Motorola DROID review

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

The Motorola DROID is a symbol of change, for a bunch of different reasons. The fact is, the DROID is a Motorola phone, exclusive to Verizon Wireless, and runs Android 2.0. 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.

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iPod shuffle Special Edition stainless steel gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Galleries, Portable Audio

You know that new iPod shuffle that Apple was gushing over during their “It’s Only Rock and Roll” event? We were able to get our hands on one of the stainless steel beauties, and have given it our gallery treatment. If you’re interested in an inexpensive iPod that can hold a couple thousand songs and keeps a low profile, this might be the one for you. Check it out, it’s definitely slick.

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Gallery: iPod shuffle Special Edition stainless steel gallery

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Editorial: It’s time to raise the Xbox Live friend limit

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Music, Video Games

Okay, I’ve had enough of the Xbox Live friend limit that Microsoft has imposed on us for far too long. I think this has gone on long enough, and I’m really not seeing a good reason for it. As many Xbox Live gamers know, the current limit on friends you can have is set to 100. The thing is, in the age of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and all the others, we are now used to connecting with many people in our social graph across many different services.

Now, all that said, there is still one more very annoying piece to this puzzle. Did you know that the Zune Social and Xbox Live share one common friends list? In other words, if you currently have 100 Xbox Live friends, and you go out and buy a Zune, and want to connect with people who also have Zune’s (but don’t necessarily play games,) you are out of luck. You’ll have to remove someone from your Xbox Live friend list to add someone else. This is, in two words, absolutely ridiculous. I get wanting to share the Zune and Xbox ecosystem, but to shoot yourself in the foot like this is just puzzling. I personally have at least 15 people that I would like to add as friends on the Zune Social, but I can’t, because my Xbox Live list is maxed out.

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Bleeding Edge TV 314: GM OnStar Remote Ignition Block

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, GPS, Podcasts, Transportation, Videocasts, Videos

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GM‘s OnStar service has a few convenient features, along with some nice safety features in place to aid in the recovery of your vehicle if it happens to be stolen. In this episode, we take a look at Remote Ignition Block, a new OnStar feature that stops your car from turning on in the event that it is reported stolen. In conjunction with GPS satellites, this helps law enforcement find your car much faster than they’d likely be able to otherwise.

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Hands-on with the August 11 Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Downloadable Content, Features, Microsoft, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Marketplace

This morning, Microsoft hooked us up with an early preview of the next Xbox 360 Dashboard Update. We were able to get a look at the new Netflix features (which no longer require a PC,) the Avatar Marketplace, Game Ratings, Games on Demand, and more. While more coveted features like Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm, and Zune Marketplace won’t be landing until the fall, the update is still a solid one. Here are our thoughts on the next update, which lands on your Xbox 360 on August 11 (or sooner if you apply for early access!)

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Gallery: Hands-on with the August 11 Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

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OmniFocus for iPhone 1.5.1 feature list, now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, App Updates, Above $10

OmniFocus for iPhone has just been updated to version 1.5.1. While that number ma give it the appearance of being a minor update, there are actually plenty of additions, changes, and fixes. Here’s a look at the more important ones:

• Nearby remembers whether you last used Map or List view.
• Added settings for whether the app badge counts overdue actions, due soon actions, both, or neither.
• You can assign locations to contexts by editing the nearby list.
• Fixed a bug where the map sometimes wouldn’t recenter after launching directly into Map view.
• Fixed some bugs in the Sync Settings interface.
• Removed “mailto” from the Send Feedback email address.
• Cleaned up some animation transitions with the item title on the details screen.
• Image attachments now display on a black background.
• When selecting a start or due date, you can now tap multiple times on the Day, Week, and Month buttons to increment the date further.
• Updated the interface for repeating actions. Repeating actions now distinguish between repeating on a fixed schedule (“repeat every”), starting again some period after completion (“start after”), and becoming due again some period after completion (“due after”). Please note that OmniFocus 1.6 for Mac only supports “repeat every” and “due after”; the “start after” option is coming to the Mac in v1.7.
• Fixed sorting in the All Actions lists.
• Fixed a bug with restoring the top-level All Actions view state during launch.
• Inline browsing now works with “Http” URLs, not just “http”.
• Fixed a bug with unselectable attachment rows.
• Contexts once again show a section header between subcontexts and actions.
• Fixed a bug where toolbar buttons could disappear after syncing on the Settings screen.
• Disabled attachment editing while recording or playing back an audio attachment.
• Fixed a potential crash in the Repeat screen.
• Improved the margins of the title field on the Title & Note screen.
• Fixed a bug where entering a note for a new inbox item could lose your item title.
• When filing an action or project, the Move screen once again indents items to indicate hierarchy.
• Copying an action now places its task XML, its title (as text), and its omnifocus: link on the pasteboard. You can now paste a link from one task into the notes of another task, then click on the link to switch over to the linked item.
• Added support for pasting more types of images into attachments.
• Fixed a number of layout issues in the experimental landscape mode. (We’re not quite ready to enable this by default yet, but definitely getting closer!)
• Fixed some crashes and other bugs with the experimental undo support. (Undo is also still a work in progress, so it’s also disabled by default.)

Of course, you’ll find OmniFocus for iPhone in the App Store, and the 1.5.1 update is available now.

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OmniFocus for iPhone 1.5 features

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, App Updates, Above $10

OmniFocus for iPhone, our favorite task management app, is set for an update. OmniFocus 1.5 will require iPhone 3.0, as it takes advantage of some of the new iPhone OS features like Cut, Copy, and Paste, as well as the new Map API. Here’s a look at some of the new features you can expect from OmniFocus for iPhone 1.5:

• OmniFocus now displays nearby contexts using a map. Touch a pin to see all the tasks in the corresponding context.
• You can Cut, Copy, and Paste entire actions by holding down a checkbox in an action list. You can paste into an empty list by holding the “No Actions” text.
• You can search through all your projects and actions using the new Search screen.
• In Projects and Contexts screens, you can select All Actions to show a grouped list of all actions.
• You can set up repeating actions and projects using the new Repeat screen.
• Action lists now display each action’s due date.
• Web links in notes now open inside OmniFocus (rather than launching Safari).
• Send Feedback now sends email inside OmniFocus (rather than launching Mail).
• We’ve added experimental support for landscape mode and undo; both can be enabled under Settings.

We want this. Now. You can download OmniFocus for iPhone from the App Store.

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Five technology trends that will define 2009

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Editorial, Features, GPS, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Software

This is a guest post by LaptopLogic - head over to them to find laptop reviews, laptop news and search their database for the best top rated laptops.

We are nearing the end of the first quarter of 2009, and we think that based on what we’ve seen happen already this year, combined with some announcements of things to come, that we can start to make sense of what 2009 will look like when we look back on it. For instance, we think consumers will see a number of technological advancements in the devices they buy—the laptops, media players, gaming systems, and televisions. That’s always the case. However, we think there are a handful of trends that will dominate the consumer technology market, and we thought we’d take a look at five of them here. Let’s get started:

GPS Everything
It seems that mobile phones and GPS can’t be kept apart these days. With the release of Apple’s wildly successful iPhone 3G, GPS has become a standard feature on many of today’s advanced mobile devices.

While GPS used to be reserved for geeky standalone gadgets, like that of a Garmin or Tom Tom, being able to locate yourself wirelessly is now firmly in the realm of cell phones. And that’s just the start. Expect to see GPS penetrating a greater number of tech devices in 2009.

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Amazon Kindle 2 review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews

We’ve spent a few days with the Amazon Kindle 2, which has been the talk of the gadget world this week. We know some of you are wondering if you should pick one up, so we are here to give you our thoughts on the latest iteration of Amazon’s e-book reader. If you’re like us, you already know that the Kindle 2 is available for purchase now, and you likely have one in your hands - but for the rest of you, join us for our full review of the Kindle 2 (and if you missed it, check out our Kindle 2 gallery.)

Okay, so while we were working on the review, we sent a couple of questions out to some of our Twitter peeps asking what they thought of the device, and Lisa from EllisLab hit us back with so much info, that we are using her feedback to break this down for you. Sometimes you need the point of view of a “real world” user anyway, as opposed to one of us gadget fiends. So what we will do is give some of our thoughts on the Kindle 2, and then bring in Lisa’s thoughts as well.

The Kindle 2 was announced on February 9th, and just started shipping on February 24th. The announcement came with the promise of a 25% improvement in battery life, 20% faster page turns, a better screen that supports up to 16 shades of gray (as opposed to 4 shades with the original,) and a much thinner design.

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Poll: How is your Xbox 360 connected to your network?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Features, Internet, Video Games, Wireless / WiFi

Time to bring back the Gear Live poll, because we’re wondering what method most Xbox 360 users are employing when they connect their consoles to their home networks. We’re talking about you. Did you spend the extra benjamin on one of the Wireless Networking Adapters? Do you run a long-ass cable from your router to the 360 to avoid latency (or cost of said adapter)? Something else?

Hit up the poll and let us know, and feel free to use the comments to give us a more thorough response!

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