It is no secret that mobile power has become a huge issue for most of us. IOS, Android, Blackberry…we may all argue about whose is better, but the bottom line is that we all need extra power for our devices at one point or another. My job takes me on the road several nights a week — without charging possibilities — so this is a big issue for me all of the time. I have numerous external batteries and even a solar-powered charger that I carry with me in my gear bag and in my athletic bags. One problem I have with all of these is size, and most of them plug into my… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Apple is set to discuss OS X Lion, iOS 5 and their iCloud music streaming service. While we will not be ‘there’, we will be tracking the changes and updating live as things are announced. This will be similar to how Dan handled things last year – I will keep updating this post with new information throughout Steve Jobs keynote as soon as it is available. Keep it tuned right here to learn everything about Apple’s latest and greatest announcements! Just for clarity, I will be doing things in reverse order – newest at the top, oldest at the bottom. So if you refresh the page you can see the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We begin the week with a Gear Deal on Dell’s new Inspiron 620 Mini Tower. Powered by Intel’s 2011 Core i3 / i5 “Sandy Bridge” platform it is available in classic Black or 4 other system color options. The Dell Inspiron 620 Mini Tower in a Core i3 configuration starts at $449.99. The Core i5 version begins at $699.99. For details, configurations and ordering check out the deal page right here Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the things that bugs me about Mac OS X is the need to physically undock a drive before removing it. I understand the reasons, but it doesn’t make it less annoying and it does not mean I don’t forget to do so sometimes. (And each time I forget I receive the “you forgot to undock the drive you shmuck, and it can do damage!” warning.) unDock doesn’t make drive undocking automatic, but it does make it possible to remove all drives at once. As the app’s description explains, Time machine is wonderful, but it makes a mobile Mac user cry – waiting for a backup to finish or cancel before we rush Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Save 25% on Henge Docks docking station for Apple’s line of notebooks If you are one of the growing number of people who use their laptop as their only computer this deal is for you. Henge Docks work with all current versions of the MacBook (not the MacBook Air however) and let you quickly turn your laptop into a desktop or a media center for your HDTV. As the company explains: This means you can quickly, easily and cleanly incorporate your MacBook computer into a desktop setup or your home theater system, so you get the best features of a laptop, desktop and media center PC all from one computer. Henge Docks patent-pending design doesn’t Continue reading on Gear Diary …

After a while I tend to develop a case of UI ennui.  This happened with iOS and it was just beginning to happen with Android Froyo on my Droid X.  Thankfully a very welcome Gingerbread update has renewed my love of Android. Here are some early impressions. Style improvements! It’s the little things, right? There are minor color and design updates throughout from menus to text message bubbles, to notification icons.  The color scheme has changed from black and white to charcoal, light grey, and light blue for accents.  The new look seems more contemporary and definitely a bit happier. Tile… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Special Sale: Father’s Day 30% Off 8 Items Here is a great deal from our friends at SeV. As they explain: An SeV for a Father’s Day gift will get more use than a mug (unless Dad is a world-class coffee drinker), it’s a lot easier than finding a flywheel for a ’67 Camaro, it’s more practical (and appreciated) than another tie, and it won’t take up more space on an already overflowing tool bench. Dad already has everything? Perfect – get him an SeV to carry it all! This sale is soooo simple! Just use the promo code DAD30 during checkout to save 30% between now and Tuesday, June 7th @ 7:30AM Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image via Flickr) If you’re one of the five people who purchased eBooks through Borders, I strongly recommend you log into your account and follow their instructions to port your library to Kobo. Teleread is reporting that Borders is no longer operating their own eBookstore, and any attempts at logging in or purchasing will lead you to instructions on how to move to Kobo instead. This should be fairly seamless, since Kobo was doing all the behind the scenes work on Borders eBookstore. Any Borders eBooks you might have should work fine in Kobo’s desktop and smartphone applications, and of course those books will continue to work on Kobo eReaders and any… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Since this is E3 week I expected it to be a dull week, with even fewer releases than last week … but I was wrong! There are three major releases: the PS3 exclusive inFamous 2, and the multiplatform Operation Flashpoint: Red River and Red Faction: Armageddon This week we also see the impact of the new 3DS Virtual Console and eShop. There is also the movie tie-in Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, which hasn’t gotten any early reviews two weeks before release. My hopes for the game are not good! And while there isn’t really… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week  I wrote a post entitled “The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t. In it I argued that even it Apple does not currently own the market they are positioned well for the long-term thanks to a little device known as the iPod touch. The Touch, I said, is now used by a huge number of kids who do not yet have a cell phone. Their love of the Touch, not to mention their having invested in apps and ringing up game scores, makes it more likely that they will go for an iPhone when the time comes for them to get a phone… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Nintendo offers an online system update for North America the night of June 6 for new online features including the Nintendo eShop and Web browser.

  When the iPad 2 came out I happily purchased the Smart Cover. Over time I’ve developed an appreciation for its screen protection and stand functionality, but I can’t accept having absolutely no protection for the back. So, I went shopping. My goal was to find something that would: be a perfect fit, protect the device, work nicely with the Smart Cover, and not add too much bulk or weight. Those requirements led me to XGear’s Smart Cover Enhancer, one of the many available back covers (more reviews forthcoming!). The Enhancer snaps on and grips the iPad securely: no gaps or loose edges.  All of the cutouts for ports/buttons/switches and the speaker are impeccably… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sony offers a “Welcome Back” appreciation program for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable users after PlayStation Network, Qriocity, and Sony Online Entertainment online services return.

  The weekend is finally here and once again the digital download sites are featuring some awesome deals! I am highlighting the Age of Wonders sale at Good Old Games, which includes the whole series of awesome games for 50% off! This week I have abandoned my rule of no more than 50 deals from all sites … there is just way too much great stuff out there at insane prices!! However, I am sticking with the >50% savings rule. We are now seeing more and more publishers launching their own stores with deals – UbiSoft joins the fray this week … but sadly none of their deals were better than 50%!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Save $170 on this 32″ 1080p LCD HDTV from Vizio Here’s an awesome New Gear Daily Deal to celebrate the weekend! This 32″ HDTV offers full 1080p resolution and all the bells and whistles you have come to expect. I recently bought its 720p cousin and could not be happier. Here’s what VIZIO has to say about it: Experience the pleasure of Full High-Definition entertainment with the 32″ 1080p LCD HDTV from Vizio. This television features 6500:1 dynamic contrast ratio for amazing image detail and color clarity and offers 6.5 ms response time for sharp and impressive video motion every time. With 1920×1080 resolutions, supporting 1080i TV format you can enjoy Continue reading on Gear Diary …