Funny things can happen when your schedule gets messed up in the morning. I needed to hang around the house for an extra half-hour this morning, and as I waited I did a bit of work I needed to complete and while doing that a Facebook friend request came into my email. After confirming an old colleague from a former job, I just checked my feed, and at the top saw that the Mac & Linux versions of Eschalon Book 2 were available to download now! Of course I headed straight to the site and hit up the single mirror (through GamersHell) to download … and then left the download running as I headed off… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(All photos courtesy Toyota) Toyota Prius is the ubiquitous hybrid. And yes, I did have to look that word up. The 2010 model is the third generation Prius to hit U.S. soil and this new midsize model bring better fuel economy, enhanced performance and modern styling to the platform. It is roomier, quieter and equipped with all of the latest technology including offering a moonroof complete with solar panels, four driving modes, Intelligent Parking Assist and steering wheel touch controls that display on the instrument panel. “The Prius has evolved with our customers over the past 10 years and is now more things to more people,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I first gave the Kylo Web Browser a try when I was reviewing the Hillcrest Loop last year. I enjoyed how it made my internet browsing experience on a large TV screen so much better, even from across the room. In fact I liked it so much that when I put the Lenovo A70z into service as a family media center, I installed the Kylo Browser — and it is the only browser used on that computer. Kylo is still in Beta, and after this update it will offer even more features “for Enhanced Web Browsing on the TV Screen.” These new features… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Audiobooks are expensive. If you’re an audiobook addict, you could easily find yourself blowing some major cash trying to keep up with books on your commute. Sure, there’s the library, but then you run the risk of late fees. And services like Audible.com are pricey, and may not be compatible with your chosen phone or mp3 player. Enter Simply Audiobooks. Essentially, it’s a Netflix-style service for audibooks. You can check out several books at a time and keep as many as you want queued up. Is it the perfect solution for audiobook fans? Read on and find out! When you first sign up, you’re given several options for subscription. Much like netflix… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As a coach, it is exciting seeing possibilities new technologies are bringing to the profession.  In the past I have reviewed a few iPhone apps that have performed a task, but were definitely limited in their abilities.  After the iPad was announced, there was even a discussion about using the iPad to coach basketball on my favorite basketball forum Texas Basketball Coaches or TBC.  Even non-tech savvy coaches instantly saw the possibilities of the new device. SportBoard for the iPad allows coaches to use the device to draw basketball… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Way back in November of 2004 I reviewed Valve’s sequel to its awesome FPS Half-Life, saying: There are many flaws in this game – installation, weapons and vehicles, unnecessarily stretched out sequences (mainly with vehicles), and so on – that take ‘points’ for me. So does the fact that it is very linear and nothing is really in your control ( I tried to kill a few important NPC’s just to see … you can’t). Therefore replaying HL2 is like watching a movie again as opposed to playing a game like Knights of the Old Republic again – you are doing it to experience the same things again, rather than get a fresh experience. That said Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t destroy the ioSafe.  The waterproof and fireproof external hard drive is one of the toughest electronic devices I’ve seen. Here’s an incredible deal on the 2 TB ioSafe drive from Buy.com. The 2TB drive, which comes with 5 years of disaster protection, is on sale for $349.99 marked down from its regular price of $499.  That’s a savings of $149.99! Head on over to the Buy.com web site to jump on this hot deal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s deal will nab you a nicely sized Lenovo laptop at a significant savings. Here’s the deal… Lenovo’s 15.6″ Lenovo Essential G555 is a black 15.6″ Laptop that has an MSRP of $849. Thanks to our Gear Sponsor however you can get $150 off PLUS use a $200 stackable coupon to bring the price down to $499. It will even ship for FREE. The notebook is powered by an AMD Turion II Dual-Core M320 2.1GHz CPU. It has ATI Mobility Radeon HD4200 graphics, 4GB memory, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR p, a 6-cell battery and more. 15.6-inch Lenovo Essential G555 via LogicBUY. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Now, because I’m a smarty-pants kinda guy, if I were to create a game called “Hollywood Hospital,” it would be along the line of “Plants vs. Zombies,” except the “plants” would be the Hollywood stars, and the “zombies” would be all the scary, dangerous surgical techniques–liposuction, collagen, breast enhancements (and reduction), tummy tucks, and whatnot. Thank goodness I’m not a software game designer, right? The folks at Zack have taken a completely different approach to their Hollywood Hospital game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and let’s face it, it’s probably just as well.  The new Hollywood Hospital game is available for an MSRP of $1.99 via iTunes. Full information below… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been enjoying using my iPad in its naked form.  Truth be told I do have it wrapped safely in a full body Clear Coat protectant skin but it’s as close to naked as I’m willing to go. That being said pouch style cases seem to work best for me.  I definitely need something to protect the iPad when I’m carrying it around but want something that allows me to keep the device as sleek as possible when I’m using it. Zippered pouches are nice but they require some work when I need the device.  The Fabrix Magic Sleeve is a simple pouch style case that comes in 10 different… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I hope everyone is as excited as me … because we all know how GREAT video game movies are! I mean, look at the classucks of the genre: Super Mario Bros., Postal, BloodRayne, Max Payne … oh, you get the picture. Anyway, apparently now EA is hoping to buck the nearly monolithic trend of crappy movies based on video games by bringing the hugely successful Mass Effect franchise to the big screen! Here is the announcement: Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that Legendary Pictures, whose successful co-productions include The Dark Knight, 300, Clash of the Titans, The Hangover and Watchmen, has acquired theatrical feature film rights to the hit videogame franchise, Mass Effect. The project Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Late last October Gearbox software launched a game called Borderlands. I played it quite a bit at launch, and since then there have been a few DLC add-ons and other attempts by the developers to keep the game fresh in the minds of the typically short-attention-span target audience for this sort of game. As I was revisiting the games of 2009 I thought it would be worthwhile to give this one another go. The Hype: A sci-fi/action RPG from acclaimed developer Gearbox, Borderlands combines the best in first-person action gaming with elements of a traditional role-playing game (RPG). The excitement of this hybridization is further magnified by the game’s groundbreaking content generation system which allows… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Speck Fitted Artprojekt case for the iPhone 3GS is a great looking case for your iPhone 3GS. It is a limited edition case, has an MSRP of $39.95 and offers good protection to your device. The Speck ShieldView for iPhone 3GS completes the package by offering excellent screen protection. A 3-pack is just $9.95. We had one of each to give away and the case and screen protectors go to… our reader… yodi3050 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here is an app that caught my interest as soon as I saw the e-mail. Worry is probably the leading cause of stress for many parents and vehicle fleet managers alike. Dangerous Decisions has released an Apple iPhone app designed to monitor driving conditions in a vehicle and it is available as a basic free download or in a pro version that carries a one-time price of $24.99. No sooner did I hit the sentence in the press release with the link to the download site than I put the free version on my iPhone and went out for a “spin” in the latest test vehicle. The app is easy to download and set up… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(video courtesy CNET) Barnes and Noble has said since they announced the nook that they would be offering their bookstore on multiple devices. So far we’ve seen B&N integration on a handful of eInk devices, but today B&N announced they’ll be offering an android tablet as well. The “Novel” is by PanDigital, a company specializing in digital photo frames but looking to branch out. It’s running Android, though it appears it is being marketed as a very heavily locked down version; there’s no mention of an app store, though it is going to offer web browsing, photo and video capabilities. No word on the specific version of Android (my guess is 1.5 or 1.6), processor speed or what type of touchscreen (I am… Continue reading on Gear Diary …