“We are very supportive of the new standard,” said Onkyo’s marketing manager Paul Wasek, “because of the added capabilities and the simplification of system connections.”

We are fans of Onkyo, and we are definitely looking forward to getting our hands on the new receiver line.

Tags:

We are big fans of Sonos, and were glad to see them as a sponsor of the It Won’t Stay in Vegas blogger party at CES 2010. We stopped by their setup to chat with them about Sonos, and their latest releases, the Sonos S5 and their new CR200 Controller 200. Check the video out if you are interested in an all-in-one music device that can pull content from just about anywhere.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: blogger party, ces, ces 2010, it wont stay in vegas, iwsiv, joni hoadley, music, pandora, sonos, sonos s5,

We love Fallout, and poured hundreds of hours into Fallout 3, which explains the pain we feel in our chest knowing that we won’t be able to play through Fallout: New Vegas until the fall of this year. That said, Bethesda has released a teaser trailer for Fallout: New Vegas, which is just enough to whet the appetite. Who’s excited?

Tags: adventure, bethesda, fallout, fallout 3, fallout new vegas,

Our friends over at Gamertag Radio just posted a video promoting their Community Vibes 5 event (which takes place this Saturday) with Major Nelson, and we couldn’t help but notice what appears to be a yet-to-be-announced Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 faceplate on Major’s desk! We haven’t seen or heard about this anywhere, so this may, in fact, be the first time it’s been seen in public. Even more interesting, though, is the fact that Microsoft has kind of forgotten about the whole faceplate-only thing, which leads us to believe that we may see a Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle. If you wanna peep the video, we’ve got it for you after the break.

Tags: accessories, art, community vibes 5, final fantasy, final fantasy xiii, final fantasy xiii faceplate, gamertag radio, gtr, major nelson, square enix, videos, xbox 360, xbox 360 faceplates,

Expect a marketing blitz in the markets named above to start next Friday, including TV ads during the Olympics, print, and radio spots.

Tags: broadband, comcast, comcast rebranding, comcast xfinity, xfinity, xfinity internet, xfinity tv, xfinity voice,

Looks like TiVo has run out of TiVo HD units, if their online store is any indication, which has us wondering if the newer TiVo Premiere is about to make it’s debut. We originally mentioned the TiVo Premiere when a customer accidentally received a manual for the device packed in with a TiVo HD purchase. You’d think that if TiVo was already printing instructions on how to use the device, it had to be near-ready to ship, and this was just over a month ago.

In the meantime, if you want a TiVo, go for the TiVo XL instead.

Tags: dvr, home entertainment, home theater, home theatre, pvr, rumors, tivo, tivo hd, tivo premiere,

Newegg has a great and inexpensive way for you to incorpate 7.1 surround sound into your home theater, with a great deal on the Sony STR-DN1000 7.1 channel receiver. It looks great with a piano black finish, and supports codecs like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MAster Audio, and lossless PCM. For visuals, you get 1080p playback with 24p support. The best part is that Newegg’s got it for $299.99. If you want to get in on it, head on over to the Newegg Sony STR-DN1000 page, add it to your cart, and use promo code “RECEIVER222” to take part in the festivities.

As always, you can find all sorts of Newegg promo codes and deals on our forums.

Tags: 7.1, home theater, home theatre, newegg, newegg coupon code, newegg coupons, newegg deals, newegg discounts, newegg promo code, receivers, shopping, sony, str-dn1000, surround sound,

We’re always keeping our eyes open for free stuff. Especially free video games. It looks like the brand new gaming site L33tsauce.com is celebrating their open beta by giving away a copy of Mass Effect 2 (any platform) to the person who makes the best page about the game on their site.

For the full contest rules, check out the contest Dojo. And don’t miss the “bonus” offer at the bottom of the page. Submissions will be judged by yours truly, and iJustine.

Tags: bioware, contests, ea, giveaways, ijustine, l33tsauce, mass effect 2, video games, videogames, xbox 360,

Apple has just released an iPhone firmware update in iPhone OS 3.1.3. It’s basically a big fix release, focusing on:

• Improving accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
• Resolves issues where third-party apps would not launch
• Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using Japanese Kana keyboard

Doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but for those of you who like your iPhone to be fresh, there you have it.

Tags: cell phones, cellphones, iphone, iphone 3.1.3, iphone 3.1.3 firmware, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, iphone os, iphone os 3.1.3, smartphones, software, software update,

Looks like those of you who were sure that the iPad would have a camera were almost right. If the iPad internal bezel component is anything to go buy, it looks like Apple decided late in the game to not include a camera in their soon-to-be-released tablet - that, or they were keeping their options open. In the image above, you see the iPad bezel at the top, and a bezel for a unibody MacBook at the bottom. In the middle is the camera that slips into the MacBook frame, and as you can see, it fits perfectly into the iPad frame as well. I guess this means we can hold out hope for a camera in iPad version 2?

Tags: apple, ipad, ipad camera, ipad isight, ipad rumors, ipad webcam, isight, webcam,

We were able to chat with Dexim, makers of the P-Flip docking stations and external batteries for the iPhone and BlackBerry, at CES 2010, where they gave us a look at their latest iPhone battery models. If you are familiar with the Mophie Juice Pack, you’ll be familiar with these. Except that the P-Flip line is a little cheaper, and a bit more feature-rich. In fact, they even have a solar model that’ll charge your iPhone using the power of the sun. All details in the video.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: accessories, blackberry, ces, ces 2010, dexim, iphone, iphone accessories, iphone battery, iphone external battery, p-flip, power dock,

If you’re of the iTunes-using persuasion, you’ll want to know that Apple has just released iTunes 9.0.3, which includes a few bug fixes, including:

• iTunes no longer ignores your “Remember password for purchases” setting.
• Addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with iPod.
• Resolves a problem recognizing when iPod is connected.
• Addresses issues that affect stability and performance.

Launch iTunes and check for updates to pull in the new version.

Tags: apple, ipod, ipod syncing, itunes, itunes 9.0.3, itunes bugs, music, software, software update,

In case you didn’t watch that iPad introduction keynote, someone’s gone through the trouble of condensing the entire 93-minute event event into 180 seconds. It does a great job at explaining what Steve Jobs and company think of their latest creation. Check out the iPad announcement video above to see what me mean.

A little excessive?

Tags: apple, ipad, ipad announcement, ipad review, ipad videos, january 27th, youtube,

Whatever iPad really is, and regardless of what it’s competing against, one thing is clear–Apple wants to make a dent in the gaming industry.  Developers and publishers were present at yesterday’s conference, including Gameloft and Electronic Arts (EA,) to show off their games running on the iPad, including a full-screen version of Need for Speed. EA made its presence clear, by announcing during the presentation they are to support the iPad platform with future titles built specifically for the device. This should come as no surprise to most, as EA has been a huge supporter of the iPhone and iPod touch as a gaming platform.

Tags: adslice, apple, ea, electronic arts, future, gameloft, gaming, ipad, ipad games, iphone, ipod,

We were able to catch up with Dual, a company that is bringing GPS functionality to the iPod touch. Get a look at the Dual iPod touch GPS add-on, which also acts as an external battery for the iPod touch as well, and check out how it works with the Dual GPS app, as well as every other iPod touch app that requires GPS. This is definitely one to watch.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: apple, ces, ces 2010, dual, gps, ipod touch, ipod touch battery, ipod touch gps,

If you’re considering picking up an Apple iPad when they launch a couple of months from now and you plan on taking it on the go, you’ll want to know about the extra fees you’ll incur if you choose to go the with AT&T-provided 3G access plans. First, though, your 3G iPad will cost $130 more than the Wi-Fi-only version. Once you get it, you’ve got two options with AT&T:

• $29.99 per month unlimited data plan
• $14.99 per month for 250MB of monthly data

It’s a good deal for monthly 3G access, especially when you consider the fact that both plans are pre-paid month-to-month plans that don’t require any sort of contract. The other benefit that you get from picking up a 3G iPad model is assisted GPS, which the Wi-Fi-only iPad lacks.

Tags: 3g, att, att ipad plans, broadband, ipad, ipad 3g, ipad 3g plans, ipad pricing, wireless,

Looks like Apple is realizing that if you are going to be building a larger-form factor device like the iPad, you’ve gotta realize that some of the people that use it are going to want a physical keyboard. With that knowledge, they’ve prepared a keyboard accessory for the iPad. It’s actually both a keyboard and a dock for charging the iPad as well, which can be used to plug in to a USB power adapter, sync with a computer, etc. It also has an audio jack that let’s you connect the keyboard dock to a stereo system or powered speakers. No word on price just yet.

Tags: accessories, apple, ipad, ipad accessories, ipad dock, ipad keyboard, ipad keyboard dock, keyboards,

It’s been a long, rumor-filled road, but today Apple has finally revealed a tablet, called the iPad. Steve Jobs seemed genuinely thrilled to demo the iPad, which weighs just 1.5 pounds, is a half-inch thin, and has a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS display. More interesting, Apple has built their own custom 1GHz processor, called the Apple A4 chip, to power the iPad. According to Jobs, the A4 chip “just screams,” and as a result, the iPad boasts a 10-hour battery life, with a full one month of standby time. You’ll be able to get one in 16, 32, or 64GB sizes, and we’ll have the prices as soon as they’re announced prices listed below. Bluetoth, 802.11n Wi-Fi, speaker, microphone, and dock connector round out the offerings.

One of the big draws of the iPad is that all current iPhone apps will run just fine on it, and you can choose to run them at the original resolution, or in a pixel-doubled mode for fullscreen on the iPad. Apps can also be optimized for iPad to take advantage of the full screen resolution, as well as enhanced gestures. A new iPhone SDK, which includes iPad support, will be released later today.

The goal with the iPad is to do the tasks like web browsing, email, photo viewing, video watching, and e-book reading (Apple is including a new ereader app called iBooks) better than a netbook ever could, but also better than a smartphone ever could. The iPad has a “gorgeous” keyboard that actually looks very easy to use, and the actual built-in applications look more like the full version of OS X than what you’d find on the iPhone or iPod touch. In fact, you even get full-featured applications like iPhoto, iTunes, iBooks, and even Pages, Keynote, and Numbers in iWork for the iPad.

As far as 3G data plans, the iPad has two plans available from AT&T in the US. $14.99 per month for up to 250MB of data, or $29.99 per month for unlimited data. The best part? There are no contracts. You pay on a pre-paid month-to-month basis, so there are no cancellation fees. You activate your plan directly from the iPad, with no reason to hit an AT&T Store. All iPad 3G models are unlocked and use GSM micro SIMs, so in theory, you could get a better plan of your own elsewhere and just use that.

Let’s talk pricing - each model of the iPad is available as a Wi-Fi-only or Wi-Fi + 3G configuration. 16GB is $499 / $629, 32GB costs $499 / $729, and the 64GB model will be $699 / $829. As far as availability, iPad without 3G will start shipping at the end of March, while the 3G models will start shipping at the end of April. Choose wisely!

Tags: a4 processor, adslice, apple, apple a4 processor, apple tablet, ibooks, ipad, ipad features, ipad keynote, ipad numbers, ipad pages, iwork ipad, january 27, sidefeatured,

At this morning’s Apple tablet event, Steve Jobs revealed the latest creation from the company, the Apple iPad. More details as we get them!

Tags: apple, apple tablet, ipad, sidefeatured,

Create a Mall is a building simulator where you assume the role as Kelly, a rising star in a mall company. As Kelly, players are challenged to become world-class mall developers by filling their venues with enticing stores for customers in six different cities throughout the world. The game allows you to use the money you have earned to buy jewelry, clothing, or office decorations.

Does this sound like you kind of game? Create a Mall is now available in the App Store for $3.99. 

Tags: 99 games, apple, create a mall, create a mall iphone, games, iphone, iphone games, iphone touch, ipod touch games, merscom,

Okay, we all know by now that Apple is going to be announcing their tablet at tomorrow’s January 27th Apple event, but the CEO of McGraw-Hill, Terry McGraw, just kinda spilled the beans on CNBC:

“Yeah, Very exciting. Yes, they’ll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now is we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.”

Is true, that means no Snow Leopard tablet, to those who were hoping for that. Thoughts?

Tags: apple, apple tablet, books, cnbc, ereaders, ipad, iphone os, iphone os 4.0, islate, mcgraw-hill, sidefeatured, terry mcgraw, textbook ereaders,

Regardless of how annoying he might be, David Blaine’s TEDMED talk on how he set the world record for holding his breath underwater for 17 minutes is pretty phenomenal. Definitely interesting to see the different ways he thought of to do it as an illusion, using various technological methods and DIY gadgets, before finally deciding that he would do it for real. This one is definitely worth watching, and also worth not trying at home. It’s kind of ridiculous.

Tags: david blaine, david blaine hold breath, guiness world record, holding breath, hypoxic tent, science, static apnea, ted, tedmed, tedtalks, world records,

Oh, we knew the Apple tablet / iPad / iSlate would be good, but we didn’t think it’d be this good. Walt Mosspuppetberg got his hands on an iSlate, and has been using one for a couple of years as it’s gone through its various development cycles. He finally breaks his silence with this review, stating that “this is probably the most completely perfect product to ever be released.”

Wednesday’s Apple tablet event can’t come soon enough!

Tags: apple, apple tablet, apple tablet review, ipad, ipad review, islate, rumors, walt mossberg, walt mosspuppet, youtube,

Of course, Apple has the perfect opportunity to announce changes like this if they’d like, as they’ve got what many are predicting to be a colossal Apple event on January 27th, just two days from now. We’ll keep you posted.

Tags: adslice, analysts, apple, apple rumors, att, att iphone, cell phones, cellphones, exclusivity, iphone, iphone rumors, mobile, rumors, sidefeatured, smartphones, sprint, sprint iphone, t-mobile, t-mobile iphone, verizon, verizon iphone,

At CES 2010, we were able to get a look at the Chevy Volt OnStar press conference, which gave us info on when GM expects to start producing the Volt vehicles in mass. In addition, we got a look at the new OnStar experience, which includes applications for mobile smartphones that let you control car functions like door locking and unlocking, starting, charging, and more, directly from your mobile phone, from anywhere! Hit the video for all the details.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: andru edwards, automobiles, cars, ces, ces 2010, chevy volt, gear live, general motors, gm, onstar, onstar experience, volt,

While we await the coming arrival of the fabled Apple tablet, which we all expect to finally arrive at the January 27th Apple event, it appears that the Wall Street Journal has gotten a bit of inside information that offers a glimpse of what the iPad / iSlate will end up doing for us. Of course, we still suggest taking all of this with a grain of salt, but this isn’t far off from the whispers we’ve been hearing either:

• The Apple tablet will have some sort of virtual keyboard. This only makes sense, because if there’s no physical keyboard, you’d need a virtual one to type on (similar to the iPhone and iPod touch)
• Publishing firms like Conde Nast, The New York Times, and HarperCollins have been in discussions with Apple on how they can get their content onto the tablet, and new ways of displaying the news on a modern (or even futuristic) device
• Apple is definitely pondering a switch as it pertains to the default search engine on their iPhone OS, focusing on replacing Google with Bing for search, as well as Maps.
• They’ve also been in talks with TV networks about the possibility of a multi-show iTunes TV subscription package, where users would get to choose a package of the best 4-6 shows per channel and subscribe for a monthly fee.
• That whole Lala acquisition by Apple will likely lead to a web-based version of iTunes, which would allow for purchasing music outside of the actual iTunes application. It would also allow for publishers to place buttons that would allow readers to purchase iTunes content right on their website. There may even be a service that would allow users to stream all their iTunes music through the service to other computers, iPhones, and the like. This is basically a merge of iTunes and Lala in its current form.
• The tablet may have some sort of smart recognition built-in, giving it the ability to recognize the user by using its camera, and then applying settings for that specific user on the fly

There’s a lot there, we know. Luckily, we are just six days away from hearing the word from the horse’s mouth. What do you think? Anything up there sound a little too far-fetched for your tastes? Also, please be sure to vote in our poll letting us know if you’d pre-order the Apple tablet sight unseen.

Tags: adslice, apple, apple rumors, apple tablet, ipad, islate, itunes, lala, mac rumors, rumors, sidefeatured, tablets, wall street journal, wsj,

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to beef up your desktop, Newegg has got OCZ Platinum RAM, in a 4GB kit, up for sale right now for $70.99. The OCZ Platinum RAM has CL 5-5-5-18 timings and is rated to run at 1066MHz - these are definitely speedy chips. The platinum mirrored honeycomb design helps with maximum heat distribution. This is great RAM if you’ve got a maching running the Nehalem platform, and they’re selling it at a $45 discount. You can grab your OCZ Platinum 4GB Kit from Newegg, no promo code needed.

As always, you can find all sorts of Newegg promo codes and deals on our forums.

Tags: nehalem, newegg, newegg coupon code, newegg coupons, newegg deals, newegg discounts, newegg promo code, ocz, ocz platinum, ocz platinum 4gb, ram, ram upgrades, shopping,

Tags: apple, apple rumors, apple tablet, ipad, iphone, islate, january 27, mac rumors, polls, slates, tablets,

Just a quick heads up, because we think this is a pretty great deal on a laser printer. Dell is selling their 1230c color laser printer at a steep discount, so you can currently pick one up for just $99, which is a full $130 off of the retail price. If you are wanting to upgrade from inkjet to laser printing, this is likely the cheapest way around to make that happen.

Tags: 1230c, color laser printers, dell, dell 1230c, dell coupons, dell deals, dell printers, dell promo code, laser printers, printers,

Amazon is getting into the apps game, with “active content” coming to the Kindle later this year with the announcement of the Kindle Development Kit (KDK.) You’ll be able to download these apps wirelessly using the Kindle Store once they launch, and we already know that there are some devs that are already hard at work on their Kindle active content.

Amazon says it has already released the Kindle Development Kit to a select number of partners, including the video game giant Electronic Arts, and will make it more widely available when a limited beta period starts next month. It anticipates formally adding what it calls “active content” to the Kindle store sometime later this year.

Some are seeing this as a reaction to the many, many new ereaders that we saw debut at CES 2010, while others think it is a preventative measure to take some steam out of whatever it is that Apple will be announcing next week at the January 27th Apple Event. Regardless of what it is, having more value added to a device is never a bad thing.

Tags: active content, amazon, apps, dev kit, kdk, kindle, kindle development kit, kindle dx, kindle sdk, sdk, sidefeatured,

If you are wondering what exactly makes Bing a decision engine, this video we took at CES 2010 does a good job explaining. Get a look at how Bing can help you with travel planning, purchasing items, and more, using fare predictions and comparisons. We also look at some of the new features in Bing Maps, including apps that let you check out tweets that are happening in any area.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: bing, bing maps, bing travel, ces, ces 2010, decision engine, farecast, google, search engines,

Tags: chrome, flash player, google, google chrome, html5, safari, youtube, youtube html5,

If you’re a Nexus One owner, you may be well aware of the 3G issue that the device has, where it won’t connect to (or stay connected to) 3G, constantly falling back to EDGE. We know not all have experienced this oddity, but it’s enough of a problem that we’ve been getting emails about it, asking if there was a fix. Luckily, Kevin Tofel over at jkOnTheRun seems to have figured out a fix, and it’s simple to do:

• Go into Settings
• Select “Wireless & Networks”
• Choose the “Mobile Networks” option near the bottom
• Go into the “Network Operators” section. The Nexus One will do a search for GSM networks around you.
• When the search is complete, tap the “Select Automatically” option. The phone should respond with “Registered on network.”

That should do it! According to Kevin, he hasn’t been able to get 3G access from his home in the 10 days that he’s had the device. After doing the above, he’s been speeding along on 3G non-stop, even after reboots. If you’re experiencing similar issues, give it a try, and let us know how it works for you!

Tags: android, cell phones, cellphones, google, how to, howto, nexus one, nexus one 3g, nexus one 3g fix, nexus one edge, sidefeatured, smartphones,

Our pals over at Boy Genius Report are saying they’ve received some inside information about the iPhone OS 4.0, which is heavily rumored to debut, and possibly even be released, at the Apple event on January 27th. Here’s what they are saying about iPhone OS 4.0:

• There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
• “A few new ways” to run applications in the background—multitasking.
• Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
• The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
• The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

As far as we’re concerned, we think that a graphical and UI interface refresh is definitely needed for the iPhone, which hasn’t really seen any major interface changes since it launched. Of course, we will be bringing you all the new on January 27th as it happens.

Tags: adslice, apple event, apple rumors, apple tablet, cell phones, cellphones, ipad, iphone, iphone 4.0, iphone firmware, iphone firmware 4.0, iphone os, iphone os 4.0, iphone rumors, islate, january 27, mac rumors, sidefeatured, smartphones,

This morning we got word that Verizon was bolstering their FiOS packages, with the big news (from where we sit) being that the company is now offering a new symmetrical 35/35 Mbps Internet package as part of their “Best” bundle, which also brings an expansion of offerings in their FiOS TV HD package. For those who just want the blazing Internet goodness without the HD, they are also offering a 25/25 Mbps service, and they still offer the 50/20 Mbps service as well, which is a bit odd. They seem to have updated all of their Internet packages, and now the highest tier has the slowest upload speed out of them all. Hopefully that’ll change fairly quickly, because things appear to be a bit off-balance there. Nevertheless, FiOS is now in a position where they don’t have any competitor in the US that matches their upload speed, regardless of cost.

It’s not all fun and games, though. There is also a higher early-termination fee that comes alongside the new services. Formerly, it would cost $179 to terminate the two-year contract, but now it’s up to as much as $360. Again, that’s only if you cancel, and we think that once you get a look at the uncompressed HD and feel for the speedy Internet, you’ll decide that you’re in for the long haul.

Tags: fios, fios speeds, fios tv, shawn strickland, symmetrical internet, verizon, verizon fios, videos, youtube,

At CES 2010 we were able to get a look at the very awesome Boxee Box, a set top box that runs the Boxee software, allowing you to pull in audio, video, and photo content from your home network, attached USB drives, as well as from the Internet, from hundreds of different locations. It even has a built-in Mozilla web browser, so you can pull up content like Hulu as well. We also got the news that the Boxee Box remote is two-sided, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard on the back, which eliminates the frustrating on-screen keyboard experience. For a better look at the Boxee Box, check out this episode!

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: andrew kippen, apps, boxee, boxee beta, boxee box, channels, d-link, dlink, set top box, software,

Okay, gang, Apple has finally sent those press invitations out to an event they are holding on January 27th, and if there is one thing we can surmise from this one, it’s that we will be seeing the release of a new product. Whether you want to call it the iSlate, iPad, Apple Tablet, MacBook touch, or whatever else, we’re putting all our money on a brand new multitouch tablet device, with Apple aiming to change the world yet again. Oh, and updated MacBook Pros as well.

The event starts at 10:00AM Pacific time and comes to you from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Join us then, because we’ll be hitting you with the news as it happens.

Tags: apple, apple event, apple rumors, apple tablet, handhelds, ipad, islate, january 27, mac rumors, macbook pro, rumors, steve jobs, tablets,

Remember that awesome iPhone credit card processing device from Square that we told you about a few weeks ago? Well, Kevin Rose just put up a video showing the Square app and iPhone hardware in action. Give the video above a look, as it’s definitely pretty slick. However, we’d love to see them make that credit card dongle a bit more stable before launch. The product is still in beta, but we can’t wait to see this go mainstream.

Tags: credit card processing, credit cards, iphone, iphone credit card processing, iphone square, ipod touch, kevin rose, square, videos,

Newegg has got a couple of great deals that we thought we’d share with you guys right quick - first, they’ve got a 27-inch Asus widescreen LCD monitor, which dual HDMI, selling for $369.99. It’s a 1080p screen, it’s huge, and it’s fairly inexpensive, so we like it. Secondly, if you want a larger screen for your living room or bedroom, they’ve got the 46-inch SCEPTRE 1080p LCD HDTV for $699.99. It has 4 HDMI inputs, a built in ATSC tuner, VGA port, and even includes an HDMI cable. So there you have it, two nice displays from Newegg at a discounted cost.

As always, you can find all sorts of Newegg promo codes and deals on our forums.

Tags: 1080p, asus, asus mt276he, displays, hdmi, hdtv, monitors, newegg, newegg coupon code, newegg coupons, newegg deals, newegg discounts, newegg promo code, sceptre, sceptre x46bv, shopping, x46bv,

The BlackBerry Presenter device allows you to control a PowerPoint presentation wirelessly using just your BlackBerry phone. At CES 2010 we were able to hang with Ryan Biden, RIM Product Manager for the BlackBerry Presenter device, as he gave us a test drive. Aside from simply wirelessly displaying and controlling a PowerPoint presentation from your BlackBerry, you can also set a presentation to loop on its own once the Presenter has it cached, and walk away. We give you a full demo of the BlackBerry Presenter in this episode.

A big thank you to Bing for sponsoring Gear Live’s CES 2010 coverage.

Tags: accessories, blackberry, blackberry presenter, cell phones, cellphones, ces, ces 2010, powerpoint, presentations, presenter, smartphones,

Over the past couple of days, while trying to carry on with “business as usual,” I’ve personally found it hard to focus on tech, gadgets, and all of the CES 2010 goodness that we have yet to bring you, as the world is focused on the disastrous aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. We’re sure you’ve seen the imagery, but if you haven’t, or if you aren’t quite sure, I encourage you to watch this AP report:

Gear Live & Friends Will Match Your Haiti SMS Donations!
We felt it was time to do our part to help, so with the support of a bunch of Gear Live friends, we are announcing that we will match SMS donations made by Gear Live readers and viewers. As many of you know, the Red Cross has made it super-simple to donate $10 to help out by simply texting the word HAITI to 90999. In fact, this has been so successful that it’s already earned $11 million in just a few days. That is fantastic - but the damage to the country is far greater than that, and every little bit helps. So here’s what we’re gonna do:

Starting now, if you send an SMS donation to either the Red Cross (by texting the word HAITI to 90999) or to YELE (by texting the word YELE to 501501) Gear Live will match it, up to $500. In addition, we have a bunch of our friends joining in as well:

• David Geller of Eyejot and WhatCounts will match up to $2500
• Leslie Camacho, President of EllisLab (which makes the fantastic ExpressionEngine CMS) and Roger Rustad (wondering network guru) will personally match up to $600 $1200
• Nate True of Tap Tap Revenge and iPhone hacking fame will match up to $500
• Jeremy, Adam, and the team at Stage Two will match up to $500
• Dave Taylor, the man behind AskDaveTaylor.com, will match up to $250
• Don McAllister of Screencasts Online will match up to $250
• Robert Scoble, the face behind Building43, will match up to $200
• Local Gear Live fan Shauna Causey will match up to $100
• Parnassus Ventures, the folks behind 140: The Twitter Conference, will match up to $100
• Jason Neudecker, a Gear Live Twitter follower, will match up to $100
• Hadley Stern and Apple Matters will match up to $100
• Xavier Lanier and Notebooks.com will match up to $100
• Amisha Gandhi-Lanier and Served Raw will match up to $100
• Kevin Urie from Social Media Club Seattle will match up to $100
• TechieDiva.com will match up to $50
• Eric Siegfriend and DanceHop will match up to $50

In total, so far, that’s $4500 $5400 $5650 $6550 $6700 in pledged matching donations! For each donation you make, each entity above will match it, until their limit is reached. In other words, with our current eight eleven twelve contributors, your $10 donation will actually be matched six nine eleven twelve fifteen seventeen times, resulting in a $70 $100 $120 $130 $160 $180 payment. So, what do you need to do? This is the easy part. Just scroll down and leave us a comment letting us know that you made a donation, and whether it was a $5 or $10 contribution. If you do it multiple times, let us know that too. Even better, if you want to be on our list as a person or company that will match donations, let us know!

Now, what if you don’t have any money to donate? We will make it easy. Just comment with a link to an article on from any of the following websites that you found interesting or helpful, and we will donate $10 on your behalf:

Gear Live, Notebooks.com, AskDaveTaylor.com, Gear Diary, Mobility Minded, Technologizer, WindowsPhoneThoughts, Served Raw, SlashGear, or GeekRoom.

I have to give a big thank you to my pal Xavier over at Notebooks.com. He came up with the idea and invited me to donate. I then asked a few friends, and never thought we’d get the support that we did, so we kicked off our own campaign. Together with Notebooks.com, we have $10,500 $11,400 $11,650 $12,550 $12,700 in matching donations for your SMS contributions!

The time is now! Leave a comment after donating, tell your friends, forward this around, and share this on Facebook and Twitter using the buttons at the top of the article. Make us spend every penny of the matching funds that are available.

Tags: 140tc, 90999, adslice, charity, dave taylor, david geller, donation matching, donations, earthquakes, eyejot, gina hughes, haiti, haiti earthquake, haiti relief, jeremy toeman, nate true, parnassus, red cross, red cross haiti, shauna causey, sidefeatured, sms, sms donations, stage two, steve broback, tap tap revenge, techiediva, whatcounts, xavier lanier, yele, yele 501501,

During CES 2010, we were able to catch up with Ryan Biden of BlackBerry, and he was able to give us a live unboxing of the new BlackBerry Presenter device. For those unfamiliar, the BlackBerry Presenter hooks up to a monitor, projector, or display, and allows you to wirelessly give a PowerPoint presentation using a file stored directly on your BlackBerry, with no need for a PC. It’s a great idea, and you can check out the device in this episode. We will also have a demo of the device in our next episode of Bleeding Edge TV.

Tags: blackberry, blackberry presenter, cell phones, cellphones, keynote, powerpoint, sidefeatured, smartphones, wireless,

Welcome to a new quickie feature for Playfeed, in which I attempt to distill a game review into a bite-size chunk for you to feed on demurely. At E3, I was singing nothing but praises about Bayonetta, and that was primarily from a one-level demo. Demos, of course, are either used to

• Sell a product by giving you the best of the best so you salivate like Pavlov’s dogs when you pass the retail copy over
• Give you the only part of a game that is not festering, abject crap.

So now the retail copy has launched, and I am left to tell you what to expect, because I am forever carrying the cross of the game reviewer. Hit the jump for Bayonetta in 3 paragraphs.

NOTE: This is the Xbox 360 version of the game. The PS3 has been known to have some nasty framerate issues.

Tags: bayonetta, bayonetta review, hideki kamiya, review, reviews, sega, xbox 360,

If you’re a gamer who doesn’t own an Xbox 360 or PS3, then you’ve been left out in the cold as it pertains to Netflix streaming. All of that changes this Spring, though, as Netflix and Nintendo have announced a partnership that will allow you to stream Netflix instant content using your Wii console. Similar to the Playstation 3 scenario, you’ll have to insert a Netflix disc in order to view content, as opposed to the Xbox 360 method, which has Netflix built right in to the dashboard. No firm date has been announced just yet, but the Netflix streaming disc will be free with the cost of your Netflix subscription.

Tags: adslice, netflix, netflix disc, netflix streaming, sidefeatured, spring 2010, wii, wii netflix disc, wii netflix streaming,

If you’re an aspiring author who’s been wanting to publish a book, or if you’ve got a blog that you think would be fantastic as a printed work, pay attention. FastPencil has hooked us up with 10 giveaway packages that will let you take your work and put it into a physical, published form, for free. In case you aren’t aware, FastPencil is a super-simple way for anyone to write, organize, sell, and distribute physical books, as well as ebooks. Ten of you will win:

• A free printed book
• A free eBook
• Free shipping and handling

In order to redeem, you’d just put in your original work in the FastPencil system, or if you have a blog, it can be automatically imported. Seriously, it’s very cool, and we’re gonna hook up 10 of you with the prize package. How do you enter? Simple. Just leave a comment here on this post, or over on the Gear Live Facebook page. We will choose ten people randomly a week from today!

Tags: book giveaways, book publishing, books, contests, ebooks, fastpencil, giveaways, how to publish a book, how to write a book, publishing,

Video Games Live is pretty much the best video game concert event outside of the Dear Friends (Final Fantasy) concerts, and PBS is the station that brought us Yanni: Live at the Acropolis, which is easily the best live music event in recorded history, so it looks like there’s some kind of blood-tinged Faustian pact afoot. The February 5th, 2010 performance of Video Games Live at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans will be taped and aired on PBS during June of next year. Tickets to the event are going on sale this Friday (the 18th), so snap them up if you’re interested.

If you don’t want to make it down to N’awlins for the event, firstly, I don’t blame you. Last time I went, everything was coated in a thin layer of insanity gravy. But more importantly, a Blu-ray and CD of the event will be released next year for your mushy consumer brains to slurp up and toss into your PS3. However, the last performance I saw had Steve Vai playing the Halo theme on his guitar, which until then had been the stuff of maladjusted, failed musicians on youtube, so it might just be worth the trek.

Read the press release after the jump.

Tags: blu-ray, concerts, dear friends, final fantasy, music, pbs, video games, video games live,

For some of us, video games have become an extension of ourselves. It is only natural that we would want be able to experience the holiday season as our virtual selves as well.  Sony Online Entertainment agrees with this sentiment and has launched an online wide winter wonderland within their games including activities, special quests and treats.  The games taking part are: EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Free Realms™, Legends of Norrath®, Pirates of the Burning Sea™, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard Saga of Heroes®.

Interested in part-taking on winter celebration? Find out all the activities available after the jump.

Tags: activities, everquest, everquest ii, free realms, legends of norrat, mmorpg, pc, pirates of the burning sea, sony, sony online entertainment, special event, special quests, star wars galaxies, vanguard saga of heroes, winter,

You know that Apple event that focuses on mobility products that is rumored to be happening at the end of the month? Looks like it won’t be just related to the Apple tablet iSlate iPad super iPhone. With the new Intel Core i5 and i7 chips having just launched, we figured they’d make their way into the MacBook Pro line soon enough. In fact, Intel seems pretty confident here too, being that they are running giveaways where you could win a Core i5-powered MacBook Pro, despite the fact that they technically don’t exist. Yet. We bet that’ll change before the month is over.

Tags: apple rumors, apple tablet, core i5, core i5 macbook pro, core i7, intel, ipad, iphone, islate, leaks, mac rumors, macbook pro, rumors, sidefeatured, slate computers, slates, tablets,