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tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 32 – Lions vs. Cougars – 10/14/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech582 days ago

An American, a Canadian, and an Englishman walk into a podcast to talk about technology. They are Tested’s Will and Matt, and Apple expert Gary Whitta respectively. The first topic is media streamers. Leaping off from the Roku XD|S – essentially a non-Apple Apple TV — they talk about other such boxes and the death of channel surfing. Matt brings the Eye-Fi wireless memory card to the table. It’s a camera accessory that automatically uploads photos to services like Flickr. Will’s round-about solution to video chat...

tested

Episode 31 – Special Guests! – 10/07/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech588 days ago

Will’s had a little trouble setting up Apple TV on his old TV, but that doesn’t stop him, Norm, and Ana discussing Apple’s video-streaming device. It’s got a few compatibility issues with files you already have, but it’s great for renting and streaming video. They’ve also had a look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Norm prefers its keyboard to the iPad’s, but he and Will agree that the web is a better experience on Apple’s tablet. Apart from expensive “poop coffee“, that’s all the new...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 30 – Minecraft Minecraft Minecraft – 9/30/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech595 days ago

Will, Norm, and Ana start this show with some of the landmark feats of engineering exhibited in Tested’s Minecraft server. They also mention the exotic, fecal coffee they’ll be testing next week before moving on to the week’s news. The Nintendo 3DS (yay!) will be $300 (boo!) in Japan. The price could change by March, when it’s released in North America and Europe. Blackberry kicks off its tablet-computing push with the sportily-named Playbook. It looks impressive, but Will’s not convinced it can live up to its concept. DisplayMate’s...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 29 – Four People! FOUR! – 9/22/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech601 days ago

The Whiskey Media podcast room held four people for this week’s show — Tested’s Will Smith, Norman Chan, and Ana Hurka-Robles and regular guest Gary Whitta. Gary doesn’t understand Minecraft, so the Tested staff explain the multiplayer Lego game to him. Norm also offers him Civilization 5 tutoring. They move on to talk about Ana’s Firefox add-ons, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 9. Although IE9 is fast, Norm doesn’t think it has enough features to tempt him away from Firefox. Amazon’s new Kindle advert...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 28 – The Tangent Has a Tangent – 9/16/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech609 days ago

Maybe there’s something in the air around Giant Bomb’s staff, because this is one of the least on-topic podcasts Tested have put out. Will, Norm, and Gary still manage to fit plenty of tech news and reviews into just over an hour. After starting with some weird tangents, they discuss Will and Norm’s smart-phone battery test. Their results weren’t that useful, because who uses a smart-phone for calls only? The office’s newest toy — a remote-controlled quadricopter — is a lot of fun, but expensive. Norm’s...

This is Only a Test

This is Only a Test – Episode 27 – Before the Big Live Live Show – 9/08/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech617 days ago

Released early, so as not to clash with the live Big Live Live Show: Live show (now archived here), it’s This is Only a Test. First off, Norm talks about his time at the Penny Arcade Expo. He found a legitimate reason to be there, as Microsoft were showing Windows Phone 7. He saw some original games and ports of iPhone titles that now have achievements. He also played Duke Nukem Forever, and some Catan and Tower Defense on Microsoft’s Surface — a $10,000 touch-screen coffee-table. They dismissively breeze through news of the...

This is Only a Test

This is Only a Test – Episode 26 – Gary vs. The Reality Distortion Field – 9/1/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech624 days ago

Something Apple-related happened this week. Incidentally, Gary Whitta is back. Before they get to Apple’s announcements, Norm has been using Amazon’s new Kindle e-reader, which has recently been given a smaller, sleeker redesign. Gary’s sticking with the iPad Kindle app for reading, and Will has been tinkering with coffee beans. CyanogenMod 6.0 — a community-built version of the Android mobile OS — was released this week. It’s the main alternative to manufacturers’ own interfaces, which slow phones down...

This is Only a Test

This is Only a Test – Episode 25 – Goat Prawn – 8/26/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech630 days ago

Tested seem to have come to the conclusion that bigger is better, as they’ve upped the amount of podcasters to four this week. Will and Norm are joined by Tested staffers Ana and Matt. Matt’s had a quick play with Windows Phone 7 and reports back. It’s slick, clean, and better than Kin. They discuss Apple’s patent of a new interface for iMacs. It’ll mix a touch screen with a keyboard and mouse. Will sounds doubtful of the applications this could have before they remember they shouldn’t have started the news segment...

This is Only a Test

Episode 24 – Tested vs. Unsexy News Week – 08/19/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech637 days ago

Will and Norm are sticking with a three-podcaster formation this week, inviting Ana to join them. Ana’s popped up in a few Tested videos before — she’s usually behind the camera though. In front of the camera, this week, the Tested crew have been throwing water on electrical sockets, cold-brewing coffee, and drinking celery. Will’s new shoes prompt a discussion on the merits of cyborg feet and they talk about water sensors in phones. While Will has been trying Neer, a more personal location-tracking service, Facebook have...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 23 – It’s Just Like Solomon – 8/11/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech644 days ago

Gary Whitta is back and there’s barely any Apple news this week. Is he going to be a fixture on this podcast? Although Will and Norm have been playing StarCraft 2, Gary is waiting until he’s built his new PC (live on Tested, today (Friday 13th) at 3PM Pacific. Edit: video archived here). Two new Android phones are out this week — Motorola’s Droid 2, and Dell’s Streak. The crew talk about the annoyances of pre-installed software, hardware vs. touch keyboards, and the return of side-talking. Rumors about iTV (the rebranded...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 22 – The Norville Barnes Appreciation Episode – 8/5/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech651 days ago

Tested’s “Mac fanboy correspondent” Gary Whitta joins anchormen Will and Norm for a barrage of tech news. First though, they talk about the products they’ve been testing. Gary bought the Apple Magic Trackpad, but it hasn’t replaced his mouse. Will’s tried seven gaming headsets and a 12-hour method of coffee-brewing. Next they discuss future products, starting with rumors of new iPods and iPads, RIM’s new Blackberry announcement, and Amazon’s Kindle 3 announcement. Microsoft showed some impressive...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 21 – Massive Outtakes – 7/28/2010

by Alex Martin in Tech658 days ago

The Samsung Captivate is an impressive piece of hardware with a poor UI. Will’s replaced his iPhone 4 with the Android smart phone, and talks about the third-party solutions to its software problems. The Library of Congress has issued new exceptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright act, allowing people to jailbreak phones, and crack DVDs and games. StarCraft 2 came out this week, and Will’s been playing that on his own. He says the single-player challenges train players for multiplayer, but he hasn’t yet ventured online. A host...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 20 – This is a Zed-Free Zone – 7/22/2010

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech665 days ago

It’s been a slow news week for tech. So with Norm at Comic Con, Tested writer Matt Braga joins from Canada for a QA episode. First, though, they have a less tightly regimented chat than usual. They’ve been maintaining a Team Fortress 2 server and playing Alien Swarm — the new, free top-down shooter from the makers of Left 4 Dead. They briefly discuss Matt’s sci fi feature and Will’s (unfavorable) iPhone 4 review. He’s moving on to an Android so they talk about some of the handsets he could buy. The last half...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 19 – Can We Stop Talking About the iPhone 4′s Antenna?

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech670 days ago

Gary Whitta (screenwriter and games/tech enthusiast) steps in for the ill Norman Chan. He and Will Smith start talking about the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud server Will set up for Team Fortress 2. This flows into a discussion on the game, the Engineer update, and microphone headsets. They stick with games for the news, with the disappointing cancellation of 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live. Both were taken with the novel live quiz-show format. The Android Market has surpassed 100, 000 apps. Will and Gary compare Google’s philosophy with Apple’s,...

tested

This is Only a Test – Episode 18 – We’ve Got New Digs Baby! – 7/8/2010

by Alex Martin in Games679 days ago

The first news Will and Norm get into is of the death of Microsoft’s Kin. They sold anything between 500 and 8000 of the feature-phones. Will liked the smaller form factor of the Kin One, but ultimately a lack of smart-phone features and a high price killed it. The Nexus One gets an OS update to Android 2.2 this week. It’s a good iteration over 2.1, but Will doesn’t expect any big changes until Gingerbread — Android 3.0. John Lewis (they weren’t sure but yes, it is the UK’s Macy’s) has said the next iPod...

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    Episode 092 - PTW ahoy!
    Games, tech, and the usual, for the last time. Hello Podcast Thing Weekly.

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