Truphone has updated their Android build to 3.0.2, now bringing Wi-Fi calling to the Nexus One.  The VoIP solution provided by Truphone should be very appealing to Nexus One and other device users who want to test out some good ol’ Wi-Fi data and voice services .  Truphone is a free application available for Android, Symbian, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPod Touch. Read on for full details of the Truphone 3.0.2 release for Nexus One.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s usually a very sad long waiting game to get decent smartphones for folks who aren’t already on a major carrier like Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile.  Sometimes, though, that waiting can pay off.   Alltell customers  — well, those of you not already swallowed up by ported over to Verizon in many market areas — this may be one of those times.   If you have a qualifying plan (e.g., eligible to upgrade or opening a new line/account) you can grab the BlackBerry 8530 to run on Alltel’s 3G network for a mere $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.  Yeah, we’re not big fans of the mail-in rebate way of doing things either, but $100 bucks isn’t exactly chump change.  The best part?  It’s only a 1-year contract. So, while it’s not the most revved-up BlackBerry on the market with it’s 2MP camera,  you do get to take advantage of the new Curve form factor, trackpad (no more gunky trackball problems, yay!), social networking with Facebook and Twitter, and the Wi-Fi/ GPS enabled goodness any respectable smartphone sports these days.  Throw in your own microSD, and your 8530 can be used for video recording with expandable storage up to 32GB.  Not [...]

Travis recently wrote about some of the great products Cocoon Innovations was showing off at CES to help organize all the wonderful gear we tend to carry around.   As soon as I saw their GRID-IT system in Travis’ post,  I knew this was a product I could use.   While I try to keep an organized gear bag, the daily wrangling of cords, chargers, etc. was beginning to wear on me.  Sometimes I need to quickly transfer gear from one bag to another — say, during a short trip where trying to keep up with multiple bags is more trouble than it’s worth (hmmm, did I pack that specific cord in my rolling bag or my messenger?…). Two weeks ago I ordered a GRID-IT organizer, and I’ve had a chance to really put it through it’s paces.  Let’s see how good a job it does, and whether this should be an item worth considering for your gear needs… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Apple’s handling of the App Store has been under fire from the beginning… and for good reason much of the time.  The app approval process has been a mess at best. Apps have been rejected for seemingly no reason. and there have been times when apps that were initially approved have then been pulled. It has been better lately, but better than pathetic isn’t great. Here’s the latest… Wednesday night the developer of an app I recently reviewed had their application pulled from iTunes. The drama surrounding it once again reveals the issues that remain unresolved. More after the break… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looks like Apple better hope their new friends the book publishers do not look too closely at the App Store. According to Teleread, Apple let an app in that carries some copyrighted content. Supposedly the “vPoint” app carries both “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, neither of which are in the public domain and free for download, and HitchHiker’s isn’t even officially in ebook form! There’s an irony here that on the eve of redefining publishing, Apple ends up with glaring book piracy right under their noses! If you want to read these books for real, you can find them at Amazon. And while you are there, encourage the publisher to release Hitchhiker’s… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Back when I wrote about the various packages available for Dragon Age: Origins, one thing I didn’t worry about was the soundtrack. Why? Because on the graphic that accompanied the article it said ‘Digital Soundtrack’. So I assumed it meant we got the whole soundtrack – since most games with samplers are pretty clear and up-front about the whole ‘selections from the soundtrack’ thing (most recent example is Dissidia Final Fantasy). Also, buyers of either the ‘deluxe digital’ or ‘collector’s edition’ got a selection of songs from the soundtrack, effectively half of the 35 songs, although there are some songs that don’t overlap. In early December EA & Bioware released the full soundtrack to iTunes and Amazon’s MP3 store, so let’s see if it is worth the money.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are three types of people.  People who don’t want you to know anything about them and don’t use social networking, people who will tell you some things, but not everything online,  and people who are  social exhibitionists who will tell you anything and everything about themselves online.  For the social exhibitionists, have I got a site for you.  It’s called Blippy. What is Blippy?  Blippy is basically Twitter for your financial life. Blippy is a service that enables users to share and discuss the things people are buying.  You can automatically share purchases from iTunes, Amazon, Woot, Zappos, Visa, MasterCard and others. How does it work?  From the CNN article: CNN Continue reading on Gear Diary …

By now the news has spread about Conan’s final settlement with NBC. It is tough to be Conan, walking away with only $33 million and no Tonight Show (and apparently no rights to Triumph the Dog!). Now the question becomes, what does he do next? Rumors say Fox has been putting out some feelers, but what if he went in a different direction?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Its time for a quick round up of news about our favorite online video sites: YouTube site redesign: After their news about supportng HTML5 and starting their own rental services, what else does YouTube have to announce?   Well, the left the best for last by announcing a major site redesign.The new look is opt-in through YouTube’s TestTube labs for right now, but it looks great, making it much easier to focus on the video you’re watching than be distracted with comments, descriptions, user information or ratings. Hulu charging??: Hulu, the video site with the funny TV commericals, is considering charging for content.  According to an article on Geek.com, “Apparently… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Larry and I have been going a bit crazy with the app downloads from the Android Market. It is fun to try out a new platform and I am pleased to see that in the months since I had a chance to check out the Sprint Hero, the Market has gotten a host of new, and often awesome, apps. Bearing in mind that we have each spent a small fortune on iPhone apps there is one feature we have discovered along the way that is more than a bit awesome… In fact, it is something Apple could really learn from…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While at CES 2010, Dan and I were blown away by the pending releases Speck has in the pipeline for 2010.  The uber-popular accessory manufacturer has a ton of goodies in store for the new year. One of the items we were given by Speck to review is the See Thru Satin case for the iPhone 3G/3Gs.  Made from the same material as its big brother, the Satin Case for the Mac Book Pro, which Dan recently reviewed, this case both looks and feels great! Check out my video review below.  Then head on over to the Speck web site, and check it out for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Our GearSponsor invites you to… Try eMusic.com at no cost for 7 days and keep 35 free MP3s. Songs cost .50 cents or less each after the trial ends and there are 7 million from which to choose. This is a great way to get some more music in your collection and, in the process, try out a new way to purchase songs for less. eMusic.com Free Trial: Download 35 Free MP3s via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Whew! Fresh off CES and the army of ebook readers there, we’ve headed right into Apple Tablet madness. But, as always, there’s more to the ebook world than just the GIANT APPLE LOGO elephant in the room. It has been a busy start to 2010 for the ebook world. Let’s start with the content news!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m not sure if this mod. for the iPhone is so wrong or so right but someone took it upon themselves to modify a Game Boy Advance casing and somehow turn it into a case for their iPhone. Apple always seems to be touting their iPhone and iPod devices as “gaming” machines but I’m not so sure this is what they had in mind.  In any case you have to give the mod. credit for “old school” coolness. Check out the video after the break where the iPhone does Sonic the Hedgehog. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You say you’re too busy to do your diary keeping for your work in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?  You’re hardly ever in one place, always on the go?  Well, that’s why Andrew Arrow has stepped in and created CBTReferee. CBTReferee is an application for the iPhone or Droid that allows you to keep track of and log your CBT information for later consideration, but on your smartphone instead of having to scramble in your bag for a scrap of paper and a pen.  (And let’s face it:  Doug knows you always have your smartphone with you.  Don’t lie to Doug!) So if you’re doing CBT, and you’re on the go like most of the rest of us technogypsies, take a look at CBTReferee, available for both the iPhone and the Droid for a mere fin ($5). More details after the jump.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …