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Latest Gear Live Videos
Nokia Lumia 800 and Monster Purity Headphones giveaway!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Features, Music,
If you've been checking out the Gear Live Twitter and Facebook pages, then you've likely been looking forward to our next giveaway, featuring the Nokia Lumia 800 and Monster Purity Headphones. Well, the time is now!
The Nokia Lumia 800 is a super-sexy Windows Phone device for AT&T that features a 3.7-inch 800x480 ClearBlack AMOLED display, 1.4 GHz processor, Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel wide angle lens with dual LED flash, and a seamless, curved glass one-piece body design.
The Purity HD stereo headphones from Monster feature Windows Phone playback controls, as well as ControlTalk Universal. This means you can control both your media and phone calls hands-free. It's also got a tangle-resistant cable, and comes with a hard shell carrying case. The best part? The headphone color matches the color of your Lumia 800!
Microsoft only sells the Lumia 800 as part of an $899 bundle here in the US, but we're giving you the opportunity to win the smartphone and Purity HD headphones right here, for free! Here's how to enter:
- Follow the Gear Live Twitter account and post this exact tweet: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with that @Nokia Lumia 800! #PuritybyMonster http://gear.lv/e-lumia800” (Click here to tweet this now)
- Use the hashtag #PuritybyMonster in your tweets over the next week
Do that, and you're in! Now here is the fun part - you can enter as many times as you'd like by including the hashtag #PuritybyMonster in your tweets next seven days. At the end, we will pick a winner randomly from all valid entries. If you use Twitter regularly, just throw #PuritybyMonster into your tweets over the next week, and you could walk away with this awesome prize. The winner must be over 18, and must have a mailing address within the US to be eligible. Contest ends at 12:00am on April 12th!
Gallery: Nokia Lumia 800 and Monster Purity Headphones giveaway!
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Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet, Music,
We sat in on a panel where Pandora's Jackson Gates, Daren Tsui of mSpot, and Kevin Wortis were interviewed by Gartner's Mike McGuire about the future of cloud music services at SXSW. It was an interesting discussion, focusing on what the benefit of the cloud brings to music, and the problems associated with expecting users to pay for something that they've been used to getting for free for at least a generation. It's an interesting time, and obviously the models differ substantially for companies like Pandora and Spotify, for example. Click on through for the highlights of the discussion!
Click to continue reading Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?
Gallery: Are cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify the same song and dance?
Video: New iPad 4G LTE speed test
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Broadband, Features, Product Reviews, Videos, Wireless / WiFi,
Now that we've gone over the new iPad Retina display and the iPad Dictation feature, we're ready to focus on the next big feature of the 3rd generation Apple tablet. The introduction of 4G LTE into the iPad is a bigger deal than many realize, because now you have speeds that rival many home broadband connections, wherever you are. The 3rd generation iPad can even be used as an LTE hotspot, for no additional cost, if you pick up the Verizon Wireless model. In this video, we compare our Wi-Fi network speeds (we have FiOS) against the 4G LTE Verizon Wireless connection. As you'll see, it's impressive.
Gallery: Video: New iPad 4G LTE speed test
Video: iPad (3rd generation) Dictation review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Product Reviews, Videos,
We gave you a look at the new iPad Retina display in our last video, and now we're here to show off the DIctation feature. Dictation allows you to speak your words to the iPad while it listens and attempts to turn your words into text typed into the app your using. As you can see in the video, Dictation is easy to use (it's right on the keyboard, next to the space bar,) but it doesn't always get everything perfect. You also need to remember to speak your punctuation when using the feature. It's definitely convenient, and easy to go in and clean up any mistakes after the fact. Get a look at how it all works in the video above.
Gallery: Video: iPad (3rd generation) Dictation review
Video: A look at the iPad (3rd generation) Retina display
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews, Videos,
The new iPad (3rd generation) was released two weeks ago, and in that time, Apple has already sold millions. The biggest and best feature of the device is the high resolution Retina display. When you compare it against the original iPad and iPad 2 displays, it's apparent that it's a big step up from what we've had before. In fact, it's the highest resolution display ever shipped on a portable device. We give you a look at the iPad (3rd generation) focusing on the Retina display in this, the first in a series of videos where we will focus on a major feature of the new iPad.
Gallery: Video: A look at the iPad (3rd generation) Retina display
Ten One Design Magnus Magnetic iPad Stand review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
The Apple Smart Cover is a convenient way to protect the display of your iPad, and can also double as a simple stand. However, there are times where you'd prefer to have something a little more sturdy, and a little more elegant, and that's where something like the Ten One Design Magnus Magnetic Stand for iPad comes in. The Magnus is a magnetic stand that works with the new iPad, as well as with the iPad 2, and even the original. I was able to get my hands on one and have been testing it for a bit. It's really a simply-but-elegant product, so there isn't much to it. How does it work, and will it fit in with your workflow? Head on down for our full review of the Magnus to find out!
Click to continue reading Ten One Design Magnus Magnetic iPad Stand review
Gallery: Ten One Design Magnus Magnetic iPad Stand review
Magnus Magnetic Stand for iPad gallery
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Design, Features, Handhelds,
We just got our hands on the Ten One Design Magnus, a magnetic stand for the Apple iPad. The stand features a striking minimalist design that works with all three generations of iPad that have been released to date. It's made of a nice, hand-finished brushed aluminum look that matches the rear metallic casing on the iPad itself. They sell out pretty regularly, but you can find them on Amazon for $47. We'll have a full review up later today, but for now, enjoy these images showing off the Magnus.
Edit: And here's our Magnus iPad Stand review!
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| Magnus Magnetic iPad Stand
Gallery: Magnus Magnetic Stand for iPad gallery
Hands-on with New Rdio redesign: More social, much faster
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet, Music, Product Reviews, Software,
Last week at a press event in Austin at SXSW, Rdio gave us a look at its brand new, completely overhauled music experience. We got a look at the new Rdio, and we walked away impressed by the beauty of what the streaming music company is attempting to pull off. There are a lot of changes, and we think that most people will think they're all good.
New Rdio isn't just a visual makeover though. Wilson Miner, head of design for Rdio said, "We want back to ground zero and rethought the whole user experience from the groud up to put the focus 100% on music and people." That people part is a big deal, because social integration is a big part of the new Rdio. When you log in, you've got a constant bar on the right-hand side that shows your online contacts and what they're listening to. There's also another tab that gives recommendations of who to follow (oh, and you should definitely follow the Gear Live Rdio profile!) Wanna share a track or album with a contact? The old way still works, but now you can just drag and drop content onto contacts as well. Very fluid.
Click to continue reading Hands-on with New Rdio redesign: More social, much faster
Gallery: Hands-on with New Rdio redesign: More social, much faster
Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Music, Software,
The revolutionary promise of digital music became reality with the rise of Napster. The file sharing network pioneered a functional and comprehensive catalog of music with its enthusiastic users. Developed by then-teenaged Shawn Fanning in 1998, Napster became a worldwide phenomenon in less than a year. Co-founder Sean Parker helped develop Napster into a company. Mass acceptance came quickly, but legal challenges ultimately doomed the original service. Despite the controversy and lawsuits, Napster changed the music business and paved the way for iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, and other music services. The divide between the cultural establishment and technology innovators was defined by the disputes raised by Napster. After more than a decade of declining sales of recorded music and imperfect attempts to present a licensed alternative, the influence of Napster continues to be felt.
At SXSW, I listened in on a discussion with Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning where they discussed these issues in an effort to promote their film Downloaded. The panel opened with a montage of clips from the VH1 rockDocs Downloaded film. The trailer touched on the start of Napster, the revelation of how easy it was to get music based on a search term, how quick the results were in the age of dial-up, and the growth of Napster as a company. There are a couple of gems there as well, such as when Fanning said back in 1999 that he believed the future was instant music access from multiple devices, including stereos and smartphones (well, he said "cell phones," but still.) this is a movie about kids revolutionizing an industry they knew nothing about.
Click to continue reading Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW
Gallery: Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning talk digital music at SXSW
Why Turntable.fm matters, and how it enhances music discovery
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Internet, Music,
Right now I'm at SXSW, sitting in on the Turntable.fm DJ Battle that's taking place over the next two hours. There are a few DJs on stage playing their best tracks in an attempt to rock the crowd, and as things are unfolding, I can see some real potential for Turntable.fm to bring something to the table that the Spotifys, Rdios, and Rhapsodys of the world just aren't able to deliver at the moment, especially now that Turntable has secured licensing rights from all four of the major record labels here in the U.S.
Click to continue reading Why Turntable.fm matters, and how it enhances music discovery
