There is always loads of data to mine in corporate earnings announcements, and yesterday’s Apple announcement is no different. Dan covered the highlights including iPhones, Macs, iPads and iPods … but I noticed a mention at GigaOM about AppleTV sales.

Apparently AppleTV sold 1.4 million units during the last quarter. I really didn’t think too much about that because I am constantly reading about how more and more game consoles are serving as full-service home entertainment systems since they can run Netflix, Hulu and more.

I also just assumed that Roku and other ‘set top boxes’ were dominating much like Kindle and Nook ebooks dominate Apple’s iBooks. I assumed that because while… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Our favorite gladiator, Spartacus will be coming back soon in the next season of the acclaimed Starz series. The new season entitled, Spartacus: Vengeance airs January 27 and promises to be just as edgy and exciting as in the past. Now you can join in the fight on Facebook as they introduce a game of the same name when the new season premiers. Build armies, free slaves and make them warriors all in the comforts of Facebook.Why farm when you can battle the Romans!?!

Starz Takes Spartacus Outside the Arena with New “Spartacus: Vengeance The Game,” Sampling

Sarah and I have been watching “All-American Muslim” on TLC. It’s a glimpse into what it’s like to be both Muslim and American in Dearborn, Michigan. And while admittedly it’s slow at times, we’ve really enjoyed seeing how different people approach their religion, and learning more about the different ways people practice, even within their own families. So we were very surprised when the hardware store Lowe’s pulled their ad support after the “Florida Family Association” complained about the show.

What Lowe’s didn’t realize, but should have, is that controversial decisions in 2011 don’t fade quietly away. People were angry that Lowe’s pulled the ads. Really angry. Their Facebook page exploded with comments, and Lowe’s… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Okay, let’s face it:  there’s simply no way you would ever catch me wearing any of this stuff.  I’m a nerd and a geek, sure, but this stuff is simply too cutesy, even for me. BUT, that doesn’t mean that it’s not right for you, or your kids, or your friends, or whoever … and if you watch The Big Theory, then you’ll probably already get what this shirt is all about.

I’m a middle-aged dweeb; aside from having no style sense whatsoever, I am (by definition) completely unhip.  Or so my teenage kids keep telling me.  So you, my friend, should decide for yourself if the stuff, listed in detail below, is for you or not… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The rumors are flying about Apple making a serious move into the television market. I love my Apple TV, but the idea of an entire television with Apple technology baked into its very DNA is something I would jump to grab. [I know, big surprise to anyone who knows me.] The only problem… It is nothing more than a rumor at this point. Sony, on the other hand, is serious about the connected television market and is in it right now. In fact, they just announced a software update to the Google TV platform that enhances the experience of using the Sony Internet TV and the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Disc player.

As… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When we built our house, for various reasons we decided not to put a TV in every room; we installed one 55″ LED VIZIO on the wall in the living room with all the home theater options, and we called it good. Well, sometimes the best laid plans don’t quite work out. Over time, we realized that it would be handy to have a second television as backup, so that the girls could pop in a DVD when we were watching something “boring” like the San Diego Chargers and Texas football games, or the Tour de France.

Because this second TV would have to go on a bedroom wall (space is an issue), the perfect solution… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

How many times have you read a great book, only to watch it get destroyed by a sub-par movie? Plenty of times, I am sure. But how about things going in the other direction? How many times have you thoroughly enjoyed a movie or a television series, and yet you finished the show feeling like something was missing — maybe you simply wished you’d had a little more back-story on the characters?

One of the best examples of a great series that has been adapted from a book to a show is Dexter, a long-running Showtime series (season 6 starts October 2!) that is very loosely based on the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

You want 3D? We got 3D! And it is today’s Gear Deal! The VIZIO XVT3D650SV 65″ 3D Edge Lit Razor LED LCD HDTV w/ Passive 3D Technology features edge Lit Razor LED backlighting with Smart Dimming, a 120 Hz refresh rate, Full 1080p HD, 1 million to 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, built-in dual-band 802.11n WiFi and much more. It also comes with a premium Bluetooth universal remote and four pair of polarized, battery-free, passive 3D technology, 3D glasses.

Normally $2,849.99 our Gear Sponsor found a 10% coupon code. That brings the price down to $2,564.99 and it will even ship for free. Details and ordering information can be found here.

Gear Deal: VIZIO XVT3D650SV

When I was in high school, I remember watching MTV’s “The Real World”, and wondering how long MTV had the cast under contract. Since they all seemed to appear with regularity on various MTV reality shows, I assumed it was because it was a requirement, and not because they truly loved being on MTV. As it turns out, the Village Voice managed to get an actual “Real World” contract, and the terms are, to say the least, eyebrow-raising.

A few choice excerpts [note that the BOLD is from the Village Voice, and the italics are my interpretation]:

•  Producers are under no obligation to conduct background checks on your fellow cast members. (7)

MTV Launched 30 years ago today, on August 1st 1981. Over the decades, the music video art form has changed in some ways yet remains a product in service of a song. The channel itself has become somewhat of a joke in many ways, as in the late 1990′s the ‘music’ part became a minority share, and now we have a channel more focused on Snooki (Jersey Shore) and Amber (Teen Mom) than Katy or Kanye.

But over the decades MTV has done many other things as well. While it wasn’t the originator of music videos as art and entertainment beyond just watching a group play – there were concept videos made by the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Have you caught any episodes of Inspector America? That’s the show where Timothy Galarnyk, an “infrastructure safety inspector with over 35 years of experience”, goes around the country checking out our cities bridges, roads, water-systems (among other things) in order to show what is right or wrong with the way our infrastructure is being maintained or problems are being solved.

We record and save up several episodes to watch at a time, and last night Kev and I caught the episode where he’s in Los Angeles. One of the segments included Timothy talking about the billion(!!) dollars being spent by LA to widen the 405 freeway by one lane — or 12

Let’s talk 3D HDTV Bundles, okay?!? Actually, let’s talk 3D HDTV bundles that can save you a bundle. That’s today’s Gear Deal. Yup, Dell Home is offering up to $400 Dell Gift Card with the purchase of a Samsung or LG HDTVs.

The offer is only good until July 14th or till supplies last so check them out NOW. If you want to see a few examples of what you can get take a look right here.

Gear Deal: Up to $400 Gift Card with Samsung (3D Bundles) HDTVs via LogicBUY

Have you ever wanted to have an expert to build a gadget specifically for you, or if you have a gadget that is almost exactly what you need but it is lacking a certain feature, then you’ll want to pay attention to this: SKY 1 HD, the UK based TV channel has just announced an intriguing new show — Gadget Geeks. Seven as yet unnamed “clued-up technology experts in the UK” will be taking part in the show which will “embark on a mission to pimp old, retro, worn out goods and bring them crashing into the 21st Century. Whether it’s an mobile phone, an old Atari computer, or even old dj decks, they aim… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It is amazing to look at the image above and realize that reflects the top TV shows the year that seniors graduating high school this month were born! Many of the shows – certainly Seinfeld, Rosanne, Frasier and Home Improvement – are classics easily found in syndication now. The X-Files also launched that year, bringing with it nearly a decade of conspiracies and unrealized sexual tension between the main characters. Jurassic Park Stomped through theaters, and ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin ruled the airwaves.

1993 was also the year that the Mosaic web browser launched, and the internet as a popular medium was really starting to take off as the “WWW Revolution

EYETV 250 PLUS and TURBO.264 VIDEO CONVERTER FOR YOUR MAC

I’m a huge fan of EYETV’s Mac hardware for recording TV and viewing later on your computer OR iPad (with the EYETV app). I recently checked out the company’s Turbo.264 HD software and am also impressed. I paid full price for my eyetv 250 plus but with this New Gear Daily Deal via OrderBorder you can get it for half the price AND if comes with the Turbo.264 HD software!

Yes, with this deal you “GET 2 products, EYETV 250 PLUS and TURBO.264 VIDEO CONVERTER FOR YOUR MAC, for a great discount” Here are the details:

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