Tech Blog

Tis the season to explore the planet and while you're tucking your favourite playlists into your iPod, iPhone and iPad to take on the trains and plains of the world, there are a few extra things you might want to mix in alongside the chill mixes, rock riffs and beefy beats - language lessons. Read more...

The Carmine brothers have had the worst luck in the Gears of War series. So far they have all died in an unpleasant matter. If we were following the status quo, Clayton Carmine will also be killed before the conclusion of Gears 3. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Microsoft and Epic are giving gamers the chance to decide if Carmine lives or dies. Read more...

Yes, I love my iPad. No, I have no regrets, would recommend them to almost anyone, and would buy it again (and again), however while I think any competing tablet has a long row to hoe, I don't think that iPad killers are all DOA. Jonny Evans of Computer World thinks that new tablets from HP, Toshiba, and others are pretty much doomed from the get go—RIP: Why the iPad 'killers' are already dead - Computerworld Blogs—and as much as I love Apple products I don't think Apple is that good. Read more...

This cool post from Tidbits—TidBITS Problem Solving: Beware Bluetooth Keyboards with iOS Devices—reminds me of a tough lesson learned about my iPad and Bluetooth keyboards: keyboards can turn themselves on in your bag. So here's the simple trick: turn flip one of the batteries backwards when you're not using it. Huh? Why? Read more...

Apple modeled iTunes to be the repository for all the media and applications that end up populating iPods, iPhones and iPads, but what do the other competitors have? I thought about this recently when I looked to load up an Android phone with media. Some manufacturers offer their own sync tools, but what if we could use the same platform to sync multiple devices? Read more...

With a legacy like Halo CE, Halo 2 and Halo 3, how could Bungie ever keep up with their own standards? Well, I finally got the answer to my question and the professional Halo scene should be buzzing about this one. Halo Reach's Forge World Vidoc has all gamers adding their own flavor to Halo Reach, the fourth installment of the epic series. Read more...

I think I've said before I'm not much of a Halo guy, but I think the upcoming Halo: Reach limited edition Xbox 360--pictured above--is pretty incredible looking. And it's limited edition, so if you're interested, you'd better start planning.

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Days before the illusive white iPhone 4 was to make its debut, Apple has pulled the rug out from underneath everyone. The company announced today the white iPhone 4 will not be released until sometime later this year. Here's the statement Apple sent out to press outlets regarding the delay.

"White models of Apple's new iPhone® 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected."

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Getting ready for back to school is always fun. Okay sorta. Fine it isn't fun. However, more and more secondary schools and universities are trying to crank their use of tech up a few notches: schools are giving students iPads for their textbooks. Think this is a pie-in-the-sky idea only for the cash-rich? Think again. You can save $100 a book on paper vs electronic versions of many textbooks (if you buy them new). Sure this isn't a solution for everyone, but let's look at the merits more closely for a minute. Read more...

I'm not a Mac user myself, but I still feel this needs to get out there. If you own a Mac and use Safari as your browser, BoyGeniusReports has posted a warning about an exploit that could be used to obtain your personal data. Read through for more info.

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In the realm of licensed movie tie-in games the spectrum typically ranges from obvious cash-grabs lacking any semblance of creativity to rushed catastrophes that ultimately feel broken or incomplete. There's a lot of pressure to create a video game version of a feature-length film: development lifecycles are generally short (12-18 months vs. 2-3 years for a AAA title), creative control mostly rests with the film studio and not the development studio, and release dates are fixed to coincide with the movie leaving no possibility of delaying to improve overall quality.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game is one of those rare licensed games that breaks convention, offering a game that stands on its own and doesn't fall victim to any of these challenges. Read more...

The wait is finally over. EA has announced that the Medal of Honor Xbox 360 Beta has officially gone live. Read more...

Atlus' brilliant and punishing fantasy action role-playing game for the PlayStation 3, Demon's Souls, received a major boost of support by the publisher today with the announcement that they will continue to run servers for online play through at least March 2011. Read more...

Let me introduce you to our latest guest blogger: Michael Kwan. Excited to have him join us as he's truly tech enthusiast who loves to talk gadgets! Read more...

A broken computer, a fresh installation of iTunes, and an iPod Touch about to be erased! How can we get the music off it and back into iTunes? Read more...

Yesterday TrueCrypt sent out a news release announcing the latest version of their personal security and privacy software. And in this age of privacy problems and identity theft, safe data is something we all need. Read more...

In which I review Mr. Nobody, and take more shots at Inception. Read more...

We've known for some time now that Microsoft's controller-free gaming system Kinect would hit store shelves on November 4th. Now Microsoft is finally confirming a price.

Gamers will be able to purchase the Kinect peripheral for $149 CDN. The device will come with “Kinect Adventures” so they can begin playing right away. The other option is to purchase a Kinect bundle which will come with an all-new Xbox 360 4GB console, the Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures” packaged together for $299.99. And as of today you'll be able to pre-order your very own.

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It’s been about three weeks since HP’s acquisition of Palm has been finalized, solidifying a move that could bring HP back as a serious player in the mobile phone and tablet computing space. But there have been reports that Apple, RIM and Google had been in the hunt to buy out and absorb Palm as well. So, what happened exactly?

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In the computer / tech space these days, it seems that free is rather commonplace; free OS, free apps, free cloud services etc. Free tools. Therein lies the power if we choose to recognize it. Ahh, but the kids these days; they just don’t realize how good they have it. I’m sure you’ve all heard profound statements about how the modern doorbell has more computing power than NASA did when they landed a man on the moon. Computers have really changed things; yet they’re still only tools. Read more...

Fans have been clamouring for a new version of the seminal N64 first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 for years now. The game is often credited with proving that FPS games can work on a home console, popularized by its focus on stealth gameplay, objective-based missions, and 4-player splitscreen multiplayer action.

A new version is coming, but will it please fans of the original? Read more...

While last Thursday/Friday brought out an update to iOS, today brings an update to iTunes and iBooks. Part of the iTunes fix is for people who were having trouble updating their iOS devices, but together I think these mean a lot more. I think this is the first real step to iBooks becoming a full-on eTextbook, eMagazine, and Multimedia eBook device. Read more...

Okay, Mike got the word out to you earlier that Netflix was coming to Canada this fall (sort of)—Netlfix Coming to Canada—but this started me thinking about some of the other (legal) options we already have for getting videos on demand. Here in Chez Hussey we use Shaw's video on demand pretty often. Between the ones that are included for free (because we subscribe to the Movie Central bundle), we often rent a movie or two. Pretty convenient, a few dollars and we have a movie for 24 hours. Although I haven't played with either of them, we could also buy and rent movies through both iTunes and my Playstation. Okay, so now Netflix is in the mix and Zip.ca has been mailing DVDs for a while now (I've never tried it), so does this mean the corner video store is a thing of the past? Read more...

Do you remember when Pokémon came out for Game Boy? Amazingly, I just noticed, it was over ten years ago in 1998 (1996 in Japan, and 1999 in Europe and Australia.) If you remember it, you'll remember that it was an "event;" after it hit, pretty much everything changed. It was an essential game to play not only to enjoy--and yes, I do think the original Pokémon game was very enjoyable--but simply to understand what made it so important. I don't think there have been many games before or since that are as important, but I think--perhaps hope--that Dragon Quest IX is seen as important as Pokémon in future. Because I think it's amazing. Read more...

If there was one title which really stood out for me at E3 this year it had to be Limbo. The game is unlike any I have seen before. This monochrome side-scrolling action puzzler is as beautiful as it is grim. It was clear a lot of work went into this title, yet it has been developed exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade. Developers are putting significant effort into downloadable content and titles, and now that I've had a chance to play through the entire game I can say I look forward to what Xbox Live Arcade has in store.

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It’s not known if Google anticipated the kind of growth they’re seeing with Android, but according to AndroLib.com, Google’s operating system surpassed 1 billion downloads last week. The milestone indicates that Android is surging ahead at a rapid pace. More than 11,000 new apps have been added thus far in July alone.

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13 years after launching in the US, the uber popular DVD by mail and movie streaming service Netflix has announced it will soon be available in Canada. While Americans have the choice of streaming or renting physical DVD's, Canadians will have to opt for the streaming service as DVD rentals will not be made available here.

"Canadian Netflix members will be able to instantly watch a broad array of movies and TV episodes right on their TV's via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as watching on PC's and Macs." states the company's press release.

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A little bit of spice, Old Spice to be exact, and a whole lot of mobile phone physics and Apple bashing happened this week. Silver Fish Hand Catch! Read more...

Xbox Live Arcade is home to various puzzle games big and small -- some tread down familiar territory while others travel down their own path, offering refreshingly original concepts beneath their seemingly bizarre surfaces. While both sects are equally enjoyable, the latter is certainly the more rewarding of the two. Simple innovation is what Play Dead Games had in mind when developing Limbo, a game that's coming to Xbox Live Arcade on July 21st. Limbo is minimal, quiet and uneasy: a gem among puzzle games. Read more...

In its annual “Family Fun Night” event in Toronto this past week, Disney Interactive Studios managed to showcase its entire lineup for the rest of the year. Those who were at E3 probably saw all this already, but there were a couple of titles that could be promising.

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