In Gear Chat 14 Larry and Dan talk about the new Kindle… and why we ordered them. We also talk about Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 and, of course, iPhone and iPads.

Intro Music- Lean On Me- Sounds From the Ground Solarstone’s Chill Out Remix…

The iTunes App Store has given rise to a host of new companies all vying to create the next huge App Store success. One of the best is Readdle, the developer behind such apps as ReaddleDocs for iPad, OneDisk, Flash Drive and Take A Note.
As they explain-
In August 2007, Readdle was the first to provide iPhone users a document reader and attachment saver a full year before the official iTunes App Store had launched. In 2010, Readdle still continues to expand upon the iOS platform by releasing new products for Apple iPhone users and opening potential to a growing Apple [...]

Show me a person who could watch the Pixar movie Wall-E without getting a little bit misty, and I’ll show you a person with a heart of stone. The premise was that Earth, long inhabited by wasteful humans was eventually rendered unusable, and there was a mass exodus to a fleet of spaceships provided for by the Buy N Large corporation, which the company that had sold the products which helped contribute to all of the waste on Earth in the first place. Are you with me? So Buy N Large tells the Earthlings that they will only be on the [...]

Scosche’s flipSYNC Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable is a super handy little gadget. It hangs out on your key ring until you need to charge something that takes a USB to mini or micro-USB. And when you do, you’ll be glad you have it with you. Yup, thanks to the flipSYNC you’ll never have to stress out because you need to charge something but can’t because you don’t have access to a cable.
It is small. It is handy. And one is going to our reader arvindr
The flipSYNC Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable [...]

Yesterday’s Music Mania Giveaway was the iWave: Gravity Speaker System
The Gravity Speaker is a “Stylish portable plug-and-play speaker works with any audio device”. It features…
A unique aux input plays music from any audio device; works with all iPod models
A convenient design and handle allow for easy portability
It runs on 4 AA batteries or DC adapter (both not included)
Available in Silver, Blue, Pink, Purple, Red and Black, it has an MSRP of $24.99. It can be ordered from iWave’s web site but we had one to give away.
And it is going to our reader… John Carroz!
Congrats John.
And the next giveaway… coming [...]

The iPad is a runaway hit. We all know that. We use it at our desks. We use it in the kitchen. We use it in the living room. We use it everywhere. And it’s lack of a built-in stand is, at times, a pain. Let’s face it, you don’t want, or can’t, always hold the 1 1/2 pound device.
Fortunately there are a growing number of excellent options out there. And those ranks just grew by one with the announcement of the UpStand from Just Mobile.

As The Company Explains-
The UpStand™ will float your iPad at just the right height for [...]

Speck’s PixelSkin for iPhone 4 may add a bit of bulk to the iPhone 4’s sleek thin design, but in the process it offers great protection to the back, sides, top and bottom of the phone. It offers such good protection that it is the case I am using when I do my C25K runs.
The PixelSkin for iPhone 4 is available in Black, Pink and Purple. It can be ordered directly from Speck’s website for an MSRP of $24.95.
We had one to give away and it will be going to our reader… Melanie Lopez.
Congrats Melanie and, as always, thanks to [...]

Many of us like to keep our iPhones as sleek as possible.  I personally prefer to use my iPhone 4 naked.  But I also know that it’s just not practical to do so.  I want to keep my iPhone looking as new as possible not only because I enjoy looking at “minty-fresh” gadgets but I also realize that in under a year Apple will be most likely be coming out with the next generation iPhone and I’ll most likely be selling this one to finance the new.  The better condition a phone is in the more money it fetches in [...]

Barnes and Noble’s nook has been out for some time, but it hasn’t stopped making waves since its debut! After the initial successful release, B&N released a WiFi-only version, which also kicked off a price war against Amazon’s Kindle. The new WiFi version comes in at the practically bargain price of $149, but how does it stack up? Read on to find out!

Hardware:
The nook WiFi hardware isn’t that different from the 3G version. Both have white bezels, with an eInk screen on top and a small color touchscreen below. The big difference on the WiFi version is that the backing [...]

Today’s Gear Deal isn’t one item. It isn’t two items. No, today’s deal is actually today’s DEALS… a 4-day sale on select video games and accessories. One of them… the first ever discounted XBOX 360 Elite Slim 250GB Console!!!
The discounts are huge and can save you up to 45% on some great gaming entertainment. Among the key deals…
The XBOX 360 Elite Slim 250GB + Madden NFL 11 is normally #350 but is available for $319.
The Wii Summer 2010 Bundle with Wii Remote/MotionPlus is normally $200 but is now $169.
The XBOX 360 Wireless Network Adapter is normally $90 but is available [...]

Original Image courtesy of Google
The Nexus One was the first of many dubbed Android Superphones. Even though relatively low sales eventually may have been the demise of the device, it now holds a place in the hearts of Android fanboys and developers alike. The Nexus One has seen its last (virtual) store shelf, and is now said only to be available for developers to purchase. It’s the only phone to directly receive OTA updates from Google and is the first device to officially get Froyo.
Just a few days after Google officially killed their one and only pet project, Neowin reports [...]

My iPad is with me pretty much all the time these days. It’s rare for me to carry my MacBook Pro out and about anymore since I can accomplish pretty much everything that I need to on a device that weighs a pound and a half and runs for up to 10 hours or so instead of a 4 1/2 pound machine that gets significantly shorter battery life. That means I need the right bag to carry my iPad. If I’m going to carry the iPad though, its high degree of portability means I certainly don’t want a huge heavy [...]

In my review of Leliana’s Song I noted that the focus was on story and characters and that the combat wasn’t overly challenging. Or even particularly memorable. As though anticipating that very reaction, Bioware has announced that their next DLC will be combat-centric, meant for higher-level players and brutally difficult.
The folks over at the Dragon Age-centric site GreyWardens.com have picked up some excellent info. They clarify the ‘combat centric’ statement based on comments from Bioware producer Fernando Melo:
On the story:
You join a dwarf Jerrik who is searching for his brother, Brogan. In your searches, you discover some [...]

Last month I reviewed the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC, saying that even at “$5 in Microsoft Points … it has questionable value.” I found it “a single-minded module that lasts about an hour, adds a single new item to the main game, and offers little replayability” … and was really just an average add-on in general. Now I am back after playing through the new DLC Leliana’s Song (announced here). So how did they do THIS time? Read on and find out!
The Hype:
Assume the role of Leliana, a young bard involved in a criminal ring that deals [...]

The video above shows Norry Leibman of South-Pak demonstrating a case panel ‘torture’ test.   South-Pak is  a company that carries  custom cases for just about every possible item you could imagine.   Have a trade show coming up and need a reliable way to ship your LCD screens?   Have to travel with delicate (and expensive) medical equipment?  Do you require the best protection for your photo and video equipment? Are you an emergency service responder needing to protect your gear in the most treacherous of conditions?   Regardless of your needs, South-Pak has what you will need — or they’ll custom [...]

I rely on my iMac’s “clipboard” a ton.  Between Twitter, the Internet, e-mail etc. it seems I’m constantly copying and pasting links and other information between one client to another.  Often times I copy more than one item too and that means I have to go back and forth between the applications to retrieve and re-copy each time.  An even larger problem occurs when I want to paste something I copied earlier in the day but have already copied something else thus over-writing the item I want.
A nice little free utility I stumbled across the other day called Jumpcut solves [...]

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Poynt, the free location based do-all search application that’s been available for BlackBerry and recently for Apple iOS devices.    It’s one of those go-to applications I always add whenever I upgrade or switch devices.  Until now, I was going through withdrawal without Poynt on my Android phone.
Whether you’re looking for the closest coffee shop, post office, movies playing nearby, or need to find the cheapest gas station prices for your driving needs, Poynt has you covered.   It’s literally one of those ’swiss army knives’ type of applications that I always [...]

We have nine of iWave’s music products to give away. Among them are headphones, speaker systems and more. And we’ll give away one each day for the next week. (That means two a day a few times so watch Twitter and Facebook too!)
Today’s Music Mania Giveaway… the iWave: Gravity Speaker System The Gravity Speaker is a “Stylish portable plug-and-play speaker works with any audio device”. It features…
A unique aux input plays music from any audio device; works with all iPod models
A convenient design and handle allow for easy portability
It runs on 4 AA batteries or DC adapter (both not included)
Available [...]

A survey just out shows that 73 percent of adults plan to use a computer or Wi-Fi-connected device while traveling this summer. No surprise there. It goes on to note that nearly half of those vacationers plan to access the Internet through their host’s home network! This according to a consumer survey conducted by Opinion Research for Cisco’s Consumer Products group. Here are the survey results…
* 59 percent of adults plan to use a computer or Wi-Fi device while visiting family and friends this summer, and 37 percent said they will tap into their host’s wireless network to access [...]

The AViiQ: Portable Laptop Stand is described as “World’s thinnest stylish laptop stand”. And it just might be since it folds down to ¼” for easy storage and portability. The AViiQ
offers…

An optimal ergonomic angle that reduces strain on your wrist and allows air to flow underneath, dissipating heat from the laptop thus improving battery life and computing efficiency
It is designed to improve visibility, decrease screen glare, and maximize productivity
It is made from German-made Hylite patented material provides a flexible weightless solution that is extremely durable
It folds flat for easy storage access in any laptop bag with a weight of a [...]