I cannot tell a lie. I love speaker solutions. With music being totally mobile and always available in my pocket, I love having many ways to listen to my audio content. Some options are quite expensive and include bluetooth connections and high-end audio, but sometimes I just need something inexpensive, easy to carry and convenient. iFrogz has introduced a speaker system that fits this category and they call it, “the Bomb”. I have been able to spend a little time with the Bomb so let’s take a look and see how it sounds. The Bomb is a reasonably… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Although you’d barely know it from the mainstream media, there are other portable audio players besides the iPod and there are other media management programs besides iTunes. There are some great freeware and commercial alternatives to iTunes. This series will focus on three of the most full-featured open-source media programs available for Windows. All of them are also available for Mac OS X, and all but Songbird are available for several flavors of Linux besides. Let’s start with the most prominent, Songbird. Songbird started out in 2006 as a multi-platform program based on Mozilla’s XUL framework. After four years of juggling the hassles of architectural changes, the team decided to drop all but… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m on the Acela train from New Jersey to Washington DC, where I will be attending a conference for the next few days. The train is super comfortable, fairly quiet and it even has WiFi. The WiFi connection has been solid and, while not exactly speedy, it is more than fast enough. It certainly is impressive when you take onto account that I’m flying down the NorthEast Corridor, and have better connectivity that Judie does right now AT HER HOME!! I did find one thing a bit surprising though; I was able to do everything I wanted, until I went to the Apple App Store. This is what I got… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The HTC Flyer has arrived. It is the latest device from HTC and their jump into the tablet market. This isn’t their first major move into the mobile computing world though. No, back when the UMPC was the big deal HTC brought out an innovative device that had the potential to take the world by storm. It didn’t but a quick look at the two of them together makes it clear: the Flyer is pretty much a direct descendant of… Oh just watch the video. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Over the past few months we have had the opportunity to look at a number of devices that are designed to stream content from your computer to you HDTV. One of them left me rather cold. A second worked fairly well but still didn’t rise to the level of wowing me. So when I was offered a chance to check out the McTiVia streaming system my interest was piqued. After all, the McTiVia did win Best of Show at this year’s Macworld. From the Company: McTiVia is the first device that can show all content of your Mac® as Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Oh boy…looks the Sweet16 was just the beginning for Bonavitas! They have unleashed still more self-congratulatory and buzzword-packed press releases on the world, with more dubious health claims! I can sense your excitement from here, so let’s dive right in! First up is the R12 recovery drink. As far as I can tell, this is a cinnamon-based powder, with “one full teaspoon in each serving”! You know how else you can get a teaspoon of cinnamon? Go buy a container of cinnamon from the store, and while you’re there buy some apples. Sprinkle a teaspoon of cinnamon ON your Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have reviewed several apps for the iPad that have been both fun and educational for young kids. The iPad is actually a wonderful tool for educating students or children of all ages. The interface is intuitive and the younger generations seem to magically know how to navigate the device without any instruction. When I think back to the excitement I had for using TRS 80 and Apple IIe computers, I can only imagine how exciting using an iPad would have been. As you have seen in various posts and reviews, my two young boys have inherited their dad’s love of gear and gadgets. They love when I ask them to help look at… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy Runners World) I fully recognize that this story is basically a giant ad for Teva. However, it’s too adorable not to share. In a nutshell, Lucky the Penguin had a foot deformity that would have led to sores and infections, so Teva made a special penguin-shoe just for him. But really, the video is what this story is all about…you can’t watch the baby penguin waddle/limp wearing his stylish Tevas without letting out an involuntary “awwwwwww”. Check out the video for the full story, and then let us know in the comments if you want a pet penguin now as badly as I do! (For the record, I was outvoted by… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Gameloft has a certain reputation in the handheld gaming world … oh, let’s be blunt: they make blatant clones of successful games! Halo becomes N.O.V.A, Final Fantasy XIII becomes Eternal Legacy, StarCraft 2 becomes Starfront: Collision, and on and on … so the obvious question is – what game does Let’s Golf 2 clone? And more importantly – is it any good? The Hype: Looking for a faster, more colorful and fun golf experience? Then this newest edition of the popular Let’s Golf series is just the thing you need for the most exciting golf adventure you’ll ever find! – Select from 8 fun 3D characters that you can customize… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sure, your car visits the car wash often, and you’ve carefully kept the paint looking fresh, maybe spruced it up with wax or an air freshener. But your car is not truly complete without a key accessory: the CARSTACHE! Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. From the company: QUESTION: Will having a Carstache® change your life? ANSWER: YES, it will make it better. We made the Carstache® purely because we think it’s funny and it makes people smile. No other reason. When people see a Carstache® on the streets they laugh, wave, thumbs-up, fist pump, gun flex, wink wink, kiss kiss, you name it. Some of you will rock Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Being a ‘Green’ family means looking to repurpose things rather than dispose of them … but I have to admit that I never thought about THIS! A urinal made from old Super Nintendo cartridges! According to Pricecharting.com: Building a video game urinal takes about eight hours of labor and costs roughly $200-250 (not counting the video games). If you too want a custom, hand-made video game urinal follow these steps below: The site goes on to detail the materials needed and provides the step-by-step instructions including images such as this: Interesting… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The weekend is finally here and once again the digital download sites are featuring some awesome deals! I am highlighting the Amuman sale at Good Old Games, which includes great adventure games such as Syberia for 50% off! This week I am continuing to choose no more than 50 deals from all sites … which is an extra tough one because GamersGate ALONE had more games than that at 70% off! And as always thanks to the crew at Deals4Downloads for their help finding everything. Now let’s get straight to the deals! Good Old Games: Weekend Sale – 50% off select Amuman games Iron Storm (PC) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Prepare to be shocked. Sticker-shocked that is. Are you sitting down? I am about to give you the window sticker price of the new 2011 Cadillac Escalade ESV I recently tested. Set your faces to stunned … 88 – and I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout no Benjamins either. 88 grand, 88 large, ochenta y ocho mil, 88 Grover Clevelands. The big Jag we just had wasn’t that much, and it gave massages. Yes, Cadillac’s biggest SUV is sporting quite the pricetag these days, although in its defense this was the Platinum edition. With the launch of Escalade over a decade ago Cadillac became the large luxury SUV segment leader against the likes… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Not much to say about it, as the picture says it all! The Best Buy WiFi version of the HTC Flyer has just arrived, and I can’t wait to start playing with it! Just thought I would share my excitement! =)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

monCarbone has made a name for themselves with their beautiful and protective carbon fiber iPhone and iPad cases, which we’ve reviewed in the past. I was recently sent their new Magnet Force iPhone 4 Carbon Fiber Case, and while at first glance this case might appear similar to the monCarbone HoverCoat, I would soon see the Magnet Force’s claim to fame in action. The Magnet Force adds barely any weight or bulk to the iPhone 4; just like the HoverCoat Dan and I reviewed last November, it is so inconspicuous that you might even forget that you are using a case. It is seriously the next best thing… Continue reading on Gear Diary …