Blue has long made studio mikes and other devices like the Blue Eyeball web cam with a focus on quality construction and great audio.  Now they are trying to enter the live performance arena with their brand new enCore series of Microphones.  Blue was kind enough to send me samples of both the enCore 100 and the enCore 200 stage mikes.  Are they going to be good enough to unseat the venerable Shure SM57  and SM58?  Let’s find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you have a beautiful, widescreen, high-definition monitor in your office but no television and you wish you could watch your favorite shows? How about if you were able to use that beautiful monitor then with a simple click of a remote change it into a high definition television.   Maybe you even have an old analog television that you are not able to pick up over-the-air signals.   The KWorld External TVBox HDMI Edition will enable you to not only turn your computer monitor into a high definition television, but also allow you to pick up high def broadcasts on an old analog television.   The unit is very nice and includes many connection possibilities, read more of what I thought of this review unit after the break. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For the last few years there has been strenuous debate about whether or not spending hours in front of Guitar Hero PRETENDING to play guitar was a waste of time when they could have been learning to play the actual guitar. Inspired Instruments was apparently listening and decided that rather than take sides, they would unveil a solution to meet BOTH needs – the You Rock Guitar! Read on for more details!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last night my mother-in-law told me it is time for her to give using a Mac a try again. (I didn’t see THAT coming!!! “What should I get?” She asked. I was going to tell her to get one of the new white MacBooks but our GearSponsor has pointed me in a different direction. You can currently get an aluminum MacBook for just $899. It even includes free shipping. Sure it is a refurb but it still comes with a 1 year Apple warranty (and I’ve always had good luck with Apple refurbs!) The notebook features a .95-inch thin Aluminum unibody design, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, a Multi-touch glass touchpad, a 160GB… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Slide2Unlock2, or more commonly known as S2U2, is a simple lock/unlock application which has the iPhone style slide unlocking for Windows Mobile. It can be used as a screen-saver when your device is idle. It has a CallerID function (but it may not work on some devices, so try it before using it daily); S2P control plugin; and volume control. S2U2 shows various system information items, even without unlocking and is highly customizable. Changes of v2.20 Removed the option “lock the device after any phone call when Bluetooth is on”. Added option “InCall Lock” (S2U2 Settings -> General) Added option to release the Volume Control key lock, i.e. adjust Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Oh don’t be shocked; we’ve all read it for the articles, and now you can do so from the privacy of your iPhone. You won’t find full nudity (although it is still rated 17+), but you will find “iconic monthly features” including the Playboy Interview, Playboy Advisor, 20 Questions, Party Jokes, Celebrities Hangin’ with Hef, and Fashion. Along with those items, you’ll also get some extra goodies… The new Playboy iphone app gives fans of the magazine a glimpse of the latest issue, along with exclusive content such as free Rabbit Head and Playmate wallpapers, and a Playmate video clip. Each month Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a token of my openness Of my need to not disappear How I’m feeling, so revealing to me I found my mind too clear I just need someone to be there for.. me I just want someone to be there for.. me -”No Way”, by Pearl Jam In May 2008, I started my online dating experiment with the help and encouragement of many good friends; in July, I wrote what would be my last post on the subject for well over a year. There was always an understanding that I would write another installment entitled “Happily Ever After?”, and its draft has incubated in my queue for nearly the entire time — loaded with experiences contributed by personal friends and Gear Diary readers. I would have wrapped this series up and posted ages ago, but I needed to finish my portion of the story, and find a way to put things that were happening to me into words; the fact of the matter is that I was too close to the subject, and I just wasn’t ready to share yet. Now, I finally feel ready …… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been using AT&T Navigator for a few months now and find it to be a great GPS app for the iPhone. The app is fast, accurate and, thanks to a recent update, you can now listen to music while using the app and have the music fade when new directions are being given. Once again the good folks at Telenav have been kind enough to provide some subscriptions to the service for us to give away to you, our readers. First up, the grand finale of our month-long give away will take place on Christmas Day. In addition to all the other goodies we have previously mentioned such as a… 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 #10 is the excellent Battlefield 2 Complete Collection. Here is the announcement Tweet: D2D’s 24 Days of Christmas -Day 10- deal is here! Battlefield 2 Complete Collection is 50% OFF – now just $14.95! http://bit.ly/5w5ISJ This special includes the entire collection of games released in 2007 for a solid 50% off – $19.95 rather than $39.95! But be quick – this deal ends at noon EST on December 11th! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you love the look, but not the price, of the sleek new notebooks that seem to be appearing on the market on an almost daily basis our GearSponsor has located what just might be your next notebook. Dell has a 13.3-inch Vostro v13 Laptop starting at $449 + FREE shipping. The sleek machine sports “razor-thin, ultra-light aluminum body”. The full-sized keyboard and body are similar to Adamo line in look but certainly not in price. The base unit has a 1.3GHz Ultra-low voltage Celeron M CPU. It ships with 2GB DDR3, 250GB Hard Drive, 6-cell Battery, 1.3MP webcam, 802.11b/g, GMA 4500MHD and Bluetooth. Sure it has Ubuntu 9.04 OS pre-loaded but a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The voice recognition hits are continuing to flow with Vlingo releasing version 4.0 of their application. Not only does the new version run on the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 (YEAH!!!!!), but it includes an awesome new feature- “Vlingo Everywhere”. As the company explains- With Vlingo Plus 4.0 you’ll be able to use your voice with virtually every app on your phone (and you will continue to have SMS and email capabilities as before). Using your BlackBerry has never been faster and easier! Setup was simple and the application walked me through the process. From there I was good to go. No training necessary. For more information visit the Vlingo website Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been using my GorillaPod flexible tripod more and more. It works great with my iPhone and came in super-handy when I was using a number of iPhone camera apps while on vacation last week. Well Joby, the company behind the GorillaPod has released a free iPhone camera app. It is free, offers some nice features, works great and… did I mention… it is free!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Almost all of us are super mobile with our gadgets, especially computers.  If you are like me, you travel everywhere with a laptop or netbook.  Protecting the device is huge issue.  EVERKI’s netbook case/sling provides hard shell protection plus much more.  Fit a netbook or laptop up to 13″ into this multi-use case.  Check out the product release and video of it in action after the break. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This product is currently live and available on Amazon.com. It looks like one of those, “Now they have thought of everything” products. And it is a bit boring… until you click through to the gallery images. When you do this is what you see…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

‘On demand’ video systems are great to allow you to watch something immediately, but if you want to go back the following day or week or month and watch it again … you have to pay again. Buying a DVD is great because it means you can watch the movie whenever you want, but it fails the ‘instant gratification’ test. Amazon yesterday introduced their solution: Disc + On Demand. Read on for more details!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …