It has the makings of a perfect storm and it is headed right toward US iPhone users. It isn’t going to be pretty.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I got my first “big” TV, I thought a 36″ screen was absurd.  The durn thing weighed near 700 pounds, needed its own specially built mount, and probably put out enough electromagnetic interference to cause pacemakers to mis-fire at 10 yards.  (At least I was smart enough to get one that was HD-ready.)  Now look…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m an iPod kinda guy but even I can appreciate the appeal of the Zune HD. The hardware is slick, the screen is gorgeous and the ZunePass is an awesome deal. If you have a Zune no doubt you want to keep it in as close to pristine condition as possible. Speck’s PixelSkin is one great option! Here’s a quick look and a chance to win one of two Speck PixelSkin cases for the ZuneHD.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Another day, another Direct2Drive Holiday Deal! Now in time for Christmas they are back – they are featuring a game a day for now until Christmas! Deals so far have been great, and it just keeps rolling today! Game #12 is the addictive The Sims 3. Here is the announcement Tweet: D2D’s 24 Days of Christmas – Day 12- deal is here! The Sims 3 is $10 OFF – now just $39.95! http://bit.ly/5w5ISJ This special includes the original game released earlier this year for a solid $10 off – $39.95 rather than $49.95! But be quick – this deal ends at noon EST on December 13th! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love to play Sudoku. There’s something about the challenge of getting all those pieces of the puzzle into the right combination that appeals to my inner geek. Keeping with the season (if you celebrate Christmas, that is), I felt compelled to check out the release of Christmas Sudoku from 99 Games. 99 Games was nice enough to give me a copy to check out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I already ranted in this week’s “State of the eBook” about Barnes and Noble’s passion for competing with themselves, but they are taking it to a whole new level here. eReader (a Barnes and Noble Company!) is offering the Foxit eSlick Reader for $259.99, the same price as a nook. But there’s a twist that makes this a significantly better deal…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

What with movies and TV shows being available through iTunes, with giant 1 Terabyte and more drives dropping into the “ridiculously affordable” range, BitTorrent, YouTube, and God knows whatever else, there’s a lot more desire these days to hook your TV to your computer and go to town.  One drawback is control–how can you check your playlist on your computer from across the room?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have a Symbian smartphone (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, among others) you are going to want to stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and download Nimbuzz! Why?  Not only will you get messaging, chat, and cheap international calling — you also get what may be the most powerful Twitter app for the Symbian platform, as well as  pop-up notifications for chats and events — all with Nimbuzz running in the background.  Have a touch screen?  Nimbuzz has added kinetic scrolling to give you the best multimedia experience on your Symbian phone. The Nimbuzz mobile VoIP messaging applicaton integrates these features with your social networks and instant messaging clients (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Hyves, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk, AIM, etc).  The free application has been so popular that T-Mobile USA recently launched their TAP phone with Nimbuzz preinstalled. Nimbuzz is currently being used by more than 13 million users worldwide, with another 40,000 new users being added daily. Interested?  Read on for the full press release. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Don’t have time to train with Buddhist monks to reach that super-focused Zen state?   Finding yourself stressed out with the impending holiday season?  Maybe you need these TripGlasses, which claim to synchronize pulsating sounds that mimic brain wave frequencies through headphones  with the blinking lights to give you a fast and easy path to enlightenment meditation. While this concept has been around with other Light & Sound machines, the TripGlasses are making it much cheaper at under $40.  Will it make you into a do-it-yourself monk?  Doubtful.  But it sure could help with stress by keeping annoying family members at bay while your wearing your… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The popular OtterBox line of protective smartphone cases continues to add more devices to their lineup.  Case in point:  users who want to keep their new Nokia E72′s in pristine condition can now opt for the rugged three-layered protection of the Defender case, or the more svelte hybrid silicone skinned Commuter case.  OtterBox cases let you access all device ports, while saving your prescious phone from severe breakage due to the drops and rigor of day to day use. The Defender case is $49.95 and the Commuter is $34.95.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Another day, another Direct2Drive Holiday Deal! Now in time for Christmas they are back – they are featuring a game a day for now until Christmas! Deals so far have been great, and it just keeps rolling today! Game #11 is the awesome Dragon Age: Origins!. Here is the announcement Tweet: D2D’s 24 Days of Christmas – Day 11- deal is here! Dragon Age: Origins is $10 OFF – now just $39.95! http://bit.ly/5w5ISJ This special includes the original game released last month for an acceptable $10 off – $39.95 rather than $49.95! Not the 50+% we’re used to, but a great sale on a great game! But be quick – this deal ends at noon… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ll admit it. I really like playing games on the iPhone.  This time around, Alawar Games sent me a copy of Montezuma 2 to take a look at. So again, I’ll make an a small admission and mention that I never played the original Montezuma, but I have played many of these match-three type of games like “Bejeweled” or “Alchemize”. So let’s take a look at this one!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy fromoldbooks) Welcome to another State of the eBook! To start off, the big news this week was publishers plotting to make eBooks second class citizens by delaying their release. You can read all about it here. It isn’t pretty and it is time to let publishers know how we feel! Then there is the other big news… It’s NOOK WEEK! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Editor’s Note: This is a joint review between Adrian and Jessica. Adrian’s comments will be in black, and Jessica’s will be in blue italics Multi-tasking seems to be one of my strong points…work 40 plus hours a week, chase around a toddler, coach high school sports, have a small business, and have family priorities that put me in and out of Dr appointments and hospitals at least once a week…so honestly what else can I add? Oh … let’s throw in mowing the lawn, maintaining the house, and helping my wife with the everyday chores (ok so I duck as many of those as possible). Oh yeah, and my wife has these two fur balls running around the house — guess who gets to clean their litter box? ME! So let’s just say when Dani over at Brilliant Pet offered the ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter box for a review, I was well on board, as was one of our other writers Jessica. Here is our adventure.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

They may not be serving hamburgers at the corporate cookouts anymore, but luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover still have the heart and soul of the British Isles. The 2008 purchase by India’s largest automaker Tata is yet to be readily apparent and each luxury brand is still about two-thirds UK sourced and about one-fifth German. For 2010, each line gets some minor touchups (OK, the Jag XJ is all new, and Land Rover upgrades LR3 to a 4), but the biggest news is under the hood. New V-8 engines all around for the two brands, complete with more power and improved efficiency.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …