Space Empires: Star Fury is a space based role-playing game from 2003 that received solid reviews but wasn’t a wild commercial success. Now, for the small task of clicking ‘Like’ on the Strategy First Facebook page you can get the game for FREE! Here is the description of the game: Starfury takes you on a wild intergalactic ride through the Space Empires universe. In this role-playing game, you’ll play as a starship captain who’s considering retirement. At the controls of your own vessel, you can decide whether to explore the universe, trade items for money, or become a feared pirate. Since the universe is anything but a friendly place Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Earlier today Francis wrote about the $1 million identity theft insurance policy per user Sony is putting in place. That is an excellent move by the company. But if a new C|Net report is correct, you might want to go slow with getting back on to PSN or Qriocity. According to the report a new attack is planned for this weekend, just as Sony is planning to re-launch the services. According to the article: An observer of the Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers told CNET today that a third major attack is planned this weekend against Sony’s Web site. The people involved plan to publicize all or Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The newly formed online video rental service Zediva has some unique logistics while pushing customer more toward online viewing/streaming.

If Speck’s PixelSkin HD wrap for iPad 2 extends the design approach we have seen in numerous other products from Speck, the new FitFolio ultra-slim case for iPad 2 breaks from the pack and goes in a new direction for the company. The FitFolio strives to be a slim, formfitting case that offers a host of different ways to enhance your use of the iPad 2 for work and play. Does this new design work? Let’s take a look. From Speck: The FitFolio ultra-slim case for iPad 2® has a sleek, padded design that keeps your device protected Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome to another edition of Music Diary Reviews! The last time out I did full reviews for each of four great new recordings, which made me realize two things: I really like when I can assemble reviews around any sort of theme … and I need to get back to actually writing ‘quickie’ reviews! For this set of reviews I look at seven new release albums about something beyond the artists themselves: tributes, sets of standards, and a resurgence of an artist who has been in the public eye but away from jazz for many years! Similar to last time, there are enough options available that I am not reviewing anything… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of digitaltrends I’m still not really sure how I feel about the Playstation Network being hacked – which we have covered here, here, here, here and here – but I can say that I’ll fully be accepting Playstation’s good-natured apology. Good service is hard to come by these days but Sony is all over it by offering a free year of “AllClear ID PLUS” Credit and Identity theft protection to all members of the PSN and Qriocity. This isn’t all that bad considering it’s the first time I’ve seen any provider offer this type of compensation for a breach of security and access to personal info… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Having used the Spotify service for the two-week period I could muster off an invite and a sketchy sign-up, I really liked it. The computer-based client was super-smart at grabbing your iTunes library, was svelte and fast launching, and integrated social elements effortlessly. I never had the chance to try out the mobile apps as they required a Premium plan. Last month Spotify announced several changes that were intended to move more regular users off of the free plan and into the paid subscriptions. Now Spotify has unveiled changes that seem at first to move in the opposite direction – but after reading more closely I see that the real goal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As I mentioned here, Supermarket Mania 2 launches for the iPhone and iPad on Friday May 12th. Now G5 Entertainment has detailed how they will be pricing the game. Do you hate looking through your app library and finding a ‘Lite’ version right next to the full version you ended up purchasing? While Lite versions were nice in that they gave you a way to check out a game before buying, they tend to clutter up the App Store as well as your iTunes library and iOS device! With in-app purchases there is a better way – and that is exactly what G5 is doing, as described here: Supermarket Mania 2 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looks like B&N and Amazon aren’t resting on their past successes. Rumors are pegging both companies as having some refreshed hardware coming soon, possibly a tablet for Amazon and an original NOOK refresh for B&N! Let’s start with Amazon’s tablet. The rumor, admittedly unconfirmed, is that some sort of LCD-based device is coming from Amazon later this year to combat the incredible success of the NOOKcolor. Amazon has all the pieces in place for a fantastic device, with an app store, a tablet-optimized version of the Kindle app, plus the added bonus of Amazon MP3 and the new Amazon Prime video streaming service. It’s not really a shocker that Amazon will muscle into the tablet… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Interested in 3D TV? Well today’s Gear Deal is for you. This deal brings us Model! LG’s Infinia 50″ 3D Ready Plasma HDTV and LG AG-S250 3D Glasses Bundle. The LG 50PZ750 Infinia is a 50″ 3D Ready Plasma HDTV that is 3D Ready, features TruBlack Filter, 2D to 3D Conversion and NetCast Entertainment Access. It is Wi-Fi CERTIFIED (the adapter included) and brings full HD 1080p Resolution. The bundle is normally $1,673.98 but our Gear Sponsor has found $349.99 in instant savings. That brings the price down to $1,323.99 and it will even ship for free. Better still, there is no tax in most states. Gear Deal: LG’s Infinia Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sena has something new about which to be proud. Not only does the company continue to roll our great looking, super-userful cases for a wide range of gadgets but they are now one of ten companies selected for RIM’s “Built for BlackBerry” program. The program helps ensure that accessories for RIM’s products will be of the highest quality possible. That pretty much means it would HAVE to include Sena and it does. And the timing is great since Sean is beginning to roll out cases for the BlackBerry Playbook… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Certified Pre-Owned Nooks and accessories now available starting at just $99! Shop now! The NOOK by Barnes & Noble The NOOK 3G+Wi-Fi eReader has 3G Wireless access with AT&T, the nation’s fastest 3G network as well as built-in Wi-Fi allowing you to download eBooks in seconds. Get bestsellers and new releases, your favorite eNewspapers, and eMagazines all delivered fast and free via Wi-Fi. Browse the vast BN eBookstore and sample any eBook for free. Store as many as 1,500 eBooks, eNewspapers, and eMagazines on your NOOK’s 2 GB of internal storage, so you’ll never be without your Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Now that the ad-supported Kindle with Special Offers (aka the Kindeal) is out, sales are apparently through the roof again. With that in mind, it seems a good time to bring up the question on many (some?) people’s minds – how do I get free stuff on the Kindle? Books There are a truly remarkable number of free digital books on the internet, legally. Everything eventually goes out of copyright and becomes public domain (and there’s a huge discussion following from that statement we’ll not get into today). Project Gutenberg is likely the oldest of the many free-text archives on the internet (OpenLibrary is another big one), filled with public domain works in various… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So you got yourself a shiny new iPad 2. (Finally!) How are you going to protect it? Think about it: you want a case that protects the iPad as much as possible but you also do not want to lose the nice curves and the thinner design it offers over its predecessor. Speck has started rolling out their offerings and we are going to take a look at a few of them. First up is the Speck PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2. The PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2 builds on the company’s familiar Pixel Hd design and will completely encase the iPad in a thin but effective layer of protection while… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As time goes on I seem to gain more and more devices that charge off of a USB port.  My phone, my iPod, Bluetooth Headphones, Kindle and even the Zi8 that  I recently reviewed all charge off of a USB port.  So it just makes sense to start to see devices like the Super Travel A/C USB Wall Charger I reviewed a while back.  That’s fine for travel and works well.  However, it sure would be nice to actually have a place to manage the cables as well as to hold the devices as they charge.  That’s why I was glad when Belkin offered to send me a Conserve Valet that charges my devices and looks… Continue reading on Gear Diary …