Unboxing Live 081: Kingston HyperX SSD

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

In this episode we open up the Kingston HyperX SSD 120GB upgrade kit. The SSD has no moving parts, giving it longer life, and sports 550 MBps read speeds and 510 MBps write speeds. The drive also supports high-speed SATA Rev 3.0 with 6 GBps transfer speeds. Kingston includes Acronis Migration Software, HyperX 3.5 desktop mounting plate, HyperX USB External Drive Bay, HyperX Multi-head Screwdriver and HyperX colored SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s) cable - all of this gives you everything you need in order to install the drive, migrate your data off of your original drive to the new SSD, and then keep your old drive as an external storage device. They definitely thought of everything, and you can pick up the HyperX SSD on Amazon for $240, a 25% discount.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class plug-in hybrid set for U.S. debut soon

Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,

The U.S. segment for luxury automobiles is a cutthroat marketplace. The top two players, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are in a constant battle for supremacy. Last year BMW led in sales by 2,715 vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz obviously hopes to take the lead. However, the road to success is that of trial-and-error. Mercedes-Benz plans on introducing a B-Class into its current line-up of vehicles for the States. The B-Class would be a plug-in hybrid aimed towards the U.S. buyer, says Joachim Schmidt, head of global sales for Mercedes-Benz.

Along with the B-Class, Mercedes-Benz plans on extending its hybrid line-up along with adding smaller class of vehicles—the A-Class. Though these are solid moves in attempting to overthrow BMW’s lead, only time, along with sales, will tell if Mercedes-Benz succeeds.

Read More | Autoblog

Rumor: Nokia Lumia 900 to sell for $99.99

Posted by John Ball Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Rumors,

With January almost over and CES behind us, the rumor mill has moved on to the next big thing. Today, the device in the limelight is the Nokia Lumia 900, Windows Phone Mango device that's at the top of our lust list. Set to launch March 18, 2012, you can expect to start seeing advertisements soon, and if word on the street is correct, the device will be just $99.99 with a two year contract. That is huge. That's half of what we expected the device to launch at, what with its 4.3-inch display and 4G LTE data speeds.

Teens can now join Google+

Posted by John Ball Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet,

Google+, the slow to start but quickly growing social media site is now allowing any user 13 and older to create a Google+ account and join their ranks in this social networking system. Now teens can stay connected with friends and family even easier thanks to this new policy.

Along with the policy change that allows teens to join in on the fun come new safety features to keep kids protected. Before posting a public update, for example, minors will get a warning displayed on-screen. By default, only the people that appear in the teens' circles will be able to contact them, and if an unknown person joins a hangout that a teen happens to be in, the teen will be removed, notified of the changed, and asked if they'd like to re-join the video chat.

You can find and circle Gear Live on Google+.

Bleeding Edge TV 417: RadioShack Enercell and Auvio headphones at CES 2012

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Accessories, CES, CES 2012, Features, Music, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos,

We talk with RadioShack in this episode about its in-house value brands. That includes the Enercell external batteries and chargers that work with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and USB devices like Android smartphones and Kindles for example. We also chat about its Auvio headphones that are inexpensive and have a $1 warranty that makes them super replaceable. There's also the ZaggSparq to charge your tablet on the go. We chat with Eric Bruner at CES 2012.

Big thank you to GoToMeeting and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting provides rich, super-simple collaborative cirtual meetings. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.

Huge Giveaway: Enter to win the HyperSpeed HDMI Fan Cave and Big Game Bundle!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Announcements, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Music, Portable Audio / Video,

As we've been teasing on the Gear Live Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ pages (this is why you should be following us on those services!), we are teaming up with Monster and Newegg this week to give away two huge prize packs. In anticipation of the Big Game in Indianapolis, we are co-sponsoring the Newegg Monster HyperSpeed HDMI Fan Cave Sweepstakes this week.  Details on how you can win the Newegg Monster HyperSpeed HDMI Fan Cave (valued at $4,370) and the Monster Big Game Bundle (valued at $1,740) and what's included in each bundle are below. Enter once for a chance to win from January 27th through February 4th.

The HyperSpeed HDMI Fan Cave is a $4,370 value and includes:

• LG 47" 3D 1080p 240Hz LED HDTV (valued at $1900)
• 16' Monster M2000 HyperSpeed HDMI cable (valued at $350)
• Monster Clarity HD Model One speakers (valued at $750)
• Two Monster iSport In-Ear headphones (valued at $360)
• Monster HDP 1800 HD Power Center (valued at $350)
• Monster Flat Screen Articulating Wall Mount (valued at $400)
• Monster Digital Life PowerNet 300 (valued at $160)
• Newegg Gift Card (valued at $100)

The Big Game Bundle is a $1,740 value and includes:

• 8' Monster M2000 HyperSPeed HDMI Cable (valued at $250)
• Monster Clarity HD Model One speakers (valued at $750)
• Monster iSport In-Ear headphones (valued at $180)
• Monster HDP 1800 HD Power Center (valued at $350)
• Monster Digital Life PowerNet 300 (valued at $160)
• Newegg Gift Card (valued at $50)

So, how do you enter to win all this good stuff? To enter to win the Newegg Monster HyperSpeed HDMI Fan Cave, head on over to Monster's giveaway page on Newegg. You can enter there once for a change to win. To enter to win the Monster Big Game Bundle, 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. Here's what's required:

• Follow the Gear Live Twitter account and post this tweet exactly as written: “Hey @GearLive hook me up with that @MonsterProducts Big Game Bundle! http://gear.lv/e-big-game” (Click here to tweet this now)

Let us know you did that, and grab your bonus entries, using the widget below!

EDIT: We are having trouble with the widget not loading - in the meantime, just head over to this page and enter using the widget at the bottom!

Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Arnold Drake, James Bond and Star Wars

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Video Games, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Last weekend in January, last weekend before the Super Bowl, which means there’s really nothing on TV this weekend. Fortunately, the internets provide:

Neal Adams is gunning for Marvel on behalf of Jack Kirby.

The Comic Book Insider is the new podcast from comic book writer and former DC Comics editor Brian Augustyn.

James Bond vs. Batman: Now there’s a team-up I’d really like to see. The HMSS blog looks at how both heroes have had to adapt to changing times.

One of my favorite movie blogs, Flick Attack, looks at an old film written by veteran DC writer Arnold Drake (Deadman; The Doom Patrol): The Flesh Eaters.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Arnold Drake, James Bond and Star Wars

Angouleme International Comics Festival

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions,

I've never been to the Angouleme International Comics Festival, aka Festival International de la Bande Dessinée.

But I've always wanted to go. It's been going on every year since 1974 and it's the largest comics festival in Europe, taking place in Angouleme, France.

The latest one is going on right now, through the 29th and it's an all-out event that involves the whole town. The Forbidden Planet blog has more.

Here's a history of the festival which makes it sound even more appealing, and includes a quote that the show draws 200,000 people each year. That's a sweet number and makes it bigger than the San Diego's Comic Con International.

If you're in Angouleme, have a great time!

[Artwork: Angouleme International Comics Festival mascot]

Bleeding Edge TV 416: Victorinox Swiss Army 1 Terabyte SSD

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, CES, CES 2012, Features, Podcasts, Storage, Videocasts, Videos,

We chat with Victorinox Swiss Army at CES 2012 about its upcoming monster 1 TB SSD drive that will be available soon. Meant for the data road warriors out there, this 1 terabyte SSD fits into the size of a flash drive in your pocket, and will retail for $2999 when it goes on sale. It also has a small display integrated into its side, which can give you information about the drive and the data held on the drive.

Big thank you to MozyPro and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! MozyPro provides simple, automatic, and secure data backup. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.

Unboxing Live 080: YurBuds Inspire earbuds

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, Videocasts,

We open up the YurBuds Inspite headphones in this episode. The Yurbuds earbuds brand guarantees that the headphones will stay in your ear, no matter what type of physical activity you're doing. They also say that the YurBuds will remain comfortable while you wear them as well. Check out the video for a look at the product! This video is shot at CES 2012. You can pick up a pair of YurBuds on Amazon.

Big thank you to MozyPro and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! MozyPro provides simple, automatic, and secure data backup. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.