Carly highlighted the new Amazon Cloud Reader a couple of days ago, which provided a web-based solution for reading – and purchasing – Kindle books from Amazon.com on pretty much any device regardless of native app support (except for the BlackBerry Playbook, which is just in a woeful state at this point). While many companies, Amazon included, have discussed moving more apps to platform-independent HTML5, the timing of this release seems to good to be true, as Carly indicated with her ‘Don’t Tread on Kindle’ tagline. We have just seen a rash of changes, starting with Kobo, then Amazon, and then Barnes & Noble all removing the ability… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I work at a college and one of the things you see in almost every set of ears on campus is a set of headphones.  Our bookstore sells them all the time when students destroy their favorite pair of buds which is why they carry many different brands of headphones including some from iFrogz as well.  Today iFrogz has brought out a new line of headphones in the new iFrogz Audio brand.  They will also be bringing two more sets of headphones in the Ear Pollution line of headphones. The first set is a set of on ear headphones called Frequency.  They will be available in Black, Green or White colors for $79.99. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

An amazing, authentic racing experience featuring high content, rally racing, varying environments, great add-on content, and challenging gameplay.

If you are looking for a 7.1 speaker system our Gear Sponsor has a deal that is just right for you. The Pinnacle MB 12500+ 1000W Audiophile 7.1 Speaker System is comprised of (1) BD BAR 37, 9-Element, Speaker Bar for Front and Center channels, (2) BD 100, 3-inch 2-way Rear channel speakers; and (1) PS Sub 300, 300W 12-inch Powered Subwoofer. It is a lot of speaker and a huge amount of power. Normally this system sells for $1,399.99 but with this Gear deal it is $700 less. That brings the price down to $699.99 and it will ship for free. Details and ordering can be found here. Gear Deal: $700 Off Pinnacle Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The prevailing pop music form these days seems to be a combination of a singer and rapper, with randomly free-flowing male rap verse and largely disconnected melodious warbling from a female songbird like Rihanna. It has become such a formula that for Katy Perry’s E.T. music video Kanye West was brought in to ramble on top of the track in order to give it ‘cred’ or something. It is as though the big industry execs are afraid to let either genre stand on its own – pop-rappers and pop-singers are being melded as they fear losing the cross-over appeal of the combination, or that they fear the ability for a single performer to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I used Vonage as my main home phone service for a bit of time a number of years ago. I’ve since moved on to other solutions (Ooma), but I took note when the company released their new iOS app the other day. I know what you are thinking, “Another phone app for iOS? Who needs it?” Well think again, because I just made a call to Coach using my iPod touch and a headset, and here is what he had to say: “Sounds better than when my wife calls me on her iPhone and you are… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So we are having dinner tonight and Elana, my NPR and talk radio-junkie wife, gives us one of the tidbits she learned while listening to NPR today. The question- “How many different languages are in use in the world at this moment.” I made my guess and my father-in-law thought I was way too high. (“You’re nuts.” were his exact works.) Well I wasn’t that far off. So I ask you… How many languages (not dialects but LANGUAGES) are in use today world wide? Don’t be lame and cheat by Googling it. JUST GUESS… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Photos: Author Having never been blessed with children of my own, I never quite got a grasp of everything new parents had to worry about nor how extensive their “to-do” list was … until last Christmas when we got word of the impending arrival of my wife’s first grandchild. Fast forward to July 26, and Baby J arrives in fine fashion. In no time I begin hearing “I can’t wait until we can start babysitting him over here.” What? The baby is coming here? “I’m not ready.” “The house isn’t ready.” “Where did the time go?” The very next day Gear Diary Team Members find an inquiry in their mailboxes… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have never shied away from professing my love for the original Deus Ex game … and also my disdain for the disappointment that was Deus Ex Invisible War. So I am very much looking forward to the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on August 23rd – and have already pre-ordered the game. So while I wait, I have already loaded up the original Deus Ex: Game of the Year edition – but before I had the chance to get started I read about a new HD texture pack called ‘New Vision’, released after four years of development. It’s been 4 years in the making, but Deus-Ex: New Vision is finally Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I recently reviewed the iPad version of Jack of All Tribes, a ‘casual time management meets sim meets strategy’ game. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, so when I was able to review the newly released Mac version, I immediately jumped at the chance! Let’s see how the game did in the transition from tablet to computer! The Hype: Travel to the past with Jack and rule a prehistoric tribe in this fun time management game with puzzle elements! Help fellow tribesmen set up their homes and create thriving villages. Keep villagers happy with food, drinks and entertainment; protect them from natural disasters and aggressive barbarians. Introduce new technology and become… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the places that mobile devices so often fall flat is in the delivery of great sounding audio, which is why these new Pantech and DTS collaborations caught my eye. The new Pantech Vega No. 5 Tablet Phone and the Pantech Vega Racer Smartphone will “incorporate DTS technology, bringing a more immersive and dramatic sound experience to consumers’ mobile devices.” As more and more consumers view content on mobile devices, it’s becoming increasingly important for manufacturers to equally address both audio and visual components. Currently the fastest smartphone on the market, Vega Racer, features Qualcomm’s first 1.5GHz dual core processor—offering speeds up to 30 percent faster than single core—and 1GB DDR2 RAM. Additionally, the Vega No. 5 tablet Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few weeks ago I wrote about an upcoming updated demo for the indie game Telepath RPG: Servants of God, an interesting blend of jRPG and western RPG styles. Here is the description of what the final game will offer: Part Japanese strategy RPG, part free-roaming Western RPG, there is no RPG out there quite like Telepath RPG: Servants of God. The finished game will feature: Tactical turn-based combat where positioning and planning are key Dozens of different psychic and physical abilities to manipulate and decimate your enemies A narrative about identity, the nature of the mind, and the existence of God A party of characters that you Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have written quite a bit about Jason Crane and the Jazz Session here, as it is a fresh and engaging interview series that neatly weaves together music and chat in a way that I very much enjoy. The Jazz Session is free for listeners, which immediately puts Crane in the position of finding ways to fund everything related to the interview show (I know, just like every other person running a website!), which have included ads, Amazon tie-ins for music featured on the show, and even support from the site AllAboutJazz. But it wasn’t enough – for Crane, running The Jazz Session had taken on ‘full time job’ hours without… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I try to scan through Amazon at least once a week, looking for all the free Kindle books offered. I’ve managed to collect hundreds of titles by doing so, and in the process I have discovered some really fantastic authors that I might not have found otherwise. Sure, I have found some turkeys along the way, but hey — the price was right! =) This morning there were quite a few decent-sounding titles and synopses, so I thought it might be a good idea to share them with you all; some are short stories and some are full length novels — I usually find a pretty mixed bag. Keep in mind that as of the time I compiled… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal is a powerhouse 14″ Dell Alienware m14X Laptop. It features NVIDIA Optimus graphics, weighs less than 7 lbs., has up to 6 hours battery life, offers an optional 1600 x 900 display, 256GB SSD and more. It also includes two USB 3.0 ports, a miniDisplayPort, an HDMI 1.4 port, a 9-in-1 card reader and much more. The laptop is now available starting at $1,099 less a $50 coupon code. That brings the price down to $1,049. If you really want to go hardcore our Gear Sponsor has highlighted the 14″ Alienware M14x with a Core i7-2630QM 2GHz Quad-core, 8GB of RAM, a 1600×900 LCD, a 500GB HDD and 3GB GeForce GT555M for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …