Back in August, I reviewed the HP MediaSmart Server LX195.  I, the resident Linux Geek here at Gear Diary, was pleasantly surprised by how useful the little server was.  Even so, I still thought there was a little something missing from that great device.  HP has addressed a lot of this with the HP MediaSmart Server EX495.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

or … Five Years Loving a Game With a Stupid Name. One of the quirky ‘top whatever’ lists that appears every now and then is the list of worst names for video games. And somewhere on every one of those lists is Divine Divinity. Yeah, it IS pretty obvious why. The game would also appear on another list – if someone could figure out how to name it. That list would be ‘best deep role playing game that fans of classic RPG’s have ignored because it features action-RPG combat and has a very difficult and long dungeon in the beginning.’ So you can see I won’t be getting a job naming lists anytime soon. Point is, this is a game that many RPG fans tried the demo and felt it was just yet another Diablo Clone and left it behind. Something about the old saying ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression’ springs to mind.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the tough choices in the 2007 hit video game Bioshock was deciding whether to save the ‘Little Sisters’ and sacrifice some of the ‘Adam’ you need to make it through the game, or to kill them and gain more Adam but also a label as an evil murderer. Whatever choice you make, you have to get past her ‘Big Daddy’ to get there. The pairing is perhaps the most recognizable part of the story-driven shooter based on the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Recently a couple held a Bioshock Cosplay photo shoot at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Here are some details: This is an amazing Big Daddy/Little Sister cosplay gallery taken at the Georgia Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I Previously wrote about deals.woot.com HERE.   At the time the site was in Beta.  It has now gone live, as of this morning.  It’s a new site that is somewhat a cross between Digg and Fatwallet! with a dash of Woot! sense of humor thrown in. Users can vote up deals they like as well as post comments etc.  There are also 5 ‘hand picked’ deals on top that Woot! get’s a commission on. So far, the deals seem to be pretty attractive, and in my humble opinion the style and layout are spot on. Check it out HERE Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Think you have what it takes to be the next, best, TV personality?  Positive Positive Living Productions wants to hear from you. The company is in the process of conducting final interviews in search of a two tech savvy females to be hosts of a new life style & technology series. The series will appear across the nation in March 2010, and appear on both MenTV and SunTV, with plans to also launch in the US and other countries. This is an excellent career opportunity, and fantastic way to gain National media exposure!  Auditions are in their last week, the following dates are still open for all those wishing to apply: FRIDAY NOV 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. My gaming tastes are either changing, or I have become a simple person in my older age.  It seems the flurry of simple puzzle games not only entertain me, but also keep me addicted to the small bursts of gaming time I have.  Orba is a simple screen clearing game.  The premise is simple and has been seen in several games.  Tap chains of three or more orbs in an attempt to clear the board. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Carriers across the world insist on a 2 year contract when they hand out a new phone, such as an iPhone for a low price of say $199.  But what does the same phone cost in Europe or in Australia? Which country is getting the best deal?  Are you getting ripped off?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As sad as it might sound I’ve been totally jealous by all the coverage on the recent release of the X-Box 360 game Call of Duty World at War 2.  I’ve actually thought about asking for a 360 for Christmas just so I can start playing the game.  It’s a good thing my firehouse has a 360 system in our crew room so I can really start playing it there. Well for those of you who aren’t able to play the game on the 360 but do own an iPhone you can now play the next best thing right on your phone. Our friends at… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sleep is good. So is saving money. So why choose one over the other this Black Friday when you can get plenty of both? Some awesome products are having Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales that are worth checking out. Some of our favorites follow…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just be automatically notified whenever your favorite bands are playing near you?  That’s the idea behind Concertimatic, from InfoBridge, LLC.  The iPhone and iPod Touch application will actually scan your iTunes music library and alert you whenever bands you like are playing in your area by using the internal GPS — or manually set it to any area you choose.  Traveling?  Just enter the postal code of the location and you can catch a show.   You can even set up the application with a range of up to 200 miles if you want to make a special trip and be sure you get to see your favorite artists live. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Life is digital. Our movies, pictures and music live on our computer hard drives. The entertainment we love is streamed from YouTube, Flickr and Pandora. So much entertainments and, most of the time, it is held captive on our small computer screens. No longer, thanks to today’s GearDeal. The Western Digital WD TV Live network HD Media Player lets you grab tall that entertainment and stream it over your network to your TV. Today’s GearSponsor deal lets you get it for $119. You even get free shipping. Western Digital WD TV Live network HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN for $119.00 plus free Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are a lot of potential benefits to jailbreaking your iPhone, but there are also potential downsides.  Case in point: as if it weren’t bad enough to have your iPhone Rickrolled, there is now a worm the exploits the same weakness on jailbroken iPhones and does real damage.  This worm affects jailbroken iPhones with SSH installed, but without the root password changed. Exposure to the worm so far has been over infected WiFi networks.  Once exposed, the worm allows the hacker to remotely access the iPhone and then collect your online banking details.  The worm was identified in the Netherlands, but only time will tell if it will spread further. So, if you do jailbreak… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I am still a young MacBook owner.  My beautiful 13″ MacBook Pro has truly become a part of me.  My sweet Skooba backpack and MacBook go everywhere I go.  This is probably the first time I can say I love a computer.  What is one of my only complaints?  The audio is not very good.  I thought about getting some speakers to carry along, but I’m not sure a pair small enough to carry with me will improve the sound. If you are an owner of a MacBook and feel the same way, today is your day!  Twelve South has just announced the BassJump which adds a USB woofer to a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro.  Utilizing both their own software and hardware, they are able to enhance the audio quality.  If the unit sounds as beautiful as it looks, this could be a must have for all MacBook owners.  Full company release after the break…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you ever needed to take a video, but had your hands full — literally —  trying to record while  shining a separate light?  Ever taken some video at night only to find out you can’t make heads or tails out of what you actually recorded earlier?  USBFever has finally solved this conundrum and launched a new product that marries an LED flashlight with a digital video recorder.   This Flashlight DVR uses 1 large LED for long distance recording, plus 2 smaller LEDs for short distance recording.  You’ll be able to record both audio and video in any type of environment.  Use it as a torch light, video recorder, or even for personal safety  –  in case you need to whop someone upside the head with its precision tooled aluminum housing — which Gear Diary does not condone, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  And sometimes what you gotta do just has to be recorded on video. Now you can get all the action right on video in this inconspicuous flashlight form. Perfect for the handy-claim-adjusting-neighborhood-watching-law-enforcer in your life.  Full Specs, Sample Video, and wide array of uses after the jump!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

AMD is celebrating its 40th year in existence, and by celebrating I mean rewarding! They’ve held a series of giveaways and are capping them off with a really great one. AMD is giving away 10 XBox 360s and 10 Nintendo Wiis.  All you have to do to enter is visit the AMD Facebook page here and become a fan; then go to the giveaway tab and fill out the form. Starting today, November 23rd, AMD will pick one random winner every day for 40 days! You only need to enter once for the whole contest… Continue reading on Gear Diary …