I like Slacker Online Radio so much that I paid $48 for a yearly subscription which provides me with unlimited song skipping, no advertising and the ability to connect a mini desktop player for times when I don’t want to listen through my web browser. Another nice feature of Slacker is that they offer portable devices like this 4 GB 25 station Wi-Fi connected player. After inserting your user name and password it automatically downloads your favorite stations and fills the player with music. When you become bored of the music, simply synchronize the player via Wi-Fi and it loads a new set of songs. GearSponsor LogicBuy is highlighting this offer from Buy which provides a 4GB older model… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Long before the classic Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and the pretty but empty massive world full of non-choices and no consequences that is the highly over-rated Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks release two other entries in the series. The first one – Arena – was released in 1994 and is celebrating its’ 15th Anniversary. Bethesda released that as a free download some time ago, and you can still grab it here. (be prepared to wrangle with DOSBox if you plan on playing on a modern PC).… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

OK, so I have been talking about Peggle a lot lately. But there is new news on the ‘hit the orange pegs’ front, as Peggle developer Popcap Games has teamed up with Blizzard, the developers of the mega-hit MMORPG World of Warcraft to release a new World of Warcraft themed Peggle game! This is a PC-only release, by the way. The freely available game is limited to 10 levels, but offers both single player and online duel modes, quick play and expert challenges to add to your Peggle gaming addiction! Download your free copy here! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re on a GSM carrier and need a replacement QWERTY phone – here’s a deal that you should look closely at. This Samsung i321 is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint. Still how can you go wrong with an out the door price of $90 for a QWERTY smartphone. Under the hood there’s Windows Mobile 5.0 software. Add Bluetooth Wireless Technology, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard and a host of other fun and functional features, you have a world class communications supertool. The main feature here is that the phone’s unlocked so you can buy… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This waterproof video Borescope has 2 dimmable LED lights at the end. This helps you see in darkened areas and aids in illuminating the picture for the integrated camera. There’s also a magnetic tip as well as a hook attachment so you can retrieve items from hard to reach places. Unlike previous USB scopes – this Borescope has a 2.4″ 320×240 pixel integrated display monitor which eliminates the need for connection to an external monitor. A true “on the go device” which is powered by 4AA batteries and affordable at $149.99. Waterproof Video Borescope Continue reading on Gear Diary …

On July 10th, 1457 years ago, the Armenian calendar originated. 500 years ago today, John Calvin was born. 153 years ago today, Nikola Tesla was born. 147 years ago today, the U.S. began construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. 99 years ago today, the Chicago White Sox’s Comiskey Park opened, and the Browns beat the White Sox 2-0. 84 years years ago today, jury selection took place for the John T Scopes evolution trial. 83 years ago today, Fred Gwynne was borne. 76 years ago today, Eastchester Township, New York operated the first police radio system. 62 years ago today, Arlo Guthrie was born. 51 years ago today, the first of 625 parking meters were installed in England. 47 years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested during a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Issuing keys and keeping track of employees coming and going from your business can be a hassle. If an employee leaves unexpectedly (like that never happens in this economy) you’re left making a decision about whether to change the locks or just hope there are no extra keys floating around. Instead here’s a better alternative. It’s a $695 USB controlled lock that reads in a data file of employee fingerprints and the times that those employees should be allowed access to the building.Logs can be exported via the USB key and you can see who’s been working late and coming into work early. USB Fingerprint Lock with Access Control Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The CR-7200 from PhotoFast adapter can hold four 16GB microSD or microSDHC cards running in RAID. According to the site, this makes the slower microSD format as fast as CompactFlash by striping data across all four microSD cards at once which I guess is good provided your electronics support up to a 64 GB CF card. Available now for pre-order (about $70 plus shipping) for delivery in July. Geekstuff4U Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Barnes & Noble has officially launched their own iPhone application — no doubt to compete with Amazon’s own  mobile app offerings.  You can search and shop for B&N books, CDs, DVDs, or any other item the seller carries online, view recommendations, and watch video interviews with authors. Like the Amazon app, you can also use the iPhone’s camera to comparison shop by taking a photo of a book cover, CD, DVD, etc.  Using this feature, you can view product details, read customer reviews, or even reserve a copy of a book in the store closest to your location. Download the Barnes & Noble Application for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Beyza Cases makes fine quality cases for lots of different handheld electronics and Apple MacBooks.  I’ve owned a couple of their slim line series for my iPhone and found them to be attractive, well-made, and offering good protection. If you’re a BlackBerry owner, you might want to check out the new Outdoor/Wave series of cases that Beyza just announced.  The Outdoor/Wave model is slipcase style, featuring a combination of canvas and leather on the exterior and padding on the interior.  Oh, and yes, the cases do support the BlackBerry sleep function. You can see the color combinations that are available, by selecting your BlackBerry model here Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One thing is for sure- no matter what device you use there are always going to be trade-offs and compromises involved.  Take, for example, notebooks. Each has its assorted pros and cons and what makes one “the right device” and another “the wrong device” aren’t absolutes but rather the specific balance of qualities it offers. In the last year and a half I tried a number of different notebooks running OSx and each had its pros and cons. At 3 1/2 lbs the MacBook Air was light and sleek but a bit slow and, with just one USB port, more than a bit lacking in the connectivity department. It is a good machine but does not offer the right balance for me. The 15“ MacBook Pro was fast and had a wonderfully-sized screen but at 5.5 lbs was a bit too heavy for my taste. It too is a good machine but it does not offer the right balance for me. At 4 1/2 lbs my current 13” MacBook Pro is the right balance of weight, speed and, with two USB ports, firewire 800 and an SD slot, has a nice range of connectivity options. It IS the right machine [...]

Those of the Apple or Mac persuasion should take note of this.  Safari 4.0.2 was released for OSX (and I would guess Windows, but I don’t use Safari on Windows).  This update weighs in at just over 40MB, and is a stability fix for the Nitro JavaScript engine.  It also contains compatibility and security updates. I was surprised to see this, this morning; but I always check for updates when I boot into an OS, just in case something sneaks in.  The update can be obtained via Software Update or directly, here.  Specific information about the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This Sony PlayStation3 PS3 80GB seems to be a certified deal at a price of $339.15 shipped. Featuring a Blu-ray disc player; Dual-shock 3 rumble Wireless Controller; HDMI; 1080p; Ethernet;Bluetooth;New Sleek Design; 2 USB Ports and 65nm Cell Processor for cooler operations. This deal is via GearSponsor Logicbuy and available through 7/13 when combined with their Dell coupon code. More Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have one of these Acer Aspire One Netbooks and it’s very handy for letting my kids log onto their favorite Club Penguin or Disney online sites without having them all over my MacBook Pro. In the interest of fair disclosure my Acer broke down once (keyboard completely stopped working) and was replaced by Amazon. Since then it’s been smooth sailing. Consensus seems to be that you rip out the Windows 98 Home that comes pre-installed and put in Windows 7. Technical specifications – 1 Acer Aspire One D150 Intel Atom 1.6Ghz 1GB 160GB 6 Cell Battery WebCam 10.1” XP Netbook – any color you like so long as it’s black, blue or red. This is a one day… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This began as a review of Audioboo, a relatively new service that allows you to create voice podcasts either on your computer or on the go using an iPhone, or an iPod touch in quickly and easily upload them to the net and share them with the world. In the process of creating this review I decided to make a brief podcast of my very first recording and realized that it actually might be more useful and, I hope, more interesting, if I did this post more as a “how-to” than a review. So here’s a step-by-step of how to go from scratch to the online podcast below these words in just a few moments.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …