Latest Gear Live Videos
TiVo HD XL now shipping: 1 terabyte storage, THX certified, $599.99
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment,
We knew it was just a matter of time before our friends at TiVo finally released something a little more, robust, to take the place of the discontinued TiVo Series3 DVR. While the TiVo HD is a nice unit, it just wasn’t the premium product that the Series3 was. The TiVo HD XL is all about taking that premium spot, and it certainly looks like a worthy replacement. The unit ships with a 1 terabyte hard drive, which means it can record up to 150 hours of HD programming, HDMI cable, along with a premium Series3 backlit TiVo remote. The TiVo HD XL features dual tuners, which lets you record two programs at the same time, and is even THX certified (something that the TiVo HD can’t brag about.) The one jarring piece here is the price, as the TiVo HD XL is selling for $599.99. If it’s worth it to you, you can order one right now at the TiVo website, or you can wait a few days and check your local retailer. We have the full press release for you after the break.
Click to continue reading TiVo HD XL now shipping: 1 terabyte storage, THX certified, $599.99
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Let’s Rock: Apple event planned for September 9
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors,
Well, what do you know? Looks like that Apple event that Kevin Rose speculated about a couple of weeks ago is finally official. This morning, Apple sent out notification of their next event, titled “Let’s Rock”, is set for September 9th. Now, looking at the graphic, we think it is pretty clear that this one is going to be focused on iPods. Apple is notorious for refreshing their portable media player line in September (heck, last September was when the iPod touch was announced) for the whole back-to-school and holiday vibe.
While we expect to see new models across the board, word on the street is that the iPod nano and iPod touch will be the ones to pay attention to this time around. That is, unless, you are like me and have tons of media that you want with you at all times. If that is you, then you are with me in hoping we see something akin to a 250GB iPod classic. Aside from that, though, some surprises would be nice. I know I’ve been asking for it for years now, and this probably isn’t the appropriate place to announce it, but I sure as heck would just love it if Apple would also give us a new Cinema Display. Could happen, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
Comcast to cap Internet bandwidth to 250GB per month, starting October 1
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Movies,
Comcast has decided to change its users agreement so that as of Oct. 1, users will only be allowed 250GB per month. This means you can still download about 4 standard def movies per day.
“We know from experience the vast majority of customers we ask to curb usage do so voluntarily,” the company said. While they already reserve the right to eliminate those who use too much, now subscribers will be contacted by the company, as if we don’t already get enough nasty phone calls and letters.
Read More 
| USA Today
American Idol Adds Fourth Judge
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, News,
Could Paula Abdul be fighting more than just Simon Cowell next year?
Just hours after reporting that changes would be coming, it’s been announced that American Idol will be add a fourth judge next year. Someone who will be there permanently.
For the singing competition’s eighth season, fans will be introduced to Kara DioGuardi, a highly-respected songwriter/producer. As it turns out, DioGuardi already has a history with the reality show having written tunes for former contestants. Kara - whose songs have appeared on more than 100 million records - was behind such tracks as “Walk Away” (Kelly Clarkson) and “Love Story” (Katharine McPhee). Her name is also attached to hits by a number of other musicians including Christina Aguilera (“Ain’t No Other Man”), Gwen Stefani (“Rich Girl”), Ashlee Simpson (“Pieces of Me”) and Enrique Iglesias (“Escape”).
Click to continue reading American Idol Adds Fourth Judge
American Idol
Contestants Announced for Dancing with the Stars 7
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, ABC, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip, News,
The official lineup for Dancing With the Stars was announced earlier today by Tom Bergeron.
And while history has seen rumors proven horribly wrong, parts of this season’s list were accurately predicted long before.
For the show’s seventh installment, we’ll actually start off with an uneven 13 contestants. This will lead to a double-elimination in the reality hit’s very first week. We’ll also see the oldest and youngest performers in the program’s history.
Click to continue reading Contestants Announced for Dancing with the Stars 7
Dancing with the Stars
Gnomedex 8.0: Kris Krug: Making Better Photographs
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity,
Kris Krug is here at Gnomedex to talk to us about taking better pictures. He goes into tips:
- Light in the Eyes: You want to try and get light in the eyes.
- Evaluate the Light: Sun? Shade? Incandesent? Halogen? Look around and find highlights, spotlights, and shadows, and then put your subject in good light. Look for reflection and light in the eyes, and if possible, use lamps.
- To shoot in low light: Turn your ISO UP, Increase your aperture (make number lower), decrease your shutter speed, focus manually if autofocus fails you, tinker with manual settings/metering, brace on things (tripod, wall, gear bag)
- Reflections are Yummy: Look for puddles, glass, metal, shiny floors that may have reflections in them, and then take an image of that reflection.
- Focus on a theme: Black and white, portraits, funny faces, laptop stickers, over-exposed. This will give you a goal.
- Learn Your Camera: Isolate the variables like depth of field, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. ALso, Tinker, tweek, shoot a bunch of photos, share them, get feedback, and feel free to change up your style. Share your gear by finding someone you can test out lenses, flashes, etc. with. Last, but certainly not least, set the white balance.
- Take a look at your background: No trees sprouting out of peoples heads, less busy puts more focus on the subject.
- Fill the frame: Hold your hand out, and if your subject isn’t bigger than your hand, you are too far away.
- Get High! Swing Low: People look better from above, so stand on things, lay down, get the angle, and change your perspective. This is why people are always taking MySpace photos by holding their phone above themselves.
- Tips for being a good subject: Laugh, smile, have fun. Make eye contact with the camera. Stand in the light.
- Camera buying advice: Lenses are more important than the body. You should spend 2/3 of your camera budget on your lens. Don’t fall for megapixels. Look for manual controls. Cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Fuji are great.
You can find Kris at Static Photography. This dude is an amazing photographer.
Apple grants all MobileMe subscribers a 60-day extension
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Internet, Software,
We know that Apple‘s MobileMe service has been off to a rocky start, but we are just glad that the company realizes it as well. Since the launch, people have had trouble with syncing, have lost email, and have discovered that this whole “push” thing wasn’t really as “pushy” as Apple made it out to be when they gave us a look at the product back at MacWorld.
Originally, Apple gave all subscribers a 30-day extension to compensate for all the issues, as well as a written apology. Since then, things have gotten a little better, but are still in no way seamless. Because of this, Apple has just decided to grant another extension, and this one is twice as long as the original. If you were a MobileMe subscriber as of 12:00 AM PDT on August 19, you get an additional 60 days tacked on to the end of your subscription. Even better, if you were taking a free trial of the service as of that time, you get 60 days added on to your trial. Apparently, Apple doesn’t want you to not sign up due to the kinks they are trying to work out. Good for them.
Hit the Read link below for the full details on the extension, and the eligibility requirements around it.
Read More | MobileMe extension details
Too Human quick review
Earlier this morning, our copy of Too Human finally arrived. You know, the one we’ve been waiting over a decade for? Well, Silicon Knights baby will finally be available for all to purchase tomorrow. We figured we would give you a glimpse into our initial impressions of the game. I’ve been playing Too Human for about three hours now, and feel like I am about halfway through the story. I’ve destroyed creatures, upgraded weaponry, and chosen my path. Hop on down to get our full thoughts on Too Human, the next big title for the Xbox 360.
Click to continue reading Too Human quick review
Unboxing Live 040: HP TouchSmart PC second gen
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, PC, Peripherals, Videocasts,
We were able to get our hands on one of the new HP TouchSmart computers recently, and were very impressed by what we saw - especially when compared to the original TouchSmart that we saw back at CES 2007. We unbox the new TouchSmart in this episode, showing off the new, sleek form factor, along with all the new wireless accessories that HP has designed to compliment the experience.
What we love most about it, aside from the cool touch screen implementation, is the fact that it is a full featured, powerful computer. Typically, all-in-one computers like these have been underpowered. Not so with the TouchSmart, which is chock-full of RAM (4GB), hard drive space (500 GB), 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS HD graphics card, and Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit edition. It even has an integrated ATSC & NTSC TV tuner with PVR and remote.
Check out the video for the full scoop on the new HP TouchSmart.
If you want to pick up one of your own, take a look at the HP TouchSmart premium version, or the standard HP TouchSmart computer.
Apple lists different prices for same Dashbuster iPhone app!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Movies, Software,
Okay, Apple, we know that you’ve had some trouble getting your act together since the iPhone 3G launch, but when you list two different prices in different areas of iTunes for the same app, that is when it is just getting ridiculous. Case in point, Dashbuster. I downloaded the free version from the App Store about a week ago, as it sounded fantastic to be able to manage my Netflix queue from the iPhone. The app, however, was missing a couple of features that I wanted - namely, the ability to add movies to the queue, select the format of the disc, etc. That was to come in the pad version.
Well, due to the fact that Apple has been unable to push updates out in a timely fashion, the paid version was finished, but I had to wait about a week for it to hit the App Store. I searched for the app, saw it was available for $5, and proceeded to download it. I then saw that there was a bug in the app, where it wouldn’t show my queue at all. I emailed the developer, and he responded (almost immediately) offering help. He also mentioned that the app should have been $3.99, not $4.99 like I paid.
Click to continue reading Apple lists different prices for same Dashbuster iPhone app!
Read More | Gallery: Dashbuster pricing screwed up
