If there’s one question I hear more often than I would like, it’s “How do I create an iTunes account without giving Apple my credit card number? Why do they need that, anyway?!”

Yeah – I can’t answer the latter; they don’t really need it – they want it in order to save it and make it incredibly easy for you to purchase songs and movies with a single click (hello impulse buy!) when you see something that you want.

The point is that when you see your favorite band’s new single or album up on the iTunes store, the urge to click “buy now” will be so great that you click on it and instantly start downloading the music – no checkout process to make you stop and think “hmm…I heard it was horrible, though.”

But that issue aside, the fine folks at gHacks have uncovered a solid way to create an iTunes account without giving out your credit card number – you’ll need an iTunes account in order to do everything from activate your iPhone or iPod to download the free content from the store or use Genius.

So how do you do it? The solution is to use iTunes gift card codes and coupon codes – even if they’er expired or have already been redeemed. When they fail, iTunes will go through with the account creation process anyway, and will give you an option to finish setting up the account without any payment information at all. Pretty solid! …at least until Apple “fixes” it.

[ gHacks :: Create a Free US iTunes Account ]

There have been a number of mp3 players to hit the market that were all marketed as “iPod Killers” when they were in the development and marketing phases; and sadly most of them never make the splash that the manufacturer intended, and many of them quietly slip off the market and back into the labs and warehouse corners of the manufacturer, forever doomed to be prize giveaways, holiday freebies, or shipped overseas.

There are a number of really good and solid mp3 players on the market today that aren’t iPods, but none of these are really members of that club. Even the venerable Microsoft Zune was labeled an iPod Killer, and while it’s certainly nothing of the sort, it’s the closest device on the market to put up some serious competition. The Zune isn’t in this list because it’s neither dead or dying, but there are some other notable devices that are – like the Zune’s big brother, the Toshiba Gigabeat, and the above pictured Dell DJ. Check out the whole list below:

[ Wired :: iFraud: The Best in Dead and Dying iPod Killers ]

I’ll admit it, I don’t have an HDTV. I know, it’s a shame, especially for someone as passionate about technology as I am, but frankly, I’ve been waiting for prices to come down and selection to be a bit easier. While prices are still a little high for my taste, making the right HDTV choice has never been easier, what with great advice from gurus like Robert Heron!

But it’s not Robert’s great advice I have to share this time- there was an excellent piece at Gizmodo with some super-basic basics on how to choose the right HDTV for your home that was worth sharing as well; and it included some often neglected points like viewing angle and personal impression. Remember, an HDTV with great stats that’s wrong for your pad won’t look good and it won’t feel like a good use of your money!

[ Gizmodo :: Giz Explains: How to Buy and HDTV Like a Pro ]

(image courtesy of Maximum PC)

I never thought I’d see the day, but it’s finally here – forget huge, quiet air cooling, or super-DIY liquid cooling systems; the way to keep your rig nice and chilly is through oil immersion cooling! That’s right – fill up your case with oil, make sure it’s liquid-tight, and drop your components in!

Hardcore PC’s new system, the Reactor (shown above), is one of the first oil immersion cooled systems on the market – you’ll notice when browsing the photos that in order to access any of the components, you have to lift the motherboard and all of the components out of the oil in which the entire system is bathed; everything from RAM to hard drives. The case had to be custom designed in order to allow you to get at certain components easily, and since you can’t just crack open the case to do things like reset the CMOS battery, compartments for it had to be made where they’re easily accessible.

Check out the photos – this system is wild. Don’t get out your wallets just yet though – the system isn’t available for purchase yet, but when it does, I’m sure it’ll be ridiculously expensive.

[ Maximum PC :: Exclusive: Oil Immersion Cooling Goes Mainstream with Hardcore PC's Reactor ]

(image courtesy of Gearlog)

Big things happened in Cupertino this afternoon (or morning if you were on the West Coast) as Apple announced a complete overhaul of its notebook lineup. Design changes were announced to Apple’s entire lineup of notebooks (save the Macbook Air). Some of the notable changes included an all-aluminum case for the Macbook, and Macbook-style keyboards for the Macbook Pro. The systems got graphics bumps to NVidia’s new mobile chipset, and the designs were tweaked so the Macbook Pro got the magnetic clasp that Macbooks have and the optical drives were moved to the side of the system. The screens and trackpads were made all-glass, and the matte screen was done away with in favor of a glossy black-bordered screen like the iMac sports.

Good news all around, but is it enough to make you upgrade?

Tons of coverage thanks to the fine folks at PC Mag, writing for a blog that I also contribute to, Gearlog.com. Check it out below:

[ Gearlog :: Apple Refreshes Macbook and Cinema Display Lines ]
[ Gearlog :: Apple Porn: Hands on With the New Notebooks ]
[ Gearlog :: Apple Live Blog: Spotlight on Notebooks ]
[ Gearlog :: Unboxing the New Macbook, Macbook Pro ]

Let’s face it; you’re a geek, and if you’re going car shopping, you likely want a vehicle that reflects your lifestyle, interests, and needs. So you may be interested in a vehicle that packs as much technology under the hood as possible: things like bluetooth connectivity for your phone, aux-in jacks for your digital media player, GPS, backup cameras, you know where I’m going.

At the same time, you might just be looking for a means of conveyance to get you from point a to point b. In any case, even if you’re looking for a tech-laden ride, you also don’t want to break the bank. PC Mag’s Jamie Lendino tried out a couple of rides, from the mainstream to the hybrid and fuel efficient, and is compling them into a series called “The Geek’s Guide to Car Shopping.”

Part one and two are already up, and one of my personal favorites, the 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid, is shown above. (too bad it’s not available in my state! It is in neighboring states though….) Check out the options that Jamie test drove below.

[ PC Mag: The Geeks Guide to Car Shopping ]
[ PC Mag: How to Buy an Alternative-Fuel Vehicle, Part 2 ]

Similar to Lifehacker’s “Best Mouse You’ve Ever Used” reader roundup, Lifehacker put another question to its readers: “What’s the best keyboard you’ve ever typed on?”

I managed to answer the call this time, firmly voting for the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, which I still use today. I also tossed in the Saitek Eclipse, which I used to have and love, and the Logitech MX5500, which I use at the office. All of them are keyboards that I absolutely adore, and the Logitech G15 and the Saitek Eclipse II were both included in the roundup.

My girlfriend swears by the Microsoft Natural 4000 because of it’s split-key ergonomic design, and it’s a solid keyboard even if it didn’t make the roundup. What impressed me the most was the inclusion of the IBM Model M, a keyboard that I remember using back in my college computer labs on some pretty old systems, but it was a damned fine and solid keyboard. Just the right amount of give on the keys and a really satisfying noise when you hammered away at it.

See what other keyboards made the list (and check out the comments!) over at Lifehacker below:

[ Lifehacker :: The Best Keyboard You've Ever Typed On ]

This is the first in a new series here at Gears and Widgets called “Spinning Gears.” Spinning Gears will hopefully do two major things: encourage me to update more often and provide more original content to GnW. So sit back, relax, and get ready for some hopefully informed and interesting commentary on relevant technology news.

A couple of days ago I had the privilege of covering Apple’s announcement that they’re dropping the NDA on App Store software. The original NDA kept developers from publicly discussing details and features of their applications that they’re submitting to Apple for considering on the Apple App Store. Additionally, the NDA prevented developers from discussing why their apps were rejected if they were.

Developers raged about the NDA, and many threatened to stop developing for the App Store entirely. At the same time, Google opened up its App Market, designed to provide developers a stage to sell applications for telephones running Google’s Android operating system. The Google App Market puts them in direct competition with Apple, and the HTC G1 on T-Mobile in direct competition with the iPhone on AT&T.

I mused about this connection in the comments on the post linked above around the original NDA, but I think there’s an important and somewhat troubling post that’s worth expanding on.

Apple’s behavior with regard to the App Store, especially when contrasted with Google’s openness with regard to the App Market, is eerily remniscent of the early days of the Macintosh, and if that’s the case, then Google is setting itself up to be the Microsoft of the mobile world; producing a popular OS that runs on multiple platforms. This could be good or bad for Apple, depending on how they respond.

Read more behind the jump.
Continue reading Spinning Gears :: Is Apple’s Walled-Garden for iPhone Development a Case of History Repeating?…

I’m a cross-platform kinda guy, so when Microsoft says “I’m a PC,” I can’t totally identify. At the same time, my main desktop is a Windows PC, so I can’t totally live the Apple life either. My MacBook Pro still loves me though. That all being said, there are some things I absolutely adore about my Mac over my PC; but as with any operating system, most people only scratch the surface of some of the features and utilities that their Mac has.

For example, many Mac users already know that Apple is crazy about keyboard shortcuts (apple-option-anything probably does SOMETHING), but do you know which ones might save you time? There’s a simple way to find out, and make your own. Also, are you familiar with Expose? It’s been in MacOS for a while, and power users love it, but a lot of Mac users don’t even know it’s there – it’s the best way to change windows and applications on any OS, and it’s so easy to use!

Find out how to make the most of your Mac with these and a number of other tips over at PC Mag:

[ PC Mag :: 5 Things Your Mac Won't Tell You ]

I’m a huge Firefox fan – I’ve never been obsessive about a browser really, but I’ve been using Firefox since it was still called “phoenix,” and have loved it ever since. I stuck with the project through it’s “Mozilla” phase and when they split off the e-mail client and called it Thunderbird and everything.

But now, with competitors like Chrome, IE 7, and the IE 8 Beta, Firefox’s developers have to pack in as many features as possible to stay on top of the browser wars. To that end, Firefox has a number of really useful features under the hood that you may not know about, like smart bookmarks, drag-and-drop tabs, and the ability to easily customize which webmail service mail-to links on the Web take you to!

Check out the rest of PC Mag’s Firefox tips below.

[ PC Mag :: 8 Things You Didn't Know Firefox 3 Could Do ]