I’m a big fan of puzzle games, especially ones that don’t have a time element involved.  (Or preferably don’t require excellent twitch reflexes and small muscle coordination.  Glyder is about the fastest-paced game I can handle.  I have this neck injury, see . . .)  I’ve spent hours playing everything from Scrabble to Myst to Bejeweled.  So when Onmsoft came out with a new puzzle game that didn’t have a time element–or at least let you choose a non-time-element option–I wanted to check it out.

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The Cybook Gen 3 is a few years old (it was released in 2007), but about six months ago it received an update allowing it to read Adobe ePUB files, giving it new relevance in an increasingly ePUB focused ebook world. Thomas sent me his Cybook to update with the new firmware and review, so let’s take a look! Does it stand up well against my Kindle? Is the Cybook worth the $350 Bookeen lists it for? Read on and find out!

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I recently reviewed the full soundtrack for Dragon Age: Origins, and a large part of my criticism was that it wasn’t a great value – it released well after the game was out, and suddenly made folks who paid for a ‘deluxe’ version aware that the ‘Soundtrack’ they got was really a sampler. Now the Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack has arrived, how does this one measure up, both musically and as an overall value?

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Apparently in Japan and some other countries it is very popular to wear your cell phone on a neck strap – especially when using it as a media player. That trend has not hit North America. Now Collins America hopes to make it more popular through the introduction of the Danglet, an accessory that clips into the docking connector of any modern iPod or iPhone device and allows you to keep it readily available around your wrist or neck. So how does it all work?

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Going green and buying electronics usually don’t mesh very well.  Thinksound set out to create great sounding headphones that were also friendly to the environment too.  Not an easy task to say the least, but one the company took very seriously.

Thinksound’s lineup currently consists of two eco-friendly headphones.  The company was kind enough to send me both to review.

Does being “green” mean you have to sacrifice sound quality?

Click on through to find out, but here’s a hint, in a word, nope….

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We saw a lot of neat stuff at CES last month. One of the most interesting, at least to my mind, was a small hand-held scanner from PlanOn. At just about 9 inches long and a tiny bit thicker than an iPhone, the DocuPen X05 isn’t cheap… but it’s pretty impressive nonetheless.

The company sent me a loaner unit, and I’ve been using it for the past week or so. Despite some frustrations when I initially tried to get it set up, I have been more than a bit “wowed” by this little gadget.

Let’s take a look.

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Vampire power is the power your electronic devices use when they’re turned off.  Example:  You plug your digital camera into an electrical outlet to re-charge its battery.  Once the battery is fully charged the camera keeps taking power from the wall and attempts to give it to the camera’s battery even though it doesn’t need it.

iGo’s new line of green power accessories seek to stop this wasted use of electricity.  This is turn should save you money in the form of less power used and a smaller electric bill as a result.

While at CES 2010 I met with iGo and they were kind enough to provide me with their Power Smart Wall charger.

The iGo Power Smart Wall is available for $29.99.

Click on through to see my video review of the device,  and then head here to learn more.

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There are not a lot of choices when it comes to maximum protection for your iPhone.  One of Case-Mate’s newest additions, the Turtle Case, seeks to join the select group.

The two-part plastic and silicone construction of the Turtle case means you’ll “have the best armor available for the more delicate iPhone technology inside.”  It features a super tight fit and two levels of shock and impact protection for your phone complete in a stylish design that’s sure to garner some attention.

The case comes in four color varieties and is available directly from Case-Mate for $29.99

Click on through to check out my video review.

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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.

Word games and puzzles have become my choice of time killers on the iPhone.  Particularly games that involve finding or spelling words.  For example, Word Scramble 2 is a solo game that is great fun and former Blue Plate Special review.  Words With Friends has not only become a method of passing time, but an obsession.  It began innocently.  I played a few games with random opponents.  Then I added my wife, a fellow coach, two of my players, a few more teachers, some friends, Dan, Judie…you get the idea.  This game has become the new rage in our high school and small town!

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Not long after Julie Strietelmeier and I reviewed their Kindle & Kindle2 covers, Oberon Design announced that they would be releasing a Kindle DX version. I found this news particularly welcome, because shortly after we completed the review I purchased the DX. Of course, moving to a larger Kindle meant that the case I loved would definitely no longer work, and for the longest time my DX went case-less, wearing only a Decal Girl skin. It was several months before I had the chance to review one of Oberon Design’s new DX covers, but when the opportunity came I was eager.

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A few weeks ago I posted a video of Pat Metheny announcing his Orchestrion project. The video – and all of the machinery – were quite cool, but what really matters is the final product. Well, Orchestrion was released on January 26th, and I’ve had the chance to give it several listenings and separate the coolness of the technical accomplishment from the actual musical results.

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Neverwinter Nights is a RPG based on the Dungeons and Dragons rules developed and published by Bioware in 2002. Since then it has been patched, expanded, enhanced, gotten loads of community extensions, and patched some more, and remains a favorite game for module developers and multiplayer gamers alike. But is it something for the netbook gamer? Read on for my review of this RPG classic with a special look at how the original game and all of the commercial expansions play on a netbook.

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It’s been a problem since the first winter post-iPhone release: How do you use your smartphone with a capacitive screen during freezing cold weather? There’s always your nose, or a quick “yank glove, interact with phone, throw gloves back on, pray there’s no frostbite.” Etre believes they have a different solution with their Etre Touchy Gloves. I’ve been using them for a few days: do they solve the glove dilemma? Read on to find out!

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Since debuting in 2005, ZAGG’s “invisibleSHIELD” has been a very popular protective skin for the wide range of devices for which it is made.  The invisibleSHIELD’s military grade film offers good protection from scrapes, dings, and scratches without adding a lot of bulk to the device on which it’s used.

Building on the success of the invisibleSHIELD, ZAGG recently introduced customizable ZAGGskins.  The ZAGGskin line is a range of wrap-around adhesive skins featuring decorative designs.  The skins are only 0.3 mm thick, but strong.  While there is a range of pre-made designs, including some newly released designs for upcoming Valentine’s Day, we wanted to try ZAGG’s new customizable service, which allows you to upload your own images and to create personal designs by combining pre-made backgrounds and shapes.  When ZAGG offered Gear Diary the chance to test out their new customized ZAGGskins, we sent them a couple of images to use for a ZAGGskin design.

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When we heard that the Nexus One Desktop Dock was finally available, I knew that I would have to order one for home and the office. Read on for some thoughts on the dock’s unique features, as well as comparisons to the BlackBerry 9700 and iPhone docks.

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