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Geared Up: How Apple AR Glasses Could Change the Future w/ Guest Jacques Slade!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Wearables, PC / Laptop, Podcasts,

Apple augmented reality glasses AR

This week Jacques Slade joins the show as we take a deep dive into how Apple can use augmented reality and the rumored AR glasses to change the future of personal computing and mobile technology. We also chat about sneakers and sneakerhead culture, how Jacques got into the YouTube game, Microsoft’s latest Surface Go and Surface Book 3, and the greatness that is the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

SPONSOR: National Car Rental - skip the line with the Emerald Club. Go National. Go Like a Pro.

Listen to the episode in the player above or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go!


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Mysterious new Hydrogen One smartphone from Red and getting hyped for Tesla Model 3 - Geared Up!

The Geared Up Giveaway is back! We're giving Geared Up subscribers the chance to win an Oculus Go headset. See the bottom of this post for details on how to enter the giveaway.

High-end camera maker Red unveiled a mysterious new smartphone this week, and Geared Up co-host Andru Edwards was there for the hands-on experience. He said the new phone has some cool and exciting features, but also some strange ones.

Plus, Microsoft is once again trying to take on Apple's dominance in the tablet market. But can a new line of Surface devices make a real change?

We also dive into the hype around the Tesla Model 3, which is now rolling out to customers. Andru ordered his Model 3 more than two years ago and is picking it up in just a few days.

Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app.

Subscribe to the Geared Up podcast:

Win an Oculus Go VR Headset from Geared Up!


Hands on with the new Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo portable VR headsets - Geared Up!

The Geared Up Giveaway is back! We're giving Geared Up subscribers the chance to win an Oculus Go headset. See the bottom of this post for details on how to enter the giveaway.

The VR hype is starting to get real. Just in the past two weeks, Facebook's Oculus launched the highly affordable and convenient Oculus Go while Lenovo debuted its more sophisticated by pricey Mirage Solo, both more convenient devices than their powerful but bulky predecessors. So how do the two new headsets compare? We've been testing them out and on this episode, we go hands-on with both devices to give our reviews.

Plus, we're offering Geared Up subscribers the chance to win an Oculus Go headset -- just subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app and use the widget at the bottom of the page to enter. In other news, Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over the controversial MacBook keyboard and Microsoft announced a second generation of the Surface Hub, its huge wall-mounted PC. HP also made headlines this week with its announcement of several new laptops and desktops.

Win an Oculus Go VR Headset from Geared Up!

Subscribe to the Geared Up podcast:


Top 10 Gear Live tech stories of 2015

OS X El Capitan Release

We've come to the end of another year, and as we wave goodbye to 2013, we figured it was only fitting that we share the most popular stories published on Gear Live this year, as determined by our readers (we've also got the top ten most read stories regardless of publish date, as well as the ten most popular Gear Live videos of 2013!) These are the ten stories that were read the most, and when you consider that fact, it's pretty surprising to see what made the list. Let's kick it off with our most read story of the year:

OS X El Capitan will be released on September 30:
Anticipation for Apple's newest desktop operating system, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, trumped all other news here on Gear Live in 2015!

Click to continue reading Top 10 Gear Live tech stories of 2015


2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Microsoft Surface 3 with AT&T LTE

Microsoft Surface 3 LTE

Microsoft’s Surface 3 with AT&T LTE is a 10.8-inch Windows 10 tablet that can be converted into a laptop. For the road warriors out there, it packs in an LTE modem, which allows you to connect to AT&T wireless cell signals when on the go. Paired with the 10-hours of battery life, you have a capable Windows machine that’s easy to carry. It includes 1-year of Office 365 Personal with purchase.

Want the best deal on the Surface 3 with LTE? Grab it direct from AT&T. You’ll get a $100 discount with a 2-year commitment, or if you bundle it with a smartphone on an AT&T Next plan, you get a $200 discount, bringing the price down to $399.99!

You can pick up the Surface 3 with AT&T LTE now!

Click to continue reading 2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Microsoft Surface 3 with AT&T LTE

Read More | Surface 3 with AT&T LTE

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review

Microsoft Surface Pro 3

With the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has switched up its strategy on its tablet PC, aiming to make it the best Windows laptop for the average consumer. This is the third attempt from the company at reinventing the laptop, bringing tablet parity into the product that runs on a full-on Intel Core i5 processor. It’s a large tablet. It’s a thin laptop. It’s a powerful 2 in 1. Is it the one for you, though?

Click to continue reading Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review


Andru Edwards on GeekWire Radio: iPhone 6, Surface Watch, Fire Phone, and more

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft,

GeekWire Radio andru edwards

I made another appearance on this weeks episode of GeekWire Radio here in Seattle, Washington, keeping my streak alive as the person with the most guest appearances in GeekWire Radio history! In this episode, which also features Eyewitness News reporter Essex Porter (pictured with me above, and a huge Windows Phone advocate), we talk about a couple of recent Gear Live stories, including:

I brought in the two iPhone 6 mockups in both 4.7- and 5.5-inch varieties, which made for some good conversation. We also chat about the news of the week, which included the release of the Amazon Fire Phone, and we also had a discussion about what Microsoft needs to do to make Windows Phone more accepted by the general consumer. You can listen to the show now by grabbing the MP3 below, or hitting play in the widget.

Click to continue reading Andru Edwards on GeekWire Radio: iPhone 6, Surface Watch, Fire Phone, and more

Read More | GeekWire Radio (MP3)

Chris Weber interview: The future of device branding for Windows Phone

Chris Weber Microsoft Nokia

Chris Weber is the CVP of Mobile Devices Sales at Microsoft, re-joining the company through it's purchase of Nokia, where he was in charge of global sales. He knows his way around every Lumia device, and is now aiming to make sure that Windows Phone first-party hardware is an even player at the devices table. We were able to sit down with Chris to talk about Nokia, Lumia, Windows Phone, and what changes need to be made in order to realize the success he is seeking. Check out the full interview below:

When is Windows Phone 8.1 coming out?
The answer varies by device and operator. The Lumia 630 and 635 are the first 8.1 products, launched internationally. We’re also working with our current products, and any Windows 8 phone is upgradeable to 8.1. There is currently a developer preview, but the operator version requires further testing. 8.1 is a completely different experience. Things like the background wallpaper, increased customization, and especially Cortana, which is one of the best features.

There are key differences between Cortana and similar services on other devices. It proactively learns. The other day I was flying to Moscow. The week before, it asked if it wanted me to track my flight to Moscow. There is a link that says "Do you want to know how I knew that?" Cortana looked at my calendar and started looking up flight numbers. It also has geo-fencing. You can say "Remind me that Ignacio owes me $100." I can say remind me when I send an email, when I arrive home, etc. Or "Remind me to pick up my dry cleaning" and when you get in the area, the message pops up. "Remind me to pick up milk at the grocery store” and you get the choice of having it remind you when you are near any grocery store, not just one specific one.

Back to being on the plane, I said "Remind me to download the music for guitar when I get home." It's really, really good. Flow writing, which is similar to Swype, means I can do emails faster on my phone than on the keyboard now. I got a new phone and it wasn't running 8.1 and the hunt and peck was tough!

Click to continue reading Chris Weber interview: The future of device branding for Windows Phone


Exclusive: I used Microsoft’s Surface watch

Microsoft Surface Smart Watch

Yes, it’s true—Microsoft is about to get into the smartwatch game, and I got the opportunity to play with it. As we'd previously reported, Microsoft has filed a patent that details a smartwatch. However, often these patent filings aren’t exactly what we see companies end up releasing. So, let’s separate the cruft and get to the meat of the matter. A number of months ago I took a trip to New York where I came across someone who was testing the upcoming Microsoft wearable device. I saw it on their wrist and asked about it. They tried to explain that it was a random fitness wristband ordered from China at first, but eventually (with some prodding) gave me the scoop. Here is your exclusive first look at what Microsoft is planning for its first wearable smart device, what we are referring to as the Surface Watch:

  • As far as looks, the image above is a parody, but not far off. It has an elongated form factor, but isn't as comically large as what's in the image. It is much more akin to something like the Fitbit One or Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit in shape rather than taking on the shape of a traditional watch, like Pebble did, or like what Google showed off with Android Wear. What we saw had a flat display, while the inner portion that would rest against your skin was curved.
  • The icons are the flat style that Microsoft has been using on its other devices like Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Xbox One. That's what tipped me off in the first place.
  • Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy is how it interacts with the rest of the world
  • The flat glass display, and was definitely not high resolution. We hope that both of these change in the final product--a high-resolution curved display already exists on the Samsung Gear Fit, and the Microsoft device just didn't look as good.
  • The watch is packed with sensors. It has a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, and most interestingly, a galvanic skin response sensor all built-in. The galvanic skin response sensor is built into the watch band, while everything else is built into the unit itself.

Click to continue reading Exclusive: I used Microsoft’s Surface watch


Microsoft Surface Pro 3 pricing comes with a $129 caveat

Surface pro 3 prices

Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3 this morning, and noted that the device would be priced starting at $799. Of course, with multiple configurations and processors available, you're probably wondering what pricing across the entire Surface Pro 3 line might look like. Well, we've got the answer:

  • Intel Core i3, 64GB SSD, 4GB RAM: $799
  • Intel Core i5, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM: $999
  • Intel Core i5, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM: $1299
  • Intel Core i7, 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM: $1,549
  • Intel Core i7, 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM: $1,949

Here's the kicker, though. Microsoft has positioned the Surface Pro 3 as the tablet that can replace your laptop. Well, in order to do that, you need a keyboard. The Surface Pro 3 Type Cover keyboard costs a ridiculous $129.99. So, in other words, that $799 entry-level Surface Pro 3 price jumps to $929 with keyboard. Extra Surface Pens cost $49.99 as well, so, you'll want to not lose the one that comes with the device.

You can pre-order the Surface Pro 3 now. Who's buying one?


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