(image courtesy Dmitry Grinberg) Yes, Android has been ported to iPhones, but what about older devices? If you’ve got a Tungsten C, you can (theoretically) run Android 2.1 on it! Yes, a Tungsten C can run a higher version of Android than some official Android phones! This upgrade (if you can call it that) was done by Dmitri Grinberg, possibly the last major hacker/developer of the Palm OS platform. He’s claimed for some time to be working on “DGOS”, a pseudo-upgrade to Palm OS. Either to not endanger his DGOS project, or because the Android port is so unstable, it doesn’t look like Dmitri has posted any step by step instructions, so don’t dig up… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Etsy is one of my favorite web sites.  If you’re not familiar with the site it’s a place that brings people who make things together with the people who want to buy them.  A few weeks ago while browsing it I came across the “store” Vintage Covers.  They turn vintage comic books (40-50 years old) into cases for the iPad (and other devices as well.)  Here’s how the store’s proprietor, Randy, describes it. For those who want to go high tech but still stay classic, I am making covers from vintage books, comics and magazines, for the iPad, Kindle, Kobo, Sony, Nook and more. The reader is held securely inside with elastic Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last month I reviewed the Golems of Amgarrek DLC, the month before that I reviewed the Leliana’s Song DLC, and the month before that I reviewed the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC with each one representing very different types of gaming experiences within the context of the Dragon Age universe: one was combat driven and narrow, one was a character study that got us behind the scenes with one of the main characters from the main game, and the most recent one was a high-level combat-centric module. I also noted that the final DLC was coming, called Witch Hunt, which was supposed to wrap up the Morrigan story line from the original game. Now… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There is one thing for certain – hardcore console gamers do not like anyone to think of handheld gaming systems as equal to their favorite platform. Back in 2006 Square Enix announced that the next main Dragon Quest game would launch on the Nintendo DS, and the console gaming world pretty much exploded. But from the initial reactions when the game launched in Japan last year it seems that it wasn’t so bad after all. Now the game has been released in North America and I have put over 100 hours into it! How does it work? Read on and find out! The Hype: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is an action… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Believe it or not Christmas is right out around the corner. Every year around this time many of the public relation firms that represent technology companies begin to offer up their products for inclusion in “holiday gift guides”. These guides, which are published by both print and online media, showcase the hottest tech. for the upcoming holiday season. On September 15th, I had the opportunity to attend the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular in NYC. This event allowed a sampling of tech companies to display their latest and greatest products. The products shown ran the gamut, from iPhone cases to TVs and more. Ready to start your holiday shopping? Here’s a… 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. My iPad is the first gadget I have owned that seems to constantly grow and change the more I use it.  At least once a week I find a new use and grow ever more dependent on my magical little device.  I still use my MacBook Pro for most of my writing and heavy computer use, but the iPad is my main media consumption and gaming device.  As many of you know… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Ford Motor Company is celebrating a couple of milestones this week. The first is the 50th anniversary of the E-Series fullsize van, originally called Econoline. Second, and more importantly to some of us, is the 45th anniversary of its first offering of an 8-track tape player option in its vehicles. In 1965, car buyers were given a new option for factory sound systems. An 8-track stereo tape player was being offered in new 1966 model Mustangs, T-Birds and Lincolns. This new recorded music format was developed by Lear Jet along with the assistance of Ampex, Ford, General Motors, Motorola and RCA Victor Records, according to Wikipedia with Bill Lear at Lear Jet being the point man… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

OK, so maybe that isn’t an exact quote … but it is more or less what they said at GamesIndustry.biz. Basically it comes down to this: while publishers like EA might still be concerned about used game sales, for sports games they are seeing a 60% conversion based on Project $10 license sales, and the high-profit DLC business is just continuing to pour money onto the bottom line! On DLC sales as a major revenue source: “FIFA 10 generated just over $30m in gross DLC sales – so that’d be above and beyond the revenue that we made just selling the physical disc. “Now that stills represents a single digit uptake on revenue Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you were just thinking “Hmm…there’s not nearly enough ebook formats right now. I would be thrilled if yet another new standard came along to confuse things further…”, good news! Ray Kurzweil’s Blio format is apparently more than just a CES 2010 demo. Engadget is reporting that Blio will have a PC application out September 28th, with Android and iOS coming soon too! Excuse me while I yawn…I’m skeptical for a few reasons about Blio. One, video/interactive ebooks have taken off somewhat in app form, but not really as a standalone concept. Vook hasn’t really made a dent in the ebook marketplace, and while iBooks (and Kindle for iPad/iPhone) can handle video and text, there are very few books taking advantage of these features. A… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sony’s DSC-TX7 camera is a small, pocketable unit that is equipped with 3.5-inch Touch Screen LCD. It has an Exmor R CMOS sensor for superb low-light photos, offers iSweep Panorama mode, has fast capture with 10fps, and can shoot 1080i AVCH movies. It has a 2mm wide 4x optical zoom that is wrapped in a slim & portable chassis. The DSC-TX7 comes in Blue but is also available in Silver and Red colors. Sony DSC-TX7B 10.2MP CMOS Digital Camera has an MSRP of $399.99 but with $100 off and a 5% off stackable coupon you can get it for $284.99. It will even ship for free. I bought a different Sony camera when our… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Able Planet has made a name for themselves by manufacturing quality noise canceling headphones which are both comfortable to wear and produce excellent sound. Their Extreme headphone line combines their LINX AUDIO technology with fashionable colors and in the case of these bright pink earphones, a cause*. LINX AUDIO “creates high frequency harmonics that enhance sound quality and speech clarity of difficult to hear words or notes, and increases the perception of loudness without increasing volume.” The hope here is that if people can clearly hear spoken words and music when listening, they won’t feel the need to crank the volume louder, which can be harmful to hearing. So with that… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Cases for the iPhone 4 have been rolling out in huge numbers. Regardless of your taste and aesthetic sensibilities there is now a case for you. Here’s a quick look at one of the newer ones. It comes from Dexim and is a new take on the traditional silicone skin. Is it the case for you? Read on to find out. The CYL Premium Silicone Case for iPhone 4 comes with the case itself, a screen protector, a squeege-card for applying the screen protector and a cleaning cloth. It comes from Dexim’s “Color Your Life Collection’ and is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are plenty of “artsy” cases for the iPhone 3G/3Gs and it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing our fair share for the iPhone 4. I only hope that the cases that are to come are as cool as the ones I just received from izozi.com The company takes the work of real-world artists and slaps it onto the back of their cases. The iPhone 4 case is made from a high-quality thermoplastic and features and anti-scratch, anti-glare polycarbonate window where the artwork shines through. The case reminds me of a cross between the Incase Frame case and the Griffin Reveal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

No money involved, and you just have to enter a name and email. I have talked about the Jason Parker Quartet quite a bit in reviews of their music as well as praising their business ethics and pay-what-you-want practice. Now they have made it on to a list of bands nominated to be sent to Iceland to represent Seattle. Voting is open, and it is quick and easy. Naturally if you live in Seattle or know any of the other groups you might have already voted, but otherwise here is a chance to support a great band that is doing some wonderful stuff in the field of jazz. From the One Working Musician Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of Geeky Gadgets OK, we are approaching the one-year anniversary of the release of the PSP Go. Can we all PLEASE just admit now that the PSP Go is a unmitigated failure? I mean, personally it is my all-time favorite handheld gaming system due to the small size, solid build, short load-times, and so on. Yet I consider it one of the great failures in all of gaming history. Why? It has nothing to do with the hardware – and everything to do with Sony. Here are a couple of quotes from the MCV interview that every other site is pulling from: On the overall positioning and the … um… Continue reading on Gear Diary …