Early in December we’ll be heading down to our timeshare for a week of sun. Each day there has a fairly typical routine that includes being back in one of the timeshare apartments playing Scrabble, cards, reading and, of course, having afternoon drinks. It for that reason that one of the items I may be packing this year is a citrus squeeze. Yes, I may actually bring my own citrus squeezer along on our vacation. Why? Because nothing is better than a delicious fresh margarita made with fresh squeezed lime juice!!  … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have a Kindle Fire or another Android phone or tablet, then you definitely want to check this out! Documents To Go, an app that provides compatibility with Microsoft Office files for your Android device, it the free app of the day on the Amazon Appstore for Android! Not only that, but by using the desktop software you can easily work between Mac, PC, iOS and Android versions! Here are the details on the app: Document Viewing on the Fly As the number one selling office application with over one million downloads and 225,000 paying customers, Documents To Go Main App was designed and developed with the Android device Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of the International Business Times With the release of the Kindle Fire, with its capability to play media (movies and TV, especially) along with access to Amazon’s soon-to-be-huge apps selection, but with a fairly limited 8GB of memory, your friendly Gear Diary team has been discussing what Amazon is planning/thinking with regard to this move.  Books don’t take up much room; 8GB is plenty if you’re just using the Fire as a reader.  But with the advent of movies and TV shows in HD, a movie can take up to 4GB or more; an HD TV show can clock in at 1.5GB or so.  8GB is simply not a lot of space… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We start the week with a Gear Deal on the Sony BRAVIA KDL55EX720 55” 3D 240hz 1080p LED HDTV. The Sony BRAVIA 55” 3D LED HDTV features a 1920×1080 60p resolution, Edge LED Backlighting, 2D to 3D Conversion, offers BRAVIA Internet Video, has 24p True Cinema Technology, 4 HDMI inputs, and much more. What makes this such a good deal is that the TV also includes a Sony 3D Blu-Ray Player and the Alice in Wonderland 3D Deluxe Starter Kit Bundle. Normally this bundle would be $3,299.97 but our Gear Sponsor found savings of $1,800. That drops the price to just $1,499.97. No tax in most states. This is the best price we could… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week I asked if the NOOKcolor had more hacks than apps…and the comments seem to indicate the hackability were a big part of what attracted many buyers to it. At the time, the NOOKTablet was not yet rooted, but it looks like there’s finally been some success on the rooting front. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as easy as the NOOKcolor’s. First of all, the hack is still very rough around the edges. It involves using the Android SDK, which isn’t hard to install, but it is a pain to use if you aren’t terribly computer savvy. If you read through Liliputing’s step by step, you’ll see this isn’t something you do when… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We recently looked at the Yoobao Power Bank battery. It’s a beast and has a huge capacity that can keep your device or devices going all day long. That Power Bank isn’t the only capacity that the company is offering, however. They also offered this smaller 4400 mA hour battery and, while it is smaller, it has the same great features. In fact, when the power in my home went out again the other day this battery stepped in and saved the day. Let’s take a look at it.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week Judie reviewed the new SCOTTEVEST Cloe Hoodie. It is an awesome looking hoodie. Judie loves it and looks great in it. (SHHHHH!!, don’t tell Elana but I’ll definitely be buying her one of these for Hanukkah.) The Cloe isn’t the only new product that is joining the SCOTTEVEST lineup this fall. No, SeV is also introducing…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Earlier this year Lady Gaga released an album that sold over a million copies in the first week, then plummeted by a historic 84% in the second week before fading into nowheresville. As I noted, nearly HALF of her first week sales were generated by the ‘giveaway’ at Amazon (99 cent full album) and other freebie pack-in deals that were counted as sales. It was a rather obvious ploy set up to falsely generate an impression of a larger event than happened – and considering how terrible the album is, perhaps that was the ONLY way to get people to buy! Apparently the folks at Billboard Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the coolest features in iOS 5 WiFi syncing, which I now use far more often than USB syncing. Being able to hit “Sync” on my MacBook for my iPad while it’s still in my bag (it only needs charging every few days) makes me giggle every time I do it. It’s just so simple, and works so effectively every time. With it, new music, an updated playlist, and a few new apps are just a click away. Obviously this functionality is normally used over a WiFi connection at home or the office, but it turns out you can actually use WiFi sync when you’re mobile too. As a regular user of the Personal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Specially designed for small business, the Vostro™ 3750 laptop is your desktop-replacement solution. Sophisticated, powerful and sporting a 17.3″ HD screen, Vostro helps you stay connected and in control, with style and confidence. The Vostro 3750 features a 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor. It safeguards critical data with a built-in optical drive and Roxio Creator Starter and lets you stay connected with a Full HD Webcam, array mics, and preinstalled Web conferencing and voice-enhancing software. $180 in savings brings the price down to just $669. $669 for a 17″ laptop with a 2nd Generation Core i5 processor! Get details and order yours here Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Guess who wants an Android Tablet for Christmas/Hanukkah? (Hint: no one). But we’ll return to that in a moment. This week we got news that put the Android OS at more than 50% market share for smartphone operating systems. This is based on numbers from Gartner, which means that they willingly and knowingly count Samsung’s % estimates’ the same as other people’s ‘shipments’ the same as other people’s actual SALES. In other words, their numbers are a crapshoot. But make no mistake – Android is BY FAR the dominant mobile OS. If you look at the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to another weekend of insane game deals for you to ‘gooble’ up! 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 direct links! For these games I select based on how good the game is as well as how sweet the deal – but each week there are great games at fantastic discounts! And as always thanks to the crew at Deals4Downloads for their help finding everything. TOP 5 WEEKEND DEALS! Just Cause 2 for $4.99, Save 75% – from Gamersgate Focus Home RPG Bundle for $7.49, Save 75% – from Impulse Medal of Honor for $4.95, Save 75% – from Direct2Drive Warhammer [...]

Welcome to another edition of “What’s Coming to CES 2012″. In our last episodes we visited with two PowerBags (I’ll carry the messenger and Kevin will carry the backpack) and Mission Workshop Sanction waterproof rucksack that Francis will bring along for the ride. The PowerBags will give us a total of 12,000mAh of device-charging goodness. That’s good… but it is not good enough. Thankfully we’ll have a few additional external batteries with us. One example, we will bring along this 11,200 mAh battery from Yoobao. Despite its relatively small size and weight, it is a beast in the energy department. And the lovely white makes it perfect for Judie to take along. Here’s a look… From Yoobao: Weighs at only 8.9oz, Yoobao Sunrise packs 11,200 mAh battery in a small package, enough to charge your iPad/tablet, iPhone, mobile phones and more. Perfect for everyday use, longer trips and emergency situations. Features: Highest quality Li-Pol battery with capacity of 11,200mAh (iPad 2 battery is rated as ~7,500mAh) Dual USB outputs to charger 2 devices at the same time Give your smartphone up to 90 hours of extra talk, internet, and video time, so you can truly enjoy what your phone can [...]

It has 22 pockets, is made from lightweight polyester, has a mesh lining and is Teflon-treated for extra protection. It’s the SeV Lightweight Vest for Men and Women and it is on sale. Normally $100 you can get one for yourself, or a loved one, for just $80. Details, colors and ordering can be found here.     Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There is a new trend with musicians releasing apps that allow a window into their history … and I like it. A couple of months ago I reviewed the Hendrix at Winterland box set and thoroughly enjoyed what it brought to listeners. Now from Legacy Recordings we get Jimi Hendrix – The Complete Experience App, which brings loads of great music and video and history to your favorite iOS device. Here are some details: With Jimi Hendrix – The Complete Experience, music lovers are able to explore interactive chapters of Jimi’s legacy through immersive text, images and video. Listeners can flip through the full collection of Hendrix’s albums, read about Continue reading on Gear Diary …