Video: Apple AirPods unboxing and first impressions

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

For those who were quick enough to order Apple's anticipated AirPods, they began arriving today and were available in limited quantities at Apple Retail Stores. We received our order today and have just set up the AirPods to work with our main smartphone, the iPhone SE.

Out of the box, the AirPods are encased in their tiny charging case. This small, white case does look like a fancy case for dental floss, contact lenses or some other medical apparatus. There are hints of metal in the design of this case as well as a small recessed button. Apple does provide a lightning charger in the box.

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Google enters premium smartphone game with Pixel and Pixel XL

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Google is now a player in the smartphone game. While the company did dabble in creating specific devices with hardware partners during its now defunct Nexus phase, it left the building of the hardware to OEMs. Nexus is all but dead and there are valid reasons for that. Google is looking forward to a future where they make the whole widget in order to ensure the best experience. 

The 5-inch Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL represent the most cohesive idea of a Google Phone since the first Android device shipped eight years ago. The Pixel devices are flagship phones (they start at $899) that boast top-tier specs, camera performance that Google says will beat any smartphone as well as a bevy of intelligent assistant features powered by Google services. 

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First look at the BlackBerry Passport

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

As I just received my BlackBerry Passport yesterday, it will take me a few weeks to put together a proper review of this most unusual yet intriguing new smartphone. 

Geared towards enterprise users and folks who are heavy into text input either through SMS, BBM, email and social media, the Passport brings the most innovative QWERTY keyboard we've seen from BlackBerry and merges it with some clever software as well as a truly unique 4.5-inch touchscreen.

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Video: First look at the Apple Watch

Apple's first wearable is quite a knockout device. The Apple Watch broke ground today in an unprecedented launch event that saw newer, bigger iPhones, an Apple Pay mobile payments platform and the revolutionary Apple Watch. While it is still coming in 2015, the family of Apple Watches offer the gamut of wearable, health tracker, iPhone extension as well as remote control for Apple TV and iTunes. Here's our exclusive first look at the latest from Apple. Check out my first impressions on this new wearable. Here are some more images from our slideshow.