Need a workhouse of a notebook? Have we got a Gear Deal for you! The new 14″ ThinkPad L412 has an MSRP of $940 for a notebook with the base specs. Thanks to our Gear Sponsor, however you can get it for under $540. And it will even ship for free. “Right…” you say, “but that’s just for the model with base specs…” That’s true but even these base specs are pretty impressive. The ThinkPad L412 comes with a Core i3-330M processor running at 2.13GHz, a 14″ Anti-glare LCD with WWAN, 2GB DDR3, a 160GB Hard Drive, a DVD+/-RW, a 6-cell 2.6Ah battery, 802.11n WiFi, a GMA HD graphics and Windows 7 Home… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! After the rollercoaster release of Alpha Protocol last week this seems like a fairly tame list! Since the PSP library is anemic in general and growing ever-so-slowly, the fact that there is a major release for the platform is a BIG DEAL … one I couldn’t ignore. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker hasn’t gotten any early reviews, meaning they are being held for release – and while that normally concerns me, the earlier PSP games in the series are some of the best games on the platform. Also new this week, Green Day: Rock Band brings with it the sad news… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s not just sites like myPadMedia that you have to beware of when you hunt for ebooks. There are other, even more unscrupulous sites that just act as a front for viruses and other malware. According to PC Tools, the big market is in targeting “Twilight” fans. My only guess as to why would be that the demographic skews towards pre-teens and teens, and there’s a good chance that they may be computer savvy but not security savvy. It’s a bad combo for them, but a great combo for people looking to spread viruses. It’s also worth noting that the myPadMedia folks were also trying to scam people using the Twilight books as a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Larry: Week 4 of the C25K is in the books.  This week’s 3 work outs consisted of: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) I did all three workouts outside, on a new route.  I definitely felt some progress this week.  Running is becoming easier, although that first 5-minute run was… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I got a nice surprise in the mail recently. Hard Candy sent me their new iPad case- the Squish Skin-  for review. I don’t usually use like silicone skin but I wanted to give it a shot… let’s take a look. From Hard Candy- More protective than bubble wrap and way more fun, the Squish Skin delivers noticeably outstanding and unique protection for your iPad. The snug, form-fitting silicone stays feather light but resists impacts by utilizing air-filled chambers just below the surface of the case. Leave the Squish Skin on at all times for an extremely functional and protective layer that will satisfy even the most discerning gamers and professionals. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

photo credit: millzero I’ve never had much luck as a matchmaker. In fact I am perfectly horrible at it. Still, this is one time when I am pretty sure that a marriage ought to take place. That’s right, I think it is time for Apple and Nuance to start getting serious about one another. Sure, Nuance now owns MacSpeech Dictate and Scribe which run on OS X. And yes, Nuance’s Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search work beautifully on the iPhone and iPad. But that’s just dating. I want to see them take… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Well, it was only a matter of time after Steve Jobs made his infamous “If you want porn, buy an Android phone” comment…but there’s officially a youtube parody of the iPhone 4 announcement, which features dancing robots singing that the Android phone is for porn (like the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”.) It’s not suitable for work, but it is quite funny! And for your viewing pleasure, the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”: Via AndroidCentral Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I know I’ve said it here before, but I’ll say it again: I like lists.  I’m a sucker for any promising program that allows me to make more lists, and while I like programs that allow me to create lists for a wide range of needs (Things or ListPro, for example), specialized list programs are great, too, because they can incorporate features that true enthusiasts want but are specific to the list topic.  BookLover from Electric Pocket – makers of BugMe! – is just such a specialized list. BookLover, as may not surprise you given the title, is a program that allows the user to make lists of books. The basic… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s a common occurrence for me on my Mac.  I very often place two Finder windows side by side.  I do it when I moving a bunch of files and folders around or installing a new application. But often times I forget that simply clicking the Finder icon in my dock won’t launch a new Finder window, if I already have one open. Fiwi solves this issue by automatically placing two Finder windows side by side.  You simply place the icon in your dock and or in your Finder window and then whenever you click on it Fiwi will launch two Finder windows, equally sized, side by side… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When phones with sliding top halves first appeared, they presented unique challenges for accessory manufacturers. I can just imagine that some of them must have been scratching their heads — wondering how they were going to protect both halves of these devices, yet allow the keyboards to remain functional. After years of watching some of the more offbeat solutions come and go — like clear plastic covering the keyboard and odd straps holding the leather bits in place — many case-makers seem to have settled for offering pouches that will hold the phones when they aren’t being used, but many more seem to have chosen not to bother with them at all… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have already detailed my feelings about the epic role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins, stating in my review that “not only do I love nearly every aspect of the game, I also love how after finishing it a couple of times I am thoroughly enjoying a new play-through as I contemplate my actions and consequences from the prior runs.” After such praise, it is a pretty easy guess that I am a lock to get any and all new content for the game. There have already been several add-ons released, from the initial Return to Ostagar DLC to the much larger Awakenings expansion. Now we get The Darkspawn Chronicles, which I introduced… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Since the release of Everquest in 1999, there have only been two dominant MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) worlds: Everquest and World of Warcraft (WoW). The standard of the $15 a month subscription has ruled for more than a decade, and while games such as Final Fantasy XI, Everquest II, Star Wars Galaxies, City of Heroes / Villians, and others have seen success, each has struggled with the economic realities and eventually failed. In recent years the ‘free to play’ movement has grown, with games having some amount of content-free, and charging for more advanced items and areas and content. Turbine Entertainment has had its own share of difficult launches – Age of Conan… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A couple of weeks ago I told you about the iPad application Flickpad which offers a unique way to view your and your friend’s Facebook photos.  fbook Photos is another alternative for viewing pictures from your Facebook contacts. In order for fbook Photos to connect with your Facebook account you’ll be asked to give it access.  As long as you keep the “keep me logged in” box checked this only happens the first time you launch the application.  If you uncheck it you’ll be asked to log in each time. Once the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you ask any long-time Mac Gamer about the ‘ones that got away’, there are two games they will instantly cite: Marathon developer Bungie’s ‘Halo’, and Valve’s Half Life. Halo got a mediocre release for Mac & PC ages ago (and the even MORE mediocre Halo 2 came along later as an attempted Vista Trojan Horse), but the Half-Life franchise has eluded a Mac release … until now! We still await the release of the original, but for now Mac gamers can rejoice and enjoy the classic Half-Life 2! The Hype: By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I recently read the book “Too Big to Fail“. In it, there’s a discussion of the treasury department’s “Break the Glass” plan. Essentially, they had a few analysts put together a “what if the whole world melted down at once” thought experiment, so they could be prepared for the very worst case scenario. As it turns out, they used that paper as a very loose blueprint for many of the actions taken in the later half of 2008. I sincerely hope the publishing industry has a similar plan in place, because it’s looking like they might need it. “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” came out last week, and a whopping 29.4% of sales… Continue reading on Gear Diary …