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Gmail founder predicts Chrome OS is doomed

Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Software,

Last night Paul Buchheit, the former Google employee who created Gmail, tweeted his rather bold prediction that Chome OS was doomed:

"Prediction: ChromeOS will be killed next year (or "merged" with Android)"

He then added on the FriendFeed thread that Chrome OS has "no purpose that isn't better served by Android" and asking "is this too obvious to even state?" As Google started to ship CR-48 preview devices, with tech blogs reviewing them endlessly, people found themselves in front of a new type of system, one that provides much less than Android, or any other OS has provided before. Google is hoping that the web is all that many people need, and targeting Chrome OS at them. But as people started to plug in devices and finding that they don't work, being unable to do simple things like save photos from their digital cameras locally, or write a document without having to be online, it seems that the company still has a long way to go to convince people that Chrome OS is a good idea, for any market.

Read More | FriendFeed

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Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens Split Up

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Movies, Television, Break-ups,

Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron

Attention all you cougars out there (I’m talking you, recently-separated Elizabeth Hurley) – Zac Efron is now a single man.

It’s just been announced that the 23-year-old actor and his High School (Musical) sweetheart, Vanessa Hudgens, have broken up. They’d been together since 2006.

According to an insider, the split had nothing to do with another person. "They were together for so long. It just ran its course."

"They are 100 percent still good friends," a People source added.

This news comes just one day before Hudgen’s birthday. She turns 22 tomorrow.

Read More | E! Online

VIDEO: See Metrodome Roof Collapse from Inside Stadium

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sports, FOX, Video,


Want to know why you didn't get to see the Minnesota Vikings play the New York Giants today? Here's the reason.

The Minneapolis area was hit with over 17 inches of snow, and the city's stadium -- which opened in 1982 -- felt the impact.

When leaks started forming on Saturday (apparently not an unusual event for the structure), the FOX Sports crew decided to leave their cameras rolling. Based on the great footage, their efforts definitely paid off.

The game will now be played Monday night at 7 p.m. ET in Detroit's Ford Field.

Read More | YouTube

How to buy a Blu-ray player

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment,

buy a blu-ray player

The benefits of Blu-ray are crystal clear: Video from traditional DVDs contains fewer than 350,000 pixels, while 1080p HD video packs more than two million, which translates to sublime, high-resolution detail. If you want to make the most of your 1080p HDTV, you should upgrade to a Blu-ray player.

And there's never been a better time to do it. The technology has matured, and the current crop of Blu-ray players offer stellar HD picture quality, fast disc-handling, and extras like integrated Wi-Fi, audio and video streaming, and in the case of Sony's Internet TV Blu-ray Player, Google TV, which brings Web search and other Internet features right to your HDTV.

These days you can find a very solid, well-rounded player for less than $200 if you do some smart online shopping. Still, there are a lot of choices out there. Here's what you need to consider when choosing the right Blu-ray player:

Click to continue reading How to buy a Blu-ray player


2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Alpaca from the Oxfam Collection

We've been listing a bunch of gadgets and toys in our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, but we've heard it said many times that the holidays have become, like, "so commercial." Hey, we aren't ones to turn a shiny new gadget away, but we also understand that sometimes it's better to help those who are in serious need. That said, we wanted to point you to Oxfam America. The company allows you to gift a tangible charitable gift to a family in need, as their goal is to help put an end to poverty and injustice. We're talking about real animals here. You can donate a dozen baby chicks, a goat (or a full tribe of goats!), sheep, cows, honey bees, and more. Heck, you can even donate manure. We wanted to help get the word out, and to do so, we're gonna give away an alpaca.

Alpacas are doe-eyed with cashmere-soft fur and flourish at altitudes well over 10,000 feet. Because few other animals are as hardy, these camelids are vital to Andean communities. Your gift of an alpaca meadow ensures plenty of nutrient-rich grass to help herds weather tough winters. And that means a lot to families who rely on these critters.

Yeah, we also like them because they look absolutely ridiculous...and seriously, who gives away an alpaca? We do. The winner will receive a code that they can redeem on the Oxfam website, allowing them to donate an alpaca for free to a family in need. If you win, you can even gift that code to someone else, we just want it to be put to good use.

Here’s how to enter:

That’s it! Remember, you’ve gotta have a Twitter account (they're free), and you’ve gotta be following the Gear Live Twitter account so that we can send you a DM if you’re the winner. This one is only open to residents of the US. We will be announcing a winner on December 10, so you’ve got the rest of this week to qualify.

Click to continue reading 2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Alpaca from the Oxfam Collection


Samsung Nexus S: Next Google phone to launch Dec. 16 with Gingerbread

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,

Google Nexus S

The Google Nexus S is officially the next Google phone, as Google confirmed it this morning, throwing up a product page for the upcoming smartphone. What's so special about it? Well, for starters, it's the first phone to ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and Google says that owners of the Nexus S will be the first to receive future software and app updates. It's got a 4-inch WVGA display, tri-band HSPA (but no HSPA+ to take advantage of those faster T-Mobile speeds,) a 5 megapizel camera, front-facing VGA camera, and near-field communication built-in. It has 16GB of storage built-in, and 512MB RAM with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. Other interesting tidbits include the contour display, which kind of shapes to your face, integrated VoIP support, and gyroscope.

You'll be able to purchase the Nexus S on December 16th at Best Buy locations for $199 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, or $529 unlocked. On December 20th, it'll be available in the UK at Best Buy UK and Carphone Warehouse.

Read More | Nexus S via Google Blog


Bleeding Edge TV 370: A Tour of Bungie Studios, the folks behind Halo

In this one we bring you behind the scenes at Bungie Studios in Redmond, WA. Bungie is the maker of the popular Halo series of games, and we were there for an early look at the Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack. We figured we'd get a tour of the place as well, to show you guys just how cool Bungie is. In the video, you get a look at some of the life-sized Halo props and gear, awards they've won, what's in the Bungie rec room (they're huge Street Fighter fans!), and more.

Big thank you to JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like. In addition, we wanna thank GoToMeeting as well - be sure to get your GoToMeeting 30-Day free trial and experience the freedom of being able to share and access your desktop from anywhere, remotely.


2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Zune HD

Zune HD

The  may have made its debut last year, but it's still a damn good PMP that doesn't get all the love that it deserves--seriously, just check out our Zune HD review. With the recent launch of Windows Phone 7, and Zune on Xbox 360, the brand has gotten a lot of play recently, and we think the Zune HD is more than worthy of a spot on our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. Microsoft came through with a superb device with a fantastic service behind it to match. In fact, we’ve said it many time that, in our opinion, for someone that truly loves music, Zune is the best deal around. Coupled with the $15 per month Zune Pass (which isn’t a requirement,) you get a top-notch portable media player with an OLED screen, HD Radio, and web browser with the advantage of being able to listen to pretty much any song you can think of at a moments notice. There's also an app marketplace that lets you download games, Twitter and Facebook integration, and more.

The Zune HD retails for $349 for the 64GB, $269 for the 32GB, and $199 for the 16GB model - however, Amazon’s got a great sale on the Zune HD that’ll put the 32GB model into your hands for $203 ($63 off,) the 16GB model will run you $149 ($50 off,) and the 64GB model for $314 ($30 off.)

Oh, and did we mention something about giving it away? Heck yeah! We will be running the 32GB Zune HD giveaway for a week. The winner will receive a 32GB Zune HD and a 1-month Zune Pass!

Here’s how to enter:

That’s it! Remember, you’ve gotta have a Twitter account (they're free), and you’ve gotta be following the Gear Live Twitter account so that we can send you a DM if you’re the winner. This one is only open to residents of the US. We will be announcing a winner on December 10, so you’ve got a week to qualify.

Read More | Zune on Amazon

Richard Branson unleashes Project, an iPad magazine

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Design, Handhelds,

Project Magazine

The new iPad-only magazine entitled “Project” was launched yesterday. Helmed by Richard Branson, Project is available as an iPad magazine where issues cost $2.99 each. A subscription option through iTunes is thought to be the next step for the magazine, and may be announced December 9th at a media event.

The cover of the inaugural issue loans the talents of Jeff Bridges, toting an exclusive story on Tron 2. Project uses features such as “Spine”, “Action Buttons”, and “Plus Panels” that make the magazine more than simply a print-to-digital carbon copy. As such, the iPad-only magazine has the potential to be a new form of media. However, whether it lasts or not is a question we will see answered over the deciding next few months. 

Read More | Project Magazine

James Franco and Anne Hathaway: New Academy Awards Hosts

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Awards, Celeb News,

Anne Hathaway and James Franco

For the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be going about as far away as Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as you can get.

It’s been announced that Anne Hathaway and James Franco – two other Saturday Night Live hosting vets – have been asked to front the live event. This would be the second year in a row a pair of actors shared hosting duties.

Click to continue reading James Franco and Anne Hathaway: New Academy Awards Hosts

Read More | Deadline

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