Gear Diary

Want to See Some Robots Really Battle for World Domination? Check Out RoboGames

Jason Reese — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:26 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Already going through sports withdrawal now that the Super Bowl has ended? Not too excited about the upcoming Winter Olympics? Well, how about we add one-part thrill of competition, plus one-part agony of defeat mixed with a heaping mess of Robots. Yeah, you read that right. Robots.

Hand-to-hand robot combat? Check.
Sumo-wrestling robots? Check.
Fire-fighting robots? Got them, too.
Dancing Robots? Robots mixing cocktails? Done and done!

What crazy, topsy-turvy alternate universe of coolness is this where you can watch Robots engage in all manner of competition? Why, right here via the RoboGames, of course. You’ll be able to catch all of he action as hundreds of robots compete (and sometimes flat-out destroy each other) via the web April 23rd-25th.

Tech enthusiasts, engineers and people who just like watchin’ stuff get smashed and/or explode should read on to get the full scoop on the 2010 RoboGames competition.

… [visit site to read more]

Firefighter Robot might save lives one day

Tags: Offbeat, Robots

Poynt Mobile App Now Features Location Based AccuWeather Data

Jason Reese — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:24:57 +0000

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of the Poynt application for BlackBerry. It’s one of the first things I load on a new ‘Berry. It’s free, and simply put it is the best location based search application for BlackBerry. Whether you’re looking for movie tickets, restaurants, businesses, or gas prices, Poynt is what you want to use for quick results. Over 1 million active users can’t be wrong. One thing I appreciate is the fact that the development team over at Multiplied Media is constantly adding new features to Poynt.

Case in point (pun intended): AccuWeather has now partnered with Multiplied Media to bring their weather data and forecasts directly to the application. Even better is you won’t have to search around the app to get to it. It’s right there on the home screen! Your local weather conditions will show up in Poynt even as you scroll through the interface to pull up information relevant to your specific location. That Accuweather.com data powers the display on the Poynt home screen to show your local temperature and sky conditions. Then, to make it even more slick, those sky conditions are reflected by the dynamic background that changes according to the type of weather the user is experiencing. Very cool!

The full press release of the partnership — and handy download links if you wanna download it straight to your ‘Berry — follow.

… [visit site to read more]

IM+ for Skype Brings Free VoIP Calling to BlackBerry

Jason Reese — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:43:47 +0000

Shape Services recently updated their popular IM+ for Skype application to include VoIP calling for BlackBerry smartphones. The $29 application will let you call a Skype user’s PC, chat via Skype, and now make Free VoIP calls. What’s nice about the application is that the one-time purchase means any and all future updates and features will be included free of charge. If you’re looking for a way to keep up with friends and family across the globe without piling up a hefty wireless bill, then IM+ for Skype certainly looks like a terrific option.

Look for a full review of the application soon here on Gear Diary. Keep reading for the full press release and feature summary for IM+ for Skype.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: BlackBerry Software, VoIP

Uniea Cases Valentine’s Day Sale

Douglas Moran — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:45:18 +0000

Uniea wants to be your one-stop shop for all your case needs. As such, the Uniea folks are having a Valentine’s Day sale, where if you buy one case, you can get a matching case for 40% off. And the beauty is, if you happen to be holed up because of a snowstorm, you can still order cases for your sweetie without leaving the comfort of your home. So if you’re looking for Valentine’s Day gifts in the case department, and the weather is too nasty for you to venture out, go on over to visit site to read more]

Skooba Design’s Crazy One Day Half-Off Sale Going On Now!

Tags: Deals, Gear Bags, Laptop Gear

Help Choose the Next Pleo, Plus Get Free Shipping Through February

Jason Reese — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:10:57 +0000

You remember that lovable robotic baby dinosaur, Pleo, don’t you? Well now you can help choose the next Pleo and take advantage of a great deal this month. Pleoworld is holding a poll to select one of five color patterns for a new Pleo that will come out this year. visit site to read more]

Tags: Contests & Giveaways, Robots, Toys (Any Age)

Bookeen Cybook Gen 3 Review

Carly Z — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:40:37 +0000

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!

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Books and eBooks, eReaders, Reviews

Video Game Soundtrack Review: Mass Effect 2

Michael Anderson — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:15:37 +0000

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?

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Digital Music, Games & Gaming, Reviews

Review – Danglets iPod Neck & Wrist Strap

Michael Anderson — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:58:50 +0000

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?

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Gear, Mobile Phone Gear, Reviews

Amazon Scores Another Exclusive

Carly Z — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:15:26 +0000

Looks like Ian McEwan and Stephen Covey have company in the Amazon exclusives club! Gavin De Becker, author of “The Gift of Fear”, has an exclusive with the Kindle Store for one year. This is probably Amazon’s best defense against the agency model that’s all the rage among scared publishers; Amazon guarantees themselves great content, the author gets a raise, and the consumer wins too!

And if you don’t know who Gavin de Becker is (I didn’t!), Amazon’s press release has some details:

“The … [visit site to read more]

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Tags: Amazon Kindle, Books and eBooks

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GearDeal- HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Core i7 18.4-inch 1080p Laptop

Dan Cohen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:57:29 +0000

Our GearSponsor has an awesome deal on a powerful Quad Core system with an 18.4″ 1080p screen, 6GB DDR3 RAM and… lots of WOW!

The HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition Core i7 Laptop is a powerhouse. Reasonably priced to begin with, with this deal you can “save up to $519 + web-use 6% coupon” with this deal. But there’s even more. This deal includes a free upgrade to 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Deals, GearSponsor, Laptops

Gear Diary Store Deal of the Day: Par 72 Golf II for BlackBerry and AutoFile Plus for WM and Palm

Judie Lipsett — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:15:44 +0000

The Gear Diary Store is a great place to find software and accessories for your Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian, iPhone and Palm OS devices; together with our partner MobiHand, we are working to bring you at least one software title deal a day. You’ll get a great price while supporting Gear Diary, no special codes necessary. Are you ready to save?

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: BlackBerry Software, Deals, Microsoft Windows Phone (Touchscreen) Software, Palm Software

Random House Stands Alone With Amazon?

Carly Z — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:04:27 +0000

Random House has weighed in on the eBook price wars, and it looks like Macmillan, Hachette and Harper Collins won’t be sending them a fruit basket next Christmas. At the American Bookseller’s Association Winter Institute meeting, Random House made it clear they aren’t interested in pursuing the same “agency model” as their three colleagues.

From the Mobileread forums:

The only bright … [visit site to read more]

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Tags: Amazon, Books and eBooks

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GearGames Weekly: February 7 – 13

Michael Anderson — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:07:46 +0000

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This is a ‘Big Daddy’ of a week … ok, that was relly bad. The big release of the week is yet another delayed but highly anticipated multi-platform game Bioshock 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2007 release. Early reviews are very positive.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Console Gaming, Games & Gaming, Microsoft, Nintendo, PC Gaming, Sony

Review: SplashID for Android

Jeff Frantz — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:20:46 +0000

We’ve previously reviewed SplashData’s password protection program, SplashID, in various formats and generally given it favorable ratings (here, here, and here). I’ve used it as my standard password protection program for a while now. When I recently acquired a Motorola Droid, in addition to checking out some new, great programs for the Android operating system, I also wanted to see which of my standard programs were available for Android.

SplashID, which is also available for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Palm, Series 60, and BlackBerry, is SplashData’s first Android application. The Android version shares a lot with the other platforms, so anyone already familiar with SplashID from using it on another device will find it comfortable to use. The basic SplashID features, functions, and encryption process remains a constant among the platforms, so we’ll focus on the specifics of the Android version, which lie largely in the menus and appearance of the program.

… [visit site to read more]

Droid “Lock” Is Easy To Pick

Tags: Android Software, Security and Privacy

Thinksound Headphones: Green Sounds Good, Really Good

Larry Greenberg — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:10:54 +0000

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….

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone and Touch Gear, Apple iPod and Touch Devices, Audio Visual Gear, Desktop Gear, Digital Music Player Gear, Reviews, Wired Headsets and Earphones

AblePlanet True Fidelity with Linx Audio Review

Mitchell Oke — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:04:08 +0000

Having done some traveling during December, you start to get used to the accompanying rumble associated with it, be it from passengers waiting for a plane or the sound of an engine a few feet from your ear. The best way to completely drown the world out is with a decent pair of headphones, and if you couple those with noise canceling you are onto a winner.

While noise-canceling headphones have typically been a pricey proposition, these new ‘phones from AblePlanet come in at just $129.99, and seem to be pretty good value.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Wired Headsets and Earphones

QuickLook- Travel With The booq Taipan Lift

Dan Cohen — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:14:20 +0000

I am reviewing the booq Taipan Lift ($89.95 – $99.95) by using it during my quick trip to San Francisco for TeleNav’s Waypoint. It is a briefcase style laptop bag which, to be quite honest, isn’t my preference. (I tend to like messenger bags and backpacks.) Having just gone through airport security, however, I am totally sold on this bag for travel. There are, in fact, three specific design aspects of it that have already come in rather handy.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Laptop Bags, Traveling and Travel Gear

3D Rugby Hits England!

Carly Z — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:42:43 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love rugby. I played it in college, and again for a few years as an adult. If you’ve never played, imagine American football merged with soccer. Rugby is extremely fast paced, with lots of hits and action.

Part of that fast pace means sometimes you’re left scrambling trying to follow the game. O2 and Cineworld are riding the 3D craze with a new way to change that; they’re airing England’s national rugby games in theaters in 3D! From the Guardian UK’s review, it seems like it was overall a huge success:

The international game has long been a geometric business, a quest for the patch of space. The players … [visit site to read more]
Tags: Sports and Fitness

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Heading To TeleNav’s Waypoint Tomorrow…

Dan Cohen — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:15:49 +0000

I’ve tried just about every GPS application for the iPhone. I have to say that there hasn’t been a single one that I would consider a “fail”. That doesn’t, however, mean, that some don’t stand out over the others. The one that currently stands out for me — and one that I actually use on a day-to-day basis — is AT&T Navigator. My first experience with it was poor but since then it has worked flawlessly for me. It is fast, it is accurate and it has received numerous updates (most recently last night) that continue to add useful features like music integration, night view and the ability to set a new destination handsfree.

For the sake of disclosure I should note that I am on a one-year review subscription of the service. But the fact is, I have access to four different GPS programs on my iPhone and AT&T Navigator is the one that I use day-to-day.

The service does have its downsides. Unlike standalone GPS applications that are one time purchases, AT&T Navigator requires a monthly subscription. At the same time, however, that also means the maps on it are always up to date. In addition, it means that it has a much smaller footprint. It comes in at under 5MB while two of the other major GPS programs are close to 1.5 and 2GB. (That’s gigabytes with a G.) That is a huge difference in the amount of space it consumes on your iPhone AND it means that AT&T Navigator tends to load more rapidly. Of course, that also means AT&T Navigator relies on data from cell towers to get the maps and, as a result, you need to have connectivity, but except for the very first time I used the program that has never been a problem.

It’s for that reason that I was excited when telenav, the company behind AT&T Navigator, invited me to join them in San Francisco for their media and blogger program officially known as “Waypoint”. I leave tomorrow. … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Applications, BlackBerry Software, Event Reports, GPS

TextExpander touch Expands App Intergration

Dan Cohen — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:15:58 +0000

It was a little over a week ago that I returned to using the iPhone of full-time. I’m pretty happy with the decision and I’m enjoying having it as the sole device I rely upon. I am still carrying my Blackberry Bold with me but haven’t really used it for more than a few … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Applications, Apple Mac Software, Tips & Tricks