If you want to use Apple’s SmartCover with your iPad 2 but also want to protect the back of your tablet there are a decent number of options currently available. Cygnett’s SmartSound for iPad 2 is yet another option but this one comes with a special “something something” that may make it a good choice if you are looking for this style of protection. From Cygnett: The SmartSound case is designed to work in tandem with Apple’s Smart Cover, seamlessly interacting with its magnetic detachable cover and automatic sleep/wake function. With SmartSound and Apple Smart Cover working Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sometimes you read something on a blog via another site that makes you chuckle … but then you have to decide whether or not THEY know that what they are parroting from another site is a parody. In this case, the site is Intomobile, who has re-posted an article from Phandroid which shows Dwight from The Office introducing Dunder Mifflins new product ‘The Pyramid’ … because it allows users to “unleash the power of the pyramid.” Everything about the parody works well – from the shape evoking mystical powers to the awful specs: 3lbs without the optional battery pack and memory booster, but without the booster the Pyramid only has 50L… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I really have no intent to make fun of the people in NYC as part of the ‘occupy Wall Street’ movement, as I think most hard-working Americans would agree that there are inherent problems in the shifts in distribution of wealth over the last 30 years coupled with the latest double-dip recession in which normal folks were trounced and thrown out of their homes while big investors and corporations were protected and bailed out. But that is a debate for a different day. That said – this item from Tauntr is just too funny to let pass – they are calling it ‘Occupy Sesame Street’. Here is their description: Occupy Wall Street is a Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Miles Davis – Tutu Miles Davis – Tutu When I was in high school and discovering the music of Miles Davis, I had started with a Workin’ & Steamin’ two-pack album (1956) and the 1966 classic Miles Smiles. Then one of the first things I saw was Miles as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in late 1981 playing Jean Pierre. The next day I bought ‘The Man With The Horn’ and ‘Live Evil’, meaning I had a cross section of his ‘first great quintet’, ‘second great quintet’, 70′s electric period, and his brand new release. I also… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have already reviewed the original Virtual City on the iPod Touch, iPad and Android, and have also played some on the Mac. If you have read any of my reviews you know that I really enjoyed the twist on the SimCity gameplay. Now G5 has released the sequel, Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort for the Mac and PC. I’ve been playing for a while now and am ready to declare a new gaming love or if this one needs to go back to the zoning bureau! The Hype: New buildings, new product chains, new challenges! After winning the hearts of millions of players, the best-selling city builder game, Virtual City, gets… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today GalaxyTabLife is reporting that J&R has the new Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 available for pre-order in 16 and 32GB configurations. That is great news – the original Galaxy Tab had a number of fans at Gear Diary, even if overall sales were extremely lackluster (especially since Samsung dumped 1 – 2 million into the channel and only sold <10% of them). The new ‘reboot’ version ups the specs to pretty standard levels for late 2011, with 1.2GHz dual core processor, Honeycomb OS, 1GB RAM, and updated cameras. Unfortunately it looks like Samsung either missed what has happened in the tablet market this year or thinks they can… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I don’t know about you, but I’ve pretty much gotten used to the fact that when it comes to big corporations, they don’t give a flying fig about my opinions.  So I have to say that I was highly gratified when I saw an email in my in-box this morning from DVD-by-mail giant Netflix: Dear Douglas, It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs. This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster. While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We start the week with a Gear Deal on the 23″ Dell Inspiron One 2305 All-In-One Touchscreen PC. The base configuration of this 2.8GHz Dual-Core model features 4GB RAM, a 1TB Hard Drive, a Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, 24-months McAfee Security Center, an integrated 8X DVD burner, 802.11n WiFi, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS and more. The 2305 starts at $773.99 but our Gear Sponsor has brought a $274 coupon code to our attention. That brings the price down to just $499.99 and it will even ship for free. But hurry, the coupon expires after a limited number of uses. Information and ordering can be found here. Gear Deal: Dell Inspiron Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy Unoffical Networks) I want to root for B&N. They’re fighting for survival, and facing off against a seriously tough market. But their behavior this week makes me think the wheels are coming off a bit at B&N HQ, and that fear and stress, not strategy, are running the show right now. They’ve pulled 100 DC Comics titles from their physical stores (the titles are still available online), all over anger regarding DC’s exclusive deal with Amazon to bring the same 100 titles to the Kindle (Fire and tablet apps). Teleread picked up this report from Bleeding Cool about Amazon’s exclusivity: Well now the other shoe has dropped Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m real big on saving energy with simple things like painting your roof white, increasing your level of insulation, and upgrading all your house’s weatherstripping.  I’d even go for changing out all my house’s incandescent bulbs for fluorescents, if only they weren’t so ugly, bad for the environment because of disposal issues, expensive, and not nearly as long-lasting as their proponents tell you.  But there are other lighting solutions coming down the pike, thank goodness. In the emergency lighting department, Datexx is now offering a line of products to provide you with emergency lighting in case of disasters–like the recent earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes!–and save you money:  LED emergency lights.  I’m not all… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Well, another day, another Gear Diary contest coming to a close. So it’s time to pick the winners of our “Book ‘em, Carly” giveaway. As a reminder, we had several Speck cases for the Kindle and the NOOKcolor, and the winners were randomly chosen and assigned their top case choice if available. Drumroll please … 1) LittleBuffalo: Wanderfolio 2) M3Sons33: Fitfolio Kindle 3) jst4Tim: Bookshield Congratulations to our winners, and you have 24 hours from when this post goes live to email us with your shipping information! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (partly because I have a tendency to repeat myself, as Sami sometimes points out):  Competition is a Good Thing™.  I like to see different products offered on different platforms, different versions of tech products, and all the rest.  Yeah, sometimes I get a little weary when too durn many “solutions” get released–how many flinkin’ Android phones are there out there now, anyway?–but in the main:  competition=good. In that vein is Facetones; I’ll let Verizon tell it: Vringo’s Facetones service integrates with Facebook® and provides a new way to get visually exciting social content each time a user makes or receives a phone call.  For Verizon customers who Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I am still finishing reading the 20th anniversary edition of the Star Wars book ‘Heir to the Empire’ by Timothy Zahn, and am really enjoying all of the footnoted insights he has provided looking back through the years. The ‘expanded universe’ of Star Wars has always been a fertile creative grounds – from the graphic novels of the ‘Old Republic’ to the epic lightsaber battle in ‘Duality’, there have been a myriad of official and unofficial additions made to George Lucas’ world. Now there is a great new 3-part film called A Light in the Darkness that takes place just before the events in ‘Star A New Hope’. Here… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This picture from an El Paso, Texas Apple Store says it all. Post Its used as a tribute to the Thomas Edison of our times… an irony El Jobso himself would probably appreciate. Thanks for the picture, Sarah!! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

By now you should know that I love Portal. It is a great video game (and sequel), and the antagonist GlaDOS is deliciously funny … in a sinister way. Now after Apple introduced the Siri personal assistant, a number of fan-made cuts have emerged. Some are not so good (HAL), while others are excellent. This one is excellent. And in case you were wondering about the insults, the protagonist of the Portal games is a woman named Chell, and GlaDOS actually *does* insult her weight and appearance. So it is all perfectly fitting… Continue reading on Gear Diary …