It has become fairly standard for websites to give out gifts or prizes when they celebrate an anniversary – but what about an airline? It is Southwest Airline’s 40th anniversary … and once again WE get the presents! Here are the details: Enter your e-mail address to get a download code for your free playlist. The e-mail will be sent to your inbox within minutes. Just open the e-mail and follow the simple instructions to get your 40 free songs! Yes, you have to give them your email address so they can spam you with deals, but the sampler is pretty decent. Better still, when you get the email, you simply click on… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Ever since it was launched, we have extolled the virtues of the Amazon Android App Store, as well as pointed out a few issues with it. Like it or not, Amazon’s Android App Store has been well-received by Android users, especially since they have a different paid application available for free every day. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get busy. So I don’t check the Amazon App Store every day. Which means I could miss out on such gems as Nuance’s FlexT9 keyboard for free. Well, an enterprising developer came up with a solution for those of us who are too busy… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve been a big fan of PhoneSuit’s various iPhone and iPad accessories in the past and, as such, we take note when they come out with a new product. This time around they have let loose a battery case that promises to be “the thinnest, fastest charging iPhone 4 battery case which can provide over 100% power”. The PhoneSuit Elite has an efficient 2100mah lithium-ion polymer battery cell that will quick-charge the iPhone in less than two hours. All that power yet the case is just 0.67 inch thick. Here is a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  Today’s Gear Deal runs through June 7th and is a pretty great deal! Dell Home is giving an eGiftCard, worth up to $400, when you buy a Samsung 46″ or 55″ HDTV and a 3D/Blu-ray Bundle. Most Samsung 3D HDTV Blu-Ray Bundles come with a 2011 Model Samsung 3D HDTV, Samsung BD-D5500 3D Blu-Ray player, and also a Samsung MegaMind 3D Blu-Ray starter kit. Here are some of the Bundles that are part of this deal: Samsung UN46D7000 46″ 240Hz 1080p 3D LED Bundle + $400 Gift Card was $2,396.99 but is now just $2,159.99 Samsung UN55D7000 55″ 240Hz 1080p 3D LED Bundle Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Garmin gets a great deal of the attention in the running world with their Forerunner line, and Nike has been trying to muscle in with their new Nike+ GPS system…but Polar is truly the 800lb gorilla when it comes to heart rate monitors. What’s so exciting about tracking your heart rate when you run, bike, or swim? The harder you work out, the harder your heart works. So let’s say you decided to head out for a nice, easy run because you have a big race in two days. It’s the perfect day; not too sunny, there’s a nice breeze, and you feel like you can really crank it up a notch. But you know you need… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I wrote about DOTEmu giving away Gobliiins for free – but it turns out that was just the first item in a week-long 1st anniversary celebration! All this week they are giving away classics for free – here are the details and the list: To celebrate its online store’s first birthday, DotEmu offers you 1 free game per day for 5 days, available for free for a period of 24 hours, certified DRM-free and adapted for current PC (Windows XP, Vista and Seven). : Gobliiins, Hammerin Harry, Robinson’s Requiem, Dragon Breed et Warzone 2100 ! 5 free days, 5 outstanding games ! Check DotEmu.com to enjoy your free games Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Inevitably I have to budget for books on my vacations. I can easily blow through 4 or 5 books when I’m away, and more if all I’m doing is sitting on the beach. Luckily, Amazon has a great way to make sure vacation reads are more affordable! While it doesn’t alleviate the pain of ebook pricing across the board, Amazon has done their best with select titles, called “Sunshine Deals”: A good book and loads of sun–is there a better way to spend a summer day? We’re kicking off Kindle Sunshine Dealswith over 600 titles on sale for $0.99, $1.99, and $2.99 from bestselling and award-winning Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you subscribe to the BigFish iSplash newsletter? If not, you might want to start now! Why? This week Big Fish offered Everest: Hidden Expedition for free to all newsletter subscribers. Here are the details: Everest: Hidden Expedition (iPad & iPhone) Hidden Object Game – Because you’re an iSplash subscriber, we’d like you to have the FULL version of Everest: Hidden Expedition absolutely FREE! Consider it a thank you gift from us to you. To start your ascent, download the game for free from the App Store, then go ahead and tap “Continue” to unlock it — don’t worry, we won’t sign you up twice. Enjoy! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Barnes and Noble is not wasting any time! Only one short week after they released the new NOOK, they’re already shipping! If you’re stuck for Father’s Day, looks like you’ll have plenty of time to get your hands on a NOOK Touch! Plus, the reviews are already starting to trickle in, and they’re very positive. Both Engadget and Techcrunch have glowing reviews, and it sounds like for the price and the features this device is a home run! Did you pre-order a NOOK Touch? Let us know in the comments when yours arrives! Barnes & Noble Now Shipping The All-New NOOKTM, The Simple Touch ReaderTM Pre-Ordered Devices Arriving Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So you love your iPad 2 but just aren’t read to go completely paperless. What to do? Well, you COULD carry your iPad and a separate notepad OR you could grab Booq’s new Booqpad for iPad 2. Yes, the Booqpad is a great example of “old-school meets new world”. It brings your iPad together with a writing tablet and even throws in spots for business cards, a few separate notes and a pen. It is one of the more unique designs we have seen when it comes to iPad 2 cases so lets take a closer look. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have gotten some flack from folks who see bias in my choices between ‘Music Diary Songs of Choice’ and ‘Pop Goes the Music Diary’: in short, they see me giving jazz and rock high praise, while being brutally critical of pop music. Well, given that one category is made for the money while the other is made for the sake of the music (if someone is playing jazz for the money alone they are terribly deluded), that shouldn’t be surprising. But there are more than a few examples of dreadful jazz music made for the sake of pandering to a wide audience, perhaps none more obvious than the poster child of why… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Ram Truck Brand managers first rolled out their new Laramie Longhorn package at the State Fair of Texas just in time for the annual Red River Rivalry between UT and OU. They followed that with a victory at the Texas Truck Rodeo and a fold-out spread in this year’s SI Swimsuit Edition. Recently a Laramie Longhorn-laden Ram 3500 Heavy Duty dually landed in my driveway for a week for me to opine. First let me express my disappointment at Ram as there was no lovely leather leggings in the rear seat area as shown on pages 2 and 3. (Must be a dealer-installed item I guess.) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s a new month, so it is time for more great $5 MP3 Albums at Amazon! Here are just a few examples of the great albums on sale: – Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! – Kanye West – Graduation – Avenge Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen – Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 – Beck – Mellow Gold Head to the Amazon 100 Albums for $5 Page! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you are a jazz fan of any sort, chances are when you hear the word Nefertiti in the context of a song … you think Miles Davis. More specifically you recall the version of the Wayne Shorter composition that was the title and opening track of the epic 1968 Miles recording. Yet many other jazz fans might say ‘hey wait, there is a great 1976 Andrew Hill recording by that name’ – and they would be correct. So would those who point to the classic ‘Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come’ by Cecil Taylor. I have been listening to that recording quite a bit recently, and it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The iPad 2 is slimmer than the original iPad. It is lighter than the original iPad. It has two cameras so you can Facetime or shoot video. All of those were nice upgrades from the first iPad but none of them are the BEST feature of the iPad 2. No, the BEST feature, in my humble opinion, is the smart Sleep/Awake functionality. Within days of getting the iPad 2 I had forgotten that I even needed to use the home button to turn on the iPad. Now I simply put the cover over the screen and BAM! – it goes to sleep. Uncover the screen and BAM! – it wakes up. I love this… Continue reading on Gear Diary …