Today’s Gear Deal is something you don’t see every day. In fact, it is something you almost NEVER see!

Today Only! you can save 10% on all Apple iPads and iPods. In addition, they will ship for free and, unless you live in California, New Jersey, Tenessee or Puerto Rico, there won’t even be tax. All this means, for example, that you can get a 16GB iPod Nano for $134.99, a 64GB iPod Touch for $359.99, a 64GB iPad 2 WiFi for $647.99 and a 64GB iPad 2 WiFi + 3G for just $746.99. Yes, all iPods and iPads are 10% off but this is for today only! Click here to visit the deal page… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Well, it could be “grandmother of PC games” for all I know.  My biology background didn’t include methodology for determining software sex identity and their gender bits look the same to me.

XVision has released DONKEY.BAS for iOS 5.0+ mobile devices, based on one of the original IBM PC DOS games written by Bill Gates and Neil Konzen. Yes, that Bill Gates.

The concept is simple:  The player is driving down the road in what appears to be a late 1940s race car, destination unknown.  Suddenly, up ahead, a donkey appears in your lane.  What to do!? Change lanes before it’s too late!  Read on to see my review of the game plus a chance for a reader to win a copy of the game!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Now far be it from me to tell a man (or a woman for that matter) how to use their BBQ grill. Like politics and religion, grilling is a topic where advice is rarely appreciated or even more rarely followed. I’m sure you’re great at cooking a steak over charcoal or gas, and I wouldn’t tell you to your face if I thought otherwise. A. because you’re feeding me and B. because you probably have fire and sharp BBQ tools within arm’s reach.

Maybe you’re one of those people who can judge a steak’s doneness by comparing the surface of the meat to the firmness of the fleshy part of your thumb pad. Good for you then. (Please, oh please, don’t cut into a steak while it’s still on the grill to check whether it’s cooked enough. Meat must rest after cooking or you’ll just let all the good juices out!) But as techy types, gadget enthusiasts should strive to introduce some rigor into their grilling methods and cook to exact internal temperatures whenever possible. For example, I like my steak to come off the grill at precisely 122 degrees and allow it to come up to a beautiful pink medium-rare while it’s resting. You are letting it rest, right?

If we can employ some cool new iPhone technology to help out with these methods, so much the better. Enter the iGrill Bluetooth® cooking thermometer from www.igrillinc.com and the free accompanying “Steak Time” app from Omaha Steaks. So shoo the dog out of the kitchen and put your steak on a high counter to bring it to room temperature while we investigate these fun kitchen tools.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Back in the ’70s and ’80s there used to be a series of commercials for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that featured a person with a chocolate candy bar and another with an open container of peanut butter.  The inevitable collision of the two oblivious eaters resulted in them exclaiming “You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” and “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” resulting in the product slogan “Two great tastes that taste great together.”

That’s what came to mind as I played with vlock (v. 5.1) from XVision. There are a number of clock apps available for the iPhone and iPad, but vlock  offers a different twist.  XVision’s vlock… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

That’s how today’s gear chat on tablet size started–with Francis’ assertion that we all knew–even if some of us didn’t want to admit it out loud–that we really wanted a mid-sized tablet.  You know:  something in between the iPod Touch/iPhone and iPad form factors.  Something around . . . 7″ or so.  And then it was off to the races with your tech-happy Gear Diary team:

I have been highly critical of the impact of Android ‘fragmentation’, which is something I am acutely aware of as a hardcore gamer who loves playing games on smartphones and tablets but has constantly been thwarted in spite of having a dual-core Tegra 2 device. That criticism has led some to think I ‘have it in’ for Android. Not true, not true – I have it in for EVERYONE! Look at the way I have taken Apple to task repeatedly, and Sony has also been a frequent target.

Today, I have yet another axe to grind with Apple, which is based on my experiences over the last couple of days trying to help out… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Having trekked down to the Apple Store this morning, I had no trouble picking up my brand new white 64GB 4S. The feature I was most interested in trying was Siri, the “Personal Assistant” included with every new 4S, but unfortunately between the US and the rest of the world, everything is not equal.

Asking Siri to find the closest petrol station greeted me with this unexpected rebuff:

Having had a look through the Apple Australia website and rewatched the Siri section of the keynote (link), I can’t find anywhere that… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Last September Apple unveiled the iPod Touch 4th Gen, with super-slim design, dual cameras, and great performance. The Retina screen and top-notch graphics clearly marked the iPod Touch as the ‘gaming system to beat’ – and games like Infinity Blade still defy the competition a year later! With Apple about to unveil their latest ‘next big thing’, I wanted to step back and take a look at the iPod Touch, the oversized MP3 player that has changed the gaming industry at a fundamental level.

The Nintendo 3DS came out earlier this year, and Michael Siebenaler did a great review here. Even before it was released I had decided I wasn’t… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It has been a while since an iOS photo app caught my attention but SigNote did just that! It is a relatively simple app that lets you add personalization to your photos in just a few simple steps. It takes seconds to learn and can be tons of fun. Let’s take a quick look via a walk-through of editing a picture and then tell you how you can enter to win a free promo code.

Here’s what it says about the app in the iTunes Apps Store:

Ever thought about turning your photos into a piece of art?

I have said it before and I’ll say it again – the iPod Touch is the worst iPod I have ever owned. Why do I say that? Because one of my main listening modes is in the car to and from work and between different offices, and changing anything requires you to look at the iPod Touch – and therefore away from whatever else you are doing! And as Carly mentioned here, that can be a very dangerous prospect.

For a long time I used a second generation 4GB iPod Nano, but the screen slowly stopped functioning and then the device totally died last year, and I have been using… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

We are getting to the end of our Vonage Time to Call iPad 2 Giveaway. The contest ends tomorrow, Thursday the 18th, so there is still time to enter …  But not much.

Want a chance to win an iPad 2? Jump over to the initial post, read the rules and enter. It’s that simple. 

We are half way through our Vonage Time to Call iPad 2 giveaway. The contest ends Thursday the 18th so there is still time to enter …  But not much.

Want a chance to win an iPad 2? Jump over to the initial post, read the rules and enter. It’s that simple. Click here and you’ll be on your way! Good luck to all!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It looks funny. It does exactly what it promises. And, at least for me, it is in the running for “iOS Accessory of the Year”.

Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit but I’m pretty serious about how cool I think this iOS hardware/app combination is. The Griffin Beacon is the universal remote on steroids. With this odd piece of plastic powered by four AA batteries and a free download from the App Store I have taken my Samsung HDTV remote, my TiVo remote AND my Apple TV remote and put them away. Now all I need is one of my iOS devices and I have total control over the media in my den… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I used Vonage as my main home phone service for a bit of time a number of years ago. I’ve since moved on to other solutions (Ooma), but I took note when the company released their new iOS app the other day. I know what you are thinking, “Another phone app for iOS? Who needs it?”

Well think again, because I just made a call to Coach using my iPod touch and a headset, and here is what he had to say:

“Sounds better than when my wife calls me on her iPhone and you are… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The end of the summer is fast approaching. It’s sad but, unfortunately, it’s true. Before we know it September will be here. It is time to get in as much relaxation as we can and one of the best ways to do that is with music. That’s where the iMainGo:2 comes in. The iMainGo: 2 is a “protective case that turns your MP3 player into a powerful and portable speaker”. Some features include:

It Custom fits and protects all iPods and most MP3’s.

It doubles as a premium external stereo speaker system for any device with a 3.5 mm connection

You can control and view your device without opening the case

You can wake