I have reviewed a number of earphone solutions in just about every price range; yes, I do have a problem. If it were up to me, I would try all earphones with the goal of  finding the perfect fit and sound. Earphones are an interesting product because you can find them anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. One has to be cautious when formulating an opinion on them and make sure they are comparing apples to apples. A pair of $250 earphones should be superior to a $35 set, logically. That is not to say that a $35 earphone is not good or worth the purchase, though. I recently received the E461-BM earphones from Arctic and put them through some rigorous testing during our football playoff travel run. Arctic products have impressed me with their quality in relation to their price ranges in the past; read on to see how the E461-BM earphones stack up.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I already wrote about the multi-platform sale G5 is featuring, but today they have sweetened things up by offering Mahjongg Artifacts in iPhone or iPad versions for FREE! This offer is good from now until December 29th and is a reminder that rather than trolling for chart position, G5 is featuring a sale that puts gamers first! The G5 Holiday Sale is on now though December 29th. In addition to huge savings on some of the best G5 games, for a limited time the publisher is also giving away the Mahjongg Artifacts to owners of iPhone and iPad. Mahjongg Artifacts is a highly addictive tile-matching game which tons of content that Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Based on its famous “cousin” Keepon® Pro, The KeepOn® interactive robot is priced under $50 and features a dance and touch mode.

Yesterday I got a message from SugarSync, one of my favorite Cloud Storage companies. They were announcing, amongst other things, that: Kindle Fire – SugarSync is now available for the Kindle Fire, so you can access all your files from the SugarSync Cloud. That was great – I clicked on the link in the email, checked out the blog post, then clicked the link in the article to grab the new version and … landed at the Android Market as shown in the image below. Now don’t get me wrong – this is an excellent update… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The PlayStation Vita came out last week and has sold more than 300,000 units in the first week, which is actually pretty good. It also sold just under 300,000 units of software, which is actually pretty bad. And it has already had a number of initial issues – which is one reason it is better that we wait a few months for the US launch. Today Sony announced the official software launch lineup for its retail release in the U.S. and Canada coming up on February 22, 2012. Sony is claiming that this is “the biggest and best lineup we’ve ever launched across the history of PlayStation platforms.” There are 25 games… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

PhatWare puts out some nice apps.  Earlier this winter, for example, I reviewed their iPad app PhatPad, and quite liked it (with a few minor caveats).  One of their more popular apps has been WritePad, a note taking app (with handwriting recognition) for iOS.  Now I personally don’t use it–I learned to type at 12 for a reason, folks, and if you saw my handwriting you’d know why–but a lot of people quite like it.  And based on my experience with PhatPad, I’m sure they’re not just blowing smoke. Anywho, PhatPad is coming out with Release 6.0 of WritePad, the details of which you can read all about below.  WritePad is available for the iPad… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Personally, I find the Charlie Brown holiday specials depressing and sad, but they are certainly part of the classic culture surrounding all of the major commercial holidays. And today Amazon is featuring of the biggest traditional TV classics, A Charlie Brown Christmas, as the ‘Free App of the Day’. A Charlie Brown Christmas, the beloved Peanuts classic by Charles M. Schulz, is now available as a spectacular interactive storybook optimized for your Android device. Sit back and enjoy original dialogue, digitally remastered illustrations, animation, music, and narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown. “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!” Only Charlie Brown can turn Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sadly, I would estimate that the number of games on sale right now on the iTunes App Store FAR outnumbers the total of all reduced price games EVER on the PSN store in the years since it launched. So when there IS a sale … I immediately take notice! So when Joystiq combined the words ‘Capcom’, ‘PSN’ and ‘Sale’ in a headline, I couldn’t get my PSP Go hooked up to my Vaio fast enough! The sale is solid – plenty of games at 50% off regular price! Here are the games: 1942: Joint Strike – Regular Price: $9.99 | Sale Price: $4.99 Age of Booty – Regular Price: $4.99 | Sale Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I reviewed the PSP Minis version of Mahjongg Artifacts and Mahjongg Artifacts Chapter 2, and aside from PSP-specific complaints about the screen, I thoroughly enjoyed them! Now just in time for the holiday school vacation the games have arrived for the Kindle Fire! This is how G5 describes the game: Tile-matching action abounds in Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2, keeping you tapping the screen for months on end! Players must pair up tiles to dismantle hundreds of board layouts, gather pearls to purchase special powers, utilize a selection of ground-breaking powerups and earn trophies. Choose Story Mode, Classic Mode, or Endless Mode and enjoy gorgeous graphics and rich audio. The Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A week ago Michael Anderson posted a thought-provoking article here about the National Transportation Safety Board showing data that tended to support the notion that hands-free cellular use was just as hazardous as using a handheld phone. That the NTSB was mulling a recommendation for total cell phone/hands free ban was dire news indeed, both for automakers who spend huge sums on developing hands-free car technology and for us as the driver/talkers. In an abrupt split from his department however, NTSB Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters on Wednesday: “The problem is not hands-free. That is not the big problem in America. Most people don’t put Bluetooth or Sync in their cars because they can’t afford it. Everybody Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Phones such as the Samsung Repp and HTC Wildfire have shown that low-end devices still have much to offer, and the Huawei Ascend II looks to step in at a somewhat higher level but still be available for free after rebate! This is the description: The Huawei Ascend IITM with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is your entertainment center, GPS navigator, news and weather hub, and your social network connection all in one powerful, pocket-sized device. Stream content from the web or your own media library and view it on the 3.5″ HVGA touchscreen display. Grab apps from the Android Marketplace and snap photos with the 5.0 MP camera. Whatever you want Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Panic time!  It’s Friday!  Christmas is Sunday!  Augh!  Still a few people on the list!  What are you going to get, eh?  What?  WHAT! Well, if you’re shopping for an adult, the folks at Vineloop say:  ”Yo, how about some wine?”  This is what they say about Vineloop: Vineloop is the world’s first trust-based recommendation sharing platform that helps you discover more of what you love in life. At the core of Vineloop is the invention of the Trustline™. The best recommendations in life tend to come from a very small number of people who we know and trust. By identifying these personal experts and assigning them as a Trustline, you instantly gain access Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You know the drill with “special interest” magazines, right?  Big, slick, glossy paper, cool photographs, interesting stories . . . and enough ads to choke a horse.  Not to mention that a bunch of the “articles” are really advertisements for various gear makers.  It can drive you bats.  (I know it drives me bats!) Well, some folks have decided that, for photography fans, they want to have something different with their new iPad magazine: International photography publisher Ilex and 2.5-million selling author Michael Freeman have joined forces to produce a new digital magazine unlike any other, where pros really talk about inspiration and creativity and no advertisers clutter up the pages. Free sample now available online via photographersi.com Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Oh Barnes and Noble…I keep saying you aren’t Borders, and then you go and stock crock pots for the holidays. Cooking appliances. In a bookstore. Not even near the cookbooks, just chilling near bargain titles. Why? Did the NOOK line open the floodgates? Are you morphing into Target by carrying appliances while Target morphs into a bookstore with their expanded book sections? Is it bizarro land? I just hope this isn’t B&N’s sparkly Jesus piggy bank. A few years ago, Borders sold sparkly, Jesus shaped piggy banks. Then they went out of business. Coincidence? I think not. Please stick to selling books, B&N. Nobody walks into their local store and thinks “Whoo hoo, I can get a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a gift that always fits and is always the right color- iTunes Gift Cards. And with this Gear Deal you can get a three-pack of $10 Gift Cards for just $25.50. They will ship for free and are a great way to bail yourself out if you still have more last minute presents to buy. Grab some here. Gear Deal: iTunes Gift Cards for 15% off via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …