When the press release came into the Gear Diary e-mail account about the release of V-MODA’s first over the ear styled headphones I jumped — literally jumped — at the chance to review them.  I had recently reviewed their Remix Ear Buds and was thrilled with them, so I was excited to see what they’d done next. The Crossfades were developed over a lengthy process of collaboration with professional musicians, producers and DJs.  V-MODA set out to create an over the ear style headphone that not only sounded great but looked equally so. By crafting the Crossfades from luxurious materials and lightweight metal V-MODA has done just that. When I was a Chef… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I carry my Droid on every run so I have a phone with me. Since it’s already with me, I use it to track my pace and distance on my longer runs. There are a number of sports tracker apps in the Android marketplace but I keep going back to using one in particular, Buddy Runner. Buddy Runner is super simple. When you first start the app you are greeted by a simple landing page with a start button. Hit start, then hit the road (or trail)! If you like updates on how you are doing as you go, you can configure the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We love our Mophie juice pack airs for iPhone 3GS. In fact, when Judie, Larry and I were at CES in January they truly saved the day and kept us connected. I was recently sent one of the juice pack air’s for the current generation iPod touch and have been trying it out under a host of different use scenarios. The juice pack air for iPod touch “is a rechargeable Smart Battery concealed inside of a low-profile, light-weight, soft-touch case.” Let’s take a look… From Mophie- As the world’s thinnest rechargeable battery case, the mophie juice pack air™ is designed to virtually double the Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Egretlist is an interesting little task manager for the iPhone that has a unique claim to fame. As far as we know it is the first iPhone app that was written specifically to integrate with Evernote. Yes, an increasing number of apps work with Evernote but Egretlist was designed for it and, as such, take full advantage of the Evernote API. The app costs just $2.99 HERE in the App Store but our reader MiKeN is getting a copy from us. The good news is… we have another copy to give away. For a chance to win it just tweet “I want to win a copy of Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I grew up in the 80′s.  The 80′s was the decade of big hair, hair bands, break dancing and boom boxes.  Never have I seen a dock for iPhone and iPod that brings back memories from the 80′s like the Altec Lansing MIX iMT800. The MIX has big boom box looks like no other dock I have seen.  In the 80′s, the middle portion of the boom box would have been dominated by a cassette deck.  Instead of a cassette deck, this one has port with a dock connector and an arm that slides up to take the iPhone or iPod out of the dock. There are also 2 big handles on either side of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the hard things about using the iPhone as a gaming platform is the grip (and the lack of external controls).  I’m still waiting for someone to invent and sell some kind of dock with external buttons and whatnot, so you don’t have to use the virtual ones on the iPhone itself.  But in the meanwhile, some companies like PosiMotion are at least providing gaming grip, to give you more of that body-English, acceleration-feedback goodness. The PosiMotion Helix Gaming Grip is now available for your purchase at your local Best Buy for an MSRP of $19.99.  So the next time you’re in there, staring at an iPad or buying new speaker wires… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I reviewed the Survival Strap a few weeks ago and since doing so it has seldom left my wrist. In honor of Memorial day, for the next 24 hours, Survival Straps will be donating 35% of the proceeds of anything purchased on their site to the Wounded Warrior Project. If you’ve been thinking about picking up a Survival Strap this is the perfect time to grab one, it’s a great product and your purchase will help benefit those men and women who were injured while serving our nation. Head the Survival Straps web site to pick something up… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Sena WalletBook is a beautiful and useful case for your iPhone 3GS that can also double as a wallet thanks to a number of thoughtful pockets inside. You can read our full review here. The Walletbook has an MSRP of $52 and can be ordered directly from Sena. We had one to give away however and that WalletBook will be going to Gear Diary reader… aflacks!! Congrats aflacks and our thanks to Sena for making this giveaway possible… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’ve got gadgets (and if you are reading this there’s no question you do) you want to protect them. And what better way to protect them than with a permanent (at least permanent until you choose to remove it) protective skin? invisibleSHIELD, one of the best known names in the field has shields for pretty much every gadget you can think of. And thanks to our Gear Sponsor you can take 50% off on all protectors. Better still, if you spend $30 or more you’ll also get free shipping. (Free shipping excludes ZAGGsparq 2.0 or ZAGG gift cards.) So whether you want to protect your Phone, your iPad, your Laptop, your cameras, or… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Coming from a family with a generations-long history of substance abuse, I’ve always been very, very careful about things like alcohol and cigarettes (and Vicodin, and Percoset, and . . .).  But some are not so lucky, and get hooked on King Tobacco and can’t get off, even when they want to quit.  A whole host of methods exist to help, from electronic cigarettes to nicotine patches to biofeedback.  But hey, it’s the 21st Century!  Time for an iPhone app!  (Which makes sense to me, since I’m personally never without mine.) Now available is the very thing:  an application from Spanish company MUBIQUO and called “The Joy,” the application purports to use pleasurable means… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s no secret that I have long enjoyed the Argentinean company Vaja‘s leather products, so when my birthday rolled around this year the Gear Diary Editors knew just what to do — they gifted me with the new Vaja ivolution Top for Apple iPad in my choice of colors. I chose the girly and bright Violet exterior with Rosa interior … The ivolution Top appears to basically be a combination of Vaja’s slightly less expensive ivolution Grip case ($100) and a matching and completely detachable top cover. As has been noted countless times… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Even though I reported on some mixed early reviews, Alpha Protocol remains my pick of the week. The DS finally gets the game based on the popular book Wizardology, which came out in Japan quite a while ago. The PC also gets another add-on with the mega-popular Sims 3: Ambitions. And there are plenty of other releases this week – read on to find out! Alpha Protocol Backbreaker Pure Futbol Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Resurgence Pack Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Apparently April was CD-release party month at the old-British guitar legends home! Hot on the heels of Jeff Beck’s Emotion & Commotion comes To The One from John McLaughlin. While McLaughlin might not carry the same name recognition as Beck outside of the jazz world, the impact of the contributions of the 68-year old McLaughlin rival if not exceed those of his younger country-mate. Another similarity is that neither of these greats have rested on their laurels, constantly pushing ahead. Yet there is always a common thread and respect for their own history and fan-base. Such is case with the latest release by McLaughlin and his 4th Dimension band, To The One. The Continue reading on Gear Diary …

TUAW had a great heads up yesterday that I took advantage of and wanted to pass along to all of you. Independent developer MOApp Software has released their app myTexts touch for iPad. The $2.99 app focuses on “distraction free writing”. In other words, the app lets you write… just write… without having to think about anything like formatting or other application bells and whistles that can get in the way of putting thoughts on the screen. Now that might not sound like something you need on your iPad and I would be inclined to agree with you. After all, most of the writing apps currently available for the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Larry: Week 3 of the C25K is in the books.  This week’s workouts got a little harder and the first 3-minute run was a bit of a struggle but once out of the way I could start to feel the return of my endurance, even if it was ever so slightly. Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes) Judie: Those… Continue reading on Gear Diary …