Having used iTunes Match along with iTunes in the Cloud for the last few months, I have developed a few habits that I don’t even realize are new anymore! This weekend I gave my younger son my 4th gen iPod Touch to use as his own, as he was constantly pushing beyond the limits of his 8GB iPod Touch that was the pseudo 3rd gen that was really a 2nd gen model holdover. Since I almost never use it, I had no qualms since I’d rather it actually get used than sit idle.

But while going through things with him I realized just how much has changed with iOS 5, iTunes in the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I had written about Walmart offering $50 in iTunes credit for $40 … now Best Buy is getting in on the deal!

Here is the list of deals:

Apple – iTunes $15 Code (Digital Delivery) – Sale – $12.00
Apple – iTunes $25 Code (Digital Delivery) – Sale – $20.00
Apple – iTunes $50 Code (Digital Delivery) – Sale – $40.00
Apple – iTunes $100 Code (Digital Delivery) – Sale – $80.00

Or direct links to the $50 for $40 deal and the $100 for $80 deal.

Source: SlickDeals

Not too long ago, when you downloaded anything from the iTunes Store you were responsible for managing those files – if you lost your hard drive to a crash you were out of luck. When the iTunes App Store arrived, you were finally able to re-download apps you had already bought. iTunes in the Cloud changed things for music – suddenly you could just re-download anything you had purchased from the iTunes Music Store and Book Store as well as Apps. Most recently iTunes Match allows you to add ANYTHING to your music library to download anywhere.

Back in August Apple started allowing re-downloads of TV shows as well, which opened… 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

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

Is your network feeling a bogged down? Perhaps someone in your house is downloading App Store updates … again! In fact, the image at top is from the FOURTH time yesterday I had waiting updates available! This time it was only three, but I would estimate more than 30 apps have updated in the last 24 hours! That is because this is the time of year where everyone tries to get their updates released … because next week updates and additions are closed until the 29th. The reason? The Christmas holiday means millions of new iPod/iPhone/iPad owners will be flocking to the App Store to fill their new toys with great games like Avadon… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Today’s deal brings us the current generation Apple TV for less than we have previously seen it. This generation is 80% smaller than the previous models and comes with a built-in power supply and bundled remote. It has built-in HDMI, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet connectivity, a built-in IR receiver, Optical Audio and a Micro-USB connector. Yes, it doesn’t have offer any built-in storage so it relies entirely upon streaming but it works great. And with HD movies starting at $3.99 and commercial-free TV shows at just 99¢ per episode you’ll love yours! Oh, and the new Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr, as well as music, photos and videos. Remember, this is BYOHDMI, bring… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

One of the coolest features in iOS 5 WiFi syncing, which I now use far more often than USB syncing. Being able to hit “Sync” on my MacBook for my iPad while it’s still in my bag (it only needs charging every few days) makes me giggle every time I do it. It’s just so simple, and works so effectively every time. With it, new music, an updated playlist, and a few new apps are just a click away.

Obviously this functionality is normally used over a WiFi connection at home or the office, but it turns out you can actually use WiFi sync when you’re mobile too.

As a regular user of the Personal… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The pop-rock group Nickelback is one of those love/hate things for many – ‘hardcore’ rockers absolutely hate them on principal, yet they sell millions of records and there are people who either like them or – like my wife – consider them a ‘guilty pleasure’.

If you are a fan of the group, or just curious to check out their upcoming release, here is your chance! For a limited time you can stream the entire album for free on iTunes! As with previous deals like this, you can’t skip songs or shuffle or otherwise control the playback – it is an all-or-nothing deal. But still – for a free early look at a… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

With the release of iTunes 10.5.1 Apple has finally brought iTunes Match to everyone rather then those of us who have been using it in beta. If you are not familiar with the service it isn’t the music streaming that had been long rumored but rather something far more powerful and, potentially usable. What the service does is scan your iTunes library and line up those songs that you have in it with those that are currently available on iTunes. Then, if there are songs that you have that are not available in iTunes, it will upload the remaining ones. This, in and of itself, is pretty powerful but it’s the next aspect that… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Here at Gear Diary, we try to keep you up to date on the latest news. We’ve managed to get our hands on the December issue of Macworld! What’s coming up this Fall/Winter for Apple? Read on to find out!

First up, new OS! Yes, OS X 10.1 is finally here, and it promises to bring even the most faithful Classic users into the new OS X fold. Plus Microsoft Office V.X is being released, so productivity will skyrocket with your new 700mhz iMac! But Apple needs to keep their eyes on the competition, since Microsoft now has their big release, Windows XP, out on the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I have no idea how long this will last, so hop on it now! The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a new album coming out next week (August 30th). A tip from TUAW (via Dan) pointed to iTunes doing something unprecedented for the release – streaming the entire album for free! It is pretty basic – you click play and get the whole thing streaming without ability to choose songs or more back or forth: just play, pause and stop.

Regardless, for fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers this is a great opportunity to check out the new release early, and for everyone else to see if they will… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Last night I was a bit under the weather. I went in search of something to watch and came upon the new Starz/BBC series Strike Back on my iPad’s browser. A few taps of the screen and it was playing on my large Samsung HDTV. It was just another reminder of the way in which Apple’s technology can create a seamless ecosystem for work and entertainment.

Then today Cult of Mac published a post entitled Could Apple Enter Sub-$1K Premium TV Market With A Real iTV?

In it they write

News that high-end TVs are nearing the sub $1,000

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 ...

Want richer bass, higher clarity and an all around enhanced audio experience? Bongiovi Acoustics: Bongiovi DPS (Digital Power Station) technology has it. The technology is currently available in iHome dock stations and select Toyota models and, for the first time, Bongiovi’s technology is available as an iOS app. The technology ”re-masters your compressed digital audio files at the source and then, using device specific profiles, optimizes the output for your listening device (headphone, speaker, earbud, etc).”

I tried the iOS app and was rather impressed with the enhanced audio pumped out by my iPod touch and my iPad.

As the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...