Google Wave, a web app which allowed for real-time communication and collaboration, is no longer being developed as of today by Google. On a blog post, Google said, “We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.”

We’ve reviewed the Boxee HTPC application, but news just came in yesterday that the Boxee Box is now being produced and should be available in November. The Boxee Box is a little box that runs the Boxee application without any need for a computer. The hardware is being produced by D-Link, a networking company that has never seemed to satisfy me with their routers (that’s just me of course). It was first announced at CES 2010, and the box has gone through much changes since then. Some of the differences include weight changes, nicer plastic, and a smudge-free surface. I think that this is starting to look very promising and I’m waiting to get some video of the actual performance of the thing. If I’m going to consider getting it, it must perform faster than my netbook when in the application. It doesn’t necessarily have to have better specifications since it’s actually going to be running the Boxee software natively and it should run well. Here’s a video that explains the Boxee Box in full detail:

The first Boxee Box arrived from the D-Link Factory from Zach Klein on Vimeo.

David – Senior Editor

Microsoft’s Outlook Social Connector (often referred to as OSC) has been long known to let you connect your Outlook contacts with social networks such as LinkedIn and MySpace. They have just added Windows Live and Facebook support. Just recently, Microsoft teamed up with Facebook to allow people with contacts on Outlook connect them to their Facebook profiles. And it works pretty well. By selecting an email, I was able to click on a contact in Outlook 2010 to connect to a social network. It the only social network available on the wizard should be “My Site” until you download some from here. On the site, you can download social network connectors, which now include Facebook and Windows Live. Then, on the wizard, all you have to do is enter your credentials and look the person up in the social network of your choice. Though I haven’t really played with it much, I did notice that the email you are trying to add has to already have a Facebook account to add them, so if the person has multiple emails, you may have to ask which one they use for their Facebook, which isn’t always the most comfortable thing to do. I know that Outlook itself is a very solid email client, and this just adds to its already socially-connected features.

David – Senior Editor

Last weekend (July 8-11), a new-age convention began at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Los Angeles called Vidcon. Hosted and created by the Vlogbrothers, otherwise known as Hank and John Green, Vidcon featured a variety of popular web video presenters from web sensation Shane Dawson to the CEO of Revision3, Jim Louderback.

Discussions at Vidcon ranged from how the web changes our interactions with others around the world to how cat videos have impacted the lives of video-makers. Along with these presentations, several YouTubers also hosted meet-ups and Q&A’s on stage.

Vidcon was funded by ticket costs and a long list of sponsors. Ticket prices (depending on when purchased) ranged from $40 to $140.

As of now, there has been no official news that the conference will return for another year but many are speculating (especially due to the popularity) that there is a high chance that it will.

Lev – Lead Writer

Edit – OnLive now supports gaming over Wi-Fi

Many people who are subscribed to the OnLive game streaming service were disappointed to find that when they first launched the service, an Ethernet connection is required to use OnLive. I saw a video on YouTube demonstrating the service on an iPad. The iPad, of course, was using a wireless Internet connection and it seemed like it was running flawlessly. My main computer is a full story higher than my router, so using Ethernet wasn’t an option if I wanted to level up my hunter in Borderlands. I had a to find a way to use it over WiFi, so I did.

Just a few days back, Kodak showed off a new pocket HD camcorder called the “Playsport” at CES 2010. This camera featured ruggedness, waterproofing and the Zi8′s sensor, capable of 1080p video.

Today, we found a release date on the camera’s Amazon page!

It is set to be released April 5, 2010!

Lev – Founding Editor, TechReevu.com

If you were expecting an update to the Kodak Zi6′s firmware, you’re out of luck.

According to the Kodak booth at CES, there will no longer be anymore updates to the Zi6′s firmware, due to the release to the Kodak Zi8. Meaning, you can either purchase the Zi8 or, figure out how to hack the firmware like these guys tried to over at the Vimeo forums – “Editing the Zi6 Firmware”

That’s about it for Kodak’s very first pocket camcorder.

Lev – Founding Editor, TechReevu.com

Sony has announced that they are no longer using the Memory Stick Duo as the only storage device in their cameras! You’ll soon be able to chose between using the Duo or an SD card!

This change will occur to the parts of the Handycam and Cybershot lines this year!

If you’d like to read my previous rant on the Memory Stick Duo, read it Here!

Lev – Founding Editor, TechReevu.com

Image Courtesy: Memorystick.com

Halo 3 ODST is a new Halo “expansion” developed by  Bungie in 2009. This time  around you play as an  Orbital Drop Shock Trooper  (ODST) instead of Master  Chief. Inside the box you  will immediately notice that there are two disks, one that contains the campaign and, the new mode firefight. The second one is a Halo 3 Multiplayer disc that contains all of the multiplayer maps found in Halo 3.

First we have the campaign. You mainly take role of a UNSC ODST, a rookie. Like Master Chief, he never shows his face. The game takes place on New Mombasa after a fatal crash landing. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but, what I can tell you is, after finishing the ODST campaign I noticed that it was short, but enjoyable. While playing as an ODST you are weaker since you’re not a super soldier (spartan). But, playing as an ODST has its advantages too. You get a new silenced SMG with a 2x scope and, a silenced pistol with a 4x zoom. You also get a new feature called the VISR which gives the player a compass and it outlines objects, allies, and enemies. It also allows you to see better in the dark.

The new multiplayer mode, Firefight, is like horde mode in Gears of War 2, if you’ve ever played it. You and up to three other players can fight waves of covenant forces. All of the maps for firefight are based on campaign levels and are unlocked when you beat certain levels during the campaign.

The multiplayer (found on the second disk) is basically the Halo 3 Multiplayer aside from 3 new maps from the Mythic Map Pack. There really isn’t that much to say about the second disk. If you don’t own any of the additional Halo 3 maps the value of this game will probably be worth more to you than somebody that owns just Halo 3.

Overall the game looks about the same as the previous game but definitely feels different. After playing the game I was a bit disappointed. I can see why Bungie originally wanted to make it just an expansion, but it would’ve been more interesting to see a completely different game. Although, if you’re a die-hard Halo fan, this is a must-own title. While the campaign is short, it still is fun, plus Firefight and all of the multiplayer maps are enough to keep you busy for a while. The point being: buy the game if you love Halo (and/or Bungie.) If not, plenty of other enjoyable games are out as well.

Edward – Editor, TechReevu.com

Note: Image Credit: VGBlogger.com

I have had 2 other Xbox 360′s in the past few years. So, what’s new about this one? Though mostly cosmetic adjustments, this Xbox features a 120GB Hard Drive, as well as the new “Jasper” chip, which was added into the Xbox 360 line just a year or two ago. What I don’t like about this new Xbox is the lack of component cables. Unlike most people, I rarely used HDMI for my Xbox since, I have a lot of other devices plugged into my Sony Bravia. Plus, it was a lot simpler to record video via a capture card (Composite.) If you’d like to see those changes, watch the video above.

Lev – TechReevu.com, Founding Editor

P.S. We’re (mostly) back :)