We give you a look at FitBit in this episode, focusing on two of their fitness gadgets, the FitBit Ultra and the FitBit Aria Wi-Fi scale. The FitBit Ultra is a small device that you wear on your belt or in your pocket that tracks how many steps you've walked, stairs you've climbed, calories you've burned, etc. It syncs with the FitBit Web site, giving you a graph of your activity history.

You FitBit Aria scale is Wi-Fi enabled, and monitors your weight, BMI, and body fat percentage. The scale uses Wi-Fi to sync your data to the FitBit Web site, where you can view your history. This was recorded at CES 2012. You can find FitBit products on Amazon.

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.

Tags: altimeter, ces, ces 2012, fitbit, fitbit aria, fitbit ultra, fitness, health, mark silverio, pedometer, wi-fi, wi-fi scale, wifi scale, withings scale,

I make the Macs we use at Gear Live work pretty hard, and am always looking to squeeze out any extra performance that I can. I've used SSD drives for about three years now, long before they were as available and affordable as they are today, even in a Mac Pro. I recently downgraded from a 2009 Mac Pro to the 2011 iMac, and had to make a few concessions as it related to a bunch of things. I mean, the Pro was a beast with an SSD, 3 HDD drives, 16 GB RAM, 3 video cards, etc. Going from that to an iMac gave me some concern. Using the iMac, though, had been fine, with the exception of slowdowns once the computer was out of RAM. Even matching it with the 16GB RAM that was in the Mac Pro wasn't enough for what we do. Granted, right now I've got about 15 tabs open in Chrome and over 40 tabs open in Safari, while iMovie is exporting a 1080p video episode of Bleeding Edge TV, with 20 apps running in the dock. I may be an edge case, but I deserve a speedy computing experience just as much as the next guy! I recently maxed out the RAM in the iMac to a ridiculous 32GB, and now things are flying.

I took a chance on an unknown (to me) brand called KomputerBay that I found on Amazon, and they sell 8GB RAM modules in sets of two (so 16GB total) for less than I've seen anywhere else, by a substantial margin. After installing, performane was markedly improved, and I have yet to experience any of those "out of RAM" slowdowns that plagued me before. Not bad for inexpensive RAM. If you've got a 2011 iMac, your system has four RAM slots and can support up to 32GB RAM. Alternatively, if you're running a recent MacBook Pro, you have two slots and can bump it up to 16GB using these modules. Each 16GB set currently costs $139.

Tags: 16gb ram, 32gb ram, 8gb ram, imac, imac ram upgrade, komputerbay, komputerbay ram, komputerbay review, macbook pro, macbook pro ram upgrade, ram, ram upgrade,

Here in the U.S., we’re familiar with the semi-trucks we share the highways with during our commutes and rely on to deliver our goods...but seeing a semi as a taxicab, that’s something unheard of. Europe’s semi truck manufactures take pride in their products, and one brand in particular is out to prove they’re the best. That brand is Mercedes-Benz. It's have won Truck of the Year for its newly redesigned Actros. However, that wasn’t enough for the Mercedes. So someone got the bright idea of using an Actros as a taxicab. However, the Actros was set to pick up customers from competing manufactures such as Volvo and Man. Watch a video of their reactions after the jump!

Tags: actros, cabs, cars, europe, mercedes, mercedes-benz, mercedes-benz actros, taxi, taxicab, trucks,

We're back with another edition of Ask Andru - this time we're focusing on the wildly popular Kinect add-on, and how useful it might be for Xbox 360 owners who primarily use their consoles for watching streaming video. On to the question:

My family has an Xbox 360 but we end up using it primarily for Netflix, not games. I've read that the recent Xbox Live update added more ways to navigate menus and content using voice and gestures with Kinect. Is it worth buying a Kinect just for those controls, if we don't use it to play games? Is talking and waving at the TV better than using the controller?

It's true--Microsoft recently released an update for the Xbox 360, known as the Fall 2011 Dashboard Update, that has fully optimized the console's interface for use alongside the Kinect add-on. Many early adopters of Kinect complained about how clunky and tacked on the experience felt when trying to navigate menus while using the Xbox 360 outside of gaming, and the update pretty much solved all of those problems. Now, it's easy to "grab" something on screen, swipe through menus, and make selections using hand gestures. Even cooler, though, is that the dashboard is now pretty much fully navigable using just your voice. Simply say "Xbox" and all your options for where you can go are displayed on the screen. If you can see it, you can pretty much say it. Here's a video I made that looks at the features you'll find in the latest update:

Tags: ask andru, fall 2011 dashboard update, hulu, kinect, microsoft, netflix, streaming video, video, video, video games, xbox 360, xbox live,

Along with the likes of Volkswagen, Honda, and Cadillac, Lexus is heading to the Super Bowl. The Lexus ad features the newly redesigned GS series, which is aimed to compete with the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class; to which we say good luck. That said, the new redesign is rather sexy.

The commercial (which can be seen after the jump) is rather sci-fi-ish and features the GS locked in a container. The Lexus eventually breaks free, and at the end of the commercial there are four container boxes lit up while the narrator states, “this is just the beginning.”

This leads us to ask the question ‘what next up from Lexus?’ Toyota recently expanded its Prius family, which led us to believe the GS family will be expecting new additions. Lexus announced on its website that there will be a hybrid option along with an F-tuned option (which is geared to compete with the BMW M5.) This being so only accounts for three containers of mystery, that is if you include the GS 350 apart of the four. So what remains to be answered is what will be the forth family member in the GS line-up?

Tags: cars, lexus, lexus gs, lexus gs hybrid, luxury cars, super bowl, super bowl ads, super bowl commercials, videos, youtube,

We chat with hip-hop superstar Xzibit about Monster's upcoming line of gaming headphones. The Monster Gaming T1 headphones feature 7.1 virtual surround sound, 40mm drivers, Monster's most advanced noise isolation earcups, an LED Light Drive System, and even a built-in ControlTalk for use with the iPhone and other smartphones so you can take phone calls. The T1 gaming headphones will be available in February 2012. This was recorded at CES 2012.

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.

Tags: 7.1 surround sound, adslice, ces, ces 2012, consumer electronics show, controltalk, gaming, gaming headphones, headphones, monster, monster cable, monster game t1 headphones, videogames, xzibit,

The first legal Siri port has been developed and released for jailbroken iPhone 4, iPhone 3G and 3GS, iPod touch 3rd and 4th generations, and both iPads, and it's called Spire. The way the tweak works is by using an external proxy server to mimic Apple’s own Siri servers, which are used exclusively for the iPhone 4S. Spire has a quick install and a simple setup that takes no time at all to get up and running. There are some minor issues with the method however, namely that for every iDevice connected to a proxy server, Apple is losing money. The problems don’t stop there though. This also leaves the "official" iPhone 4S Siri possibly open to vulnerability for use with these proxy servers, which can potentially lead to unreliability within the phone itself and possible personal information being leaked from all the connected devices.

Moving away from the negatives to the positive, looking at the Spire, it functions exactly like its older sibling for the iPhone 4S as you are not running it on the iPod Touch 3rd generation (the tweak takes full advantage of the external microphone.) Have you got Siri up and running on your jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch?

Tags: apple, ios, ios 5, ipad, ipad 2, iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, iphone 4, iphone 4s, ipod touch, jailbreak, siri, siri jailbreak, spire, videos, youtube,

It’s that time of the year where we can freely get down on junk food, trash talk, and look forward to the commercials just as much as the big game. We're talking about the Super Bowl (oh, and don't forget to enter our Big Game Giveaway!) Each year millions upon millions are dumped on commercials for mere marketing purposes.

Without a doubt, Volkswagen had one of the most successful commercials last year (see video after the jump to jog your memory) and is aiming to repeat its success again this year staying with the Star Wars theme. However, Volkswagen is not the only one fighting for airtime during the big game. Honda, Acura, and Cadillac have aired their Super Bowl commercials early this year and I want to focus your attention on the creativity of the ads.

Manufacturers know that millions will be watching the game on the 5th, and one would think that they would put effort into creating an entertaining commercial. Well one would think, but that’s not always the case. Let’s take a look at the Cadillac ATS spot, above.

Tags: acura, ats, automobiles, cadillac, commercials, dogs, honda, jay leno, jerry signified, marketing, nsx, sports, star wars, super bowl, super bowl ads, super bowl commercials, superbowl, videos, volkswagen, youtube,

Terry Beatty (you might know him from Ms. Tree, or Batman Adventures or Return To Perdition or any number of cool things).

His first Sunday debuted on January 29th, written by Tony DePaul and colored beautifully by an old pal of mine, Tom Smith.

It's not yet a permanent gig, but Terry posted on his blog that King Features Syndicate "is quite pleased with my first five Sunday strips."

Good for Terry, good for The Phantom, and good for the fans. That first strip of his is killer.

[And, of course, if your newspaper doesn't carry The Phantom, please contact them and request that they sign up.]

[Artwork: The Phantom by Terry Beatty, © King Features Syndicate]

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We chat with Vijay Iyer of OnStar to talk about how the OnStar FMV mirror add-on is performing at retail, as well as the new announcement of the OnStar API. The OnStar API allows third-party developers to write code and apps that tap into OnStar's cloud of user information. The first announced partner is RelayRides, which allows the average user to lend out his or her vehicle when they aren't using it, all controlled by a RelayRides app that taps into OnStar. We get a rundown of what OnStar users can expect from developers going forward. You can purchase the OnStar FMV from Amazon. This was recorded at CES 2012.

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.

Tags: automobile, cars, ces, ces 2012, consumer electronics show, general motors, gm, onstar, onstar api, onstar developers, onstar fmv, onstar for my vehicle, relayrides, vijay iyers,

Apple has been on fire these last few weeks rolling out all kinds of updates. Most recently Apple updated its Airport Express, Airport Extreme and Time Capsule base stations to include iCloud support for Back to My Mac and a few bug fixes with the 802.11n wireless network problems.

Also included with this update is the ability to wirelessly access your backed up data on these devices. It should be noted, however, that in order to take full advantage of the remote access included in this update you will have to be running OS X Lion. Run Software Update to grab the new hotness.

Tags: airport express, airport extreme, airport utility, airport utility 6.0, apple, backup, icloud, lion, mac, nas, os x, os x lion, routers, software, software update, storage, time capsule,

Last week, as some know, Valve released its mobile steam app for the App Store and Android Marketplace in beta mode. Now, it's open and available to all. Go pick up the Steam app today from either store for free if you want to give it a try.

Tags: android marketplace, app store, steam, steam android, steam ios, steam iphone, steam mobile, valve, video games, videogames,

Last summer I finally had a chance to return to my motherland, Ukraine. I grew up hearing stories of the place, but never got to experience it for what it really was, despite being born there. Apart from that fact that most of the stories I heard growing up were true (such as the mob “security personnel” running everything) I was shocked at the counterfeits I saw everywhere.

Now I’m not talking about computer software, as that's inevitable. What surprised me most were the vehicle counterfeits. Yes, you’d have your legitimate Benz here and there, but the general public mostly drove knock-offs from China. I saw countless fake vehicles everywhere, Toyotas to Dodge vehicles each having a Chinese cousin.

Chinese manufacturer JAC will be debuting the 4R3 at the Beijing Motor Show. The 4R3 is essentially a Ford F-150 copy. JAC is aiming to release the 4R3 in South American and African markets as an inexpensive work vehicle. The truck is powered by a diesel propelled four-banger, set to generate a little over a 100 horsepower and 177 torques. Though we’re not sure on what Ford has to say about this, we've gotta assume that it’s only a matter of time before JAC hears from Ford legal!

Tags: beijing, beijing motor show, cars, china, counterfeit vehicles, ford, ford f-150, jac, jac 4r3, knockoffs, pickup trucks, pickups, pirated vehicles,

If you haven’t already realized, Firefox 10 is now available, and we definitely recommend that you upgrade. As far as the UI is concerned, the most notable change is to the “forward” button. That is that there isn’t one, at least unless you hit the “back” button first. New APIs allow for Anti-aliased WebGL graphics, full screen viewing of apps, and a few other nifty features. CSS 3D transitions are now supported as well.

Of course with all new things there are bound to be a few problems, and with Firefox 10 on OS X, Silverlight videos don't load and there are some jerky Gmail scrolling problems (as well as general trackpad scrolling issues) that Mozilla needs to get sorted out.

Tags: browsers, css 3d, firefox, firefox 10, firefox 10.0, mac, mac software, mozilla, os x, pc, pc software, silverlight, software, webgl, windows,

We chat with Jabra's Morten Urup in this episode as he gives us the low-down on Jabra's latest headphones, focusing on Jabra Active, Jabra Clipper Bluetooth headphones, and Jabra Sport. 5-time Ironman competition winner Craig Alexander is actually running on a treadmill the entire time, showing how comfortable the Jabra Sport headphones are, and how the earbuds stay in your ears, even with rigorous activity. You can purchase any of these at Amazon. This was recorded 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.

Tags: bluetooth, ces, ces 2012, consumer electronics show, craig alexander, earbuds, headphones, ironman, jabra, jabra active, jabra clipper, jabra sport, jabra sport corded, mobile,

A few weeks ago we reported on autonomous driving as a feature in the Toyota Fun-Vii, but it looks like BMW might have beat Toyota to the punch line.

Last year BMW scored 2-minute laps at Luguna Seca with the click of a button. This year BMW is back with new and improved technologies. When BMW hot lapped their 3 series at Luguna, they relied on radars and cameras to get the car to do what they wanted it to do. That wasn’t good enough for BMW, so they pushed the enveloped to have an autonomously-run car on the Autobahn, a road that has no speed limit. In order to execute this feat, BMW relied on ultrasonic scanners and lasers to read the road, traffic, and lanes. The system executes the necessary tasks and keeps with the flow of traffic. You can see the 5 series in action after the jump!

Though it is too early to see if this system will make it into production anytime soon, the technology is something manufactures have been dreaming of since the 50s. For now, BMW will be equipping some vehicles with a new Traffic Jam Assist system, aimed at helping you deal with traffic more efficiently.

Tags: autobahn, autonomous driving, bmw, bmw 5 series, cars, germany, luguna, luxury cars, traffic jam assist, ultrasonic scanners,

Ah, good old’ Resident Evil, what splendorous treasures have you brought us today? The Resident Evil franchise has always been an ambitious one. From its many movies to its glorious games, every zombie fan knows Resident Evil for it gory, buckets o’ blood, dramatic action-horror storytelling. Resident Evil 6 is no exception to these defining traits.

Executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, director Eiichiro Sasaki, and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi bring you this Resident Evil 6 game trailer and give their own personal opinions about the next game in the franchise. Kobayashi also adds that together with the 150 people working on the game in Japan, the total around the world is 600 - the most anyone has ever worked on any Capcom game in its history. Obviously Capcom is taking this game to the highest achievable level for its fans, which of course we can all appreciate.

Check out the Resident Evil 6 trailer after the jump.

Tags: capcom, eiichiro sasaki, hiroyuki kobayashi, japan, resident evil, resident evil 6, resident evil 6 trailer, yoshiaki hirabayashi,

With recent updates to iTunes, Apple removed the native funtion that  allowed you to create ringtones from the songs you've purchased. You can still purchase ringtones directly from iTunes for about a buck, but seriously, who would wanna pay a $1 for a 30 second clip of music that will get old in three weeks? That's where we step in and bring you our tutorial on how to use iTunes to create iPhone ringtones using any track you've got in your library, completely for free. Yep - you aren't limited just to tracks purchased from iTunes, and you don't have to give up any money that would be better spent on something at the dollar menu at the nearest drive-thru. Read on for our full walkthrough!

Tags: adslice, apple, how to, how to make iphone ringtones, how-to, iphone, iphone ringtones, itunes, itunes 10, itunes 10 ringtones, itunes ringtones, mac, ringtones, sidefeatured, tutorials,

Though the technology is beyond me, the use of projection mapping in auto shows is clearly a win.

With the help of a Russian marketing team Radugadesign (Translation: RainbowDesign), Audi has incorporated projection mapping into its showcases. Though Audi’s showcase is far more complex than ‘The Lamborghini Project,’ which also used projection mapping, the man-hours behind the project look mindbaffling.

However, as slick as it looks, the point of the presentation is a bit over our heads, other than promoting individualism and Marlboro. Yes, the cigarette company. The relation between the two companies confuses us, but the two working together can sure produce a sick showcase.

Tags: audi, auto shows, cars, design, marlboro, projection mapping, radugadesign, the lamborghini project,

We talk with Jack Borg of Huawei in this episode, as he shows us the high-end Ascend P1 S Android 4.0 smartphone. The Huawei Ascend P1 S is the world's thinnest smartphone, and will ship running Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android from Google. Aside from being thin, the device also sports a gorgeous Super AMOLED display. This was recorded 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.

Tags: amoled, android, android 4.0, ascend p1 s, ces, ces 2012, huawei, ice cream sandwich, sgx 540, smartphones, super amoled, thinnest smartphone, ti omap 4460,

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.

Tags: acronis, acronis migration, ces, ces 2012, data migration, hyperx, kingston, kingston hyperx, nand, nand flash, software, solid state drive, ssd, storage,

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.

Tags: automotive, b-class, bmw, cars, hybrids, mercedes, mercedes-benz, mercedes-benz b-class, new vehicle line-up, plug-in hybrid,

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.

Tags: 4g, 4g lte, att, lte, lumia, lumia 900, microsoft, nokia, nokia lumia, nokia lumia 900, nokia lumia price, smartphones, windows phone, windows phone 7, windows phone 7.5, windows phone mango,

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+.

Tags: google, google plus teens, google+, social networking, teenagers, teens, teens google plus,

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.

Tags: auvia pearlbud, auvio, ces, ces 2012, earbuds, enercell, eric bruner, headphones, iphone, iphone battery, radio shack, radioshack, radioshack warranty, usb, zaggsparq,

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!

Tags: adslice, clarity hd model one, contests, digital life powernet 300, giveaway, giveaways, hdmi, hdp 1800, headphones, hyperspeed hdmi, hyperspeed hdmi fan cave, isport, lg, monster, newegg, power center, sidefeatured, sweeps, sweepstakes,

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.

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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]

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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.

Tags: 1 tb, 1 tb ssd, ces, ces 2012, consumer electronics show, data storage, flash drive, solid state drive, ssd, storage, swiss army, swiss army knife, thumb drive, victorinox, victorinox swiss army,

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.

Tags: ces, ces 2012, comfortable earbuds, headphones, sports, sports earbuds, sports headphones, unboxing, yurbuds, yurbuds inspire,

Looking to pick up a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription on the cheap? Head on over to Amazon right now to grab one for 40% off. Seriously, you'll pay $35 instead of the typical $60, and you get access to stuff like Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN, and much more on your Xbox 360. Even if you're in the middle of  a subscription, you can just get one and extend whatever time you have left by another year.

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.

Tags: deal of the day, dotd, video games, videogames, xbox, xbox 360, xbox live, xbox live gold, xbox live gold discount,

As part of his Joe Paterno eulogy, Phil Knight recounts a discussion he had with Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding the death of Steve Jobs. It's a candid glimpse into the friendship shared by Cook and Jobs.

[Thanks, Jason!]

Tags: apple, joe paterno, joe paterno eulogy, phil knight, steve jobs, steve jobs death, steve jobs eulogy, tim cook, tim cook eulogy, videos, youtube,

As automotive technology is advancing, things that we found novel are becoming a thing of the past. Remember when the first iPhone came out? People flocked to the phone like moths to a light initially. Now, iPhones are about as common as shoes, having lost their novel appeal.

Now apply the same analogy to automobiles. When automakers incorporated navigation systems into vehicles, everyone wanted one. Heck, even hip hop artists were rapping about it in their music. So the question remains to ask is ‘What technology will excite the new car buyer?’ BMW may have found the answer for the next big thing. Smart fabric is what they’re conceptually attempting to bring into cars. Not familiar with smart fabric? Let's break it down after the jump.

Tags: automobiles, automotive, bmw, cars, concept cars, concepts, driving, future, polytechnic school of montreal, science, smart fabric, technology, user interface,

We chat with Mophie about its line of iPhone and iOS device chargers in this interview from CES 2012. Mophie's Ross Howe, the company VP of Marketing, gives us the latest news on the Juice Pack Air, Juice Pack Plus, Juice Pack Outdoor Edition, and the line of external chargers that Mophie has available. As you can see, we're fans of that orange Outdoor Edition. The big (literally) addition to the Juice Pack line was the Powerstation Plus, which can basically recharge your phone from empty to full a bunch of times, which means you could potentially go camping for a weekend without electricity and still keep your devices charged the whole time. You can find all of Mophie's products 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.

Tags: apple, battery case, ces, ces 2012, charger case, consumer electronics show, iphone, iphone battery, juice pack, juice pack air, juice pack plus, mophie, mophie boost, mophie juice pack, mophie powerstation, mophie reserve, ross howe,

In this episode we open up the FitBit Ultra. The FitBit Ultra is a tiny gadget that you wear on your belt, hip, or wrist that monitors how many steps you take, how many flights of stairs you climb, and how many calories you've burned during a day. It even monitors your sleep patterns, giving you information on how well you actually sleep during the night. The device is one of those fitness gadgets that are currently all the rage, helping you to keep better track of your activities, diet, and overall fitness. We open up the FitBit Ultra while at CES 2012. You can pick one up for $99.

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.

Tags: altimeter, ces, ces 2012, exercise, fitbit, fitbit aria, fitbit review, fitbit ultra, fitbit ultra review, fitness, fitness gadgets, health, pedometer, physical fitness, sleep tracker, sleeptracker, unboxing, weight loss,

Many of us have been on road trips. Growing up I loathed long, dreary, monotonous road trips. But now, as a driver, I love them. However, that does not mean that my passengers always do. 

Toyota is aiming to solve some of these issues of boredom on road trips. Though the technology is aimed at a younger audience, it’s something that can be enjoyed by any creative mind.

Engineered and designed by Toyota Motor Europe and the Copenhagen Instituted of Interaction Design, Toyota offers the ‘Window to the World.’ Similar to all modern smartphones, it features touchscreen technology embedded right into the passenger car window.

The Window to the World is still in the concept stage, but the video below shows what can be expected to come.

Tags: cars, children, concepts, copenhagen institute of interaction design, creativity, kids, road trips, toyota, toyota motor europe, toyota window to the world, videos, window to the world, youtube,

In a world where bigger and better sells, a group of businessmen from England beg to differ. Though I wouldn’t mind a larger plasma TV or even a better car, these three dudes have a taste for nostalgia. They wanna Peel back the layers of time and undo the myth of bigger and better, well at least in personal transportation. 

Quite sometime ago, a mythical vehicle existed among the drivers across the pond. No, not the Mini Cooper or Reliant Robin (see the video after the jump for the scoop on that one), we're talking about the Peel P50. The Peel P50 is about the size of a shopping cart car you might see at your local grocery store. I’m sure the seating was spacious for a family of Smurfs, but a full-grown man? Not so much. But nevertheless, these three blokes insist that there is a market for such a 'car.'

For only a mere $10,772, along with a $1,546 deposit, the Peel P50 features include (or, are limited to) one seat, (yes - one seat), a 49cc motor, one gear, three wheels, your basic steering apparatus, and an exterior shell with some lights to protect you from the elements. However, upon purchase of the P50 drivers are subject to pranks (such as seen in the video below), laughter and humiliation from being passed by a Prius (that includes the Franken-Prius-Camper too.)

Tags: automotive, cars, classic cars, p50, peel, peel p50, reliant robin, smallest car, top gear, videos, youtube,

Xbox Live house party is looking to start this year off with a bang. Four Xbox Live Arcade titles are set to be released in the weeks between February 15 and March 13, and we've got the list here for you to take a gander at. Warp, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive, in that respective order, with Warp kicking things off on February 15. Warp and Nexuiz will be 800 MS Points ($10) right out of the gate, however Alan Wake and I am Alive will be 1200 MS Points ($15.)

All of the information about the order of which the games would be released as well as the pricing was only recently unveiled by the ever popular Xbox Live celebrity, Major Nelson. Larry also goes on to tell us that if you purchase all 4 games within the allotted 1 month time period, you'll receive 800 Microsoft Points back as a bonus. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Tags: alan wake, alan wake american nightmare, house party, i am alive, microsoft, nexuiz, sidefeatured, warp, xbla, xbox, xbox 360, xbox live, xbox live arcade, xbox live house party,

We could be wrong, but today's Apple Q1 2012 earnings call may have been the first time that the company has revealed any tangible sales figures for the Apple TV. According to CEO Tim Cook, Apple sold a record-breaking 1.4 million Apple TV units last quarter, which is exactly half of the 2.8 million units that it sold in the entire prior fiscal year. As expected, Cook wouldn't comment on the rumors of the imminent release of a bona fide Apple TV set. We're sure it's in the pipeline, but don't expect Apple to say anything on the record until it's ready to be shown off to the world.

The 1.4 million Apple TV units added to a record-breaking holiday quarter that also included sales of 37 million iPhones, 15 million iPads, and over 5 million Macs.

Tags: aapl, apple, apple earnings, apple q1 2012, apple tv, apple tv sales, ios, q1 2012, set top box, tim cook,

During its Q1 2012 earnings call where Apple announced a record-breaking holiday quarter, CEO Tim Cook also announced that there are now 85 million iCloud accounts. What's impressive there is that iCloud is just three months old, coming in as a replacement for the aging MobileMe, so that's a tremendously positive number as it pertains to user adoption. In fact, that 85 million number is 50 million more than iPhone 4S units sold.

Tags: aapl, apple, apple earnings, cloud storage, icloud, icloud accounts, ios, mobileme, tim cook,

Apple has had an amazing Q1 2012 holiday quarter, breaking all sorts of records. Alongside selling over 37 million iPhones, iPad growth continues to climb. In fact, over the holiday quarter Apple sold over 15 million iPads, which is a 111% increase over the same quarter the year before. Anyone who thought that the Kindle Fire was gonna slow down the iPad juggernaut were simply incorrect.

Tags: aapl, apple earnings, ios, ipad, ipad 2, ipad sales, q1 2012, slates, tablets,

As we'd mentioned a few minutes ago, Apple has set company records in Q1 2012 for net income ($13.06 billion) and revenue ($46.33 billion.) The company owes a large bit of thanks for that milestone to the iPhone. To put it into perspective, Apple sold as many iPhones in the holiday quarter as there are people in the state of California. That is twice as many iPhones as the company sold in the same quarter the year before, and of course, sales were led by the iPhone 4S, but the company did note that sales of the $99 iPhone 4 and the free iPhone 3GS certainly helped hit that 37 million number.

Tags: aapl, apple, apple earnings, apple q1 2012, iphone, iphone 4s, smartphones,

This afternoon, Apple announced that it has posted a record-breaking holiday quarter for fiscal Q1 2012, led by massive sales of iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. In a nutshell, the company made a ton of cash, selling over 37 million iPhones, 15,430,000 iPads, 5,200,000 Macs, and 15,400,000 iPods. Full release after the jump.

Tags: aapl, apple, apple earnings, apple investors, ipad, ipad 2, iphone, iphone 4s, ipod, ipod touch, mac, tim cook,

We chat with Matt Rogers of Nest at CES 2012 in this episode. Nest is a learning thermostat that is created by the guys who created 13 generations of iPod and a few generations of the iPhone, and is an ingenious way to re-imagine saving energy in your home. The thermostat is a round metal dial with a circular color LCD screen that works a lot like an iPod classic click wheel. You can turn the temperature up or down by twisting the dial, or you can go through its menus by pressing it in like a button. It can be set to automatically change the temperature based on the time and whether you're present. We also demo the Nest thermostat to show you exactly how it all works.

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.

Tags: ces, ces 2012, energy conservation, home, home automation, iphone, ipod, learning thermostat, matt rogers, nest, nest labs, nest thermostat, sidefeatured, thermostat, wi-fi, wifi,

Thanks to Pocket Now, we have our first look at what is rumored to be the successor to the LG Optimus 3D, currently known as the CX2. From initial information and pictures, the new phone is not much better than the Optimus 3D, having what seems to be a higher focus on form factor rather than function. With an upgraded CPU that goes from 1.0 GHz dual core to 1.2 GHz dual core, and with 8 GB of internal storage, there is not much difference between the two phones in the hardware department.

The thickness of the device, as it stands right now, is 0.39 inches. That's considerably less than the Optimus 3D at 0.47 inches. The width of the display on the CX2 is around 4.7 inches, which matches the original specifications, although it is said that LG swapped out the original display panel for a brighter one. The last morsel of knowledge that we have right now is that the device will, by default, be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We can hope to find out more about this phone next month at the Mobile World Conference.

Tags: android, android 2.3, cell phones, cellphones, gingerbread, leaks, lg, lg cx2, lg optimus 3d, mobile world congress, mwc, optimus 3d, rumors, smartphones,

The internal combustion engine saved the horse in the 1900s, and hybrid cars were supposed to save the automobile in the 2000s (nice try, Prius.) Now there’s a new savior in town--well, actually, there are a few.

Though the hybrid was a great start, it was only a gateway drug of an idea for gear-heads everywhere. We’ve all walked out into our driveway ready to get doing, only to stumble upon a flat tire. You can kiss that problem goodbye thanks to Goodyear. Thinking that your engine isn’t as efficient as it should be? You’re probably right, but technology mirroring NASA will solve that worry for you. Oh, and forget about getting a bigger motor, because you should instead be focusing on the 1-liter powerhouses. As technology improves, our automotive life will too. To get the full story, click on through to get a look at Car and Driver's 10 Most Promising Auto Technologies of the Future.

Tags: automotive, bmw, car technology, cars, ferrari, ford, future, goodyear, hybrid cars, nasa, prius, semiconductors, technology, top 10, toyota prius,

Apple iBooks 2 was released to the public just a few days ago and the support for it has been astonishing. Within the first 3 days of the new iBooks being available, 350,000 iBooks Textbooks were downloaded from the iBookstore. Alongside this, 90,000 copies of Apple’s iBooks Author e-book creation software were downloaded from the Mac App Store in the same period of time.

iBooks Textbooks are seen by Apple as the future replacement to the current bulky classroom textbooks that cost a small fortune to make. Apple’s iBooks can reduce the cost of producing a textbook by up to 80%. This means cheaper books for students, as well as a more available book source.

Tags: apple, e-readers, ibooks, ibooks 2, ibooks author, ibooks textbooks, ipad, ipad textbooks, mac app store, sidefeatured, textbooks,

Ever since Astro City and Powers, I’ve loved super-hero comics that fiddle around with the standard tropes of television drama.

Take a medical, cop, reality show format and apply it to the cape crowd. I’m always going to give something like that a look.

That’s why I’m also a fan of Batton Lash’s Supernatural Law - it’s like L.A. Law, but with monsters and supernatural goings-on. I like creators who think like that.

Now in March from Boom! Studios comes Supurbia #1 by writer Grace Randolph (Marvel’s Nation-X) and a new artist Russell Dauterman.

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It’s part of a new thing that my pal Danny Fingeroth has organized with the Society of Illustrators called Comics Out Loud.

Here’s the skinny straight from Danny: “Top comic book creators - one from each discipline of the medium - demonstrating and discussing their work processes as attendees circulate around the room and watch the process of ‘sequential art’ (as the great Will Eisner dubbed it) being made.”

So what does that really mean? It means you get to watch (and interact) as Louise Simonson writes, Walt Simonson pencils, Bob Wiacek inks, Chris Sotomayor colors and John Workman letters, each working on a current assignment.

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We're big fans of Jawbone products at Gear Live, so we were happy to catch up with Travis Bogard from Jawbone at CES 2012. We chat with Travis about the Jawbone Era and Icon Bluetooth headsets, the Jawbone Jambox Bluetooth loudspeaker, including a couple of limited edition models and how they're helping our Charity Water, and we get an update on the Jawbone Up fitness wristband.

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.

Tags: bluetooth, bluetooth headsets, ces, ces 2012, charity water, fitness, jambox, jawbone, jawbone era, jawbone icon, jawbone jambox, jawbone up, loudspeaker, sidefeatured, travis bogard, up,