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Check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide, win some awesome gadgets!
Our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide is in full swing - we are adding our recommendations daily, aimed at men, women, teens, families, techies, and more. If you need help figuring out what to get the people in your life, head on over to our Guide for some ideas. We’ll even be giving away some of the items featured this year!
First up? We’re giving away an iPad mini, Rdio subscriptions, and more!
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2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple iPad Air
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Women, Men, Techies, Under $500
Thanks to its vast ecosystem of apps, great performance, and a fantastic screen, the iPad Air earns a spot in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide (see our iPad Air review.) Compared to the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad Air is nearly identical in terms of function, although it's much faster and also sports a better front camera for FaceTime chats. The big leap is in the design department, where the iPad Air just dominates on comfortability. The iPad Air is the best full-sized consumer tablet that you can get this holiday season.
You can pick up the iPad Air now from Apple--order now if you want to ensure that it's delivered before Christmas.
Click to continue reading 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple iPad Air
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| Apple iPad Air
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iPad mini with Retina display review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews
I've been using the iPad mini with Retina display for a couple of weeks now, and after using it as my primary tablet device during that time (setting aside my iPad Air) I think it's time to report back with my findings as it pertains to Apple's second-generation miniature iPad.
Last year, Apple introduced the iPad mini to the world at the same time as the fourth-generation standard-sized iPad. Essentially, Apple took the iPad 2 and forked it into two different products--the Retina display-packing full-sized iPad, and the iPad mini, which was simply an iPad 2 that had been reduced in size. Many (me included) expected that the next iPad mini would remain a year behind as far as internal chips and technologies go, leaving the cutting edge stuff with the larger iPad.
We were wrong.
Instead, Apple released two iPad that are, from a technological standpoint, virtually identical. You got the slimmed down iPad Air (see our iPad Air review), and the iPad mini with Retina display. Both pack the same number of pixels. Both sport the new Apple A7 processor (1.4GHz for the iPad Air, 1.3GHz for the iPad mini.) Same with the M7 co-processor, and the 10-hour battery life. So, the question as it pertains to an iPad purchase becomes, is it more important to you to have a larger display, or a more compact form factor? I've already given you my iPad Air review, now join me after the jump for my review of the iPad mini with Retina display.
Click to continue reading iPad mini with Retina display review
2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Women, Men, Techies, Under $250, Under $500
The next item in Gear Live’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide is the Kindle Paperwhite. Why? well, as great as e-ink readers have been (and they've been pretty stellar,) since the original Amazon Kindle was released, their one tragic flaw has been that they become pretty useless in the dark. You either simply can't read them, or have to use a small light attachment accessory. Enter the Kindle Paperwhite. Amazon has designed what we consider to be the best e-ink reader to hit the market. It's flagship feature is the front-lit display, which works great when you're in the dark and want to read your latest ebook purchase without using a backlit tablet that's hard on the eyes, or an awkward clip-on light accessory. It also supports new features like telling you how much reading time you have before you finish your current chapter, and an all-touch display with virtually no lag. Check out our Kindle Paperwhite review, unboxing gallery, and video after the break for more, and head on over to Amazon to pick up the Kindle Paperwhite for $119 for that bookworm in your life.
Honorable mention: Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
Click to continue reading 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Read More | Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
iPad mini with Retina display now available for purchase
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds
If you've been waiting for the new iPad mini with Retina display to go on sale, it's time for you to head over to the Apple Store online. Apple announced the iPad mini with Retina display alongside the iPad Air three weeks ago, but the mini didn't see as immediate a release at the Air did due to supply constraints on the Retina panels. It's an odd move for Apple to launch as major a product as a new iOS device by simply releasing it on sale on its online store without it also being available in its physical retail locations, but that's exactly what's happened. You can order your iPad mini with Retina display now, and it'll currently ship in 1-3 business days if you want a 16GB or 32GB model. If you prefer 64GB or 128GB, those will ship in 5-10 business days. You may be able to do in-store pickup, but from what we are seeing, those are very, very few and far between.
The iPad mini with Retina display sports a 2048 x 1536 display, new Apple A7 processor, and MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity. Pricing starts at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, while the top-of-the-line version has 128GB storage and LTE connectivity for $829.
You can order your iPad mini with Retina display now.
Thinner. Lighter. Anyone familiar with Apple keynote events knows that these two words mean a lot to the company. In essence, Apple aims to reduce the bulks of its products, stripping away any unnecessary heft while simultaneously packing in as much power as possible. It's quite a task, really. The company has backed itself into a corner where it's now expected that anything that's a newer version of a previous thing will be smaller, thinner, and lighter.
Back in 2008, Apple did this with the jaw-dropping MacBook Air. Fully a Mac, but so thin you could slid it into a manila envelope. It was hard to believe that a Mac that thin, with a full-sized keyboard and display, was possible when PC makers were all focusing on grossly underpowered netbooks with cramped keyboards.
Now, Apple has done the same with its tablet lineup. Three-and-a-half years after releasing the original and iconic iPad, Apple has now made it almost impossibly thinner and lighter with the iPad Air. Sporting a new, slim design that borrows heavily from that of the iPad mini, the iPad Air bezel has been reduced by over 40%. Thickness has been reduced as well--20% thinner than the iPad 4 at 7.5mm. Perhaps most importantly, the iPad Air sheds almost half a pound of weight when compared against the two iPads that preceded it, all while maintaining the same impressive 9.7-inch Retina display.
So, the question now is, is the new iPad Air worth your time, attention, and hard-earned cash? Read on for our full iPad Air review as we explore Apple's latest flagship tablet.
Click to continue reading iPad Air review
Apple iPad Air event: All the details
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Software
Yesterday, Apple made what will likely be its final product announcements of 2013, and there was plenty they had to go over during the 2013 Apple iPad event. The star of the show was the iPad Air, although some might argue that OS X Mavericks launching for free was the biggest surprise of the day. We covered all the news, and have broken everything down by category below to make it easy for you to catch up.
iPads
Macs
- 15-inch MacBook Pro updated, now starts at $1999
- 13-inch MacBook Pro refreshed with Retina display, starts at $1299
- The new Mac Pro launches in December for $2999
OS X & iOS
- OS X Mavericks will launch today, completely free
- Apple releases iOS 7.0.3 with iCloud Keychain, iMessage fix, Touch ID tweaks
- OS X Mavericks now available, grab it from the App Store for free
iWork
- Apple releases Numbers 3.0, here’s a look at what’s new
- Apple releases next major version of Keynote, here’s what’s new
- Apple Pages hits 5.0, here’s a look at what’s new
iLife
- iMovie 10.0 now available, here’s a list of all the new features
- Apple releases major iPhoto ‘11 update, here’s what’s new
What was your favorite announcement of the day?
Apple releases iOS 7.0.3 with iCloud Keychain, iMessage fix, Touch ID tweaks
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Handhelds, Software
Alongside all the major news coming out of today's Apple iPad event, the company has also released an iOS update. iOS 7.0.3 bring a few new features to the platform, like iCloud Keychain, which works alongside the same feature in OS X Mavericks (which was also released today on the Mac App Store) to keep your account names, passwords, and credit cards synced across your devices, while protecting them with your Apple ID. Here is a rundown of all the changes in iOS 7.0.3:
- Adds iCloud Keychain to keep track of your on account names passwords and credit card numbers across all your devices
- Adds Password Generator so Safari can suggest unique hard to guess passwords for your online accounts
- Updates lock screen to delay display of "slide to unlock" went Touch ID is in use
- Adds back the ability to search the web and Wikipedia from Spotlight search
- Fixes an issue where iMessage failed to send for some users
- Fixes a bug that could prevent iMessage from activating
- Improves system stability when using iWork apps
- Fixes an accelerometer calibration issue
- Address is an issue that could cause Siri and VoiceOver to use a lower quality voice
- Fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the lock screen passcode
- Enhances the Reduce Motion setting to minimize both motion and animation
- Fix is an issue that could cause VoiceOver input to be too sensitive
- Updates the Bold Text setting to also change dial pad text
- Fix is an issue that could cause supervise devices to become unsupervised when updating software
You should be able to check the Software Update area on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to grab the update now.
The one glaring hole in the iPad mini has now been fixed, as Apple has announced a brand new iPad mini with Retina display. It sports the same 2048 x 1536 display that is found on the new iPad Air, and also sports the same processor as well--the Apple A7 processor, also found in the iPhone 5s. It even has the M7 processor built-in as well. In fact, it sports all of the same features internally that are found on the iPad Air--the only difference seems to be the size of the actual display, and since the iPad mini and iPad Air share the same display resolution, the mini ends up having the more pixel dense panel. No exact launch date has been announced yet, but we know that it'll launch in late November, starting at $399 for the 16GB model--that's a $70 price increase when compared to the original non-Retina iPad mini.
Read More | iPad mini Product Page
Apple has announced the new iPad Air, the 5th generation and the next evolution for its 9.7-inch tablet, and it has taken on a whole new design. If you've seen the iPad mini, then you have an idea of what the new full-sized model looks like. It's rear shell is the same shape that the iPad mini has been using since its launch. The smaller bezel results in a much smaller footprint, making it 20% thinner at 7.5mm thin, and weighs just 1 pound (down from the 1.4 pounds of the iPad 4.) On the inside, you get a 64-bit A7 processor, along with the M7 coprocessor found in the iPhone 5s. No major camera upgrade, as the shooter remains at 5-megapixel, although the FaceTime front camera does see a modest update. MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi support rounds things out.
You can pick up the new iPad Air at the Apple Store on November 1, starting at $499. LTE models are available as well for AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and for the first time, T-Mobile.
Check out the rest of the news from today's Apple iPad event!
We’re giving away a brand new iPad mini!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Apple, Handhelds
In case you missed it, we are giving away an iPad mini, and you only have two more days to enter! This is a super-easy contest to enter. We have 21 questions we'd like to ask you about what you think of our Ford Fiesta Movement video content so far. Simply head on over to the survey and answer the 21 questions. At the end, select my name (Andru Edwards) and put in a valid email that we can use to contact you if you're selected as the winner. That's it!
Read More | iPad mini giveaway
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