When I think of a brick, I either think of the actual structural element from which buildings are constructed, or I think of any electronic device that seems unnecessarily large and cumbersome.  Now, Aluratek wants us to reimagine the word as an audio component.  Aluratek is releasing their latest product, the Brick Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod this week.  Aluratek boasts that the Brick offers high-quality sound at an affordable price.  It will work with the iPod Touch, iPhone, and any iPod model with a click wheel.  As it includes a 3.5mm auxiliary input, the Brick can also be used with other mp3 players.  Apple devices will be charged when docked.  The Brick… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Nope, that’s absolutely not a typo.  IES is putting out a new product for your home entertainment center called the mi-hub.  IES’ mi-hub is, at it’s basic level, a TV stand, but it comes with all kinds of A/V goodies included to allow you to plug in all your various gadgets and gizmos without driving yourself bats.  (The mi-hub is to TV stands what the Gull-wing cycle is to the penny-farthing bicycle, pretty much.)  The mi-hub has an MSRP from £399.99 to £459.99 (about blah).  So if you’re cleaning up that cable-heavy corner of your living room and looking for a good A/V stand, maybe this is the one for you. Full information below… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

What’s not to love about today’s Gear Deal? The Beatles: Rock Band Special Value Edition has it all. It includes a Rock Band Guitar, Rock Band Drum Kit, Microphone, USB Hub, Guitar Strap and The Beatles: Rock Band software. It has an MSRP of $99.99 but our Gear Sponsor has found it for a full 30% off. That means you can get it for just $69.99 and shipping is free. You can get the details on this Beatles: Rock Band Special Value Bundle for PS3 deal and order by visiting LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here are your list of new USBFever items for this week: Hard Crystal Back Cover for iPhone 3G / iPhone 3Gs (Danish Flag) http://usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1856 USB Cradle for HTC Desire (US Power Plug) http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1860 Filio Leather case for iPad (Orange) http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1861 USB 2.0 4 Port Hub in a Football Shirt Shaped (Black) http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1862 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m not a good person to use as a model for pointer devices; I have a joystick on my right-hand side, and a wired-mouse on my left hand side, and alternate between them.  But not everyone is like me (a good thing!), and for you trackball users Kensington is announcing a selection of items (listed in full below).  So surf on over and check them out–unless you’re like me.  In which case, back to the drug store for more RSI-preventative braces for you, dude! Full information below. Kensington Computer Products Group, a worldwide leader in computing accessories, today announced its TrackballWorks™ software, designed to customize the user experience with Kensington’s award winning trackballs for Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve warned, exposed, and ranted about myPadMedia, but they just won’t stay down! The latest from them shows they’re just getting more brazen as this saga continues. First, I received this email from manybooks.net over the weekend: Hi Carly, I’ve just read your article exposing myPadMedia’s mis-use of Feedbooks.com, and I think they’re doing the same thing to manybooks.net If you still have an account with myPadMedia would you mind logging in to see if that is the case? I had a few emails from folks yesterday asking for refunds, and if I’ve guessed correctly then I may have blocked them from framing manybooks.net, but I can’t tell without logging in– and Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been using the Sony ICF-CL75iP as my bed side clock since I reviewed back in November.  While the Sony does a ton, arguably  more than any alarm clock on the market, it’s not without its faults.  Most prevalent, it only has one dock and the screen is so bright it sometimes keeps me up. While on a recent shopping trip with my wife at a “home” store I stumbled across the iHome iP88 and on impulse snatched it up. Here’s how iHome describes the unit: The iP88 is an innovative clock radio for iPhone & iPod that features two docks allowing you to charge both your iPhone and iPod simultaneously. The iP88 has several Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One thing modern technology and being a gadget freak brings is lots of monthly bills.  iPhone, Netflix, Satellite, home internet.  When you think about it, it seems we are being nickel and dimed to death with monthly charges.  Being a father of two and earning a meager wage, the addition of more of these monthly charges is not an option.  There are many new mobile internet devices that look compelling, but I never can work the monthly fees into my budget.  Enter Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go. Virgin Mobile was kind enough to send me a Broadband2Go Wireless USB Modem to try out.  The big difference in the Broadband2Go offering is the lack of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the great things about a new iPhone is that you can start getting all kinds of new cases. And with the first redesign in two years for our beloved iPhones a lot of us were ready for a change. Well iLuv is already out of the gave with a nice assortment of cases that will range in price from $14.99 to $49.99 and will be available some time this month. iCC727 FUSION: A dual layer case made of silicone and PC with stand – $34.99 MSRP… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Well, today’s the day. After much anticipation Steve Jobs has finally taken the platform and is ready to announce all sorts of new goodies. Over the last few years WWDC has become the launchpad for some of Apple’s more significant items and upgrades. And it’s no surprise that today is once again serving such a purpose. Much of the anticipation was reduced by the week next generation iPhone that made its way to Gizmodo and cause the whole ruckus in recent weeks but even still, there remained a host of unknowns about the phone as well as what else Apple might have a share. Even the logo for the event today made it clear that… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The saying goes “don’t perform live with children or animals”. In 2010 it finally and officially needs to be officially changed to “Don’t go live with children, animals or technology”. And the poster-child for the new saying… Steve Jobs himself. We’ve all been there. We’re ready to do a keynote presentation and for some reason we can’t get it started, the image is distorted or some other small glitch keeps us from being able to move forward. But when you are Steve Jobs it sure doesn’t look good when you are trying to present your latest iPhone to the world and you can’t get the demo to work. I mean its… embarrassing. (To say the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of MotivateUrSelf I have never hid the polar opposite feelings I have on the Deus Ex franchise: I consider the original to be one of the best games of all time, and the sequel to be one of the biggest disappointments. Regardless, Deus Ex remains one of the most treasured franchises in all of gaming, so the fact that a new entry is coming in early 2011 is BIG NEWS. The last few months have seen a steady trickle of information about the new game, but for next week’s E3 Eidos have released a trailer that sets the overall scene, described by the voice-over: The year is 2027. It is a time Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here are just a few things that don’t mix well with your new iPad… 1. Water Duh! 2. Magnets I got an email from my friend Michael who warned me about getting any case that has even the smallest of magnets. Seems his brand new case is completely messing up the iPad’s ability to serve as a GPS thanks to the havoc the magnet plays on the device’s compass. I pulled out the Orbino case I am reviewing and, sure enough, the tiny magnets… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When Apple announced their Magic Mouse I was of two minds. On the one hand I was thrilled to see Apple moving away from the Mighty Mouse’s constantly failing trackball and choose, instead, to go with a multitouch option. On the other hand I didn’t think it went far enough. I said, at the time that they should have simply released a standalone version of their amazing notebook trackpad for use with desktop computers. Well according to Engadget I am about to get my wish. Apparently Apple is about to introduce a brand new input device and the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Know how you can tell smartphones and app stores are truly mainstream? No, it’s not because my mother just bought a Blackberry! It’s because the Wall Street Journal is writing articles on apps, and that <gasp> malicious apps have been creeping into the smartphone space. I am being a bit tongue in cheek; the Wall Street Journal is, as always, fairly even and conservative in their tone: As smartphones and the applications that run on them take off, businesses and consumers are beginning to confront a budding dark side of the wireless Web. Online stores run by Apple Inc., Google Inc. and others now offer more than 250,000 applications such as games and financial tools. The apps have been a key selling Continue reading on Gear Diary …