I’m always happy to let folks know about deals (and even more about stuff that’s free), so in order to get this out there as much prior to the expiration date of the deal, I’m just going to keep it short:  Amazon Wireless; lower price on Droid Bionic; price drop on Droid X2; $50 gift card.  But read the details below, because if you’re a Verizon customer adding lines or want to be a new customer, you should give it some thought. Full information below. AmazonWireless is upping the ante this week with a new cut to the DROID Bionic’s price, as well as a price drop on the DROID X2. In addition, through 9/26 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I like iFrogz iPhone cases.  I never planned to get one, but when the iPhone 4 came out, with it’s Vulcan death grip reception problems, I had to get a case, stat–I couldn’t wait for the guys at Vaja to get around to offering a case I liked and then putting it together.  So I grabbed one of the cases they had there in the AT&T store, which happened to be an iFrogz.  And I loved it.  I never ended up getting a Vaja for my iPhone 4–that should tell you something.  (Also, I was going through a–ahem–cash flow problem period, and them Vaja cases is pricey… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Kobo’s had an up and down year. They released their Kobo Touch reader to great acclaim, but lost a major partner when Borders collapsed. On the upside, they’ve chosen their social media dance partner better; Kobo and Facebook are working hard to bring Kobo’s “Reading Life” to the new Facebook news streams! Basically, this one-ups Goodreads and similar websites by pushing reviews and updates on what you’re reading right from the book to Facebook. Plus it ties readers closer to Kobo, always a win in a very competitive ebook environment. It’s also interesting that Kobo managed to get their CEO an appearance at F8. That shows a tight level of integration with Facebook, and could lead to a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few months ago I had started writing up an article called “Study: ‘Being Green’ Isn’t About Saving the Planet, But Pushing an Elitist Agenda” which I will get to shortly … but today there was an article about the “10 Things That Are Killing Indie Music in 2011″. And #1? “Suspicion of intellectualism”. The basis of the argument is that we are at a point where something that seems ‘smart’ shouldn’t be trusted, and should be rejected for being elitist: any semblance of intellectualism — or any divergence from popular opinion, for that matter — tends to get you labelled a “hipster.” The message is clear: hipsters Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Good Old Games is at it again! Since their relaunch (and PR fiasco) they have seen greater success than ever before! As a result they are fast approaching 6 million ‘unique downloads’ (so my downloading games 4 or 5 times doesn’t inflate the count!), and decided it was time to celebrate. Here is what they said: During our presentation at the CD Projekt Fall 2011 Conference we’ve shared some numbers that show how successful this year was for GOG.com, all that was possible thanks to you – our great community. One of the big milestones we’d like to celebrate with you is the 6 million unique downloaded games! Help us achieve this number Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last year I went to CES in Las Vegas as part of a SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge for Charity. Because I could only bring what I was able to carry in my SeV clothing I had to leave behind a number of items that would normally go with me on a trip. Among the items left? My sunglasses. It only took a few hours of being in Vegas to realize that I needed a pair. I walked into a Sunglass Hut and said, “What’s on closeout?” Even steeply discounted I spent $100 that day. The sunglasses have held up well but have one particular annoyance that has bugged me from the start- when I am… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today only Amazon.com’s MP3 store is featuring a great selection of pop albums for $4 each! Included are Stevie Wonder’s Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and many more! Here are the albums: Hands All Over [+Digital Booklet] – Maroon 5 Rumours – Fleetwood Mac Teenage Dream [Clean] – Katy Perry Femme Fatale – Britney Spears My World 2.0 – Justin Bieber Back To Black – Amy Winehouse I Am…Sasha Fierce – Beyonce Knowles Off the Wall – Michael Jackson Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 – Elton John Greatest Hits – Stevie Wonder Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Please allow me to gush for a moment, because it is not something I’m usually inclined to do … I truly enjoy using my little 11″ MacBook Air; it is the computer that I grab when I don’t want to be tied to a desk. I use it on the couch, I use it outside on our deck, and sometimes I use it “just because” … and when it’s time to travel, I typically toss my Air inside whatever bag I happen to be carrying. The 11″ Air is the most totable (while remaining usable) laptop that I have ever owned. While I prefer to keep my Air inside a protective sleeve when it’s being… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Okay, we’re going to keep this going. Right now we still have the Gear Diary at 5 Giveaway: It’s In the Bag contest for three awesome laptop bags running. It will end tomorrow, but there is still time to enter. You can find it here. In addition, we’ve got the contest for giving away the Spectre TV/DVD combination that’s also running. You can enter the contest to win the TV/DVD player right here. Let’s add yet another contest giveaway into the mix. We’re giving away a Magellan RoadMate GPS!!! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The free iOS app for WordPress blogging got updated tonight. It brings full-screen editing, a feature-rich content editor and much more. After a year and a half of wanting the ability to truly blog with ease from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad this update might finally be what I’ve been looking for. I mean, finally you can easily format text, add links or quote text. For anyone who blogs and uses Apple devices this is big, really big. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Just like with The Beatles on iTunes, it seems that the recent lead-up to the Blu-Ray re-release of the Star Wars movies was met with a sort of ‘meh’ response in the jaded digital media, with many sites majing jokes about changes (Ewoks with bloody fangs and crazed eyes, for example), and others lamenting the price or the prequels or … well, there was much more blathering and nit-picking than excitement – or so it seemed. In fact, there was a very quick side-chat amongst the Gear Diary folks that ended up with no one here indicating that they were buying the new sets. And yet … like The Beatles on iTunes, the REAL… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to another weekend of insane game deals! I am sure I’m getting jaded – it seems with each week I am unimpressed by the list of hundreds of games at 50% off or more and have a hard time grabbing five favorites … but when I dig in I still realize how awesome the deals are! I am focusing my lists more on the deals of 75% off or more to keep things manageable … but still have some that are >50% off – but that is my lower limit! I am continuing my ‘top 5 weekend deals’ section where I grab my favorite 5 deals of the week and provide… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As expected, yesterday at f8 Facebook unveiled a number of new features, such as the new profile and timeline … and my main area of interest – the MUSIC. Unlike some other initiatives, Facebook is seeking to integrate everything organically into the overall ‘Timelines’ elements and ‘OpenGraph’ presentation structure. There are already those railing against the new newsfeed structure, but that isn’t my concern here. What interests me is how Facebook and their partners will make this all work – including the ability to ‘listen together’ as noted at Digital Music News: Perhaps the coolest music integration allows users to listen to music together – as in, the same time! Actually Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There are some companies that understand that it is not form OR function but rather form AND function. Such companies, few in number, have an ability to design products that look great but also function with a simplicity that makes you wonder how you ever went without. Of course Apple leads the pack in this regard but there are others who follow suit. Sonos is one such company. (I write this while Garbage’s song “Push It” is blasting from two Play:5s set up as a stereo-pair.) I LOVE their products. Rain Design is another such company. Their designs are simple, elegant and work. I reviewed the Rain Design mStand last December and loved it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Aside from the usual PC game sales this week, Electronic Arts is having a HUGE sale on their iPad games. Leading it off – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for FREE for iPhone and iPad! Here is a list of games with their regular and sale prices: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 $2.99, Previously $9.99 Battleship $0.99, Previously $2.99 Clue: Secrets and Spies $2.99, Previously $4.99 Command and Conquer: Red Alert $2.99, Previously $4.99 Dead Space $2.99, Previously $9.99 The Game of Life $2.99, Previously $6.99 Max and the Magic Marker $0.99, Previously $2.99 Mirror’s Edge $2.99, Previously $4.99 Monopoly $2.99, Previously $9.99 Continue reading on Gear Diary …