So you didn’t get picked for the latest episode of Yard Crashers. No worries, just record a bunch of episodes and copy what projects and techniques you fancy. And when it comes time for an outdoor sound system that blends into your suburban jungle, Sonance has you covered. Sonance, the technology leader that introduced the world’s first in-wall loudspeaker is now shipping the acclaimed Sonance Landscape Series that debuted recently. The new 70V Sonance Landscape Series system of two-way satellite speakers and in-ground subwoofer has been designed with a long life UV stable material to withstand extreme weather. The new two-way satellite speakers, the LS67SAT and LS47SAT, feature 0.75” integrated tweeters and power handling up… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I really hadn’t planned on editorializing this early, but this weekend my wife and kids and I were discussing the new Lady Gaga song ‘Born This Way’ and the similarity to the old Madonna song ‘Express Yourself’. So we queued up both on Spotify and listened. They aren’t identical as some claim, but it is pretty clear that everything about Born This Way is derived directly from Madonna’s song. They are laid out the same, the ratio of ‘rapping’ to singing is nearly identical, the harmonic structure is basically identical, and many melodic fragments are shared. Some have also said that Gaga and her songwriters (since at most she writes words for existing music… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The biggest boogeyman in the room for major publishing houses is not ebooks. Yes, it worries them, but they’ll adapt. What really keeps them up at night is the fear that with the switch to digital distribution, authors won’t need them. More and more mid-tier authors are dropping traditional publishers and preferring to publish and market themselves instead, and B&N has been offering them that option for last few months through PubIt™! As it turns out, there’s far more than just hot air behind these claims that this is the next big thing. B&N is out with a press release effusively praising the success of the platform, including the tidbit that 35 self published… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Need a desktop? Take a look at today’s Gear Deal! This Vostro 230 Mini Tower sports a 3GHz Intel Dual-core and comes bundled with a 21.5″ Dell E2210H LCD Monitor. Even the base configuration on this system is impressive. It includes 3GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory, has a 250GB Hard Drive, comes with Microsoft Office Starter 2010, runs Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit OS and more. And because it comes as a complete desktop system it also ships with a 15-month subscription to Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services, a Keyboard and Mouse and, of course, the 21.5″ monitor. This system starts at $687 but our Gear Sponsor has found it for $288 less… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Tracking Apple products in shows is somewhat of a hobby for many folks, and we even did a number of ‘Apple on TV’ posts here at Gear Diary. Of course, Apple is just one of many companies that spend heavily to get their products featured prominently in TV shows and movies, and keeping in the spirit of awards season the folks at BrandChannel have compiled their annual ‘Product Placement Awards’ … and not surprisingly Apple has come out on top again. Here are some details from the award: Apple products appeared in ten (or 30%) of the 33 films that were number one films at the US box office in 2010, outstripping Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Psychonauts is one of those games that the critics loved and everyone who played it loved … but sadly way too few people actually bought and played it! Through the years it has become more and more beloved, but that hasn’t helped a sequel get made! For one day only you can grab this gem on Good Old Games for $2.49 – 75% off regular price! Here are the details: Bargain price hunters, it’s THIS time of the week when our already cheap games go even cheaper! Today you can grab the awesome Psychonauts for only $2.49! Don’t know what the game is about? Psychonauts is an action-adventure platform game created Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The final expansion to Majesty 2, Monster Kingdom, was originally supposed to be released in early December, but was delayed into January. I was very concerned – this was going to land it square in the midst of other releases such as Venetica and Two Worlds II. Fortunately, those games were delayed so I had the chance to spend some quality time with the final expansion to a game I have really enjoyed for the last year and a half. How did they do closing the book on Majesty 2? Read on and find out! The Hype: The King would imagine that Ardania belongs to him alone, and his… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Reliable operation, superb visuals in a value-priced business projector: The Dell 1210S Projector The Dell 1210S Projectoroffers sharp, SVGA native resolution, the flexiblity of dual VGA connectors for multiple presenters and a design intended to reduce maintenance costs. It’s our New Gear Daily Deal and it is available HERE. And check out these other deals- The Canon EOS Rebel T1i digital camera for great shots. The Dell Vostro 230 Mini tower, for powerful computing in a small package. The Dell Vostro 1015 laptop, for on-the-go-computing. NewGearDaily: Because everybody loves a deal. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week many sites posted images shot at 2,564 frames per second. Now we have full video, and more details about the monster camera that can shoot that fast at full 1080p resolution! The cameraman was Tom Guilmette, and here is what he had to say: Violating the laws of nature. Playing God. Capturing stuff we are not supposed to see. Potentially opening up a wormhole in the fabric of time. These are a few of the things I think about while shooting with a Phantom High Speed Digital Cinema camera. The above video is a bunch of test footage I shot to get familiar with the new “Flex” version. I shot inside Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you can’t stand bring without your smartphone for even a second a vendor on Etsy has a way you can now bring it into the shower with you. That’s right, the vendor twoeggplants.com was selling a bar of soap sculpted to look like the original Moto Droid. Stocks of the shea butter and vegetable oil soap were quickly cleaned out (I know, I know, that’s not punny, sorry about that) but if you are willing to accept apple-martini scented bar of iPhone soap you just might be in luck. Via Laptop Magazine Dec. 2010… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Via janchipchase.com Last week Elana was at the Short Hills Mall with her friend Melissa. They went to look for something at Restoration Hardware and found that their salesperson was walking around with his MacBook. He was, quite effectively she added, using it to show customers pictures of additional products as well as various material options for some items. Well apparently this method is already old school. This morning Elana was listening to CBS 880AM radio and heard a report that some Nordstrom and Burberry stores are already experimenting with giving employees iPads so they can they can walk around the store and show products that are not-yet-available to customers. No big surprise… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I remember watching Star Trek: The Animated Series back in the early 70′s with my father, who had enjoyed the short lived Star Trek series back in the late 60′s. It was the time before syndication was mainstream and seeing a show again was called a re-run, but the original Star Trek had grown more popular since cancellation and the animated series brought even more folks into the fold. And surprisingly enough, most of the episodes were pretty good! Now and for a limited time, the official Star Trek site are offering free streaming of all 22 episodes through their site. This is for streaming, not downloading – meaning that when the offer… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve never been a big fan of dedicated eReaders, personally. I’m constantly trying to cut down on the amount of gear in my bag, for one, not increase it. For another, I’m on record as despising e-Ink–the refresh rate drives me nuts. And I’m one of those folks that prefers backlighting, instead of disliking it. So the Sony Reader, the Kindle, the nook . . . not much interest. So I was surprised when the NOOKcolor came out, because it was the first eReader device that I would actually consider getting. And of course if I’m getting a gizmo, I’m going to want to cover it up and keep it safe, cuz I’m paranoid. Which… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m not as big a game player as our Michael is–not too many people our age are!–but I do like to play. And in my experience, Handmark games have always been solid. Not ground-breaking or spectacular or anything, but solid. Reliable. A good combination of straightforward gameplay combined with attractive but not flashy graphics. And let’s face it–you can’t be playing Myst or Infinity Blade all the time. Now Handmark is offering a couple of new games–a Tic-Tac-Toe variant call OXO, and a retro-styled, thumb-twitch action game called Subway (pictured above). OXO goes for an MSRP of $0.99, while Subway is being offered at $1.99, both available at your neighborhood iTunes store. Check ‘em out… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I don’t know what it is with EA Games, but this is not the first time I have gotten an email telling me about a limited time deal when it was half-way through! Well, there are still four days left, so here goes … Every day this week EA Mobile will have a different game featured for $0.99. The details can be found on their Facebook page, but you have to ‘Like’ them to see everything. You have to check back each day to see what game is being featured. On Monday the deal was Mirror’s Edge (iPhone only), Tuesday was The Sims 3 World Adventures. Today’s Deal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …