Latest Gear Live Videos
Is the new MacBook Pro really worth the price? Hands-on with Apple’s high-end notebook
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop,
Apple’s new MacBook Pro comes with an eye-catching feature, a Touch Bar across the top of the keyboard that replaces the function keys with virtual buttons and sliders that change in context, depending on which program or app you’re using at any given moment.
But starting at $1799 for a 13-inch model with Touch Bar, this is no small investment. So is the new MacBook Pro really worth it? Andru Edwards of Gear Live & Todd Bishop of GeekWire have a new MacBook Pro in-studio for this special GeekWire podcast and video segment to give us their take.
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Western Digital Blue SSD review: A solid SSD
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, PC / Laptop, Product Reviews, Storage,
For decades, Western Digital has been recognized as one of the very few leaders in the world of storage and hard drives. If you open up that pre-built computer you bought, there's a good chance that on the inside you'll find a Western Digital-branded drive. If you're building your own, you likely purchased (or at least considered) going with Western Digital for your internal storage solution.
Where this might now have been the case is if you wanted to be a part of the growing trend of users switching to solid state drives. SSDs allow for faster speeds, both in read and write times, as well as the benefit of having no moving parts. They are faster, quieter, and more durable. When they were first released, they were prohibitively expensive, but as time has gone on, prices have dropped substantially as they do with any new form of technology.
The problem that Western Digital had was that it's class-leading hard disk drive prowess didn't mean that it was prepared for the new age of SSDs, and it had nothing to offer customers who wanted to go this route. It's solution was to purchase SanDisk in March 2016, a company that excels at flash storage solutions, and 8 months later we have the first results in the Western Digital Blue SSD.
Click to continue reading Western Digital Blue SSD review: A solid SSD
So, what is an Ultrabook anyway?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Microsoft, PC / Laptop,
If you've been shopping for a laptop lately, you may have a vague idea that "ultrabook" means "lightweight" and "small" but otherwise you may be a little confused about why some laptops are called ultrabooks and others aren't. It's understandable – this is one of those areas where names sort of caught on and many different manufacturers started using it, often with different ideas about what it meant. Here are the major points that define an ultrabook, and more importantly the top ultrabooks, and why they matter if you are getting ready to buy a computer.
Click to continue reading So, what is an Ultrabook anyway?
2 Powerful & Stylish Gaming Laptops
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, PC / Laptop, Video Games,
The key feature of a gaming laptop is that it should be, you know, a laptop: Easy to pack up and carry around for gaming sessions at a friend's house or on the go. Too many gaming machines add so many extra bells and whistles that you need a crate just to carry them around, which kind of ruins the point. The best gaming laptops should be light enough to easily tote, offer enough customization for you to make them your own, and include powerful features that can deal with demanding games without burning out your hardware by the end of the month.
Click to continue reading 2 Powerful & Stylish Gaming Laptops
2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Fallout 4
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Video Games, Men, Teens, Under $100, Under $250, Under $500,
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, have released Fallout 4 – their most ambitious game ever, and the next generation of open-world gaming, and it's completely worthy of being featured in our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. As the only survivor of Vault 111, you re-enter a world that’s been destroyed by nuclear war in an attempt to locate and get back your kidnapped son as you make your way through the nuclear wasteland.
You can pick up Fallout 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
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| Fallout 4
The Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 is the convertible PC for this holiday season
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: PC / Laptop,
If you're looking for a 2-in-1 convertible notebook to add to your holiday wish list this season, be sure to consider the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12. Built and designed for Windows 10, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 can go from laptop mode over to tablet mode with a quick flip of the display. It sports an amazing 12.5-inch 4K UHD touchscreen, which is one of the best you'll see in this category. On the inside, you'll find an Intel Core i7 processor paired with 8GB RAM, and a blazing fast 256GB SSD.
Bleeding Edge TV 539: DTS Play-Fi Multi-room Wireless Music Streaming
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Home Entertainment, Music, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos,
Play-Fi is the whole-home wireless streaming technology from the audio experts at DTS. With Play-Fi, compatible speakers and receivers can be controlled from your smartphone, tablet, or PC, sending music from your favorite music services like Spotify, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, and Deezer, as well as songs stored on your local home network DLNA server.
You can find Play-Fi compatible audio components from companies like Phorus, Definitive Technology, Polk, Wren, and Hewlett-Packard.
You can get Play-Fi-compatible devices now!
Don't forget to subscribe to Gear Live's YouTube channel--also, we are giving away awesome perks for our Patreon backers - thanks for your support!
Click to continue reading Bleeding Edge TV 539: DTS Play-Fi Multi-room Wireless Music Streaming
Unboxing Live 167: Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, PC, Peripherals, Videocasts,
If you need an insanely fast external SSD drive for your Mac or PC, then look no further than the Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+. Despite the name, you can use this drive with either Thunderbolt or USB 3.0, and since it is an SSD with no moving parts, it's ridiculous fast with read and write speeds. I use it to do video editing directly off of for Final Cut Pro X, and it never skips a beat.
You can pick up the Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+ now.
Don't forget to subscribe to Gear Live's YouTube channel, and also--we are giving away awesome perks for our Patreon backers - thanks for your support!
Click to continue reading Unboxing Live 167: Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+
Stop at Best Buy for that Back to School SanDisk flash storage
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Storage,
Summer is nearing an end, and back to school season is in full swing. As you shop for those notebooks, backpacks, pencils, and the like, be sure to keep in mind that we live in a digital world where students are expected to become comfortable with technology. Homework now involves the Internet and the usage of tablets and laptops to get the job done. When moving those items around, it’a always good to have a backup, even in the age of cloud storage. SanDisk is always up to the challenge, and I’ve relied on SanDisk digital storage for over a decade when it comes to photography, and external storage.
Click to continue reading Stop at Best Buy for that Back to School SanDisk flash storage
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, PC / Laptop, Product Reviews,
Back when we brought you our first-look at the HP Elitebook Folio 1020 G1, many pointed out just how amazing this enterprise-level notebook looked. Obviously, this line of thinking is referring to the fact that business laptops in the past have been plain, mostly matte black affairs that lack any sort of desirability from a consumer perspective. Sure, IT departments get excited about the security features and how cheap they are, but the accompanying bulk, weight, and poor battery life leave much to be desired. HP is aiming to change that with the Elitebook Folio 1020 G1, fancifying what a business laptop can be. Is it worth your attention? Follow along in our HP Elitebook Folio 1020 G1 review for the answer.
Click to continue reading HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 review
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