gear

SAN FRANCISCO--Somewhat later than had been planned last year, Google is addressing a significant weaknesses of Google Docs and Google Apps: the inability to use the services while not connected to the Net.

"We will make them [Google Docs offline apps] available this summer," said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome, in an interview here last week at at the Google I/O conference. "We've all been using it internally. It's imminent. We want to make sure they're good."

It's not clear just how high the demand for the feature is. … Read more

Get ready, Gearheads--it's on.

The Gears of War 3 beta, that is.

Starting today and for the next three weeks, fans of the mega-hit franchise who pre-ordered the forthcoming game will get their first chance to dive into its third iteration. At a press event for Microsoft's Xbox 360 in February, Gears of War publisher Epic Games said that the new beta "will give fans a chance to experience three new Versus Multiplayer modes on four new maps."

More specifically, from today through May 1, beta participants will experience the new Team Deathmatch and King of … Read more

Apple sues Samsung, Samsung sues Apple, the Army uses Android in the battle field, and we get a tour of the latest round of Android Tablets. Join Justin Eckhouse and guest hosts Eric Franklin and JT Tabencki as they dive into the world of Android.

News Stories

Apple sues Samsung for ‘copying’ smartphones, tablets http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20055033-248.html

Samsung countersues Apple over iPhone, iPad http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/us-samsung-apple-idUSTRE73L0DG20110422

Android phones record user-locations … Read more

Attention Android fans who wouldn't be caught dead with an iPod Touch. Philips is breathing some new life into its GoGear line of MP3 and portable media players by introducing the Connect, a new Android 2.3 device.

Due out in September with pricing starting at $179 (8GB), the GoGear Connect is chasing after the same Android-loving customer as the Samsung Galaxy Player. Most importantly, the device will come with Google's suite of mobile apps, including a fully stocked Android Market.

Fickle listeners will also appreciate the inclusion of Philips' own sound-isolating earphones, and FullSound audio enhancement. The … Read more

Tax by the mile to drive your car: ready for it? Tesla says Top Gear is a bunch of liars. Your next smartphone could be an Aston Martin. And we drive the Cayenne Hybrid's sister: the Touareg Hybrid.

? Taxing driving by the mile instead of the gallon.

? Tesla sues Top Gear

? Survey says buyers are intrigued by EVs, unrealistic about their abilities

? Aston Martin smartphone concept

? VW Touareg Supercharged Hybrid

? CNET's LOLCars gallery!

At first glance, the idea of Tesla suing "Top Gear" over a review of the Roadster that occurred three years ago seems pointless, especially throwing in the fact that "Top Gear," and host Jeremy Clarkson, have a huge international following. But it is precisely the size of that following, and the longevity of the "Top Gear" episode featuring the Tesla Roadster, that spurred the action.

Tesla filed suit against "Top Gear" for libel and malicious falsehood. In the "Top Gear" episode containing the review, Clarkson claimed that the Roadster, as … Read more

Standards groups are unwieldy and slow-moving. But when it comes to expanding what browsers can do, they turned out to be a faster way for Google to bring a handful of features to the Web than its Gears plug-in.

So it comes as no surprise that Google, after letting the Gears project spin down over the last year and a half, is removing the software altogether from its Chrome browser.

"It's finally time to say goodbye to Gears," said Gears team member Aaron Boodman in a blog post. "There will be no new Gears releases, and … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Fans of the Gears, put a big circle around April on your calendars: the public multiplayer beta of Gears of War 3 will be opening up around the middle of that month.

At Microsoft's Xbox February Showcase event here today, the company announced the timing of the Gears of War 3 beta opening, as well as a slew of other game-related new items. Among them: that on March 15, the Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack" would go on sale; the availability of Halo Waypoint, a mobile stat-checking feature for the mega-hit franchise that will be accessible … Read more

It may be one of the jewels in Microsoft's 2011 lineup, but Gears of War 3 has had a tumultuous time on the road to release. The game's unveiling was set to take place on talk show "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" but was delayed, though not before the game's release date was reportedly leaked on Xbox Live. Shortly after the "Late Night" showing, Microsoft confirmed that the game would be landing in April, but then had to renege on its initial promise and delay the game to a holiday 2011 release.

Today, Microsoft announced a new worldwide release date for Gears of War 3 of September 20. This brings territories such as Japan, Australia, and Europe in line with the U.S., which was originally going to get the game first when it was slated for an April release date.

Microsoft has also named some of the maps and weapons that are due to appear in the game when it lands in September.

Read more of " Gears of War 3 landing Sept. 20" at GameSpot. … Read more