UPDATE (With apologies): Turns out this is only in the current Lion Beta, something I never would have imagined. Thanks to Rodney for pointing it out. We’ll let you know when it makes its way into a full release since it is quite useful! The more I use OS X Lion the more I like the features it brought to the Mac and, although it can be a bit inconsistent, I am really learning to appreciate fullscreen apps. I’m liking Mission Control more and more too. The only issue I have had has been the fact that when I have a lot of applications in fullscreen mode it can take a good bit… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! So … there are a ton of games out this week. Enough big releases that if you polled a dozen sites about the ‘big release of the week’ you would get a half dozen answers. My answer? Might & Magic Heroes VI,the strategy game sequel many of us thought would never arrive! The storied franchise nearly died after three entries …and many wished it HAD died when the fourth came along! With the fifth entry and two excellent expansions things were set right once again – and now even with Ubisoft messing with the nomenclature, the latest… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It is time to announce the winners of the HTC FLYER ‘Late Entry’ Contest!!! As a reminder, the giveaway description is as follows: Thomas is the last one among us to have an HTC Flyer in his possession. He has offered it to one of our readers. Sure it is used, but Thomas is so ridiculously compulsive that we can pretty much guarantee you it is nothing short of pristine. The winner of the entire giveaway is: Ali VanZanten The winner has 24 hours from the time this post goes up to send us… 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 …

I love when SCOTTEVEST comes out with new products. I love it even more when I get the chance to review new SeV products right as they are rolling out. This time around the company has finally brought out a button down shirt with SeV’s signature pockets and style. Yes, the new SeV Button Down Shirt is now available! I was thrilled THRILLED when I heard these shirts were being released. After all, my preferred dress is jeans, boots and a somewhat casual button-down. These looked like they would fit the bill perfectly and would only serve to further my current “practice” of wearing at least one SeV garment at some point every… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Stephen Colbert has earned a huge audience and enormous success as a satirist starting with Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and now on his own Colbert Report, both on Comedy Central. He also famously flaunted the as-yet unreleased iPad on the Grammy Awards back in 2010. In a post over at TechCrunch, they have a chunk of video from the latest Colbert Report in which he memorializes Steve Jobs … or more to the point he looks at it in what it has meant TO HIM. He steps through begging for iPhone and iPad, gloating about having them, the Grammy show, and so on. But at the end of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy The Digital Reader) There’s a fair amount of debate over the “Special Orders” Kindles. Most people find the ads unobtrusive, and even take advantage of the offers! On the other hand, if they’re driving you nuts, or if you bought an S.O. Kindle and didn’t realize it, Amazon does allow you to change your Kindle to a non-subsidized one. The only catch? You’ll need to pay up for the $30 subsidy difference. This is a pretty clever way to handle potentially upset customers. Maybe someone gets annoyed with the special offers or they don’t like targeted ads, so Amazon gives them an easy-out. It’s also a slightly more wallet-friendly way to dip a toe… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

By now, I am sure all of you have seen the new iPhone 4S features and watched the demo videos. Sure, the faster processor and updated camera are awesome, but in my opinion, Siri is a game changer. No, it is not the first voice recognition solution, but it may be the first that truly interacts with its user. Well, despite my pushing the Mrs. to agree on my upgrading, I do not think it is in the budget at this moment. I even used the angle that I would give her my iPhone 4 and unlock the 3GS and use it like a Touch for the kids. She was even quite impressed with… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal brings with it the opportunity to jump into the world of using dual-monitors. The Dell ST2220M features DVI-D and VGA connectors, a tilt adjustable stand and a Kensington security port. With the deal our Gear Sponsor brought to us today you get two (2) of these 21.5″ 1080p LED-backlit LCD Monitors for just $249.99. That’s a savings of over $125! For details and ordering check out the deal page. Gear Deal: Two (2) Dell ST2220M 21.5″ 1080p LED-backlit LCD Monitors via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Check out the preview for this upcoming first person shooter Batman game adds wild mayhem, character customization, multiplayer options and action amid the classic hero showdown with The Joker.

Why am I not surprised? It seems with each Humble Bundle they start with a great deal and just make it better! So what started as the ‘Frozen Synapse’ bundle of one game has now grown to THREE games! Last week we got TRAUMA and automatically added to the bundle – and to Steam if you have your codes linked there. Trauma is a blast to play, and is described as: TRAUMA is a unique photographic experience by game designer Krystian Majewski. Dive into the mind of a traumatized young woman to learn and understand. This week we get the wonderful SpaceChem, which is: SpaceChem is an obscenely addictive, design-based puzzle game Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This month’s MacLife magazine arrived today. It is the only “dead tree” edition mag I still get, but only because I cannot stand their browser-based eMag version. Elana immediately noted the cover story that reads “Apple First Aid”. I noticed the box in the upper left hand corner… Obviously the blurb is referring to Jobs stepping down as Apple CEO but the timing, and the way it now reads is… disturbing. And it is a question many are asking today. Yes, sometimes it is all in the timing… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It is a strange irony that is not lost on any of us. The iPhone 4S is announced mid-day on Tuesday, word of Steve Job’s death comes the following evening, and the new iPhone starts pre-orders start at 12:01 AM PST. No doubt some people will suggest it should be delayed. I never had the honor of meeting Jobs, but my guess is he wouldn’t even dignify that with a response, well — maybe a two-word email like “Plans stays…” but not an actual response. So which iPhone 4S to get? What Color? This is an issue of personal taste, but I find black devices tend to stay looking fresh longer. And if you do find… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

MAJOR UPDATE: initial indications were that Rdio Free allowed access from their mobile app (including the blog talking about signing up for Free from the mobile apps), but that is NOT the case! That is a HUGE difference … And while Rdio Free is cool, this difference makes the service an ‘also ran’ rather than a game changer. A couple of weeks ago MOG introduced ‘FreePlay’, which allowed you unlimited free music streaming based on a ‘tank’ system. As you shared and recommended music, you would refill your tank to give yourself more listening hours for the month. Now Rdio has stepped up with their own free version – and based on an early look it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As we approach the holiday season, I have already started getting a deluge of emails about upcoming music releases for the Fall season – including Holiday albums and Greatest Hits collections. It brought my mind back to something I wrote for a long-defunct site back in 2005 at about the same time of year – and sadly it is more true than ever! At the time, there was a new release I had gotten as a gift right before reading the USA Today article mentioned below. Here we go: Six years ago USA Today ran an article called “‘Best Of’ albums not so great these days”, which talked about how the scope of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …