As I mentioned last week, GamersGate tends to feature heavily in my weekly round-ups of game deals, as they seldom have fewer than 50 items on their deal list – and the sales are usually pretty good, at least 25% off games you would actually want to play! GamersGate has been a great source of digital download games for a while, and are now celebrating their fifth anniversary – so naturally WE get the presents! For week #1 they had nearly 100 games on sale. This is Week #2, and as of today I counted 163 items on sale! Most of these are >50% off, with a few pre-order specials mixed in!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of waymarking.com Last Friday, I found myself — like many others — in line waiting to pick up an iPad 2.    I wasn’t even going for myself, either.   See, where I work, we have embraced the iPad in a very big way.   It is very rare to walk into a meeting and not see at least a few iPads in use.  So, for a lucky group of our executives we decided to spring for their iPad 2s.   A few of us scattered about the city of Atlanta to find the holy grail iPad 2s just before 5pm that Friday.   Not exactly an easy task since most locations were sold out within minutes. While we did get a few, what truly impressed me was the team at a specific Apple Store location…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s been quite some time since I last mentioned Tangent’s Tycoon Tablet.   Part of the challenge with also getting to often evaluate technology during my ‘day job’ is that I’m often not the only one who needs to work with it during any given time.  After it got the once over by a few of my colleagues, I (finally) got it back and can now give you my full review.   So how does this Windows 7 Professional tablet stack up to the competition?   While I don’t believe you’ll be rushing to exchange your shiny new iPad 2 for the Tycoon, I was very pleasantly surprised by this tablet.   It’s aiming for a different audience, for sure.   The Tycoon has its sights squarely on the enterprise. So let’s see the Tycoon up close and personal.  While it may not have the fan fare that Apple’s iPad 2 has received, it is certainly worth a very close look for businesses.  Let’s take a closer look… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Mitsubishi, specifically Mitsubishi Motors in North America, always seems to be a car company struggling for recognition and respect. Over the past few decades they have been quietly supplying OEM engines and automotive components for many domestic vehicles but without much fanfare. A few years ago, with the help of a popular movie with the 20-something crowd, the automaker began to see brand recognition begin to take off. And thanks to the fast and furious attention they gained through the box office, Mitsubishi began making a new name for themselves.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have an ongoing issue when I run. I carry my Droid both because it tracks my runs for me but also because I am an early morning runner and feel better having my phone with me. The problem, as you may know, is that the Droid is not a small phone. It’s uncomfortable to carry in my hand and you don’t want to know how uncomfortable it is to run with a Droid bouncing around in your pants pocket. Let’s just say it leads to some odd looking bruises on your leg. In any case, I’m always on the hunt for the perfect hands-free system. I tried a Belkin iPod Touch case, but it was a pain… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week on Glee, the ‘Abstinence Club’ wanted to provide counterpoint to the raw sexuality of Gwenyth Paltrow’s Holly Holiday character, and chose the song ‘Afternoon Delight’ by the Starland Vocal Band. If you are old enough to remember the song, you know that it is amongst the most bright & cheery songs of the 70′s … and also blatantly sexual as it describes grabbing an afternoon ‘quickie’ rather than waiting until the night time. It is a classic representation of a song that sounds upbeat but is really very different, masking a message with an innocent harmony and innuendo. Apparently actress Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury) had no idea about the actual Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the reasons I considered keeping my first generation iPad now that I have an iPad 2 in hand is the fact that I have a host of different methods for securing the original iPad to the wall, on my treadmill and more. The range of accessories I have at my disposal for the first generation device add a tremendous degree of useful functionality to it. While I have no doubt the same options will be available for the iPad 2 they currently aren’t on the market. No surprise since the new version only became available last week. Well, we just got word of one of the first wall-mounting solutions that will be coming… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When we are up in the country we all have our “roles”. Elana is the “food maven”. Her dad, when he is up, is the “grill master”. As for me… well I tend bar. Over the years I’ve collected a nice selection of different barware. Margaritas have their glasses, martinis have theirs and the list goes on. Having the right glass for the right drink just makes everything a bit more festive. Same goes for the coaster the glass sits on. And these “palette coasters”… They look kinda fun. Yes, these simple but amusing coasters do their job but don’t take themselves too seriously in the process… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This silly spoof is better than anything done at the Academy Awards … enjoy! Source: Buzzfeed Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Those folks at Sonos just keep making it harder for me to resist purchasing one of their systems.  They release an iPhone app to remotely control their systems?  Okay, fine, but I switched to primarily using an Android device these days.  So, what do they go and do now?  They release an Android controller app, of course.  For free, nonetheless.  Geez. Oh, yeah, and they added a new feature to the controller: music voice search.  Now you can find any artist, album, or track using voice commands.  With the Sonos Controller for Android, you can choose the music and control the volume in as many rooms as you like (or, at least as many… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal brings us the 15.6″ Sony VAIO VPCEB3QFX/WI. This notebook features an Intel Core i3-370M processor running at 2.40GHz, 4GB RAM, a 320GB Hard Drive and Intel HD Graphics. It has a dedicated 10-key numeric pad, a built-in webcam, 802.11n WiFi and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS. Best of all, our Gear Sponsor has found it at an amazingly low price. Yes, it normally has a price of $719.99 but this Gear Deal knocks $170 off thanks to the coupon code VAIOEB170. That brings the price down to just $549.99 and it will even ship for free. Sony VAIO VPCEB3QFX/WI 15.5-in Core i3 2.4GHz Dual-core Laptop (White) via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There’s never a phone case that’s so satisfying that you’re not tempted to look at more cases when they come popping up.  C’mon now, admit it!  You look at those cases online or in the mall or wherever and you think, “Hmm, maybe that’s really the case for me!”  (Well, unless you have a Vaja case, in which case [sorry] it’s more likely that other people will come to you and say, “Hey, where did you get that case?”  But let’s face it: they’re kinda pricey, yo.) Putting their oars into the case-making waters in a big way is Jivo Technology.  As you can see, these cases have a–dare I say it?–European flair to them… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m not much of a “thumb-twitch” game player.  I leave that stuff to my 13 year-old son Joseph, GD’s own Michael, and other folks with superior eye-hand coordination and uncanny reflexes.  Me, I’m more into puzzle and word games; they move slower, and my brain is more important than my twitch reflexes (which, deep into middle age, kinda suck, honestly). So now, in addition to Scrabble, Words with Friends, Text Twist, Word Warp, Bookworm, and all the others, comes a new game called Kalimat.  Kalimat looks to be a combination of Scrabble, Words with Friends, and a kind of MOM deal with included achievements.  It certainly looks interesting.  So if it sounds interesting to you… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few weeks ago, we told you all about an interesting reference book put out by Alfred Music Publishing:  The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook.  And I mentioned in passing that I, Mr. Stubby Fingers, never did master the guitar, as much as I wanted to as a young nerd. Now Alfred Music Publishing is pushing me even farther into wishing I had been born, I dunno, 25 years later or so, with The Rock Guitar Toolbox, which is basically a how-to for many skill-levels of players on how to improve your performance technique.  Would it work even for me?  We’ll never know, because in addition to being born too late, I have nerve damage… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

New Gear Daily- Sony DSC-HX5V Cyber-Shot Camera I’m rather partial to Sony’s Cyber-Shot series of pocket cameras. They are small, easy to use and take great pictures. And ever since Sony wised-up and stopped forcing customers to use their proprietary flash cards these cameras have been a top choice for many of use who want/need a simple but powerful point and shoot. Well, today’s New Gear Daily Deal brings us the DSC-HX4V at some impressive savings. Sony describes the camera in this way- Capture stunning low-light images and sweeping panoramic views with the DSC-HX5V featuring an “Exmor R” CMOS Sensor. Plus, catch fast action shots with up to 10 frames per Continue reading on Gear Diary …