Speaking of TV, Republican US Senator, John McCain, of Arizona has introduced a bill to the house floor dubbed The Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013. The legislation has three components. The first is the unbundling of TV programing from content and cable companies, which allows the consumer to have à la carte service options. It also lets the consumer pay for only those channels and shows they want to watch. The second will establish consequences for providers that misuse or don't properly execute the stipulations in the bill, such as downgrading their online offering. Lastly, it will eliminate local sports blackouts, finally!

All politics aside, every consumer should get behind this bill. Perhaps an indirect benefit for content makers is that the bill could help curb privacy, which is running rampant, although many do not admit so publicly. In the end, if done right, the bill could break the cable provider's stronghold on the traditional content distribution model, eliminate the exorbitant pricing scheme, or, as the Senator of Arizona eloquently put it, end the cable monopoly. As I'm writing this, a tear rolled down my eye. Thank you Mr. John McCain for thinking of my wallet. Watch the historical speech after the quick break.

Tags:

It's becoming customary within the Apple community to conceptualize ideas of future Apple products and software. In this case, Sam Beckett conceptualizes what the mythical Apple TV set, or iTV, display may look like and how it might behave. Interactions, mostly done by way of an iOS device, in this case are done with an iPad mini.  This, of course, is opposed to using the often confusing button-riddled TV remote. Interacting and navigating is user-friendly and intuitive while using DVR functions, swiping between channels using gestures, using Siri and Genius content recommendations, etc. In addition, apps are served up as channels, and the user would have the ability to tie into their cable provider of choice if they aren't ready to cut the cord. I don't know about you, but we're digging this much. Watch the video after the snappy break.

Tags: apple, apple television, apple tv, apple tv set, dvr, genius, ios, itv, siri, videos, youtube,

If you were a child of the '80s, you probably remember He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that was on television every weekday afternoon. He-Man would do his best to rid Eternia of Skeletor. I remember going to Macy's in NYC as a four-year-old and getting to "meet" a life-sized, robotic He-Man that was signing autographs. There was no Skeletor equivalent though, until now. The life-sized Skeletor replica is molded and sculpted based on the dimensions of the action figure. Check out the video after the break for more on the construction of Skeletor.

Tags: 1980s, 80s, cartoons, he-man, masters of the universe, skeletor, videos, youtube,

Teen sensation Cody Simpson is currently traveling the country on tour, and the next stop for the kid with 3.1 million Twitter followers, 3.2 million Facebook Likes and over 137 million YouTube views is Bluebird Theatre in Denver, Colorado on July 27th. Once again, we've got your hookup. Continuing with our concert ticket giveaways, we are hooking two readers up with a pair of tickets each to see Cody Simpson live in concert on July 27th, courtesy of our friends at Monster and AEG Live!

How do you enter? Simply use the widget below! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tags: bluebird theatre, cody simpson, cody simpson tickets, concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, denver, giveaways, paradise tour, pop, ticket giveaways, tickets,

Copy is a new cloud storage service, and it's got its sights directly on upheaving Dropbox as the cloud king. With Copy, you keep your files in sync across devices and get a web interface with easy sharing (including mobile devices,) similar to what you get with Dropbox. However, it differs in a couple of key areas that make Copy seem like a much better offering:

• When you share files with other Copy users, that space isn't docked from both accounts. With Dropbox, if you share a 1GB file, both you and the person you share with now have 1GB less storage space.
• When you sign up for Copy, you get 15GB of space right off the bat. With Dropbox, you get 5GB.
• Each time you refer a friend to sign up for copy, you are granted another 5GB, with no limit. Dropbox only gives you an extra 500MB, and has a hard referral bonus of 16GB.

Wanna give it a try? It's free, and it's great. Head on over to Copy to sign up - use this link, and you'll start out with 20GB free instead of 15GB!

Tags: barracuda networks, cloud, cloud storage, copy, copy cloud storage, dropbox, fair storage,

Apple's iTunes multimedia application has been updated to version 11.0.3, the highlight of which is a redesigned and improved MiniPlayer that now includes rich album artwork and a progress bar. Songs view also brings album artwork into the fold, and now multi-disc albums appear as a single album rather than taking up multiple entries in your library. Here's the rundown list of what's included in the update.

This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

• New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer.
• Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.
• Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.

This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.

Tags: apple, itunes, itunes 11.0.3, itunes miniplayer, mini player, miniplayer, music, software,

Google is making the practice of sending money to friends as easy as attaching a document to an email. Using Gmail, you'll be able to attach cash money to your emails using your Google Wallet account, for free. The nice thing is that you don't have to have funds on your account to do this--you can just have a bank account attached to your Wallet account. Recipients of your paper won't need to have a Gmail account, which is one more thing you don't need to worry about, and anyone you send money to can return it to you as well. Google is rolling out the feature now to Gmail users over the age of 18. Check out a video that explains it all, after the break.

Tags: email, gmail, google, google io, google io 2013, google wallet, google wallet gmail, payments, videos, youtube,

Following up on the Juice Pack Helium ($71) and Juice Pack Air ($92), Mophie has announced the Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 5. This is the highest-capacity iPhone 5 battery case offered by Mophie, the company that made these accessories a common purchase for Apple smartphones. On the inside of the Juice Pack Plus you'll find a 2100mAh battery that the company says will add a whopping 120% of extra battery life to your iPhone 5, which is good enough for 10 additional hours of talk time, 12 hours of Wi-Fi Internet usage, and 12 hours of video playback.

The Mophie Juice Pack Plus is available in black right now, with white and Product (RED) versions shipping within the next two weeks. All models cost $120.

Tags: 2100mah, accessories, apple, iphone 5, juice pack, juice pack plus, mophie, mophie juice pack, mophie juice pack plus, product red,

Ross Mathews, better known as Ross the Intern from The Tonight Show fame, is currently on tour promoting his new book, and he is doing comedy shows to bring the pop culture stories to life. Continuing with our concert ticket giveaways, we are hooking you up with two tickets to see Ross live in San Francisco at The Regency Ballroom on May 16th, courtesy of our friends at Monster and AEG Live!

How do you enter? Simply use the widget below! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! Check out the video after the break where Ross details what to expect in his show. Sounds fun!

Tags: comedy, concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, giveaways, man up, man up tour, regency ballroom, ross mathews, ross mathews tickets, ross the intern, san francisco, sidefeatured, stand up, stand up comedy, the tonight show, ticket giveaways, tickets,

The new Google Hangouts has arrived, bringing together Google's Talk, Hangouts, Voice, and Google+ Messenger under one app and umbrella. Google Hangouts offers unified, synchronized chat that retains history across all devices, allowing you to dig into your history wherever you are, delete messages, and check out files, photos, etc. Hangouts naturally includes the previous Google Hangouts video chat features, which allows multiple people to video chat with each other, again, from a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Hangouts it now available on iOS, Android, Chrome, and within the Gmail web client. Get a look at the video promo after the break.

Tags: apps, gmail, google, google hangouts, google hangouts ios, google io, google io 2013, google talk, google voice, instant messaging,

Google Play Music All Access is now live and official. Just head on over to Google Music and you can sign up for the absolutely free 30-day trial. Remember, if you sign up before June 30th, you lock in $7.99 per month pricing. After that, it jumps to $9.99 per month.

Tags: digital locker, google, google io, google io 2013, google play, google play music, google play music all access, music, streaming music, subscription music,

Google has announced a new version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 during the opening day Google I/O keynote, which runs the latest stock version of Android Jelly Bean. This means that the specialized smartphone sports the Nexus experience. It's compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile LTE networks, completely unlocked. The bootloader is unlocked as well, and the device sports 16GB of on-board storage, expandable with a microSD card. One major benefit is the promise of immediate system updates to newer Android versions, thanks to the stock Android being used. Since the phone has no contract, it won't be cheap. The stock Android Jelly Bean version of the Galaxy S 4 will go on sale on Google Play on June 26th for $649.

Tags: 4g, 4g lte, adslice, android, att, galaxy s 4, galaxy s 4 nexus, galaxy s iv, google, google io, google io 2013, google play, jelly bean, lte, nexus, samsung, smartphones, stock android, t-mobile,

Google has just announced Google Play Music All Access at its Google I/O 2013 developer conference, the company's new subscription music service. Aside from givng you access to the millions of songs in Google's new streaming catalog, it will also incorporate tracks that you have stored in your Google Play Music account. The service launches today, and will cost $9.99 per month. Google offers a 30-day trial--sign up for the free trial by June 30th, you'll lock in a $7.99 per month rate, making it 20% cheaper than competing services like Rdio and Spotify.

It is expected that Apple will announce it's own streaming music service, possibly at WWDC 2013 in June, but rumors point to it being more akin to a Pandora Internet radio competitor than a full on streaming service where you can pick and choose individual tracks and albums that you want to listen to.

Tags: all access, gmusic, google, google all access, google io, google io 2013, google play music, google play music all access, streaming music, subscription music,

Microsoft co-founder, former CEO and current Chairman, Bill Gates, described his last conversation with the late Steve Jobs (among other topics) during an interview with Charlie Rose on 60 minutes. Watch the video after the break:

Tags: 60 minutes, apple, bill gates, ceo, charlie rose, interviews, microsoft, steve jobs, video, video,

The rumor mill has been buzzing with regards to significant changes that will be coming to AppleCare, Apple's popular standard and extended warranty program. Interestingly, it appears that AppleCare support for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is about to become much more of a pain for customers. This marks a significant change where Apple will seemingly make a decision to make the customer service experience worse rather than better, all in the name of saving a ton of money.

Tags: adslice, apple, applecare, applecare discount, applecare plus, ios, ipad, iphone, iphone 5s, iphone 6, ipod touch, rumors, sidefeatured,

1Password is one of our favorite apps here at Gear Live, and today version 4.2 for iOS was released with a slew of new features. Let's talk about some of our favorites.

On the iPad, you get a newly-optimized browser (called 1Browser) that now includes the Strong Password Generator. You can also autofill your logins if you prefer, and the browser even recognizes a URL that you have waiting in your clipboard and offers to take you there. The iPad also picks up the Go & Fill bookmark feature, that let's you bookmark your favorite sites, and when you visit, 1Password will automatically log you in.

Search has been expanded, now allowing users to search across all 1Password data fields, and you can even share password items using Messages and email--1Password offers to let you share either in plain text, or in an encrypted format.

We've got the full changelog for you after the break. You can download 1Password 4.2 now.

Tags: 1browser, 1password, 1password 4.2, 1password ios, agilebits, password manager, strong password generator,

The legendary Prince is currently traveling the country with his Out Loud tour, teaming up with 3rdEyeGirl, and they'll be making a stop at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colorado on May 12. Tickets cost $250 each, and they're sold out, so it's near impossible to get in. Thankfully, though, we've got your hookup. Continuing with our concert ticket giveaways, we are hooking you up with two tickets to see Prince live in concert on May 12th, courtesy of our friends at Monster and AEG Live!

How do you enter? Simply use the widget below! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tags: 3rdeyegirl, concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, denver, giveaways, ogden theatre, out loud tour, pop, prince, prince tickets, sidefeatured, ticket giveaways, tickets,

That's right, we are giving away a brand new LG Optimus G Pro for Mother's Day! After all, it's time to thank the moms in your life for their hard work, and the LG Optimus G Pro is just the phone to do that with. In fact, here are a few reasons why we think she'll love it:

• The LG Optimus G Pro sports a 13 megapixel camera, letting mom capture all those important and impromptu family moments, and includes features like VR Panorama, Cheese Shutter, and Time Catch Shot.
• It's got a 5.5-inch display. That puts it almost in tablet territory. Mini tablet, if you will. So watching videos, reading books, and surfing the web are done without having to suffer through tiny fonts.
• The device has almost no bezel. That keeps it thin and easy to hold, despite the larger display size. Very comfortable in the hand. 

The LG Optimus G Pro can be had for $199.99 with two-year contract from AT&T, but we are giving you the opportunity to win one right here from Gear Live, courtesy of AT&T. So, how do you enter to win? Simply use the widget below to keep track of your entries! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By the way, if you wanna pick up an Optimus G Pro on your own, AT&T is currently selling them for $199.99 with two-year contract.

See also: LG Optimus G review

Tags: 1.7 ghz, 4g, 4g lte, 5.5 inch, 5.5-inch, adslice, android, android 4.1, android 4.1 jelly bean, att, contests, giveaways, hspa, jelly bean, lg, lg optimus g, lg optimus g pro, lte, mothers day, optimus g, optimus g pro, phablet, sidefeatured, smartphones,

Lucky for you, our friends at Monster and AEG Live wanna get you in the building, and we have tickets to give away to get you there. How do you enter? Simply use the widget below! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tags: blackstreet, blackstreet concert, blackstreet tickets, concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, giveaways, rb, rhythm and blues, seattle, showbox, showbox sodo, sidefeatured, teddy riley, ticket giveaways, tickets,

The Tesla Model S has just received the highest form of praise from Consumer Reports--best car it has ever tested. That is quite an achievement, and an amazing vote of confidence for the small California-based car manufacturer. Consumer Reports even made sure to reiterate that it didn't just mean best electric car, but rather, the Tesla Model S was simply the best car Consumer Reports has ever tested, period. Standout features like a battery that allows the driver to go 200 miles before needing to be recharged (although that is a $10,000 add-on option,) incredible handling due to the weight and low placement of the battery, and the ability to go from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. The vehicle tested would retail for $89,650, and to be honest, we'd expect a car that costs that much to be in the running for "best car tested" in any media outlet.

Get a look at the Consumer Reports Telsa Model S video review after the break.

Tags: automobiles, cars, consumer reports, electric cars, ev, model s, reviews, tesla, tesla model s, videos, youtube,

Google has pushed out a new update for Google Glass Explorers, the early testers and purchasers of the ambitious wearable tech. Most notable in the XE5 update is the addition of Google+ functionality in Glass, specifically allowing you to comment on, and +1 entries on Google's social network. You can also receive incoming Google Hangout invitations. Here's a full rundown of the changes:

• Change to sync policy: require power + WiFi for background uploads
• Crash reporting
• Incoming G+ notifications (direct shares, comments, +mentions), including ability to comment and +1
• Incoming Hangout notifications
• Transcription of queries & messages is now wicked-fast
• Long-press to search from anywhere in the UI (no longer just from off)
• International number dialing + SMS
• Hop animation on disallowed swipes in the UI
• New On-Head Detection calibration flow
• Show device Serial Number on Device Info card
• More reliable estimation of battery charge remaining
• New recipient-list mosaic

As you can see, Google is steadily improving the Glass experience, even as it's just in the beta Explorer stage. With a year-or-so before it hits mass market, the company has a lot of time to refine the technology to get it ready for the meanstream. They'll need to, in order to quiet the jokes.

Tags: glass, google glass, google glass update, google glass xe5, google hangouts, google plus, sms, software, wearable tech, xe5,

The next Daft Punk album, Random Access Memories, is set to be released in a couple of weeks, and for those who can't wait, there are custom Daft Punk LEGO minifigs. Jake Meier, LEGO minifig extraordinnaire, put the duo together with custom turntable, helmets, and a bunch of assumedly electronic music vinyl in a box. Well done.

Tags: daft punk, jack meier, lego, lego minifigs, minifigs, random access memories,

Despite being the last major carrier to pick up the iPhone, T-Mobile is still seeing massive success thanks to the Apple smartphone. In fact, the company revealed that it has sold over 500,000 iPhone 5 units since the device went on sale on April 12th, less than a month ago. On that day, T-Mobile locations had lines out the door, which is almost unheard of for the carrier. Technically, the iPhone 5 went on sale after the end of the first quarter, so those 500,000 sales weren't accounted for. We will have to wait until next quarter to see how the iPhone is affecting T-Mobile revenue.

Tags: apple, carriers, iphone, iphone 5, iphone 5 sales, smartphones, t-mobile,

Machine Gun Kelly, the 23-year-old hip-hop sensation known for his unmistakable rapid-fire flow, is coming to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco tomorrow night as part of the Lace Up Tour, and we are giving away two pairs of tickets to the show. Dude was named the Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2011, so you know he's got skills.

Now, our friends at Monster and AEG Live wanna put you and a friend inside the Regency Ballroom to experience MGK's lyrical prowess. How do you enter? Simply use the widget below! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tags: concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, giveaways, hip hop, lace up tour, machine gun kelly, mgk, mgk tickets, rap, regency ballroom, san francisco, sidefeatured, ticket giveaways, tickets,

So, how do you enter to win tickets to see The Killers tomorrow night? Simply use the widget below to keep track of your entries! We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated. Also, note that one of the options grants you ten entries. Might wanna give that one a look:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tags: concert ticket giveaways, concerts, contests, giveaways, rock, sidefeatured, the killers, the killers tickets, ticket giveaways, tickets, verizon theater,

We've been keeping tabs on the Nokia Lumia 928 for a while, but it has never been confirmed in any official capacity until today. The Lumia 928 quietly made an appearance in a two-page advertisment spread in Vanity Fair, as well as on a simple page on the Nokia Web site. It appears that the 928 is focusing on the camera:

Nokia exclusive PureView technology, with Optical Image Stabilization and high-end Carl Zeiss optics let you capture and share amazing blur-free photos and videos, even in low light conditions.

As expected, Verizon Wireless will be the carrier for the Lumia 928. Expect a nice, official unveiling to take place a week from today, on May 14th. We aren't expecting the internals to be too different from the Nokia Lumia 920.

Tags: carl zeiss, leaks, lumia, lumia 928, microsoft, nokia, nokia lumia 928, nokia pureview, pureview, smartphones, vanity fair, verizon, verizon wireless, windows phone, windows phone 8,

Windows Phone users have been patiently waiting for a full-fledged YouTube app, and today it has finally arrived. Replacing the glorified mobile web version of YouTube "app," the new version brings all the native Windows Phone 8 love in parity with YouTube's standard features. You can share videos to other social networks, log in to your account to access your favorites and playlists, and even do stuff like set videos, channels, and even search queries as Live Tiles on the homescreen--something unique to Windows Phone. You can grab the new Windows Phone YouTube app right now.

Tags: google, live tiles, smartphones, windows phone, windows phone 8, windows phone youtube, youtube, youtube app,

If you've been thinking about picking up a Kindle Fire HD for Mom (or even yourself!), now might be the time, as Amazon is offering a nice discount its 7-inch flagship models through May 12th. Using promo code FIRE4MOM during checkout, you'll save $20 on the tablet, bringing the price down to $179 for the 16 GB model, and $209 for the 32 GB version. We're sure that Mom wouldn't mind receiving one of these for Valentine's Day, especially with all the Amazon Prime benefits, and we'll keep the fact that you got it on sale between us, okay?

Tags: amazon, deal of the day, dotd, ereaders, fire4mom, kindle, kindle fire, kindle fire hd, kindle fire hd 8.9, kindle fire hd sale, sales, slates, tablets,

Former Microsoft CEO, current mosquito-wrangler and public donator of his vast wealth, Bill Gates, was talking on CNBC about how he feels iPad users are frustrated about not having a physical keyboard and the lack of Microsoft Office. Curious among many where he is getting his data. Bill didn't waste any time proposing the Microsoft Surface tablet, which has Microsoft Office, as a better alternative, despite sales indicating the contrary. Perhaps, it might behoove Microsoft to go to its roots and start selling software instead of trying to sell an ecosystem. After all, we're in the 'Post PC-era' as coined by the late Steve Jobs. On the other hand, Bill is saying tablets are growing in popularity, and that, eventually, they'll be hard to distinguish between them and PCs. Catch the video after the break.

"With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to gain share in what has been dominated by the iPad type device. A lot of those users are frustrated. They can't type. They can't create documents. They don't have Office there. So we're providing them something with the benefits they've seen that have made that a big category but without giving up what they expect in a PC." - Bill Gates

Tags: aapl, apple, bill gates, bill gates interview, cnbc, interviews, ipad, microsoft, microsoft surface, office, pc, surface, tablets,

Nike is hard at work on the next iteration of its popular Nike+ FuelBand, and we've got the details on what to expect, thanks to getting to spend a few short minutes with the device during a recent business trip. From the look and sound of things, aside from a handful of new features and tracking metrics, Nike is also set to make the Nike+ API a bit more robust as well, allowing developers to tap into your tracking data. Now let's talk about the changes and improvements:

Tags: accelerometer, adslice, bluetooth 4.0, exclusive, fitness, fitness gadgets, fuelband, fuelband api, nike, nike api, nike fuel, nike fuelband, nike plus, quantified self, sidefeatured,

With this past weekends Saturday Night Live spoof, Google Glass has officially gone mainstream. As part of Weekend Update with Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen plays Tech Correspondent Randall Meeks, and tries to explain just how revolutionary Glass can be, all while trying to work within the constraints of poor speech recognition and awkward gestures. Yes, it's a spoof, and therefore, it is very exaggerated--but that's what makes it funny. We've embedded the Hulu clip below, after the break, for your enjoyment.

Tags: funny, glass, google glass, hulu, saturday night live, snl, spoofs, television, videos, wearables,

Apple is set to show off OS X 10.9 at WWDC 2013 (which sold out in less than two minutes this year) and the current rumors point to the inclusion of a tabbed Finder and iOS-style multitasking that will allow background apps to pause, freeing system resources up for the apps you are using at the time. Additionally, the Mission Control complaint that users with multiple monitors have been complaining about since the release of OS X 10.7 Lion will finally be addressed--if you have multiple monitors, you'll be able to have a space open on each one.

Other rumor mill nuggets point to both Siri and Apple Maps making their OS X debuts as well. We'll know more on June 10 when WWDC kicks off!

Tags: 10.9, apple, apple maps, finder, mac, maps, os x, os x 10.9, siri, software, tabbed finder, worldwide developers conference, wwdc, wwdc 2013,

Netflix is set to launch the new season of Arrested Development on May 26th, just three Sundays from now. Arrested Deelopment aired on Fox between 2003 and 2006, and was one of those shows plagued by low ratings, which later developed a massive following through DVD sales. Fans have been waiting for almost seven years for some sort of movie or series continuation (a la Family Guy and Futurama) since then, and now that time is upon us.

15 Episodes, May 26, only on Netflix. Try to contain yourself. #AD2013 twitter.com/arresteddev/st…

— Arrested Development (@arresteddev) April 4, 2013

Netflix will release all 15 30-minute episodes of Arrested Development season 4 on May 26th, and they'll be a Netflix exclusive.

Tags: arrested development, arrested development season 4, comedies, comedy, netflix, netflix original, television,

Belkin has finally announced the release of its Thunderbolt Express Dock. Originally set for release in July 2012, Belkin's Thunderbolt Express Dock has seen multiple delays, but is now available to order beginning today. To refresh your memory, the Dock allows you to connect multiple peripheral to it, and then connect one Thunderbolt cable from the Dock to your Mac, giving you access to all of the devices connected to the dock. Here a list of all the ports that the Thunderbolt Dock sports:

• 2 Thunderbolt ports (1 upstream, 1 downstream for daisy-chaining up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices)
• 3 USB 3.0 ports (Belkin added USB 3.0 ports back in June 2012)
• 1 FireWire 800 port
• 1 Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1 3.5mm audio-out port
• 1 3.5mm audio-in port

In total, you get access to 8 different devices on your Mac by simple connecting on cable to a fully-stocked Thunderbolt Dock. Not bad at all. You can pick up the Thunderbolt Express Dock now for $299.99 by using the link below.

Tags: accessories, apple, belkin, belkin thunderbolt express dock, f4u055ww, firewire 800, mac accessories, mac dock, thunderbolt, thunderbolt express dock, usb 3.0,

GizmoSlip has done a drop durability test of Apple's iPhone 5, Samsung's Galaxy S IV and Galaxy S III.  See how they fair in the video. Hint: the protruding camera design was a bad idea.

Tags: android, apple, drop test, galaxy s 4, galaxy s iii, ios, iphone 5, samsung, smartphones, videos, youtube,

Twitter has updated the official Twitter for Mac app for the first time since June 2011, surprising many Mac users in the process, many of whom thought the app was essentially dead. Instead, along with the listed new features and improvements, Twitter's Ben Sandofsky has also announced that the will be working on Twitter for Mac full-time, and that there are more cool updates to come.

P.S. I'm taking a break from iOS to work on Twitter for Mac full time.

— Ben Sandofsky (@sandofsky) April 25, 2013

Here are the changes you'll find in todays Twitter for Mac 2.2 release:

• Photos: It’s easier than ever to share photos. Simply click the camera icon in the lower-left corner of the Tweet compose box, and choose a photo to share. If you prefer, you can still drag and drop photos from the desktop.
• Retina display support: Now Twitter is even more vibrant and detailed on the highest resolution Mac notebooks. With this update, Tweets will be clearer and sharper, creating a more vivid experience.
• 14 more languages: In addition to English, Twitter for Mac now supports Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish.

You can get the update now in the Mac App Store.

Tags: mac app store, mac apps, retina display, social networking, software, twitter, twitter for mac, twitter for mac 2.2,

We told you that WWDC 2013 tickets would go quick, but we didn't think it would be this fast. WWDC tickets last year sold out in under two hours. Today? They sold out in under 2 minutes. Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is now officially sold out, so if you missed it, you'll have to settle for videos of the conference program. There's always next year.

Tags: apple, worldwide developers conference, wwdc, wwdc 2013, wwdc sold out, wwdc tickets,

Tickets for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference are now on sale. Last year, WWDC tickets sold out within two hours of going on sale, and that was without a pre-announcement of when they'd drop. This year, in an attempt to make sure everyone is ready, the company announced yesterday that tickets would go on sale this morning. Apple will show off both OS X 10.9 and iOS 7 at the event, with developer preview betas being available that same day. If you want to be there, we suggest you go get your tickets. Like, right now. In fact, it may already be too late.

In order to buy a ticket, you've gotta me a member of Apple's iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or the Mac Developer Program as of yesterday's announcement. You can buy one ticket per person, or five per organization, and they cost $1,599 each.

Last years WWDC saw the reveal of major features of OS X Mountain Lion, iOS 6, the introduction of the MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Tags: apple, developers, ios 7, ios developer program, ipad, iphone, ipod touch, mac, mac developer program, os x, os x 10.9, worldwide developers conference, wwdc, wwdc 2013, wwdc 2013 tickets, wwdc tickets,

New York City subway passengers now have access to Wi-Fi, voice, and data services in 36 subway stations. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has outfitted several major stations with the service, including Times Square, Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center, and a bunch of stops on the West Side starting at 18th street, all the way up to 96th street. Wi-Fi is sponsored by Boingo, while cell service is limited to AT&T and T-Mobile at the moment, with Sprint and Verizon on the way soon.

Up next, Wi-Fi and cell service will come to Queens and the midtown area by 2014, followed by the Bronx and East Side Manhattan following. Here's hoping that it all holds up and doesn't crack under the pressure of the daily New York City commuters similar to the problems with the BART Wi-FI service in San Francisco.

[Photo courtesy of Hernan Seoane/Flickr Creative Commons]

Tags: att, boingo, boingo wifi, columbus circle, metropolitan transit authority, mta, new york city, nyc, rockefeller center, sprint, t-mobile, times square, verizon, verizon wireless, wi-fi, wifi,

The newly redesigned $100 bill is set to go into circulation in the US on October 8th, 2013, according to the Federal Reserve Board. The new bill note was first shown off back in 2010, with the design being focused on making the Benjamins more difficult to counterfeit, including a new blue 3D security ribbon and a Liberty Bell that disappears depending on how you hold the note. The new $100 bill was originally slated to go into circulation back in February 2011, but the 2 year and 8 month delay is due to an "unexpected production delay."

Tags: 100 bill, benjamins, blue money, cash, counterfeit, fed, federal reserve, legal tender, money, us, usa,

Apple has confirmed that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 10-14th at Moscone West in San Francisco. During yesterday's Q2 2013 Apple earnings call, Tim Cook made sure to set expectations by indicating that the company looks forward to releasing new hardware, software, and services this fall, and throughout 2014. In other words, don't expect any new iPhone or iPad to be announced at the summer blockbuster event. That said, Phil Shiller says that its "developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we're excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps," adding, "we can't wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC." So there you have it--WWDC will see the unveiling of Mac OS X 10.9, and iOS 7, both of which should be made available to developers on June 10 in preview form. Tickets for WWDC go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM PDT.

Tags: apple, apple events, ios, ios 7, os x, os x 10.9, worldwide developers conference, wwdc, wwdc 2013, wwdc tickets,