As an avid guitar player, the name Gibson means a lot.  Gibson guitars are on the forefront of technology and innovation as well as pure guitar mojo.  From the acoustic Hummingbird to the electric SG and the famous Les Paul, Gibson guitars are some of the finest instruments made.  I currently do not own a Gibson, but one day my goal is to have an SG and a Les Paul. These guitars have a signature look and sound that is seen and heard in all music genres.  Gibson is at it again and will be releasing new models this December.  Find out more after the break.

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We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

I recently took my oldest son and a few of his buddies to Incredible Pizza in San Antonio for his 5th birthday.  We started with the pizza of course, but the boys could hardly contain themselves just staring into the game room.  Once I let them hit the games, we headed straight for the skee-ball.  They decided tickets were what they were after so they could get some wax lips and parachute men, you know the good stuff.  I can think of no better way to earn tickets in a game room than play skee-ball.  The game has been one of my favorites since I was my son’s age.

Now Skee-Ball is available for the iPhone and you will see after the break, it is just as addictive!!

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We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

What geek does not love space?!?!  Over the past few months, my iPhone has gained a handful of apps for space enthusiasts.  My 5 year old son and I love to sit and look at these apps to learn about the planets and solar systems.  One night this summer he asked why we cannot look at space ships while we were looking at the stars using pocket universe.  I did not really have an answer.  NASA has come out with their own FREE app to follow current space missions.

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The folks over at Woot.com are clearing out their warehouse again today.  Check in to see what kind of great deals you can find.  You know there will be a Roomba or two!  If you are lucky you can get the lucky B.O.C. and probably pick up some of the trash from the floor of the warehouse or even something nice.  Check it out here.

Why limit your gear addiction to the office or home entertainment room?  The Sculpture recently released from Vado is sure to make taking a shower an interesting experience.  Six fully adjustable shower heads will make showering an event rather than a mundane daily task.  Press release after the break.

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We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

How amazing would it be to be able to create play-lists from any songs on your iPhone without syncing or using iTunes or a computer?  I have found a way to do just that!  iPlaylist Creator enables iPhone users to create and listen to play lists on the go easily on the iPhone.

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A bubble blast from the past, Pang is the game you love and remember from the 80’s, even better today on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Test your reflexes in this hugely addictive official remake, “Pang”, also known as “Buster Bros” in the US.

Travel from Japan to the tropical shores of Hawaii as you take up the task of saving civilisation from dangerously bouncing bubbles that threaten city landmarks across the planet.

Can you save Mount Fuji from being flattened by spherical dangers? Will your reactions be good enough to defend the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty? Or can you wear them down while saving your own skin?

Everyone’s favourite from the arcades, Pang is easy to learn but difficult to master as you progress through 17 locations saving the world’s attractions with an assortment of weapons from the grappling hook to the twin harpoon. The game is crammed with power-ups including a force field and time freeze; anything to give you the edge over those deadly bubbles!

FEATURES:
17 locations, covering 50 levels
An assortment of weaponry
Power-ups and prizes for points
World Tour or Infinite Challenge to choose from
Leaderboards – beat your friends for the highest score
Customisable options suit your style

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We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

MobileRSS is a full featured Google Reader client for your iPhone & iPod touch. All you need to use MobileRSS is a free google reader account. We have built a great offline integration that you will find using MobileRSS is a wonderful experience. Two-way sync will help you to keep track of your favorite contents in a simple and elegant way. MobileRSS is designed in a way as the mail app comes with iPhone, very simple to use.

● Stay in sync with Google Reader about everything. (Subscriptions. Folders, Tags, All items, Read items, Starred items, Shared items, Notes, Unread count)
● View up to 200 items from each list when you’re offline, including embedded images.
● One tap to download all items and archive all embedded images.
● Save images into Photos Album.
● Star and share items.
● Mark all items as read
● Create and share notes.
● Share items by email (without leaving app).
● Share items by Twitter.
● Recover screen to last usage

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Soon temperatures will finally start to cool off here in South Texas and it will finally be time for some serious coffee drinking.  Yes, I know many of you cannot live without your daily dose, but I only drink it when it is cool outside and without caffeine.  First of all, I don’t do caffeine at all, and if I drink coffee everyday the acid starts to bother my stomach.  The Hour Glass Coffee maker produces a low acid coffee extract via a cold brew process.  (hence the title “World’s Coolest Coffee Maker”)

The video shows how the system works.  Basically a 12-18 hour brew yields a concentrated extract that stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Add hot water to a couple of ounces of extract for a fresh, tasty and low acid cup of joe.  This system keeps cost down and uses no electricity, so it can be used virtually anywhere there is cold water and time.  The Hour Glass will even look great in any kitchen!  Check out the Hour Glass which is available from their website for $69.95.

We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

Scramble is the fast fun game of finding words in a jumbled grid. Compete with friends and play live with fellow word game fans.

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Lets face it, wires are often inconvenient. They look bad, can be a pain and,  at times, are more trouble then they are worth. Even still, at times it is nice to be able to connect your notebook or handheld device to external speakers with more punch and better sound.

That’s where Bluetooth comes in. As more and more mainstream devices adopt bluetooth technology the playing field for device accessories is changing. And one of the best uses of Bluetooth? Wireless speakers!

Wireless speakers are a great option with laptops and other bluetooth-enabled devices. They let you cut the cord without cutting the sound. Creative has a new offering in this area and they look good!

Their new Inspire S2 Wireless Speaker System is currently out in the UK and, hopefully, will be on the way to this side of the pond. If they do… I want!

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We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99.

From the developer:

Playing pool is so 2008.

Meet Gene Pool. Your goal is to keep your organism healthy by merging genes of the same color. Merged genes grow in size and will eventually disappear. Only energized cells can merge with other cells. How? By bouncing them up against walls ofcourse!

*Gene Pool is your ideal travel companion.
*Relaxing music. Zen style. Why hurry?
*Win all possible achievements
*Submit and retrieve localized scores
*Uses Weave Connect technology developed by Sticky Studios
*Improve your score with multiple wall-bounces and great accuracy.
*Destroy viruses that attack your largest genes

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A while back I reviewed a new genre of app, 23 Ways to Destory Your Defender, that can be used to assist basketball coaches and players.  The app is a collection of videos that teach different basketball ball handling moves made famous by NBA players.  23 Ways is a really nice application, and while coaches can use it, it is really geared toward the player.  Level X Hoops has recently expanded their sports offerings with five new apps that truly focus on coaching.  Most coaches build a professional library of videos and clinic notes.  Personally, I want to learn all of it.  Maybe I will not run all of the moves, but my opponent might, and I want to understand how they are attacking or defending me.

The new offerings include one new app featuring Ganon Baker who is a world renowned basketball skills trainer.  The other apps are part of the Basketball Toolbox series and are instructed by long time coach Lason Perkins.  Instructions and white board diagrams will help coaches learn offensive philosophies against zone, man to man and full court defenses, as well as improve scoring opportunities in the paint.  Continue Reading

Last week I reviewed Tab ToolKit from Agile Partners. The app is a must have for any guitarist wanting to learn songs using tablature. What about all other guitar needs?    Agile Partners have an app for that too:    Guitar ToolKit.

There are many apps available that do what Guitar Toolkit does. This is a collection of all of these apps in one place. Not only are several apps rolled into one, but stand alone apps do not perform as well. Lets take a look at the features.

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When I began playing the guitar in the mid-80s, I loved going to the record store in the mall to look at guitar tablature books.  Most of the time I would look up the song I wanted to play and try to memorize the chords or main parts then go home and figure out how to play it.  The internet brought the ability to look up tabs at home or even print them.  The addition of tablature software has revolutionized the ability to learn large quantities of songs quickly.

The developers at Agile Partners which brought us Guitar ToolKit, have once again revolutionized the use of tablature with the iPhone with Tab ToolKit.

Overview

With TabToolkit, you can take your music tablature files with you. For the iPhone and iPod touch, TabToolkit allows you to view Power Tab, Guitar Pro, text and PDF files.

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