One problem that some people have been having with the iPad is the (relative) dearth of applications that have been ported to the device’s HD format.  Blowing things up to 2X size just doesn’t quite fit the bill. Sauce Digital agrees with you.  The makers of the game with my favorite bad pun title, Space Balls, is in the midst of porting that game and several others to the iPad’s HD screen.  Take a look below for the full list, but hopefully SD will be helping you fulfill your gaming jones Real Soon Now. Full information below. Sauce Digital have announced that their entire suite of 6 games will be published in HD iPad Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I was a wee lad, the Sony Walkman–a cassette tape player that was, eventually, barely bigger than the tape–was the peak of portable music technology. (Unless you went the complete other direction with a “boom box”; see Do the Right Thing for a good example of heavy-duty boom-boxery–among other things.)  Now, of course, we have iPods the size of credit cards, and cassette tapes are “retro” items.  As in one of this week’s new USBFever releases, the Retro Cassette Tape Case for iPhone 3G / 3Gs.  So relieve the Old Man of Gear Diary’s youth, and pretend it’s 1985.  Then listen to Bowling for Soup’s “1985,” and move on with life!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yesterday a good friend of mine was asking me for recommendations on an HDTV. (This is the same friend who recently bought MacBooks and order new Kindles for both himself and his wife. Yes, they have finally decided to come into the 21st century.) I recommended he check out LogicBUY for the best deal. I also suggested that he think about the size he wants and then buy one that is one size larger. (Buying an HDTV only to then realize you should have gotten a bigger one is a drag.) What I forgot to mention to my friend was that he might want to look into one of the new HDTVs that have… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Gear Diary sponsor PDAir has continued their effort to keep your iPhone 4 safely covered, and has introduced not one, not two, but five new variations of their flip-type case. If your iPhone is still unclothed, and you want more choices before you buy, you should surf on over and take a look.  The cases are available for an MSRP of about $35. The full list of cases from PDAir: Leather Case for Apple iPhone 4 – Flip Type (Black) Version.2 Leather Case for Apple iPhone 4 – Flip Type (Brown) Version.2 Leather Case for Apple iPhone 4 – Flip Type (Red) Version.2 Leather Case for Apple iPhone 4 – Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have always wanted the ability to have 2 devices connected to my headphones or speakers at the same time.  In the past, you literally had to have a DJ setup or a stereo and neither is very portable.  Bluw has a Mini Mixer that is just a tiny bit bigger than an iPod and is just as pocket-able.  Now you can mix that funky music almost anywhere. The mini mixer comes with 3 cables which are all double ended 1/8 inch stereo headphone plugs.  Plug 2 cables into 2 mp3 players or phones with the other end being plugged into the mixer.  The mixer has a headphone monitor port where you would plug your headphones and a speaker port for plugging in a set… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Over the last couple of weeks I have reported on GamersGate’s 4 week Summer Sale. Week #1 was full-up with RPG goodness, Week #2 featured the action genre, and now Week 3 is Strategy game week! Here are some samples: Civilization IV Complete Edition – 75% OFF – $9.98 Company of Heroes Gold – 60% OFF – $11.98 Europa Universalis III Complete – 75% OFF – $6.98 King Arthur – The Role-playing Wargame – 66% OFF – $13.59 Planet Alcatraz – 87% OFF – $2.67 Spellforce 2 Gold – 75% OFF – $4.99 These are once… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It looks like there are rumors of some new Sony ebook readers coming out this fall! Supposedly they’ll be model numbers PRS-350 and PRS-650, effectively updates to the current PRS-300 (Pocket edition) and PRS-600 (Touch edition). In addition, the PRS-650 is rumored to have 3G (and maybe WiFi), so it’s almost a mashup of the Touch and Daily Editions Sony currently sells. The only bright spots are that there may be note-taking options on the PRS-350, and both devices are going to have an updated interface. From reader comments on my post about Sony’s ebook future, it seems the one positive in the current lineup is the notation ability on the touch edition. So including it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you are an active social networker with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc, and if you have a following that would appreciate seeing your complete coverage of everything that goes on at the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo Shoot, then you’ll want to pay attention to the following: HTC and Sports Illustrated have teamed up to sponsor the Behind the Tan Lines contest, where one (very) lucky individual will have the opportunity to cover the 2011 SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot. The winner will get to share their own unique interpretation of what goes on behind the tan lines by stepping into the shoes of a journalist and sharing all of their Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Perhaps you’d like the iPad to blend in with your collection of fine vintage  books, or maybe you just miss the feel of a solid leather hardback binding when reading the classics; either way TwelveSouth has an intriguing new iPad case which should satisfy your leather-lust. Introducing the new BookBook, a handmade leather case available in one of two hardback colors: brown with a black spine (Black) or vibrant brown with a red spine (Red). No two covers are alike, and the cover can even function as a stand for landscape-oriented viewing. The hardback cover and spine provide impact protection, while the hard protective inner frame Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve had the Froyo update for my Motorola Droid for a few days now, and overall I’m impressed. There have been some minor UI tweaks, and the speed seems slightly improved, though I think some of this might be in my head. Still, I think it brings the Android experience up to a slightly more refined level, and that’s definitely a good thing. However, there are a few bugs and oddities I’m noticing as I use it. I’m not sure if this is Droid-specific, general Froyo bugs, or some combination of weirdness from my phone and the various apps. None of them are showstoppers, but they are quite annoying. The proximity sensor seems to be a Continue reading on Gear Diary …

underlying image courtesy TheBridgemaker.com I was in New York yesterday visiting a friend who just moved to the area. During a tour of his neighborhood, we stopped to see if there were any good deals at a Blockbuster Video that was closing. It sparked a discussion of Blockbuster’s business model and why they were struggling for survival. My friend was surprised to hear that Blockbuster may end up in bankruptcy, and he commented that it seemed like they had kept up well against Netflix with their online DVD rental service. I pointed out that it had turned out to be a case of “too little, too late”, as most of their customers who would have… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We start the week with a Gear Deal on a 15.6″ Dell Latitude E5510 Business Laptop. This particular notebook is loaded with a Core i7-620UM processor running at 2.66GHz, 2GB DDR3, a 15.6″ Anti-glare LED LCD, a DVD+/-RW, a 160GB Hard Drive, 802.11n WiFi, a 6-cell battery and Windows Vista. It has an MSRP of $844 but our Gear Sponsor has found a way to configure it and apply coupon that will bring the total price down to $549. It will even ship for FREE. That means that even if you grab this deal, buy an upgrade version of Windows 7 (just $29.99 for college students) you’ll have a Windows 7 notebook for well… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Back in the days before World of Warcraft conquered the MMORPG world, there was this little game that people referred to as ‘Evercrack’. The original Everquest, released in early 1999, earned that title because the game offered so many time-sinking activities that players would often let real-world activities fall by the wayside in order to keep playing. EQ2 was released in early November 2004, two weeks before World of Warcraft which came out just before Thanksgiving of 2004. Of course, while Everquest 2 had a reasonable launch and slowly overtook the original Everquest in terms of subscribers, World of Warcraft had a meteoric rise that has yet to slow significantly … and Everquest 2 appears… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Despite a relatively small list of new releases, there is quite a bit to highlight! The one most sites will highlight is Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, which is the sequel to the promising 2007 drama game that disappointed in the delivery. Early reviews indicate that the sequel does a better job of delivering on the promise of the franchise! The PC is getting some nice MMORPG love! This week sees the release of an extended version of the 2004 MMO Everquest II Extended, which will introduce ‘free-to-play’ modes. We also get the first new major addition to the City… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I recently purchased a Droid 2 on Verizon to replace my aging G1 on T-Mobile.  Overall, the experience was good, and my number ported quickly and the phone was already working properly by the time I walked out of the store.  However, one thing about the experience concerned me.  The Verizon rep was going to set up the e-mail on the phone for me, and she asked for my Google credentials.  While at face value that may seem like a considerate or helpful gesture, it’s really not something Verizon should be requesting.  Like anyone else, I have e-mail in my account that I don’t want to share with anyone else, and Verizon requesting my email password also sets a bad precedent… Continue reading on Gear Diary …