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

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iOS 8 compatibility

During today's We Wish We Could Say More event, Apple announced that iOS 8 would be released to consumers as a free update on September 17th. If you're curious if your device supports the next Apple mobile operating system, check out the image above which details all of the iOS device it will run on. iOS 8 brings with it a host of new features, including:

  • Photos: The new Photos app will allow you to access your entire photo collection with the iCloud Photo Library. New editing tools also make it easy to make your shots look even better, with all edits syncing back to the cloud and available on all your other devices.
  • Messages: In iOS 8, Messages will allow you to easily send voice messages, quick selfies, and videos to your contacts. Easily share your location and see the location of friends you've chosen to share that info with as well.
  • Keyboard: There are a few notable improvements to the keyboard in iOS 8. First, Apple now has a predictive typing system that learns the way you talk, offering up a quicker typing experience. Even more exciting, though, is that you will be able to download third-party keyboards from the App Store that will take the place of Apple's keyboard entirely. If you've been waiting for Swype on iPhone, it's almost here.
  • Interactive Notifications: Notifications are interactive in iOS 8. For example, you can reply to a message right from the notification without having to switch over to the Messages app, or accept/decline a calendar invite right from the dropdown. Notifications are also interactive on the Lock screen as well.
  • Family Sharing: Family Sharing makes it easy for up to six people in your family to share each other’s iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases. Whenever one person buys a new song, movie, or app, everybody gets access to that content. Accounts must all share the same credit card number to be added to a family account. Members of a Family Sharing account also get access to a family Photo Stream, calendar, Reminders list, and can share location.
  • iCloud Drive: Apple is finally allowing access to data stored on iCloud with the iCloud Drive feature. You can use iCloud as a storage folder for anything you'd like to put there, and can add storage space by upgrading to a higher tier.
  • Health: Fitness tracking is one of the pillar features in iOS 8
  • Continuity: Continuity will allow your Apple devices to talk to each other over Bluetooth. Start an email on your Mac, and continue it on your iPhone. Start messaging someone on your Apple Watch, and continue on your iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple also released the iOS 8 GM seed today.


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iPhone 6 leak video

Apple is set to begin it's major We Wish We Could Say More event in just over 20 minutes, where the company will announce the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. However, it looks like someone may have beaten the company to the punch on the unveiling of the device. The PhoneEvaluation YouTube channel, based in China, has a 7-minute look at what appears to be a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 unit. No telling how accurate it is until Apple shows us the real thing, but if we had to guess, you'te looking at a genuine iPhone 6 in the video. We've embedded it below for your viewing pleasure. It'll kill time before the Apple event kicks off.

Be sure to check out how to watch the Apple event live to keep up with today's news as it happens.

Click to continue reading Purported iPhone 6 review video leaks ahead of Apple event


Latest Gear Live Videos

Apple event live stream

Today, Apple will be holding its We Wish We Could Say More event where it’s expected to reveal the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iWatch, and a new mobile payment processing system. Some are also expecting an update to the iPad Air, and the Apple TV set-top box. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest Apple keynote events in company history—certainly the biggest yet for Steve Jobs successor, Tim Cook—and the company wants you to see it all go down, live as it happens. Here’s how you can watch today’s Apple Event:

  • If you have an Apple TV, Apple has added a dedicated Apple Events channel. Fire it up at 10:00am PDT (1:00pm EDT), and you’ll be able to tune in. You need to have a second- or third-generation Apple TV running software version 6.2 or later.
  • If you want to live stream the event from your desktop, you’ll need to be running OS X 10.6.8 or later and Safari 5.1.10. From there, just head to the Apple Live page
  • You can also stream the event in the Safari web browser on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as long as you are running iOS 6.0 or later.

Of course, if you’re somewhere that you aren’t able to live stream video, you can keep it locked right here to Gear Live, where we will be bringing you reports of all the announcements at breakneck speed. Additionally, you can also follow along at The Verge, Recode, and Engadget.

Once things are wrapped up, Apple will make the video of today’s presentation available for on-demand viewing and downloading later today.

So there you have it! How will you be following along?


Dell UltraSharp 27 Ultra HD 5k monitor

Dell has announced a new 5K display, clocking in at 27-inches with a 5120x2880 resolution. That's a staggering 14.7 million pixels, 70% more pixels than you'd find on a 4K monitor. The Dell UltraSharp 27 Ultra HD 5k display also impresses with 218 pixels per inch (ppi), matching the pixel density found on the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. A media card reader is also built-in, as are six USB 3.0 ports to up your connectivity game. Now that it's proven that larger format Retina displays are possible, surely Retina iMacs and Thunderbolt 2 displays can't be far behind, right? OS X Yosemite has code references to 5120 x 2880 resolution, so Apple may already be readying its desktop machines for Retina resolutions.

No solid release date for the panel was given, but it should be available for purchase by the end of the year for $2499.99.

Read More | Dell

Bungie has just announced a stellar deal for Destiny buyers--if you pick up the digital version of Destiny for the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, you get to download the next-gen digital version for Xbox One or Playstation 4 for free. That's two copies of Destiny for the price of one.

The deal applies to all Destiny content, too, so if you buy the Guardian edition of the game, or the Expansion Pass on Xbox 360 or PS3, you'll also get that same content on Xbox One or PS4 as well.

To be clear, those who take advantage of the promotion get to keep and use both versions of Destiny. The downloads will be tied to the same Xbox Live or PSN account, and as a result, you'll have to choose one ecosystem (Xbox or Playstation) for both copies of the game--you can't get it for PS3 and then get the Xbox One version, or vice versa. This is a great deal for those who still have an older console in a spare room and want to have Destiny playable on both.

If the above doesn't apply to you, you can still get a free copy of Destiny (or any other Xbox One game) this week!

Click to continue reading Get free copy of Destiny for Xbox One or PS4 with last-gen purchase

Read More | Destiny Digital Upgrade

Google Glass sale

Google continues to slowly-but-surely make Google Glass more widely available. Now, anyone willing to put down $1,500 can head to the Google Play store and grab the Google Glass “Explorer Edition,” previously only available to those who'd scored an exclusive invitation. Yep, here at the end of 2014 Google still hasn't been able to get a mass consumer version of Glass out the door, so the expensive beta developer product is all you can get for now. Alongside Glass, buyers can also pick up accessories like frames, a custom earpiece, and shades.

The Glass Explorer Edition was originally announced in February 2013, with many predicting that a cheaper consumer version would follow in late 2013 or early 2014. Over a year-and-a-half later there still seems to be no sign of it on the horizon. At Google I/O 2014, Google's biggest event of the year, Glass didn't get a mention at all.

Read More | Google Glass

Moto 360 smartwatch

Motorola's long-awaited foray into the smartwatch arena is now official with the release of the Moto 360. The Android Wear device features a 1.65-inch circular display that's covered in Gorilla Glass, making it resistant to scratches and shattering. The watch is also water-resistant. Other features include all-day battery life, built-in pedometer, optical heart rate monitor, and a leather watch band (Motorola plans to release metal bands later this fall.) Users can charge the device wirelessly with the included charging cradle.

Click to continue reading Moto 360 goes on sale, sells out quickly


iWatch features

One of the big questions about Apple’s upcoming Wish We Could Say More event, taking place next week (which you can watch live,) is whether the company will finally reveal the iWatch, and if it does, what will it do? Today, the Wall Street Journal released a report that Apple will indeed announce the iWatch on Tuesday, and gave details on what we can expect from the mystical wearable.

Click to continue reading iWatch to ship in two sizes with OLED display and NFC says WSJ

Read More | The Wall Street Journal

xbox one free game

If you haven’t picked up an Xbox One yet (or, if you need an extra one for the bedroom,) next week will be a great time to buy. Microsoft is running a promotion from September 7 through 13th where buying an Xbox One at participating retailers will include any free game of your choosing that costs $59.99 or less. Yes, that includes Destiny, Bungie’s new title, which drops on September 9. That’s a nice savings, since you’ll probably want at least one game to play on your new console anyway. Speaking of which, the offer applies to Xbox One bundles as well, so if you buy the Xbox One Madden NFL 15 Bundle or the Forza Motorsport 5 Bundle, each of which already comes with a free game, you get another free game of your choosing on top of that.


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