Motorola’s Droid Turbo Is Everything The Nexus 6 Is But With A More Manageable Display

Missed your chance to place a pre-order for Google's Nexus 6 smartphone? You're not alone -- the device sold out in a matter of minutes with no option to get in line when Google replenishes its inventory. That's either a bummer or a blessing in disguise if you're willing to consider alternative options such as Motorola's nifty Droid Turbo.

The Droid Turbo is now available at Verizon for $200 with a 2-year service agreement, $25 per month on Verizon Edge, or $600 if you want to own the phone outright. Like the Nexus 6, the Droid Turbo carries a quad-core 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 processor under the hood. In fact, these two devices feature similar specs across the board with just a few key differences.

One of those is screen size. Whereas the Nexus 6 offers 5.96 inches of display real estate with a 2560x1440 resolution (493 ppi), the Droid Turbo is a little smaller at 5.2 inches, though with the same resolution resulting in a tighter pixel density (565 ppi).

The other key differences are software (the Nexus 6 comes out of the gate with Android 5.0 Lollipop, while the Droid Turbo runs Android 4.4 KitKat for the time being) and battery. Motorola's Droid Turbo not only sports a bigger capacity battery (3900 mAh versus 3220 mAh) for up to 48 hours of run time, it also features a quick-charge function that gets you up to 8 hours of power in just 15 minutes.

Enough with the one-on-one comparisons, the point is the Droid Turbo can hold its own next to the Nexus 6. For good measure, let's round out the feature-set by mentioning the 3GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage (64GB available on the Black Ballistic Nylon model), 21MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, front-ported speakers, and various other odds and ends.

If you're interested, head over to Verizon. And if not, hang tight -- we hear the Nexus 6 will back at Google Play soon.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Brings Funktastic Form Factor To U.S. Market On November 14

As we're seeing in the smartphone wars, size matters these days, but lest you think the segment is growing stale with little else to offer than bigger displays, wait until you seeSamsung's forthcoming Galaxy Note Edge. It's the first smartphone of its kind with a functional, curved display that wraps around the side, and it's scheduled to land in the U.S. on November 14.

We went hands-on with the Galaxy Note Edge during Samsung's Unpacked event in New York City earlier this year, and while we'll reserve judgement for an official review, we can say that this is one handset we're excited to see enter the market place. The curved screen compliments the main display, and you can still access frequently used apps, alerts, and other device functions even when the cover is closed.

Samsung didn't just slap a nifty feature on an underpowered or otherwise underwhelming handset, either. The Galaxy Note Edge storms into the smartphone sector wielding a 5.6-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED(2560x1440x160) display powered by a 2.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and 3GB of RAM. Other goodies include 32GB of built-in storage + microSD card slot (up to 128GB), 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and optical image stabilization, 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, 3,000 mAh battery, and Android 4.4 KitKat.

We should also call attention to the Adaptive Fast Charging technology that Samsung says can charge the battery up to 50 percent in as little as 30 minutes. According to Samsung, it's the fastest charging available on any of its phones. It's also slower to give up the ghost -- using Ultra Power Saving Mode, standby time is increased by up to 24 hours with only 10 percent battery remaining.

The Galaxy Note Edge will be available in Charcoal Black and Frost White color options through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular. No word yet on price.

Apple iPad Air 2 Review: Should You Upgrade?

Most are in agreement that Apple's iPad Air 2 is one of the finest tablets ever produced, if not the best out there, period. Certainly, it's not difficult to make that case -- after all, the latest 9.7-inch iPad is thinner than its predecessor at just 6.1mm thick, wicked fast with its custom A8X System-on-Chip (SoC), and incredibly light at just under a pound. Toss in a gorgeous display and a set of ancillary features that have been upgraded for this latest release, and even the most stringent critics can't help but pile on the praise.

That's the easy part. What's a bit more difficult to address is whether or not you should upgrade to the iPad Air 2. Obviously the answer depends in part on which tablet, if any, you currently own. But there's also the question of what you intend to do with it...

Apple iPad Air 2 Review: Should You Upgrade?

Android 5.0 Lollipop May Land on Samsung Galaxy S5 In December

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S5 and don't want to muck around with third party ROMs, hang tight, it looks like Google's latest and greatest version of Android is headed your way in the not-too-distant future. More specifically, Android 5.0 Lollipop (apologies to those of you who were hoping it would be called Lemon Meringue Pie) is said to drop on the Galaxy S5 in December.

That's according to SamMobile and its trusty unnamed sources. Unfortunately they weren't able to give a precise drop date, though as we hit the home stretch in October, you're looking at a 1-2 month wait, assuming the sources are providing accurate information.

Android 5.0 Lollipop is a major update that brings about a bevy of changes, including a new material design with more tangible interaction (content responds to your touch in an intuitive way). It also introduces a battery saver feature that Google claims can extend your device's run time by up to 90 minutes -- not bad for a simple software upgrade.

Google's latest version of Android comes at a time when KitKat is installed on nearly a quarter (24.5 percent) of all Android devices, according to the Android Developers Dashboard. The most popular version -- in terms of market share -- is Jelly Bean, which is found on over half (53.8 percent) of all Android gadgets.

Intel Launches 8-Core Beast Of A Desktop CPU: Haswell-E Core i7-5960X

Intel has officially launched their Core i7-5960X high-end, Haswell-E desktop processor today. Unlike Ivy Bridge-E, which maxed out at 6 cores (12 threads), Haswell-E is an 8-core beast of a machine (16 threads), featuring execution units based on Intel’s latest desktopmicroarchitecture. The Core i7-5960X has a base clock of 3GHz with Turbo Boost speed to 3.5GHz and will have up to 20MB of shared L3 cache. It also features an integrated quad-channel memorycontroller with official support for DDR4 memory at speeds up to 2133MHz, although higher speeds are possible through overclocking. Haswell-E based processors also feature up to 40 integrated lanes of PCI Express Gen 3.0 connectivity. 

The chip has a 140W TDP, which is slightly higher than the 130W of Ivy Bridge-E based processors. Although it has the same number of pads (2011) as previous-gen Ivy Bridge-E processors, Haswell-E based processors will require new motherboards equipped with LGA 2011 v3 sockets and support for DDR4 memory. Cooler designs from the previous generation are compatible, however. 

In general, the Core i7-5960X is faster overall than the previous-gen Ivy Bridge-E based 6-core Core i7-4960X. In single threaded tests, where the Core i7-5960X's additional cache and memory bandwidth aren't fully utilized, the 4960X's higher clocks usually push it ahead. In multi-threaded tests though, the 5960X's two additional cores make it significantly faster. Gaming was also much better on the 5960X.  Read on for our full review, here!

Micron M600 SATA & M.2 Solid State Drive Review

Samsung made some waves earlier this year with the introduction of its 850 Pro family of solid state drives and the first commercial iteration of 3D stacked flash memory. Micron is striking back with lower-geometry 16nm conventional NAND, however, and a new drive technology it claims will accelerate performance more effectively than other competing solutions.

The new Micron M600 family of solid state drives will launch at capacities ranging from 128GB to 1TB across multiple form factors. Conventional 2.5” SATA drives, mSATA, and the PCIe-capable M.2 platform are all supported with multiple drive sizes and form factors...

Micron M600 SATA & M.2 Solid State Drive Review

LG Launches Professional Grade 31-Inch 4K Monitor With IPS Panel

LG didn't just come out with another run-of-the-mill 4K monitor. Instead, the South Korean electronics maker dropped the gauntlet by introducing its 31-inch 31MU97 with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel and Digital Cinema 4K resolution, which trumps all those Ultra HD monitors out there by more than half-a-million pixels.

The 31MU97 boasts a 4096x2160 resolution across a 31-inch display, compared to most Ultra HD monitors running at 3840x2160. And of course it blows away Full HD 1080p panels that run at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. Combined with an IPS panel that supports over 99.5 percent of the Adobe RGB color space and a 10-bit color depth supporting over 1 billion colors, picture quality should be superb on the 31MU97.

"LG’s Digital Cinema 4K Monitor presents the company with an excellent opportunity to solidify our leadership in the global professional monitor market," said Hyoung-sei Park, head of the IT business division at LG Electronics. "This monitor’s high-end features and functions make it the perfect solution for professionals who require a top-of-the-line monitor with all the technology currently available."

Indeed, this is a feature-packed monitor. It has a Dual Color Space mode that allows the monitor to display two different color modes at once (in case you want to view different perspectives of your work side-by-side), supports pivot (into landscape mode) and height adjustments, has two built-in 5W speakers, and is compatible with Macs if you use a mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable.

As for connectivity options, LG's monitor has two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, a mini DisplayPort, four USB 3.0 ports, and a headphone out jack.

Microsoft Buffs Out Outlook For Mac, Office Update For Mac Coming Next Year

Just when Mac users might have thought Microsoft forgot all about them as it relates toproductivity software, the Redmond software giant made a couple of big announcements that show otherwise. The first is there's a new and polished version of Outlook for Mac available, and the second is that Mac users can expect the next version of Office for Mac to come out next year.

The latter might come as a surprise if you're familiar with Microsoft's release history. Typically Microsoft launches a new version of Office for Mac around 6-8 months after building a new version for Windows. Mac users have already waited a year and a half, so what gives?

"Following the release of Office 365 we made the conscious decision to prioritize mobile first and cloud first scenarios for an increasing number of people who are getting things done on-the-go more frequently," Microsoft explained in a blog post. "This meant delivering and continuing to improve Office on a variety of phones (iPhone, Windows Phone, and Android) and tablets (iPad and Windows) -- brought together by the cloud (OneDrive) to help people stay better organized and get things done with greater efficiency at work, school, home, and everywhere in between."

Microsoft is planning to release a public beta of its new Office for Mac in the first half of 2015 followed by a final release in the second half of 2015. There will be no additional charge for Office 365 customers, and Microsoft will offer a perpetual license of Office for Mac in the same timeframe.

As for the retooled Outlook for Mac, there are a number of improvements, including better performance and reliability as a result of a new threading model and database tweaks. Microsoft also revamped the UI with a modern user interface boasting improved scrolling and agility when switching between Ribbon tabs.

Other changes include the addition of online archive support for searching Exchange archived email; Master Category List support and enhancements; Office 365 Push email support for real-time email delivery; and faster first-run and email download experience with improved Exchange Web Services syncing.

PlayStation 4 Sales Zoom To 13.5 Million Units, Sony Posts Net Loss Anyway

It's a good thing Sony's PlayStation 4 game console is selling so well, because if it weren't, the company would find itself posting an even bigger loss for its fiscal second quarter ended September 30, 2014. As it stands, Sony reported a $1.25 billion net loss for the quarter and is on pace to lose a whopping $2.1 billion for the year -- ouch!

On the bright side, Sony sold 3.3 million PS4 consoles during the quarter, which bumps the total number to date to 13.5 million units. Combined with 800,000 PlayStation 3 console sales in the same quarter, Sony's Game & Network Services division saw an 83 percent year-on-year rise in revenues to $2.77 billion.

"This significant increase was primarily due to the contribution from PS4 hardware sales, a significant increase in network services revenue related to the introduction of the PS4 and the contribution from PS4 software sales, partially offset by a decrease in PlayStation 3 ('PS3') hardware and PS3 software sales," Sony said.

Nevertheless, it was an overall tough quarter for Sony, part of which is due to a $1.58 billion impairment charge the company took on its mobile division. Going forward, Sony lowered its smartphone shipment forecast to 41 million units, down from a forecast of 41 million units in July.

Apple Rumored To Be Readying 12-Inch 'iPad Pro' In Attempt To Take On Surface Pro 3

How unflattering. Apple appears to be preparing, at least according to rumors, a 2-in-1 hybrid tablet convertible that's very much competitive to what Microsoft's Surface Pro line offers, along with countless hybrid tablet-notebook convertibles that have custom-built detachablekeyboards. Though Jony Ive gets a little feisty about copy-cat devices as not just flattery butmore specifically "theft," it does seem ironic that Apple appears to be lining up to potentially follow the trend once again, rather than lead. The original iPad may have set the tablet revolution in motion but then eventually came the iPad Mini, as Apple caved to the market share success of smaller 7 to 8-inch devices. 

Now it looks like Apple is taking note of the success of convertible tablet-notebook devices like Microsoft'spopular Surface Pro 3, because, you know, not everyone just wants just a consumption device; some folks want to get real work done too.  Enter the "iPad Pro" or "iPad Plus."  Call it what you want, but this iPad is rumored to offer 12.2 inches of tablet real estate in addition to enhanced functionality.

Apple iPad Air 2 with a companion Bluetooth keyboard. It's just not the same.

Reportedly, this will be a more substantial and thicker iPad device (thicker than the iPad Air 2 at least) that could potentially even sport a different OS than the rest of the iPad line.  Could it be that Mac OS is in the cards for this device and perhaps even Intel's Core M is under the hood?  That's all speculation on my part but it would make for for an interesting product.  The report dose indicate that this device is thicker than the iPad Air 2 and sports another speaker port area for more full stereo audio output. Projections are that this big boy iPad won't hit until Q3 2015.

Drop in a purpose-built keyboard dock and you've got, well, the Mac or iOS equivalent of the Surface Pro 3 or anASUS Transformer.  But we won't call it theft. It's all good. There's iteration and innovation. If these rumors are true, Apple is continuing its iterative cycle and underscoring the legitimacy of the 2-in-1.

MAINGEAR Announces X-CUBE Small Form Factor Game PC With NVIDIA TITAN Z For The Cost Of Just Its Graphics Card

Are you in the market for a seriously powerful graphics card? Are you at least a little bit intrigued if I said you could buy one and get a free PC along with it? It sounds too good to be true, but the wizards at MAINGEAR have made it happen. This past week, the company revealed its X-Cube 'TITAN Z' edition, a PC priced at $1,499, which happens to be the going price for the card itself at retail.

Loosely priced out, you'd be spending about $2,200 if you were to build this PC yourself, but not only would you be paying a lot more, you wouldn't have the great MAINGEAR warranty that encompasses the entire build. So, we know that this build comes with an incredible graphics card; how well does the rest shape up?

Well, we'll be honest: You'll want to be making some upgrades, but I'm sure that's not surprising. The default IntelPentium G3258 dual-core processor, even when overclocked to 4.4GHz, isn't going to do the games and detail levels the TITAN Z can muster any justice. You might also find the 8GB of RAM to be a bit lacking, and no SSD to be problematic. Beyond that, this version of the X-Cube ships with a 500GB Seagate hard drive, a 600W Builder Series power supply from Corsair, GIGABYTE's GA-Z97-DS3H motherboard, an external ASUS DVD burner, MAINGEAR's EPIC 120 Supercooler (an all-in-one liquid cooler) and a Windows 8.1 license.

It's impossible to not be impressed with all that's included here for the going price, but as I said, you'd be wise to make some upgrades. If you want to make modifications, you can go with any current top-end Intel CPU, including the i7-5960X eight-core, up to 32GB of Corsair Dominator memory, up to 3x 1TB SSDs, up to a 1200W power supply from Corsair, and an improved cooler, by way of MAINGEAR's EPIC 240 Supercooler.

So, if you're in the market for a TITAN Z, it goes without saying that this deal is where your eyes should be looking. I feel bad for anyone who happened to pick up a TITAN Z in recent weeks, because this deal really is crazy good.