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Latest Gear Live Videos
2011 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Microsoft Touch Mouse
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, PC / Laptop, Peripherals, Women, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,
This 2011 Holiday Gift Guide entry is targeted at making computing a little more fun and futuristic - and we're even giving this one away! The Microsoft Touch Mouse is made exclusively for use with Windows 7. It's got a multitouch surface, allowing you to use natural touch gestures to perform common tasks. Basically, think of it as the Apple Magic Mouse, but for your Windows PC. It's got support for one-, two-, and three-findered gestures, and runs on 2 AA batteries. They sell for $79, but you can get one on Amazon now for $41, which is a whopping 48% discount.
Or, you can win one here! We are giving one of these Microsoft Touch Mouse prizes away as we continue our holiday giveaway series. Simply use the widget below to enter to win. We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated:
Gallery: 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Microsoft Touch Mouse
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2012: The Year everything gets disrupted
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Handhelds, PC / Laptop,
Normally at this time of the year, I predict tech trends for the New Year. As I think about 2012, I realize that over the next 12 months, the personal computing and consumer electronics industries are poised to see some big disruptions that could change their course for the next five years.
In fact, I believe that when we end 2012, we will look back and realize that it was the most disruptive year we will have had in personal computing in over a decade. In the next 12 months, the market for personal computers of all shapes and sizes will have changed dramatically.
So, what will be the major forces that could reshape the PC business in 2012? There are four technologies and trends in the works that I believe will force the computer industry in a new direction.
The first will be Intel's huge push to make ultraportables 40 percent of its laptop mix by the end of 2012. Although I don't believe it will achieve that goal, especially if ultrabooks are priced above $899, the fact is that ultrabooks are the future of portable computing. Instead of thin and light laptops driving the market as they are now, ultrabooks, which are thinner and lighter, with SSDs and longer battery life, will eventually be what all laptops will look like in five years. The heavier and more powerful laptops that exist now won't go away completely since there are power users who will still need that kind of processing power. But ultrabooks will be the laptops of the future and 2012 will be the first year of their major push to change the portable computing landscape.
There is an interesting twist with ultraportables that could be even more important starting next year: the introduction of ultraportables with detachable screens that turn into tablets. In the past, this hybrid, as it is called, ran Windows when in laptop mode and Android when in tablet mode. But this approach was dead in the water from the start. With Windows 8 tablets ready to hit the market next fall, you will see ultraportables with detachable screens that will run Windows 8 with the Metro UI both on the laptop and in tablet mode. This will bring a level of OS consistency across both device modes and I think that this concept is a sleeper. In fact, if done right, this alone could reshape the traditional PC market in the near term.
Click to continue reading 2012: The Year everything gets disrupted
Gallery: 2012: The Year everything gets disrupted
How do we protect the power grid from a cyber attack?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Science,
Protecting the nation's electric grid from cyber attacks is imperative, but a lack of standards and a designated federal agency to handle the issue could hamper progress, according to a new study.
"With rapidly expanding connectivity and rapidly evolving threats, making the grid invulnerable to cyber events is impossible, [but] improving resilience to attacks and reducing the impact of attacks are important," according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The 268-page report focuses on the future of the electric grid, with a chapter on cybersecurity efforts.
"Much as cybersecurity was not a key factor in the design of the Internet, cybersecurity has not been a high priority—until recently—in designing grid components," researchers concluded.
It's not cheap to secure the grid, however. A 2011 report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimated that it would take at least $3.7 billion to secure grid cybersecurity. Trouble is, "the probability of a serious event is still very low," so it's difficult to get businesses to invest in grid cyber efforts.
That could change as more and more devices come on to the grid, and consumers turn to generating their own electricity via fuel cells, wind turbines, solar roofs, and the like.
Click to continue reading How do we protect the power grid from a cyber attack?
Gallery: How do we protect the power grid from a cyber attack?
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Desk Pets TankBot
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Toys, Men, Techies, Under $100, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,
Here's a 2011 Holiday Gift Guide entry aimed at the office workers in your life. We know that robotic helicopters and dinosaurs win all the points for flash, but we're here to tell you that the Desk Pets TankBot helps you conquer by force. You charge up the TankBot using its USB connection, and then you use your smartphone to control it. How cool is that? You can also set it to random, letting it wreak havoc on all your co-workers with its light-up eyes and sound effects. They're available in multiple colors, and you can get one for $50 on Amazon.
Gallery: 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Desk Pets TankBot
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: GeeksRiot Steve Jobs Tribute Shirt
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Wearables, Features, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,
Steve Jobs will definitely be missed, and today's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide entry honors his memory, while also helping a great cause. What you see above is the GeeksRiot Steve Jobs Tribute t-shirt. All proceeds from the $25 purchase go towards Movember and the fight against cancer. Aside from all that, though, the shirt looks ridiculously cool. Seriously, we've seen 'em in person, and they're high quality. Go check them out, and grab a couple for the Apple fans in your life!
Gallery: 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: GeeksRiot Steve Jobs Tribute Shirt
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Star Wars: The Blueprints
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Features, Movies, Techies, Under $500,
We know how many of you are Star Wars geeks, so we had to get some love for you in our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. As you know, there are enough Star Wars books out there--enough to line the walls of the Jedi Academy. But these...these are a collection by J.W. Rinzler, executive editor at LucasFilm, where he's brought together amazing content from all six films. Yes, that includes original sketches of the Death Star. This is enough to make any fan tingle with glee. The set normally sells for $500, but you can get it on Amazon for $450, a 10% discount.
Gallery: 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Star Wars: The Blueprints
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Lomography Sprocket Rocket 915
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Features, PC / Laptop, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $250, Under $500,
Here's a more unique entry for our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. This is the Lomography Sprocket Rocket. The plastic-bodied Rocket camera has a wide-angle frame that exposes the film all the way to the edges, out past the sprocket holes. It also lets you rewind the film for those cool double exposures. They typicalls sell for $89, but you can grab one on Amazon for $78.50, a 12% savings.
Gallery: 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Lomography Sprocket Rocket 915
Why do we have to turn off electronic devices during flight takeoff and landing?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Handhelds, Transportation,
I must confess that I sometimes neglect to power down my iPad, iPhone, and other electronics during takeoff and landing. People near me also don't switch off their iPods either, and yet, despite flight attendants' instructions to turn off our electronics, the plane arrived at its destination safely.
Chances are, we weren't the only ones who broke the familiar rule. So just why does the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) still require people to turn off their gadgets?
A Sunday report from the New York Times claims that even the FAA hasn't found proof that the use of electronics pose a threat during takeoff and landing. But FAA spokesperson Les Dorr told the Times that it would prefer to be overly cautious when it comes to the policy.
In 2006, the FAA commissioned the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics to test the effects of cell phones and other portable electronics on flights.
It concluded that there was "insufficient information to support changing the policies," Dorr said. "There was no evidence saying these devices can't interfere with a plane, and there was no evidence saying that they can."
Gallery: Why do we have to turn off electronic devices during flight takeoff and landing?
iPhone 4S giveaway!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Announcements, Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,
As we've been teasing on the Gear Live Twitter and Facebook pages, we are teaming up with Monster Cable this week to give away an iPhone 4S as part of Monster's 8X iPhone 4S Sweepstakes. We've got two prizes that you can win this week - one is an iPhone 4S with a Monster Accessory Pack included, but we're also giving away a second Monster Accessory Pack as well. The Accessory Pack is a $260 value and includes:
- Turbine In-Ear Monitors ($179 value)
- Monster iCable 800 ($19.95 value)
- Monster Mobile PowerPlug Dual USB 700 ($34.95 value)
- CleanTouch Pen ($24.95 value)
So, how do you enter to win all this good stuff? To enter to win the iPhone 4S with Accessory Pack, head on over to Monster's giveaway page on Facebook. You can enter there each week for another chance at walking away with Apple's latest smartphone. In addition, since we're also giving away a second Monster Accessory Pack here on the site, you can enter using our widget below. We've got just one requirement for entry, but we are also offering you guys a bunch of extra ways to score bonus entries:
Follow the Gear Live Twitter account and post this tweet: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with that iPhone 4S! http://gear.lv/e-monster-iphone” (Click here to tweet this now)
Let us know you did that, and grab your bonus entries, using the widget below!
Gallery: iPhone 4S giveaway!
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: 11-inch MacBook Air
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Women, Men, Techies,
Apple's smallest notebook is the MacBook Air, and all signs are pointing to this being the best-selling Mac this holiday season, so we had to include it in our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. The 11-inch MacBook Air packs in speedy flash memory that is soldered directly onto the motherboard, resulting is lightning-fast performance. It also means no moving parts, so you get five hours of battery life from the tiny little wonder, and it even sports a full-sized keyboard, which we feel is a must (and is one of our main complaints with other netbooks.) The price starts at $999 from Apple, but hey, if you go with Amazon then its $994 with free shipping, and MacMall has them starting at $799--a full $200 off! Not bad for the most portable Mac out there.
