As Gear Live braces itself for the onslaught of games approaching us this Fall, we thought it would be a good thing for to reflect on what is it that makes a videogame great? What things do we look for in our reviews, before making a recommendation? What factors are more important than others? Interested to know? Click on the link find out!

Click to continue reading Editorial: What Makes a Great Videogame?

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Thanks to a licensing deal announced back in January, you'll soon be able to aquire an HP-branded iPod, simply dubbed: "The Apple iPod from HP". The unit is pretty much a replica of Apple's latest 20-gig and 40-gig models - but will carry the HP brand instead. As part of the deal, HP will sell photo labels which will allow users to choose and print their own art, or select from a variety from artists HP has partnered with, and "wrap" the tattoo-like stickers around their iPods, for a unique look. The deal was to help Apple penetrate even deeper into consumer markets by leveraging HP's distribution capabilities.

Read More | Yahoo! News

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As most of us Verizon Wireless subscribers know, the company hasn't exactly been on the bleeding edge of cell phone technology in their phone selection. In fact, they are finally getting their first mid-range Bluetooth cell phone - the Motorola V710. Is this the phone many have been waiting for? Is it a worthy upgrade if you are a Verizon Wireless customer? Mobileburn puts the phone to the test in their review.

Read More | MobileBurn

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This week's upcoming DVD Releases feature quite a few that people have been waiting for. Depending on who you are, either The Passion of the Christ or South Park: The Passion of the Jew will make your want list. If not, there is always that zany Captain Kirk along with his sidekick Spock to keep you entertained.

Click to continue reading DVD Release List: 8/31/04

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You just gotta love competition. Case in point: Today, Intel announced major price cuts on the Pentium 4 and Itanium line of processors. The high end 3.6 Ghz Pentium 4 enjoys a 35% price reduction, going from $637 to a mere $417. Okay, maybe that is still a bit steep, but there's more. The much more cost-friendly 2.8 Ghz P4 chip went from $117 to $103. Looks like it may be time to consider upgrading.

For you business server types, you will be happy to know that the 64-bit Itanium chips have also had prices dropped, such as the 1.4 Ghz which goes from $2,247 to $1,980. Don't look for a drop on the "Extreme Edition" chips, however, as they remain at $999 USD.

Read More | vnunet

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With the recent release of the latest iterations of two great football games, many a gamer has pondered which offered the better play experience. Of course, Madden is the old time favorite having been around for over a decade - however, Sega (now using the ESPN brand) has released a superb game at a value price. Which is better? Gear Live contributing reporter Edwin Soto takes both games for a spin to provide some insight.

Click to continue reading Head to Head: Madden 2005 vs. ESPN NFL 2K5

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Ever hear the term "Barriers of Entry?" We all knew Microsoft had an uphill battle by trying to take on software giant, Electronics Arts. The result: Microsoft recently shut down its Sports Game Studio in Redmond, Wash., signalling an end to the "NFL Fever", "NBA Inside Drive" basketball and "NHL Rivals" franchises. You may have seen this coming by the way, since EA and Microsoft had already reached agreements to allow EA's sports franchises to be playable on the XBox Live online gaming experience. In related news, Microsoft's separate studio in Utah that develops individual sports games, such as the "Amped" snowboarding title, is not affected by the staff cuts.

Read More | CNet

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So, while may of us have receive our free flat screen TV's and free iPods, many wondered if that was the end of the offers from Gratis Networks. Well, wait no longer - they have now launched freedesktoppc.com. Although the computers are nowhere near high end, you still get to choose from four PC models. Let the rage begin all over again. Sign up for your totally free desktop PC here. Upon complete signup, you must then complete an offer and refer 8 others to do the same.

If you are looking to gain referals, check out the Gear Live Free Desktop PC Referal Thread.

UPDATE: The site is back up, and is live (Gratis had previously pulled the site down to finish its design)!

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Does anyone even use floppy diskettes anymore? These days, thumb-drives are all the rage. Not only do they hold more memory than conventional diskettes, they're much smaller and faster. We take a look at the tiny, but affordable offering from Kingston, their 64-Meg USB DataTraveler.

Click to continue reading Kingston USB DataTraveler Review

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If you aren't convinced yet of the power of the videogame industry, let me introduce you to a little game called Madden 2005. The football game by Electronic Arts reached a franchise record, selling more than 1.35 million copies at retail stores in its first week alone. Mind you, this is a game that retails for $49.99. Most music artists can't even hit the 1 million mark in their first week, and CD's are a third of the price.

Listening to the requests of Madden fans, EA pumped this years version full of new features including user-created leagues, a free EA Sports Premium Pass, and the coup de grace - XBOX Live compatibility.

On a related note, retailers EB Games and Gamestop have started taking preorders for Madden 2006, which coincidentally, has yet to be announced by Electronic Arts.

Read More | USA Today

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