played Tetris back in the 90’s when there was finally color and good audio on our school computers. We would play the game for hours, often surviving until the levels moved so fast we could barely see the shapes. The Russian themed backgrounds and music were so epic coming from the Apple IIe days. The kids were amused, not by the change in technology, but in the simplicity of the game. One told…

Reviews

Cozi Family Organizer for iPhone and iPad – a Blueplate Special

My kids have finally reached the age that our family is going twenty directions at once. This spring we have had my varsity games I coach as well as both of my sons’ baseball games. Of course, most of these all occur at the same times on the same days in different towns. Since I am almost always coaching during this mess, my wife is in charge of keeping it all running smoothly. We recently found an iPhone app that has helped keep the chaos to be somewhat controlled while I was grocery shopping. Cozi Family Organizer made my usually…

Editorials

Switching Smartphones and Carriers Is Getting Harder Than Ever

Reading over Carly’s post and the comments made something clear to me – plenty of people have at least a vague sense of dissatisfaction with pretty much ALL of the available smartphone choices. iOS is ‘stale’, Android remains klunky, Blackberry is dead-end, and Windows Phone is the also-ran that just can’t seem to win. Many polls suggest general dissatisfaction with all current smartphone brands. Yet when you read about smartphone loyalty, Apple leads the way and in general most people are likely to stick with the brand and operating system they currently use. Which leads to the obvious question ……

News, Outdoors

InteliScope Introduces Geek to Tactical Rifles

Anyone who reads my posts knows I love to hunt and love to shoot. In fact, I just received my first custom rifle built by my best friend. My next firearm goal is to have a tactical rifle built. Since tactical rifles have rails, many accessories and other items can be added making each firearm unique to the owner. Of course, there are plenty of scope options, lights and lasers and other cool stuff to add to the rails, but what about for a geek like me? For those of us who love technology and gadgets added to everything we…

Editorials

The iPhone Doldrums – I Think I’m Ready for Something Different

A bit less than two years ago, I excitedly drove to my nearby Verizon store to give up my Motorola Droid and jump ship over to an iPhone 4s. I was sure this would be a great match, and my days of smartphone-hopping were over. And they were, for quite a while. But over time I’ve grown frustrated, and the iPhone has begun to feel a bit stale. My main frustration has been with the battery life. My 4S started behaving atrociously about three months ago; I would routinely get under 8 hours of standby and maybe 5 hours of…

News

Live Score Tennis for iOS Ready for the 2013 French Open

For you tennis aficionados out there, the 2013 French Open is nearly upon us, and if you are gainfully employed (read: busy working away from the TV) you might have some difficulty keeping abreast of the latest match developments while at work. You know the routine: if you are an office type, IT (folks like me) are doing their darned best to keep employees from being distracted by fun and keeping their productive noses to the grindstone. If you are working on the go, it’s a bit of a herculean effort to find a place to sit down and keep…

News

Magnet Stick-On Periscope Lense for iPhone and Camera Phones Surfaces

The good folks at USBFever work very hard to bring plenty of the most unusual peripherals and accessories for iPhones and other smartphones to the market. From the most simple and functional to the rather esoteric offbeat tech, USBFever has got you covered! Take camera lens add-ons for cell phones. Some of you might think, “What else is there, more zoom to the telescopic lenses?” No, you’d be wrong there. The latest to swim into view is in fact the curious Magnet Stick-On Periscope Lens for the iPhone and Camera Phones. Maybe you are tired of having to…

« 1 … 6 7 8 9 10 … 27 »