Announcement

Yesterday, Google held a three hour-long keynote at its I/O 2014 developer conference. We posted the run-down so you wouldn’t have to watch the entire thing. While some of the presentation like Cloud Debugging was a little dry (unless you happen to be a developer in the cloud app business), one section stood out: Android Wear. We’ve heard about this Android for smartwatches before of course, but at Google I/O 2014 we saw the system in action and even better, saw some of those amazing Android Wear devices that have been hinted at. The LG G watch in particular got substantial stage time. Android Wear is real, it looks fantastic and it’s coming soon!

Tracking your fitness and calories is even easier now, because Garmin announced today they have partnered with MyFitnessPal. Anyone who has a compatible device like the Garmin vivofit can now quickly and easily compare calories burned vs calories consumed using your device and Garmin Connect. 

Every year Google holds a conference aimed at its developer community. Every year a preview of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system is shown and sometimes there are some surprise appearances —like the public debut of Google Glass at I/O 2012. This year, a wicked fast and new-look Android was revealed (it’s “L” for now, with no sweet-themed name attached), Android Auto was announced for connected cars, Google Fit confirmed the rumours Google is interested in your health, Android Wear showed off awesome new smartwatches from LG and Samsung while Android TV is another crack at conquering your living room. Basically, the theme was Android everywhere. Here’s what you need to know from Google I/O 2014.

The Netgear Nighthawk X6 is the Wi-Fi router you stream gaming or video content, or you are competing with dozens of other devices for Wi-Fi bandwidth.

Are you the proud owner of an original Galaxy Gear smartwatch, but bummed out that you’re missing out on some of the cool new features of the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, like their standalone music app and S Health sleep tracking? Samsung is listening and its now offering the ability to upgrade the original Galaxy Gear’s operating system from Android to Tizen —the OS powering its latest generation of smartwatches.

Last weekend I spent a few hours at the first-ever Microsoft Surface Café. Held at a hip pop-up venue on Toronto’s trendy Queen Street West, the tagline for the event was: “Where creativity comes together.” The workshop I attended on Saturday was headlined by Francis Manapul —the guy who’s currently drawing Batman. He was onstage drawing Batman … and the Joker … using nothing but a Surface Pro 3. If you happen to be in the Montreal area next weekend, Microsoft is opening a Surface Café in that city starting on June 26 and is currently taking applications to attend the creative seminars. If the Toronto version was any indication, there will be some fascinating sessions (along with free coffee and Surface cookies).    

The longest running EA Sports franchise is back for edition #26! Madden Football is the first to officially kick off EA Sports Game season in August, and this year’s edition plans to give you a much more stabilized defensive system, recreated environments (on the next gen consoles) and more!  When you Pre-Order Madden 15, you’ll also get access to some free Ultimate Team content!  Read on to find out more.

Summer is a great time to add style and flair to your look. New clothes and shoes are a must at this time of year, but you will also look great with new stylish Bose headphones to complete the ensemble. Face it, many of us spend a lot of time wearing headphones as we commute to work, exercise or simply spend a few leisurely hours outside on the beach or getting pumped up before a concert.  Enter this contest by showing off your new look and you could win fantastic new Bose SoundTrue or Bose FreeStyle headphones.

This year’s going to be a big one for the NHL series.  It finally debuts on the next gen consoles utilizing the new IGNITE engine. Not just that, but you’ll enjoy a huge boost to in-game physics with some help from one of the engineers involved with the Large Hadron Collider, and a great Ultimate Team Bonus Boost if you Pre-Order the game. Curious about the bonus, or how the Large Hadron Collider ties into the NHL game this year?  Read on to find out.

What does EA Sports have in store for those pre-ordering their most popular sports gaming franchise this year?  FIFA is back for another year with numerous gaming enhancements bringing you closer to the real game itself. What better time to announce a pre-order bonus than during the World Cup?  Click on to see what EA has in store for this year’s Pre-Order for both standard and Ultimate Team editions.