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Daily Tech: Nokia Booklet 3G Only Coming to Best Buy

GeekSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:05:39 -0700

The only retailer in the US to get the 10-inch Nokia netbook will be Best Buy - Gizmodo
Google Mobile now remembers what you've searched on your desktop and displays starred map locations - Lifehacker
Sony is planning on releasing Blu-ray movie titles, which can only be watched on PSPs - Kotaku
Tomorrow's Martha Stewart show will be entirely dedicated to talking about Twitter and live-blogging - Switched
Sony's PSP Go hits store shelves today for $250 - Engadget
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! - GeekSugar

Toshiba to Make Gadgets Blu-Ray Friendly

GeekSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:22:07 -0700

Sony recently announced their latest Sony VAIO NW notebook, which comes fully equipped with Blu-ray disc technology and now Toshiba has just announced that they are next in line to create devices that support Blu-ray storage format.

From HDTVs to laptops to DVD players, Toshiba will start rolling out these new Blu-ray products sometime this year.

It's What You've Been Waiting For: BSG, the Complete Series

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:45:19 -0700

I have to be honest - I've felt like a piece of me has been missing since the finale of Battlestar Galactica. I know, I know, I gotta move on. But thankfully, the epic space opera can live on in my heart, and soon it can live on a loop in my DVD player! Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series ($220) hits shelves on July 28, and it couldn't come at a better time. What with So You Think You Can Dance drawing to a close, I'll need something to fill my time until the geeky shenanigans of The Office return to my screen.

If you couldn't tell, I'm a little channel-happy these days. That's what happens once you get a TiVo, but hey, you just gotta roll with the punches.

Do You Care About Having Blu-ray on Your Laptop?

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:33:41 -0700

Last week Sony debuted an affordable line of Sony VAIO laptops, the NW series, that can support Blu-ray discs. The news is great and is continuing the trend of laptops being able to support Sony's high-def disc technology, including an even cheaper Blu-ray laptop from Acer, just announced yesterday.

But it's hardly the simple format roll-out previously seen for, say, DVDs - Steve Jobs famously called Blu-ray "a bag of hurt" just months ago, when asked if we'd see it on Macs anytime soon.

Although I'm psyched about the possibility of being able to watch my Blu-rays on my laptop, it's not a huge deal breaker for me - if I want to take high def movies with me, I'd download the digital copy from the Blu-ray or buy an HD movie on iTunes. Who wants to lug more stuff traveling anyway?

Of course I realize that some people have more important uses for Blu-ray on their laptop; I'm just not one of them. Do you care about getting Blu-ray support on your laptop?

Sony Debuts movieIQ on Blu-ray Discs and the VAIO NW

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:32:00 -0700

Yesterday I attended a Sony media event here in San Francisco where three major announcements were made. The first - which caught my attention - is the 400-disc Blu-ray player Sony plans on unveiling in the near future - that's right, 400 discs . . . who has that many discs anyway?! We also learned about the new (only $880) Sony VAIO NW notebook, which comes fully equipped with Blu-ray disc technology, so you can watch crisp and clear movies from the convenience of your laptop. The laptop is the lightest of its kind, offers a 15.5-inch widescreen display, an HDMI output connector, and it features Sony's XBRITE-ECO LCD technology. This laptop will be available this month in brown, white, and silver.

And last, but not least, was the movieIQ announcement. MovieIQ is a handy feature, powered by Gracenote that gives you real-time info about the movie you're viewing. So for things like insider info, trivia, music or actor details, scene location and more, any movieIQ-enabled Blu-ray Disc will provide these interesting tidbits for you, right while you're watching the movie. And because it's connected to the Internet, the information is constantly updated and accurate (so you don't have to do a Google search to make sure it's legit). MovieIQ will start appearing on major movie titles like Angels & Demons (yay!), Punch Drunk Love, and Easy Rider this September.

To check out more photos of movieIQ and the new Sony Vaio NW read more.

View 10 Photos ›

Watchmen Gearing Up For a BD-Live Screening on Facebook

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:05:23 -0700

One of the coolest things about the Blu-ray takeover is BD-Live, which allows you do cool stuff like watch movies while recording your own commentary track - I've done The Dark Knight with my nearest and dearest and confirm its awesomeness.

For the Watchmen's Blu-ray release, it'll also get a revolutionary welcome on social network site Facebook. The Blu-ray discs will capitalize on the BD-Live feature and enable you to have "community screenings" on Facebook; you'll be able to watch the movie simultaneously with your Facebook friends and make status updates for your commentary.

The Blu-ray disc (which you'll need) will come out some time in July, and in the meantime, make sure you seek out all your Facebook friends who are also Watchmen fans!

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Daily Tech: HP's Latest Blu-Ray Drive Is Total Eye Candy

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:30:03 -0700

HP's new dv2 ultraslim notebook comes with this shiny, sleek, and sexy external Blu-ray drive. - CrunchGear
Here's another tool for Twitter addicts. A new service called Birdhouse acts as a place for you to store your tweets before you post them online. - Boing Boing
Pick up an Olympus Stylus 830 8-megapixel digital camera today for only $99 (in silver or orange). That's $150 off the regular price. - Switched
The Nikon D5000, which offers 11-point autofocus, a 3200 ISO, movie image editing, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen, is coming out in Japan on May 1 and will cost $830. That means it may just make its way to the US by the Fall or Winter. - Gizmodo
This robotic table, which was created by UK designer Chris Murphy, is perfect for those who constantly need tables that vary in height. . . one for eating, working, playing, you get the point! - Unplggd

Netflix Raises Blu-ray Access Prices: Still Worth It?

GeekSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:02:25 -0700

I was quite peeved when I got an email yesterday from Netflix saying that the price for Blu-ray access was being raised from $1 to $3 for my two-at-a-time membership (check out a price breakdown).

I took it in stride when they upped it from being free to $1 per month last year - I love Blu-rays and with my HDTV, I only rent a DVD if it's the only format available. Netflix's reasoning - that the Blu-ray demand has gotten popular and Blu-rays cost more - makes sense, but it also feels like we're getting the shaft. I've been a loyal customer of Netflix for years, and started getting Blu-rays when I got my PS3. I'm bummed.

When Blu-rays eventually get cheaper, will the price be reduced? I understand this from a business perspective, but like I said, I'm bummed - and yet, I won't get rid of or downgrade my membership. It's still the best option I have for renting movies, so I'll take this and just have to accept it.

On the other hand, while the economy is the way it is, I'm taking a good hard look at my monthly expenses, and getting hit with a higher bill is not what I want to see.

What do you think? Is it still worth it to pay a couple bucks more for Blu-rays?

Daily Tech: The Mac Mini Is Loved by Many

GeekSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:01:49 -0800

When Wired asked its readers who uses the Mac Mini and why, they were flooded with positive comments. See what they were. - Wired
BlackBerry's App store website - called BlackBerry App World - has just been updated, and RIM has set the minimum price for pad apps at $2.99. - CrackBerry
Amazon has just launched a new video game trade-in section to its website where you can select the games you want to return (at least $10 worth) and it'll send you a gift card in return! - Joystiq
The winner of a eight Academy Awards including best picture, Slumdog Millionaire will be making its way to homes on DVD/Blu-ray on March 31. - Switched
Check out some sweet deals of the day including a $15 Samsung Bluetooth Headset. - Boing Boing

Twilight's Blu-ray Disc Will Be a Target and Best-Buy Exclusive

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:00:49 -0800

Now that Blu-ray is the only format I can stand to buy new movies of these days, I wait eagerly for Blu-ray releases rather than just the DVD release. So it's with relief to say that Twilight will be released on Blu-ray at the same time as the DVD (March 21).

No huge shock there, but the interesting thing is that the Blu-ray disc will be exclusively available at Target and Best Buy until May 5 (check out that link for the DVD and B-ray extras too).

For only two retailers to have the exclusive for almost a month and a half is pretty uncommon, and just a little bit worrisome - will it keep the price of the already expensive Blu-ray up? In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing Twilight on the superlative format - can you imagine how silly the pale makeup is going to look?!