Latest Gear Live Videos
Bleeding Edge TV 292: Wii Sports Resort preview
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Accessories, Features, Home Entertainment, Podcasts, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,
Wii Sports is one of the most popular and accessible console pack-in games of all time, so it’s only natural that Nintendo would want to follow up with a paid offering. That’s where Wii Sports Resort comes in. The sequel to Wii Sports will be the first game to be compatible with the Wii MotionPlus add-on, which feature 1:1 mapping of your Wiimote. The game will come bundled with the MotionPlus device and an extended Wii Remote Jacket, both of which will also be sold separately. Games announced to be included (so far) are: Frisbee (Disc Dog), Jet Skiing, and Kendo, with more to come. Wii Sports Resort will launch in Spring 2009.
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iPhone 2.2 beta seeded to developers
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,
Right on the heels of the iPhone 2.1 release that seems to cure just about all our iPhone-related woes (although, honestly, some are still there,) Apple has just released iPhone 2.2 into beta, and seeded it to their iPhone devs. Officially, we are talking about iPhone OS 2.2 beta 1, and as such, we have no timetable or anything as to when this will actually hit the masses. But still, it’s nice to know that it’s coming, right? What would you like to see addressed in iPhone 2.2?
A look at Google Mobile on T-Mobile G1
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Design, Google, Handhelds, Videos,
If you are curious about how Google services will work on the Android platform, Eric from Google is here to give us a look. Google products like search, maps, YouTube, Gmail, contacts, calendar, and Google Talk are all included in the Android operating system used by the T-Mobile G1. Basically, you sign in to your Google account once, and all your information syncs to the web. Any changes made on the web sync back to your phone. It’s like a free version of MobileMe - yeah, I said it. Check out the video above for a walkthrough of Google features on the G1.
The App Store is a gamble for developers
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Handhelds, Software,
Earlier today, I received word that a second iPhone App had been denied access into the App Store, with Apple citing that the application duplicates existing functionality already found in the Apple ecosystem. This is beginning to become a problem, and if you aren’t seeing why, allow me to explain why this is so alarming to me. In case you hadn’t heard, a couple of weeks ago, an app called Podcaster was rejected by Apple for similar reason. The line of thinking there was that Podcaster, an app that would allow you to subscribe to and download podcasts while on the go, duplicated functionality already found in iTunes.
Now, if you’ve never used an iPhone, allow me to point out the absurdity. There is nothing on the iPhone or iPod touch that allows you to subscribe to, or even download, a podcast to your device. Sure, you can open the file in Safari, but that is not what we are talking about. That’s right, even if you enter the iTunes app, you will find right away that podcasts just aren’t there. So we have to then assume that Apple was referring to the iTunes desktop software when they said that Podcaster duplicated functionality. Really? Is that a major issue that a company decided to fix a gaping hole on the iPhone, even if that hole doesn’t exist on the desktop? Why, then, are there so many calculators in the App Store? After all, not only do we have a calculator as part of OS X, but there is a calculator that ships installed by default on the iPhone as well. It seems we have a double-standard here.
Click to continue reading The App Store is a gamble for developers
Bleeding Edge TV 291: Animal Crossing: City Folk preview
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Accessories, Features, Home Entertainment, Podcasts, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,
Animal Crossing is on of the main Nintendo franchises that many a gamer has been waiting to see hit Wii since the console launched. We were able to catch up with Janet Braulio of Nintendo to get a look at some of the gameplay features, WiiSpeak integration, as well as what we can expect with the game drops this November. This is definitely one we are looking forward to getting our hands on.
Asfar as what sets this apart from other Animal Crossing experences you may have had in the past, Katsuya Eguchi, leader of Animal Crossing’s production development, stated, “someone could send a letter from their cellphone or from an email address on a PC to the Wii, and then the player living in the town in Animal Crossing could receive that letter.” In another interview with IGN, Katsuya Eguchi also discussed how his team continues exploring potential ways to take advantage of the WiiConnect24 feature such as allowing friends to visit other towns or leave messages while the machine is in standby mode.
You can pick up Animal Crossing: City Folk in the US on November 16.
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Cable, FX, HBO, Entourage, Editorial, Features,
Even though the previous television season was marred by the annoying writers’ strike, I find myself really excited for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. Not only will this ceremony give us a chance to start anew, it’ll be the academy’s chance to celebrate what’s new.
Tonight, two basic cable shows (Damages, Mad Men) will get a chance to win for Outstanding Drama Series. (That would be an Emmy first.) Meanwhile, nominees in several categories will have an opportunity to compete in a Sopranos-less environment. An added bonus? A new category. This year, reality show hosts will finally be acknowledged for their programming contributions as well.
So who won? Who lost? Who ran up and grabbed the award even though they didn’t win? Read our West Coast play-by-play account of this evening’s telecast and find out!
Click to continue reading The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Travis Barker, DJ AM Critically Injured in Plane Crash
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Music, Breaking News,
You can find an update to this story here.
A Learjet crashed shortly after takeoff last night killing four of the six people on board. The incident, which happened at an airport in Columbia, SC, also injured former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and friend DJ AM (a.k.a. Adam Goldstein).
Barker, also known for his MTV show Meet the Barkers, and Goldstein, Nicole Richie‘s former fiancee, were both taken to an Augusta, GA hospital. The two men were last listed in critical condition and were reportedly being treated for burns.
Those killed in the incident include Barker’s 29-year-old assistant, Chris Baker, and his 25-year-old security guard, Charles Still. The pilot, 31-year-old Sarah Lemmon, and co-pilot, 25-year-old James Bland, were also killed.
Click to continue reading Travis Barker, DJ AM Critically Injured in Plane Crash
People
Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Ten days ago, Verizon FiOS TV officially launched here in Washington state. I was actually invited to speak at the launch event that took place that day, alongside Verizon representatives, and local government officials. I was specifically chosen as a case study of just how good FiOS is, since I literally moved specifically because Comcast was way too slow for the things we expected out of our Internet connection here at Gear Live HQ. It was an event meant to talk up the advantages of FiOS over cable (specifically, Comcast, in this area). Obviously, with FiOS looming over their territory, Comcast went into damage control mode to combat Verizon’s claims that they were the best option for Internet and television services. We were sent both the FiOS press release and the Comcast press release, and we figured we would respond to the claims of each, point-by-point.
For some background, we’ve been Comcast customers for over six years, for both Internet and television services. When we moved for FiOS 15 months ago, Comcast was still our cable television provider. As of today, I am a FiOS customer for both Internet and television, and as of 10 days ago, am no longer a Comcast customer. Now, on with the comparisons.
Click to continue reading Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
iPod touch 2G unboxing gallery
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Galleries, Portable Audio, Portable Video,
You that 2G iPod touch that Apple was all excited about, being that it’s the thinnest iPod touch ever (despite being only the second one ever made)? We figured you guys might be interested in having us take a bunch of unboxing images of the one that just got delivered here to Gear Live HQ. Yeah, this thing is thin, and if you don’t already have a first-gen iPod touch, you should seriously look into this model if you’ve been waiting one. It’s a nice improvement over the original. Check out the rest of the images over at our iPod touch 2G unboxing gallery.
iPod touch 2G unboxing
Gallery:
Seattle Mind Camp 5.0: November 22-23 at Synapse!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Upcoming, Announcements,
When you guys said you wanted us to go back to the 24-hour format for Mind Camp, we decided to make sure that happened, no matter how long it took to find the appropriate venue. Thanks to Mind Camp attendee Scott Bright, we’ve got it - Synapse, located in downtown Seattle. Never heard of Synapse? Well, that’s kinda the point - they do some amazing things there, but no one knows it. They also just happen to have an amazing space for us to use for a 24-hour Mind Camp event. So it’s on.
Seattle Mind Camp 5.0 will start on November 22 at 11:00 AM, and will conclude the following morning, November 23 at 10:00 AM.
Here’s the address:
Synapse
1511 6th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
View Google Map
Here’s the Facebook event page.
Go ahead and spread the word, we think this will be the best Mind Camp event we’ve ever done, because the space is casual, and fits in perfectly with the things we want to do. Plus, they have some really cool stuff to show off. You gonna be there?
