Google has had a Twitter account called @dataliberation for a while now, but an official site was just launched today. The Data Liberation site explains how to get data into and out of Google, using standards-based, open formats.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Update: Kevin’s youngest has spoken. I asked her to pick a number between one and eleven, and she said ten and five. That means the winners are breley and warp65. Congrats! If you’ve found yourself cutting back on some of life’s little luxuries, then you’ll love this: Gear Diary is teaming with Maghound to give away one year subscriptions at their $4.95 level to two lucky readers. What that basically means for you is subscriptions to three magazines of your choice per month for one year – for FREE. Entering the giveaway is simple – just tell me which three magazines you would like to try if you win. For instance, my choices were Discover, National Geographic, and Science Illustrated. The cool thing is that since Science Illustrated is a magazine that only comes out every other month, I was able to set Smithsonian to deliver in the months Science Illustrated takes off. Setting this up was really easy through Maghound’s website. Which three would you choose? Leave your choices in the comments, and I’ll pick a winner at midnight CST on the 18th. **You don’t have to actually stay with those choices, you just have to list three to [...]

These Battery Snaps Flex Lamps will convert plain old 9v batteries into a power source for a reading light. Perfect for using in your car to read maps or even for the kids to use to light up their games in the back seat. Twin LEDs power the brightness and each lamp is sold separately in either green or black. Battery Snaps Flex Lamp – $10.99 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I recently checked out the Facebook Fan Check Application on Facebook.  It does some sort of calculation on your friend list and arranges your top 15 friends in a order and it looks like to me the order is in the amount of Facebook activity that you and your friends have.  For example, my brother is actually number one on my list followed by my fellow Tech Show Fan, Claudio Miranda.   Once this calculation is made, then it will create a image with all of the Facebook profile pics of your friends and then it tags all of your friends.  That is the extent of the application.  In fact, it seems to generate more conversation amongst your friends that is useful and fun rather than the application spam you get from people wanting you to be their neighbor in Farmville or help them out in Yoville.  Well, the bad guys have taken the hint that it is popular and somehow a rumor got started that it was a virus. Spammers and malware writers have taken a hold of this and started creating the false virus checker type of malware sites and these sites are trending to the top in Google [...]

Google Labs introduced an interesting new way to view news articles, much like you would read a magazine. This innovative new experiment is called Google Fast Flip, and it is available via a standard web browser interface as well as a mobile web version that works on iPhone and Android.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Everyone knows I love convergence devices. From my iPhone to my clock radio to my dock/card reader. Why shouldn’t convergence carry over to iPhone cases? Case-Mate sure thinks it should. They’ve recently released a new case they’re calling the “ID/Credit Card Case.” This slim fitting case, which comes in a ton of colors acts as part case part wallet. How does the case do as both protector and card carrier?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Back in 1992 when id Software was preparing to release their seminal first-person shooter ‘Wolfenstein 3D’, I was already sold – it had been over a decade since I had my first Wolfenstein addiction. In 1981 the game ‘Castle Wolfenstein’ for the Apple ][ captivated me to the point that when I heard that Wolf3D would be set in the same game world, I was already sold. Needless to say, Wolf3D was an amazing game regardless of lineage, and I professed my love for it here in my review of the iPhone version. Now the question is – how does it translate into a RPG?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Over the past several years more and more of the PC gaming industry has moved to Digital Downloads, and while Steam definitely has the dominant position, Direct2Drive has seen tremendous success and growth. Now they have hit their 5-year anniversary and WE get the presents! Week 1 was highlighted here and featured Ubisoft and strategy games! Read on to find out more!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

PDAir has been making accessories for the mobile market since the early part of this decade.  They have offered accessories for an ever-growing lineup of devices, ranging from phones to media players to ebook readers. Recently, PDAir released several new or updated models of cases for the iPhone 3GS and sent Gear Diary a couple of samples to review.  We were provided with the Vertical Pouch and the Sleeve Case in black leather.  (You can see their full line of iPhone 3GS cases and other iPhone accessories here.)  Both of the cases we were provided come in a variety of colors and with or without a belt clip.  Our samples were well made and the leather had a good feel to it.  The white stitching on black leather looked nice and the stitching on our samples was even.  Both cases came in nice boxes suitable for gift wrapping.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

photo credit: tsevis Last week saw quite a few big events — including big Steve’s public return, a new video camera enabled iPod Nano, refreshed iPod Touch, and iTunes 9.   Unfortunately, there’s still no Beatles on  iTunes, but the Fab Four did get their own Rock Band game and released their entire remastered CD catalog. Google’s Android platform had a few announcements of their own with new Facebook and Pandora apps, as well as being a major part of Motorola’s return to the fold with the new Cliq of major mobile handset manufacturer’s (as  well as essentially becoming a mobile software company with their customized Android user interface known as MotoBlur). Palm snuck in their new WebOS phone, the Pixi.  AT&T announced the A-List calling plan coming September 20th, where subscribers can make free calls to 5 domestic numbers (if you have a family plan, you can have up to 10 numbers for free calls).  Then Sprint followed-up with the Any Mobile Plan, giving their subscribers the ability to contact any mobile number on any network free. Whew!  Oh, but that wasn’t all, folks.  Keep reading after the break to see just a few more of last week’s big events…… [...]

The 3rd generation iPod touch is something special. With plentiful storage, awesome speed, a speaker and hardware volume control it is hard to remember how limited original version of the touch that was released just two short years ago was. While this new version of the touch LOOKS the same as the model it replaces, just a few short minutes with it immediately tells you that this is an entirely different animal. The original touch was an iPod with a touch screen. The 2nd generation touch was, on many levels, “an iPhone lite”. This new touch is being billed as a gaming pocket computer… and that is just what it is. Larry, Mitchell and I all have one, and each of us is pretty impressed. Lets take a look.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

According to Slashdot and Network World, the IEEE or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has finally ratified the 802.11n Wifi standard.  802.11n promises faster throughput and longer range to your Wifi connections.  Hopefully all of those Draft 802.11n routers can be updated to support the final standard.  The whole process started back in 2002; it’s hard to believe it has been that long!  So keep an eye out on your router manufacturer’s website for a firmware and driver updates bringing you up to the new standard if you have draft n hardware. The full press release is available here Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Patience pays off.  Since Palm announced the Pixi, it was just a matter of time before people expected to see more Palm Pre price drops.  Today may be the day you want to jump in and try out WebOS on a Pre, as Wirefly has the smartphone available for $99.99 shipped if you open a new Sprint PCS account.   No telling if this will be a short-term sale, so you had better act fast. Hit this Wirefly link to order.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you are one of the many millions of Star Trek fans around the world, and aren’t afraid to publicise the fact, then this may be just up your alley. Cufflinks.com have expanded their lineup to include several new Star Trek designs, including emblems from Starfleet Command and the Klingon Empire. From the Press Release: Due to the overwhelming popularity of the officially licensed CBS Star Trek Cufflinks, Cufflinks, Inc. has expanded the Star Trek line of products to include 7 additional designs for Trekkies everywhere.  Attached are jpegs of the new designs.  If you should need high res images or more information, please do not hesitate to let me know.  Star Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s an interesting deal to start your work week off. GearSponsor Logicbuy spotlights this 32-inch Panasonic VIERA X1-Series Black LCD Flat Panel HDTV with integrated iPod dock (model no. TC-L32X1) on sale for $415 plus FREE shipping. No tax in most states. This is cheaper by about $30 over Amazon. As an added bonus the included universal iPod dock provides a convenient way to enjoy music, videos and photos on your VIERA HDTV. Panasonic TC-L32X1 Continue reading on Gear Diary …