This machine will forever change how you watch TV.

That's a pretty bold statement, I know. And to make things bolder: Since TV is so closely tied to our lives, this product will also change your life overall. There, I said it. In the past couple of months, I've concluded that no one should be without some form of DVR in their homes. While TiVo and ReplayTV are perhaps more widely recognized, you simply can't deny the convenience and flexibility that comes out of this box, called the "Explorer 8000" directly from the folks at Scientific Atlanta and Time Warner. Click the link for Hector's review.

Click to continue reading Time Warner Explorer 8000 DVR Review

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HP today introduced several new iPAQ handhelds. Pictured here is their new top-of-the-line hx4705, which features a 4-inch 640 x 480 VGA color display, and an Intel PXA270 processor clocked at 624 MHz. Other goodies include 128 MB of Flash ROM and 64 MB of RAM. It also offers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as dual card slots for Secure Digital and Compact Flash. Another notable feature is a laptop-like touch-pad in place of the usual directional pad.

Read More | InfoSyncWorld

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Microsoft has made it known that its next generation operating system, codenamed Longhorn, will ship with HD DVD support built in. Microsoft said nothing about Blu-Ray (HD DVD's main rival) support, and it almost seems safe to assume that it will not be supported by the OS out of the box. Being that Windows is the majority leader by an extremely large margin, this could mean the beginning of a faster paced HD DVD development schedule - than again, who really know when Longhorn will even arrive?

Blu-Ray based technology has already started to hit store shelves, while HD DVD devices have yet to enjoy the same success.

Read More | ZDNet

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So, by now you've probably seen the movie. Twice. If you are considering purchasing the soundtrack, join Gear Live Music Columnist Greg Norton in his debut column, as he gives us an in-depth look at the Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack.

Click to continue reading Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack Review

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When we introduced the FreeiPods.com story last week on Gear Live, many a reader emailed us telling us that it had to be a scam. Others were excited and wanted to join in, so we set up a thread on the Gear Live Boards dedicated to helping people earn free iPods.

We now have word that Andrew B., one of our own, has in fact received his free 15 GB iPod from FreeiPods.com. Click the link to see the pictures.

Click to continue reading FreeiPods.com Is The Real Deal

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Tired of having excessive charges for each picture-message you send on your camera phone? Yahoo is now providing a way to share all your pics with a larger audience through its new site. The new Yahoo Photos feature, free to any registered Yahoo user, provides you with an exclusive e-mail address to use when sending photos from your phone to your Yahoo Photo online account. Get your MoBlog on!

Read More | CNet News

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Looks like the idea of getting a cell phone signal while you're miles away from the nearest tower at sea, is becoming a reality. Carnival Corp. and Royal Carribean Ltd. are ramping up services that'll let you chat away if you ever find yourself bored, or forgot to turn off something back at the office. Rates for U.S.-based crusies haven't been set, but you can expect them to be similar to roaming prices.

Read More | CNN

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While countries like Japan and Hong Kong have been kicking the rear end of the United States, many an American has wondered what exactly it is that is holding the US back from the incredible speeds that the Orient is able to give its customers. Well, Verizon is about to change the game with its new Fios internet service. What is it about Fios that makes it any better than Verizon DSL, Comcast, Cox, and all the others? One word: Speed.

Click to continue reading Verizon Fios To Bring Ultra Speed Net Access To The US

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As if the free Napster story wasn't enough, it now seems that Duke University plans to give 20 GB iPods to all first year attending students on August 19, 2004. Duke says that the iPods are being distributed for "educational use", and will have school related content preloaded on it. I am guessing this will be done via the Notes section on the iPod. Duke plans to have content such as orientation information, the academic calendar, and the ability to download faculty-provided course content all on the iPod. Now, despite how great this is for the students, wouldn't this idea have worked better if they were giving this content out on PDA's rather than iPods?

Read More | Duke University

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In what has to be seen as a big move in digital music, Napster has signed eight colleges up to its "Napster University Program". If you haven't heard about this, basically Napster subscription service is paid for by the universities and offered to the students for free. In some cases, part of the service is covered by the tuition. Napster says this is a big step in weaning college students off illegal Peer-to-Peer file sharing. Music downloads will still cost students the regular $0.99 per track, but streaming unlimited tracks is absolutely free.

The colleges that have signed up with the Napster University Program this far include Cornell University, George Washington University, Middlebury College in Vermont, University of Miami, University of Southern California, Wright State University, Penn State University, and University of Rochester.

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