Google has finally reincarnated its map offering and is free of charge in Apple's App store for your consumption. The app promises features that the fabled old stock maps didn't offer like voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation. It has been said by AllThingsD that Apple chose to do its own mapping solution because Google wouldn't offer that specific feature for iOS. My initial impression of the app is that it is visually appealing, and we are glad to see that Street View is present, along with public transit info. The most important thing is that the new Google Maps is vector-based, so navigating the map should be buttery smooth. Google reps have admitted that it's even better than maps for Android. Here's the run down of the features in the Google Maps reboot:

Click to continue reading Google Maps now available for iPhone

Read More | Google Maps for iOS

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If you were interested in the Drobo 5D, but wanted something a bit more network-friendly, the newly-announced Drobo 5N might just be your cup of tea. Built on the same architecture as the 5D, the Drobo 5N does away with the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports and instead opts for a gigabit Ethernet port instead, giving all the devices on your local network access to the file storage array. You can pack up to five 3.5-inch drives into the chassis, as well as an mSATA SSD to make things even faster. All in all, you get a maximum capacity of 20TB. Not too shabby. The Drobo 5N is set to start shipping tomorrow, and will cost $599.

Read More | Drobo

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Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is the first front-lit e-book reader that the company has released. Taking the spot as the prime e-ink reader in Amazon's Kindle line-up, the Paperwhite sports a touchscreen interface, Wi-Fi with 3G option, a paper-like display with lots of contrast, and of course, the light. We open up and set up the Kindle Paperwhite in this episode! Be sure to also check out Gear Live's full Kindle Paperwhite review, and our Kindle Paperwhite unboxing gallery.

You can buy the Kindle Paperwhite for $119.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings.

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We gave you a look at the Microsoft Surface Touch Cover in our last video, and now we are here to show you the Type Cover. Both are keyboard covers for Microsoft's Windows RT tablet, but the Type Cover features real mechanical keys. This means that it's more like a traditional keyboard than the Touch Cover...but it's also thicker as a result. Check out the video for our review of the Type Cover in this episode, and if you'd like one, you can pick up a Type Cover for $129.

Be sure to also check out our full Microsoft Surface review!

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This is an entry from our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Check it out for suggestions on what to buy your loved, liked, and hated ones this holiday season!

We've got another inexpensive, yet awesome, entry for our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide, this one focusing on the undead. Do you know what happens when you take old broken plush toys and bury them in the woods by the light of the full moon while whistling the theme song from "Halloween"? Unfortunately nothing...which is why the skillful design monkeys over at ThinkGeek were forced to come-up with their own scary (but cute) zombie plush.

The Dismember-Me Plush Zombie begs to be torn limb from limb. After all he is a decaying re-animated corpse turned into irresistible cuddly plush. Rip off an arm... he doesn't mind. Tear him in half.. he'll barely notice. Pull off his legs... ok now he's getting a bit annoyed. Steal his brain... now you've really done it. Keep your teddy bears under close guard tonight because undead plush have come back from hell to walk the earth.

Grab yours now for $12.99!

Read More | Dismember-Me Plush Zombie

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Instagram started it; Facebook has it now and, of course, social micro-blogging service Twitter won't be left behind. Twitter has followed suit with it's own editing and filtering functionality update in version 5.2. Here is a list of changes and new features:

Create beautiful photos right within Twitter, with filters powered by Aviary.

• Apply one of eight different filters to instantly add a new look and feel to your photos
• Choose a filter by comparing all your options in a convenient grid view or by swiping through each version
• Make your photos pop with balanced light and colors by tapping the auto-enhance wand
• Crop and scale to frame the action the way you want
• We’ve also added many other improvements and fixes to this update.

Read More | Twitter

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Apple has updated Find My iPhone to version 2.0.1 and has added driving directions to your lost or stolen Apple device. The update brings a new feature called Lost Mode, which we're assuming tracks movement and stops with pin points. We at Gear Live highly recommend installing and enabling Find My iPhone on every iOS device you own.

• Driving directions to device location (iOS 6 or later)

• Play Sound, Lost Mode, and Erase buttons appear separately from map view

Read More | iTunes

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Photo enthusiasts will be happy to know that their favorite mobile photo editing social app, Instagram, has been updated. Version 3.2 has a plethora of new features and design improvements, along with deeper FourSquare integration. Here is a list of changes that come with this update.

• A new filter! Willow
• Take photos faster with Instagram’s all-new camera
• Improved quality of tilt-shift
• Scroll infinitely on user profiles and other grid views

Other improvements:

• We added a Foursquare button on location pages that opens the Foursquare app (or Foursquare mobile website) with details about the venue
• Filtered photos are now saved to a separate album called "Instagram" in the camera roll
• New welcome screen design

Read More | Instagram

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This is an entry from our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Check it out for suggestions on what to buy your loved, liked, and hated ones this holiday season!

SOL REPUBLIC Tracks are the first interchangeable on-ear headphones featuring V8 Sound Engine speakers, switchable cables, and "Sound Track" headbands. SOL REPUBLIC engineers developed a proprietary new polymer called FlexTech, which makes them virtually indestructible, and we're recommending them in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. the company actually stands behind that claim, as you get a 1,000 day warranty on each SOL REPUBLIC headband. they just won't break. For total comfort, the team designed the Tracks ear cushions to be large and lightweight. Tracks offer the optimal balance of size, style, sound and comfort and are available in black, white and red. You can pick up a pair on Amazon for $99.

Read More | SOL REPUBLIC Tracks headphones

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In this episode we open up the Sprint LG Optimus G smartphone, which runs on Sprint's new 4G LTE network. LG's Optimus G device has a great display, is super-thin, and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at launch. You also might recognize the back of the device, as this is the phone that the Google Nexus 4 was based off of. The Sprint model sports an impressive 13 megapixel camera, allowing you to take super-high quality shots, which pairs up nicely with its stunning display.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings.

Here's how to get the show:
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 720p HD
[Download] - 1080p MP4

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