(image courtesy ThinkG33k) As regular readers of Gear Diary may know, I used an original Droid for almost two years. In fact, up until a few months ago, I was totally convinced my next phone would be an Android device. But Android and I had a falling out, and I picked up an iPhone 4s on Friday. Why? And is the learning curve tough? Read on for my thoughts! First, there’s the “why”. A few things dragged me away from my little robot friends. One, Android is becoming increasingly fractured. It seems as though the only way to guarantee timely updates and continued support is to pick up a Nexus device. Otherwise… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Vertu is now taking reservations for the newest Constellation, their first touch-screen model, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Nokia C7. Okay, the uncanny resemblance is actually an intentional resemblance, as I have it on direct authority from a Vertu rep that this is the phone the Constellation is “most like”. Now obviously it is nothing new for Vertu to offer a phone with many similarities to currently available Nokias (witness the Vertu Constellation Quest), but in my ownership experience there are always a few disparities between the Nokia version and the Vertu version, and it bothers me. Let’s start with the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The recent connection of the 9-9-9 budget and the PC simulation video game Sim City 4 has made news lately, so naturally the game’s makers capitalized on this opportunity.

Honest, I’ll never forget when I went to see the very first Star Wars movie–then not yet called “Episode IV”–at the Festival Theater in Walnut Creek, California.  I was really looking forward to it–I had read the article on it in Time magazine, and as a huge Science Fiction fan in his first blush of fandom, I was practically panting with anticipation.  And it surpassed every expectation and blew me away.  I loved it. So what about you?  Are you a Star Wars geek?  Do you want to know the story behind the film–and later the series?  Then maybe you want to check out Michael Kaminski’s new book (available in hard copy but–stupidly–not in eBook format)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

“Help!  I’ve fallen and can’t get up!”  It was the source of a whole bunch of humor for quite a while.  But let’s face it:  one reason it grabs you is that it’s all-too-possible–you’re elderly Mom or Granddad or someone, living on their own, pretty much okay but who does need the occasional quick help.  (Keith Olbermann, for example, relayed a story of his father falling and not getting help for days.)  We may joke about it, but I think that we all realize that, as the population gets older and lives longer, there’s a growing need for services and assistance that can help folks who get into difficult situations. One such company is GreatCall, who… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Nuance is back today with yet another iOS application. Before we get into the details of the app it is worth running down the company’s various desktop software as this is simply a companion application to them. If you use Windows and want voice recognition Nuance offers a number of different versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. They each offer different feature levels. It does active transcription as you speak to it but it also, at least in the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium, Professional or Legal versions, includes a transcription functionality that makes it possible for you to record to a portable voice recorder, transfer the voice file over to your computer and have it transcribed at a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution. Now imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution, AND you could encourage others to follow your lead? Think about the impact you could have by multiplying your green actions through influence? AND it gets better. Because you can do all this and get stuff in return, thanks to the new Changers Solar Charging System. The Changers System is just being announced today, and it has the potential to take solar charging mainstream. The device is simple, easy to use and powerful., and it adds in… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I know watching old Hollywood black and white films is a bit of an acquired taste–I struggle with it sometimes, too, and I’m a serious film buff.  Some films are worth the struggle, though; seriously.  They manage to both stand the test of time, and entertain you even though they’re in B&W and contain no CGI.  I mean, everyone should watch Casablanca at least once, right?  Treasure of the Sierra Madre (if only for the “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” scene).  Citizen Kane (though once is enough, in my opinion).  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (if only so you can see that horrible corruption is not new to Washington).  And one of my favorites is Mr Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve discussed it before – battery life is the Achilles heel of mobile electronics. Devices are faster and more powerful than ever, and battery technology just can’t keep pace. Now word comes that, despite claims to the contrary, the iPhone 4S may not have battery life that is on par with the iPhone 4. So what are those of us who depend on our smartphones for just about everything supposed to do? There are some great tips and tricks for saving battery life, but most require temporarily crippling some of the phone’s features. But who wants to constantly be tweaking one setting or another in order to squeeze some extra life from their phone? What other… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week 2K Games released NBA 2k12 across multiple platforms. I have just gotten my PC and PSP review copies and gotten started playing – more on that later! But the realization dawned on me as I started playing – this might be the ONLY basketball we get this season! So I wanted to highlight some of the cool press materials from 2K and invite you to check out the game! Here are two silly ‘Wilson vs’ videos: And finally – not silly, but very impressive – the launch trailer for the game: Here is some info on the game itself: With Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There is nothing like curling up with a great book … or an ebook nestled in an Oberon leather case! Books can be like old friends, and by association we grow to feel a certain kinship with the author of works we enjoy. I love revisiting favorite books from time to time, to see what new things I can learn based on my frame of mind, age, and where I am at in my life. Last month I wrote about the release of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire 20th Anniversary Edition by Timothy Zahn. Since it was released I took my time working through all of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have been wondering when the next member of the EVO family would make itself known, the wait is over, as the fifth member of the HTC EVO family — the EVO Design 4G — is about to be available from Sprint. The HTC EVO Design 4G builds on the wildly popular EVO line, but brings you more in a sleek new package. The first EVO family member touting World Phone capabilities, the HTC EVO Design 4G builds on many of the “must-have” features of its predecessors, including a 1.2Ghz processor and large 4” qHD touchscreen display, while sporting a slim, pocket-friendly design at an easily affordable price. Capture content with the HD quality video camcorder – and Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ll tell you right up front:  I always have mixed feelings about these kinds of products.  Alarms, surveillance, locks, codes, keys; I just wish we lived in a world where we didn’t need this kind of stuff, don’t you?  And no, though I’m the official old fart of GD, even I don’t remember a time when we could just leave our front doors unlocked.  Ah, the downsides of the modern world! My feelings aside, that doesn’t change the fact that bags like this have a lot of fans, and can be durn useful in a number of–well, let’s just say “iffy situations”.  If you’re concerned about said situations, you could do a lot worse than to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This post brought to you by Untitled Jersey City Project. All opinions are 100% mine. Question: Can you get drawn into a show if the “episodes” are just 2-3 minutes long? Answer: Uh Huh. Question: How much of a show do you need to see in order to be drawn in and want to see more? Answer: A lot less than you might think. Question: Does the fact that episodes start at one point and then flash back to an earlier time and all of it happens in under three minutes make a “series” any less intriguing? Answer: Apparently not since I watch the first episode and immediately jumped to the second… and the third and the fourth… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have a BlackBerry, then you doubt suffered through RIM’s outages last week. They want to make it up to you, and in order to do so they are offering free apps — the first of which rolls out today. Over the next four weeks you’ll have other apps to choose from, and this is all in the hopes that it will bee enough to keep BB users happy and away from the iPhone 4s or the Samsung S II. We wanted to provide you with an update on RIM’s offer of free premium BlackBerry apps to customers as an expression of appreciation following last week’s service disruption. Starting today Continue reading on Gear Diary …