Photo courtesy of  A Different Kind of Blog There is nothing about shiny new gadgets and gear in this post; sorry about that.  But your friendly Gear Diary folks think that you, our readers, should be warned about stuff every once in a while.  Why?  Well, if you’re well-off enough to buy some of the gadgets, gizmos, and gear that we talk about here, you’re probably going to be (or already are) a homeowner.  And if you’re a homeowner, well, you need to know about the upcoming rule changes that will make your life much more difficult. See, back in 2008, the financial markets cratered because the bank people were doing stuff… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Dan: iPad cases come in all types of materials. Ya got yer leather cases, ya got yer plastic cases, ya got yer cases made from cloth, and ya’ve got yer cases made from leatherette (aka plastic that kinda sorta looks like leather). But this is the first case we have checked out that’s made from… metal. Yup, this PDair case is made from shiny aluminum so you know it going to offer some serious protection. Judie: I’ve been… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

External batteries are great, but they’re only as good as the mAhs they possess; once you deplete them, until you find yourself near a charging source they become useless. The Monaco Mobile Power Solar Charger from Wireless Ground takes care of that problem by harnessing the power of the sun to recharge itself. You can use the battery to recharge you device and then recharge the battery on to go so it’s ready to be used again. In addition to the battery itself you’ll also get some tips to charge with. The Monaco comes with a USB out cable which can be fitted with either the included micro-USB or mini-USB adapter. It also comes with… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Original Image courtesy of Tokyoflash Once again Tokyoflash puts out another watch masterpiece for the classy Geek in you. This time they have announced the Kisai Traffic watch that sports the super bright LED tubes that we know and love from their previously released line of watches. The Traffic design is to simulate the busy the city streets with intersections, overpasses, and single one way traffic. You can expect the same great quality and features as in all their watches, with a price tag that makes it hard to beat. The large square watch face is made of tinted black glass and uses  green, orange, and blue LED tubes to illuminate the face. The different colors… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Newport Jazz Festival at gorgeous Fort Adams state park in Newport, RI is the granddaddy of music festivals – the one that kicked off the trend of having jazz music in festivals, which of course can then be linked to the development of festivals such as Woodstock and Lollapalooza and so on. On Saturday you’ll be able to access all of the music live as it plays at NPR’s Newport Jazz Site! They will do more than just dump the music – there will be historical news, sounds, videos and more available for the whole weekend. Here are some of the folks the NPR crew plans to try to highlight during their… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some folks pointed out to me in the comments for the bike mount for the iPhone post that, yo, that’s going to cause accidents.  And yup, it might, but obviously it’s an item that people are demanding, because now USBFever has one out for the Sprint EVO 4G as well!  So much for us paranoid folks, I guess! Check it out, along with the rest of this week’s USBFever launches: Hard Back Cover Case for iPhone 4 (Kitten) Hard Back Cover Case for iPhone 4 (Young Lady) Hard Back Cover Case for iPhone 4 (Cat) Custom-Made Bike Mount for Sprint EVO 4G Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It was with some surprise that I realized that while I was greatly enjoying what I consider the best PSP game since 2008, Persona 3 Portable, I had actually been spending more time playing Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! What is it about this game that seems to refuse to let me stop playing? Read on and find out! The Hype: The ear-deafening cheers from the crowd have died down, as you bounce the ball in preparation of your serve for championship point. You toss the ball into the air and strike it with the sweet spot of the racket. The ball rockets toward the other side, barely missing the top of the net… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have had the original Motorola Droid since last November just after it launched, and I have been extremely happy with the device and the Android operating system. Aside from the mediocre keyboard (which I’ve gotten used to over time) I have had an absolutely fantastic experience with the Droid – it is my constant companion, and I greatly appreciate how it has improved in many ways during the time since purchase thanks to app updates and operating system upgrades. Back in May I grabbed a Palm Pre Plus on eBay. I was going on a business trip and bringing my iPad as… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Who says Sony has no idea how to put on a big sale?!? Well, pretty much everyone. The ‘PSN Spring Sale’ was so lackluster that most folks never bothered to post about it (which is why you never saw it here!). Anyway, now Sony is back with a Summer Sale, and while it isn’t going to exactly set the world on fire … at least it offers enough reason for me to mention it this time! In general, Sony’s PSN sales consist of two categories: stuff nobody wants, and over-priced older stuff long past due for a price cut. This sale offers a new category – under-appreciated games that more gamers should try, and are… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I reported the awesome deal on The Witcher yesterday, I had no idea that was only the tip of the iceberg! GamersGate has launched a 4 week sale, with each week having a theme based on genre. There are some truly amazing deals on great games! Week 1 kicked off yesterday and runs through next weekend – and the theme is RPGs. GamersGate tweeted about it, saying: It’s that time of the year again… it’s the most intense Summer Sale we’ve ever had! http://www.gamersgate.com/summersale Here are some samples: Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition – 66% OFF – $3.39 Gothic II Gold Edition – 50% OFF – $4.97 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’ve got a Sprint HTC EVO 4G, then today you have yet another reason to feel vastly superior to all other Android Device users … Today HTC marked yet another “first” in its long history of bringing innovation to the mobile arena. Ahead of the pack, Sprint has started to make available the latest version of the Android platform, version 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo, for HTC EVO 4G. Not only is HTC EVO 4G the first Froyo device with HTC’s Sense user experience, it’s also the first mass-market Froyo handset period. In addition to bringing a number of enhancements to HTC Sense, this major update introduces Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Did you ever see a scam that looked so much like it was real that you feel lucky to have escaped? When I saw the email posted below from SiliconEra, I was floored and went back to my receipt from Blizzard to make sure it wasn’t a scam! Here is the malicious email: From: Hello, thank you for shopping at the Blizzard Store! StarCraft II®: Wings of Liberty™: 2775298057033043807536803 To use this key to activate the game, simply follow these instructions: 1. Create a Battle.net account (or if you already have one, log in) at (malicious URL removed) 2. Verify your e-mail address. (If you have previously verified your address, skip Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image Courtesy of Internetclub ’91 Throughout the history of our species, man has been forced into situations of self-preservation and protection of  themselves, their equipment and above all their loved ones. In a small Hawaiian town such a case recently happened where normal people — gamers — were faced with such a situation. As an avid gamer and geek myself, I know that perception people normally have of gamers and their lifestyle. I’m not talking about your standard issue 13 year old Xbox gamer, I’m talking about the guy that spends 66 days straight on  WOW, Everquest, or DAO.  These die-hards stop only to restock the Monster supply and thaw out more microwave Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Harry Potter books have a special place for me since they were a book series that started with me reading aloud and finished with my kids able to re-read the entire series before the last one came out a couple of years ago. We have also enjoyed all of the movies as a family and greatly anticipate the two-part finale. Also, we’ve enjoyed most of the video game adaptations on one platform or other. Currently I’m finishing up LEGO Harry Potter on both PC and PSP and having an absolute blast. So I was thrilled to see the deal Amazon is offering today: Buy the Gift Set of the Blu Ray… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

. Since I began posting our Gear Deal each weekday I’ve come across some awesome deals on LogicBUY. Some, like a Sony camera that shoots HD video I’ve bought for myself. Others I’ve sent to friends with the email subject of “Buy This!!!” Well today’s Gear Deal makes me wish I was in the market for a new TV. I’m not, but this web-enabled HDTV from VIZIO look great. The VIZIO SV472XVT is a 47″ LED-backlit LCD HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution. It features a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and two 15-watt speakers. But this isn’t just an HDTV. Nope, this is an internet-connected HDTV that offers Wireless-N Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity for streaming video, audio… Continue reading on Gear Diary …