TECH UPDATES

1+1=3 if you dont use condom

2012-10-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Keep the faith said BARACK OBAMA

2012-10-06T17:13:00.001-07:00

"I had this impulse to hug him, so I did. And I cried. I think I even got tears on the Vice President's suit jacket! ... I am hugging the man who will help me and help our President move forward."
—Kobe

Standing at the back of a packed high school gym as Vice President Biden finished speaking in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Saturday was 15-year-old Kobe Groce. He cradled a "Forward" sign, hoping to get the Vice President to sign it for his brother, Kaelin. After unsuccessfully trying to make it to the front of the event, a staff member asked if he could help. Kobe told his story, and the staffer left for a moment and came back, saying simply: "The Vice President would like to meet you."

"I turned around and looked back at my mother as I was walking with the staffer in disbelief—I didn't know how to react. I was about to meet the man that helped make my life so much better.

"My mother, Jessica, raised us as a single mother. She's a teacher and has worked so hard to support her four children. I wanted the Vice President to know that yes, we are definitely better off than we were four years ago. My family has received the tax cuts for the middle class that the President and Vice President passed, and it has helped us tremendously.

"The President and Vice President have gone above and beyond for people like me and my family, and they stand for things like keeping school affordable. My older brother uses Pell Grants and college loans to be able to afford school, and I'm thankful for that. I want to be able to go to Florida State University one day, and now I know I don't have to worry about being able to afford it. Life would not be the way it is today if they hadn't taken office four years ago.

"The Vice President approached me and I was introduced to him as a ‘special guest.’ I was overwhelmed with different emotions. I had this impulse to hug him, so I did. And I cried. I think I even got tears on the Vice President's suit jacket! I met someone who has done so much for my family without even knowing us, and that was an incredible, overwhelming feeling. I felt like he really heard me, like he knew who I was. I am hugging the man who will help me and help our President move forward."

Kobe was very grateful for the chance to meet the Vice President, but he didn't want to leave without something for his brother.

"I explained to the Vice President that the reason I was there was because my older brother inspired me to do so. He said, 'Do you have his phone number?' Then he called him and said, 'Kaelin, this is Vice President Biden' and they chatted for about five minutes! He also signed my placard, and the last line of his note really has stuck with me. He wrote: 'It was a pleasure meeting you, keep the faith.'

"I'm definitely going to keep the faith, and the thing I'm most looking forward to is watching President Obama and Vice President Biden being sworn in for a second term on January 20th, 2013."

Today, Kobe is signing up to spend the last 34 days of this campaign working as hard to re-elect President Obama and Vice President Biden as they are working for him.

Silverdaddies

2012-10-06T16:23:00.001-07:00

Using a ship to ship a ship

2012-10-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yo dawg i heard you like ships

so i got you a ship shipping a ship

Sees Ex Girlfriend Now xl girlfriend

2012-10-06T07:04:00.002-07:00

Fk this shit lets break dance

2012-10-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Its not premarital sex if you never get married

2012-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Earn money on facebook LEGIT !

2012-09-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Now Facebook users can Earn Money Online by just watching Ads on theFacebook website. Last Thursday Facebook has introduced a new program that allows users and consumers to earn financial incentive by just watching facebook ads.

Facebook will now reward their users who watch certain ads on the website withFacebook Credits, which can be redeemed to purchase goods on Facebook Deals, the company's new Groupon like daily deals service. The incentive amount, however, is not huge. Initially at least, the average ad will yield one credit, which is the equivalent of10 Cents.

The ads will mostly be in games. CrowdStar, Digital Chocolate and Zynga are among the participating game publishers. Facebook is working with Sharethrough, SocialVibe, Epic Media and SupersonicAds to serve ads on the program as well as TrialPay, which will provide analytics.

According to Dan Greenberg, CEO of Sharethrough;

Facebook's move represents "a step away from interruptive advertising." Greenberg, whose clients include Microsoft and Nestle, says his network won't deliver traditional advertising, but rather branded entertainment, which consumers will want to not only watch, but share with their friends.

Incentivizing consumers to watch ads is one solution for Facebook's low banner click-through rates. The move comes after Facebook expanded its Credits program last week to let consumers use the Credits to buy real-world goods advertised in Deals.

Like It? why not, Share It!

How To: Get 5,000 Facebook Friends in a Week!

2012-09-26T05:18:00.002-07:00

IntroductionOne of Facebook’s best qualities is the ability to connect with old friends, as well as the ease of making new ones.
It probably sounds very easy – just friend request 5,000 people, right?
Unfortunately in this regard, it isn’t MySpace! This guide will help you genuinely max out your friends list, connecting with people all over the world.

Things To Know
- It has become incredibly easy for Facebook to ‘limit’ you sending mass amounts of friend requests, including restricting this feature completely: banning you from adding friends for 3 days, 2 weeks or one month (I strongly suggest keeping friend requests to no more than 20 per day)
- Be aware of the ‘friends’ you are adding – don’t be surprised if you’re female and get regularly asked for nudes.
- The more friends you have, the higher the chance of something you post being reported – think before you post and limit pornography, racist remarks, personal nudity and other offensive content.

How Do I Do It?
I would start with making yourself as appealing as possible, giving people a reason to add you! Update your profile with relevant information, a good looking profile picture, and post status updates that you know people are going to like (i.e quotes from The Simpsons are always a good one, as silly as it sounds).

I would avoid display pictures that are stolen, irrelevant or basically pin you as a ‘fake’ account – even though you may not be one, you may come across that way.

Way One: Find People You Already Know1. Login to your Facebook account
2. Go to the left-hand side of your news feed/home page
3. Click ‘Find Friends’

OR it might appear as 'Import Contacts from Other Services'Click to enlarge

5. Login to Your Selected Mail Provider
(I’ll be using Hotmail/Windows Live for this example)

Click to enlarge

6. Follow the prompts!

Way Two: Meeting New People1. Login to Facebook
2. Go to the top search bar and hunt around for ‘adding’ groups

Click to enlarge

3. Click the group you’re interested in, and look at the top right hand side for a ‘Request to Join’ button
4. Send a request – depending on the group, you could be automatically approved membership or you may need to wait for an admin’s approval.
Tip: Search wisely! Enter keywords such as: ‘adding’, ‘add’, ‘add me’, ‘friends’, ‘new friends’, ‘massive adds’, ‘aussie adds’, etc!
5. Join as many as you can find – the more members, the better!

SocialNetworkingTricks.com has its own adding group, located at:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/xsocialfriendsx/

6. Make a post. Post a picture of yourself, a joke, the reason why you want so many friends, ‘LMS (like my status)and I’ll add you’ or simply ‘Add me :)’
Many admins can get a little ‘ban happy’, so read their rules and try to behave!

Do this for long enough, gain a reputation within the group and wait for the friend requests to come on in! Alternatively, you could create your own group if you don’t like any that you see!

Way Three: Copy This Code1. Login to facebook, and get ready to post as a status
2. Copy the code in the box below and post it as a status!

Check out for more friends!! -> @[152291351529024:0]

Send Friend request NOW

2012-09-25T15:54:00.001-07:00

A Hilarious Guide to Facebook Friend Requests

2012-09-25T15:48:00.001-07:00

Facebook is an odd and mysterious creature. To some, the social networking giant is a way to keep in touch with whats going on and having everyone you know at your fingertips. Well, the Internet is a creature in of it's own and when it is combined in a melting pot with your social life there are bound to be horrible consequences.

Here is a guide to aid you in friend selection to make your life easier:

1) the girl from high school that gave you a hard time.

I always add these because it makes me feel better when you find a picture where they're much heavier than before. Jack pot if they've given birth four times within the last five years, married their highschool sweet heart promptly followed by divorce, obviously hooked on Oxycontin or still work at mcdonalds 10 years later.

2) the guy you've never met but share 115 friends in common.

You are dead positive that you've never met them before but it seems that, according to the laws of the universe, you should have met a billion times and have become best buddies. He's adding you because he has heard about you through cute anecdotes from friends and after having your name repeated and drilled into his brains he is sure that you've met and are kindred spirits. Don't add him until you meet him, don't perpetuate the lie that you're actually friends because every time you see an update from this guy you'll have the momentary "Wait, who the hell is that... oh right, that guy" moment followed by guilt for tainting your friend's list.

3) The "Hey, you look hot" creepy, old man.

If you look through his friends list, every person on his list either shows a bit too much cleavage in their photos or are just down right camera whores. Usually, the perp is at least 20-30 years older than everyone on his list and most of his wall posts consists of "who the hell is this?" and "HOW DID YOU FIND OUT WHERE I LIVE?". You shouldn't add him, he just needs to have some one tell him that Pornotube is a free service that can scratch that itch in a way that facebook cannot.

4) The bleeding heart.

She's a girl you've met once during a rally at the university for saving the [insert over-farmed animal here]... that you weren't really attending, you just needed to get to the other side to get a big greasy cheeseburger. This is the girl that you don't think twice about adding as a friend because you think "What's the harm?" WELL, what you should have known is that facebook isn't just a social network site for her but is really a way to let every one know about every cause known to man in the form of group invites. It will become obvious when you log in and have 13 invites to random causes ranging from "Save the fruit fly" to, but not limited to, "Stop the gross mistreatment of grass in suburban areas".

5) Your mother.

She's just lonely but she's not worth the add because she'll cramp your style with the ladies.

She'll crack you in two when she finds out.

6) Your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend

Is she kidding? ... yes, she must be... ummmm, is she planning to destroy you via the internet? You can't afford to not add this person because if you don't then the gossip will fly and you'll appear as the jealous, crazy bitch. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer (and have some fun using the photos she is tagged in as a visible history of her weight gain). Ohhhhh, I'm so bad!

7) The ex co-worker that just wants in your pants.

How can he think that he has a chance with you when he was fired for bad hygiene. REALLY?

(edit: These are actual photos taken from my inbox for your viewing pleasure. The identity of the guy has been removed but all of the stupid things he wrote are golden. He wasn't fired for bad hygiene but the example still stands.)

Most people would call me saucy... I prefer "sassy".

8) The joker

No, not the guy that has a pocket full of knives and is the creator of two-face, this is the kid that makes inappropriate comments on everyone's photos and finds himself too amusing for words (despite the fact that everyone hates him for it).

9) The fake celebrity

Now, now. Are you really that naive? HANNAH MONTANTA DOESN'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND but the 45 year-old man from Texas that created that profile certainly does!

As if I didn't have enough fake girls in my life!

10) You're room mates.

This doesn't seem like a bad idea at first because you guys know each other and are probably friends, right? wrong. Picture waking up to a wall post on the 30th saying he spent the rent money playing poker the night before and isn't able to pay his share. Having him on facebook enables him to break horrible news affecting your life without being within arms length to receive a punch. But, I guess that's when you upgrade from the "Poke" system to the "Rip your face off and staple it to my chest" application.

Jackass

Heed my warning and you'll be fine.

Add 5000 friends in just one click

2012-09-25T09:52:00.003-07:00

This is an incredible little Java Script Code, that saves you tons of time.

If you want to add all your friends to invite to a group/event/fanpage or community page - this code saves you A LOT of work. Its just 2 clicks and the work is done. This is incredible and everybody should have this. Go check it out...

http://facebookcode.info

Facebook Fake Girls ID

2012-09-24T18:52:00.001-07:00

There are millions of fake ids of girls on facebook . Like this story if you agree this should happen
with them who are holding fake id's

Facebook users seeing private messages showing timelines

2012-09-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Facebook has been accused of inadvertently publishing private messages on users’ Timeline profiles from the years 2007, 2008, 2009, and possibly even earlier. The issue was first reported by Metro France, but soon reports from all over over started to flood in. Facebook has denied the claims, saying the posts in questions are indeed old Wall posts, but readers are saying otherwise.

A quick check with my The Next Web colleagues around the world shows that this issue isn’t happening to everyone. At first it looked as if English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada were not affected, but a closer look seems to show this isn’t necessarily true. At least one reader from the UKsays it is happening to them as well.

It’s thus very possible this privacy screwup has nothing to do with where you are, as Facebook sometimes tests (and breaks) things with randomly-selected users. That being said, the reports first started in France, and Anna Heim, one of our reporters from France, confirmed that she is seeing the problem.

Here is a screenshot of private messages she sent to her friends, posted publicly on her Timeline:

If you are seeing this problem, please let us know where you are located. You may also want to hide all your messages by clicking on the drop-down arrow in the top right, clicking on Privacy Settings, clicking on Timeline and Tagging (Edit Settings), and making sure nothing is set to Public.

You can also change settings here to Custom (Only Me) if you want to be absolutely certain your private messages aren’t visible to people they shouldn’t be. This is a temporary solution, however, as these private messages should not be appearing on Facebook Timelines.

I have contacted Facebook about this issue. I will update you if and when I hear back.

Update at 2:00PM EST: Reports are coming in from readers all over the world (not just France and the UK) saying private messages have appeared on their Timeline. It’s important to note the difference between messages that were posted on your Wall way back when, and that Facebook is highlighting on your Timeline in the Friends box, compared to private messages that should not be there. Facebook will have a tough time differentiating between the two types of reports as panic ensues.

Update at 2:30PM EST: Facebook has told the BBC that these are older messages that were always present on users’ profiles, before and after Timeline. “Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

Update at 2:55PM EST: Just like Anna Heim, readers are finding Facebook’s statement hard to believe. They are pointing to addresses and phone numbers appearing on their Timeline, as well as showing up on their friends’ Timelines, which would have only been sent as private messages. I have contacted Facebook again for further information.

Update at 3:25PM EST: TechCrunch has received a longer statement from Facebook. Again the company is denying the claims:

Every report we’ve seen, we’ve gone back and checked. We haven’t seen one report that’s been confirmed. A lot of the confusion is because before 2008 there were no likes and no comments on wall posts. People went back and forth with wall posts instead of having a conversation [via comments].

A small number of users raised concerns after what they mistakenly believed to be private messages appeared on their Timeline. Our engineers investigated these reports and found that the messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users’ profile pages. Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy.

Despite this, We’re still getting more and more reports from readers insisting their private messages sent to and from friends are appearing on their Timelines.

20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

2012-09-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

If you surf Facebook on daily basis or occasionally, chances are you’re already familiar with regular stuffs like add/delete friends, update statuses, walls and profile, add and explore pages & applications, etc, but there’s more..

This week we want to cover some interesting things you can do on (or with) Facebook; inclusive of tricks that are not documented or unknown to many, as well as tips to stay connected better with your friends. Without further ado, here’s 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know. If you have interesting tips/tricks related to Facebook, please feel free to share in the comment box below.

How To Place Facebook Chat On Firefox Sidebar

If you are using Firefox, you can place the Facebook Chat at the sidebar.

How To Download Facebook Photo Albums

FacePAD: Facebook Photo Album Downloader allows you to download your friends’ facebook albums, Events albums, and Group Albums, en masse, with the click of a button.

How To Share Flickr Photos To Facebook

Flickr2Facebook is an unofficial Flickr to Facebook uploader(bookmarklet) which allows you upload photos to Facebook from Flickr.

How To Update Facebook Without Using Facebook

hellotxt and Ping.fm both introduced features that let Facebook administrators update Facebook Pages.

How To Schedule Facebook Messages

Sendible lets you schedule Facebook messages ahead of time so you can send messages to your friends, customers or colleagues in the future.

How To "Friend" Someone On Facebook & Hide It From Your Status Updates

A short tutorial on Makeuseof to guide you how to hide Facebook status updates and keep that fact confined to your closer friends.

How To Create A Photo Collage Using Pictures Of Your Facebook Friends

Click on Friends tab. Proceed to More tab. From "Choose an option" dropdown, choose any of the dashes "—" . Your Facebook friends collage is right on your computer screen.

How To Remove Facebook Advertisements

This Greasemonkey script – Facebook: Cleaner removes many of the annoying ads and updates that unavoidably appear on your Facebook pages.

How To Syncs Photos Of Facebook Friends With Contacts In Microsoft Outlook

OutSync is a free Windows application that syncs photos of your Facebook friends with matching contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to select which contacts are updated. So you can update all contacts at once or just a few at a time.

How To Display Facebook Statuses On WordPress Blog

The following method make use of Facebook status feed and WordPress RSS widget to display Facebook Statuses on WordPress blog.. It will also work for self-host WordPress blogs.

How To Post Your Blog Posts To Your Facebook Wall Automatically

Wordbook allows you to cross-post your blog posts to your Facebook Wall. Your Facebook “Boxes” tab will show your most recent blog posts.
How To Access Facebook Chat On Desktop

Gabtastik and digsby let you keep Facebook chat sessions open on your Windows desktop outside of your regular web browser, using minimal screen real estate and system memory.
How To Create Quiz On Facebook Easily

LOLapps provides quiz creator that can be employed to conjure up these popular personality quizzes that are so widespread in Facebook.
How To Hide Your Online Status On Facebook Chat From Select Contacts

Facebook has integrated friends list with Chat and you can also choose which of these list members get to see you online.
How To Get Facebook Updates On Email

NutshellMail consolidates your Facebook accounts through the inbox you use the most.
How To Update Facebook Status From Firefox

FireStatus is a status update utility for multiple social networks, including FaceBook.
How To Get Facebook On Your Desktop

Seesmic Desktop, Facebooker, Xobni, Facebook Sidebar Gadget, Scrapboy and Facebook AIR application are desktop applications that allows you interact with your stream just as you would on Facebook, but without the browser.
How To Delete, Cancel And Terminate Facebook Account And Profile

A simple guide to terminate, delete or cancel Facebook account, together with the Facebook profile easily.

Apple: 5 Million iPhone 5 Units Have Been Sold In Opening Weekend, Over 100 Million Devices Upgraded To iOS 6

2012-09-24T06:40:00.003-07:00

The first weekend of iPhone 5 sales is now over and judging by the queues that were being experienced at various Apple Stores in available countries, it was expected that Apple would be seeing some extremely positive sales numbers after the first three days of availability. In a press statement coming out of California today, Apple Inc. have announced that they managed to ship five million iPhone 5 units following the release on Friday September 21st.

Apple launched the iPhone 5 at the back end of last week in nine different territories, including the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company’s plan is to make the sixth-generation iPhone available to an additional twenty-two countries on September 28th with that total exceeding one hundred by the turn of the year. The ambitious release schedule for Apple shows just how sought-after the iPhone 5 is, with supply inventories not able to keep up with the consumer demand for the iPhone 5. Apple has also announced that they have pre-orders on their systems that will ship into the middle of October.

To put things into clear perspective how the iPhone 5 sales stack up against its predecessors, here’s a simple break-down of the sales figures: the iPhone 4 managed to sell 1.7 million units in just three days, iPhone 4S sold 4 million units and the iPhone 5 has sold a whopping 5million units, which is huge!
Apple flipped switch on iOS 6 prior to the iPhone 5 going on public sale, with more than 100 million iOS device owners taking the plunge and installing the latest iteration of iOS onto their devices. We have already seen some early adoption figures stating that iOS 6 had been installed on 16% of iOS devices. With Apple recently announcing that they had shipped the 400 millionth iOS device, that figure looks to be closer to 25%.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, is obviously overwhelmed by the success of the iPhone 5 stating that “demand for the iPhone 5 has been incredible” and that the company is “working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible“. Customers are still able to pre-order the new device via Apple’s online store and will receive an estimated delivery date as part of the process. Although there is a small waiting period while Apple replenish stocks, it could just be worth it to get your hands on what is the lightest and thinnest iPhone yet.

Your New iPhone 5 May Scratch. Or It May Not. [VIDEOS]

2012-09-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

It appears to be something of a trend these days, but the release of Apple’s new iPhone 5 has done nothing but lead every two-bit tech fan with a video recorder to take to YouTube in an attempt to prove, or disprove, that the thing can be scratched. And by scratched, we mean pretty much obliterated.

A cursory search of YouTube for "iPhone 5 scratch test" will open up a treasure trove of awe inspiring and dread creating videos. Some, amazingly dragging the deed out for almost ten minutes, show what happens to the admittedly gorgeous iPhone 5 when it is tested by a variety of implements. The results vary, but it’s never really good.

We’ve told you already of one Overclockers UK forum-goer who claimed to have taken to an iPhone 5 with its SIM ejection tool. Subsequent photos showed a badly scratched rear plate, and the internet began with the iPhone hate once more. It’s like a baby ‘antennagate’ out there!

These videos show much the same. Oddly – and we’re sure you’ll imagine our surprise here – taking a huge bunch of keys to the back of an iPhone will scratch it. Who knew? The same happens with a knife big enough to end wars. Crazy!

So, dear readers, we’ve come to the conclusion that scratching your shiny new toy is bad, mmmkay? But wait, is there some common sense to be found?
Well, some videos show that the rear panel actually cleans up surprisingly well when rubbed, which is nice. You mileage may vary here, obviously, but then if you’re keeping your phone in the same pocket as your keys, then you probably don’t care about it enough to get all worked up when it gets scratched. If you do then, well, you’ve only yourself to blame frankly. So there!
We’ve embedded one or two videos for you delectation right in this post, so make your own decision.

How To Add A Lot Of Friends To Your Facebook Account Really Fast

2012-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

How can you add a huge number of friends to your facebook account really quickly? One way that I have discovered is to build an "Add Friends" group. These groups typically build really quickly because a lot of people on Facebook are actually there looking for networking and marketing opportunities, and they are eager to add as many friends as possible. For those who do not know what I am talking about, here is an "Add Friends" group that I created just today: http://www.facebook.com/addmee.official ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ

As you can see, a bunch of people have joined the group already. If you know of other ways to quickly build your Facebook presence, please leave a comment in the Comments section below.

This 0.25mm Case Makes Your iPhone Waterproof, Allows You To Use Another Case On Top Of It! [VIDEO]

2012-05-19T06:13:00.002-07:00

Whether you go unsubsidized or take out a contract with one of the carriers, the purchasing of an iPhone is an expensive gig, and after paying an arm and a knee for the thing, it figures you’d also want a decent protective cover for it. This, of course, means more expenditure, and although cases and sleeves can be picked up for a couple of dollars on eBay, the ones that’ll actually help shield your device from the daily grind are not only fairly pricey, but can add quite a few extra millimeters of bulk to your device’s form factor.

Those purporting to protect from water damage are usually fairly hefty, and often make it nay-on impossible for the device to actually be used while they’re on. This is where Case Marinecomes in, and at just 0.25mm thick, it not only stops water from getting onto your precious iPhone, but it also allows you to place another cover on top of it!

It consists of polyurethane, and its acrylic panel covers the entire display – protecting both theiPhone 4(s) or Samsung Galaxy S II in a matter of seconds. Moreover, it will protect from water down to an incredible 32 ft. depth, and incredibly the device can still be used while underwater.

There’s a lite version for $15, and a premium version, which offers more robust protection for 38 bucks. A $50 iPad version is also in the pipeline, which allows you to continue using your device while in the bath, shower, or the bad weather in general, but the Case Marine is not without its shortcomings. Primarily, it cannot be used with headphones, so if you were planning on using it while jogging in the bad weather, you’re going to need to make alternative arrangements.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Liquipel, which we have featured on numerous occasions, will ever be introduced on a grand scale. The technology, which adds an invisible layer of water-repellant film to any digital gadget, is one that has fascinated us continually. Given that Liquipel reps have been reported to have spoken with the likes of Apple and Samsung, fully-waterproof smartphones may not be a million years away.

(via Gizmodo)

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II For iPhone And iPad Now Available For Download

2012-05-19T06:08:00.005-07:00

While plenty of new titles have been born of the iOS ecosystem – notably the likes of Angry Birds, Cut The Rope and Tiny Wings, there’s still plenty of space in our hearts for those older, nostalgic classics. Sonic the Hedgehog is an absolute classic, particularly to those who used to love collecting those golden rings on their Sega Game Gear, and with a few titles featuring Sonic and Tails already gracing iPhones, iPads and iPod touches worldwide, the second episode to Sonic The Hedgehog 4 has just been released by Sega America.

As a tech blogger, I love nothing more than writing hands-on reviews of apps and games, but in all truth, this particular title needs very little introduction. It follows straight on from Sonic The Hedgehog 4, but as opposed to merely being a re-hashed version of essentially the same thing, a lot of time and care has clearly gone into improving the title both from a playing point of view, and a visual aspect.

In Episode II, Sonic renews his famous allegiance with Tails, and they both spin and dart across a plethora of brand-new zones in order to take out some of the most feared and cunning baddies. The physics have been enhanced dramatically – helping the all-round gaming aspect, and with Retina graphics to boot, this title is a must for any Sonic fan.
As well as following the continued story, you can also connect with friends or family via Bluetooth to do battle against the galling Dr. Eggman and his sidekick – Metal Sonic. It’s all nicely integrated with Game Center, and because it’s a universal title, you only need buy it once, and you can play it on any of your iOS devices.

Just as well, really, since all this fun will set you back quite a bit. At $6.99, it doesn’t come cheap, and given there are usually many $0.99 promos on Sonic titles, some may want to wait for a little while before investing in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II.
Still, having played it for half an hour, I am hooked, and despite the cost implications, I doubt you’ll regret your purchase; I certainly don’t!

Download Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch [iTunes link]
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.

This $74 USB Dongle PC Has A 1.5GHz Processor, 512MB RAM And Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich!

2012-05-19T06:07:00.005-07:00

If you cast your minds back a few months, you might remember the Raspberry Pi USB dongle, which one intuitive chap had turned into a fully-functional PC running Android. Enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that an equally tasty alternative has now gone on general sale, and can be bought for the unbelievably cheap price of just $74!

Online retail outlet AliExpress has begun selling Model MK802 PC, and although it appears to be little more than a USB stick used for convenient data storage, it’s actually a fully-functioning mobile PC. With a single core, 1.5GHz Allwinner A10 ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 512MB of RAM, it’s never going to win any awards for power, but the micro PC is the sort of thing we love to see here at Redmond Pie, and although there’s only 4GB of storage, it provides the perfect pocket backup for those stuck without a working desktop.

It runs on Android’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) firmware, but unlike Raspberry Pi, which allows direct connection to an HDTV via HDMI, the MK802 does have a HDMI connector, but you’ll need an HDMI cable to be attached before you will be able to see anything. Impressively, the tiddly PC can pump out 1080p HD video playback in a variety of formats, and supports Flash and HTML5, as well as a sleuth of audio formats rendering it a great all-rounder.
There’s a full and a micro-USB port, and the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi capabilities mean it’s pretty easy to connect to the world wide web. At a mere 7 Oz, it’s certainly the lightest PC of all time, and far from just being a novelty item, does actually pack a decent performance. As the former owner of a netbook which could scarcely run an SD video – let alone 1080p full HD – I am certainly impressed by the device, and will definitely be investing in one.

Do you see yourself rocking this very geeky, ingenious device, or would you prefer to own a device less likely to fall down the cracks in the floorboards? Leave your thoughts – as ever – via our Facebook or Google+ pages, we’d love to hear what you make of the MK802, and if you want to pick one up yourself, please check out this link.
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Microsoft’s Kinect Hardware Being Used In Surgery Theaters

2012-05-19T06:06:00.005-07:00

Anyone who is familiar with the comings and goings of the consumer technology industry will be more than au fait with Microsoft’s Kinect sensor and its associated attachments. What started out as a motion sensing accessory for Xbox 360 gamers has grown to be so much more, with people adapting the technology to be used in a number of different innovative and exciting situations.

The Kinect hardware has already been adapted through the use of open-source software to work with things like Google Maps, and is also being used by a group of German researchers to form part of an interactive X-ray machine based around augmented reality technology. To add to the bucket of innovative and unique uses, Microsoft Research themselves are trialing the Kinect sensor to see how it operates as a surgical assistant within the emergency room.

According to a report by the NewScientist, Guy’s and St. Thomas Hospital in London played home to a procedure by a surgeon using a purpose built Kinect setup to assist with an operation on a patient’s aorta valve. During the procedure – which involved repairing an aneurism – the surgeon in question used Microsoft’s hardware to view real-time X-rays and medical-based images. One of the huge benefits of the system is that it allows medical professionals to perform a series of tasks without actually having to physically touch anything, something that is extremely beneficial in a clinical setting.

One of the surgeons who has benefitted from adopting the Kinect system is Tom Carrell, a vascular surgeon at the hospital who claims that the Kinect allows “very intuitive control”. In terms of what the system is used for and how it benefits himself and other surgeons, Carrell had this to say:

Up until now, I’d been calling out across the room to one of our technical assistants, asking them to manipulate the image, rotate one way, rotate the other, pan up, pan down, zoom in, zoom out. I thought this was going to be a lot more awkward to start off with, but I was very pleased with the way it went today.

It’s actually amazingly inspiring to see a piece of technology which has been so successful in the gaming scene being utilized in a more meaningful, real-world sense, actually makes a tangible difference in peoples lives. Microsoft has been guilty in the past of setting their research and development teams onto some precarious projects, but I for once, hope that this trial continues further.

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Will Windows 8 Work Out For The Average PC User?

2012-05-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

With Windows 8 set for launch later this year, the debate is still raging on about the relatively radical design changes implemented by Microsoft in the OS. Now, before I go on, I want to note that I’m not the type that’s resistant to change. Improvement and progress is welcome, and I really don’t mind adjusting to changes of any sort. But, the issue isn’t with people like me; it’s with users that struggled to understand Windows as it was before these radical changes.

If a company like Microsoft are going to make changes to a product like Windows, they’re going to have to ensure that these changes are sufficiently intuitive for normal users to adapt to. And of course, this shouldn’t be a ball and chain that prevents them from making changes at all, as the OS should be intuitive to begin with. However, I feel that Windows 8 isn’t, and I’m already weeping in advance for all of the users that will panic when something as familiar as the Start button is missing on their new PC, for one. Yes, there is something in its place: The new Start screen, and a “Start Preview” that can be toggled by hovering in the bottom-left corner of the screen, but there’s nothing to indicate upon staring at the screen that these things exist.

Without exploration, there’s no way to tell that something happens when hovering over the hot corners, and I think that this will be an issue. Back to the topic of the start menu; it’s just, gone. Such a major, iconic paradigm of Windows has been removed with nothing to indicate the existence of its successor. So, assuming that people do manage to find the Start screen (likely after a tech support call to either their PC manufacturer or tech-savvy family member), they’re going to eventually inadvertently stumble upon one of those snazzy new Metro apps. They’re going to be trapped. See, with yet another paradigm removed – the infamous “x” in the corner of the window – Metro apps will essentially serve as flytraps of disoriented users.

Let’s hope that they at this point realize that the corners can be toggled so that they can get out, either by using the Charms bar or the new app switcher. In this post, I’m not even voicing my thoughts on the actual changes themselves or the aesthetics of Metro. In fact, I think it could work if more polish and time was put into the OS to make these new features more intuitive and discoverable (which they seem to be working on; apparently, hot corners are going to be a bit easier to toggle come the Release Preview.)

We shall see.

For discussion on this topic: Check out the threads on Facebook or Google+.

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Even More Proof That FaceTime Over 3G Is Coming To The iPhone [SCREENSHOT]

2012-05-19T06:04:00.002-07:00

Remember when Apple first introduced the FaceTime video calling service in 2010, causing quite a big stir? Video calling on a mobile device wasn’t anything new or revolutionary, after all, one of the core services when networks started pushing out UMTS connectivity was the ability to make device-to-device video calls. As usual, Apple somehow managed to make this feature seem exclusive to iOS devices and was made even more palatable to users due to the fact that it was free over a wireless connection.

Whenever the Cupertino-based fruit company push out a new update to iOS, keen eyed users and researchers always sift through the build to see if they can find anything new or noteworthy. The release of iOS 5.1.1 is no different, with Gizmodo reporting that the said version of iOS returns some curious behavior and error messages when the ‘Enable 3G’ mode is toggled on and off during a FaceTime call.

To put this into context, in iOS 5.1.1 whenever a FaceTime call is in place over a Wi-Fi connection, disabling the ‘Enable 3G’ option through the device’s settings brings up a standard iOS action sheet containing an error message that states if 3G is disabled, the current FacrTime call may be terminated and prompting the user to accept whether or not they wish to continue with the action. A certain set of people believe that due to the fact the call remains active when the user proceeds with the action means that Apple are planning to implement 3G-based FaceTime calls in the very near future.

On the flip side of the coin, if the user decides to enable the 3G connection, a similar error message is presented that also threatens to end the current video call, but as you might have guessed, proceeding with the action has no effect. With Apple’s FaceTime service now being available on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and all of the Mac lineup, it seems as though we could soon be seeing consumers making those calls regardless of whether they have an active Wi-Fi connection or not.

I personally hope that we do soon get the ability to make those FaceTime calls over a cellular connection. Jailbroken users have been using extensions such as FaceBreak and 3G Unrestrictor for some time to enable 3G video calling without any issue at all.

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Microsoft Highlights New Desktop UI Changes In Windows 8, Says Goodbye To Aero Glass

2012-05-19T06:02:00.004-07:00

Although Microsoft has born the brunt of much criticism throughout the tech industry over the years, the Redmond-based software maker has had a comparatively good last couple of years. The Xbox 360 is the number one console, Windows Phone is growing steadily, and the Windows 8 Consumer Preview dropped earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim.

Windows 8 is just around the corner, and having used most versions of Microsoft’s flagship OS hitherto, I would say the latest edition is not only the most promising, but the most daring to date. Many of the omni-present features users have become accustomed to are now gone, which is brave enough, but by implementing a Metro interface throughout, Windows will almost certainly look alien to the general consumer. Because let’s face it, while most of us testing out the Consumer Preview are happy with what Microsoft has achieved, a vast portion of Windows users are likely unaware of which version of Windows they’re using, let alone the fact there’s a new iteration itching to hatch.

As well as the overt implementation of the Metro tiles here, there and everywhere, Windows 8 rings in plenty more changes, and the MSDN blog has confirmed what we can expect with the Release Preview of Windows 8 – likely to be a clear representation of the features present in the OEM iteration.

There are a plethora of new features, but one of the significant changes is the scrapping of the Aero glass. First seen in the publicly flogged and almost forgotten Windows Vista, it was supposed to give Windows a slick, smooth interface, but in truth, it simply slowed things down. Although Metro does seem better suited to tablet devices, I have been using Windows 8′s Consumer Preview for a few months, and I have yet to feel compelled to revert to Windows 7 – despite initially missing the START Orb.

Microsoft confirmed its Aero cessation by stating:

We have moved beyond Aero Glass—flattening surfaces, removing reflections, and scaling back distracting gradients.

It’s great news for all Windows users, since while Aero may have looked good to some, it should never have been such a keenly-lauded feature, and while I’m taking Microsoft’s words slightly out of context, I would say it was created by Microsoft to distract from the fact that Windows Vista failed to really innovate, and was more of a step down than a step up from XP.

As techies, I think we’ve gotten a little carried away with Windows 8, and there will likely be some kind of backlash when Windows 8 is forced upon every new computer purchaser later this year. While I have plenty of tech-orientated friends, I can think of several people who’ll take one look at Windows 8 with an expression of sheer confusion. Microsoft places emphasis on believing in “people and their ability to adapt and move forward,” and while many users will have familiarized themselves with ecosystems based on titles and icons, it will be more than intriguing to see the reaction after Windows 8 has had a couple of months in the shop window.