We want to thank Monster for joining with Gear Diary and providing this amazing contest. I hope everyone got a chance to enter. Let’s cut to the chase and announce the winner of the Monster Accessory pack given to one of our lucky readers. And the winner is….. Dudebroman17 You have 24 hours to send your name and address information to contests@geardiary.com and your prize will be shipped out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Despite the fact that everyone knows tanning and overexposure to the sun is really bad for you in terms of cancer risk, having a tan is often described as a ‘healthy glow’, and celebrities wouldn’t dream of going out in public without a radiant but all too often orange glow. A new study published by Reuters finds that spray tanning might actually be the best thing you can do if you are determined to have a bronzed look to your skin! From the article: Women who use lotions and gels to produce a fake suntan tend to cut back on outdoor sunbathing and use of tanning beds, with close to 40 percent who Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Let’s say that you’re the type of individual who likes to wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping (in other words, there’s a strong chance you’re a guy). Or maybe for you, it’s just not the holiday season unless you find yourself in a crowded shopping mall, just a few days before Christmas, surrounded by grouchy, inconsiderate fellow shoppers. In these situations, you need to be ready, organized, and have a plan. Otherwise, you’re sure to leave out a favorite aunt or niece, in which case you had better just slink into the background and hide behind the punch bowl before all heck breaks loose at your family holiday gathering. Well, save… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My boy Joseph, who I adore beyond measure, is (let us say) somewhat tough of things.  Walls, floors, pets, toys, bedding, trees, shrubs . . . you get the picture.  Nothing vicious, mind you; he’s just tough on his environment.  One parent once watched him in one of those bounce castles and remarked, “He’s like Boy cubed”. So when Joseph asked for a cell phone, and Sami and I decided he was old enough, I didn’t worry about the features, the models, the capabilities, or anything else.  I asked the AT&T rep on the phone, “Which one’s the toughest?”  (And no, I don’t remember which one that was–it was a while ago now.)  Ah, if only… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As smartphones continue their march into the mainstream the challenge of choosing the right phone for you grows ever-more challenging. This challenge is compounded by the fact that so many of HTC’s phones seems to be a slight variation on the same theme over and over and over again. (The same holds true for Samsung’s phones which all offer slight changes in screen size, features etc while remaining largely the same.) As Judie wrote in her review of the HTC Rhyme a few weeks ago, I like items that have their own personality and that aren’t similar to every one else’s, but lately it seems like all of the HTC Android phones that I have Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I hate bills.  I also hate paying for things I can get for free. I was at Thomas’ house last year just hanging out. We were watching a movie on his Roku box, and I realized that the little box was giving him everything that I watch on TV except for local channels. That was the beginning of my quest to get rid of my cable bill. At first I searched the web and found that all you need is an antenna to pick up local television stations. I could remember back to my childhood, and how we had an antenna that was pointed toward Indianapolis so we would get about 10 channels; that is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! As I said last week, the well has pretty much run dry on pre-Christmas releases, but that doesn’t mean nothing is arriving! There is apparently one HUGE release left this year … Star Wars: The Old Republic. I haven’t finished my beta impressions, but if you liked World of Warcraft and Knights of the Old Republic and are looking for something to meld those … this should work for you. There are a few other console and PC games, such as the XBOX360 and PS3 release of Trine 2 already getting great reviews on the PC, as well as some others. There are a few others worth checking this week – read on to find out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Get the last leg of Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Game Program where existing owners get 10 downloadable GameBoy Advance games for free.

As much as I “harshed” on Evernote last week after they released two ridiculous iPhone apps the service remains a key part of every aspect of my life. I’ve also turned countless people onto Evernote, and many find it invaluable as well. Others however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don’t see what the big deal is. That’s where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains: The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Did you receive or are you expecting to get an eReader this holiday season? Or maybe you’re planning on using your holiday bonus to finally snap one up! Either way, it’s the end of 2011, and we’ve got a deep bench of ebook readers at a variety of price points, including some fairly recent price cuts. There aren’t too many rumors about updates heading into 2012, so let’s take a look at where we stand, the pros and cons for each store and device, as well as some tips on how to find books from more sources than just Amazon and B&N! Hardware: A quick note before I run through the various ebook readers: I won’t be covering pure tablets, only the reading-centric ones. There’s too many tablets to cover, though I will try to hit the high points of how to read on tablets in the software section. So let’s take a look at the hardware!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Seemingly year ’round at my house iTunes Gift Cards are like little bars of gold delivered through the mail to my kids for birthdays, holidays or other events … and disappear just as quickly. So the ability to get a deal? Priceless! Right now Walmart has the $50 iTunes gift card for $40 – save 20%! Here are the details: You will receive a confirmation email from Walmart.com within minutes of successful order placement. A second email from walmartonline@e-deliverygroup.com with access to your PIN will be delivered within 60 minutes* If you have issues receiving your email, go to the following webpage to access your purchase: www.walmart.e-deliverygroup.com. Enter your email address used to Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Study after study has shown that teens text more than ‘older’ folks, something I can attest to as my kids rack up thousands of texts each month while my wife and I only do hundreds. But now, as more and more kids are getting smartphones … they are starting to lead the charge in data consumption as well according to a recent report. Here is a sample: Teens ages 13 to 17 used 256% more mobile data in the third quarter of 2011 than in the same time period of 2010. Teens took in 320 MB of data per Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If most of the iPhone 4 and 4S cases you’ve seen have been too boring, then you might enjoy the “Knuckles” case by Rebecca Minkoff ($58).  You certainly wouldn’t have to worry about dropping your phone when it’s in this silicone case, and the added benefit (?) is that when you hold the case a certain way, no one will mess with you. An offbeat case deserves an offbeat headset, so while you’re at it — take a look at “Zipped Up”, the new wired headset also by Rebecca Minkoff ($48). Both… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Psychonauts was one of those great games that was critically acclaimed but never sold as well as it should have. Unlike many others of that type, Psychonauts has remained popular through the years and had a resurgence on Steam and now on the Mac App Store. Already a bargain at $9.99, for one day only you can have it for a mega-bargain price of $2.99! ★★★75% off for today only!!★★★ ★Voted one the of the “Best Games of 2011″ on the Mac App Store!★ A Psychic Odyssey Through the Minds of Misfits, Monsters, and Madmen This classic action/adventure platformer from acclaimed developers Double Fine Productions follows the story of a young Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal brings us the 14″ HP Pavilion dm4t Beats Edition Laptop at a great savings. The laptop features the signature Beats black-and-red design, a red backlit-keyboard, a soft-touch surface and a black metal exterior. It even comes bundled with micro-fiber sleeve and optional Solo HD headphones. The base specs of the HP Pavilion dm4t Beats Edition Laptop include a Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz, 8GB RAM, a 750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 802.11n WiFi; Bluetooth; an 8X DVD+/-RW; a 720p HD webcam, a Backlit Keyboardand much more. Pricing starts at $1,049.99 but after the 30% off code our Gear Sponsor found it is just $734.99 with FREE shipping. Gear Deal: 30% Coupon HP Continue reading on Gear Diary …