Gadgenator

Gadgenator is back!

2013-03-09T16:25:00.001+02:00

Welcome! I haven't been blogging since 2011 and now I'm back, sharing the latest technology news, gadget reviews and showcases on gadgets from exhibitions running throughout the year. I'll keep you updated with announcements on all kinds of stuff as soon as it happens, and give you peeks of our gadgets coming in the near future (like Google Glasses) so make sure to visit Gadgenator daily.

Today on Gadgenator

2011-01-12T10:57:00.001+02:00

Question for Today

Will you buy a Tablet instead of a Laptop?

Tweet your answer to Gadgenatorblog

CES 2011: Next-Generation Surface Gets Official Shots And Specs

2011-01-12T10:49:00.000+02:00

Of course, you’re unlikely to see one in your home any time soon: they cost $7600. I suppose that’s what you have to expect to pay for 1920×1080=2457600 tiny camera-pixels. Or whatever they are. The Samsung SUR40 is 40″, but the name suggests we’ll be seeing more sizes.

More info at the Surface blog.

The Microsoft Surface 2.0 Experience

Skype sees record usage; 27 million simultaneous logins

2011-01-12T10:36:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, Skype saw a record 27 million users simultaneously logged on to its network. During peak hours, the company sees close to 25 million Skypers logged on to its network. The surge in users coincides with the conclusion of the holiday season, where, presumably, more users were gifted computers and mobile devices that can run Skype’s popular chat software. The numbers should continue to rise in the coming months, especially with the company’s push to be on more smartphones and internet connected TVs — thanks to its SkypeKit APIs.

Android 2.4 (Ice Cream) to be released in June or July 2011?

2011-01-12T10:34:00.000+02:00

According to blog Pocket-lint, yes. The publication has filed a report citing “multiple sources familiar with the matter” stating that Android 2.4 — code named Ice Cream — will be released in June or July of this year. The mobile operating system’s nicknames are based on tasty dessert treats and are named in alphabetical order:

Cupcake
Donut
Eclair
Froyo
Gingerbread
Honeycomb
Ice Cream

No details about potential new features or improvements were provided. What do you think? Does a June/July timeframe for Android 2.4 make sense to you?

Android App Review: Microsoft Tag Reader

2011-01-12T10:27:00.000+02:00

Microsoft Tag lets you discover information and entertainment by scanning mobile barcodes with your phone. Download the Tag Reader, scan a Tag anywhere you see one – in a magazine, brochure, on product packages, signs or storefronts - and access information, videos, promotions, exclusive offers, and much more.

Rating: *****
Price: Free
Version 3.89.0
Updated: October 05, 2010
Publisher: Microsoft Tag
File Size: 328 KB
Downloads: >250000

Download

Today on Gadgenator

2011-01-11T12:25:00.001+02:00

Question for Today

Will you buy a 3DTV in the near future?

Tweet your Answer to Gadgenatorblog

CES 2011: GL20 Camera Sunglasses

2011-01-11T12:18:00.001+02:00

Lady Gaga announces Polaroid Camera Glasses at CES 2011

Watch more at Crunch Gear

Huisgenoot and YOU magazine getting interactive

2011-01-11T12:11:00.000+02:00

Huisgenoot and YOU magazine have new exciting technology for you. They both now have a few tags (barcodes) through the magazine, where you can now download and view interesting videos or download wallpapers on your phone. There is a few icons on different places throughout the magazine, all that you have to do is to scan the icon at a article and then watch the video on your phone.

If you like go to the movie reviews and want to see the trailer for the movie Tron Legacy, just take your phone, open the application Microsoft Tag Reader and scan the icon next to the article. There you will be take to YOU or Huisgenoot's mobi site where you can watch or download the movie trailer. It's that easy!

All that you have to do to get started with this interactive service is:

1. Go to http://gettag.mobi and download the app to your phone. If you have a iPhone, Android or Blackberry. Go to the app store and search for Microsoft Tag Reader.

2. Look for a article with a icon. Open the Tag Reader app on your phone. Take a photo of the barcode or scan the it, and then you will be automatically directed to the interactive mobi site where you can then watch or download the video.

If just all the other magazines can get this interactive service.

Huisgenoot and YOU is magazines in South Africa.

Googles Googles can now do Sudoku puzzles for you

2011-01-11T11:22:00.000+02:00

Having some trouble solving a Sudoku puzzles? See a print advertisement you can’t quite place? How about a logo you can’t identify? These are all things that Google’s clever Goggles mobile application (for iOS and Android) can do for you. The first two are new, as of the latest release of the app.

What happens is that the phone scans the image with its camera, it calls back to Google and it’ll solve your puzzle or identifies that print ad you inexplicably took a picture of.

The Sudoku-solving ability could prove to be useful if you ever get stuck, though I can’t see why you’d ever need to recognize a print ad, but that’s not the point, is it? The point is that Google’s image recognition is becoming incredibly powerful and that it can use that recognition not only to spit back some data but to process the data and do something with it, like a bit of mathematics. While the Sudoko solving might just be a parlor trick, the system is getting quite powerful and we can look forward to any number of advancements like it in the future.

Nintendo: 3DS won’t harm children’s eyes after all

2011-01-11T11:17:00.000+02:00

Recent reports have claimed that the 3DS’ battery life is only 3 to 5 hours and Nintendo Japan’s warning that the 3DS might actually be dangerous to the visual development of children.

Now Nintendo’s recanting their warning that children under the age of six could have the development of their vision retarded by playing the 3DS for long periods of time. Now they say that, despite their warning, the product’s not dangerous to anyone. Whuh?

According to Nintendo, the warning is just an issue of being proactive and avoiding any potential lawsuits: they don’t have any evidence that the 3DS will harm the eyes of children. Wait a second, though… if you warn people that the 3DS people can harm kid’s eyes, then say not to take that warning seriously, aren’t you sort of obviating the legal protection such a warning might afford?

Either way, Nintendo expects the 3DS to sell like gang busters: according to reports, Nintendo expects to sell up to 4 million 3DSes by the end of March 2011, which implies an early March launch in America and Europe. Maybe in South Africa about a month later.

HTC to ship 10 million 4G smartphones in 2011

2011-01-11T11:00:00.002+02:00

According to a new report from industry watcher DigiTimes on Monday, HTC is expected to ship 10 million 4G smartphones in 2011. The Chinese website claims industry sources have pegged 10 million as the probable figure for shipments this year, and the estimate includes only LTE and WiMAX-enabled smartphones. The site’s sources state that HTC shipped 3.5 million 4G smartphones in 2010 — 3 million of which were EVO 4G units for Sprint and 500,000 of which were myTouch 4G phones for T-Mobile. The inclusion of T-Mobile’s myTouch 4G, which does not support LTE or WiMAX, is curious considering the site claims HSPA+ phones are not accounted for in its 2011 projections. It looks if Cell C (South African Cellphone Provider) is the only cellphone provider in South Africa to get this handset with it's 4G network.

Android App Review: Barcode Scanner

2011-01-11T10:53:00.002+02:00

Scan barcodes on products then look up prices and reviews. You can also scan Data Matrix and QR Codes containing URLs, contact info, etc.

Also share your contacts, apps, and bookmarks via QR Code. This is why contacts permissions are needed. See FAQ below.

NEW:

* Improved ITF support

* Added support for mirrored images

* Improved several translations

* Fixed all day calendar entries

Rating: ****

Price: Free

Version: 3.53

Updated: January 10, 2011

Publisher: ZXing Team

File Size: 496 KB

Downloads: >250000

Download

Welcome back to Gadgenator!

2011-01-10T10:26:00.001+02:00

I'm back from a awesome holiday, now I will be blogging again daily giving you all the latest news. Thanks to everyone who followed me on Twitter, I will tweet out every time when I publish new articles. Feel free to tweet or email me with any suggestions on what you would like to see on my blog or if you just have a question.

I have some great articles for you today:

CES 2011 (Consumer Electronics Show)

2011-01-10T10:02:00.001+02:00

I will show you every day this week some of the best gadgets that was announced at the CES 2011 last week in Los Angeles. Keep on checking my blog every morning between 09:00 and 10:00 (Central African Time). Here is a few for today:

Things started out hot and heavy when ASUS announced four sexy tablets — the Eee Pad MeMO, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Slider and Eee Slate EP121. Ranging from a tiny Android note-taker to a full-blown 12-inch Windows 7-powered beast, ASUS had all the bases covered.

LG followed things up on Wednesday when it announced the “world’s thinnest smartphone,” the LG Optimus Black. Featuring Android 2.2, a stunning display and a case that is just 9.2mm thick, this sleek smartphone is definitely a stylish addition to LG’s lineup.

Speaking of slim and sexy, the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc slipped cover a bit early on Wednesday. Measuring 8.7mm thick at its narrowest point, this curved Gingerbread phone sports a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera and a 4.2-inch touchscreen display.

Samsung then revealed a Wi-Fi-only version of its Galaxy Tab tablet that will launch some time this quarter, likely making the tremendously popular device more attainable. And speaking of tablets, Microsoft won’t be sitting out forever when it comes to ARM architecture. A future version of its Windows OS will be compatible with ARM.

Motorola came out swinging this year at CES and beyond the devices mentioned above, Moto outted the DROID BIONIC — a dual-core 4G LTE phone. Motorola also unveiled the gorgeous Motorola XOOM tablet, which is an Android 3.0 Honeycomb slate with a 10.1-inch display and a dual-core processor.

The LG G-Slate features HSPA+ connectivity and Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. Also announced the sequel to the Motorola CLIQ, the Motorola CLIQ 2 , and the Dell Streak 7 Android tablet. Dell hasn’t had a terribly large presence at the show, though it did announce a sexy new Android phone — the Dell Venue.

So make sure you don't miss the other gadgets I share this week!!!

Microsoft Kinect sales surpass 8 million units in first 60 days

2011-01-10T09:29:00.000+02:00

During Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 last week, Microsoft confirmed some pretty outstanding sales figures for the Kinect sensor. The company’s initial projections at launch time set Kinect sales goals at 5 million units by the end of 2010. Ballmer confirmed that Microsoft not only exceeded that projection — the company crushed it. Over the Kinect sensor’s first 60 days of availability, over 8 million units were sold. Xbox 360 users have spoken… Kinect is a smash hit.

Skype coming to Sony BRAVIA, VIZIO VIA televisions

2011-01-10T09:26:00.000+02:00

Via a quick blog post, Skype announced a partnership with Sony and VIZIO that would bring its video-chat software to BRAVIA and VIA TVs later this year. “Last year at the Consumer Electronics Show, we ushered in a new era of face-to-face communications with the introduction of Skype-enabled TVs,” reads the article. ”This year at CES, we’re making further strides in the living room by making it even easier to get Skype on your TV.” Skype reaffirms its commitment to allow you to “make calls wherever you choose” and notes that it is working with additional vendors to bring its software to more mediums.

Dell Venue unveiled; Android 2.2, 8-megapixel camera, AMOLED display

2011-01-10T09:21:00.000+02:00

Following the announcement of Dell’s HSPA+ 4G-enabled Streak 7 tablet, the company has just unveiled its latest Android handset — the Dell Venue. Distant cousin to the Windows Phone 7-powered Venue Pro, Dell’s new Venue smartphone runs version 2.2 of the Android OS. Additional styling cues come courtesy of Dell’s own UI overlay known as “Dell Stage,” and beyond the OS we’re looking at a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, full Flash 10.1 support, Dell Stage widget support, a curved body and a 4.1-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen display. Details surrounding pricing and a launch date haven’t yet been revealed, but Dell promised to provide more information in the coming weeks.

Mac App Store serves over 1 million downloads in first day

2011-01-10T09:18:00.000+02:00

Apple announced last Friday that its newly launched Mac App Store topped 1 million downloads on opening day. Apple launched the Mac App Store on last Thursday as a central location for developers to distribute OS X software. The idea mimics the company’s iOS App Store, of course, which is responsible for the current mobile app explosion among smartphone platforms. The Mac App Store launched with over 1,000 free and paid software titles, and in many cases paid apps were available at deep discounts. “We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. “Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is.” Hit the break for the full press release from Apple.

The Top 10 Best Blackberry Apps of 2010

2011-01-10T09:14:00.000+02:00

It’s been a busy year for BlackBerry in 2010. Today I'm showcasing the top 10 BlackBerry apps for 2010. App World and the overall BlackBerry application ecosystem might seem a little scarce compared to what’s available in the Android Market and iPhone App Store, but it’s still busier than the webOS App Catalog, and definitely the Windows Phone Marketplace..

Before launching into the list, I’m sure you BlackBerry users out there will have your own opinion about what does and doesn't deserve to be on the list, so please do leave a comment with your own preferences.

Google Maps for Mobile (Available for free from Google Mobile)
Foursquare (Available for free from the BlackBerry App World)
BerryReader (Available for $9.99 from the Mobihand store)
Shazam (Available for free (and $4.99) from the BlackBerry App World)
Vlingo (Available for free (and $19.99) from the BlackBerry App World)
Poynt (Available for free from the BlackBerry App World)
WeatherEye (Available for free from the BlackBerry App World)
QuickLaunch (Available for $3.99 from the BlackBerry App World)
BeryBuzz (Available for $5.99 from Mobihand store)
7digital (Available for free from the BlackBerry App World)

Android App Review: Blogger-droid

2011-01-10T08:54:00.000+02:00

Simple Blogger client.

You can create/view/edit/delete blog posts. Post comments to published blog posts. Upload picture(s) and video(s). Share pictures, videos, YouTube clips, links etc.

Client for blogger.com (blogspot.com).

Ad-free and signature free version available.

Recent changes:
Share published posts via Twitter, Facebook etc

Rating: ****
Price: Free
Version: 1.6.5
Updated: November 05, 2010
Publisher: Anders Hedström
File size: 217 KB
Downloads: 50000-250000

Download

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T21:47:00.001+02:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

I'll be back blogging 10 January 2011

2010-12-20T15:03:00.001+02:00

You can visit my blog again daily from Monday 10 January 2011. Hope everyone have a awesome holiday. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2011.

There is a lot of new exciting gadgets waiting for us in 2011 and I will give you all the news first.

Remember to "Like" Gadgenatorblog on Facebook and "Follow" on Twitter.

Acer unveils its first 3D laptop

2010-11-25T11:01:00.000+02:00

Behold… the Acer AS5745DG-A54E/L. Unveiled Monday, Acer’s virgin 3D notebook features a 15.6-inch screen, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M GPU with NVIDIA’s 3D VISION at 120Hz, a 2.53GHz Intel Core i5-460M processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, HDMI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi b/g/n and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. It also ships with 3D VISION glasses, of course. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, though Acer did say the AS5745DG-A54E/L will be available in Japan on December 3rd for “less than” 100,000 yen, which is roughly $1,200 US and R8458.80 (South African Rands. Acer has not yet addressed availability outside of Japan.

BlackBerry Playbook pricing to start at $399?

2010-11-25T10:56:00.000+02:00

A blog by the name of Mobility Insider is claiming to have the inside scoop on the pricing schema for the unreleased BlackBerry Playbook tablet. The site does not cite any sources — anonymous or otherwise — but claims to have first hand knowledge about RIM’s tablet. The report indicates that the Playbook will be available with three different storage capacities. An 8GB model will retail for $399, a 16GB for $499, and a 32GB for $599. The site goes on to note that all models will be Wi-Fi only and will acquire cellular data connectivity through a tethered BlackBerry smartphone. RIM’s highly-anticipated, dual-core tablet is set to launch sometime early next year.