When I ran the Virginia Beach Rock n Roll half-marathon, one of the highlights for me was right around mile 3.5. The course looped out and back, so that was the crossover point where us “back of the pack” runners were officially lapped by the elites. When Ryan Hall, arguably the best American professional runner today, came flying by us, the entire crowd chanted, screamed, and cheered. It was amazing to catch even the slightest glimpse of an elite in action. The entire pack of professionals was running full miles in less time than it often takes me to run a half mile! It is hard to wrap your mind around just… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have talked over the last few years about the shifting balance of power between traditional handheld systems like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP and smartphones using the iOS and Android operating systems. Here is an article I wrote about the 2008 to 2009 shift in market share, with these highlights: The pie charts above are pretty telling: – The overall market shrank in 2009, but the market share for portable gaming grew. – Nintendo DS revenues grew by ~15% but lost market share. – Sony PSP revenue shrank by ~30% and market share was cut nearly in half – iPhone share and revenue grew by ~400% The first-level implications of this are clear: – The Nintendo DS continues to have massive success, but clearly feels low-end pressure from the iPhone. – The Sony PSP has seen failure after abysmal failure continue to eat away at it … yet has sold 50 million PSP systems … – The iPhone / iPod Touch is redefining portable gaming at the low end. This week Flurry published a report detailing just how dramatically this trend has continued! The pie charts above show the dramatic shift – and for reference in 2008 Nintendo [...]

One of the things I don’t like about folio cases is that they can add a bunch of unnecessary bulk to an otherwise thin device. I mean, its great to be able to add ID or business cards along with other slips of paper into your folio, but such convenience usually comes with a thickness caveat. I spotted the new Beyzacases iPad 2 “Downtown Series” Case this morning, and thought it might be a good alternative to all of the more cumbersome folios we’ve seen. If these pictures have you thinking about gorgeous pebbled leather… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We are huge fans of AUTUM and their sometimes quirky, always awesome, leather goods. So when they come out with something new, we love to bring word to all of you. Yes, their products tend to be on the pricey side, but they are as much works of art as they are usable accessories. Which brings us to their latest item, the Dualist case. The Dualist is a leather cardholder that will hold 2 to 6 different cards in style. It has the style we have come to know and appreciate and the rivets that are found on many of AUTUM’s products. No, it’s not going to replace your wallet but if you… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As Adrian Monk would say, it’s a blessing and a curse. What am I talking about?  The explosion of available information for you to consume.  Back in the day, there were newspapers and magazines, TV & radio.  It was all pre-filtered.  Now, we have the Web, and Twitter, and Facebook, and RSS feeds, and every newspaper and magazine and TV and radio station has a web site, plus there are Bog-alone knows how many other dedicated, Web-only news sites.  And for all I know, people are getting news streamed straight into their brains via some kind of implant, William Gibson-style.    But it can be too much, right?  How do you filter it? The News… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal is all about power. It brings us Dell’s XPS 8300 at a huge savings. The computer features a Core i7 “Sandy Bridge”, 8GB RAM, a Blu-ray Combo drive, a massive 750GB Hard Drive and  AMD Radeon HD 6770 graphics. It also comes with a keyboard and laser mouse and 15 months McAfeevirus protection. Normally this combination would cost $1,243.99 but our Gear Sponsor found a coupon for $494 off. That brings the price down to just $749.99 and it will ship for free. Gear Deal: Dell XPS 8300 3.4GHz 2nd Gen Intel Core i7 Desktop w/8GB RAM, Blu-ray via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today is 11/11/11 – or in Europe 11/11/11 – and Verizon and Motorola are releasing the cool looking ultra-thin Droid RAZR Android smartphone – at 11:11:11, naturally. Never one to be left out of a chance to overuse a gimmick, Amazon Wireless is getting in on the fun, offering the Droid RAZR for … yep, $111.11! But … there is a catch. The image above is from when I select ‘New Customer’. As soon as I indicate ‘Exiting Customer’, THIS is what happens. So much for a good deal – I guess they figure if they… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  If you follow any of my posts, you probably know, my two sons love gadgets and gear just like their dad. They come by this love honestly, but we are careful to limit their time with devices and closely watch how they use them. Anytime games or applications are developed specifically for their age group, we are happy to download. The boys get extra excited if the app can be based on a familiar subject or characters. When I let them know there was a Chuggington iPhone game, they were pumped. My youngest proceeded to give me a complete synopsis of the show and the fun all of the trains have. Below is the press release from the developers and the app looks like it will be perfect for children. Stay tuned for a review in the coming days aided by my two young helpers. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Usually when it comes to music news, it’s Michael who lets you all in on the latest ‘n’ greatest.  This time, I get a chance, and I’m glad to do so.  My music knowledge pales next to Michael’s, but I still like to let folks know about hot new topics. In this case, we’re talking a little link love here.  Blogger Thomas Frank has done what I can only assume is an awe-inspiring amount of googling and Web research, and has come up with a list of 37 streaming music web sites that he wants to share with you.  Tired of being confined to iTunes, or Amazon, or your CD collection?  Well, don’t just sit there… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few items we acquired at the BBQ A little over a month ago I trekked down to Austin for the Big Android BBQ. I took two friends along with and met up with some of my fellow Gear Diary geeks for a weekend filled with fun, food, geeks, and the little green robot. The event was bigger and better than last years; there were lot more people, vendors, developers, and of course fantastic giveaways. We had a great time sitting in on the developer forums, meeting new people, and talking with all the vendors about the latest and great Android products and accessories. Samsung was on hand showing off some Galaxy S II models as well as a few tablets, LG had a nice little display and sit down session, as well as many more vendors, developers, and accessory manufacturers. We were lucky enough to have one of our crew members score a new Galaxy Tab 10.1 from a Samsung giveaway, but that does not mean we left empty-handed. Seidio was on site with some really cool reps, and a truckload of cases. They were happy to give away one case to each and every person who attended — [...]

Last spring I had an article called Neverwinter Nights Premium Modules: Going, Going, GONE! that highlighted how: Bioware pulled the plug on the old ‘Bioware Store’, which mostly meant killing off the access to re-download the Premium Modules. So unless you already have the modules installed or the installer files backed up, you are out of luck. Well, I have just learned from the Bioware Social Forums that Bioware has offered up a download option for the Premium Modules. This is great news for those who bought the modules but have lost the installer – it is important to note that the game will still authenticate upon startup, so you DO need to have bought them… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This morning the world was greeted with iOS 5.01, a rather minor update designed to address the less-than-stellar battery life that people are reporting. Personally my iPhone 4S has been pretty good on the juice, but both my dad and sister have had major problems with their phones dropping 20% in as little as an hour. In addition to fixes to improve battery life, iOS 5.0.1 adds additional multitouch gestures to the original iPad (I want these on my iPhone…) and resolves iCloud issues. Us Aussie’s get a special mention, with improvements to Siri to better understand our “foreign” accent. I’ve run the update over-the-air this morning on both my iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Both were done over WiFi (a requirement) while on battery power, and were performed in under 15 minutes, from hitting the download button to the device being ready for use.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week I wrote about the excellent new ‘Humble Voxatron Debut’, which allowed you to ‘pay what you want’ and get in at the ‘alpha’ stage of a cool new indie game, sort of like a Kickstarter … but with loads of money going to charity as well! Naturally the Humble Bundle Folks couldn’t leave well enough alone, and so after a couple of days they added ‘Blocks That Matter’ and ‘The Binding of Isaac’ to the bundle for anyone who paid more than the average. Today, as the event runs into its final few days, they have done it AGAIN! Here are the details: Alex Austin and Binding of Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Indie Royale ‘Launch Bundle’, and now they are back with the ‘Difficult 2nd Bundle’. The games included this time are: – NightSky available on: windows, desura, steam – Fate of the World available on: windows, mac, desura, steam – Scoregasm available on: windows, mac, linux, desura, steam (windows only) – Ben There, Dan That! and Time Gentlemen, Please! available on: windows, desura, steam Head to the Indie Royale site and grab the Difficult 2nd Bundle now … and remember this is only the second of (at least) FIVE planned bundles before the end of 2011!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Okay, I know it’s scary, and I have my own personal reasons for avoiding thinking about “the holidays”, holiday shopping, and that whole end of the year madness.  But hey, this isn’t about me, it’s about you, and helping you in your desperate bid to avoid going bananas this holiday season. Which leads me to Black Friday, and finding the right store.  SaleLocator provides you up-to-date information on sales in your area–not just for Black Friday, but any ol’ time.  You can either surf to the SaleLocator site, or download their app (available for both iOS and Android), and save yourself a lot of needless running around.  Doug sez: worth checking out… Continue reading on Gear Diary …