Google- verb- a widely used search engine that uses text-matching techniques to find web pages that are important and relevant to a user’s search. This is the definition I got when I tried out Google’s new online dictionary.  The new dictionary tends to work as expected, users can type in a word, and Google will give you the definition, part of speech, and maybe a similar phrase or two. It also will give you definitions it find around the Internet. If you happened to be logged in to a Google service , you can star a word for future reference. Google will be using their dictionary exclusively now with their services. Thanks to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

From the company that brought fashion to the portable entertainment world, ChicBlvd, Inc. lets women and men both further enjoy their music in style – and now aloud – thanks to the new chicBoom and RockBoom iPod and mp3 speaker cases. I just hope it doesn’t come down to “Does this chicBoom/RockBoom make my butt look big?”… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Did the holidays approach too quickly, leaving your desktop looking like a cross between Ebeneezer Scrooge’s living room and the Grinch’s cave? Never fear, USB Fever has just the thing … a 4-port USB hub shaped like a jolly old man sporting a fluffy white beard. That ought to cheer you up. … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ll just come right out and say it.  Are you balding?  Are you man enough to admit it and instead of trying to cover it up with hair replacement, comb overs or some other method you simply choose to do “manly” thing and just shave it all off? Or could you have a full head of hair but like the clean, smooth look of your bald head?  Are you BBC (bald by choice?) If you answered yes to either of the above questions then the HeadBlade is for you. The HeadBlade, which is used by countless bald… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The uber-popular social networking site Twitter, which lets people update their status with a 140 character messages has launched a brand new mobile version of their web site. The site, which is available by heading to http://mobile.twitter.com on your mobile phone, has an all new look. It’s just a preview so Twitter says the site works best on @Webkit browsers – Android, iPhone, Nokia S60 and Palm Web OS phones all come with these browsers installed. Other browsers like @BlackBerry work too, but they haven’t done all the fine tuning yet. With the countless amount of full featured Twitter apps available in the iTunes App… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you are looking for a small, unlocked smartphone our GearSponsor has tracked down a deal for you. Nokia N97 Mini is based on the N97 but has a smaller body with updated design features. It features a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio, WiFi, GPRS, touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and more. Better still, it is compatible with both AT&T and T-mobile. Found for $579.99 or more around the net, LogicBUY has located a deal that uses stackable coupons to get the price down to $413.99. It even includes free shipping! Details can be found HERE but hurry, the coupon to get this deal expires… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(Courtesy of http://mysite.verizon.net/claredurand/usofjrteam/Tickets.jpg) We’ve written about Google Wave before, and we’ve even done one giveaway of invites already. But it’s the h0liday season, so the whole team has pooled their Google Wave invitations together to give away to YOU, our readers! How do you get to score an invite? It’s easy! 1) Become a fan of Gear Diary on Facebook. 2) Comment on our “Google Wave Invites” note on our Facebook page, sharing what you like most about Gear Diary and/or what you would like to see us cover in 2010. We’ll be giving away… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you want to experience how the entire world welcomes in 2010? On December 31st, 2009 at 6:00 AM EST the first earthTV.com camera location (Auckland New Zealand) will ring in the New Year. Two hours later it will be followed by Sydney Australia’s world famous fireworks at Harbor Bridge. Later through the day earthTV’s cameras will bring you spectacular celebrations from Hong Kong, Berlin, and Paris France’s breathtaking Eifel Tower fireworks among others. The celebrations will end January 1st at 12:00 AM PST with Seattle Washington’s Space Needle Fireworks. earthTV.com will bring all the celebrations direct to your computer in broadcast quality. You can watch it all… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Plastic Logic has just announced that the Que reader will be honing in on territory previously staked by the Kindle and the nook; like those readers, the Que will support reading magazines, mostly tech magazines like Popular Science and Macworld. A quick search on Amazon determined you cannot get these on your Kindle, so Que scored a coup! The more I hear about the Que, the more I think it will be a real stealth competitor next year. Support for various doc formats, huge screen, subscriptions from popular technology magazines…what more could an eBook fan ask for???… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love the X-Ray effect Scottevest has for each of their jackets. It is a smart approach since seeing the jacket itself tells little about what any given item holds since they are all designed to HIDE the fact that they are filled with gear. Until today, however, the x-Ray for Scottevest’s Signature series was a but dated. Now the GameBoy (ah the memories) is history. In it’s place you’ll find an iPhone 3GS, a Blackberry Bold and a Kindle which, come to think about it, looks an awful lot like my Scottevest when I flew out from New Jersey the other day!. Same cool effect, new current gear. Check it out over on the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

SPB Software announced a special holiday present for all connoisseurs of Apple products. For the 10 days, from December 1st till December 10th they are giving a significant discount for their SPB Wallet application created to safely store and manage such sensitive information as passport and account numbers, access and PIN codes, logins and passwords. Mac, iPhone and Windows versions will be available for as low as $4.95 each. SPB Wallet’s main features include: – Import from eWallet, Handy Safe/Handy Safe Pro, CodeWallet, FlexWallet and SplashId; – Cards that look just like ones in your wallet; – 60+ predefined… 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! Day #1 was great, and it only gets better today! Game #2 is the excellent Need for Speed SHIFT. Here is the announcement Tweet: D2D’s 24 Days of Christmas – Day 3 – Need For Speed SHIFT is 50% OFF – just $24.95! 24hrs only http://bit.ly/5w5ISJ I have not played this game on the PC, though my son loves the heck out of the PSP version (I only got a few minutes into it before it disappeared into his PSP, never to return!). Reviews have been generally positive, though… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I first downloaded and played with Questia, I thought, “I don’t get it.” I understood that it offered access to loads of academic humanities texts, and had a free public domain section, but what was the value in it? You could hit up your university library if you needed to do research, and public domain books are available in loads of places. Then I had the chance to talk with Tim Harris, CEO of Questia, and that’s where I learned the true value of this application. “We are a research library, for people who want to access as much trusted material as possible in their area.” Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Its time once again for News of the Interwebs! In the “Aint Android kewl” dept: Our UK brethren over at The Register have a write up of some new Android phones coming down the pipe, and their from vendors we havent heard from yet.  Looks like Android is on its way to take over the cell phone world. I hope we see some of these here in the USA. In the “I Hope Its Not the Biting Kind” dept: Our friends at JKontheRun have a post up showing which new cell phones will be using the Snapdragon processor.  It looks like a few Android phones, but mostly Windows Mobile.  Still, nothing to sneeze at.  I concur with James when he says, ” My holiday wish list is now complete.” Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I just spotted this awesome “be on the look out” deal from Wayne Schulz. According to web site Phandroid, there’s a sale on Droid and Eris happening this weekend (12/4 to 12/7). Open a new line of service (also applies to anyone whose bought within the last 30 days) and get one free Droid or Eris smartphone with each regular one purchased. Requires the obvious new 2 year commitment (unsure whether this would work for upgrades) as well as $30 monthly Verizon data plan on each phone. The Droid is currently priced at $199 from Verizon while the Eris is $99 both of which presently require a $100 mail Continue reading on Gear Diary …