Tech Blog

That has to be the least sensical headline I've ever written. It doesn't work. You can't ram a shadow; where would you ram it? Maybe... no, it's nonsense. Doesn't matter. Point is: Gears of War 3 is getting a campaign DLC, offering apparently three hours of new content, and it'll be called "RAAM's Shadow."

Wireless content streaming has definitely come of age. Embraced by consumer electronics and computer manufacturers alike, technologies like DLNA, AirPlay and other Digital Audio Access Protocols users of notebooks, tablets, smartphones and personal media players can stream their playlists wirelessly to home theatre setups. We look at what Sonos has to offer this year.

I don't get how people can run with their iPhone and all the fancy training apps that you can get - the things is just too beefy for me, even with an armband.  

So I use an iPod Shuffle, but least once a workout it will come unclipped, or my arm will swing through the cord causing everything to go flying. 

I've been looking for a wireless replacement, and the Sony Walkman NWZ-W262 just might be it.

Since the release of motion control technology, video games relating to fitness and wellbeing have been the latest craze.  In an attempt to inspire non-gamers to become more involved in gaming and in physical activity, various games have been released in hopes to communicate these sentiments.  We’ve seen many, but none quite like Self-Defense Training Camp, a new fitness aide meant to develop the self-confidence needed to react more efficiently to physical assault.  It’s definitely a smart and extremely important move forward in gaming, further proving that video games can serve as important learning tools in our everyday lives. 

It's strange, I know. How could famous South American competitor to KFC, Uruguayan Fried Chicken, becoming to Xbox Live? How would they deliver it through... Xbox Live? But then someone informed me that UFC is in fact something called "Ultimate Fighting Championship" which is supposedly really popular. But, I thought... more popular than Uruguayan Fried Chicken? I guess!

Seeing as though this year marks the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, one of the most celebrated gaming franchises ever created, it seems like the perfect occasion to excite fans with a barrage of exciting game announcements.  First we had the 3D remake of Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 3DS, then we were given a free download of Four Swords for Nintendo DSi, and now we're mere days away from the most anticipated Wii game of the year -- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

In honour of this new release, Nintendo of Canada is hosting an interactive pre-launch event in Toronto that Legend of Zelda fans will not want to miss.  Here is what's happening, and why you need to be there:

Even from the grave, it seems Steve Jobs can still make an impact.

When the iPad launched in 2010, Jobs was heavily criticized by many for not supporting Adobe’s Flash format on the device, stripping much of the video on the Web from users browsing on the device. Well, it turns out he was onto something because Adobe has announced that it will stop supporting Flash on mobile devices after version 11.1.

I love the internet, but I only read it for the articles.  

For me, Instapaper is a great way to collate and collect my ideas and inspirations in one place to read and reflect on later.  

For those who like to spend a Sunday on the couch with House and Home or Martha Stewart Living, Pinterest solves that need.

The MacBook Air, darling of the tech world and one of Apple’s bestselling computers, has long been considered the pinnacle of the thin-and-light mobile experience.  This has probably been quite a thorn in the side for all other notebook vendors who have been pushing out not nearly as thin-and-light machines for quite some time without capturing the public’s imagination. What’s probably especially galling to all companies making Windows based machines is that there are also a lot of Windows users who bought an Air just so they could run Windows on it, rather than suffer with their admittedly inferior offerings.

However, the question they weren’t really asking themselves until recently was what made Apple’s ultra-slim computer so popular? The Air isn’t the fastest or most powerful notebook on the market, but it excels in four key areas – size, battery life, boot-time and most importantly, STYLE. What it doesn’t excel in, like most Apple products, is price.  

Strangely, instead of a PC vendor like Dell or HP, it was CPU manufacturer Intel who realized earlier this year the need to reinvent PC laptops, inject a sense of style into them, infuse technology from mobile devices like tablets, and create a new category of ultra-portable PC’s with a mainstream price. They dubbed this new category of laptops ‘Ultrabooks’.

UPDATE: Future Shop has just added two new models to their Ultrabook line-up, the Asus Zenbook and Lenovo U300s. Check-out the updated info on these models in the article.

Looking for something fun to do this holiday season? What better way to spend the holiday's than with Mario? From November 13^thto December 18^th, Nintendo is inviting fans to meet the iconic plumber as he makes his way across Canada, showcasing two highly anticipated 3DS games, Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.  

It was Panasonic who took a big risk and started the ILC (Interchangeable Lens Camera) segment in 2008 with the DMC-G1 Micro Four Thirds camera and the surge in competition from Olympus, Nikon, Samsung, Sony and Pentax has proven their gamble right. People want compact cameras with advanced features and interchangeable lenses.

But how compact is too compact?

Mona Simpson's eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, made headlines around the world when she revealed his final words.

Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.

Those were the final syllables he spoke to his family around his bedside before he drifted off to death hours later. Jobs didnt have a Twitter account, so those are the final words we have from him. 

Others, however, have had their final words memorialized in 140 characters or less.

Gadjo Sevilla (gadjosevilla) is the latest talent to join our ever expanding and diverse Tech Blog team.  His breadth of knowledge is impressive - when I asked him what categories of tech he most frequently writes about, he sent over the following: smartphones and tablets, mobile hardware and software (OS and apps), digital photography and cameras, software and security, Apple hardware and software, portable gaming, portable audio, eBook readers and appliances.  So safe to say he'll have a thing or two to share Please join me in welcoming gadjosevilla to the Tech Blog team - so happy to have him aboard!

I'm just going to come out and say it.  There's no doubt in my mind that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is going to be the biggest video game launch of 2011.  Activision's cultivated a franchise that transcends the boundaries of the video game industry and into the realm of mainstream entertainment.  From console, handheld and iOS games, to a comic book mini-series, to an Upper Deck card game, and countless action figures and toys, Call of Duty is about as big as entertainment franchises get. 

To celebrate the latest iteration in this hugely popular series, Future Shop stores across the country are opening their doors at midnight tonight to let Canadian gamers be among the first in the world to get their hands on the new game.

Excitement for EA FIFA lovers doesn't even express the feeling gamers worldwide felt for the recent release of EA's new title FIFA 12 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. As an avid FIFA 11 player I can honestly say that no one was ready for the drastic gameplay changes that have been implemented for this new title. Where to begin?

If you have a variety of iOS devices in your home, there's something you need to do: turn off photo sharing.

The idea of taking a picture with your iPhone and having it instantly available on your iPad or Apple TVis great, in theory, but when you see the execution in practice you'll want to disable the feature.

Next year Bethesda will be releasing Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition, a compilation package that will hitting North America on February 7, and European stores three days later.  The Ultimate Edition will feature all the DLC released thus far, including Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road, Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal.

The possibilities in music composition are endless.  By combining a music program/app with a MIDI controller, the possibilities don't necessarilly increase, but they do make the musical process more fluid and intuitive. This setup is extremely popular for many musicians and while many companies have been making a wide-array of music programs and apps, there are others that are making equally important tools and software needed to synchronize the two.

IK Multimedia have released some very important additions to their already impressive lineup of music software, the ultra-compact standard Core MIDI interface, iRig MIDI, and the accompanying application SampleTank for iOS.

I just spent the weekend cleaning out my home theater room. Would you believe I discovered more than a dozen remotes hidden away in drawers and cabinets? I haven't used some of them in years mind you, but the point is as more and more technology enters our living room so do the number of remotes.

For years Harmony has tried to reduce the number of remotes in our living rooms by creating high end universal remote controls. Now the company is taking simplicity a step further by getting rid of the remote all together, replacing it with your smartphone or tablet.