If you have a Samsung Galaxy Tab then you’ve probably already decided that you need something to keep it in, and there are a surprising number of cases already available.  Watch as Larry Greenberg tries 10 on his Tab, including ones from Case-Mate, Scosche, SGP Store, PDair, WirelessGround.com, and CaseCrown.com. Which one did you like best?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One thing I noticed when I was in Europe for my honeymoon–during the Harding Administration, was it?–was the often-different style of basic things, like furniture and appliances and housing design.  Houses frequently have shutters, for example, whereas here shutters are often just a decorative feature that don’t actually, you know, function.  Washers and dryers (when people had dryers–a lot of people, middle-class people, use clotheslines to save on electrical costs) looked less like the giant  ”man that sucker’s big” tub design, and more like space-age art-deco TV sets from the 50s.  And so on. Into this category I would put Manfred Kielnhofer’s “sculptural lighting systems”.  They’re interesting, arty, and (since this is from Europe) energy-efficient… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love to record podcasts.  The only thing about using a laptop or desktop is that it’s hard to take your recording rig with you.  That’s where pocket recorders like the Olympus LS-7 comes in. The Olympus LS-7 is a pocket sized device that can record audio in WAV, MP3 or WMA formats.  The full specs are below: Specifications*: · Recording formats: Linear PCM, MP3 and WMA · Frequency response (built-in mics): 20Hz-20kHz (center mic ON) or 70Hz-20kHz (center mic OFF) · Maximum headphone output: 4.0mW + 4.0mW (at load of 16Ω) · Recording Media: 4GB built-in memory / up to 32GB with microSD/SDHC Card · Peak LED · Speaker: 20mm diameter, round dynamics speaker (monaural) · Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My Mom is really young, considering how old and decrepit her oldest son (me) is, but even so she has had to make a few adjustments to her lifestyle.  A couple of years ago, she was looking for a new cell phone because it was too darn hard for her to punch the buttons on her existing one.   “All I want is a phone that I can make calls on!  Why is that so hard?”  So I told her about the Jitterbug phones, which are designed not to poll your email and use voice activation and open your garage door and walk the dog; they’re just, ya know, phones.  (She ended up getting an… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It was a good number of months ago that the market seemed to suddenly become flooded with various keyboard/cases for the iPad. It really was something to see. One there were none and the next there were tons of from which to choose. Many of my iPad-loving friends and colleagues immediately grabbed one… Or three. I waited. I waited because these cases were running north of $75 and I wanted to lay out my money for one that would not only work well but that I WANTED to carry. I was thrilled to see that Sena, one of my favorite case companies, was going to offer one as well. I was eager to either get one… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I always thought of astrology as a fairly fixed field of “study”. If you were born between certain dates, then you were born under a certain sign. As it turns out, astrology is heavily influenced by astronomy, and therefore as the earth spins the astrological calculations may need adjustments. The upshot: every 5,000 years or so your sign may need changing! I wonder if there’s an astrological version of the oil change sticker; “Every 5,000 years or 35,000,000 earth rotations, please recalculate Astrological chart” If you’re wondering if you are now under a new constellation, here’s the breakdown: NEW ZODIAC SIGN CHART Capricorn January 20- to February 16 Aquarius February 16 to March 11 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

At CES we met with one of our favorite gadget bag companies, Timbuk2. While with them, we got to see some of the bags and accessories they’ll be introducing this year. Not surprisingly, we were impressed with the continuing evolution and utility of their designs. We have reviewed several of Timbuk2′s bags over the years, and we were impressed anew by the design and quality of the bags being shown. Among the bags they will have coming out this year is the upcoming Command ($130, shown above). The Command won a CES Innovation award, and it is TSA-compliant so that your laptop does not have to be removed when going through security… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I know most of you are stuck inside looking out at the snow.  If you like to BBQ, your pit is probably frozen in a drift of snow right now.  One thing great about living in Texas is the fact that I can BBQ almost anytime of the year.  In fact, last night I grilled steaks and Brats.  Maybe that is why Texas has the best BBQ!  As a dedicated griller, the idea of joining two of my favorite hobbies, the barbecue pit and my IOS devices sounds like an amazing idea.  The iGrill does just that, allowing all of you grilling experts to prepare other dishes inside while accurately monitoring the temperature in… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last month, I mentioned to you all about a new book/media/reading/experience app for the iPad (for kids), “What Does My Teddy Bear Do All Day?”.  I was pleased to see it, even though I haven’t had any experience with it, because not unlike The Elements and Solar System, it’s an attempt on using the power available in an electronic publishing platform like the iPad for more the words on the screen. Now Auryn has released a follow-up app, “Teddy’s Night.”  And just now, it’s being offered for an MSRP of $0.99.  So if you have kids in that target audience, surf on over and check it out.  And, seriously, if you do… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As I sat in my hotel room waiting for my flight home, I had some time to reflect back on my first CES experience. CES for me was as amazing as I ever imagined it would be. More than anything though, it also prepared me for my trip back in 2012. I thought I might write something up that would give you an idea of what it was like and how to prepare yourself. Now that the show is open to the industry as well as the vendors, bloggers, and manufacturers, some simple preparation can maximize your time and coverage at the show. Here is a list of helpful tips and ideas that I’ll surely be… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I cannot describe how exciting it is to see the advancements for guitar players on IOS devices.  Changes are coming so fast, they are difficult to keep up with.  My good friend Travis has recently picked up the guitar and I am assisting in his learning.  His iPhone is playing a vital role in his guitar education.  Rock Prodigy is one of the newest methods of honing your skills.  Using your actual guitar, the app will even score your playing making each song better knowing what mistakes were made.  I hope to take a good look at the app very soon and have a full review coming.  Here is the release. 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 good friend and combat hero, Travis and I were watching the Military Channel yesterday when we saw a commercial for a new version of the Cannon Challenge game.  Before purchasing, we decided to download and play the older, free version of the game.  Travis is a full iPhone and soon to be Mac convert so I like to send plenty of ideas for apps and games.  Discovery Channel Cannon Challenge is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Over Thanksgiving my wife’s sister and her family visited, with kids in their early 20′s, nearly a decade older than ours. Yet when the eight of us sat around the kitchen table playing Apples to Apples, all differences disappeared and we had an absolute blast. So when we went to visit them for Christmas, I brought along the Wii version of Hasbro Family Game Night 3 to see if we could have a similar night of fun. The Hype: Hasbro Family Game Night 3 is a classic board game compilation for Wii that allows players both new and an experienced with the original versions of the games included to discover their fun and addictive… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Big publishing news from Amazon last night-Nora Roberts has now sold over 1 million books through the Kindle store! This is big news since Nora Roberts is a prolific and incredibly popular author. It also ties into the news we heard a few weeks ago about mass market romances being big ebook sellers. Nora Roberts is huge in romance and mysteries, and up until eBooks mass markets were the bread and butter of her business. A million ebooks today isn’t going to change everything, but it’s just one more indication that eBooks are not so slowly taking over! Nora Roberts Passes 1 Million Kindle Books Sold Roberts becomes the third author in the “Kindle Million Club,” joining Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you love the gorgeous game Twin Blades? I grabbed the HD edition just before Christmas when the price dropped to $0.99 for a few days. If you like that app, you can thank BulkyPix! So I was thrilled when they sent us an email detailing their game release plans for the first few months of 2011. Here are some details: BylkyPix, leading publisher and developer of highly addictive games for Apple’s iDevices and other mobile platforms, today announced its Q1 of 2011 gaming line up. In the coming quarter BulkyPix will release 11 new games. “2010 has been an absolutely massive year for BulkyPix: tremendous growth, new office in USA, expansion to Continue reading on Gear Diary …