2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Logitech Washable Keyboard

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Features, PC / Laptop, Peripherals, Family, Women, Men, Under $100, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

Keyboards get dirty, and they're annoying to clean. Logitech solves this with its Washable Keyboard, our next pick in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. You can say goodbye to crumbs and hand-salsa when you run the keyboard under the faucet with confidence. The sell for $40, but you can get it on Amazon for $29.35, saving you 27%.

Oh, and to complete your setup, pair it with a Belkin washable mouse!

Read More | Logitech Washable Keyboard

2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire Blaster

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Toys, Kids, Teens, Under $100, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

Next up in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide, the Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire Blaster. This is the highest-capacity Nerf gun of all time, sporting eight clips that, all-together, hold up to 144 foam darts that can be shot as far as 75 feet. They retail for $40, but you can pick it up on Amazon for $26.97, a 33% savings. Just be sure to duck for cover when the kids are running around with these.

Read More | Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire Blaster

YouTube for iOS finally updated for iPhone 5, brings AirPlay back

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Entertainment, App Updates, Google, Free Apps,

Saying "finally" never gets old, especially when used appropriately: the YouTube for iOS app from Google is now, finally, updated to handle iPhone 5 4-inch display, as well as the two size flavors of iPad. The update fixes a head scratcher with AirPlay: Google for "reasons unknown" deciding to limit AirPlay functionality when the app first launched, even though AirPlay is on by default whenever you code an app that has any video functionally. Here is a list of more features of version 1.1.04126. Hopefully I didn't misplace a decimal point.

• Optimized for iPad and iPhone 5
• Stream videos with AirPlay
• Tap logo to open your Guide of channels
• Add and remove videos from your playlists

Read More | YouTube for iOS

Comic Book Jobs: Peanuts

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Do you like the Peanuts? Are you a fan of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and Linus? When you hear Vince Guaraldi's piano do you immediately think Charlie Brown Christmas? Well, there's a job that you might be interested in.

The Charles M. Schulz Museum And Research Center in Santa Rosa, California is looking for a curator. It's a full-time gig and you'll need some museum experience that doesn't just include staring at the exhibits or eating in the cafeteria. The museum is "27,000 square feet which showcases the comic art and legacy of Charles M. Schulz and the Peanuts comic strip collection."

As the curator, you'll be "responsible for planning the exhibition schedule, researching, and writing exhibition text." Some other stuff is required, but details and contact info are at the job listing.

Good luck, job seekers!

[Artwork: Peanuts, one of the comics published by Kaboom, a division of Boom! Studios]

Read More | Naspa

AnoStyle lets you add unique style to your iPhone and iPad mini

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Design, Handhelds,

Want to trick out your iPhone or iPad mini? The folks at AnoStyle are ready to hook you up, allowing you to do away with the black & slate or white & silver backing on these devices. The process of anodizing is similar to how Apple adds those colors to the iPhone 5 and the entire Mac lineup. Yet, with AnoStyle, they offer a much wider pallet of colors to choose from. The process takes about a week and costs $249 for the iPhone and $299 for the iPad mini. For those that are wondering, it does void your warranty on the device. Andru Edwards color scheming his iDevices to Gear Live orange is now a go!

Read More | AnoStyle

Google Voice 1.4.4 now available for iOS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, App Updates, Google, Free Apps,

Google is following up the release of Gmail 2.0 for iOS earlier this morning with a new version of Google Voice that's optimized for the iPhone 5 widescreen display. You can download Google Voice 1.4.4 now from the App Store for free.

Apple releases iWork 9.3 update adding support for iWork for iOS 1.7 apps

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,

Apple has just released iWork update 9.3, which brings support to the desktop versions of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for the iWork for iOS 1.7 apps. We haven't seen the iOS version updates hit the App Store yet, but given the release of the iWork for Mac update, those should be available shortly. You can get the update by checking Software Update on your Mac. iWork 9.3 is recommended for users of iWork 9.0 and later when using OS X Lion v10.7.4 and above.

2012 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Rdio steaming music subscription

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Music, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

They say music is the universal language, and as music lovers ourselves, we think it's one of the best gifts that you can give, and we're putting it in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Rather than grabbing an iTunes gift card, or worse, a random CD from the bargain bin, we recommend hitting your loves ones up with Rdio gift subscriptions. Why? It allows the user unlimited access to the entire Rdio music streaming catalog. That means on-demand access to millions of tracks from the web, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and even your Sonos system. Rdio costs $9.99 per month for full access. We love it--check out Gear Live on Rdio!

We are giving away three 3-month subscriptions to Rdio to our readers as well! To enter, all you need to do is:

• Follow Gear Live on Twitter
• Tweet the following message: "Hey @GearLive - hook me up with that free @Rdio subscription! http://gear.lv/SEjTdi" (Click here to tweet this now!)

Good luck to all entrants, and be sure to look through the rest of our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide for more giveaways!

Read More | Rdio

2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple TV

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Family, Men, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $500,

iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will be big holiday gifts this year, make no mistake about it. The Apple TV is actually a fantastic complement to Apple's handhelds, worthy of being featured in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. A nice little device in its own right, the Apple TV gives you access to Apple's iTunes Store entertainment content right on your television. In addition, you get Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, sports networks, and plenty of other entertainment options. Connect it to your iTunes Home Share, and you can use your iOS devices as remote controls for the Apple TV. The best part, though, is AirPlay. You can beam audio and video content right to the Apple TV with ease from your iOS device, or your Mac. You can also mirror the display of these devices as well, all wireless over your home network.

You can pick up the Apple TV for $99, or $94.95 on Amazon.

Honorable Mention: Roku 2 XS Streaming Player

Read More | Apple TV

Google releases Gmail 2.0 for iOS

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Productivity, App Updates, Google, Free Apps,

Google has finally released version 2.0 of its native Gmail client app for iOS. It has much requested features and a complete resign that is cleaner than before. TechCrunch columnist MG Siegler says the app had no influence from the Sparrow acquisition, which is surprising since version 2.0's UI looks decent. Here is a list of the updated features.

• Multiple account support
• App redesigned with a new, cleaner look
• Search predictions as you type

Hopefully the team turns its attention to the YouTube app for iOS which is sorely needing a clean revamp that also supports iPhone 5 and the iPad. Fingers crossed.

Read More | Gmail