Tech Blog

Though the rumor mill is buzzing about pre-orders of iPads as early as next week—Mashable & iPadinCanada—consensus is that this will be for U.S. folks only. The next question will be then, will Canada get the WiFi and 3G models at the same time? Read more...

Phew! final impressions from the PMA press sneak peek. Read more...

Even more impressions from the PMA press sneak peek. Read more...

More impressions from the PMA press sneak peek. Read more...

Impressions from PMA press sneak peek. Read more...

It's official, Google Gears is being phased out. Gears has always been an odd part of the Google software stable, while we thought it was cool and had a lot of promise, Google was always slow to update it. The unofficial word from Google was that Gears was on the outs when support for Safari and Snow Leopard was missing and there was no update in sight. HTML5 is the successor to Gears and Google says it's working full-bore on getting that in "gear" for all it's core products. But ... Read more...

Something I didn't mention in my earlier random game news post because I thought it was more than worthy a post of its own--Capcom has confirmed the appearance of Street Fighter III characters Dudley, Ibuki and Makoto in the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV (due for release on April 27th.) Read more...

With the PMA press sneak peek kicking off shortly and the conference and exhibition officially starting tomorrow, I wanted to connect with this great community on any questions you might have. Read more...

Google's Buzz launched this month with a lot of interest, lots of chatter, even some controversy, but has it held its tech allure? Like many new things, the answer is yes and no. Personally, Buzz has fallen off my radar. I don't check it as often as I originally did. Poking my head into Buzz this morning, and it looks like it's still pretty busy. What will Google make Buzz into over the next months? That's the real question to ask. And I think Apps is the answer. Read more...

That memorable quote from Russell Crowe as Maximus in Gladiator is one that stuck with me during my time spent with THQ's single-player action adventure Darksiders. The game, developed by Vigil Games, borrows heavily from pop culture with the inclusion of movie quotes, such as the aforementioned Gladiator line, and familiar video game visuals that feel ripped directly from such classics as God of War 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Read more...

Sunday, February 21 the North America's largest photo conference and exhibition, the PMA, kicks off. Quite a silly acronym, PMA, or Photography Marketing Association. Not nearly as catchy as CES (Consumer Electronic Show), but never the less a really cool show with the latest and the greatest from the world of photography. Read more...

Get set gamers, in less than two hours the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and IFC (Independent Film Channel) will be presenting the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAA) live from the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. For the first time ever, the IAA ceremony will be presented in live steaming on IFC.com @ 10pm ET / 7pm PT. Read more...

I get sent a lot of e-mails, and a lot of the time I think "Hmm, this is very interesting, but, you know, not quite enough for a full post on the Tech Blog, really." Suddenly I thought: what if I just waited till I had enough news, no matter how different, and just posted about it in a lump? Genius. So that's what I'll do. Though it needs a better name than "Random Game News Round-up." Maybe "G-Newz Randizzle Roundizzle!" or "Newsy Newsy Gamey Game Game." I'm rubbish at naming things. Read more...

I can't seem to catch a break on my cell-phone envy problem. My curve was great when I got it in June 2008, now not so much. Telus upped the ante with the Motorola Milestone which was called the Droid in the States. It's the first phone in Canada to be running Android 2.0 (I wonder if it will be bumped right to 2.1 soon). The Milestone is another phone that is aiming to be an "iPhone killer" which might be stretching it, but man it's cool. Read more...

Ah the Olympics. Yep, we're in the thick of it here in Vancouver for the first full week of competition. Myself, I don't have tickets to any events, not that I'd turn them down, but there is a ton to do in Vancouver besides go to events. The problem is finding out about all the cool things. There is the when, the where, the why ... there's an app for that. Read more...

Despite loving cinema with a passion, I've got a sort of weird relationship with Hollywood blockbusters. I'd probably call it the "Phantom Menace effect." It's the lasting stain of being so excited for a film--and then being so bitterly disappointed (or rather, so completely in shock that I desperately tried to convince myself that it was good for weeks if not months afterwards) that no hugely hyped cinema "event" can really get me that riled up. Sure, I sometimes go to see them, normally weeks after they've left the zeitgeist in a fleapit, but more often than not I just get so annoyed at the hype that I ignore them completely. Of course, then along comes Avatar. Read more...

The demo for Heavy Rain was recently released on the PSN. Naturally, I played through the demo and have my impressions to share with you. Enjoy. Read more...

In an earlier post I discussed how Ubiquitous Free Wi-Fi makes me Awesome; and after re-reading that post recently, I decided it need an update, hence this post. A couple of the things I've been doing of late relate to people working, traveling and using Wi-Fi to help them stay connected to the office, home and the rest of the world. Sure, Wi-Fi is just a technology / enabler that lets you get stuff done. How can that be interesting? Read more...

I've been a GPS and in-car navigation fan for years...mostly because I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag, so my wife'd have you believe Which is why when I was given the opportunity to take a look at the TomTom GO630 navigation system, I jumped at the chance. Read more...

Halo Legends is set to be unleashed on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday and to shift the marketing into high gear Warner Home Video hosted an exclusive media screening on February 11, 2010, at one of Toronto's most luxurious five star destinations, the Hazelton Hotel, located in the heart of Yorkville. Read more...

Let me be upfront with this: there are plenty of ways to go wireless with your music, but I've never seen anything quite as easy to use as the Bose® SoundLink. In addition to being ridiculously easy to use, it also a) is gorgeous and b) produces great sound. Read more...

Not too long ago, new trailer videos for the upcoming Lost Planet 2 revealed an unexpected visit by Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago from Gears of War. Check out more details on how they will be incorporated into the final release of the game, coming out this May. Read on... Read more...

Remember mice before optical technology? They were great... for a while, until the rollers started to gunk up. While they were a pain in the rear to clean they did maintain one element of superiority over optical mice: they'd work just about everywhere, though not particularly well. Enter Darkfield. Read more...

So by now I expect you may have heard the new version of "We are the World" that's doing the rounds. If you haven't, you can check it out here. Having listened to it, I am pretty sure most people are thinking one of two things: "well, it's a good cause, at least?" or "autotuning for CHARITY?" (Note: This article will eventually talk about the superb Xbox Live Arcade title Chime. But bear with me.) Read more...

Battery life, ISO, RAW and drunk Frenchmen. Read more...

Video shake reduction, filter fun and minor annoyances. Read more...

OK, it may not open a bottle of wine for you or unscrew something, but other than that the Pentax K-x has a lot going for it. The camera is aggressively priced when comparing on-paper-features with fellow entry-level cameras, such as the Canon T1i and Nikon D5000. So what does the Pentax K-x have to offer? Read more...