Nikon has decided to celebrate the digital camera in style.  Now that DSLR cameras have the ability to shoot HD video they are finding themselves being used in the hands of more and more individuals from professional to beginner. The company is holding Nikon Festival, an online film festival that asks users to portray a “Day Through Your Lens” for a chance to win a $100,000 prize for your 140 second video. Can you capture your whole day in only 140 seconds? You can learn all about the contest on this special web site. Good luck!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Most of you usually use your device’s in-built camera for catching some quick shots of friends and phone numbers, but have you ever thought of using it as a scanner? Honestly, I never really had until not too long ago when Wizcode released their latest application, PhotoCopy Mobile. PhotoCopy Mobile uses your Windows Phone’s in-built camera as a scanner, allowing you to ‘scan’ documents on-the-go, converting them into PDF files, which you can then archive or email. Features:- Archive and share documents on the go Photocopy text, magazine pages or other printed materials Scan business cards, recipes, meeting memos or notes Create PDF photo albums Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Handmark has updated their Astraware Solitaire game with some festive holiday backgrounds and card backs.  Snowmen, robins, roaring fires and reindeer all feature in the new graphics pack included in the game, which is a FREE update for owners of the game.  Get into the holiday spirit when you need to escape the family and play one of these 12 great solitaire games. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’ve been eyeballing some of the new HTC models your carrier has in for the holidays, HTC has a deal for you … Starting November 27th, anyone looking to upgrade their eligible smartphone will have the opportunity to get an extra $100 back from HTC with the purchase of a new HTC Tilt 2, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Imagio, or HTC Ozone. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you ever thought about how gaming would be like on the new Windows Phone, especially on the new HTC HD2? Southend, a Sweden-based company has recently released a demo of the newly developed 3rd person shooter for Windows Mobile, Electopia. Electopia is a graphically advanced action adventure game. Play as Chip, a charming maintenance robot that has crash-landed with his ship on a tropical island called Electopia, inhabited by mad killer robots! Using inventive weapons such as the Magneto Gun and the Electro Gun you must help Chip to defeat the robot hordes and escape the island. Features:- Beautiful and charming graphics that are unmatched on mobile phone platforms Continue reading on Gear Diary …

[Video courtesy of CrackBerry.com] One of the applications demoed this month at the BlackBerry Developer Conference was an official eBay app.  Co-developed by eBay and RIM,the app arrives just in time for the holiday season and includes features to search, track, and buy items directly from your smartphone.  Users will also receive notifications on their bidding status and let you know when you have won an auction.  Another nice feature is that you can schedule auction-related reminders to your BlackBerry’s calendar without leaving the eBay application. Get eBay for BlackBerry for free directly from BlackBerry App World. [via CNet] Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You may remember our review of ScreamingToaster’s Wicked Blogging App back in September.  I recently got the chance to meet the ScreamingToaster team — Nazmul and Izabel Idris — and they’ve got some big things in store for BlackBerry and Android fans (stay tuned to Gear Diary to get a full rundown!).  One recent update has been the release of a Web Application for their popular MyListy Pro and DulyNoted Pro mobile apps. So, you ask, what is the big deal of having a web app for two existing BlackBerry/Android apps?  The key is collaboration and usability.  Geared towards the “prosumer” customer who uses their smartphones for both business and personal use, the application can be running on multiple devices and computers simultaneously.  Your data is stored in “the cloud” so you never have to worry if you upgrade devices or end up having to reload your smartphone OS.  As soon as you log in to your account, all of your settings and information is restored. What’s great about the apps is that you can have 3 concurrent sessions open (say, 1 person making updates on the web app from their computer and two others making updates from their BlackBerry [...]

Its almost Thanksgiving, and while most folks are taking some time out to relax, the news never seems to stop. Here are some items from around the ‘Net that we didn’t want lost or overlooked before the holiday break– In the ” You have got to be kidding me” department: Microsoft offering to pay News Corp (Rupert Murdoch and the folks behind the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal) to de-list their web sites with Google, possibly in favor of Microsoft’s own Bing search engine.  Well, that is one way to get more traffic through to the fledgling search engine site. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Way back in 2005 Aspyr released a light-hearted and nicely stylized zombie-action game called “Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse”. The game got fairly average reviews, including my own for GamerDad which praised the music and style but also said “because of the short game length, linearity and the lack of unlockable content or multiplayer there is very little replayability and therefore questionable value. As a budget-priced game this is must-have, but for a full-priced game it is harder to recommend for anyone except fans of zombie films.” Well, the game has shown up as a budget buy before, but now as part of their campaign of saying THANKS to all of their loyal customers, Aspyr is giving the game away for *FREE*! Read on for the details.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I received my new iPhone 3Gs, one of the first things I did was ask our merry little band here what they recommend as “must-haves.” One of the most suggested items (for heavy users) was an alternate battery supply. Another top suggestion was a case of some sort. Enter USBFever.com and their new Leather Battery Pack.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Place an order on the Speck Products web site starting on November 24th and you’ll be automatically entered in a really great contest. Five winners a day, through November 30th, will be mailed some incredible stocking stuffer prizes, each valued at over $100. Prizes include:  an iPod Nano, Pixel Skin Case, WD MyPassport, AftPack, TwoZip & Skin Pro Cases, CorePack Fly, Speck iPhone cases and more. Place your order on the Speck web site to enter.  The winners name’s will be posted on Speck’s Facebook page each day… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s GearSponsor Deal is actually a number of deals on Lenovo notebooks. Using the coupon code USPBLKFRIDAY you can get 10% off ThinkPad SL Series, 15% off ThinkPad R and T Series, 20% off ThinkPad W X and Tablet Series. Using the coupon code USP15SVEBIG you can get 15% off all IdeaPad and G series laptops (including S10/S12 netbooks; all IdeaCentre desktops & home storage, all C series desktops). Most models come pre-loaded with Windows 7 or eligible for Windows 7 upgrade for free. This GearDeal offer runs Nov. 24 though Nov. 29 and includes free shipping. Lenovo Black Friday: up to 20% off Lenovo ThinkPad laptops; 15% off all IdeaPad & G Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Well it turns out that the 7″ tablet running Android that we first posted on the other day may, in fact, be real. That means it just might be available in the timeframe initially described- early next month. The Camangi WebStation is 7″ tablet with Android that includes web browser, music(video) player, digital frame, eBook reader, and so on. With a sensitive touchscreen and a high-resolution display. The WebStation weights 13.75 oz, is 1/2 inch thick and has a 7″ screen with 800 by 480 resolution. They have even gone live with a promised app store. More details on the brand new company site. http://www.camangi-webstation.com. Pictures follow.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Weekend sales are coming on strong and CoPIlot Live wants to help you get to the mall and back for less. This weekend, the GPS app which is available on the iPhone, Windows Mobile or Android smartphones will be just $19.99 . Among the app’s highlights– Value — it is just $19.99. This is a low price for a turn-by-turn app and, on top of that, there are also no additional charges for updates Ease of use — the app includes colorful 3-D maps, text-to-voice directions, full use of the iPhone keyboard and iPod controls Accuracy — users can ensure precision through monthly MapSure map updates On-board maps — rather than relying on strong mobile coverage, CoPIlot Live’s maps are stored on the phone Detour button – everyone will likely be following the same major highway during holiday travel. CoPilot Live can provide alternative routes to get you there quicker Compatibility — CoPilot Live is available on the three major mobile platforms, including iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile The full release follows…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One common discussion between Halloween and Thanksgiving in recent years has been the lamentation over ‘Christmas Creep’ – the trend that has resulted in retail stores being in full-on Christmas display mode before Halloween. In fact, Halloween has become *LATE* for many retailers, with stores like Kohls and KMart displaying Christmas themes by mid-September, and Lowes having their whole store converted before October 1st, as evidenced by this picture from Consumerist :… Continue reading on Gear Diary …