This is one of my most favorite times of the year, thanks to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which is held every year in January.

We will be covering CES 2012 for you all next week, so make sure you subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show to get all the latest in gadgets and technology news.

What To Expect

As we discussed with you last year, HDTVs will still be the “hot thing” when it comes to entertainment and family. We can expect much thinner HDTVs this year with even smarter features and now they will all connect to the internet. Apps are a hot thing for HDTVs as is 3D, except you won’t need those annoying 3D glasses anymore.

What else can we expect from CES 2012 that’s similar from last year? Tablets, tablets, tablets. As I said  in our special episode for the top gadgets of 2011, tablets will dominate this year. The much anticipated iPad 3 should launch (not at CES but in March) but we can also expect much more powerful and more competitive tablets to be unveiled next week to rival the almighty iPad.

Of course smartphones will be unveiled – nothing, yet, that really sticks out.

CES 2012 could potentially unveil even more details on Microsoft’s Windows 8 which will be a big event. According to PC Magazine, “we’ll learn more about how Windows 8 will work on more traditional desktops and notebooks. I also expect to hear more about Windows Phone and wouldn’t be surprised to learn a little more about Xbox and Kinect plans, as well as Microsoft’s upcoming Flight game.”

Social networking apps, sites and media will of course be unveiled at CES 2012 too and according to Mashable.com, the next big thing could be announced next week. “Quite a few of these apps and networks revolve around videos and photos,” reports Mashable. Also, an amazing 25% of ALL photos taken are now captured on smart phones, so expect lots of photo and video apps to arrive!

Finally, what about the almighty laptop? According to our sources, the thinner the better and if you don’t have a thin laptop coming out, you’re already a “has been.” Like the Macbook Air, we can expect a plethora of newer, thinner notebooks to pop up at CES 2012. Check out HP’s new Spectre Ultrabook which promises to be a powerful and thin masterpiece.

What we know for sure is the Moxie Mo Show will cover all of CES 2012 next week, so please subscribe to the show and watch next week for what is sure to be a very exciting 2012.

It’s not every day I get to share with all my viewers a personal vacation, but this one was too good not to share. New York City is by far my most favorite city in the United States (and ranks second best with Paris being the top cities I’ve visited). That said, I was blessed to go a 2nd time to New York and take my Mom and Aunt with me.

Hope you enjoy my vacation video that I quickly produced…. and if you get a chance to go to New York (our airline tickets were only $200 round trip!), please head there ASAP!

One of the most popular email clients is Google’s Gmail and it just got reinvented with a brand new look and added features. Why is Gmail so popular? Many reasons, including the following:

(1) No Spam, No Spam and No Spam – Out of all the email clients I’ve personally used, including Apple’s MobileMe/iCloud, Yahoo Mail or even Microsoft’s Hotmail, Google’s Gmail has one of the best spam filters I’ve ever seen. Rarely do I get the obnoxious spam that floods my inboxes of other mail clients.

(2) Google is King – Yes, I am an Apple “fan boi” but one thing I also am is honest. Google’s suite of products from email to maps to even online documents is one of the biggest and most popular line of free products to use.

(3) Gmail’s New Look – As this blog post states, Gmail just had a complete redesign so lets take you through the main points…

— Gmail’s new streamlined conversation view is perfect for those who want to read email easily and effectively. Not only do you see the threads of previous conversations, but now you can see profile pictures of who is emailing you. Google says its easier to focus on who you’re communicating with:

— Better Screen Views: According to Gmail’s new blog post, “[you can view] Gmail from a variety of screen sizes and devices, so now the spacing between elements on the screen will automatically change based on the kind of display you’re using.”

— HD Themes and Customization: Nothing makes email better and more “moxie” than a customizable screen and look. Gmail has completely rebuilt their themes with HD resolution and several new choices. Hit the Settings menu and choose your favorite new look:

— Smarter Navigation and Better Search: Something Gmail has that other email clients do not is Google Chat, Hangouts and other integrated pieces of Google+ (Google’s popular social network). In this newest Gmail redesign, you have better navigation thanks to the left panel. You can resize chat windows, hide the chat feature and use arrow keys to navigate. Google’s Gmail also has improved its search, which in my opinion, is a MUST when it comes to email clients. You can search a person, a word, a subject or even an attachment.

So in a nutshell, Gmail is the best free email client that I use and know. If you’re not a Gmail user, click here to sign up today. Check out Google’s Gmail Redesign video below:

We nailed it almost. Every single “expert” on the web, including the Moxie Mo Show, predicted Apple would release the iPhone 5 today, if not both the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5. Regardless of the name, one thing is certain: we nailed the specs as well as the BIG news for Sprint customers (the iPhone 4S is now on Sprint) and we’re excited for the new phone.

Here’s everything YOU need to know about the new iPhone 4S:

The iPhone 4S will arrive October 14 for $199 (16gb), $299 (32gb) and $399 (64gb). You will be able to PRE-ORDER on October 7. As we predicted in Moxie Mo Show 226, the iPhone 4S will have a dual-core A5 processor chip, the same as the iPad 2. This promises extremely fast apps, fast processing and more power. And the iPhone 4S will even be faster than the iPhone 4 in terms of “wireless 3G speed.”

The camera has been revolutionized in this iPhone. We’ve already discussed time and again how the iPhone 4′s camera was revolutionary, now Apple takes it one step further. The iPhone 4S will have an 8 megapixel camera, 5 unique built-in lenses that will provide stunning photographs and videos. It not only takes faster photos, it provides stunning detail and allows you to film in 1080 HD and with new light sensors, the iPhone 4S will take much better photos and videos in low-light conditions.

One of the biggest features to take the world by storm is Siri, the “personal assistant” that comes with the iPhone 4S. For all intent and purposes, Siri is artificial intelligence at its best. For you geeks, think of the movie HAL 9000. For you non-geeks, Siri will do anything you ask via your voice and it actually thinks in an intelligent way. What’s the weather? Siri provides you with a forecast. How do I get south of Hwy 75? Siri intelligently takes your GPS coordinates and provides you directions. Tell my friend I need to change our dinner plans… and Siri notifies your friend and changes your calendar. What does Moxie mean? Siri will provide you a definition and ask you if you want more information. Take a look at this GAME CHANGER for the Apple iPhone 4S.

Oh and don’t forget the iPhone 4S will come with iOS5 which is going to arrive to iDevices (iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPod Touch) on October 12. This operating system will literally change your phone. Notifications are much better, Bluetooth is improved, Twitter is integrated into everything from email to photos, iMessage arrives allowing you to message friends on your iPad or iPod or iPhone. Your iDevice will undergo over 200 changes to become the “world’s most advanced mobile operating system.”

What else can make this iPhone the best smart phone yet? iCloud. Remember the Moxie Mo telling you all about iCloud – a “cloud” to literally gather all of your documents, songs, files, photos and more and sync them to your computers, phones, iPods, and iPads? According to Apple, “iCloud is a breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.”

So, it’s not the iPhone 5 that so many of us predicted, but it is much better than the iPhone 4, which is the best-selling smartphone to date. Even if this phone isn’t in your future, the new iOS 5 coming to all of us who own an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad will be amazed.

Price and Availability? MOST of us iPhone 4 owners will NOT be eligible for an “Early Upgrade” which means we will have to wait until November to order if you want the $199 – $399 price. How do you know if you’re eligible for a reduced iPhone 4S price? Click here.

Quietly but with a major impact, Facebook has unexpectedly upgraded their iPhone Facebook app to version 3.5. This new version is a major update as it has fixed several annoying bugs, added new functionality when writing your status updates, allows tagging of photos and videos and updates your Profile and Group Wall design.

According to Digitaltrends.com, “in terms of straight functionality, Facebook says it’s ‘made it easier to share with who you want,’ which would appear to be in line with the recent stream of updates to its web version that come in response to Google+ and its popular Circles feature.”

As you can see in the image above, when you write a new status, there’s a completely new interface. You now have the option to tag friends OR places in a post, check into a place directly from the status window, upload a photo or video and now change your status’ privacy settings: by clicking the icon in the right corner, you can choose whether to share your post publicly, only with friends, or only with pre-made lists of friends.

You can also click on external links in-app and share those links directly to your Facebook friends (i.e. next time you see a Moxie Mo Show episode link, click on it with the iPhone app and it will open the external link and allow you to share it as well).

As you can see above, this is new view when visiting your profile or a Group page. Facebook for iPhone v3.5 has added these much needed features finally and overall, this update will improve stability and performance according to Facebook.

Overall, this update is definitely moxie and for a complete list of fixes and changes, please check out Facebook for iPhone app v3.5′s change log:

Bugs and fixes with v3.5 include:

•    Improved Notifications speed
•    Fixed a number of Chat bugs
•    Made it easier to select filters in News Feed
•    Fixed a bug with the Notifications bar disappearing
•    Fixed a number of Photos bugs
•    Improved performance and stability overall

Make sure you follow and LIKE the Moxie Mo Show Facebook page by clicking here!

As promised, the Moxie Mo is keeping you up to date on the latest iPhone 5 and iPad 3 rumors. As the supposed launching date nears, Boy Genius Report is claiming sources close to Apple will announce and allow pre-orders of the new iPhone 5 on September 30 and allow will launch the iPhone 5 on October 7. Presumably, this will fall in line with the already confirmed new iOS 5, the amazing new iPhone and iPad software that will revolutionize your iDevice.

According to several sources, the iPhone 5 has been rumored to launch sooner rather than later, especially since Apple keeps releasing more and more iOS 5 beta versions – typically a sign that they’re under a deadline. Now, Apple’s iOS 5 does not mean there will be an iPhone 5, but most experts believe Apple will announce both of these together, as it would only make sense.

In a surprising turn of events, the iPad 3 has supposedly been delayed, according to other sources close to Apple. According to DigiTimes, Apple’s supply chain provider of the new Retina display for the iPad 3 has been delayed, causing Apple to push back the launch of the iPad 3. As we discussed in Moxie Mo Show episode 215, the new iPad 3 (or iPad HD) will sport a “new 9.7 inch display [which] will feature a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, four times more than the current iPad and three times more than the HD displays on most Android tablets.”

As usual, rumors abound with the iPhone 5 and the next-gen iPad, so we will keep you updated on the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3 – make sure you subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show and follow us on Twitter @MoxieMo.

Do you ever wish that you could watch all the TV shows you bought in iTunes for the past several years on your Apple TV 2 without streaming them from your computer? Maybe you accidentally deleted an episode of Dr. Who you purchased but didn’t get a chance to watch? Apple has introduced a solution just for you. And, if you happen to be a Vimeo fan, then Apple is going to make you doubly happy today.

With release of Apple TV version 4.3, two new additions were added to the growing list of features for the 2nd generation Apple TV. The first new feature and probably most important since the release of the latest Apple TV is “Purchased” content. With this new addition you can watch any TV show you previously purchased on your Apple TV. Even better, it means that many of the TV shows that were not available to Apple TV yesterday, are available today!

Not all networks wanted to make their shows available to rent, only buy. Those shows that you could only “buy” were available in iTunes, on the iPad, the iPhone and the iPod Touch; but not on the 2nd generation Apple TV. There were work arounds, but none of them elegant or as simple as just streaming from your TV. The millions of users of second generation Apple TVs were just left out in the cold if they desired to watch True Blood or any other show not available for renting. As of today’s new Apple TV update (4.3), you can now watch True Blood! Once you update, you can see all of them, along with all the shows you already bought. Wait, there’s more! If you aren’t sure if you bought a program already, don’t worry. Anything you previously purchased will show up with Apple’s new “cloud” symbol next to it, letting you know that it’s available for immediate streaming.

Read More

Today, Verizon Wireless sent me the Droid 3 from Motorola to review. What is the Droid 3? I am glad you asked!

The Droid 3 by Motorola has the worldʼs thinnest, full size, QWERTY keyboard with a 1 Ghz processor. Itʼs 8-megapixel camera takes wonderful pictures and video is in 1080p HD. The Droid 3 comes standard with Android 2.3 and a 4-inch qHD display for your viewing pleasure. You can also type on itʼs full size, 5 row QWERTY keyboard. 3G mobile hotspotting is available with the ability to connect up to 5 WiFi devices (with service).

OK, sounds good, huh? So what does it translate to in the real world? My first impression: itʼs slow. Yeah, it might have a 1 Ghz processor, but my old iPhone 3GS could load most apps faster. Maybe some more memory would help the situation.

The camera, keyboard, Android OS and screen? All wonderful in my book! The camera takes crisp, clear pictures and captures full HD video without problem. The QWERTY keyboard is a joy to use (this coming from a person that only uses virtual keyboards). Android 2.3 is good, but lacks some slight graphic and performance adjustments that could blow iOS out of the water. I really enjoyed the animations in the menus and the notification system. The qHD display is easy on the eyes and just simply, pretty. Colors pop out at you. If there were a Skittle on the screen, I am sure you could almost taste it. The Droid 3 is available now from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 with a new, two-year contract.

All in all, using the Droid 3 is like owning a sports car, with a 2-cycle engine under the hood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out the Moxie Mo Show’s Sponsors to save you money at the moxiest places: Zazzle, Avis Rental Car, Mozy and More!
Anthony Baumann – Moxie Mo Show Blog Contributor, Follow on Twitter – @anthonysb

Since the introduction of the iPad 2 long lines and long wait times have been the order of the day. Released on March 11th of this year, the iPad 2 was met with incredibly long lines, both on launch day and for the weeks that followed. Most stores sold out the very first day and have had limited shipments since. The Apple Store on the web pushed ship times from days to weeks within hours of becoming available and stayed there. Finally, over 4 months since the launch ship times on the iPad 2 are now down to 1 to 3 business days.

Selection in brick & mortar stores has improved as well, but if you want to buy an iPad 2 and get the smart cover or case you want along with all the other needed accessories; then you should purchase through the Apple Store on the web. All models are currently available and personalized engraving remains a free option. If even waiting a few days is too much, check your local Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Apple Store to see what each currently has in stock.

The iPad 2 comes in white or black, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models, and three different wireless options: Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi with AT&T 3G and Wi-Fi with Verizon 3G. The price ranges from $499 to $829. Prices will be the same at all stores, although some occasionally offer gift cards or freebies to sweeten the deal.

***************************
Don’t forget to check out some of our great sponsors coupons and discounts: Angie’s List, Champs Sports, Eastbay, Mozy and More!
Kelly Spore - Moxie Mo Show Blog Contributor, Follow on Twitter - @kspore

Mac OS 10.7 Lion is coming very soon and with it will bring over 250 new features. Are you excited about this release? Will you be one of the first to download and install? With marquee features like multi-touch gestures, full screen apps, Mission Control, Launch Pad, Apps that Resume where you left off, auto save, file versioning, air drop and so much more, it’s hard not be excited. Yet, before you make the move you need to prepare. If you don’t, the early days of your upgrade may be met with drudgery instead of excitement.

Many of these are hard learned lessons for this writer and many others.  There are 5 steps to getting ready for any OS upgrade, do them all or pick and choose; it is truly up to you. Those steps are:

1. Don’t Be Afraid To Wait
2. Check the Mac OS Lion System Requirements
3. Check App Compatibility with Mac OS Lion
4. Clean House on your computer – Deleting Files you don’t need and Apps you don’t use anymore
5. Backup All of your Data to a Bootable Disk

Don’t Be Afraid to Wait: For a diehard Mac user the hardest thing to do is to wait to upgrade. They will throw caution to the wind and install the upgrade as fast as possible. All could go fantastic, or disaster could strike. Taking a “wait and see” approach may not be as thrilling, but sees far safer results. If you have a special project for work or school, then definitely wait until the project is done or you are at a safe stopping point. When you are ready to upgrade, schedule it for a weekend to give you plenty of time, although you most likely won’t need but a few hours to download and install.

Read More

Is it possible that Apple’s iPad finally has some real competition or will the newest tablet on the block underwhelm? On July 1st, HP’s first foray into the modern tablet wars began with their introduction of the HP TouchPad. Utilizing the WebOS HP acquired when they purchased Palm, this new tablet marks the 3rd OS option after iOS and Android. Competition is wonderful, but can HP compete in the current market?

Engadets’ review of the HP TouchPad sings the praises of the tablet implementation of Web OS, but they seem to think the hardware leaves much to be desired. Boy Genius’ review was more supportive, but still took some exception to hardware and software implementation.

Basically the thoughts are as follows: Battery life is good, but not as good as the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The physical design is less than stellar and the piano black finish is a magnet for fingerprints. The TouchPad weighs more than any of the big players in tablets, but is still light at only 1.65 pounds. Booting up takes about 1:15, compared to 30 seconds for both the iPad 2 and the Galaxy Tab. Performance in general seems slow considering HP’s use of the Snapdragon dual core processor.

Read More

Apple has released the latest version of the incredibly popular video editing app – Final Cut Pro X. In tandem with the release of the latest Final Cut Pro, Apple also released Compressor 4 and Motion 5. These three applications have been favored by many Hollywood editors and video podcasters for years. Even the Moxie Mo Show podcast uses Final Cut for post-production. The changes Apple has made will delight many while possibly scaring others because of the vast changes introduced with Final Cut Pro X.

The biggest change to Final Cut Pro is the interface. Gone is the familiar look a decade old, replaced with an interface straight from iMovie. Don’t be fooled, while it looks like iMovie ’11, this latest version of Final Cut Pro is designed for the serious video editor and it will run on most modern Macs. It’s the first version of Final Cut Pro to be fully built to work with 64 bit hardware, allowing this video editing app to work on bigger projects in higher resolutions while using more of your computer’s memory. In fact, Final Cut Pro X supports up to twice 1080p resolution (4K).

Of course this video editor can access media on the Mac including iPhoto, Aperture, iTunes, iMovie; but it won’t import Final Cut Pro 7 projects. Editors will also get 1,300 royalty free sound effects and the ability to make textures and backgrounds for their videos. There are also numerous titling options and the ability to use themes for an easily consistent look. It appears that Final Cut Pro X has been designed to make video editing easier and faster than ever before. They’ve even made organizing hours of video easier.

Read More