I just got the email this afternoon, but apparently today-only PopCap is offering the full Bejeweled 2 for free! On October 10, we’re celebrating 10 years of Bejeweled, and we got you a little something. Here is the game description: Get set to play the PopCap game that set the standard in casual gaming! Match sparkling gems three at a time to make them burst in showers of color and points. Match four or more to create flashy power gems that boost your score and your mood with brilliant cascades and combos. Soar to gem-matching heights in Classic mode, or speed through matches against the clock in Action. For even more dazzling fun, bump up your Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This has been a celebratory two weeks for Gear Diary, as we have just seen two of our writers get married! Dan is officiating Carly and Sarah’s wedding today … probably right as you are reading this! And David and Tish were married on October 1. Please join us in wishing Carly & Sarah, and David & Tish a very happy, very wonderful, and very much loved rest of their lives! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This is one of those blockbuster weeks, led by Medal of Honor, the latest war shooter to move from the 1940′s to the modern era and bring plenty of controversy with it! This also seems to be the week of the ‘Game of the Year’ editions – we have Uncharted 2, Borderlands, and the Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition, all of which add some great stuff at a collection price. The DS and PC have strong showings this week. The DS gets Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals and Super Scribblenauts, while the PC gets… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few months back I got the opportunity to try out a checkpoint-friendly bag, and I have to say I was convinced.  If you’re a frequent traveler, or simply sick to friggin’ death about the undress-and-unpack kabuki dance at airports these days, you should seriously consider getting one–they definitely make life at check-through easier. And now good ol’ GD sponsor Skooba is offering a couple of new bags in the checkpoint-friendly category.  Skooba has a bunch of traveler friendly stuff, and I’m glad that they’ve jumped into this market too.  If you’ve been looking for a new bag for your sojourns beyond your current area code, you should check them out.  The small and large Checkthrough Executive… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today John Lennon would have turned 70, had he not been shot in December of 1980. In November of 1980 he released his last record, Double Fantasy, after 5 years on hiatus from music recording. This week on iTunes they have a massive collection of his newly remastered work, including a free version of Starting Over from Double Fantasy. There is even a 11-CD ‘signature box’ with loads and loads of extras. If you want to listen to some great live Lennon, head on over to Wolfgang’s Vault John Lennon Tribute, where they are featuring a 1972 John Lennon concert recorded in New York City, as well as the infamous 1969 ‘Bed-In’… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly worrying about having to juggle my iPhone (with the map on it) while I’m driving.  I don’t want to–it’s dangerous, and makes me nervous as heck.  And personally, I hate those vocal, turn-by-turn programs–”In 100 feet, turn right!” generic woman with bland voice says brightly.  It’s not for me. Proclip has always offered multiple solutions, and this month there’s an incentive to buy one and stop my stressful juggling attempts:  they are offering 10% off of their products at checkout time.  So if you’re sick of the juggling act too, maybe now is the time to surf on over and find the clip that works for Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are some words, as Dave Barry pointed out, that are inherently funny.  He liked the word “booger,” but there are other words that fit the bill.  (He also enjoyed “weasel”–don’t ask me why.) And then there are words that, to me, just sound cool all on their own.  ”Vector.”  ”Glacial.”  And one of my other favorites is now a game:  ”Firmament.”  This has nothing to do with the game itself, of course; I just like to spice up these news items a bit. Anyway. Firmament is a new app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad from Felwig Software.  I’d try to describe it, but I think it’s better if you simply… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love my Apple MagicTrackpad but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good computer mouse. Well Genius has just announced a new wireless mouse that offers laser precise tracking AND reduced power consumption. The Genius Navigator 905 tracks on almost every surface and used 40% less battery power than other mice in the process. The new mouse includes a Stick-N-Go mount that let’s the end user attach to just about any notebook or laptop. The mouse has an MSRP of $29.90 and is available on The Genius Website The Full Release follows. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy psdgraphics) Random House was the only major publisher last year to hold out and refuse to work with Apple on an “agency pricing” system. They basically said setting prices was not their job, but that of the retailer, and if Apple wanted to sell books they could set the prices too. Apple refused, and Random House has famously been absent from iBooks. As it turns out, it doesn’t seem to be hurting Random House much in the ebook department. Markus Dohle, their CEO, recently stated ebooks are currently 8% of their revenue stream, and it looks like it might climb to 10% by next year! Random House is the biggest USA publisher, with many, many… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you hear ‘Adobe Air’ and think ‘huh?’, you are not alone. Unlike Flash, which is a pretty high-profile content-enabler (and computer disabler if you listen to Steve Jobs), Air is a much smaller and lighter component which has become more popular recently, and is used to fuel things like TweetDeck, the Good Old Games downloader, and the corporate Twitter-alike Yammer. There are a ton more, as evidenced by this article pointing out 60+ Air applications you should know. About a month or so ago Adobe announced that they would bring the Air platform to Android smartphones, and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Another weekend, another group of sales! This week has some great deals, and some questionable ‘classics’ … but at great prices! So let’s get right to it! Good Old Games: Since Good Old Games has been shouting from the rooftops about bringing Atari-owned classics such as Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment into the fold, you would assume that an ‘Atari Classics’ sale would be headlined by these games, right? You would be wrong! Here is the list of stuff: Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Blood 2: The Chosen + Expansion Independence War Deluxe Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos Master of Magic Master of Orion 1+2 Master of Orion 3 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are plenty of solutions out there for propping your iPhone or iPod Touch up when it comes time to watch a video. Or how about when you want to use your iPhone or iPod as your bed side alarm clock? Yep, plenty of things for that too. However, most of these come in the form of a stand and that makes for one more item which you’ve got to store in your gear bag or tote around in your pocket. The Nest Case solves this problem by incorporating a stand, which allows for your iDevice to be displayed in either the portrait or landscape position, into a formfitting slider style case. Currently the Nest Case is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Bold would be an adequate way to describe some of Honda’s design choices in recent years. Ridgeline? Bold. Element? Bold. Civic? You guessed it – bold. Honda took a giant leap of faith when redesigning their popular small vehicle lineup a short while back, but that is what the automaker has been doing well over the past couple of decades – taking giant leaps of faith followed by success of nearly all of those choices. As energy prices soared ever higher, droves of consumers headed down the model lines to units they probably once sought to intimidate from behind the wheel of their behemoth SUVs. Many now embrace the world of four-cylinder power… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I didn’t begin today thinking, “Boy, I better review the Wired Magazine iPad app, or Judie will really get on me”.  Nope; I have lots of other stuff on my plate, including news items and reviews of other apps (e.g., Mushroom Age!).  But as I sat there waiting–and waiting and waiting and waiting–for the one issue I bought to download, I ended up writing a review in my head, so I figure hey, better get it down. Here’s the history:  I loved Wired magazine.  Loved it.  I used to wait for and immediately read every issue, almost cover-to-cover.  Yes, it was such a visual magazine that, as Neal Stephenson observed, you practically needed to wear… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have been a fan of the products from Arctic Cooling for a while now.  They have branched out from their early offerings of computer parts and have entered the market for many gadget items.  I am also always on the lookout for the perfect laptop gear bag.  The company has just announced entering into the laptop bag market with three interesting looking sizes that should provide both style and quality.  Stay tuned soon for some other Arctic product reviews. ARCTIC NB series Durable Notebook Bag for Daily Use Main Features • All-rounded Continue reading on Gear Diary …