Bleeding Edge TV 495: Behind-the-Scenes at Turn 10 & Forza Motorsport

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Podcasts, Transportation, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,

I got behind-the-scenes at Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios to bring you a look at the team that develops Forza Motorsport. You'll hear from Turn 10 head Dan Greenawalt about that it takes to build a next-generation racing game for Xbox One launch, and I go one-on-one with Turn 10's best Forza player in a battle for supremacy (and I'm not that good...)

You can pick up Forza Motorsport 5 from Amazon.

Don't forget to subscribe to Gear Live's YouTube channel!

Click to continue reading Bleeding Edge TV 495: Behind-the-Scenes at Turn 10 & Forza Motorsport

Unboxing Live 129: Apple MacBok Pro (late 2013)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Laptop, Videocasts,

I open up the brand new Apple MacBook Pro (late 2013) in this episode! This is a 13-inch model, which now sports the Retina display in all configurations. The new MacBook Pro ships with OS X Mavericks and a 2.4 GHz Intel Haswell processor. This specific model sports a 256GB PCIe SSD and 8GB RAM. We go through everything in this video. Check out my full MacBook Pro (late 2013) review as well.

You can pick up the MacBook Pro from Apple.

Don't forget to subscribe to Gear Live on YouTube!

Click to continue reading Unboxing Live 129: Apple MacBok Pro (late 2013)

TigerDirect now accepts Bitcoin

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Internet,

TigerDirect is the latest retailer to announce that it will accept Bitcoin as a payment method. The company specializes in selling computer hardware, accessories, gadgets, and similar kit. The company will use BitPay as its Bitcoin payment processor, making it the largest BitPay client. If you've got some Bitcoin that you'd like to spend on some tech, you can do it now at TigerDirect--online only though, as the retail locations aren't down with virtual currency just yet. Hey--maybe you can buy yourself some Bitcoin mining hardware with your Bitcoin. Spend money to make money, right?

iPad mini keyboard review: Belkin FastFit vs. Logitech Ultrathin

Posted by Jason Chen Categories: Accessories, Apple, Features, Peripherals, Product Reviews,

It's 2014 and we're all familiar with iPad keyboard cases by now. They're designed to protect your iPad's screen while giving you the option of a physical keyboard when you need to do some heavy typing. For the iPad Air, these keyboards are more or less interchangeable. But for the iPad mini, because of its reduced size, keyboard markers have a hard decision to make as far as the keyboard layout goes.

The Belkin FastFit Keyboard Case for iPad mini (pictured in black) feels more like a traditional full-sized keyboard, with larger number keys compared to the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini (pictured in white). Both have arrow keys and proper Command, Alt/Option, Function keys that let issue quick commands like changing the volume, pausing playback and activating Siri. Both keyboards have laptop-style keys that feel nice to type on, and both have standard magnets that attach to your iPad mini. We put these two keyboards head-to-head in this iPad mini keyboard review.

Click to continue reading iPad mini keyboard review: Belkin FastFit vs. Logitech Ultrathin

Apple releases Numbers 3.1, here’s a look at what’s new

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,

Apple has released Numbers 3.1, and with the update comes the ability to sort data by column values of multiple areas, calculation progress indicator, and more. Here's the full list:

• Sort by multiple columns
• Sort a subset of rows
• Text autocompletes when editing cells
• Chart date and duration values
• Optionally highlight rows and columns on mouseover
• Progress indicator for calculations
• Custom number formats in charts are preserved on import of Numbers ’09 and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
• Share password-protected spreadsheets via iCloud link
• Export password-protected spreadsheets to XLSX format
• Improvements to AppleScript support
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheets
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

You can download Numbers 3.1 now from the Mac App Store.

Apple releases Pages 5.1, here’s what’s new

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,

Apple just released Pages 5.1, which includes new features like alignment customization, vertical ruler, character counter, and more. Here's a list:

• Vertical ruler
• Share password-protected documents via iCloud link
• Customizable alignment guides
• Set keyboard shortcuts for styles
• View character count with or without spaces
• Improved precision for inserting and pasting objects
• Create charts with date, time, and duration values
• Delete sections from the page navigator
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft Word 2013 documents
• Export password-protected documents to DOCX format
• Custom number formats in charts are preserved on import of Pages ’09 and Microsoft Word documents
• Start a list automatically using new special characters
• Improved support for bidirectional text
• Improved ePub export
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

You can download Pages 5.1 now from the Mac App Store.

Read More | Apple Pages

Pixelmator 3.1 released with Mac Pro dual GPU optimizations

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,

One of our favorite Mac apps, Pixelmator, received a massive update today. Pixelmator 3.1 Marble brings a bunch of new improvements, the biggest of which might be full compatibility with the the Mac Pro's dual GPUs, as well as 16-bit support on Apple's flagship desktop as well. Both GPUs are used together when applying effects, and optimizations are in place for each model, including 4-, 6-, 8-, and 12-core Intel Xeon processors. Aside from all the new Mac Pro goodness, there are a lot of other improvements to layer styles, RAW image handling, and effects.

One other cool addition is the ability to order finished prints of your work right from within Pixelmator. You can download Pixelmator from the Mac App Store.

Also, if you're on the lookout for a new Mac Pro and don't want to wait the 2 months that it will take Apple to ship it, check out B&H Photo which has the Mac Pro in stock!

Read More | Pixelmator

Get the new Mac Pro right now, without having to wait until March

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Hot Deals, PC / Laptop,

Apple's new, redesigned Mac Pro launched in late December, and has been in short supply ever since. In fact, a few days ago shipments were pushed back to March. In other words, if you order a new Mac Pro today from Apple, you'll be waiting at least five weeks before it will be shipped to you--if by March they mean "early March." I needed one of the new models, and didn't want to wait, so instead I checked one of my other favorite tech stores on the planet: B&H Photo. Sure enough, they had the Mac Pro in stock! The other benefit of B&H Photo is that the order would be tax-free, unlike Apple, saving me about $400. I used some of that savings towards overnight shipping, and was able to order a Mac Pro right away, pay about 10% less than I would have paid to Apple, and received it the following day rather than having to wait a couple of months for it.

If you want to get your hands on the new Mac Pro without waiting, be sure to check it out at B&H Photo!

Read More | B&H Photo

The Problem with Facebook [Video]

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Revenue, Social Media, Social Networks,

The problem is the only way Facebook has found to make money is by treating all entities on the site as advertisers and charging them to share their content.

This business plan backfires because 1) not all entities ARE advertisers and 2) it was the content from these people, specifically friends, family, and creators that made the site worth visiting in the first place.

Now the incentives are misaligned:

• Individuals want to see great content, but they are now seeing more paid content and organically shared content which appeals to the lowest common denominator (babies, weddings, and banal memes)
• Creators want to reach fans but their posts are being throttled to force them to pay to be seen
• Brands and advertisers have to pay once to advertise their page on Facebook, and then pay again to reach the people who have already liked their page. Plus Facebook is not a place where people generally go to buy things.

Facebook stands in contrast to other social media like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram where all content is shared with all followers.

Apple now repairing iPhone 5c displays in-store

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

If you happen to drop your iPhone 5c and break the display, it'll cost a lot less to get a replacement now that Apple is offering in-store repairs. Yesterday the company announced that it would fix iPhone 5c displays at Apple Stores for $149 a pop--sure, that's expensive, but before this is was $229, $80 more. Of course, if you're an AppleCare+ customer, this doesn't apply to you since you get the much cheaper $50 replacement option. We see way too many people out in the wild rocking smartphones with shattered displays, so hopefully moves like this where repairs get more affordable, can make it easier for consumers to get their colorful iPhones repaired.

You can pick up the iPhone 5c for $99 with tw-year contract.