Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Live From CES: LaCie Launches—Get This—More External Hard Drives
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: CES, CES 2006, Peripherals,
It’s true. LaCie announced yesterday a few new drive enclosure systems, including their Rugged Hard Drive (in stunning day-glo orange, above) and their LaCie Two Big SATA IIe RAID system. The Rugged can survive at least a three foot fall (when shut down) and has a nice rubber grip and a neat design. As my Jewish step-grandmother would say, “it’s a bit much,” coming in at $170 for the 80 GB 5,400 rpm, all the way up to $400 for the 100 GB 7,200 rpm drive. Now to get some gefilte in here to shut my step-grams up. (Another pic, of the rugged’s USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces, after the jump.)
Click to continue reading Live From CES: LaCie Launches—Get This—More External Hard Drives
Live From CES: Netomat Hub Makes Fun For Friends
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: Announcements, Smartphones, CES, CES 2006, Software,
Another Showstopper hit, Netomat’s hub software really piqued our interest. It’s best to watch my interview (above, special thanks to Andru for starting on a frame that makes me look like a giant douche.) for the full scoop on this unique software that launched just last night, but here’s the basics: After creating a free netomat account, you are sent their software client to your phone. The phone software works on Java using WAP or GPRS data services, so you don’t pay per message. Once you accept the client, it’s time to invite some friends to your hub. After your friends join up, quite a few features come out of the woodwork. For one, you’re able to see if your friends are online, offline or on a call. Any time you take a picture with your camera phone, with one click, you can send it to everyone in your hub. Using something called WAP push, your friends running the netomat software will instantly receive a prompt asking if they want to see what you’re pushing.
Netomat also features some really fun desktop software, including a small system tray-based widget that notifies you on your computer when a post to the hub has been made. Even better, you can quickly and simply drag and drop any RSS feed from your browser to the netomat software and create a hub around it that your friends can subscribe to. You’ll receive every RSS clip that comes into the feed, straight to your phone, at your leisure. Additionally, their web site lets you send images from your PC to your hub and lets you see all the activity on the feed. Best of all, it’s all free.
Also, be sure to look for our feed to be featured on netomat through an exciting co-branding with them.
Check out the full interview in the video above to get a better feel for how simple and fun the software is.
Read More 
| Netomat Hub
Advertisement
Live From CES: h20 audio iPod Waterproofing Kit
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: Accessories, CES, CES 2006, Portable Audio / Video,
At Showstoppers, an after-CES press-only event, we got some hands on experience with h20 audio’s waterproofing kit for the iPod. Offering models for the mini, nano, shuffle and standard iPod, the kit includes a locking mechanism to ensure that no water seeps in, and an innovative scroll wheel that allows you to twist and select even underwater. They say it’s perfect for snowboarding, skiing, hot tubbing or even those pleasant bubble baths that the Gear Live staff is so fond of. We interview Kristian from h20 who tells us more about the included waterproof headphones and the price points. (Around $70.00, depending on your pod’s size.)
Another still of their display unit submerged, after the jump.
Click to continue reading Live From CES: h20 audio iPod Waterproofing Kit
Latest Gear Live Videos
Blu-Ray Players in the Spring; HD-DVD Players in March
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News,
With CES this week, the next generation DVD format war has certainly heated up. It’d been announced that Blu-Ray players will be coming out sometime after winter but before summer (that’s spring). Shortly thereafter, Panasonic announced that HD-DVD players will be released in March - making it out before any Blu-Ray drives. The format war is about to get ugly and we wouldn’t be surprised if some movie studios and electronics company loses a lot of money from backing a losing format. Of course we can’t firmly say which (if either) format will lose the war, but we’re betting one will come out the victor.
Read More | Game Daily
In the linked story, Game Daily presents an interesting twist on all those ‘end of the year award’ features. This one covers notable stand-outs in video game magazines from 2005. From best cover of the year (GI’s King Kong) to most confusing chart of the year (you have to see it to believe it), there’s something here for everyone.
However, it’s somewhat unfortunate that only video game magazines were covered - and not websites - since we all get most of our information on the industry from the internet.
Read More | Game Daily
Live From CES: Sima Products “Hitch” Allows iPod to iPod Transfers
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: CES, CES 2006, Peripherals, Portable Audio / Video,
Down in the depths of the South Hall, Sima Products Corporation was telling stories of their forthcoming “Hitch” device. The Hitch allows you to quickly and easily transfer songs, files and photos amongst your myriad iPods, or any other USB device. The Neat: Hitch interfaces with the iPod library so that you can select only the songs you want to actually transfer. The nature of the device also lets you transfer from a digital camera straight to your iPod, from thumb drive to thumb drive or any other crazy combination you can come up with. The anti-neat: It doesn’t circumvent FairPlay, Apple’s less-than-pleasant DRM solution. Thus, you can’t transfer your iTunes songs… However, the box is built on Linux, which means that it’s “upgradeable,” according to the sales rep, but if you’re enterprising enough, you could probably read that as “hackable.”
Rumor has it it’ll launch on April 1st, to coincide with ThinkGeek’s joke last year, the iCopulate. Unfortunately, he said the street price will be around $120-$150, which seems a bit pricey, but useful if you frequently find yourself in the middle of USB ménage-à-trois. You know you like it.
CES 2006 Video: Motorola ROKR E2
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2006, Features, Portable Audio / Video,
The other night we were able to pull a Motorola representative aside to give us the down low on the new ROKR E2 music phone. I guess they were worried that I might snuff the guy, take the ROKR, and run, because another Motorola person had to come along to ensure that no funny business went down. Nonetheless, we were able to get quite a few details about the follow up to the original disappointment. First, the phone runs Linux, which allows for an all new interface. The screen is a nice 320x240 262k color display, and the only limitation to the number of tracks that can be played is the amount of space you have. The phone doesn’t run iTunes, so you are free to fill it with all the content you want. Once done listening to those, you can use the built-in FM tuner (with 30 presets) to keep on listening. You can even browse the web using Opera. This is a slick phone. Check the video above for more details about the phone. If you want to download it, look for our new video show that we will be launching after CES.
Read More | ROKR E2 Product Page
EA Releases Fight Night 3 Demo on Xbox Live
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Sports, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Get onto your Xbox 360 right now to download the Fight Night 3 demo. EA just put the demo up and it’s incredible. Even though I’m only playing it on a standard definition television, I’m floored by how great it looks. I wish I could see it on an HDTV though! But in the meantime, whether or not you’ve played the previous games in the series, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Read More | TeamXbox
As one of the coolest CES announcements this week, Phillips has displayed a blend of traditional and digital tabletop gameplay. In short, a new device features and LCD screen that can display different game boards. Furthermore, the board will react to finger-pressing. While no official product, price, or game has been announced for the device yet, the concept looks very cool and we feel it has a lot of potential. After all, what could be wrong with a device that blends the best of both worlds?
Read More | Next Generation
Four studios, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Fox Home Entertainment and Paramount, have just announced an initial wave of movies that will hit Sony’s Blu-Ray format this year. The titles announced include Hitch, Black Hawk Down, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and The Italian Job. We can’t wait to see how crisp these Blu-Ray titles look on an HDTV.
In summary, six movie studios are supporting the Blu-Ray format while three are backing Toshiba’s HD-DVD format. Sony, Lionsgate, and Fox are only supporting Blu-Ray. Additionally, the PS3 will have a Blu-Ray drive while an external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 is scheduled to go on sale sometime this year.
Read More | Next Generation