Unboxing Live 097: MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Laptop, Videocasts,

We open up the new next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina display in this episode. Apple announced the new MacBook Pro with Retina display during the WWDC 2012 keynote, highlighting a bunch of new features never before seen on the MacBook Pro line. These include the phenomenal 2800 x 1800 Retina display, USB 3.0, HDMI, and more. The notebook sports an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, and a 256 GB flash SSD for storage. Join us as we open up the new MacBook Pro with Retina display and give you a look at the gorgeous, thin hardware. We open it up in this episode. Want your own? You can order it now from the Apple Store online.

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.

Ray-Ban introduces foldable Aviator sunglasses

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Wearables, Design,

Ray-Ban shades are popular enough as it is, but the company isn't resting on its laurels. Instead, it's introducing a new foldable model of its iconic Aviator sunglasses. This new addition to the 55-year old Aviator line will sell for between $195 and $295, depending on style. You can find them in some retail shops now, and they'll be available on the Ray-Ban site in short order as well if you'd rather purchase directly.

Read More | Ray-Ban

Leaked Windows Phone 8 images surface

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft, Rumors, Software,

What you see above are purported leaked images of Windows Phone 8, Apollo. Microsoft is set to unveil Windows Phone 8 to the world at next week's Windows Phone Summit on June 20th. What the images above show is built-in Skype integration (Microsoft purchased Skype months ago,) a data usage function that shows how much of your monthly data cap you have left along with the number of days left in your billing cycle, and the camera app with the new lenses feature. We can't say for sure that these are authentic, but they certainly appear that way. We'll know for sure next week!

Read More | Nokia Innovation

BlackBerry PlayBook hacked to run iPad apps

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software,

A BlackBerry developer known as Businesscat2000 has accomplished an impressive feat--he was able to hack his BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to run iOS apps. As you can see in the video footage after the break, this enterprising chap is able to run iPad apps on his RIM tablet, and even gets iOS apps running on a Windows PC.

Click to continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook hacked to run iPad apps

Read More | Crackberry Forums

Super Modern Mario Bros. makes Mario unrealistically realistic (video!)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Culture, Nintendo, Platformers, Trailers,

Check out the video below for Super Modern Mario Bros. It's a novel concept dreamed up by a gamer, removing a lot of the cutesy Mario-ness, dialing up the level of seriousness by removing the music and adding realistic sound effects. It’s a bit more violent, too, with Goombas exploding and Mario crashing to his untimely demise when he leaps towards the end-of-level flag and fails to successfully grab hold and slide down. Look, just watch it--it's way more fun than reading our description!

Click to continue reading Super Modern Mario Bros. makes Mario unrealistically realistic (video!)

MacBook Pro with Retina display torn apart by iFixIt

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Design, PC / Laptop,

The new MacBook Pro with Retina display is certainly a sight to behold as it is, but the gang over at iFixIt has torn one apart, revealing its beautiful innards to the world. During the process, they were able to confirm that both the RAM and the flash SSD drive aren't user-upgradeable, so make sure you choose wisely. Also, there's a lot of battery in there. 95 Wh to be exact. Head on over to iFixIt to walk through the Retina MacBook Pro teardown in its entirety.

Read More | iFixIt

Apple to kill Ping social network in next major iTunes update

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Internet, Music, Rumors,

Apple's Ping, the music-based social network that has struggled to find any sort of dedicated fanbase, is set to be killed off with the next iTunes update and the public release of iOS 6, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to the publication:

Ping, which still exists today in iTunes 10.6.3 and the iOS 6 beta - where it doesn't work, will be gone with the software's next major release, likely scheduled for this fall. And at that point Apple's social networking offerings will shift to Twitter and new partner Facebook entirely.

We don't know too many people who'll miss it. Ping has been a far too barren wasteland for far too long. If its something you enjoy, though, then start saying your goodbyes.

Read More | WSJ

Amazon Prime Instant Video now showing MGM Studios TV shows and movies

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies,

Amazon has just announced a new partnership with MGM Studios that's set to bring hundreds of additional TV and movie classics to Amazon Prime Instant Video. This includes such hits as The Silence of the Lambs, Species, Rain Man, Stargate, and The Terminator. This brings the total of Amazon's offerings to over 18,000 movies and television episodes that you can stream to your Xbox 360 and other devices, all included in the price of your Amazon Prime membership.

Read More | Amazon

Unboxing Live 096: Monster Diesel VEKTR on-ear headphones

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Portable Audio, Videocasts,

We give you a look at the new Monster Diesel VEKTR on-ear headphones, jointly designed by Monster Products and Diesel. The on-ear headphones are a fashion statement that also aims to bring superior sound through the earcups thanks to titanium-coated drivers. We show them off, and also tell you how you can win this pair of headphones from Gear Live simply by subscribing to our email newsletter! These sell for $279 (or $249 on Amazon!), so free is a pretty good deal, good luck to all the entrants!

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.

Apple introduces unified library for iPhoto and Aperture

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,

Apple has introduced a new unified photo library that is compatible with both iPhoto 9.3 and Aperture 3.3 or later. This means that users can now open, view, and edit the same images using either iPhoto or Aperture, and can freely go back and forth between the two apps, something we had been wishing would happen for quite a while. Apple has listed a number of advantages that the new unified photo library provides:

• There’s no need to import, export, or reprocess photos as you move from one app to the other.
• If you use Faces, Places, have created albums, Smart Albums, or shared photos to Facebook or Flickr, these automatically work across both apps.
• Slideshows created in one app can be played back in the other.
• Because iPhoto and Aperture now share a common imaging system, when you adjust images using any tools in Aperture, you’ll see the changes when you open the same library in iPhoto and vice versa.
• If you’re new to the tools available in Aperture, you can maintain your photo library in iPhoto and open Aperture only when you want to try your hand at retouching, for example, making selective corrections with brushes. All edits are non-destructive, so you can remove them at any time.
• If you’ve collected more than one iPhoto library over the years, you can now open your iPhoto libraries in Aperture and merge them into a consolidated master library. You can then access your merged library in iPhoto.

iPhoto 9.3 was released yesterday.

Read More | Apple