Clicky

On Gear Live: Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader: $260, color touchscreen, pre-order now

Latest Video: Bleeding Edge TV 322: Motorola DROID Reviewx

In this video we give you a preview and walkthrough of the new Motorola DROID smartphone from Verizon Wireless. We go over Android 2.0, Google Maps Navigation, the QWERTY keyboard, and more.
Play Video
Close Player   Episode Permalink Comment on this Video Subscribe to this show via iTunes, Miro, or RSS Download for: iPod High Definition

Bleeding Edge TV 322: Motorola DROID Review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Cell Phones, Features, GPS, Handhelds, Podcasts, Product Reviews, Software, Videocasts, Videos

Yes, we definitely hit you with our full Motorola DROID review, but many wanted to see a bit more video of the device. That being the case, we recorded this episode of Bleeding Edge TV to show off the different features of the Motorola DROID smartphone. We give you a look at the hardware, some of the Android 2.0 features, Google Maps Navigation, and more. All in all, it’s a twelve-minute walkthrough of the DROID, the smartphone that has grabbed the attention of the industry, giving Google, Motorola, and Verizon Wireless a lot of attention.

If you are at all curious, be sure to hit the video above.


Advertisement

Motorola DROID review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Features, Google, Handhelds, Product Reviews, Videos

Motorola DROID review

The is a symbol of change, for a bunch of different reasons. The fact is, the DROID is a Motorola phone, exclusive to Wireless, and runs . There is major significance for each of those three bullet points, and that’s not even getting into the actual device. In many ways, the DROID is something new for all three companies involved, which is likely why the three worked to closely together on getting the device just right. So the question is, did they succeed? We’ve had the device for about a week now, and we’ve been playing with it non-stop for the most part. We know what you’re probably wondering—how does the DROID stand up to the iPhone? Is Android 2.0 actually better than what we’ve seen from the platform on other devices? Does the Verizon network really make a difference?

We’ve got all the answers for you in our Motorola DROID review, so sit back, and read on for our take.

Click to continue reading Motorola DROID review


Video: Google Maps Navigation feature walkthrough

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Google, GPS, Handhelds, Software

One of the nicest features in is Google Maps Navigation. In a nutshell, it’s Google Maps with turn-by-turn GPS navigation, and voice guidance. Google has put together a video that introduces Google Maps Navigation, which we’ve embedded above, but there are some of the features that stand out to us:

  • Live traffic: Since Google Maps can show you traffic info, it’s obviously built-in to Google Maps Navigation, at no extra cost.
  • Routes always current: When you search for directions, Google Maps Navigation searches the cloud, and gives you the best current route based on the most recent data
  • Layers: You can overlay different types on data over your maps, like restaurants, gas stations, and more.
  • Live street view: This is just awesome. You can use the Google Street View feature to get a fantastic visual of your surroundings while driving
  • FREE!: Google Maps Navigation is free. That includes the GPS, the live traffic data, and the always updated maps. That is a big deal.

The first handset to ship with , and thusly Google Maps Navigation, will be the .


Video: A look at Android 2.0

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Software, Videos

Google has released a video that shows off all the new features. Of course, Android 2.0 is what powers the Motorola Droid. A few of the highlights:

  • Android 2.0 can pull in contacts from multiple sources, and supports two-way syncing. There is a new feature called Quick Contact, that shows you just about every way you can possibly contact someone when you tap their user icon.
  • Apps will now be able to turn on Bluetooth to set up connections with other devices
  • Android 2.0 supports multiple screen resolutions. In the video, we see an application running at 800x480 and 854x480, as an example

Definitely some good stuff here. Color us excited.


Motorola Droid: Available November 6th for $200, Verizon exclusive

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Handhelds

Motorola Droid

The wait for the Motorola to go official is finally over, as Verizon has announced all the details on the drool-worthy handset, highlighted by the fact that the Droid launches exclusively on Verizon Wireless on November 6th (yes, just over a week from now,) and will sell for $200 after mail-in rebate with two-year contract.

We know what many of you are thinking - $200 will get you an , so this thing better bring the pain. Well, my friends, it certainly does. The Droid is a top-notch phone, boasting a 3.7-inch 480x854 display, Cortex A8 processor, Bluetooth, GPS, 5-megapixel camera (with dual-LED flash,) slide-out QWERTY keyboard with d-pad. 3G, Wi-Fi, over-the-air Amazon MP3 downloads, and voice-activated search are also present. Included in the box is a 16GB SD card, as well as a dock for the phone. That’s just the hardware. Equally important is the software running on the device, and the Droid is the first handset to feature Android 2.0. That’s a big deal, as no other phone on the horizon seems to be shipping with 2.0. This also means that Droid picks up the new Google Maps Navigation feature, which essentially turns the phone into a fully-functional GPS, using Google Maps, at no extra cost.

We’ll obviously be bringing you more details as we get them, but expect to hear a lot, a lot about this phone over the coming weeks.

Read More | Verizon Wireless

Gallery: Motorola Droid: Available November 6th for $200, Verizon exclusive

  • Motorola Droid scary eye
  • Motorola Droid Android 2.0
  • Motorola Droid Slider QWERTY

Show us your Pwned Face and win a Limited Edition Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 console!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Cell Phones, Video Games

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 console giveaway

We love the holidays. Why? Because it puts us in a giving mood, and we know how much you guys like receiving from us. That’s why we’ve teamed up with our friends at shoot it! to bring you this awesome promotion. If you’re a gamer, you probably know that Microsoft is set to release a limited edition Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 console. It hits stores on November 10th, and we’ve pre-ordered one that we’re giving away to one of you. In case you’re unfamiliar with the console, here’s what’s in the box:

  • Limited edition Xbox 360 Console with exclusive design
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Standard Edition.
  • 250GB HD
  • 2 black wireless controllers
  • 1 black Xbox 360 wired headset
  • 1 Ethernet cable
  • 1 Standard Xbox 360 Composite A/V cable

Yeah, did you see that? A 250GB hard drive. That is more than twice the size of any other Xbox 360 hard drive that you’ll find. This is a serious piece of kit! So, how do you win? Simple. We want to see your “pwned face.” This is where shoot it! comes in. We want you to take a pictures of the face you make when you just pwned a n00b straight out of existence - but we also wanna see the sad pwned face you make when you get straight-up schooled by an 6-year old Halo prodigy. Entertain us, make us laugh, and strike fear into our hearts. We’ve got a few ways that you can enter the contest:

  1. If you don’t have the shoot it! app: You can register for the shoot it! app and they’ll email you a link to download the app for either your BlackBerry 8900, Bold, Tour, or iPhone. They’ll also add 3 FREE postcard credits to your account. All you need to do is snap your photos and send them off using shoot it! to the Gear Live mailing address listed below.
  2. If you already have the shoot it! app on your phone: Enter the promo code “gearlive” to receive the 3 FREE postcard credits. All you need to do is snap your photos and send them off using shoot it! to the Gear Live mailing address listed below.
  3. If you don’t have any of the shoot it! compatible phones: Take a photos of your pwned face, send them to the Gear Live mailing address listed below.
  4. On Twitter, send the following message:
    “Hey @gearlive - I’m sending you my #pwnedface with @shootitmobile. That Xbox 360 is mine! http://bit.ly/pwnedface”
    (Click here to tweet this now)

You should be following the Gear Live Twitter account. Be sure you put your email address and Twitter handle that you used to enter in the message area so that when we get your shoot it! postcard, we can contact you if you win! We will be picking a winner on Monday, November 30th. You can enter as many times as you like, so if you wanna send us fifty different shoot it! images, go for it. The more, the merrier. Here’s the address:

Gear Live
PMB 443
914 164th St SE Ste B12
Mill Creek, WA 98012

Of course, there are always rules to keep things legal. In this case, you’ve gotta be 16 years old or older as of November 1, 2009 to qualify, and you’ve gotta be a US resident. Good luck to all!

Read More | Gear Live shoot it! Xbox 360 giveaway

Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader: $260, color touchscreen, pre-order now

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds

Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader

Someone over on the Barnes & Noble web team seems to have jumped the gun, because the official site was up for a few minutes, before quickly being pulled down. Luckily, we were able to get in, and even pre-order a unit, before things got pulled. The B&N Nook e-reader runs , and looks like it’ll give the Amazon Kindle a run for its money.

The device features a 6-inch screen, with a 3.5-inch color touchscreen beneath it. This gives you a quick method to browse your library, the store, and input text into the device. Definitely much easier than the Kindle’s hard keyboard. The device measures in at 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5-inches, and weighs 11.2 ounces. You get 10 days of battery life if you turn off wireless, and the battery takes 3.5 hours to go from empty to full when plugged into a wall outlet. Speaking of wireless, the Nook actually sports both a 3G connection from AT&T, as well as built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g. Definitely an advantage over the Kindle, because even if you have poor cell reception, you can just connect to Wi-Fi to download a book. The Nook also includes 2GB of internal storage (enough to hold 1500 books,) a microSD slot for adding even more storage, MP3 playback, built-in speaker, headphone jack, and micro USB port for charging and syncing.

So, aside from the above, what sets this thing apart from the Kindle? For starters, you can lend books to friends for up to two weeks at a time, and they don’t even need a Nook of their own. They can access the Nook book content on an iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC, or Mac. The lending of literature is one thing that went away with the Kindle, and we are happy to see it return with Nook. The Barnes & Noble store also has over a million titles available for download, with more than 500,000 of those being free ebooks. The Nook can also read PDFs, something the Kindle 2 can’t do.

The Barnes & Noble Nook is available now for pre-order.

Read More | Nook

Mac mini updated, $999 Mac mini server added

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop

Mac mini server

Apple has updated the today, giving the two configurations that were previously available a nice bump in the specs department, and also adding a third to the mix, that being a Mac mini server. Starting with the $599 Mac mini, it now sports a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor (previously it was 2GHz,) 2GB RAM (previously 1GB,) and a 160GB HDD (up from 120GB). Next step up from there is the $799 Mac mini, which has a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, and 320GB HDD.

As for the new server version, it sits in the same enclosure as the other Mac minis, but has no optical drive. Instead, they throw in a second hard drive. So for $999, you get a Mac mini that includes two 500GB drives, includes Snow Leopard Server, 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB RAM, and GeForce 9400M GPU. Definitely a good idea for a small business where an Xserve might be overkill, or even an advanced home network solution. The new Mac mini is available now.

Read More | Mac mini

Apple Magic Mouse: Multitouch, Bluetooth, one button mouse

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple

Magic Mouse

The is finally here, replacing the oft-despised Mighty Mouse. So, what’s makes this new mouse so magical? For starters, there are no moving parts, other than the actual button. Yeah, the whole mouse is a button, but you can do the right-, middle-, and left-click. You can also scroll with a swipe across the acrylic surface of the mouse, and it also supports a bunch of the multitouch gestures you are used to using on Apple notebooks, two-finger swipes and all. The Magic Mouse is wireless, supporting Bluetooth, and the battery lasts a whopping four months. You can pick one up today for $69.

Read More | Apple Magic Mouse

Major Snow Leopard bug causing massive data loss

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: PC / Laptop, Software

Snow Leopard bug

All you users, take heed: if you have the Guest account enabled, you’ll wanna remove it until Apple fixes the latest bug that’s been found, if you don’t want to lose your data. In a nutshell, what’s happening is that if you attempt to log into the Guest account, and the system hangs, it could lead to mass deletion of all user files on the primary account. That means everything. So you reboot to clear out the frozen system, log in to the main account, and files have vanished. Yeah, that’s pretty bad, and worse, Apple has yet to acknowledge it and issue any sort of statement to users on how to avoid this until they release a patch.

To be safe, we recommend simply disabling the Guest account on all your Macs that happen to be running Snow Leopard until a fix is released. Seriously, better safe than sorry.

Read More | Neowin

Advertisement