Remember when Lenovo’s computers were all business? Back then they were specifically designed for work and came in any color you wanted so long as that color was black. Well today’s Gear Deal comes from Lenovo and it shows just how far the company has come since the days of the IBM ThinkPad. Lenovo just released their IdeaCentre A310. The A310 is an update to the A300 lineup and it is thinner and more powerful than ever. At only 0.75″ thick the A310 is just about as thin as you can get.  Despite its thin, slick look however the A310 is a powerful machine. It is available with either a Core i3 or a Core i5 processor… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So my brother, the musician of the family, is actually singing with an a cappella group at Pac Bell park during a Giants game.  I mean, how cool is that, right? If I were a good brother, I would be there, and holding up some kind of audio recording device, so that I wouldn’t miss a minute.  (Or if I had, ya know, tickets–have you ever tried to get tickets to Pac Bell park?)  An audio recorder like the Olympus DP-10.  A high-quality digital audio recorder, the DP-10 sells for an MSRP of $34.99.  So if you have a musical relative, or just need to record stuff, maybe you should check it out; it’ll… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The premise behind the Isabella Products Vizit 10.4″ Touch Screen Photo Frame is simple: You use it to “view and share photos with anyone, from anywhere, instantly over the mobile network.” The Vizit has a 10.4″ touchscreen and it can send or receive pictures over its 3G connection. Photos sent to the frame’s email address are stored in their original resolution at vizitme.com, scaled appropriately and sent to the frame for display. This eliminates the tedious task of swapping out memory cards, as well as makes it easier to keep photos updated via the cellular network. Since the Vizit experience is as much about the online service as it is about… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Dear Dell, Can I ask you a question? Seriously, I promise it’ll just be between you and me. Here’s what I want to know and, please be honest with me… What were you thinking? Seriously Dell, what were you thinking releasing your reentry into the smartphone/tablet market with Android 1.6? How can you take high-end hardware, put old firmware on it and expect people to actually like this device? I mean, you put Android FRIGGIN’ 1.6 on the thing when phones are being released with Android 2.2. 1.6???? That’s just crazy! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Jagged Alliance is one of the most venerable, if not best known, franchises in gaming history. Originally released in 1994 with a string of expansions and a 1999 sequel with its own expansions, the turn-based strategy classic is still very popular with hardcore PC gamers – to the point where you could pay as much as $41.95 at Good Old Games to get every related release! Back in March bitComposer bought the rights to Jagged Alliance with the promised desire of releasing Jagged Alliance 3 in 2011. While nothing new has been announced on that front, today at GamesCon bitComposer announced that they are bringing out a browser-based MMO game in 2011. Here are… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You can see the idea – the PSP is for ‘real’ games, and the iPhone is for ‘bite-sized gaming’. Show some great looking PSP games and have some crappy simul-screen on the iPhone, and you’re good to go! Here is the main thrust of the video as noted at Engadget: Marcus reminds viewers that the iPhone is built for things like “texting your grandma and calling your girl,” while the PSP is “built for big boy games,” some of which can be had for as little as $9.99. So what is the problem? One of the main points of the commercial is showing off the AWESOME PSP games … and they can all be had… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I reviewed Risen last year, I made clear my love for the Gothic franchise the game (unofficially) springs from. Here are my conclusions: And that was the impression I needed to leave with – and the one I want to end with. Risen is an excellent game with a few end-game flaws. Not enough to mar the experience too deeply, but enough that it is frustrating – but particularly because the rest of the game is so well done! Is it the ‘RPG of the Year’? Not likely. In fact, since I was in the midst of my second run through Risen, Bioware’s Dragon Age came out, and the release of Divinity 2 was announced Continue reading on Gear Diary …

At the GamesCom convention this week, loads of stuff is coming out. And while there is no new information about Torchlight II since last week – there is a really cool trailer! The trailer addresses the fact that folks LOVED Torchlight, but lamented the lack of multiplayer, and not only states that it will be included but goes on to show loads of multiplayer gameplay action! Check it out! Source: Torchlight II Official Site Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I was excited to see Buick resurrecting the Regal model this year. My first real experience with the badge dates to my car cruising years of the mid-1980s and the popular scene on Cooper Street in Arlington, Texas. Those were also my ear-shattering car stereo years where us early adopters were tearing out complete interiors to accommodate our rolling sound systems. I drove a 1983 Olds Cutlass and had been hearing about a fella out there in Arlington who drove a maroon Regal nicknamed “Eruption” as an homage to Eddie Van Halen.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

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. One feature not present in the iPhone world is push to talk technology.  We have all seen the commercials where a cell phone is used like a walkie talkie.  Even though I have never been sure about if I would use the feature, it would be nice to have the option.  It just seems easier in certain situations to basically voice MMS rather than make a call.  Little did… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The original Portal game was a revelation – let me quote from my review at back in 2007: Portal is the ‘other’ part of the Orange Box: looking as least as much tech demo and gimmick as a genuine game, this has blown everyone away – and for good reason, as this is quite possible the best part of the package and a deserving contender for ‘game of the year’ honors. This game is pure gameplay at its finest – while there is some story and other motivations contained in the game, it is ultimately all about using the portal technology to get past the puzzle immediately in front of you, to allow you to Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For all of the wonderful things I have discussed relative to the launch of Steam for the Mac three months ago, there are also some negatives: in particular, folks who use BootCamp could immediately tell that the same games on exactly the same hardware ran worse on Mac OS X than on Windows XP or 7. The Snow Leopard 10.6.4 update only served to exacerbate this. Gamers have been advised to skip that update due to performance issues, and now we have finally gotten a graphics update that allows us to get fully up to date AND get the best gaming performance ever on a Mac! Here are some technical details from Valve’s Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The summer sales events are reaching such a dizzying pace I can hardly keep track anymore! But this one deserves a special mention – Valve has brought back the ‘Steam Midweek Madness’ sale, this time featuring Borderlands, which I reviewed here. You might have read the review and thought “but you were really critical of the game, Mike”! True, but let me bring out a particular quote: So will you like it? That depends – if you are a shooter lover, you will probably find plenty to love. If you really love co-op, you will have fun but be better served by Left 4 Dead 2. If you like action-RPGs Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I haven’t talked about it much because there have been too many rumors and not enough details, but now we can start getting excited: Dragon Age 2 is coming to the PC, XBOX360 and PS3 on March 8th 2011 in North America, and elsewhere just a few days later! EA is holding an official event and the info is starting to roll. Here are some details: “The Dragon Age franchise got off to a tremendous start. With Dragon Age 2, we are building on the outstanding RPG fundamentals the original delivered while taking the franchise in a new direction with faster, more responsive combat that will allow players to think like a general, but fight like Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This is an amazing deal at NewEgg! About a year ago I reviewed the Able Planet PSM500 Gaming Headset, and they remain my headphone of choice for gaming and any other time I need headphones! Now NewEgg has an even more advanced pair of headphones – Able Planet’s Active Noise Canceling Headphones – for $299.99, with an extra $20 Promo Savings, making it a total of $279.99! Here is their description of the headphones: Create your own personal space filled with crisp, clear sound with Able Planet’s Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling headphones. Embedded with patented LINX AUDIO Continue reading on Gear Diary …