Phones, mp3 players, laptops, cameras, hard drives, headphones. We all have so many gadgets that may have a splash of color or chrome, but basically are simply black, white or silver products that may not be exactly custom or a representation of the owner. For many, these plain, boring gadgets need something colorful and stylish to make them their own. It could be even better if these customizations could also provide some protection. MusicSkins allows users to decorate their products with musicians, cartoons, artwork or even their own photos while also protecting the devices. MusicSkins sent me a few of their offerings to check out recently. Let’s take a look. (As a side note… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Developer Infinite Dreams is a Poland-based maker of some cool games for iPhone and Android (and Symbian), and they recently pushed their Facebook page to get enough likes to make their classic game Sky Force free. Here is the result: THANKS TO FACEBOOK FANS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! Get it now until the price is back to normal! So what is Sky Force? It is a classic top-down arcade-style shooter in the style of the 1942 arcade shooter, here is their description: Pick one of three ships and blow your way to victory in this ultimate classic arcade shooter! Sky Force brings you some pure blasting action in 8 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy Chevy Truck World) Google Maps is not infallible. It’s been known to give wonky directions, as Sarah and I learned on Sunday when Google Maps mistakenly thought McCarren Park in Brooklyn was in Manhattan. Luckily we caught the mistake before we got completely lost. However, that’s nothing compared to the Google Maps fail for one NJ neighborhood, where they’ve mistakenly indicated the state park entrance is someone’s driveway. According to NJ.com: Since 1987, Gneiding and her husband Michael Brady have lived in one of three log homes found at the end of a quarter-mile long driveway in Clinton Township. The homes back Round Valley State Park, which boasts swimming Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If the apocalypse comes, I want to spend it with the teams who competed in the Red Bull Creation event. They were given 72 hours and a pile of junk, along with the mission to illustrate “Energy in Motion”. Any scraps were fair game, from metal to electronics to slabs of wood, and the creations were just astounding. What they created was absolute brilliance, from hamster wheels to see-saws, and did I mention they did it in 3 days? If you left me in a room with a pile of junk and Red Bull, you’d come back to find a hyper-caffienated blogger probably trapped under said pile of junk. You certainly wouldn’t find the jaw-dropping creations these 16… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Let’s talk 3D HDTV Bundles, okay?!? Actually, let’s talk 3D HDTV bundles that can save you a bundle. That’s today’s Gear Deal. Yup, Dell Home is offering up to $400 Dell Gift Card with the purchase of a Samsung or LG HDTVs. The offer is only good until July 14th or till supplies last so check them out NOW. If you want to see a few examples of what you can get take a look right here. Gear Deal: Up to $400 Gift Card with Samsung (3D Bundles) HDTVs via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

What good is spending $200K on a land yacht if you end up RVing down a scary rut road that winds through the middle of Deliverance country? Sure, you could buy one of those huge atlases that they sell at every truck stop on the interstate, but this is the middle of 2011! Any self-respecting captain should have the finest navigation tools at his fingertips! And as much as we all love convergence, that doesn’t mean placing your smartphone on a mount in the middle of your 7′ wide x 5′ tall windshield — squinting at its 4″ screen — and calling it “good”. What you need is a larger-screened dedicated GPS device that allows… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  It always pays to shop around, even when buying a carrier-branded phone. Did you know that the same phones you can buy at the Verizon store are available on Amazon — some at greatly reduced savings from the carrier sites? No kidding — on the Verizon site, the HTC Thunderbolt (a phone I truly enjoyed while reviewing) is available with contract for $249.99. That price seems fair enough, right? Especially since the full retail says $569.99. Well guess what? On Amazon… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I can’t make this stuff up! When you think of the great plots of video games just crying out to be made into movies, you naturally think of The Witcher, L. A. Noire, and … Space Invaders! OK, so maybe Space Invaders is down below Dig Dug and Robotron and Defender in terms of intriguing setups for potential movies, but that isn’t stopping Hollywood! According to a report from the Hollywood Reporter over the weekend: Get ready for the Space Invaders movie. The classic 1980s arcade game from Taito and Midway, which is ranked as the top arcade game of all time by Guinness World Records, is heading to the big Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve become a big fan of not having to physically dock my iPhone, iPod or iPad in order to get audio from it. That’s why I love using the Sonos system I reviewed a few weeks ago. At the same time, there is a lot to be said for a bedside dock/alarm clock. Sure, the Sonos system lets you set alarms, but it doesn’t have a clock nor does it charge your power-hungry iOS device. That needs to be covered by something else — something like a clock-dock (yeah, I wrote “clock-dock”!). The problem is, too often the available clock-dock systems don’t offer many features, but they do feature anemic sound. The… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have already written about the all-day battery in the Sony Vaio S-series, and am writing up my ‘Hardcore Gaming’ test and also getting started on my ‘Can I Get 15 Hours’ test. Bottom line – this is a great laptop that offers amazing battery life with little compromise. Sony and Microsoft are now teaming up to let others in on the action – they are hosting a contest that will see one lucky winner end up with a Sony VAIO S series PC and a sheet battery. Based on a quick look around, that is worth more than $1100! Here are the basics: The contest details are available Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have written about Spotify’s plans to launch soon, including a sign-up page. However, there were even more interesting developments this week! First, as indicated in the title it seems that Spotify is looking for a launch between the 11th and 18th of July, if we believe a report from the Wall Street Journal: Spotify AB has told record label executives that it is aiming to launch its music-streaming service in the U.S. as early as the middle of next week, according to people familiar with the matter. Next, in spite of the imminent launch, it appears that the deal with Warner Music Group definitely is not in place Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yeah, I did it. I picked up the new Toshiba Thrive Android 3.1 Honeycomb Tablet. I’m just starting to check it out, but here is a quick unboxing video. More later… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sometimes it is the little features in a program that can make the biggest differences. iPhoto’s facial recognition is one example of this. I knew the feature was there in the ’11 version of the software but never used it. Last week Elana’s grandma Pearl died. It was and is sad, but at 87 she had led a long, good life and is remembered fondly by many. We should all be lucky enough to have the same said about us when we are gone. I wanted to put together a montage of pictures to share with Elana and her family, but my iPhoto library was an absolute chaotic mess. That’s when iPhoto Faces came to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  (image courtesy SocialTechPop) My parents are reasonably technologically competent. They’re not big geeks, but my dad has an iPhone and my mom has both a Blackberry and an iPad, so they generally are self-sufficient when it comes to computers. However, what should have been a simple installation of Google Earth on their aging Dell set off a chain of unexpected consequences, all because they’ve been conditioned to trust Google and not question instructions. Apparently, when you install Google Earth on a Windows PC, Google asks to install Chrome as well. No biggie, except that in her “just click through because Google said it was okay” zeal, my mom set Chrome as the default… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

GPS navigation isn’t fun… but with VoiceSkins and Garmin it can be! Yes, VoiceSkins, the folks who made your GPS sound like Bugs Bunny are going Sci-Fi with their new Darth Vader GPS Voice for Garmin navigation systems. The Darth Vader GPS Voice will get you were you need to go with directions such as Lord Vader commands you to turn to the dark side. Will you be able to resist as he guides you to your destiny? Obi-Wan has taught you well but now it is time to choose your path. Lightsabers at the ready! and Right you should turn, then sharp left…control, control, if a Jedi, you wish to be” and “In 100 Continue reading on Gear Diary …