Latest Gear Live Videos
iPad Air review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
Thinner. Lighter. Anyone familiar with Apple keynote events knows that these two words mean a lot to the company. In essence, Apple aims to reduce the bulks of its products, stripping away any unnecessary heft while simultaneously packing in as much power as possible. It's quite a task, really. The company has backed itself into a corner where it's now expected that anything that's a newer version of a previous thing will be smaller, thinner, and lighter.
Back in 2008, Apple did this with the jaw-dropping MacBook Air. Fully a Mac, but so thin you could slid it into a manila envelope. It was hard to believe that a Mac that thin, with a full-sized keyboard and display, was possible when PC makers were all focusing on grossly underpowered netbooks with cramped keyboards.
Now, Apple has done the same with its tablet lineup. Three-and-a-half years after releasing the original and iconic iPad, Apple has now made it almost impossibly thinner and lighter with the iPad Air. Sporting a new, slim design that borrows heavily from that of the iPad mini, the iPad Air bezel has been reduced by over 40%. Thickness has been reduced as well--20% thinner than the iPad 4 at 7.5mm. Perhaps most importantly, the iPad Air sheds almost half a pound of weight when compared against the two iPads that preceded it, all while maintaining the same impressive 9.7-inch Retina display.
So, the question now is, is the new iPad Air worth your time, attention, and hard-earned cash? Read on for our full iPad Air review as we explore Apple's latest flagship tablet.
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SOL Republic Tracks review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Wearables, Features, Music, Product Reviews,
SOL Republic is still a relatively new headphone company, but buyers of consumer-level headphones should pay attention. The company is aiming to sit between the cheap, horrible tolerable headphones and the expensive luxury brands with cans that look and sound good for a nice price. How do they fare in the real world? Join us for our SOL Republic Tracks review to find out.
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SOL Republic Master Tracks review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Wearables, Music, Product Reviews,
The fashion headphone market has grown exponentially over the past five years, and SOL Republic has carved its niche into the game with headphones that are incredibly customizable and focused on great sound for your dollar. The company started with the Tracks on-ears and Amps in-ears, and over time, has added new models that offer better an increase in sound fidelity and features.
The SOL Republic Master Tracks are the first over-ear headphones from the company, matched up with the new "X3 Sound Engine" ear cups, all of which are backwards-compatible with the other SOL Republic headbands. Are the good enough to warrant your attention? Read on for our full SOL Republic Master Tracks review for the answer.
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SOL Republic x Motorola Deck review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Music, Product Reviews, Wireless / WiFi,
The world of the portable Bluetooth wireless speaker is a crowded one, but SOL Republic is confident that its Deck speaker can stand above the rest, what with it's unique feature set. The SOL Republic Deck is a $199 speaker that comes out of of a collaboration between the company and Motorola (which took care of the Bluetooth connectivity side of things,) resulting in a flat, eye-catching design that can pump your beats with relative ease. Is it worth your time and money? Join us for our SOL Republic Deck review as we answer that question.
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Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, Microsoft, PC / Laptop, Peripherals, Product Reviews,
Now that I've been using the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard for over a week, my search for the ultimate keyboard might be finally over. It might be one of the strangest looking keyboards Microsoft has ever put out.
The Sculpt combines the curved ergonomic structure the company has been making for almost 20 years with a raised wrist area and a completely empty middle. Couple that with something Microsoft has barely done with their keyboards—laptop-style, easy-to-press scissor key set that's way less stressful on the fingers than anything previous--and you've got a keyboard that's vying for the title of "best keyboard they've ever made."
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iPhone 5s review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews, Videos,
According to Apple, the iPhone 5s is the most forward thinking smartphone ever created. Of course, being that this is an S-model iPhone launching in a year that ends in an odd number, and that means that we'll find plenty of naysayers who dismiss Apple's flagship smartphone as simple and iterative. It looks just like last year's iPhone 5 on the outside, so what can be so different, right?
Well, being an S-class device, the iPhone 5s follows a now-familiar pattern. The iPhone 3GS in 2009 doubled the speed of the iPhone 3G from the year before and added video recording and basic voice commands. The iPhone 4S brought Siri, 1080p video, and dual-core processing. This year, Apple has highly focused the iPhone 5s on three big changes. The iPhone 5s is the first smartphone to ship with a 64-bit processor, and includes the first 64-bit version of iOS in iOS 7. It's also the first smartphone to ship with a capacitive fingerprint sensor, and includes a greatly improved camera system. Sure, these things may not be important to those who are just fine with their current iPhone (or competing device, for that matter,) but for Apple, these moves are a big deal and set up the future.
But is a phone so focused on a future worth your attention today? Join us for our full iPhone 5s review as we seek out the answer.
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iPhone 5c review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
The iPhone 5c is Apple's first mid-range iPhone handset to be introduced as a new model alongside a higher-end version. Available in five distinct colors, the device sports last year's internals with a fresh coat of external paint. As such, it's clear that the iPhone 5c is going after a different demographic than the top-of-the-line iPhone 5s--one that isn't necessarily looking at the specs of the device, and instead cares about the look and feel, and wants access to Apple's App Store without breaking the bank. That said, don't think of the 5c as the cheap iPhone--in fact, we'd bet that the "c" is gonna stand for cash, because Apple is poised to make a lot of it with the introduction of the 5c.
Is the iPhone 5c the right phone for you? Join us as we answer that question in our full iPhone 5c review.
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Unboxing Live 115: LG Optimus G Pro
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Features, Handhelds, Videocasts,
We open up the LG Optimus G Pro in this episode of Unboxing Live - this is LG's super-fast, 5.5-inch Android smartphone beast! A 13-megapixel camera is featured here, alongside a 3140 mAh battery that should keep you powered up for the full day. A Qualcomm SnapDragon 1.7GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 1080p display round things out on this one. We give you a look at the whole package.
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Review: ‘Post Tenebras Lux’ Lacks Heart, Underwhelms
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
What I mistook as ambition and mythology for Carlos Reygadas' decision to title his film, Post Tenebras Lux, in Latin ("Light After Darkness") was simply pretentiousness. Though the movie - shot in a 1:33 ratio - was undoubtedly as stunning as a Terrence Malick film, the semi-autobiographic pic was as self-indulgent as a Tyler Perry flick.
The Mexican film - which won the Best Director award at last year's Cannes Film Festival - is comprised of a series of vignettes, mostly centering on the lives of a family who has made the transition from city to country life. Reygadas' meditation on both internal and external human conflicts is too ambitious, resulting in a film lacking cohesion and theme.
(Do not read past the jump if you wish to avoid spoilers.)
Click to continue reading Review: ‘Post Tenebras Lux’ Lacks Heart, Underwhelms
‘Hangover III’: the Hangover That Just Won’t End
Posted by Michael Porter Categories: Warner Bros, Sequels, Comedy, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
Toy Story 3, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and Return of The Jedi are some of the most well reviewed films of the last 30 years. They are considered great films despite being the third film in a successful franchise. The Hangover III won't go down in history as the worst threequel of all-time, but it definitely forces itself into the discussion with characters that haven't changed one bit since the first film and a stale formula that expired about 5 minutes into Part III.
One of the things the things the film has going for it is its return to gags that center themselves around the repartee (if you can call it that) between the three major characters. Too bad this film forces Leslie Chow down our throats for the majority of the 100 minute running time, whom I have deemed the Jar Jar Binks of comedy films. Okay, maybe he's not that bad, but part of the charm of Mr. Chow in previous Hangover installments was the fact that he showed up when we least expected it.
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