Now I have to admit: I’m not a big fan of the “Wedding Dash” games.  But Sami and the kids like them, so I’ve seen them around the house plenty.  And they seem to get a lot of pleasure out of playing them (although Sami has been obsessed with Plants vs. Zombies lately . . .). What about you?  Big fan of Wedding Dash on your iPhone and/or Mac or PC?  Well, you’re hardly alone, and clearly PlayFirst has noticed, because on August 10 they’re releasing a package that includes Wedding Dash for the iPhone, and Wedding Dash 4-ever for the PC or Mac.  Don’t know the price yet, but let’s face it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m rather keen on apps and applications that take my speech and convert it to text for me. I love the time-saving, the convenience and the fact that I don’t have to put more stress on my hands when I am writing a lot. Most recently I have been testing d2u. d2u is an iPhone app combined with a professional transcription service. While in a different league than Dragon Dictation and Vlingo due to its price per minute, it is also in a differently league due to the remarkable accuracy. To review the app and service I have been using the transcription credits Bottle Rocket, the company behind d2u Transcriber… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My first smartphone was a Window Mobile smartphone — a Motorola MPX220. My second smartphone was also a Windows Mobile Smartphone — an iMate Jam; my third and my fourth smartphones were Windows Mobile devices as well. And then… I was done with Windows Mobile. Say what you want, but my experience with Windows Mobile was never all that good. Too often I found myself doing more to get and keep the phone up and running than I was actually using it. BlackBerry was next, and then the iPhone came along. When Android entered the fray, I felt that Windows Mobile was heaving its last gasp. Now Microsoft desperately wants back in the game, and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve mentioned it before: USBFever doesn’t stand still.  Ever.  Every week we get a list of their new stuff, and this week, they clearly decided they hadn’t missed enough sleep, and released even more new stuff.  Go, engineers, go! So what all are they releasing this time?  Glad you asked: Sync and Charging Controller Adapter for iPhone / iPad / iPod USB 10-Port Hub (White) Golf Bag / Sun Visor Clip Holder for iPhone / iPhone 4 Custom-Made RearView Mirror Holder for iPhone 4 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I will have a review of the DS version coming soon, but wanted to get this out there: while there hasn’t been a PC version release date more official than ‘later this summer’, we now know that the release date is August 12th! How? Because the game is available for pre-purchase on Steam right now! This morning I was on Steam to download Alien Breed: Impact (which was on sale recently and I bought but never installed) and saw under the ‘Deals’ section that Puzzle Quest was coming! Great stuff! Here is the description: About the Game Escape to puzzle game fantasy world filled with amazing creatures, powerful weapons, and challenging minigames! Addicting Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I don’t do a ton of selling on eBay, but I definitely do some.  And because I travel so doggone much, it’s nice to have access remotely do both eBay and PayPal, to keep an eye on how things are going. Clearly the tech boffins at eBay don’t want either me, or their Android folks, to fall behind either, because they’ve just released an updated version of their Android app, complete with their patented “bump” technology (“bump” too phones together and transfer stuff between them!). Available now wherever you get your Android apps. Full information below. Hi all – Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal Mobile, here. For all of you Android Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I remember reading something several years ago about the reasoning behind the different sounds made by various lightsabers in the original Star Wars movies. It seemed pretty cool that Luke had Anakin’s old lightsaber and based on crystals and power sources it was blue and made one sound, whereas when he constructed his own it was a different color and made a different sound. Of course, back then there was no YouTube (or DVD), and for the majority of years the movies were not available outside of theaters or TV re-runs … so you rarely got to dig into such details! But now we have a really cool video that steps through every time… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Fable III is the upcoming entry in the action-RPG series by Lionhead Studios (part of Microsoft Game Studios), headed up by Peter Molyneux, the designer who is famous for spouting off pie-in-the-sky features about his next ‘best game ever’ that are eventually cut way back … only to repeat the process for the next game! The original Fable was released in 2004 for XBOX360 first, followed up by an extended version for PC called ‘Fable: The Lost Chapters’. The game was originally going to be the ‘all-RPG’, taking you from birth to death in a ever-growing world in which you would see trees grow and houses slowly decay and so on. What we got, however… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Well … apparently the weekly schedule I got was incorrect, since Dragon Age week was supposed to be Week #7! Also, EA has had some issues with their emails (or perhaps I have on my end, but it certainly hasn’t impact GamersGate!), since I got the email for week #3 two hours before the sale ended! And I got Week #4 email one day into the sale – but I’m glad I waited since I was going to post about Dead Space and Spore and other stuff that isn’t actually on sale this week! Anyway, here are the deals for Week #4: Dragon Age Origins – 33% OFF – $20.07 Dragon Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Just a few days ago I noted that GamersGate had launched a 4 week sale, with the first week focused on RPGs. As noted there are some amazing deals and I hope you are taking advantage of them! But last night I got the weekly GamersGate Newsletter (if you are interested in digital download games you should definitely sign up!), and I was surprised to find new additions to the sale! Here are the new games: Dragon Age Origins – 50% OFF – $14.97 Dragon Age Origins Deluxe – 50% OFF – $19.97 Dragon Age Origins for the Mac – 50% OFF – $14.97 Dragon Age Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s just 3/4 of an inch thick. It packs a Core i5 processor. It has a built-in light sensor, a fingerprint reader, optional NVIDIA GeForce 305M discrete graphics and an 8-cell battery. And it’s our Gear Deal for today! The Lenovo U460 is a Core i5 laptop running at 2.4 GHz. It sports a 14″ screen and offers everything you need for mobile computing. The Core i5 version has an MSRP of $1049 but our Gear Sponsor has tracked down savings that will drop that price to $749 and then have it shipped for free. Other configurations and prices are available so check out LogicBUY and the Lenovo IdeaPad U460 for details Continue reading on Gear Diary …

With all of the current buzz over Android phones with ~4″ screens like the Incredible, Xperia X10, Galaxy, Desire, and EVO 4G, it’s easy to forget that sometimes less can be more; sometimes less is actually more desirable. Take the HTC Aria for instance. Measuring a diminutive 4.1″ long x 2.3″ wide x 0.46″ thick and weighing 3.8 ounces with battery installed, the Aria is the perfect size to tuck into a smaller pocket or the smallest of evening bags. Its matte black plastic backside is covered in that wonderfully grippy material which rejects fingerprints and offers a bit a traction on slick surfaces. The front appears to be mostly shiny (fingerprint loving) screen… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

About a week ago, my fiancee came home, walked the dog, and headed out for a bike ride. After she was riding for about an hour, she started to, for lack of a better word, “bonk”. It was hotter than she thought, she didn’t bring a snack, and she was almost out of water. Luckily she was able to call me to pick her up at the trailhead, but the incident worried me. What if she hadn’t stopped herself and started walking, or the heat snuck up on her more and she’d passed out? The next day, I went online and ordered us both RoadIDs. RoadID was invented by someone who had a similar “what if… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I sang the praises of Graffiti for Android when it first came out. It was solid and easy for quick text entry. Now Access has released an updated with the following improvements: Autocorrect Auto-capitalization Word prediction Input word learning Japanese input Effectively it goes from being a simple text entry system to a very full-featured one. It works great…except for one bug. Most text entry programs recognize if your device has a hard keyboard, and they don’t “pop up” if the keyboard is engaged. Graffiti, unfortunately, does appear even if the keyboard is extended. It makes for a difficult typing experience at times! I was able to inquire if… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love the Sena Folio iPad case I reviewed back in May. Larry does too! He recently picked one up and writes Wow am I impressed. First off, it’s plain gorgeous. Secondly the iPad fits inside perfectly. Finally, it doesn’t add much bulk but feels as though there’s enough to protect the iPad. I simply love it and it’s quickly become my case of choice. He’s right! It is gorgeous, doesn’t add too much bulk and offers nice protection. The interesting thing is, the Sena Folio he picked up at an Apple Retail Store isn’t the same case I reviewed in May. Back in May my one main criticism of the case was that, unless… Continue reading on Gear Diary …