The Kindle 2 was my Christmas present in 2009 from my family.  I have spent most of the last year with nary an issue with my Kindle and I love it to death.  It’s how I prefer to read now.  I’ve read more books in the last year than in any year past.  However, on my trip down to Knoxville, TN for the holidays this year, I was reading along and then all of a sudden my Kindle developed a spot that would not go away; time to call support.  So I will cover the good and the bad of my experience with support in this issue. As soon as I pulled in and I could pull away… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of CleanSlate and Better Homes and Gardens I’m 47 years old–the “wedge” generation just after the Baby Boom, and just before Generation X.  I’m old enough to have owned a black-and-white TV (13″; it was my high school graduation gift!), had rotary dial phones (Michael just talked about these the other day!), one phone company for the whole country (Ma Bell!), three TV channels, and read the newspaper for news. I don’t delve into this nostalgically–I love all my modern gear.  I have an iPad, iPhone, Lenovo Thinkpad T61, DVR, DVD player, a 1 Terabyte drive for storage (it’s nearly full), and all the software anyone could want.  I… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I know he’s supposed to be scary, but I think this holiday monster is cute! We’re a mixed bag of nuts here at Gear Diary; some of us celebrate Hanukkah (or Chanukah), others celebrate Christmas, and then there some of us who simply celebrate the fact that we are happily coming to the tail end of another year. Even with all of our differences, the one thing we can all agree upon is that we like days off when we can do nothing but spend time with our friends and families, we love eating holiday feasts, and we enjoy giving and getting gifts … so whatever brand of celebration we happen… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(Note: All the photos here but one are from Akron–since they matched my experience, and are of better quality, I used them instead.  Hope y’all don’t mind.) When I was planning what accessories–if any–to get for my iPad, one of the things I was pretty sure I was going to pick up was a stand.  I fly back and forth all the time between Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, and while watching movies on my iPhone is okay, even with just an iPhone it gets fatiguing holding the durn thing up for two hours.  An iPad?  Nope; gotta get a stand. And I did:  based on Dan’s review here on Gear Diary… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In early December I spotted a video on the Yahoo home page about Forever Lazy.  AP had run the story which was sort of a rags to riches success tale about how the company’s two founders had left their corporate jobs and created a product, basically from their sofa and because of a few celebrities liking their idea had begun to see serious growth. The Forever Lazy bills itself as an adult “onesie”.  Like a one-piece sweat-suit, it’s meant to be worn offering ease and comfort.  It’s complete with pockets, a hood and even zippered hatches in the front and back for when you gotta “go.”… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Game adaptations from movies usually fall flat, but this decent action adventure excites the senses with considerable challenges while bridging the gap between the two TRON films.

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. We are coming back from my first layoff of the Blue Plate Special since the series began.  Last week the football team I coach for in Texas played for and won the State Championship.  The week was so hectic that I just could not get around to finding apps or writing for that matter.  We have this week off for a much needed Christmas break so I already decided… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s been just about a week since I received my CR-48 Chrome OS netbook. In that time I’ve turned on my Toshiba netbook (running Windows 7) twice, and only used my Macbook to check my email a few times. Otherwise all my home computer use has been on Chrome, including writing posts for Gear Diary. While it is still quite early in my Chrome experience, and the OS is very, very young, I thought I’d share my likes and dislikes thus far…think of it as a mini-review…a miniview! Likes: Getting started is dead easy. Once I did the initial setup (and activated the built Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Hard Candy Cases recently released the StreetSkin for iPhone 4. The cases feature form-fitting TPU rubber skin, full access to all media controls and a rugged design pattern. The company describes it in this way… Rugged style and shock absorbing TPU rubber make the Street Skin iPhone 4 case worthy of protecting your favorite device. Tough and edgy without adding bulk, this stylish iPhone 4 skin easily combines superior fashion with outstanding protection. I reviewed the case HERE on the site. The Hard Candy StreetSkin is available directly from the Hard Candy Web site for an MSRP of $29.95. We, however, had one of each color to give away. The winners… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s winter time and that means it’s cold!  Here today in the Philadelphia area the temperatures are in the low 20s and the wind is whirling around like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz. We’ve covered our fair share of gloves that work with touch-screen devices.  I’ve tried some myself with somewhat limited success.  The nice thing about trying out several different pairs is that they are usually inexpensive. These TouchTec gloves however are not. Here’s what the company has to say about their gloves: TouchTec is a patented nano-technology that gives new functionality to a variety of textiles and leather. It enables the wearer of Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Going to CES?  (Or simply going to Vegas?)  Well, BodyMedia–makers of the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW–wants to show you just what their product can do by attaching it to one of their interns while he wanders about the CES and Vegas. I know:  it sounds kinda crazy for the intern to me, too.  But BodyMedia wants to give you a real-world demo.  And what does the Armband do, exactly?  Well: A wearable body monitoring system, the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW uses four unique sensors to track thousands and thousands of data readings, outputting them to show you your calories burned, steps taken, physical activity and sleep duration and efficiency. Now outfitted with Bluetooth® wireless technology Continue reading on Gear Diary …

More than anything this time of year is about creating memories. (Okay, it is about creating memories AND about gifts…) Creating memories is great but being able to capture and then share them with others is even better. That’s what this Christmas Eve Gear Deal lets you do. Our Gear Sponsor has tracked down an awesome deal on a digital camera for taking pictures AND a digital picture frame for sharing them. Best of all, especially if the holidays already broke the bank, this combo comes in at under $90 and ships for free. First up is the Kodak Easyshare C143 Silver 12MP 3X Zoom Digital Camera. Capture the treasure moments of your Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I began this annual ditty around the turn of the century and I find that I enjoy revisiting it each year as the world is buried neck-deep in the (commercial) spirit of the season. Looks like Santa’s load will be a bit heavier this year as early numbers indicate a bit more cheer in the air online and at the register. And the big guy will need to remember to bring along much needed accessories as wish lists are undoubtedly a bit tech-heavy this season. Right of the top I am going to disappoint a certain segment. Santa will NOT be arriving in any vehicle whose primary drive system relies heavily (or entirely) on a battery… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I made no pretense about how much I enjoyed the original Mystery of the Crystal Portal, both the PSP Mini and the HD version for iPad. It was a well designed hidden object game with a story that offered an ending that pretty much called for a sequel – so now we’re back following Nicole on her quest to find her father in Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond the Horizon (which I’ll call ‘Crystal Portal 2′ henceforth)! The Hype: In the end of the first game in the series, Nicole managed to activate the Crystal Portal in her father’s basement in hope to find him… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yeah, yeah, I KNOW I have written a bunch about the Humble Indie Bundle lately – and this will be the last time this year, I promise. But this is so sweet I just couldn’t resist. Here is the cool email I got today: Dear Humble Indie Bundle customer, I would just like to personally thank you for your support in making the Humble Indie Bundle #2 even more successful than the first one. As thanks, I have added the Humble Indie Bundle #1 into your bundle. If you go to your personal download page, you will find the following games waiting for you: – World of Goo (now a top Continue reading on Gear Diary …