This week Saturday Night Live is celebrating the end of its’ 37th season on air (yes, you read that right) by pulling out the usual bags of tricks. That includes rock god Mick Jagger taking on hosting duties, while Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters provide the marquee music interludes (plus there will be comedy sketches…at least I think they still do those).

But while the cast and crew will mostly be sticking to the traditional SNL formula for success, they are throwing one new variable into the mix for this monumental occasion. That comes in the form of a partnership with the Facebook app Color.

Some of you may remember Color as the app that allowed you to share your photos and short (about 30 seconds) live video clips with a network of your closest friends. More likely though, you remember the story of how the program managed to raise $41 million dollars for its launch, only to fade into obscurity sometimes after that. It’s not that the program didn’t work; it just didn’t manage to catch on in the ever growing app market.

But now, thanks to a new partnership with Verizon, Color is looking to make a big comeback. Not only will Verizon start making the app standard on all new Android phones, but Color has also beefed up its’ own services, particularly in the video area which now has a better broadcast quality, sound with your live feed (for Verizon customers), and the ability to notify your friends immediately for live broadcast.

To celebrate (and most importantly, to promote), Color will be teaming with SNL to have the actors, crew, and guests take backstage footage of the evening, and fill in the breaks and commercials with exclusive footage that will be broadcast to anyone who friends Verizon on Facebook.

Color certainly seems more focused this time around. It’s no wonder either considering the recent $1 billion Instagram acquisition by Facebook, and how Facebook itself is preparing for the richest public offering anyone has ever seen. But if you’re looking for the new Color’s greatest motivation…that may actually be Twitter. It’s a smart move to try to set up a service that could be similar to Twitter, but uses video instead since that would seem to be the logical progression of the medium.

If you’re interested in the footage,you just have to like Verizon on Facebook, and download the Color for Facebook app on your mobile device. While Verizon customers are the only ones that get sound with the feed, anyone can sign up for it.

It’s easy to see that the team behind Color believes in their product, and their dedication to getting their name out there shows that. If the SNL show is a success, it’s easy to imagine the public imagination taking hold of this app and making something unique out of it.

And , maybe Mick will even sing “Start Me Up” for them.

Hey, it worked for Windows.

One of the primary advantages of living in a highly wired digital world is the ability to leverage mobile software to manage our finances on the go. Whether you prefer iOS, Android or BlackBerry, there’s an endless supply of mobile software on the market to help you keep track of bills and improve your finances. Here are five of the best currently available:

PageOnce

Easily one of the most capable cross-platform apps on the market for managing every aspect of your finances, boasts a bevy of features that should appeal to every consumer. It allows users to pay bills, check account balances, track investments and much more all from one handy interface. Available for iOS, BlackBerry and Android devices, it’s the perfect finance app for any platform.

Key Ring

A big part of prudent financial management is saving money whenever you can in your everyday life.Key Ring allows a user to dispose of their plastic loyalty and discount cards for grocery and electronics stores, gas stations and more by saving them digitally on their phone instead. Once you’ve digitized your loyalty accounts, you can check the app to see if there are any special deals currently available. With Key Ring, all you need to remember when you go out shopping is your smart phone.

Money Lover

The Money Lover app for iTunes and Google Play is yet another full-featured finance program that’s designed to track expenses and save money. Whether you’re looking to keep an eye on your consumer credit or trim some of the fat from your monthly budget, Money Lover is up to the task.

Mint.com

The Mint financial planning platform has been around for awhile now, and in that time it’s gained a large following online. Their mobile apps for Android and iOS allow you to link all of your financial accounts to one central administrative panel. With Mint’s handy mobile apps, you can find credit cards, manage bank accounts, track investments and more regardless of your location.

NestEgg Estimator

When it comes to planning for retirement, few apps can match NestEgg Estimator for Android in terms of value and features. It offers tips on how to lower taxes, 401K advice for maximizing returns over the long haul, interest calculators and more. If long-term financial planning is your primary concern, NestEgg Estimator is the way to fly.
Most of the best financial planning apps are cross-platform and can be used on an iPhone, an Android tablet or a BlackBerry handset. A few of the better ones like NestEgg Estimator are unfortunately tied to a single operating system. Regardless, it’s never been easier to manage your finances and plan for the future than it is today. Thanks to powerful and reliable mobile apps, you can easily manage your money directly from your mobile device.

We understand that household cleaning products aren’t necessarily the types of products Mom looks forward to receiving on Mother’s Day, but Dyson has revolutionized the vacuum cleaner market and is now the gold standard in that area. Many now realize that a Dyson can make your life so much easier with the superior technology.

Dyson keeps moving forward, and their recent innovation takes people back to canister vacuums of the past. The DC39 is Dyson’s first canister vacuum with Ball™ technology for stable maneuvering around the tightest corners. The unit is remarkably light and easy to maneuver, and the canister will be preferred by many over the upright vacuums as they make it so easy to get around and under furniture and also handle tough areas like carpeted steps.

The old canister cleaners are often awkward to steer and can topple. With Dyson’s Ball technology everything changes. Now it’s easy to move around, and you don’t feel like you’re dragging something that feels like a shopping cart. Sitting on a ball, DC39 has a lower center of gravity and is easier to pull without snagging on corners or the carpet pile. Coupled with a unique central steering system, it uses an articulating chassis and central pivot point for negotiating tight turns and circumnavigating sofas.

Also, because it’s a Dyson with its Radial Root Cyclone™ technology, the DC39 has superior suction and captures more microscopic dust than any other.

The DC39 makes for a great gift because it’s such a great product. Of course you might want to include something more personal or traditional like flowers or chocolate, but most moms will appreciate something as good as the DC39.

In a prior article on the Instagram Camera, I said that the potential legions of fans that the prototype would draw should probably take to Kickstarter.com, in a mob like fashion, to make that invention a reality. I meant that somewhat jokingly. Well, in just a short time fund raising on that very site, tech developer Eric Migicovsky, along with his “dream team”, and their invention The Pebble Watch have pretty much guaranteed that no one will be making jokes about Kickstarter ever again.

The Pebble watch, which raised an almost unfathomable $2.5 million in just three days on Kickstarter, is a smart watch that works with iPhone and Android devices. It’s essentially an evolution of the inPulse smart watch, also designed by Eric Migicovsky and Co., which worked with Blackberry devices. The Pebble takes certain apps and functions of your smart phone, like controlling your music playlists or providing a heads up when you receive a text message or phone call, and transfers them to the face of the watch. It has an e-ink display, is waterproof, scratchproof, keeps its’ charge for seven days, and even functions with an app developer program.

I’ve got to confess. As nice as all of that sounded, I wasn’t  particularly impressed with the device at first. Or at least I didn’t understand how a “smart watch” could garner so much interest and cash in such a short time. But to truly appreciate the Pebble’s uses, you have to see the video that accompanies the product on Kickstarter.

 

No this isn’t a world changing device. That would be the smartphone. Instead this is a rare device that realizes that if you can’t beat the smartphone, you could do worse for yourself than to become its’ best friend. The Pebble is practically designed for joggers and bicyclists, as it allows you to do things like view your distance traveled, control your music, and manage incoming messages and calls without ever once having to break your motion. Even for pedestrians or drivers, the Pebble’s benefits of being able to access some of the most practical apps of your phone, without having to reach for it, actually brings your phone back  to being a convenience and not a burden. Not to mention this finally makes the modern watch more than just jewelry, and also brings us one step closer to the sci-fi staple all purpose “wrist computer” (think Fallout’s Pip Boy device).

But really, the Pebble itself isn’t the story here. That belongs to Kickstarter. The idea of a program that could essentially allow consumers to choose the products they really want, without designers having to wade through the machine of corporate funding or personal loans for a project, was merely a vague notion whose successes have been treated as exceptions and novelty stories. But the Pebble has managed to raise over $10 million so far through Kickstarter  (10,169% of  its original goal), which is such an absurd figure that the developers are now pleading with people to stop contributing money as they have too much of it and can no longer meet demand.

Whatever success the Pebble watch has from here on out will be tied directly to Kickstarter. As word of the sites potential spreads, only time will tell if its’ bazaar of ideas will change certain foundations of commerce. But considering many people will be telling that time on their new Pebble watches, my guess is it’s got a pretty good shot.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) presented a special sneak preview of a number of upcoming products on the evening of April 18 at Studio 450, near Penn Station in Manhattan. Most of these products are officially premiering now or in June, but HP provided an elegant showcase to whet the appetites of consumers and professionals alike, with a variety of simulated environments ranging from a college dorm room to an elaborate in-flight setting. At this particular event, even the food was high-tech, with Nova Catering & Events providing a variety of delicious offerings, including a caprese salad hors d’oeuvre speared on a small capsule of vinaigrette which is then injected directly into the mouth.

The new products on display were every bit as impressive as the catering and, of course, the demo environments in which they were presented. One of the more popular environments was the “cafe” setting, wherein a variety of stylish new HP ENVY laptops were displayed, including the Sleekbook and its slightly larger counterpart, the Ultrabook. Both are made of natural materials and designed to be thin and lightweight, without sacrificing connectivity, usability or high quality picture and audio. In fact, despite being as thin as 19.8 mm and weighing less than four pounds, these laptops are equipped with Beats Audio and feature subwoofers for top sound quality. The HP ENVY Spectre, also displayed in the cafe setting, is even thinner and lighter at only 14.5 mm and 3.07 pounds; made entirely of aluminum, it is the younger cousin to the all-glass Spectra, launched in January.

The very impressive “frequent flyer airline cabin” setting also showcased a number of new HP laptops, including the EliteBook 8470p/8570p (expected to be available June 4), as well as a new mobile printer, the HP Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One. Purported to be the world’s first inkjet mobile all-in-one, this handy device weighs in at only 6.8 pounds and features built-in Bluetooth and a 2.36 inch color touchscreen to manage print, scan and copy tasks. Coupled with the EliteBook or one of HP’s other new laptops, this device gives the user an entire portable office weighing only 10 pounds, and the copy quality is surprisingly sharp, with very little degradation from the original.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the least popular demo environment was the standard office setting, despite an elaborate set-up that included a large San Jose Sharks banner (presumably the HP staff didn’t’ have time to switch it out for New York Rangers memorabilia). The home office “where I work” simulations fared better, and perhaps the most impressive product that I saw all evening was the HP Z1, an all-in-one workstation with an eye-catching display that snaps open and shut using a hydraulic system, and that allows the user to swap out parts and make upgrades without the use of any tools. As spokesman Jim Christensen said of his own fast learning curve with the workstation, “If even a marketing guy can figure it out, it must be user-friendly.”

We’ve been huge fans of the stunning Megan Fox since she first appeared in “Transformers,” so we’re definitely on board with the decision by Sharper Image to make Megan their new spokesperson. Given the sexy photo their using, they definitely know what they’re doing . . .

Imagine, just for a moment, a world without the iPhone. It’s tough, I know. Essentially every touchscreen experience you’re having today has been fundamentally shaped or directly influenced by Apple’s smartphone. But today, let’s take a quick step back to early 2007, when Apple had yet to introduce its industry-changing device.

Back then, Microsoft had nearly 40 percent of the mobile market share. The OS it hawked was nothing compared to Windows Phone 7, and not just by direct comparison. Even for its time, Microsoft on mobile was a clunky, frustrating mess. But still, it had 40 percent of the market. Fast forward to today. It’s more than a year since Microsoft unveiled an ambitious, stylish operating system on some very strong hardware (the initial HTC handsets were great) and its market share is plummeting, down 50 percent from the same time last year. According to comScore, Microsoft’s mobile share is down to 3.9 percent of the total market this year, and it isn’t going up.

Microsoft’s modern mobile operating system wasn’t too little. In fact, it’s pretty damn solid. It’s just too late. Way too late. Redmond is still trying to find a way to make things work but everything is a non-starter. Even the deal with Nokia, which has already turned out a device that can rival the iPhone, will do nothing to save Windows Phone 7, and it’s easy to see why. There is no reason to switch.

Last March I was given an HTC Inspire for review. It was my first serious experience with Android and I fell in love. The integration with Google products, the notification bar that has since been cannibalized by Apple, the flexibility and power in different handsets and ROMs – I loved all of it. I dropped my iPhone and haven’t looked back. What does Microsoft have? Bing? Xbox Live? The first might be a joke, but Xbox Live is pretty serious business. If there’s one place Apple and Google fail, it’s social. Could Microsoft find a way to take the world’s most volatile gaming network and turn it into a mobile powerhouse?

Maybe, but it’s hard to imagine users suddenly abandoning app stores for whatever Microsoft might throw together. Of course, it was also hard to imagine a world without Symbian but here we are. Even so, a compelling social offer probably wouldn’t be enough, and Xbox Live is too niche to really carry Windows Phone. Unfortunately for the good people in Redmond, “just as good as those other guys” is not going to be nearly good enough. If Microsoft wants to regain market share of any kind, they need to something huge–I’m talking smartphones embedded on human retinas and eardrums huge–to be relevant in the mobile universe.

Although it’s still a staple of the business world, the BlackBerry has fallen pretty far behind the iPhone and Android devices with most other consumers, prompting the team at RIM to demonstrate that they’re not as far out of touch as it might seem. Enter the Challenge Council Project, a new campaign led by Amir Blumenfeld and Streeter Seidell of College Humor (along with a mix of celebrities, bloggers and BlackBerry lovers across the country) with one mission in mind: to turn misconceptions on their ear and prove that the BlackBerry brand has the goods to make believers out of everyone.

For the next three months, Streeter and Amir will be presenting a series of funny videos designed to highlight a core feature of the latest BlackBerry smartphones. In addition to cameos by special guests like Dax Shepard and LMFAO’s Sky Blue, each webisode will also feature a challenge designed to let the online community experience what the new BlackBerry line-up is capable of. Participants can upload their content entries to the site where the Challenge Council will determine the winners, with prizes ranging from event tickets to cool trips for you and your friends. The first challenge is already underway and will be accepting submissions until April 18th, so be sure to visit the official Challenge Council Project website on the following dates for details on the remaining challenges.

Challenge 2: 04/26/2012
Challenge 3: 05/10/2012
Challenge 4: 05/24/2012
Challenge 5: 06/07/2012

We were sent the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 to check out some of the latest features that RIM has implemented, but despite some noteworthy improvements – including the BBM Music app, a faster processor and one of the better physical keyboards on the smartphone market – unless you were a BlackBerry user before, chances are pretty slim that the Bold 9900 will change your mind. Though I did like how easy it was to navigate through the system menus using the ultra-responsive trackpad, it only made the touchscreen display seem that much more useless. At a size of only 2.8 inches, browsing websites is practically futile, while those with fat fingers are likely to run into some trouble pressing the intended icon.

With that said, however, RIM shouldn’t be too concerned about competing with the likes of Apple and Android, because although the Bold 9900 lacks a large screen, a decent web browser and a comparable app store (among other things), it’s still a great tool for businessmen who just want a reliable email/messaging device without all the fuss. That may not sound like a glowing endorsement, but as a longtime iPhone user, it’s hard to see any advantage to using a BlackBerry when it’s so limited by what it can do.

Nevertheless, we know that there are a lot of BlackBerry fans out there who swear by the device, which is why Bullz-Eye is giving one lucky reader their very own BlackBerry Bold 9900 so that you can experience some of these new features for yourself and partake in the Challenge Community Project. Click here to enter for your chance to win. The contest ends on May 9th and the winner will be notified via email.

NOTE: We received this BlackBerry 9900 from Research In Motion, but the opinion is 100% our own.

There are a lot of gadgets out in the marketplace these days fighting for your hard-earned dollars, and one of the latest to garner serious buzz is the Nike+ FuelBand, a fitness bracelet that tracks your daily activity using a three-axis accelerometer inside the device. Nike is doing its very best to build hype for the FuelBand by releasing it in limited quantities and therefore keeping demand high, but at a rather pricey $150, is it even worth it? I was given a FuelBand to test out for one week and arrived at the following conclusion: it’s complicated.

Nike has done a great job with the overall presentation of the FuelBand; it’s simple yet stylish, and although the band is a little more rigid than expected, it’s so lightweight that you’ll forget you’re even wearing it most of the time. (I actually went to sleep wearing mine every night). Additionally, the band is water resistant, so you can feel free to wear it in the shower or the rain without worrying about it short-circuiting on you. Of course, I wouldn’t have risked it if I had actually paid for mine, but Nike says it’s okay as long as you’re not completely submerging it in water, so hopefully that’ll put your mind at ease.

In addition to the bracelet itself (which can be purchased in three different sizes: small, medium and large), the FuelBand comes with two extension links (8mm and 16mm) to fine-tune your fit, a sizing tool that makes adding and removing them a breeze, and a USB charging stand for when it’s plugged into your computer. I was a little surprised at how long it took for the band to charge via the USB connecter (which also functions as the bracelet’s clasp), but the battery life is remarkably good, running on a single charge for the entire week despite Nike’s claim that it would only last for four days.

The FuelBand works in much the same way as other fitness bracelets or pedometers on the market – tracking the number of calories burned and steps taken – but what sets it apart is the concept of Nike Fuel, a points-based system that represents your level of activity for the day. You earn Fuel for just about anything you do (walking, running, pouring milk into a bowl of cereal, etc.) and can even set daily goals that the FuelBand tracks with a strip of colored lights located just below the main LED matrix. As you get closer to hitting your goal, the lights progress from red, to orange, to yellow, and finally to green, celebrating your achievement with Jumbotron-style flair. And if that wasn’t enough, the device also has a built-in watch function, which I found to be really useful.

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The custom gaming/performance PC market is probably best known for its garish, overwrought case design and the staggering price of entry. Price comes down quite a bit as buyers look to build their own machines, but for a lot of people, pre-built is a fine option. It doesn’t require any technical expertise and there’s the added benefit of manufacturer product support. Buying a pre-built machine does involve some amount of compromise; you don’t get to pick every peripheral in the machine and there is the aforementioned aesthetic issue. When HP contacted me to test a machine that bucks the aesthetic trend, I was intrigued. After a few weeks with the HPE Phoenix h9xt I now have something I never thought I would have–a high-end pre-built I would actually recommend to a friend.

It goes without saying that custom PC builders can turn back now. I’m not going to be speaking your lanugage here, and neither is HP. You aren’t the market they’re trying to reach, and with good reason. You know your machine as well as any support tech and have likely ripped it apart a thousand times just so you could rebuild it. The Phoenix line is aimed at folks who want performance but don’t have interest in all that goes into building a machine. Different strokes, friends.

To that end, HP really delivers. The spec list of my HPE Phoenix h9xt is as follows:
· Windows 7 Home Premium [64-bit]
· Core i7-3930k six-core processor [3.2GHz]
· 10 GB DDR3 RAM [3 DIMMs]
· 2 TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive
· Blu-ray player & SuperMultiDVD burner
· AMD Radeon HD 6850 graphics [1GB]
· 2 top-mounted USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0
· Price as configured $1,799 (starting price $999)

This is not, by any means, the PC I would build were I to build one myself. Pairing a $600 processor with a $150 video card is just downright odd, but as with any machine at this price point, the HPE Phoenix h9xt can be customized to suit your needs. My first step would be to downgrade the processor and upgrade the video card. I don’t do anything that requires a bleeding-edge processor, but if you do, it’s there.

You may have balked at the 10GB of RAM–I know I did. It’s a 3-DIMM build, which seemed really bizarre until I learned that the motherboard runs with quad-channel support. I would still probably rather see a 12GB or 16GB configuration, but with quad-channel memory I was never hurting for performance.

None of the tech mumbo jumbo is really all that important, though. HP has been around for decades. If they couldn’t make a decent computer by now they wouldn’t still be in business. As for aesthetics, well, the market so far has proven that gamer’s aren’t really visual people. They’re into overstimulation of every sense. They like flashing lights, bulbous cases and all other variations on the grotesque. I know, it seems foolish to worry about aesthetics on a machine built for performance, but if we can learn anything from Apple (oh yeah, have you seen their market cap?) it’s that people value style.

HP took that lesson to heart when designing the Phoenix line of machines. I actually muttered the word “wow” when I pulled it out of its box. Not “WOW!” Just, “wow,” because it’s an understated look. It’s the kind of machine you could actually sit on your desktop without risking jeers from domestic visitors. It won’t scare off prospective mates. In short, the Phoenix is a sleeper–the kind of machine that performs exactly when you need it to without getting showy.

I never thought I would walk away from a pre-built machine thinking, “damn, I would buy that.” And yet, that’s exactly what I would be saying if I was someone else. I realize that’s a strange way to compliment HP, but to be fair, the HPE Phoenix h9xt isn’t designed for me. It isn’t designed for someone who knows the smell of a dying DIMM. It’s designed for the casual but committed power user. The not-quite-pro-sumer. This machine was created for guys who would be buying an Alienware but have too much self-respect, and for those guys I think it’s an excellent solution.