ons

Ouya game console adds OnLive, outs controller

If you've questioned the Ouya's core gaming chops, developer Boxer8's might have addressed some of your concerns about its Android-based, Kickstarter-funded game console this morning. The company says it has secured Ouya support from game streaming company OnLive, which will add its large cloud gaming library alongside the Ouya's own game store.

By bringing in OnLive, Ouya can boast AAA-quality titles like Warner Bros' Batman: Arkham City, THQ's upcoming DarkSiders II, and UbiSoft's Assassin's Creed games. Not every major game publisher offers its wares on OnLive -- Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts are notable absentees, but by adding even some console-quality titles alongside the likes of Angry Birds, the Ouya console will likely gain some respectability among core gamers.… Read more

Display time and weather info on Chrome's new tab page

The new tab screen in Chrome normally displays a thumbnail grid of your most visited sites or a list of your Chrome apps. But how often do you really make use of either of those screens? If you're a weather junkie, you might like a Chrome extension called Currently. It's a very simple extension that displays the current time, date, and weather forecast.

You can still access your old screens by clicking on the icon in the lower-right-hand corner of the screen. If you don't like the dark color, you can change it to light (gray) or … Read more

Episode 6: The most extreme torture test yet

This is the week that the torture test really comes into its own, I think. We decided to toughen up and test the brand-new 11-inch Apple MacBook Air. Yeah, I know. Yikes. But I really want to test portable devices, and the Air is the epitome of portable, is it not?

We're down to a good rhythm with heat, cold, dropping, and water, and we're really trying to figure out how to make the wild card tests true to life. So, when three or four viewers tweeted me and told me they had put their MacBook Airs on … Read more

Noontec Zoro: A new high for $100 headphones?

It's impossible to keep up with all of the new headphones crowding the market, but great-sounding headphones are still pretty rare. The Noontec Zoro is the rarest of the rare, an audiophile-oriented design that's affordably priced.

The headband and earcups' high gloss finish conform to the fashion of our times, and the headphone's build quality is good for the money. The hinged steel headband allows the headphone to fold up and fit inside the included soft carry case, and the user-replaceable headphone cable is tangle-free and plugs into the left earcup. Both ends of the 48-inch long, … Read more

Firefox 14 may break your theme

Firefox users who've installed a custom theme may bump into trouble if they upgrade to the latest version of the browser.

Released earlier this week, Firefox 14 offers a few enhancements, including better security. But it comes with one gotcha -- lack of support for a lot of existing themes.

Many Firefox users probably know that they can change the style of their browser by installing one of many custom themes, available at the Themes section on Mozilla's Add-Ons page. You can choose from among hundreds of different themes to customize the look and feel of Firefox's … Read more

The iPad has revolutionized the NFL

As players line up across imaginary lines, eyeballing their opponents, wrapped in armor, capped by helmets, and ready to smash into each other with ferocious abandon, it becomes difficult to imagine that this heathen-esque sport, a staple of American athletic fandom, has been completely revolutionized by touch screens.

Specifically, it is Apple's iPad that has changed the way the NFL handles its mental component.

As Jeff Darlington explains on NFL.com, the process by which information is obtained by players and coaches will never be the same. … Read more

Episode 5: We get physical!

Hello Internet. Eileen here, Supervising Producer for Always On. Molly is on vacation, so I'm filling in to give you a little background on this week's episode!

This week we get physical! Molly is in the best shape of her life and was inspired by her road test of both the Nike+ FuelBand and Fit Bit Ultra to enter her first half-marathon! She said to me, "I think we need to stay true to the extreme nature of the show. How about I sign up for a half-marathon?!?"

At first I thought she was crazy to … Read more

Episode 4: Torture-testing the Samsung Galaxy S3

I think we're starting to get better at this torture-test thing, which is bad news for gadgets.

In preparing to test the Samsung Galaxy S3, I decided the oven we used for the iPad test didn't seem quite right. So I set about trying to devise a new heat contraption that would simulate the baking hot interior of a car parked in the sun, or the heat of the sun on a phone sitting out on the beach, or a similar real-life heat test.

At first, I was on the hunt for some kind of a heat-proof box … Read more

Episode 3: Where Google has more money than sense

The debate about "unboxing" rages on, so in this week's Always On episode, I actually get down to using a pocket knife to open up the new Google Nexus 7 and Nexus Q. And I try to bring back some of that old Molly snark so many of you have been asking for. Sometimes it's hard to put together a whole show and then remember to write in the personality! I'm working on it, though.

I had a pretty great time running around Google I/O, mainly because of the food, and of course, the … Read more