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russia unlimited data

Here in the U.S., the days of unlimited data are over, unless you've been grandfathered in on an older plan (and even those are now being throttled!) However, unlimited data is still running rampant and wild in the land of Russia.

Russian carrier MegaFon held a competition to see which of its customers could use the most data--seriously, imagine that happening in America. There were more than 1 million rubles ($33,000) in prizes at stake. The winner, who used a staggering 419 GB of data in just one week, won an overseas vacation valued at about $5,000. Though we’re not sure how he used 21-megbits-per-second, we stand in awe of both the user, and the mobile carrier that encouraged the bahavior. So if you ever find yourself in Mother Russia, just remember, over there you don’t use data, data uses you.

Read More | C News

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Along with Chevy, Nissan is aiming to take a stab at Ford this quarter. Among small business owners that need some sort of work van, the Ford Transit has been the van of choice since the 1970s. Heck, even thieves loved choosing the Ford Transit due to its peppiness and reliability. Nissan believes its new van, the NV200, could provide to be some friendly competition for Ford.

The Nissan NV200 features a 2-liter four-banger with a mounted CVT gearbox. Loading and unloading is simple, due to a low floor, and it can haul 1500 pounds. The cargo area can easily accommodate your standard pallet, if need be.

All that said, I’d still choose the Ford over the Nissan. Why? Well, while driving the Ford, I’ll know its legacy is laced in high-speed car chases, bank robberies, and solid reliability. However, if that’s not important to you the price might be the deciding factor. The Transit currently runs for a little over $22,000 and the Nissan is projected to be within that price range.

Read More | Autoblog

Good news for everyone owning a Kindle Fire and subscribed to Amazon Prime (as well as owners of any other media streaming device with Prime compatibility,) as Amazon has announced that it will now offer its subscribers increased instant streaming of videos to supported devices. The press release states that users will be able to stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo.

All of this is made possible due to Amazon recently making a deal with Viacom, bringing the total number of available streaming offerings to over 15,000, all of which are supported on over 300 devices. Between Netflix, the Redbox-Verizon deal, and Amazon Prime, the streaming video subscription space is heating up!


Here at Gear Live, we have a love affiar with Amazon. They've got our credit card numbers, our accounts are Prime, and the Kindles flow like wine. However, unless you choose overnight shipping, you still have to wait for the items you purchased. It's a small price ot pay for the convenience, but for some, instant gratifiction is what's missing. That may even be changing with Amazon, as the company will be venturing into the brick and mortar store business.

Those lucky enough to live in the Seattle area (that's us!) may soon be seeing an Amazon store popping up at a local mall. Amazon is exploring the idea, kind of a trial and error run, to see if they have a profitable market in physical stores. Amazon wants to provide an Apple-like store experience for consumers who want to buy a Kindle, for example. This is a brilliant move on Amazon’s part, as the Kindle currently is not under its full control in retail, being left to the whims of a retail associate at Target or Best Buy who likely don't know much about it.


As Netflix continues to bleed customers (although that trend seems to have slowed down considerably,) Redbox has stepped in to save the day, well so we hope. The rental kiosk service will be taking a stab at video streaming options. With the success they’ve had with rentals, it was only a matter of time until the company jumped into on demand streaming. Set to be released later this year, Redbox will be available on your nearest handheld device.

Redbox will be partnering with Verizon to stream their video selection, and it appears that Verizon will be managing their service and streaming content. Though there are no set details as to how the service will work, what it will cost, or when it will launch. This is definitely an interesting one though, so we will be keeping our eye on this one.


mercedes-benz b-class

The U.S. segment for luxury automobiles is a cutthroat marketplace. The top two players, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are in a constant battle for supremacy. Last year BMW led in sales by 2,715 vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz obviously hopes to take the lead. However, the road to success is that of trial-and-error. Mercedes-Benz plans on introducing a B-Class into its current line-up of vehicles for the States. The B-Class would be a plug-in hybrid aimed towards the U.S. buyer, says Joachim Schmidt, head of global sales for Mercedes-Benz.

Along with the B-Class, Mercedes-Benz plans on extending its hybrid line-up along with adding smaller class of vehicles—the A-Class. Though these are solid moves in attempting to overthrow BMW’s lead, only time, along with sales, will tell if Mercedes-Benz succeeds.

Read More | Autoblog

Google+ for teensGoogle+, the slow to start but quickly growing social media site is now allowing any user 13 and older to create a Google+ account and join their ranks in this social networking system. Now teens can stay connected with friends and family even easier thanks to this new policy.

Along with the policy change that allows teens to join in on the fun come new safety features to keep kids protected. Before posting a public update, for example, minors will get a warning displayed on-screen. By default, only the people that appear in the teens' circles will be able to contact them, and if an unknown person joins a hangout that a teen happens to be in, the teen will be removed, notified of the changed, and asked if they'd like to re-join the video chat.

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Apple TV sales

We could be wrong, but today's Apple Q1 2012 earnings call may have been the first time that the company has revealed any tangible sales figures for the Apple TV. According to CEO Tim Cook, Apple sold a record-breaking 1.4 million Apple TV units last quarter, which is exactly half of the 2.8 million units that it sold in the entire prior fiscal year. As expected, Cook wouldn't comment on the rumors of the imminent release of a bona fide Apple TV set. We're sure it's in the pipeline, but don't expect Apple to say anything on the record until it's ready to be shown off to the world.

The 1.4 million Apple TV units added to a record-breaking holiday quarter that also included sales of 37 million iPhones, 15 million iPads, and over 5 million Macs.


iCloud 85 million accounts

During its Q1 2012 earnings call where Apple announced a record-breaking holiday quarter, CEO Tim Cook also announced that there are now 85 million iCloud accounts. What's impressive there is that iCloud is just three months old, coming in as a replacement for the aging MobileMe, so that's a tremendously positive number as it pertains to user adoption. In fact, that 85 million number is 50 million more than iPhone 4S units sold.


iPad q1 2012 sales

Apple has had an amazing Q1 2012 holiday quarter, breaking all sorts of records. Alongside selling over 37 million iPhones, iPad growth continues to climb. In fact, over the holiday quarter Apple sold over 15 million iPads, which is a 111% increase over the same quarter the year before. Anyone who thought that the Kindle Fire was gonna slow down the iPad juggernaut were simply incorrect.


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