On Gear Live: Circuit Breaker: The Tech Newsletter that Elevates Your Gadget Game

  • STICKY POST

Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!

If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!

PlayStation 3In what has to be considered a bombshell announcement, Sony Computers President Takeshi Kutaragi revealed to the press that the next version of the PlayStation videogame console is targeted to launch by the end of the fiscal year. What this means is that Sony plans to have the PlayStation 3 on store shelves by the end of March 2005, two months before the 2005 Electronics Entertainment Expo. If the announcement serves to be true, then Sony just changed the game in a major way.

Microsoft has begun making noise about launching the successor to the XBOX sometime in 2005 as well, though no specific date has been set. Meanwhile, Nintendo has sworn up and down that they will not be the last one's out of the gate this time, and are reportedly hard at work on the "Revolution", which is the follow up to the Gamecube.

Read More | Seattle PI

Advertisement

iTunes 100 Million Contest
We knew it would be just a short period of time between the announcement of the contest, and the 100 Millionth download. The 100,000,000th (that's a lot of zero's!) song, "Somersault (Dangermouse remix)" by Zero7 was purchased by Kevin Britten, 20, of Hays, Kansas on Sunday, July 11, according to Apple.

So what does this mean? For Apple, it cements their status as the premier online music store as they have reached a place that their competition may take years to reach. For Kevin Britten, it means a 40GB iPod, 10,000 free songs from iTunes, his own Celebrity Playlist, and a 17" Powerbook. Nice.
With all the recent web exploits, now is the time to update your browsers. Here are the links for the latest updates:

Microsoft Internet Explorer: Use Windows Update to Patch the latest flaws.

A recent exploit was found in Mozilla and Firefox browsers on Windows PC's. Update to the latest versions below.
Firefox 0.9.2
Mozilla 1.7.1

The web is starting to become a dangerous place - here is a good spyware killer:

SpywareBlaster 3.2

Latest Gear Live Videos

Yahoo BB 50MWhile Yahoo! continues to fall behind Google in the United States, they just made a major announcement in Japan. Currently, Yahoo! offers the Yahoo! BB internet service in Japan for 4,122 yen ($38). This service gives customers 45 Mbps access, which compared to the average United States and Europe broadband speeds is just absurd. The upgrade will feature even better speeds: 50Mbps download and 3Mbps upload.

They certainly are serious about broadband technology in The Orient. The US and Europe need to start catching up soon, and both candidates for the Presidency of the United States have made it clear that upgrading the US broadband market is a top priority.

Read More | I4U
SCOTTeVEST Three.0 SpringIf you are like me, then you have more things to carry around than you have pockets for. From a PDA, to an MP3 player, add on the cell phone, maybe a digital camera, don't forget the wallet, etc. SCOTTeVEST has come up with a solution that is both stylish and creative. We take a look at their Three.0 Spring "Technology Enabled" Jacket. It has 31 pockets, which should be more than enough for all your gadgets. Is it a gimmick, or are they the real thing? Click below to find out.

Click to continue reading SCOTTeVEST Three.0 Spring Review


iPod mini Colors
After months upon months of waiting, consumers outside of the United States will be able to get their hands on an iPod mini simply by visiting their local electronics store (hopefully, you are near an electronics store). While the international launch comes a bit late due to the shortage of Hitachi microdrives, Apple now says they are ready to take on the worldwide audience. Here's to hoping they have enough pink ones for the launch.

Click to continue reading iPod mini Goes Global July 24th


Starbucks LogoIt seems Starbucks made the right decision when they decided to partner with T-Mobile to offer subscription-based WiFi access in their coffee houses. The move has brought in a more dedicated customer, often visiting the store longer and more often than the average consumer. In addition to offering standard web access, The T-Mobile Hotspot service at Starbucks gives subscriber's exclusive content not found elsewhere.

Read More | Wireless NewsFactor
iRiver H120Hard drive based digital audio players offer a nice advantage over other types of players; that being that they hold quite a bit more than flash-based or CD/MP3 combo units. The market for hard drive players is large, and the selection wide. We take a look at some of the best.

Talk about MP3 players on the Gear Live Forums

Click to continue reading Looking At the Top Portable Digital Audio Players


Wi-BroWith WiMax being the talk of the wireless world lately, Wi-Bro has silently stepped up to the plate and grabbed the attention. South Korea is set to roll out this high speed wireless standard in 2006, aimed at users who remain in the same general area needing a connection (so, not for airplanes). This announcement does not come without controversy, of course. Intel is working on their version of WiMax, but it wont be ready as soon as Wi-Bro. The hotly contested Asian wireless market is up for grabs here, and if Intel comes out of the gate too late then the Wi-Bro standard will be the norm. Here we go again with the multiple standards problem. Fortunately, these guys may put their heads together (Wi-Bro is co-developed by Samsung, along with a few Korean Telecoms). Personally, I think that is the way to go.

We are now on the road to true 4G wireless communication.

Read More | StockTalk
Apple iTunes and iPodIn honor of the upcoming 100 millionth song sold on the iTunes Music Store, Apple is running a promotion giving its users the opportunity to acheive the digital music motherlode. For every 100,000th song sold on iTunes, Apple will be giving away a 20 GB iPod - one to the purchaser of each 100,000th song downloaded between 95 million and 100 million songs. In addition, the person who downloads the 100 millionth song will receive a 17-inch Apple PowerBook, a 40 GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes song downloads.

How many songs have been downloaded? Take a look:
iTunes Download Ticker

Read More | Apple

Engadget has a great article on how to enter the contest for free. Basically, instead of buying music, you can use the "Tell a Friend" feature. Instead of entering a friends email address, enter itunes100@apple.com. Hit send, and you just entered the contest.

Read More | Engadget

Advertisement