Android is becoming more and more popular in enterprise markets. As personal phones bleed into the business world, there’s even more demand for apps that let you do business on the go. Zendesk is more than up for the challenge, with a new version of their Android app to let you better handle customer needs on the go! What really strikes me is a comment in the press release, where a user enthuses they no longer need to carry their iOS device to use Zendesk while out of the office. Yes, the press release is a marketing tool, but it’s good news for Android phone and tablet makers that apps are becoming more powerful for the platform. According… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Recently there’s been several stories across the net about people in the real world that have underestimated the viral nature of the internet with regards to business promotions.  Sometimes it comes from official channels  like GroupOn.  However, sometimes this can come from places that the store simply cannot account for. The picture above is the toy aisle at my local Kroger.  No they are not going out of business but it sure looks like it in the picture above.  The above picture is the result of a promotion that has gone horribly wrong.  The promotion?  Well, from October through the end of November, for every dollar you spent at Kroger, you would get a 10… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I went to college in the early 80′s, inflation rates were just dipping back to single digits – and my annual tuition rose by ~9% each year. So I saw my private college costs rise from ~$10,000 to $15,000 per year during my time. Fortunately, as noted in the infographic above things have slowed down considerably. A quick calculation of the 1980 – 2000 era shows an average ~7.5% annual increase, whereas from 2001 – 2011 the average increase is ~3.5%. Which is still ~150% the rate of inflation … but at least it isn’t 300% like it used to be! College students are now looking at close to $30,000 in… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s deal brings us Dell’s 15.6″ Inspiron 15R-2nd Gen with Switchable lids. The 2.2GHz Core i3-2330M “Sandy Bridge” Laptop has 6GB RAM, a 640GB 5400RPM HDD, and more. The laptop has a starting price of $718.99 but our Gear Sponsor has found savings that bring the price all the way down to just $420 and it will even ship for free. And if you need more power the Inspiron 15R is also available with a Core i5 or Core i7 processor. Get the deal here. Gear Deal: Dell Inspiron 15R-2nd Gen 15.6″ 2.2GHz Intel 2nd Gen Core i3 Laptop w/6GB RAM Via LogicBuy Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Cyber Monday became ‘Cyber Week’ … but apparently no one told U.S. Cellular that it was over! They are back with another great web-only deal: for the next four days you can get any messaging phone for free after an instant rebate (in other words, NOT one of those ‘wait 6 weeks for a restricted Visa gift card’ deals)! Here are some details: Now through Thursday, Dec. 8., all of our messaging phones, including the popular Samsung Character, LG Attune and LG Saber, are free with an instant rebate. U.S. Cellular is also waiving the activation fee and providing free shipping. The offer is available to new customers Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Okay, I admit it, the title of this post is stupid. Then again the working title, “I Haven’t Turned on My TV Since September but I’m Enjoying the Fall Television Season Anyway” was no bargain either. So let me just get to the post. This past September I got an offer on the TiVo Premier that I couldn’t pass up. The company had recently released their iPad app and the only way to access the full set of features was by upgrading my TiVo. The offer made it easy and, a few days later the box arrived. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m always looking for ways to use Siri with new iOS applications to allow me to write on the go. But if I am going to pay for an application I want it to do more than one thing at a time. As I was reading through Dan’s article on using Elements to be able to sync dictated notes I thought I would download Elements. During my search I happened upon the iOS application Knowtilus Pro. Knowtilus is a web browser that has 3 tabs.  I usually don’t buy iOS applications that cost more than a few dollars but I made an exception with Knowtilus Pro at $9.99. I like the ability to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) is an organization whose purpose involves understanding and limiting the impact of commercial culture on children. Here is their mission statement: CCFC’s mission is to reclaim childhood from corporate marketers. A marketing-driven media culture sells children on behaviors and values driven by the need to promote profit rather than the public good. The commercialization of childhood is the link between many of the most serious problems facing children, and society, today. Childhood obesity, eating disorders, youth violence, sexualization, family stress, underage alcohol and tobacco use, rampant materialism, and the erosion of children’s creative play, are all exacerbated by advertising and marketing. When children adopt the Continue reading on Gear Diary …

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You might not think so from my posts, but I am really cheering for Sony with the Playstation Vita. I canceled my pre-order of the system, but that was more about the fact that there were no bonus offers … and Amazon tends to be great with those so I figured I would just wait until the new year to see. The system looks great hardware wise, seems to offer tons of gameplay possibilities, and ultimately I think that more gaming options means better competition means better games for all of us! But this weekend I have discovered yet another thing that makes me sigh and realize that Sony seems destined… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Every December we can count on Steam and Good Old Games to have massive sales. Right now Steam is having their ‘Wish List’ sale, and now Good Old Games has unveiled their plans for a huge sale that will last from December 8th until January 2nd! Here are a few highlights: – From December 8 – 10, you can get The Witcher 2 for just $23.99 and also get The Witcher: Enhanced Edition for free! – On December 10th and 11th GoG will be giving away hundreds of game codes for a variety of PC classic titles through social media channels and on their website. – For 48 hours starting on the 12th… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I was growing up, the echoes of the 60′s and early 70′s protests along with the brutal police response lingered heavily along with the post-Vietnam era … and as more civil protests and cooperative ways to try to change things, so too did the police response – and the outfits they wore. I was flipping through an old copy of a local paper that covered the school walkout in 1981 at the announcement of the impact of the Proposition 2.5 cutbacks on the school. The headline said 200 walked out and there were 5 arrests. The images showed a bunch of kids, and the police looking like … police… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve talked about Sony’s ebook business many times on Gear Diary, but we finally have the chance to review one of the units! Today we’re taking a look at the PRS-T1, aka the Sony Reader Wifi, their newest device. This is a touchscreen, eInk reader, and it just had a price drop, to $129! With a new price and a sleek style, can it compete with the Kindle and NOOK markets? Read on to find out! Hardware: I love my Kindle 3, but it can’t hold a candle to the build quality of this Sony Reader. The body is plastic, but there’s almost no creaking… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

During my four hour flight down to Aruba I spent some time beginning to edit a number of pictures I took right before we left. I figured that, so long as I had the pictures with me I could do the reviews and news posts without having to actually carry many of the items down with me. So there I was, listening to music, sitting in a seat that was designed for someone just 5′ 3″ tall (or is it short), my knees firmly pressed into the seat back in front of me and gaining an ever-better understanding of what the term “cattle car” means. (And to add insult to injury, the airline doesn’t even give you pretzels or… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This holiday season product producers are caterings to gamers more than ever before. Now, the food industry has jumped into the ring with Gamer Food.