comic-con

Is Apple's new 11-inch MacBook Air the ultimate ultraportable laptop? We compare and contrast with Acer's similar TimelineX, and also debate everything from the Samsung Galaxy Tab's contract-required pricing to the latest in privacy-invading body scanners coming to JFK and other NY-area airports.

Don't forget: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

… Read more

After 100 relatively trouble-free weekly episodes, it's at number 101 that things really start to fall apart. Over the weekend, our entire video podcast studio was ripped out and replaced with a new high-definition version.

That's great, and today's video stream looked awesome, but unfortunately, the day one gremlins are also holding our video of this week's show hostage.

Until we get that worked out, you'll have to settle for the audio version, available below.

In actual news, Apple has a big press event this week, so naturally we're in full-on prediction mode, especially when it comes to 11-inch MacBook Air laptops. We also debate the coming 4G/LTE wave in New York, and what it means for the iPhone/Android wars.

Finally, we take a look at the new deluxe Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang guitar, and compare it to a real-life guitar. Pics and a side-by-side video demo are here.

Don't forget: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

… Read more

Unless we've miscounted somewhere along the way (a distinct possibility), this week marks the 100th episode of our little outpost on the information superhighway.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Digital City show if everything ran smoothly, so you shouldn't be surprised to find that Scott has been called away on urgent business and is here only in spirit (plus, he sent a note).

Standing in is CNET News reporter Greg Sandoval, who joins the discussion on Windows 7 phones and Google's top-secret music cloud project -- but is stunned into silence by our extreme nerd-out over the past weekend's New York Comic Con.

The rest of us, however, happily narrate our photo galleries from the show, showcasing the usual collections of costumed character and overpriced collectibles.

Speaking of collectables, in honor of our centenary, we're pleased to offer the greatest Digital City giveaway ever. We're sending one viewer/listener a sweet pile a video game t-shirts -- the ultra-rare promo-only items sent to journalists and industry insiders. These are all mint condition, never worn, and include shirts for Dead Space, GTA4, and many more.

To win the Ultimate Video Game T-Shirt Collection just hop on over to the show's Twitter account, @digitalcitycnet and follow us, then RT the post about this episode.

We'll pick a random winner at the end of the week, and there are also a pile of runner-up prizes, including some Red Dead Redemption swag and a copy of the new Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light game for DS.

Special bonus: At long last, download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here!

… Read more

Jeff and I are a little intimidated by today's guest, Blair Butler, because she not only loves video games and comic books, but also knows a ton about martial arts moves like the rear naked choke, which makes her one of the coolest guests we've had on the show! Blair joins us after a busy weekend at New York Comic Con 2010 to chat about all the news from the show, as well as her Fresh Ink segment on G4's "Attack of the Show."

The Javitz Convention Center here in New York once again opened its doors to the New York Comic Convention, and Blair tells us the East Coast chapter has been quickly catching up to San Diego over the past five years.

Among the many announcements from the show, we're especially excited about AMC's television adaptation of Robert Kirkman's monthly black and white comic series "The Walking Dead." The story is about a small-town police officer (played by Andrew Lincoln) from Kentucky struggling to survive in a world taken over by flesh-craving zombies. Blair is super psyched to watch the series when it debuts on Sunday, October 31, but in the meantime you should definitely check out her review of the comic in this list of the best graphic novels for comic novices on G4TV.

Remember Konami's classic X-Men beat-'em-up arcade game from the early '90s? Marvel revealed plans for an update on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network that will feature six-player "drop-in" online multiplay, custom matchups, and various difficulty settings. Fans of the original game will enjoy the classic look of the game, and players can use all the original characters including Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Konami plans to release the update later this year.

Tune in for lots more video game and comic news with Blair, including the best and worst costumes, a Pedobear dancing to Michael Jackson, Stan Lee's hockey/superhero mashup "The Guardian Project," and much more from the front lines. Thanks to Blair for an awesome show, and thanks to you for listening!

Update: We've added a new audio slideshow, which you can see in the video player above. Below in the "Scenes" gallery is an entirely different set of photos, so be sure to check out both to get the most complete Comic Con experience.

The New York Comic Con has always paled in comparison to the much larger, but unrelated San Diego Comic-Con, as we can attest to from attending last year's small-ish show. But the Twitter buzz started building early for this year's event, and we got reports of lines hundreds of people deep just to pick up passes and tickets on Friday and Saturday.

The key to the show's newfound success is in its very liberal definition of a comic gathering. If anything, most of the floorspace was devoted to video games, television, movies, and other pop culture ephemera, although there were certainly plenty of aisles full of vintage comics and an entire room devoted to artist meet-and-greets (plus the usual gang of autograph-hawking celebs, from Lou Ferrigno to wrestler Jerry Lawler).

The biggest attraction for most gawkers is definitely the cavalcade of costumed characters. While New Yorkers are used to seeing crazy attire on the street, this collection of superheroes, game characters, and weird mash-ups is eye-opening, even for a town with Times Square's iconic Naked Cowboy. The most notable trend in this area was definitely the large number of costumed babies and toddlers--at least a few of whom didn't look especially thrilled by their creative outfits.

Click through the photo tour above to enjoy the insanity of the New York Comic Con from the relative safe and normal confines of your laptop screen.… Read more

CBS recently crossed into a new fan frontier with its first-ever booth and extensive presence at Comic-Con. For the uninitiated, Comic-Con is a wildly popular comic-book convention that's been drawing huge crowds for decades. In recent years, the four-day consumer event in San Diego has broadened its offering to also include horror, sci-fi, movies, television, and online entertainment.

People from everywhere flock to see the coolest comics and costumes, to sample movie and TV previews, to snag exclusive giveaways, and to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. Attendees are passionate entertainment lovers in the truest sense: they spend … Read more

Apple refreshed its lineup of iMac desktop computers this morning to include faster CPUs and an improved graphics chip for games and video editing. The new computers also support larger hard drives (and even solid-state drives) with a higher capacity SDXC card slot for your media and start at $1,199.

Apple also announced a new line of Mac pro machines that offer up to 12 cores and Turbo Boost, a technology that can deliver even higher processor speeds. And the company unveiled a gorgeous 27-inch LED display to complement the new system.

Finally, Apple showed off the Magic Trackpad, … Read more

With Jeff's wedding creeping up sooner than we expected, it's about time that The 404 Podcast discusses exactly what we'll be wearing to the ceremonies. Always the responsible one, Wilson is prepared with his own suit, and Jeff will obviously be wearing the cheapest tux money can rent, but I've somehow made it 26 years without ever buying a suit and I refuse to start now...hopefully Stacie is OK with me wearing this old thing.

And speaking of horrible fashion, this shirt holster for your Apple iPad is proof that tech-fashion is, and will always … Read more

One of the under-the-radar killer apps of Apple's iPad is the collection of comic book storefronts (which also double as comic readers). They're all free, and connect you to virtual comic shops that sell digital issues of comics for about $2 each--with transactions handily conducted through Apple's app store back end.

There are official Marvel and DC Comics apps, along with indie apps such as Comics + app from iVerse, IDW Comics, and the Comics app from ComiXology, which sell titles from a variety of large and small publishers. All of these apps have a very similar layout, … Read more