There are few franchises that have cast a larger shadow over the history of console gaming than Final Fantasy, and the core series of role-playing games has been constantly tweaked and upgraded through the years to stay current. There have certainly been games that have strayed from the usual jRPG format – the classic strategy game series Final Fantasy Tactics, and more recently the RTS-like Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS. But one of the most anticipated entries in the series is the fighting game called Dissidia Final Fantasy. Square Enix released a demo on the PSN Store, and more recently released the full game in UMD version only. I took a look at the game based on a copy provided by the publisher, so does it live up to the years of hype? Read on to find out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few days ago we spotlighted the monster 250 GB Xbox Elite Modern Warfare for $360. If you don’t need the storage or aren’t a Modern Warfare fan check this deal on a 120 GB Xbox 360 with LEGO Batman and PURE games. Coupon code D06M6$H1FLT8C7 gets you 10% off the normal $299 price from Dell bringing your net to $269 shipped. Xbox 360 120GB Bundle – $269 via GearSponsor Logicbuy… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We told you it was coming, and now General Motors and OnStar report the first successful use of their Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology to end a carjacking in California.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99. How amazing would it be to be able to create play-lists from any songs on your iPhone without syncing or using iTunes or a computer?  I have found a way to do just that!  iPlaylist Creator enables iPhone users to create and listen to play lists on the go easily on the iPhone.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The digital transformation in the professional photographic world began around 10 years ago. D-SLRs began making their appearance on the scene as the “next big thing.” I myself was an early user of the now classic Nikon D-1 digital SLR camera. But the acceptance of digital by art directors worldwide was not so well taken. Availability of digital technology in the medium and large format spectrums came much slower and at greater cost. Fast forward to November, 2009, and Mamiya has an answer for those caught in this dilemma.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The HTC Tilt 2 has just popped into the Amazon online store. Priced at $149 with a new 2 year contract it’s not yet in stock but the price is half of the $299 AT&T asks in their online store. Features Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, 3.2 Megapixel camera, GPS, keyboard. One of the great things about buying cell phones on Amazon, beside the fact that you’re not in a cell phone store waiting behind a dozen deadbeats paying off their bill, there’s no rebate required to get this price. HTC Tilt 2 on AT&T – $149 (free activation) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are two things everyone shopping for a notebook computer want: more features and lower price. Today Acer announces a new notebook designed with those things in mind, what they call “an innovative notebook with 3D viewing technology. Featuring advanced display capabilities, high-definition graphics engine, premium Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and Dolby® surround sound, the Aspire 5738DG delivers cinematic images that literally pop from the screen, while maintaining the performance and productivity features of a desktop replacement notebook.” Read on for the full announcement.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looking for a unique gift for one of those people who have “everything?” These watches from Phosphor bring the same E INK technology used on the Kindle eReader to your wrist.  These digital watches feature a unique curved ergonomic design, and changeable watch dials only possible with E INK display.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As much as I love living in the rural countryside, there are certain products and services which I would like to use – but simply can’t. One of them is the new Ambient Devices Flurry Alarm Clock, which not only tells the time with dual alarms, it also wakes you to an animated weather forecast for that day and the next. Features include: • Intuitive “Pop-Up” alarm buttons are visual status indicators, easy to set and use. • Network connected clock is always accurate and never needs setting. • Integrated 2-Day weather forecast provided by AccuWeather.com for 150 U.S. locations. • 25 character text display provides additional weather information and details. • No PC, WIFI, or Internet connection necessary, automatically receives data from the FREE Ambient wireless network. If you are curious about whether the Flurry will work where you live, you can check forecast locations here, and check to see if you’ll have signal coverage here. If you’re good to go, then you can get yours at Best Buy now, for a suggested retail price of $129.99.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(video courtesy of Slashgear) As anticipated, Barnes and Noble has announced their eBook reader, the “Nook”. Not only does it have an e-ink screen AND a color LCD, it also has some features that will wear down the anti-eBook crowd and leave Amazon and Sony rushing to play catch-up.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This looks a lot like the rumored Barnes and Noble e-reader just announced Barnes & Noble Nook eBook reader.  It is from Spring Design and called Alex.  It boasts a Electronic Paper Display and one touch screen and runs the Android operating system.  The text is livened up by using multimedia links that I assume would appear on the touch screen. Spring Design pioneered its patented dual-screen device with ‘touch and extend’ capability in 2007, and has been working with major book stores, newspapers and publishers over the past two years to share its vision and the capabilities of the dual screen device. Alex brings together the efficiency of an EPD Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As soon as I saw the ad for the Mobivalet I thought to myself, “now there’s something I can use.”  My car has a ton of cup holders.  But most of the time every one of them is filled with something belonging to one of my three girls, or shockingly, a cup.  When one is empty I sometimes stick my iPhone in so it’s accessible.  But since the iPhone is rather thin the phone gets tossed around inside the cup holder and that’s not good. The other choice is to leave my phone inside my hip case but this makes grabbing it when I need it difficult with the seat belt getting in the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Griffin was one of the very first accessory manufacturers to churn out items for Apple’s line of personal media players.  They’ve been making cases, chargers, FM transmitters and other items for a long time.  There’s an old marketing phrase that goes something like “innovate or die.”  It seems Griffin recognizes this, and instead of sticking with the same lineup of cases year after year they’ve recently released several new iPhone cases for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs. Griffin was kind enough to send Judie and me a few of the new cases for review.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yesterday our Gearsponsor Logicbuy featured an HP dv8t for $1,269. If that price is too rich for your budget – then save up to $219 on 13-inch, 4.2 lbs. HP Pavilion dm3t Laptop with Intel Ultra Low Voltage (optional Core 2 Duo ULV) for only $619. Features up to 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M, optional Mobile Broadband, low-light webcam and lightweight, brushed aluminum chassis in Modern Argento gray. Free upgrade to 3GB DDR3 memory – pre-installed Windows 7 OS & Free 2nd day shipping. If you’re in the market for a loptop – buying a new model with Windows 7 already installed is the easy way to upgrade to the newest Windows version… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The popular “This Week in Tech,” or TWiT, netcast network recently partnered with Mediafly to expand it’s podcasting and video distribution across multiple platforms.   Leo Laporte, the man behind TWiT, recently announced the partnership with Mediafly at this year’s Blog World Expo. The move will expand TWiT’s audience and make the technology show’s video available beyond just iTunes users.  Mediafly will be able to direct the content to a wide variety of devices,  including the Palm Pre, Android devices, BlackBerry, Zune, Logitech Squeezebox, and soon directly to your Roku video player.   While it is clear that iTunes will continue to reach an extremely large audience, being able to reach more people through multiple devices and delivery streams will certainly benefit content providers. Full Press Release follows.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …