Gearfuse

In preparation for the tremendous Christmas rush, EA Sports has taken it upon themselves to open a pair of stores, one in San Francisco, one in Boston, dedicated to only one game: EA Sports Active.

Sure, the demand for Active is so exceedingly high that normal retail outlets are sure to be bombarded with a stampede of eager EA maniacs… really, it requires its own storefront? And not only one… but two? And are there actually people in there that aren’t employees? Who are these people?

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I’m not quite sure how this Donkey Kong soda monster remains standing while simultaneously defying the laws of gravity in several places. In fact, it might be shopped for all I care.

All I know is that I have a sudden craving for root beer.

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Look, I’m not going to lecture you about what you should be eating or drinking. I don’t know how your lifestyle works. But I can tell you this: Vitamin Water won’t make you thin but if you are big on the soda and junk food, it’s a good way to start weening yourself off that crap. Those of you in NYC will no longer need to hit up the local bodega for a bottle of the good stuff. Coca-Cola, the parent company, is opening up a “pop up” Vitamin Water store in the old Helio store on Broadway in SoHo. It opens tomorrow but the question is: What will go on in there? Are they just going to sell Vitamin Water? Coke products? Apparel?

We need answers! I think I’ll investigate tomorrow afternoon and will report back this weekend.

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Wow. What happened? Is everyone OK? Let’s take a minute and figure out what went down this morning:

Apple takes webstore down

Apple puts webstore back up with new iPod Shuffle

New device features minimalist design, no controls on device

You must use Apple headphones with the Shuffle in order to control the music

4GB capacity, $79 price tag

VoiceOver technology tells you track information over your headphones

I’m really not sure what to make of this. The player itself is absolutely fucking tiny. Like, just too tiny. And the control scheme being integrated into the headphones? Ouch. Bad idea, Apple. However, 4GB for $79 remains a decent buy, even in this economy. Are you gonna buy one?
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Gizmodo has a few pictures of the last day of Circuit City. Inside? Nothing but fixtures that were apparently sold to a local Best Buy store. I bet Best Buy employees get free cake today. Mmmm, cake.

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I don’t know how I should feel about this. I’m very scared and feel very confused. In a move that is very unlike them, Best Buy decided to open up its entire product catalog to developers via an API. Dubbed “Remix,” the API will allow developers to earn affiliate cash by using Best Buy’s images, information and, of course, online store.

This is really neat to an extent. Best Buy could be huge dicks about what you do with the API but if they’re smart, they’ll let someone create an iPhone app and then buy it off them or cut them some revenue from it. Now that’s the beauty of sharing data.

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If you live near a major city in the United States, chances are, you’ve seen or visited a Chipotle. See, Chipotle is a delicious. It is fast, delicious (though a bit pricey) Mexican food where burritos are the size of your child’s head. That’s why I’m incredibly excited that it has created an iPhone application for ordering Chipotle when you’re on the go. Order burritos, tacos, bowls and all the other good stuff they offer just by touching your iPod or iPhone.

Unfortunately, the app apparently had a lot of bugs and has been temporarily removed from Apple’s App Store. Bummer. I was craving a chicken burrito.

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Macworld begins today with a keynote from Apple. Steve Jobs won’t be coming and the Apple Store is down, so I’m curious to see what will come out of today. Look for our coverage after 1PM EST.

Not going to lie here. I picked up a 16GB iPod Touch from Apple on Black Friday for a pretty cheap $279 after taxes. I’m hooked. Addicted. I can’t put the damn thing down. It seems I also managed to go on an app buying spree. Hit the jump to see all the shit I bought/downloaded off iTMS in a three day period. I feel eerily similar to Lisa Simpson.

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Love it or hate it, the Zune isn’t the hit Microsoft hoped that it would be. The current $14.95 a month Zune Pass subscription model hasn’t been attracting enough subscribers, so in an effort to generate more revenue, Microsoft will offer subscribers 10 free tracks to keep each month. 10 free songs a month isn’t a bad idea, but it’s not enough to really lure in a whole new audience. Says Adam Sohn of Microsoft:

Microsoft marketing director Adam Sohn said that Microsoft saw some boost when it targeted its advertising specifically around subscriptions but said that the total number of subscribers is less than the company would like.

“It’s not grown as fast as we’d like it so we think this will give it a shot in the arm,” Sohn said, declining to say how many Zune Pass subscribers Microsoft currently has.

I give the Zune another 12 to 16 months before Microsoft pulls the plug. What say you?

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