Nothing says classy like a set of cufflinks, and nothing says Redneck more than drinking your beer out of a bottle at a formal occasion. There’s no need to confirm that Redneck stereotype when a bottle opener isn’t handy by  slamming your bottle’s lid on a table edge, using the top of your Skoal can, or worse – prying the bottle cap off with your teeth. Leave the other guests guessing by wearing these bottle opener cufflinks from CuffLinks.com. They’re made of stainless steel so they’ll keep their shape through thousands of cap removals, and you can get them for just $50. Stainless Steel Bottle Opener Cufflinks Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When someone introduces a new game for a new platform by a new developer in a totally unrelated genre with a familiar name, most fans of the original feel that it is likely someone is trying to cash in by attaching a familiar name to a mediocre game. The Might & Magic franchise has seen both sides of this: the most recent addition to the Heroes of Might & Magic franchise is the best in years, but the promising but mediocre action game ‘Dark Messiah Might & Magic’ from 2006 had no reason for a franchise attachment. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes is the latest entry, and appears as a puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. So does it do the franchise proud? Read on and find out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As February turns into March and the release of the iPad draws near (or not depending on which rumors you listen to) I for one am pretty darn excited. No, we still don’t have an official release date (although the current rumor says the 26th for the WiFi version). No, we still don’t have a final word on the OS version at release time. And no, we still don’t have a clue if Apple is going to let us pre-order from the warmth and comfort of our homes, or if we will have to camp out the night before in order to get one of the first released. One thing is for sure however… Every day brings us a bit closer to the iPad and every day I realize a bit more how truly useful it will be. I started to write a post listing a few thoughts on how the iPad will integrate into my life-flow. Sorry but “work-flow” seemed a bit too limited since this device will be awesome for both work and play! That post became far longer than initially planned (hey I’m excited, what can I say?), so I have decided to split it into a [...]

The Nokia 5230 Nuron was announced by Nokia and T-Mobile today. This $69.99 smartphone will come “packed with applications, maps with turn-by-turn directions, and more. Operating on T-Mobile’s blazing-fast 3G network, the Nokia Nuron offers dynamic Web browsing and rich experiences on a 3.2” touch screen. The device is also the first pre-loaded with Ovi Maps, a free turn-by-turn navigation solution from Nokia, and the first to have the Ovi Store pre-loaded, giving consumers access to thousands of compelling applications and games. I took a quick look at the Nuron’s specifications, and I have to admit that I am quite impressed. Not only does this S60 (fifth edition) phone have a 3.2″ 640 x 360… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Update: This giveaway is now closed and the winner is breley! Keep your eye out for more Gear Diary giveaways! Everyone love a good success story – one that inspires and compels, and many success stories can be found on Evan Carmichael, the eponymous blog which features famous entrepreneurs’ biographies. I particularly like the Modeling Masters series Evan’s begun, which feature videos of him profiling famous entrepreneurs. Part Biography channel and part Tony Robbins, Evan mixes background information on famous business people with itemized traits which led to their success. If you are a small business owner, or someone who is debating doing something big on your own, Evan Carmichael is a great site to learn tips from and get motivational encouragement. With that in mind, Evan Carmichael is introducing a series of Famous Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards, which will launch on April 1st, 2010 to benefit Kiva, which “helps small businesses in underprivileged countries.” This series “will feature the likes of Richard Branson, Craig Newmark, and Walt Disney etc.” Evan is offering these cards with the “hope [that they will] raise awareness on entrepreneurship.” I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I am all for anything that encourages people [...]

I have a 7am flight to Florida tomorrow morning. That means I have to be at the airport by 5:45am. That means I have to leave my house by 5am. That means I need to get up at 4am. And THAT means I am a bit worried about oversleeping and missing my flight. To help avoid that I will be setting five different alarms and putting them in various locations to help ensure I don’t hit the snooze button and oversleep. I really wish I had one of iLuv’s new iMM178 Vibe Plus vibrating iPod/iPhone dock/alarm clock’s and its “Shake and Awake” alarm clock feature since it would let me feel far more confident that I won’t miss my flight. This is an update of the iMM153 which Michael posted about last June, and which did not list support for the iPhone; a touch was shown in the dock, which at first glance probably confused many hopeful iPhone owners. It’s a shame that the ability to work with an iPhone added $40 to the MSRP, however. The $99.99 unit features …a sleek and slim black body design with a bed shaker that includes a speaker and volume control. iPhone and [...]

My blogging life became far far easier a few months ago when I began using the Mac application Blogo. Blogo makes it simple to add images, format posts, check and double check the formatting and then post to the web with ease. Blogo lets you… Easily publish text, images, videos, slideshows and more. With a simple, intuitive interface and support for Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, Typo, Drupal, Joomla, and Expression Engine. Blogo is the best way to maintain your blog and spread the word with Twitter, Ping.fm and other supported services. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Jason gave us the once over on Poynt for Blackberry back in December and now the nifty local search application is hitting the iTunes App Store too.  The key to the iPhone version is the use of augmented reality technology, giving the user a real-time view of businesses, people, retailers and theaters around them. Here’s how the developer describes the application: Poynt is a convenient and time-saving application that connects iPhone users to local businesses, people, restaurants and movie theaters wherever and whenever the information is needed. Poynt for iPhone offers the features and benefits of multiple individual applications and the thorough integration with on-board apps like the address book, maps and phone makes Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have been using a 3-speaker THX speaker system from Logitech with my iMac for a few years now. I’ve tried other speaker sets but I keep reconnecting the Logitech one. Why? Because I love the sound! Now our GearSponsor has tracked down a great GearDeal on a 6-piece system. The Logitech Z-5500 5.1 THX Dolby Digital DTS is a 5.1 Speaker System that normally retails for $399.99. The six-piece includes a subwoofer, center channel, 4 satellites and a Digital SoundTouch Control Center. All told, it pumps out a whopping 505 watts. With a 15% off Coupon Code and a 10% stackable coupon code that can be found… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Who would have thought the iPhone could become a nice tool for guitarists when Steve Jobs stood on that stage in 2007?  As the app store grows, many applications are added for use with the guitar and to assist players.  I actually use my iPhone as my primary tuner for my acoustic.  I find it fitting that guitar manufacturers are beginning to throw their hats into the ring.  Gibson has recently released their own application.  It looks to contain the usual tuner, Metronome and chord finder but also adds free lessons.  I plan on taking a closer look at this FREE app and posting a full review soon. Read the Gibson release after the break.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the local Philadelphia news channels has a weekly segment called “Deal or Dud” where they put a product or service to the test to see if it actually lives up to its claims. A few weeks ago they featured the “Turbo Snake.” What is the Turbo Snake? Straight from the manufacturer: Introducing Turbo Snake™ – the quick & easy way to clear slow-moving or clogged drains! Simply glide Turbo Snake™ down the drain, twirl, then pull out – Turbo Snake’s™ specially designed head grabs & locks onto hair clogs to remove and free the drain instantly! It’s that easy! What’s best, its flexible design easily maneuvers down the drain to seek out clogs without having to remove the drain stopper. For bathroom sinks, showers & tubs. Each set includes the Large Turbo Snake for Showers and Tubs, Small Turbo Snake for Sinks, and Peel and Stick Storage Hook. In the station’s test the Turbo Snake performed remarkably well and they called it a “deal.”  I’d actually seen the item at my local “As Seen on TV Store” a few weeks prior but held off on purchasing because, well you know, it’s featured in an infomercial and do those [...]

For those who do not know what a GPS Data Logger is, it essentially is a GPS that usually has a sole purpose: to keep track not of where you are, but where you have been.  Qstarz has been hard at work trying to improve upon the BT-Q1000x and has brought out the BT-Q1000eX Xtreme Recorder.  What is different about this GPS logger and what makes it Xtreme?  Let’s find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Internet makes it possible for innovative ideas to be brought to the public with a great deal of speed. But as I’ve learned time and again, it’s best to not become all too reliant upon any one of them since they can disappear almost as quickly as they show up. The most recent case in point is Sprout Builder. Sprout builder is a service for creating custom flash widgets. It allows you to do everything from create custom slide shows to building innovative media presentations and much more. Best of all you can be tremendously creative without knowing a bit of code. Unfortunately everyone who’s been using the service on the consumer side has just been told that they will no longer be able to do so in just a few weeks. That’s right, the company announced on February 15 that it would suspend the subscription service that came online last spring and focus on their enterprise product lines. Translation, unless you want to pay their enterprise fee of $2,999 you won’t be using Sprout Builder any more. According to the notice on the site and the email current customers received, non-enterprise customers will only have access to their [...]

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. As more and more of my students get iPhones, they become a greater source of apps.  At first, they asked me about games and apps they should get but now they are slowly beginning to share their findings with me.  Last week I walked into my second period American History class with four students standing at my desk.  They excitedly told me I must download Torect Free on my phone.  They explained that all of them were highly addicted to the puzzle game.  One of the young men handed me his phone and said he was stumped.  I solved the puzzle and knew I must download the game to check it out for myself.  I also discovered that solving the puzzle that quickly was beginner’s luck! Torect Free is a puzzle game where random pieces (that will look similar to Tetris pieces) are fit together to form a rectangle.  The kicker is that the pieces may not be rotated or changed, just moved around the board.  Check out the full review after the break.… [...]

I have fond memories of summers living in Chicago.   On my days off I’d take the train over to Comiskey Park on the South Side of the city and purchase a single game ticket to see the White Sox play.  I wasn’t even a fan of the Sox but a fan of the game. Purchasing a single game ticket usually meant I was able to secure one of the best seats in the stadium, usually right behind home plate, just a couple of rows off the field. I always brought my Palm Pilot along and it was loaded with baseball score keeping software. I enjoyed looking back on those games seeing how the managers made… Continue reading on Gear Diary …