Remember those fun little “keychain” LCD games  that you probably played as a kid?  Maybe one was even your first taste of the “gaming” experience. Squibs Arcade, from Chillingo, for the iPhone and iPod Touch lets you relive the games you remember all over again. The application features seven games that each takes you back to a time when games were simple, addictive and most of all fun.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Dad, back in Pleasantville you ruled the roost. You shaped us. You molded us. You brought us to our first baseball game. You taught us to drive. Your word was law and, no matter the issue you ALWAYS knew best. And the list goes on. You bailed us out of jail. You looked the other way when our friends came over “to study”. You took us to our first (ah hem) “private entertainment” club. You got us a top notch lawyer and got the judge to reduce that small indiscretion down to a misdemeanor. Yes dad your impact is everywhere and we can’t thank you enough! No doubt our love of all-things-electric comes straight from you so with Father’s Day on the way we wanted to tick off some of the best gear you might like. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Still looking for a Father’s Day gift for your Dad / hubby? Does he like to grill? Watch TV? Sit in front of the computer playing video games? No matter what your dad (or husband) likes to do or where he likes to do it, chances are he’d rather be listening to his favorite music than the kids fighting over whose game to play first. The folks at Cambridge Soundworks understand – and so they are having a Father’s Day sale all this week. Get 25% off an assortment of speakers and sets that will serve every audio need from simple MP3 player output to full home theater monster. Very timely right now, they also include their excellent outdoor… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

OtterBox has just released impact cases for the BlackBerry 8900 and 8350i models, priced at $19.95.   If you are not already familiar with the popular OtterBox brand, these cases are meant to provide the very best protection for your devices.  The silicon impact series provides extra corner “shock” and “bump” protection for your smartphone, while still keeping the device buttons, functions and ports are accessible through the case.  Self-adhering clear protective film, a cleaning cloth and an installation card are also included. Like many other Gear Diary writers, I have an OtterBox case for my phones — and I highly recommend them.  If you need even more protection for your… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m a big fan of gaming on the iPhone / iPod Touch.  There have been some excellent titles released.  A little while back, our own Larry Greenberg did a review of one such title, Flight Control for the iPhone.   Since then, it hasn’t left the top 20 paid apps and with newest version has reentered the top 10.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you are like me and have ever wondered what iPhone OS would look like on a larger screen, here is your chance. No, we’re not talking iPhone OS on a 9″ Tablet (although I’m still holding out hope for one of those). That would be a “Large-Size serving” of iPhone. No, we’re talking “Super-Sized”! The video might well be an elaborate hoax. If it is, more power to the creator of it and my thanks for a few minutes of truly entertaining video! If it isn’t, I only have one more question- “Where can I get me one of those?” via CrunchGear Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For whatever reason Apple always requires an actual signature for packages it ships to the consumer.  This means anytime you order something from the Apple Store you must be physically at home when the UPS or Federal Express driver comes to your door to delivery your items. Did you order an iPhone 3G S for home delivery, from Apple.com? Are you unable to spend all day waiting by the door for the UPS van to pull up? Apple is allowing you to “pre-sign” for your iPhone and in turn freeing you up from this burden. If you received your shipping confirmation e-mail from Apple simply click the link to pre-sign. Once you’ve… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today on the Amazon MP3 Store you can get this classic 1967 Concept Album for $1.99. It is 256k DRM-free MP3 format, and includes the entirety of the original 7-song album, which includes classic such as ‘Tuesday Afternoon’ and perennial favorite ‘Nights in White Satin’. Some stuff has aged better than others (‘Peak Hour’ stands out very much as ‘from that time’), but overall this remains a sweeping and wonderfully epic attempt at a fully cohesive singular work. It is interesting that 1967 had some of the best examples of the form, with this standing alongside the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper and The Who’s Sell Out amongst the lasting classics from that time. Moody Blues – Days of Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s back! The HP TouchSmart tx2z 12.1-in GearSponsor deal from May is re-appearing in the HP Home store for the same $649.99 after $200 instant savings and stackable $250 coupon code. For this money you’ll get a multi-touch (swivel display) 2.3 GHZ AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-84, 4 GB DDR2 Memory, 320 GB 5400 RPM hard drive. Coupon code expires 6/16/09 so if you’re in the market for a new laptop this might be a good compact unit for your consideration. Click on through for more details. HP tx2z – $649.99 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For those people who ordered their new iPhone 3G S phones from Apple.com for home delivery there seemed to be some confusion as to when they’d receive their phone. Although Apple promised delivery on 6/19, launch day, did that mean phones would actually be delivered to the consumer’s door that day or just be shipped out by Apple to arrive sometime the following week? Confusion over.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a quick peek at iPhone push notifications which apparently started working suddenly for developers who already have the iPhone OS 3.0 update. While I can appreciate the excitement at how quickly this video portrays the receipt of a notification – get back to me when 1+ million people are simultaneously testing push notifications. This push notification frenzy is slated to happen on Wed June 17, 2009 when OS 3 for iPhone (the first iPhone OS to support push notification) is slated for release. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised and the server load for push notifications will work flawlessly – or just maybe we’ll all be treated to several hundred thousand angry Twitter messages about push notification delays. Tune in June 17 when the OS 3.0 goes live for the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Google Voice is incredibly powerful and, thanks to my already having a Grand Central number, while many people continue to wait for Google to open access to their service, I’ve been using it and relying on it, for numerous weeks already. The service is fantastic. It offers a host of features but its core feature, and the one that is most helpful on a day-to-day basis, is that it allows people to call a single number and have any telephone numbers I choose ring. Add to that the fact that different groupings within my Google Voice address book received different messages and you have the makings of something that can all but transform the way we communicate by telephone. It is not, however, without its problems. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The move from iPhone OS Version 1 to iPhone OS Version 2 last summer was a tremendous leap forward for the iPhone and for mobile computing as a whole. In a single day, the iPhone went from being a locked down device that relied on web apps in order to do anything beyond what the “stock” applications did, to one that can and does support a host of 3rd Party Applications. Yup, those blank spaces on the iPhone’s home screen were suddenly filled with app-goodness galore! Now the iPhone could do everything from let you shop at Amazon as if you were at your desktop, to play games, to edit and upload pictures on the go. It isn’t overstating it say that to iPhone OS 2.0 transformed the iPhone into an entirely new device. A year later change is afoot once more… but this time, it’s different.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve used a Plantronics 510 series for about 2 years now.  It’s been a nice, steady workhorse for me.  It isn’t the flashiest, or the loudest, but it has always been rock solid.  Now along comes the new Voyager Pro.  If offers a host of new features and technologies – a whole host of improvements.  Let’s see if it lives up to the “Pro” moniker…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Twitterific version 2.02 is now available for download in the iPhone App Store. This important update fixes a serious problem where Twitterific was not reading new Tweets due to the total number of Twitter messages exceeding the maximum size of a 32 bit integer or 2,147,483,647 (semi-serioulsy referred to as “the Twitpocalypse” because it was unknown how applications would handle the larger number). The developer has updated the software and Twitterific is once again in fine tweeting shape… Twitterific 2.02 Continue reading on Gear Diary …