As is all but customary in September, Apple hosted a press event this week centered around its consumer music and media lines of products. iPods, iTunes, and the Apple TV were the order of the day today, and we got some surprises out of Apple as well.

For example, a new iPod Touch with a camera on the back had been widely leaked, mostly because a number of case manufacturers had put cases in their stores earlier than they probably should have that showed space in the back for a camera. We even saw square cases for what looked to be a square, fat iPod Nano, and the truth behind those leaks was revealed as well.

Apple’s culture of secrecy is starting to show a few cracks, but not really of Apple’s own doing – it’s just impossible to get as large as Apple is and have as many partners as Apple does and not have breaches here and there – especially when your company is so popular yet so secretive that people are actively looking and scouring the web for possible leaks and clues into what your next move will be.

With that being said, let’s dive into today’s announcements. All in all, there’s little that’s earth-shattering here, mostly updates and changes that are evolutionary and not revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth getting excited over.

Continue reading Apple Music Event: New iPods, New iTunes, New AppleTV!…

If you’re as much of a fan of iSkin as I am, you’ll be thrilled about their most recent promotion: they’re planning to give away an 3G, 64GB iPad to one lucky back-to-school student, and they’re including a dock, cleaning cloth, messenger bag, and an iSkin Vu to keep it safe!

I was about to enter the contest, but when they asked if I was actually going back to school this fall, I didn’t have the heart to lie. I suppose I could take some classes…

Still, don’t let my folly stop you – head on over and enter the contest! I’ll be jealous if you win!

[ iSkin :: Back to School Contest ]

The original Motorola Droid was an amazing device (full disclosure: I own one and love it, so I’m a little biased) and here we are less than a year later and Motorola has already end-of-lifed the original Motorola Droid and has unveiled its successor, the Droid 2!

The new version of the Droid will look much like the original – the same screen size, same 5-megapixel camera, and with a slide-out keyboard, but the new version will eliminate the d-pad on the original Droid (a lot of people disliked it – I don’t mind it so much, I just don’t use it often) in exchange for a wider keyboard with higher keys, and will sport a faster 1GHz mobile processor in it, a substantial upgrade from the 600Mhz processor in the original Droid.

Additionally, the Droid 2 will come with Android version 2.2 “Froyo,” which is rolling out to existing Droid devices as we speak, have its wi-fi hotspot feature turned on (for an extra $20/month to Verizon Wireless) that lets your other mobile devices use your phone as a wireless base station, and a bit more onboard storage that will hopefully also improve performance.

I’ve mentioned before that Verizon Wireless has come a long long way, baby, and this is more evidence to the fact. Verizon isn’t as afraid to put high-end premier devices on their networks as they used to be, and their speedier hardware approval process has put them in the driver’s seat when it comes to top notch devices. The Droid 2 is available now in Verizon Stores and online, and if you’re a Star Wars fan, there’s a special R2-D2 version of the Droid 2 coming next month!

[ PC Mag :: Verizon, Motorola Introduce Droid 2 ]

Obviously I’m more of a “build it, don’t buy it” kind of guy, especially when it comes to a gaming rig. I’d rather spend more on quality components that I research and choose myself and then put the whole package together on my own than trust another company’s decision-making on which components to skimp on and which are worth investing in.

Admittedly, that approach isn’t for everyone! If it’s right for you, however, the fine folks at ExtremeTech have a guide for you on how to build the right gaming PC for your budget – whatever that budget may be! The article is a series of lists of components you can pick up and put together at different price points. If you have $500 to spend? There’s a gaming rig you can assemble for that. Maybe you have twice that much – there’s a section on building a gaming PC for $1,000! What could you get if you had a few more dollars to spend than that? $1,250 it is.

Head on over and take a look at the full roundup – just in time for back-to-school shopping!

[ ExtremeTech :: Build the Best Gaming PC for Any Budget ]

Fans of Google’s Android mobile phone operating system have a lot to cheer about, as the NPD just announced that in the United States, Android devices outsold Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry phones for the first time ever. The race had been largely between Apple and RIM with RIM still in the top spot, but Android’s had the wind under its wings in the last few months with several strong devices launching across multiple carriers from multiple hardware manufacturers.

Here’s a little snippet lifted from PC Mag, who covered the story:

During the second quarter, about 33 percent of new smartphone purchases were for Android-based phones, compared to 28 percent for BlackBerry, and 22 percent for Apple’s iPhone.

“For the second consecutive quarter, Android handsets have shown strong but slowing sell-through market share gains among U.S. consumers,” Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, said in a statement. “While the Google-developed OS took market share from RIM, Apple’s iOS saw a small gain this quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4 launch.”

The most popular Android phones were the Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Incredible, the HTC EVO 4G, the HTC Hero, and the HTC Droid Eris.

A number of folks *coughcoughMASHABLEcoughcough* are incorrectly headlining this news as “Android is number one now,” which is only true if you apply the conditions of sales during Q2 2010 and sales in the United States only – it’s important to note that in the rest of the world, the battle is really a three-way between the ever-dominant Nokia and their Symbian OS which has never really caught on in the US and Canada and two upstarts named RIM and Apple.

Even in the United States more broadly and outside of Q2 2010, RIM is still on top and Apple is still number 2, but Android is making a very strong showing – and the longer Apple remains locked in to a single carrier (one that no one likes, at that), the worse off they’ll be.

[ PC Mag :: Android Tops RIM for First Time in Q2 ]

One of the things I’ve spent the past couple of weeks working on has been a comprehensive roundup of some of the summer’s hottest new keyboards, including models from Logitech, Microsoft, Eclipse, and Matias. Logitech’s new Fantasy Collection is affordable, attractive, and aimed at people who want to personalize their workspaces without shelling out a ton of money. Microsoft’s new Arc Special Edition is a media center keyboard with sharp looks, a nice curved design (perfect for lap and couch use) and a tiny receiver, the Matias USB Keyboard + Smartphone Stand comes with a space to rest your phone and a powered USB hub, and the high tech Eclipse Litetouch Keyboard offers sharp looks and a high tech LCD keypad on the right side of the keyboard with customizable function buttons!

I tested each one of the keyboards over the course of several months, and when all was said and done, I had some pretty strong opinions about them all – some of the more than others. Head over to check out the review and leave me a comment either here or there: I’m curious to hear what you think!

[ Tom's Guide :: Keyboards of Summer - 4 New Keyboards, Tested ]

The amazing ThinkGeek has some amazing new gear, fresh off the design line, some of it built and invented in ThinkGeek’s own labs. I’m a huge fan of ThinkGeek and always have been: there was a time when just about every shirt in my wardrobe was a Thinkgeek shirt and had some kind of slogan on it. Since then, ThinkGeek has expanded its product line a thousand fold, and includes a lot more than just t-shirts, although their t-shirt collection is still all kinds of hot.

For this site highlight, I wanted to take a quick trip through some of their new products that I think are worth picking up, or at least adding to your wishlist:

• 
  Star Trek Limited Edition Watch

  I don’t wear a watch – I use my cell phone to keep time, and if I need to know what time it is I usually just pull my phone out of my pocket and glance at it. That being said though, this is the kind of watch that would make me want to wear a watch all the time – partially because I’m a Star Trek fan and partially because it’s just a gorgeous watch. The face is beautiful, with the delta shield carved out of the back to reveal the gears and spinning innards in all of their bronze and ticking glory. It never needs to be wound and doesn’t take batteries, and it just looks sharp on the wrist.

  Aside from that, the Star Trek Limited Edition Watch truly is a limited edition – only 1701 will ever be made and sold, so if you’re interested in one, I’d strongly suggest dropping the cash on one now, since they won’t be around for much longer!

• 
  Star Wars Belt Buckles

  These Star Wars Belt Buckles are perfect to show off your Star Wars fandom without wearing something too over the top. They’re perfect gifts for the Star Wars fan in your household, and since they’re made of die cast metal and attach to just about any standard belt buckle, you don’t have to run out and buy a new belt just to use it.

  Just choose your side: Empire or Rebel Alliance, and buy the buckle that works best for you! I’m not normally a fan of big buckles, but these are well-sized, good looking, and perfect if you wear your shirts tucked in or out over your waist!

• 
  Gravity Activated Flipmill

  I kind of love salt and pepper mills. I have a thing for them, I don’t know why – I don’t collect them or anything, but these ones I think I simply have to have. Just turn them over and they get to work, automatically grinding the salt or pepper that’s in them and dishing out your selected spice all over the food, waiting patiently below.

  Best of all, they cater to the lazy because you can do it all with a single hand – you don’t need to hold with one hand and twist with the other, or push a button, or anything like that – just flip the mill over!

• 
  Mechanical Kitty Coin Bank

  This is probably the most adorable coin bank I’ve ever seen. Just put the coin on the little fish holder, and the kitty pops out of the bank, snags your coin, and then absconds back into his little box, keeping your coins safe until you need them for something. But then again, the whole point of a bank is that your money goes in and doesn’t come out – and fierce little kitty is so adorable you probably won’t ever want to open the bank up and take your money from him, so it’s perfect to help you save!

  The bank is straight from Japan, so don’t mind the text on the side of the box being in Japanese. Also, the kitty is available in brown or white, so snag the one you think is cutest.

• 
  Twist Equation Alarm Clock

  If you’re the type who needs a little mental stimulation when you wake up in the morning, or at the very least you’re the type who hits snooze endlessly and winds up being late for everything, this clock is for you. When the alarm goes off, you’ll have to solve the mathematical equation on the front before the alarm stops and leaves you in peace. Ideally, by that time you’ll be awake enough to actually know that you shouldn’t just roll over and go back to sleep – your conscience will have kicked in and you’ll know it’s time to get up and get yourself together.

  The math here is no slouch, either – it’s not going to be the same thing every day, so don’t expect this to keep you awake one day and then be just a more intricate snooze button every other day – this is a pretty good way to get yourself out of bed in the morning and keep your brain sharp in the process!

There you have it! A little something for everyone – and definitely some gear that’s made its way onto my ThinkGeek wishlist. If you like these suggestions, please consider buying through my links above; your purchase helps support Gears and Widgets when you buy after clicking through from here!

During Apple’s press conference earlier in the week, they claimed that the infamous “death grip,” or the common name given to the signal loss you get when holding the iPhone 4 a certain way, is by no means exclusive to the iPhone 4 – they claimed that just about any mobile phone manufacturer suffers from the problem, and that you can find a way to hold any phone that will reduce signal and force calls to drop.

Almost immediately, Apple’s competitors in the mobile space, like Nokia, Samsung, and HTC, all fired back claiming that this was anything but true and their handsets were immune from any sort of “death grip.” So what does a smart tech columnist do? They put it to the test!

The fine folks over at PC Mag grabbed a bunch of phones they have for testing (and other hilarious objects) and decided to see if they could death grip the signal out of them as well. The results are in the fantastic video above – those with a sense of humor only need apply, but the results are pretty interesting – sure, if you pretty much wrap both hands around some phones you can force some signal loss, but in most cases it’s slight or the grip is so unwieldy that you’ll never find yourself holding the phone that way. Even so, other phones suffer from the death grip pretty substantially. You’ll have to watch the video to see the results!

[ PC Mag :: Death Grip Testing on iPhone Competitors Shows Mixed Results ]

So the Motorola Droid X is out in the wild, and sure enough, I’m happy to say that on the day it was released, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play with one – a couple of my colleagues got theirs on launch day, and trust me, it’s as gorgeous and fast as the reviews have said it is. The esteemed Sascha Segan over at PC Mag gave it 4.5/5 stars and the Editor’s Choice award, and while there’s no disputing the fact that it’s definitely a huge device – larger than most people would expect a phone to be – it’s got a gorgeous screen, Motorola’s UI is attractive (even though you can’t turn it off,) and it’s remarkably thin and light.

Over at Revision3 though, there’s a brand new episode of Unboxing Porn featuring what else but the Droid X! The last episode featured the iPad and was utterly hilarious, and this one’s no different – it’s actually a really great way to describe a new product, do a little unboxing shots, and talk about the new features in a way that’ll hold attention.

…that’s what she said.

[ Revision3 :: Unboxing Porn: Motorola Droid X ]

Today is Droid X Day, meaning that while it’s not as big a deal as a new iPhone or anything, the Droid X launches today on Verizon Wireless.

As much as Verizon Wireless has gotten a great deal of publication, love, and overall approval from smartphone lovers and geeks alike for the release of the Droid by Motorola and the subsequent releases of other powerful exclusive Android phones like the Droid Eris and Droid Incredible by HTC, prior to their releases, leaks, and announcements, Verizon Wireless was the carrier that people begrudgingly signed on to because the voice and data networks were robust and covered the majority of the country – business signed on so they could get their employees cheap BlackBerry phones, and if you wanted a smartphone your options were BlackBerry and Windows Mobile, all on horrible horrible devices – the rest of us either had to jump ship for another carrier that had good handsets and smartphones, or we had to deal with feature phones or simple handsets because we couldn’t give up the network.

I’m in that boat – I was ready to jump ship to AT&T at the end of my contract last year just because I wanted a smartphone and Verizon Wireleess’ selection was awful; and then something glorious happened. The Droid by Motorola was released, and to this day I consider it one of the best technology purchases I’ve ever made, and I haven’t considered leaving for AT&T, iPhone or no, since then. The combination of a solid Android phone that’s not loaded up with Verizon Wireless’ standard suite of bloatware that you find on their feature phones and their amazing network, and even though I still think the iPhone is a slightly better device than the Droid, the combination of the Droid and Verizon’s network simply overwhelm the combination of the iPhone and AT&T’s network.

The odd thing is that I don’t know that I’m not the only one here. So how did this happen? Google and Verizon Wireless are closer now than they’ve ever been, and both are dedicated and determined to working together on Android phones. So did Google ride to Verizon Wireless’ rescue and save their image from cementing as the stodgy, old carrier with cheap voice handsets but good call quality, bargain basement smartphones for individual users, and the only way to get any attention from them is to have a BlackBerry and be on a business plan? Here’s a hint: I think so, and let’s dive into why after the jump.

Continue reading Spinning Gears :: Did Google Save Verizon Wireless (or At Least Its Image?)…