It is expected that the next generation Xbox will be focusing on the integration of media streaming as well as improvements on the console overall. Surprisingly, there hasn’t been any massive leaks towards the next generation model.

It should be a very exciting day for gamers across all platforms.

New details were passed on as Sony explained the new console will support 4K video and photos. Of course, with 4K TV’s not so prominent in today’s society, it won’t be a huge breakthrough. In a couple of years, when 4K TV’s are mainstream we will start to notice this massive improvement of technology.

Companies have started to realize Apple’s way of strategy: to shift services to more downloads and less physical copies. Sony is now allowing every single PS4 title to be available for download. Not that they’re eliminating physical copies.

Let’s be realistic here. 4K contents are huge files. They can surpass 100 Gigabytes. As a result, Sony won’t be releasing this download service on launch day. It’s okay though. None of us really do have the money to even buy a 4K TV in the first place.

Finally at last. I got a brand new laptop. For those who didn’t know, I got a 13″ Macbook Air for Christmas and I’m very grateful for this gift.

Since Macbook Air’s don’t have a superdrive, I was looking through some articles and stumbled upon something Asus was creating: a USB superdrive supplement called the Varidrive.

It sports a USB 3.0 connectivity along with two additional USB ports, an HDMI, and a VGA port. Isn’t that awesome?!

It’s basically a USB superdrive with a USB hub and a few extras. There is no word on price yet, but I’ll be on the lookout for this device. Should be really useful for college.

Courtesy of VANITYFAIR

Earlier this year, it was announced that Kutcher would play the CEO separate from Sony Picture’s movie based off of Walter Isaacson’s autobiography.

Here is Sundance’s description of the upcoming film.

jOBS / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Michael Stern, Screenwriter: Matt Whiteley) — The true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history, jOBSchronicles the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs’ life. jOBS is a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently. Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine. CLOSING NIGHT FILM

The last item of the announcement was actually one of the last things announced. The iPad Mini was announced before an excited audience at the iPad Mini event on Tuesday. The new iPad, which comes with a 7.9 inch screen, that is made out of glass of course. The iPad Mini isn’t with a Retina display, however that’s almost a given to be announced in a future iPad Mini improvement. The smaller build, of course leads to a lighter device of a little under .70 pounds.

Aside from this, many of the specs from the predecessor is still in the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini still has an HD FaceTime camera, a A5 processing chip, WIFI+Cellular options available, and a ten hour battery. Available in black and white, the WIFI only version is available for preorder tomorrow (October 26th, 2012) for $329. The 32GB is available for $429, and the 64GB follows at $529. The WIFI+Cellular version, with LTE support, will be available in November for $459, $559, and $669 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB.

As for the predecessor, “the new iPad” was appropriately renamed the iPad with Retina Display or the iPad 4th generation. The iPad 4th generation included a couple of minor improvements, including an A6X processor. The iPad 4th generation will be available tomorrow as well starting at $499. The third option, the iPad 2, is the middle road and will be available for $399.

The next product updated was the iMac. The new iMac is thinner at the edge, exactly 5mm thin. This places the new display a little under half the size of the predecessor. The new iMac is available in 21.5 inch screen and 27 inch screen, for $1299 and $1799 respectively. The latter, the 27 inch, will be available in December while the 21.5 inch will be released next month in November. Featuring an HD FaceTime camera, dual microphones at the top, and stereo speakers, the new iMac also features a novel type of hard drive known as Fusion.

The Fusion Drive works by putting files and documents into your HDD, or hard drive disk. Most used applications will be saved in the solid disk drive, or the SDD. This ensures that your commonly used apps are safe, and your files and documents are extra safe. They both work when needed, which means your iMac uses energy when needed, reducing your power usage and pressure on your system. It’s quite smart and something I expect to see in the notebooks over time. The new iMac has support for up to 768 GB of space, and on the subject of space, the new iMac also features an SD slot on the back, along with the four USB 3 ports.

Lastly, on the subject of Macs, the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro also received their own respective updates. The MacBook Pro is 20% thinner at about .75 inches. Available at launch, the MacBook Pro is priced at a starting price of $1699. Also dubbed the lightest MacBook yet, the MacBook Pro had to sacrifice a couple of things, including an optical CD drive.

Why was the MacBook Pro 13-inch featured? According to Apple at the event, their most successful notebook (and Mac in general) was the MacBook Pro 13 inch. It offered users with the size that best suited them, at a price point approachable to them, while still providing the power we expect from a MacBook Pro.

As for the Mac Mini, it’s updates announcement was very brief and sped through. The Mac Mini, now including all internal updates, includes both an option for the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (just like with the MacBook Pro and iMac). Released in two versions, the average Mac Mini and the server, the Mac Mini server computer includes between 1TB and 2TB of memory and 4GB of RAM. You can get the updated Mac Minis today starting at $599 and topping off, with the server version, for $999.

Last but not least, Apple provided a couple of improvements to iBooks and iBooks Author. The latter now including improved reading and more sharing options, with the ability to share a passage you are reading in iBooks to Facebook, Twitter, and Email. There are also better ways of picking up where you left off between iCloud supported devices and lastly, support of Korean, Japanese, and a few other languages not previously made available. As for iBooks Author, publishers now have more options for how their books look and better font options – all of which are free and available immediately.

What did you like best from the announcement? Let us know in the comments below!

So what’s so different from USB 3.0 compared to 2.0 that would make me want to actually go out and purchase one? As I’m sure you may have noticed, we have been moving closer to sharing things with more substance than just status updates, software like Dropbox has made it easy to share photos seamlessly. However, software like these cost a bundle when you put into consideration the amount of space available, and sharing across social networking websites isn’t always top priority.

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 incorporates software that allows you to not only look back on memories on the website, but to also have these photos backed up on your SuperSpeed USB 3.0 seamlessly. This software is already incorporated with networks like Flickr and Facebook for this type of software.

Purchase the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 today from Amazon for $109.99 for 500GB, $129.99 for 1TB, and $179.99 for 3TB.

It’s widely speculated to introduce the iPad Mini as the main product of this event. It’s funny because a while back, Steve Jobs mentioned that there would be no point to adopt this smaller form factor that the iPad Mini is expected to have. The 7.85 inch display will most likely be the screen size. It’s a step down fro the iPad and a step up from the current iPod Touch/iPhone. Obviously, it should feature the new lightning dock connector. Really. If it didn’t Apple would be screwing us all over. Other than that, it should have the basic feature of the iPad. A front and rear facing camera, ultra-thin design, and possibly a chip that runs a A6 processor.

Aside from that, rumor sites have released many different photos of the long-awaited 13″ Retina display Macbook Pro. I personally don’t believe Apple won’t be releasing a new iMac or Mac Mini. They could release some very minor updates, but probably not a major update involving complete case redesigns. As for the new Macbook Pro, it’s expected to hold one of the thinnest laptop ever. The ports on the left and right side of the machine is still going to be the same. MagSafe 2, Thunderbolt, USB, SD card reader, and HDMI. Nothing really special here.

It’s a very exciting week! If you’re looking into buying a new Macbook or even an iPad, be sure to hold your wallets.

The GoPro HERO3 Black Edition the top-tier model that is packed with a set of amazing new features. These include 4K resolution, a 1080p 60fps mode, and even 120fps at 720p! Obviously, these cameras are more geared towards the sports market. People who snowboard, skateboard, ski, bike will find the camera suitable to use these new features. Making slow motion videos are gonna be even more epic, especially with the higher resolution settings.

For still photos, the HERO3 Black Edition captures 12MP images at up to 30fps burst and time lapse intervals from 0.5 seconds to 60 seconds. The LCD screen is improved and has the same two-button feature as the GoPro Hero 2.

One particularly new feature is the new Wi-Fi connectivity built into the whole lines of HD HERO3s. This allows a remote to control up to 50 different cameras at distances of up to 600 feet away. How insane is that?! You also get the compatibility to use the GoPro app and the Wi-Fi remote right out of the box. The Black Edition comes with a Wi-Fi enabled remote in the box, so you can use it independently of your smartphone.

The HD HERO3 features a chassis that is 30% smaller and 25% lighter than the GoPro Hero 2 model already out in the market. With twice as fast processor and improved camera lens, this device will perform very well.

The price tag for this feature-packed camera comes in at a hefty $399. But c’mon… for a 4K resolution camera, this is pocket change compared to some of its comparable competitors. I’m sure this camera will not disappoint anyone looking for a durable sports camera.

On Friday, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook issued an apology in response to constant complaints on the iOS 6 Maps application. Cook wrote:

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

Since the release of the original iPhone, in July 2007, Apple used Google Maps for the Maps application found on iOS (then called iPhone OS). However, during WWDC 2012, Apple announced they would release their own, in-house, Maps application which featured turn-by-turn directions and 3D “flyover.”

According to AllThingsD, Google refused to offer turn-by-turn navigation on iOS without additional concessions from Apple. Google, according to AllThingsD’s source, wanted more prominence on the iOS Maps application rather than simply giving Apple the backend data for the application. Apple, instead of compromising, chose to break their Maps agreement with Google (one year early) and offer their own Maps solution.

Complaints regarding Apple’s in-house Maps application surfaced before iOS 6′s public release. Over the course of the past three months, while iOS 6 had been in beta, developers and tech-enthusiasts alike illustrated the flaws of Apple’s Maps application. Currently, users have cited that they are given wrong directions and address lookups and poor satellite imagery. Furthermore, users also complain that many businesses cannot be found or do not exist in the locations offered in iOS 6 Maps.

Tim Cook went so far as to recommend Microsoft’s Bing Maps application and Mapquest in lieu of Apple’s Maps solution . Cloud based applications like Maps will definitely improve over the course of the next few months because of crowdsourced error reporting and Apple’s dedication to improving their software. Latest reports show that Google will offer Google Maps for iOS by the end of 2012.

Source: Apple

Earlier this year, Twelve South introduced the HoverBar, a new accessory which allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display, or even a simple cookbook for your kitchen!

For those you don’t know what Twelve South is, they are a company solely that design accessories for Apple products. Their design and engineering is very unique and is apple-esque, which makes them an awesome company.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about the HoverBar right?

The HoverBar is a very simple accessory that comes with just a clamp, arm, and the cradle to hold your iPad in. The clamp itself is actually pretty sturdy and weighted to support your iPad. The arm is very flexible and allows you to position the iPad in anyway you want…well most of the time. Lastly, the cradle is actually a flimsy plastic attachment. This is both good and a bad thing. I’m sure there were reasons behind why the build quality of this wasn’t the best. Putting the iPad in this thing was no problem and the flexibility of the plastic makes accessing your iPad much easier.

Although this might seem very easy to setup (which is sorta is), there are a few flaws that I must point out.

This isn’t exactly made to be positioned on the right side of whatever you’re trying to hook up to. Looking at the press images, you can tell that most of the pictures are positioned on the left side. I’m not exactly saying that it’s impossible, but it is a bit of a hill to overcome if you want to position the HoverBar on the right side. Some how, I was able to position it that way after about 6 or 7 tries.

The weight of the iPad is also a factor in making this sort of impossible. Depending on the angle that you position the arm in, the iPad actually causes the whole rig to fall down. Tightening the clamp lessens the chance of this happening, but it can still be an issue.

I’ve used this in numerous places from my iMac, to my desk, and even to the kitchen. Let’s just say that this is one hell of a versatile product. Just as long as there’s space to clamp the arm on, you’re good to go. I’ve seen some people put their HoverBar right above their bed to swing over their faces when they sleep.

Mainly though, it seems like the common use is within the kitchen or to clamp it onto the display of your Mac. It really does look very stylish and futuristic wherever you put it.

I just have to reiterate the fact that this thing is built to last. Although it might wear out after a few years of use, it seems durable enough to last while your iPad is working.

Now you guys may be wondering, how much does this thing cost? Well it may be a little steep at a price of $80, but trust me, if you have some good use to this, it’s worth the money.

I mainly use it to watch TV using my Time Warner Cable App or even to just casually watch YouTube videos. Using it to Facetime is also pretty useful in some cases. A pretty neat way to utilize this space is to download the app called Airdisplay. It allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display to your computer!

That’s just a couple of many different ways you can utilize this product to your advantages.

I’d say that this product deserves to be one of the best accessories you can buy for your iPad. It really does help clear your desktop and make use of your iPad in an elegant and efficient way.

Make sure to check out the video review above the post!

See larger image Twelve South HoverBar for iPad - Adjustable arm for iPad (2nd, 3rd and 4th generation) (Personal Computers) List Price: $79.99 USD New From: $69.95 In Stock Used from: $56.99 In Stock