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If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!

Latest Gear Live Videos

AirPods Pro review

The AirPods Pro have been out for a week, and we bring you our hands-on (and ears-on) thoughts on Apple’s noise-cancelling earbuds. Motorola is about to bring back the RAZR, this time with a foldable display! Are folding clamshell smartphones about to make a comeback? We also talk about the woes of the Google Pixel 4, wondering if Google actually wants its smartphone line to do well in the market, or if they have other goals with their handhelds. Tesla is going to finally announce and reveal its Cybertruck in just over a week - we speculate on what we can expect!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

SPONSOR: National Car Rental - skip the line with the Emerald Club. Go National. Go Like a Pro.

Listen to the episode in the player above or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Gallery: Geared Up: AirPods Pro review, foldable Motorola RAZR, and the Pixel 4’s Shortcomings


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Google Pixel 4

Google’s new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are now available, and in this episode Andru & Jon each bring you their thoughts on the newest flagship Google smartphone. Find out what sets the Pixel 4 apart from other smartphones on the market, as well as where the Pixel 4 falls short. Ultimately, if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, find out if the Pixel 4 is for you!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

SPONSOR: National Car Rental - skip the line with the Emerald Club. Go National. Go Like a Pro.

Listen to the episode in the player above or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Gallery: Geared Up: Why is the Google Pixel 4 So…Weird?


Google Pixel 3a

The Google I/O 2019 keynote took place yesterday, and I bring you a recap of the news, including my thoughts on the newly announced Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL mid-range smartphones. Will Google's strategy of shipping a budget phone with one of the best cameras out there pay off?

We also talk about the leaked iOS 13 features report from Bloomberg, and we've got a lot to talk about here. If you've been wondering what can we expect from Apple's next major software release for the iPhone and iPad, this is what you've been waiting for.

Google announced new features coming for Google Duplex, and we talk about how the Google Assistant will be able to help you even more in the coming months. At Google I/O, we got a demo where the Google Assistant fills in everything on the web automatically and allows you to confirm and leaves you in control of the flow after asking “Hey Google, Book a National Car Rental for my upcoming trip.” The Assistant understood the dates of the trip and the vehicle preferences based on confirmations found in Gmail and the users Google calendar. Google Duplex on the Web is coming later this year.

This isn’t something that’s exclusive to National Car Rental or anything, but apparently Google used them as the example because their back end for booking vehicles didn’t require any extra engineering work due to National’s web and mobile platforms already being engineered to allow these newer technologies to work with them now, today. That said, you can imagine in the near future doing something similar with movie tickets, restaurant reservations, or really anything where you have to fill out forms and make choices. The Google Assistant can fill out the forms and make the choices that it knows you’d like based on the context it has about you already, and all you need to do is take a look at the choice it made and confirm them in a matter of seconds. It's cool and exciting, and we discuss it in further detail. All this and more on this episode of Geared Up!

SPONSOR: National Car Rental - skip the line with the Emerald Club. Go National. Go Like a Pro.

Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Google and Apple.

Gallery: Google Pixel 3a Thoughts, iOS 13 Leaked Features, & Google Duplex on the Web - Geared Up!


Chromecast Audio

The future of music is streaming - whether that means streaming from a service like Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music, or streaming your local library throughout your home to various devices in your house. Did you know that you can take any of your old speakers and breath new life into them, allowing them to join in on streaming content from either your local library or the cloud?

All you need is the Google Chromecast Audio and a Wi-Fi network. Simply plug the device into an available speaker through the AUX port, then into USB for power, and your old speakers are now ready for your streaming music. You can send audio from your smartphone, tablet, or computer right over your Wi-Fi network, which provides a much stronger and robust connection than using Bluetooth.

Click to continue reading Chromecast Audio allows you to stream music to your speakers, new or old

Gallery: Chromecast Audio allows you to stream music to your speakers, new or old


We are giving away two of the hottest smartphones on the planet right now - the iPhone 7 Plus and the Google Pixel XL! Each winner will get to choose whether they would like a 128GB iPhone 7 Plus, or a 128GB Google Pixel XL, and each winner will also get to choose the color that they'd like to receive. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up on all the latest tech reviews and gadget giveaways!

Big shout out to Candid for sponsorsing this giveaway - be sure to check out the video I did on Candid and their anonymous social networking app down below.

Enter to win using the Gleam widget below, and good luck to all who enter!

iPhone 7 Plus / Google Pixel Giveaway!

Gallery: iPhone 7 Plus & Google Pixel XL Giveaway!


Toshiba Chromebook 2

Are today's laptop prices starting to worry you? If you have a laptop that's about ready to hum its last and need a replacement, there are inexpensive and dependable computers out there…if you know where to look. We're specifically talking about Chromebooks, those lightweight laptops that run Chrome OS and come with much cheaper specs than the average mobile machine. Even the best Chromebooks are limited in some ways: Because they can only run Chrome and have very limited storage, most of their work needs to be based in the cloud, on the web, or on more simple apps. However, if you don't need to run any demanding programs or save up a lot of data, they can be a very effective solution to your laptop vs. wallet problem. Here are several of our top picks for the best Chromebooks and why they shine.

Toshiba Chromebook 2 - $400

It's common to expect not-so-impressive specs on a Chromebook, so when one of these computers actually has impressive features, it's worth talking about. This Toshiba Chromebook 2 has a particularly great HD, 1080p screen: At around 13 inches it isn't huge, but it is bright and beautiful, and makes this Chromebook an entertainment device in its own right. The other features include 4GB of RAM, a Core i3 processor, and only 16GB of storage, so remember to take it easy and stream your entertainment instead of downloading it.

Click to continue reading Laptop Prices Got You Down? Here Are the Best Chromebooks

Gallery: Laptop Prices Got You Down? Here Are the Best Chromebooks


The Interview movie stream

The Interview, the movie release that’s been at the center of media hysteria for the past week, is now available to stream from the comfort of your home after having its theatrical release pulled. You can still catch the movie in theaters starting tomorrow, Christmas Day, but you’ll only find it in 300 select independent theaters. In order to reach the masses, Sony decided to partner with Xbox Video, YouTube, and Google Play in conjunction with its own SeeTheInterview.com site on streaming the feature into the homes of potential viewers.

As far as pricing goes, you can rent The Interview for $5.99, or buy it for $14.99. Will you be watching?

Click to continue reading The Interview now available, $5.99 to rent, $14.99 to buy

Gallery: The Interview now available, $5.99 to rent, $14.99 to buy


Google I/O 2014 kicks off today, with the big keynote starting at 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT, and you can join in and watch the presentation in the player above. What are we expecting to hear about during the Google I/O 2014 keynote? Well, the biggest piece of news will likely be the reveal of the next version of Android, likely Android 5.0. We'll get a look at the future of Android smartphones and tablets, in addition to set-top boxes. Google will be showing off a new Android TV set-top box, which is interesting since Google TV hardware failed so miserably over the last few years. Wearables should also be big today, with Google Glass and Android Wear devices getting some stage time. Google also typically releases Google+ updates during the I/O keynote as well.

What are you hoping to hear about from Google this morning?

Gallery: Watch the Google I/O 2014 Keynote here, live! [Video]


Twitch.tv YouTube google

If you live in the world of video gaming, you probably know about Twitch. It's a sound concept. Watch other people play video games. I know I did it when I was nine, there was always a group of us kids around the the guy with the Gameboy playing Mario as we cheered him on.

Now it comes down to watching strangers play over the internet in real time and instead of five guys looking at a handheld console over their friend’s shoulder, it's 43 million people watching a sum total of 6 billion hours of video game coverage every single month.

Those are some big numbers, and if there is one company that has a good nose for big numbers and the internet, it's Google. Now sources connected to Google have let it slip that the internet giant YouTube, owned by Google, is looking to acquire Twitch for $1 billion.

Should the deal go through, Twitch would gain access to Google's nigh-unlimited resources to expand. It also could run afoul of United States monopoly laws, granting Google a majority share of internet video game streaming services.

Twitch alone accounted for 1.35% of all downstream bandwidth in North America in March, with Youtube raking in 18.67%.

It's still in the rumor stage unfortunately, with Youtube and Twitch refusing to confirm talks, naturally. We'll see what banner I'm streaming under when July rolls around.

Gallery: Google wants to buy Twitch.tv for $1 billion to integrate it into YouTube


Google Glass sale

Google wants you to get them while they are hot. Google Glass has made its public premiere, but the company warns that its inventory is limited. When it opened a preliminary sale last month Google burned through the overwhelming majority of its Glass inventory in a single day and were forced to close up shop.

Since then Google has been building up its supply of the long-anticipated gadget. And as of Wednesday morning, they have announced open season on the Google Glass Explorer edition. It's still in the beta, but Google wants this to be its open test, as they announced via company blog this morning.

The Explorer carries a pretty heavy price tag: $1,500 in its current form. It's certainly outside of my range, so it looks like I won't be getting one just yet. Google says it plans a more widespread release of the Glass later this year. If that's the case, we're curious if the price will stay the same, and if not, how the company will handle the unhappiness of those who may have paid much more.

Want your own pair right now? Hit the link below!

Read More | Google Glass

Gallery: Google Glass sales now open to the public, still $1500


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