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Nintendo 3DS XL available in black on August 11
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Portable/Mobile,
Nintendo has finally announced that it will be releasing an all black Nintendo 3DS XL. The black version will hit stores on August 11th, which just so happens to be the same day that Mario & Luigi: Dream Team drops as well. If you've been holding out for black because you were too grown-up to rock the blue, red, pink, Pokemon, or Animal Crossing variants, you'll have your wish in about two weeks--and you can pre-order the black Nintendo 3DS XL now.
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If you're looking for a luxury EV and want a more established name than Tesla, BMW has entered the fray with the i3. In fact, the BMW i3 is both the first EV from the company, as well as a platform to build on for the future. The i3 will be priced at $41,350 when it goes on sale in the US in Q2 2013, although, like many electric vehicles, it isn't for everyone.
While it isn't the most expensive EV on the market, it also costs well above what the typical car buyer pays for a new vehicle. Also, range anxiety will be a problem for some as well, as a fully-charged BMW i3 will only get you 80-100 miles. If that worries you, you can opt for the 650cc two-cylinder generator add-on, that makes the i3 similar to a Chevy Volt, letting you get extra range through using gasoline. At 170 horsepower coupled with 184 pound-feet of torque, you'll be able to go from zero to sixty in seven seconds.
BMW definitely knows how to make a car, and for EV enthusiasts who've grown weary of the odd space-age concepts found in some other car manufacturer lines, could be a breath of clean, fresh, environmentally-safe air.
Read More 
| BMW i3
Apple releases iOS 7 beta 4 build 11A4435d to developers, list of changes and improvements
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,
Apple has just released iOS 7 beta 4, which can be found in the Developer Portal right now. iOS 7 beta 4 build 11A4435d works with supported iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models, and is available as an over-the-air update to users already running a previous iOS 7 beta on their devices. If you're already running iOS 7, you can update over-the-air by going into Settings > General > Software Update. Or you can go and grab the necessary download at http://developer.apple.com. Apple originally showed off iOS 7, and released its first beta, at WWDC 2013. The full released will come in the fall.
We've got a list of changes we've found so far in iOS 7 beta 4, which you can find after the break.
Latest Gear Live Videos
Canary consumer home security device turns your house into a quantified home
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Cameras, Smart Home, Videos,
Here at Gear Live, we've advocated to our readers that they purchase an efficient video surveillance security systems for their home, and if you haven't yet, Canary looks like a great option. It's an affordable, unique, and effective take on home monitoring and security when compared to more expensive conventional alternatives. The very small, sleek product reminds us of the upcoming redesigned Mac Pro, and is packed with sensors that measure temperture, humidity, air quality, and motion, and protect you with a wide-angled HD camera that supports night vision, and microphones.
The iOS and Android app is free and includes all of the basic services, but customers may opt for more increased data storage for a fee. Canary is available by pre-order and is currently being crowfunded on Indiegogo. It goes for the initial price $199 and has surpassed its funding goal of $100K. Here's a video demo of the product.
Read More | Canary
Verizon announces a trio of Droid smartphones: Ultra, Maxx, and Mini
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,
Verizon, in partnership with Motorola, has revealed the new line of Droid smartphones: Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini.
Both the Ultra and the Maxx have 720p displays on 5-inch non-PenTile displays. The only visibly distinct difference between the ULTRA and the MAXX is that the latter is a bit thicker due the bigger battery, hence the name. The Droid Maxx boasts an insane 48 hours of battery life. Remarkably, the Ultra is razor thin--as thin as the original famed RAZR flip phone. Meanwhile, the Droid Mini features a 720p 4.3-inch display with comparable features for smartphones of that size. All are using this techy kevlar designed back plate. The Droid Ultra will cost $199, Droid MAXX $299, and the Droid Mini will be $99, all with two-year contracts with Big Red. Here's a full list of them for all you spec lovers.
Click to continue reading Verizon announces a trio of Droid smartphones: Ultra, Maxx, and Mini
Read More | Droid Does
Apple sets up Developer Center system status page
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Mods / Hacks,
In light of last week's security breach by a security analyst, Apple has proactively introduced an online status page, much like the iCloud status page, but for the Developer Center. This status page allows registered Apple developers to track the progress as systems become available while Apple overhauls their backend services with added security. As you can observe there's still a lot of green missing. Here's a road map statement of their approach in bringing their services back online.
We plan to roll out our updated systems, starting with Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, Apple Developer Forums, Bug Reporter, pre-release developer libraries, and videos first. Next, we will restore software downloads, so that the latest betas of iOS 7, Xcode 5, and OS X Mavericks will once again be available to program members. We'll then bring the remaining systems online. To keep you up to date on our progress, we've created a status page to display the availability of our systems. - Apple
Read More | MacRumors
Google Chromecast media streaming dongle goes on sale for $35, Netflix promo yanked
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Accessories, Google, HDTV, Videos,
Well, the rumors were correct on the mysterious device that momentarily showed up on Google's support page. The Chromecast is a media dongle that allows you to sling web content the web and cloud-stored content, using a smartphone or Chrome browser as a remote control. It's a bummer that it still doesn't have the ability to stream or mirror content stored on the device like Apple's AirPlay, but hey, for $35, we can't complain.
Read More | Google
Back the Ubuntu Edge dual-booting Linux-Android smartphone on IndieGogo
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,
Makers of Ubuntu, Canonical has launched a $32,000,000 Indiegogo campaign for a dual-boot capable smartphone that would feature Ubuntu Linux OS and Google's Android.
Dubbed Ubuntu Edge, the phone will be able to boot into PC mode when docked, with a monitor featuring the full-fledged Ubuntu desktop OS. 128GB of onboard storage is also in the mix, something that the next iPhone is also purported to have. Other key specs include a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass 720p display, instead of the Corning Gorilla Glass used in many smartphones today. Early backers can now opt for the day-one price of $600 and then, after initial sale goes public, the price will jump to $830 when the devices launches in May 2014. Here's the full run down of the Ubuntu Edge specs and a video preview:
Click to continue reading Back the Ubuntu Edge dual-booting Linux-Android smartphone on IndieGogo
Read More | Indiegogo
Syrian Electronic Army strikes VoIP provider Viber
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
The Syrian Electronic Army strikes again at another VoIP provider, this time, Viber. We reported the cyber attacks on Tango, now it seems that the pro-Assad militant cyber group claims allegedly that it was able to download backups of Viber's database, which includes but it's not limited to phone numbers, device IDs and, supposedly, push notification tokens. Along with the purported intrusion, some Viber pages have been defaced. Viber has come forward and has stated that the intrusion is mostly harmless to customers of their VoIP services since they claim that the most vital user information is kept in a different database that can't be exploited by outsider threats. As always, Viber requests that 200,000 users be vigilant and report any suspicious activity with their accounts.
Today the Viber Support site was defaced after a Viber employee unfortunately fell victim to an email phishing attack. The phishing attack allowed access to two minor systems: a customer support panel and a support administration system. Information from one of these systems was posted on the defaced page.
It is very important to emphasize that no sensitive user data was exposed and that Viber’s databases were not “hacked”. Sensitive, private user information is kept in a secure system that cannot be accessed through this type of attack and is not part of our support system.
We take this incident very seriously and we are working right now to return the support site to full service for our users. Additionally, we want to assure all of our users that we are reviewing all of our policies to make sure that no such incident is repeated in the future. - Viber
Read More | Arstechnica
Tango Messenger user info hacked by Syrian Electronic Army
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Software,
The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) has come forward claiming that it has stolen millions of user email addresses, phone numbers and contact information of the popular video messaging service Tango. The 1.5 terabyte worth of compromised data has been confirmed by Tango on Twitter.
SEA has stated that it will hand over the information to its country's government lead by embattled President Bashir al-Assad. The compromise was possible due to an outdated WordPress installation.
Traditional telecommunication is to be avoided due to current war in Syria that has resulted in the rising death toll of over 100,000 lives. Thus, popular messaging services with VoIP capabilities are very popular in that part of world. So, it comes to no surprise that the exploit is for the sole purpose of monitoring, stamping out and finding rebel forces and sympathizers.
"Tango experienced a cyber intrusion that resulted in unauthorized access to some data. We are working on increasing our security systems. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this breach may have caused our members." -Tango
Read More | Syrian Electric Army
