Anyone who has spent five seconds around a band room at some point in their life knows that the frequency of a middle A note is 440Hz – but what is its’ MIDI note number? Don’t know? Well then it is time for you to hit the iTunes App store and pick a very useful musical utility – BandGeek. Note: if you are asking ‘what’s a MIDI’ at this point, you should probably move along.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Patience has paid off BlackBerry users….today only you can save 50% and purchase TetherBerry for $27.97.   But Hurry!  Tomorrow it’ll be back at $49.95.   TetherBerry is an application that allows your PC to take advantage of your Blackberry’s data plan, allowing you to access the Internet on your laptop anywhere there is cellular coverage from your BlackBerry. I’ve found myself without a WiFi hotspot on many occasions, and while separate data aircards are great — I can say that I am a full fledged TetherBerry user.  In fact, when a recent outage with my ISP put me without a reliable internet connection for 3 full days, TetherBerry is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There have been rumors this would happen, but I always like to wait until it is available. LucasArts is continuing their Monkey Island release blitz! According to MacRumors: LucasArts recently released a Special Edition of their classic adventure game Secret of Monkey Island for the Xbox and PC. The modern refresh brings much improved graphics, new musical score and voice-over acting to the 19 year old game. The game has gotten favorable reviews since it’s release. Tonight, LucasArts released an iPhone version of the game into the App Store for $7.99. First impressions of the game from TouchArcade.com reveal it to be a solid port with all the same features of the console and Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While he isn’t busy playing critical video, serving drinks on space barges, unlocking doors, hacking computers, calculating hyperspace jumps or whistling innocently while insulting his counterpart C3PO, R2D2 has a new function – holding your tissues! This new decorative accessory apparently follows a spate of other R2D2-themed product that hit Japan last year. The tissue holder is designed for round-roll facial tissue and is too short to accommodate a paper towel rolls by a few inches according to the NCSX Shop site. Of course, at that size it is probably about the right height to hold other round roll tissue products … Source: National Console Support, via TheForce.net and Club Jade Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Get stacked! That’s how this deal works out to be better than most. The secret to getting better discounts online is to find ones that provide added savings off an already reduced price — such as this Lenovo Thinkpad X200. Regularly priced at $1,984 – through a combination of discounts and a stackable coupon – you could reduce the cost to $1,199. Just about everything in the configuration can be modified so you can work this Gearsponsor recommended deal even lower. Included specs are: Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 1.2GHZ or SL9400 1.86 GHZ; Vista; up to 4GB DDR3; Fingerprint reader; Up to 320 GB Hard Drive or 64 GB SSD. Lenovo X200 – $1,199 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We love our gadgets. They are great for work. They are great for play. They allow us to be connected in such a way that having to “call into the office to check messages” is a thing of the past. On many levels they make life easier and more convenient than ever. There is, however, a dark side to all this constant connectivity. These devices break down the barriers between work and home. The result… every place becomes a potential for work, no place is automatically restful and interruptions are everywhere. Yes, there is no rest for the interconnected. Inc. magazine has an interesting, if not disturbing, article on the phenomena. The article is entitled “Living With A Blackberry Addict” but it could just as easily refer to an iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile user. It points out that today we are anxiously connected BUT also feel anxious “when we disconnect from the world”.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This is a pretty awesome deal if you are looking to jump into the wonderful world of Mac in a big way for under $1000. In what appears to be an effort to clear out their stock of 2nd Gen iPod touch Apple is now extending their Back To School  “Buy A Mac Get A Touch” promotion toa larger audience. Case in point… You can get a white MacBook running a 2.16GHz processor AND an 8GB touch PLUS Free Shipping from Amazon for $999. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For those with Palm Pre’s, you’ll remember that Apple recently released iTunes 8.2.1 that disabled the Pre’s abiltiy to sync with your iTunes library.  This latest update appears to be a direct response to last week’s iTunes 8.2.1 Update. Apple Insider is reporting that Palm’s Blog announced the update yesterday. The update should appear as an OTA (over the air) update, expected to hit Pre’s around the country over the next few days. Palm declined to detail how they worked around Apple’s latest update, and for now, Pre users can again enjoy iTunes content on the go.  However, I’m not certain how Apple will (and you KNOW they will) respond; but I would anticipate downloading & installing iTunes 8.2.37 some time within the next… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you been reading Jessica’s Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh articles? Even if you are already a netbook owner, it just might make you want one … I know that has been the effect on me! Well, as we know Dell has killed the Mini 9, but alas there is still hope – they are having a $199 close-out sale! Until they are gone, get the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 for $199, which is $40 off regular price! Shipping is $8. Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Laptop specs: Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache), 8.9″ LED display (1024X600), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950, Ubuntu Linux version 8.04.1, 1GB SDRAM, 4GB Solid State Drive, 802.11g Mini-Card, Integrated 0.3M Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you always wanted to see a celebrity (or two or three) up close and personal? I have a secret to share. If you’re in New York City while David Letterman tapes (check the web site because he does not tape every night) – you can wait by the stage door at 5:30 pm and watch the celebrities emerge from that night’s taping. Last night I was in the city for a Toshiba event and saw Diddy, Ginuwine and Missy Elliott. All three stopped, chatted and signed autographs for a crowd of under 15 people — Ginuwine’s manager even took a picture of a fan posing with Ginuwine. Check the Letterman guest schedule at the link below and then head to the stage door on… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I still have questions about the various DRM restrictions and policies on books bought through Amazon for the Kindle. But with regard to the most recent issue, when Amazon remotely removed books from people’s Kindles… today we all received a direct, un-compromised apology from CEO Jeff Bezos. When was the last time you saw a CEO apologize without making excuses, sidestepping or softening the blow? A CEO taking full responsibility for a mistake… Now THAT’S refreshing. Bravo Mr. Bezos!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you owned a Sega Master System (SMS) rather than a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) back in the late 80′s, you missed out on The Legend of Zelda but got what one retro-gaming site called “possibly the first Zelda knock-off”. The game was well recieved upon release, getting solid scores, but always living in the shadow of Link. Later in the console’s life, the SMS got ‘Golden Axe’ and Golvellius was lost to the annals of time … UNTIL NOW!!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Recently it seems that I’ve been getting more than a few notifications from people on my Twitter follow list that say “LOOOOK!!! If you want more followers check out this site: http://EasyFollowers.com.” Am I the only one who finds these types of messages annoying and borderline offensive? Am I the only one who un-follows people who use these types of tools to spam their followers? Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Rebel Scholar is somewhat new to the world of iPhone cases.  They feature a wide range of slider cases each with a unique design. The company touts itself, somewhat brashly I might add, as the clear choice over its main competitor the Incase Slider and features in their blog reasons why you’d be foolish to purchase an Incase instead of one of the Rebel Scholar products. I’m okay with companies being bold when it comes to their product, as long as they’re right, and as long as they back it up when they are not. I recently placed an order for a couple of Rebel Scholar cases and they arrived today. The case I was most excited to check out is called the “Door God” and features a laser etched design on the back. Unfortunately my excitement was very short lived.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Now that I’ve gotten your attention with that blatantly sensationalist headline, here’s the real story. Researchers at Bell Labs have determined that the strain on mobile networks from email is actually worse than downloading and uploading large files. Apparently the constant polling of the servers by email (and location based programs, always on web programs, etc) is causing something akin to death by 1,000 papercuts.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …