Techy Gadgetz

iPhone Has Siri, Google has Now, Amazon Revolutionized with Echo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 May 2016 10:43:00 +0300

As Amazon regularly adds new functionality, the Echo continues to grow more useful. Whether you've been considering getting an Echo for a while or only recently became aware of it through commercials aired during the Super Bowl, this guide will show what the Echo can do and why it should have a place in your home.

The Echo is a round black cylinder with an audio system inside. It is always connected to the cloud via wi-fi giving it a vast online resource to tap. The Echo interacts with you by voice, and answers to the name Alexa. If you don't like the name you can call it Amazon, but talking to Amazon in your home is creepy.

Alexa, or the Echo, understands queries and commands issued in natural language. The Echo is always listening for interaction through its array of microphones that pick up this interaction from a great distance and from anywhere in the room. Getting the Echo's attention is done by beginning commands with its name, i. e. "Alexa".

The Echo works best with Fire Tablets, although it's also fine with iOS and Android devices. There are Alexa apps for controlling the Echo on both platforms. The app is used to configure the Echo, and lists the latest interactions with it.

THE LIVING ROOM

Echo can be connected via its app to the major audio streaming services, including Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Amazon's Prime Music. Once it's connected, you can tell the Echo things like "Alexa, play the ZZ Top station on Pandora".

You can pair your phone or tablet with the Echo over Bluetooth and use it as a wireless speaker. Once paired, you connect/disconnect it by telling Alexa to do so. Once connected, open the app on the phone and play music normally and it plays through the Echo speaker system. It's not the best audio system, but it's good enough for casual listening.

Music playback can be controlled by voice using standard commands, such as Next, Previous, Stop, and Pause. You can even tell Alexa to turn the volume up or down.

Echo doesn't just play music; it also serves as a portal to most information you can find online. It quickly becomes habit to ask Alexa when you are wondering about something. This is useful as Echo responds to queries with a concise, spoken response. This saves you from looking through all the responses to typical online searches, and it doesn't interrupt what you are doing as web searches do. For most anything you ask, Alexa can search and tell you pertinent information while only rarely having to ask what you meant. Echo has an uncanny ability to interpret your questions.

These can be specific as "Alexa, convert 142 mm to inches" and "Alexa, how much does a gallon of water weigh?". I often ask Alexa when my favorite home sports teams play next. I get a quick answer complete with when, where, and whom they are playing.

You can listen to Audible audiobooks and Kindle Unlimited books using the Echo. Tell Alexa to read "Catcher in the Rye" or any book in your Amazon book collection. Don't use either audiobook service? Echo will read any Kindle book on demand.

On the way out the door, you can order a ride from Uber by voice with the Echo. With the new Echo apps, new functions are being added by third parties all the time. You can find them on the Echo section of Amazon. There are frivolous apps, but some useful ones, too. Echo owners in New York may find the subway status app to be useful before heading out for their daily commute.

IN THE KITCHEN

Echo can do a lot to help with meal preparation. Recipes can be requested when needed, and Echo can convert volumes of listed ingredients. Ask Alexa how many tablespoons are in X ounces of flour, for instance, and get immediate results.

Having a dinner party for 12 and a recipe for 8? Use Echo's ability to solve math equations to convert the amount of each ingredient on the fly. Better yet, have Echo order you a pizza from Domino's and avoid cooking.

Since the kitchen is the family hub, putting Echo there is sensible. Check the calendar to see what's on the plate for the day. You can get traffic and weather updates for the day with Echo. Listen to the daily news on demand. Get information about movies showing in the area.

IN THE BEDROOM

Forgo your other alarm clocks, and tell Alexa to set an alarm at 5 am. Echo will dutifully sound the alarm when you need it.

Get warm and cozy under the covers and use Echo's ability to work with smart appliances to turn off the lights. Echo works with Philips Hue, SmartThings, Insteon, Wink, and WeMo devices, making them controllable by voice. Get a WeMo-enabled coffeemaker and Alexa can get it going in the morning.

GET ONE

What the Amazon Echo can do for you is limited only by your imagination. The examples detailed in this article just scratch the surface of what you can do by talking to the invisible assistant in the room. Echo is always on, always connected to the cloud, and always waiting to help.

The Meizu PRO 6 Smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:08:00 +0300

Meizu has just revealed their latest smartphone for the masses, which would be known as the Meizu PRO 6. This particular handset shows off Meizu’s breakthrough 3D Press pressure-sensitive display, fingerprint recognition as well as fast charging capabilities, in addition to the Flyme 5.5 operating system which will be able to offer an in-depth level of customization where Android 6.0 Marshmallow is concerned.

Through the application of 3D Press technology, the Meizu PRO 6 is able to perceive changes of pressure on the screen in real time alongside tactile vibration feedback and visual changes, before calling on the corresponding functions without having to launch an app, now how about that? This would mean that 3D Press is able to directly improve operational efficiency, as well as introduce more interaction possibilities.

Other popular apps in the vein of WeChat and Alipay have activated the 3D Press function, which would then enable the full use of the app’s services without even requiring to open it. There will be additional apps that support the 3D Press function in the near future, at least according to Meizu.

Apart from that, the Meizu PRO 6 will run on the Helio X25 flagship processor, which is a revolutionary 10-core 3-cluster architecture with 2.5GHz speed. The Helio X25 3-cluster structure can dynamically switch between modules according to different task requirements, and hence, has a lower power consumption of up to 30% less than a 2-cluster setup, resulting in a longer battery life. Other hardware specifications include a Mali TM T880 GPU, 4GB of RAM, eMMC 5.1 flash memory, a 5.2-inch Full HD display, a fingerprint sensor with a 0.2-second recognition time, and a choice of either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory as it arrives in a black, silver or gold aluminum alloy unibody. So far, there is no word on pricing, but it should go on sale in Hong Kong, Russia, Israel, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and India.

A T-Shirt That Knows When You Are Thirsty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:04:00 +0300

I suppose it does not take a genius to know whether one would need to go grab a glass of cool and refreshing water from the kitchen as the throat thirsts for this life giving liquid. After all, I would think that it is our body’s own reflex and natural action to inform us that we are thirsty, so that we do not end up dehydrated in the long run. Sort of a fail-safe system, if you will. Well, just in case you are rather occupied with whatever you are doing at the moment, so much so that you even dismiss your body’s desperate call for more water, here is a t-shirt that will be able to do the job on your behalf.

Most of us wear t-shirts in order to show the world just what our stand is on a particular matter, or whether we are a fan of a select science fiction series, and the ilk, but with this unique t-shirt, it will be able to inform you as to whether you are thirsty or not. In a rather special collaboration between Philadelphia University and Verizon, here we are with the next-level in wearable tech.

Close your eyes and imagine a t-shirt that is smart enough to be able to monitor your heart rate, inform you as to when you are getting dehydrated, as well as keep track of your range of motion during exercise or strenuous activity. A bunch of enterprising undergraduates over at Philadelphia University has been working on a t-shirt which will feature just this particular kind of wearable tech in collaboration with the Verizon Emerging Technologies team.

This particular compression t-shirt is made of polyester and Lycra, and it might look as though it is an ordinary workout top, but it will feature a soft skeleton of sensors sewn inside it. These sensors will then monitor your body during physical activity, where it sends information about your hydration levels, range of motion and heart rate directly to your smart phone. Pretty cool, don’t you think so?

Windshield Heads Up Display By Hammacher

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 19:55:00 +0300

You know how some of the more modern cars out there tend to have high end technology which wows the masses when it first came out, such a heads up display? Well, it seems that you do not need to burn a hole in your pocket by taking out a second mortgage on your home just so that you can afford to buy a spanking new ride that has heads up display technology. Here is a far more affordable way of doing so – with the $149.95 Windshield Heads Up Display.

The Windshield Heads Up Display is a device that projects important data onto the windshield directly in front of a driver’s line of sight, where it enables continuous road awareness. Being an Hammacher Schlemmer exclusive, the Windshield Heads Up Display will remain secured to a dashboard thanks to a non-slip mat, where it will be connected to your car’s On Board Diagnostic System II interface (OBD II) thanks to the included 62″-long cable and has the ability to project MPH, engine rotation speed (RPM), battery voltage, fuel consumption (MPG), and water temperature. There is an integrated clock that measures just how much time a driver has spent behind the wheel, where it also provides alerts so that you can take a break as and when necessary. For those who prefer to drive stick or are new drivers, the device will have alerts as to when it’s time to up or downshift.

Treat Your Pain With The Quell Instead of Pain killers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 19:36:00 +0300

When you are suffering from chronic pain, a good day can have you in serious pain, and the bad days are just…unbearable. Of course, you still have to function as a normal human being, so you are forced to find ways to work around it. For those who can’t afford pills and prescriptions that will temporarily solve things, you’re going to want a way to deal with the pain without having reoccurring payments.

The Quell is a wearable TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit that uses electric pulses to stimulate sensory nerves, which tells your brain it needs to block pain in the body. Yes, you are being shocked a bit, but it’s not something that is going to zap you into oblivion. This is aimed at people with back pain, nerve pain, fibromyalgia, arthritic pain, and any other sorts of body pain you might be dealing with. Therapy sessions last for an hour, and can run every other hour.

You will be able to skip sessions if you’d like, as well as adjust the intensity of the stimulation, though it will automatically adjust a bit during your treatment to make sure you’re getting the most out of it. This connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth so you can monitor your therapy sessions and sleep to make sure you’re taking proper care of yourself. This is going to cost you $249, and the only thing you’ll need to replace over time is the electrodes which last for two weeks, and will cost $29.95 for a month supply. That sort of ruins the avoidance of reoccurring payments, but at least you don’t have to take drugs!

Available for purchase on thegrommet

Moverio BT-300 smart glasses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 19:30:00 +0300

Just when you thought that heads-up displays for the human being, in the form of the wearable technology that is known as smart glasses is something that is about to catch on in a big way, the industry does not move within such expectations, where even tech giants like Google will need to reevaluate their Google Glass program and scrap it. Epson has had their foray into this segment as well with their Moverio a few years back, and at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, we did hear of Epson making an announcement of its third generation of Moverio smart glasses – the Moverio BT-300, which will boast of Epson’s breakthrough silicon-based OLED (organic light emitting diode) digital display technology that enables truly transparent mobile augmented reality (AR) experiences for business and consumers alike.

The Epson Moverio BT-300 happens to be the lightest binocular see-through smart glasses announced to date, where it is 20% lighter compared to its predecessor, the Moverio BT-200, and that itself sets a new standard for augmented reality smart eyewear. The glasses will be powered by a quad core Intel Atom X5 processor and Android 5.1 Lollipop, which enables efficient rendering of complex 3D experiences.

There is also an upgraded 5 megapixel front-facing camera and on-board sensors that enable the Moverio BT-300 to more precisely determine the location of objects in the real world, while the Si-OLED projection system will seamlessly render and lock 3D content to these objects, doing away with any kind of display background or edges in the field of view.

Do expect the Epson Moverio BT-300 to be made available to the masses some time later this year, if you are interested in a device that takes a major leap forward in mobile AR smart eyewear, while arriving in a comfortable and lightweight form factor whilst boasting of an amazing new display engine without a price that is too far out of reach. While exact pricing details have not been revealed, it has been said to be priced at a “price comparable to smartphones.”

LifeProof Nuud For iPhone 6S and 6S Plus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 6 Feb 2016 22:44:00 +0300

It is one thing to own a brand new iPhone, but it is another altogether to make sure that your spanking new iPhone is protected from the usual suspects – knocks and drops, although advancements in technology has also led to a greater degree of protection for your mobile communications device in the form of waterproofing and the like. LifeProof NÜÜD happens to be a name that many of us are familiar with, as this is one brand which offers protective solutions for your mobile devices, and their latest products include the Lifeproof NÜÜD for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.“LifeProof is continuously evolving each product line in order to give you the best form and function in waterproof technology. NÜÜD for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus push the limits of a waterproof case by removing the display cover completely. It allows you to use your iPhone almost anywhere and forget the case is there until you need its industry-leading protection.,” as shared by LifeProof President and CEO Pete Lindgren.

The NÜÜD for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will merge a slim form with an innovative design, ensuring that your touchscreen experience does not end up compromised. There is also a redundant seal located around the edges of the touchscreen in order to provide protection against water up to 6.6 feet for an hour, drops to 6.6 feet, dirt and snow without interfering with device functionality. Best of all is, the LifeProof NÜÜD can be paired with LIFEACTÍV accessories for a greater degree of flexibility and enjoyment.

An Instant Wine Cooler Called Ravi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 23:52:00 +0300

When you want a cold glass of red or white to end the day, you want it to be exactly to your specifications. Some people are fine with room temperature, but if you like your beverage chilled, you’re usually stuck waiting for it to cool down in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Of course, this is the future, and if you have the money just about anything is possible anymore.

If you want your wine cold, but also want to make sure to keep its flavor integrity, then the Ravi Instant Wine Chiller might be able to lend a hand. Rather than chilling the entire bottle, this is inserted into the bottle neck, and all you need to do is pour your drink. The inside of this device is a stainless steel tube that you’re meant to freeze so as the wine passes through, its temperature will drop. The important part is making sure you remember to put it in the freezer in between uses.

Since not all wines are the same, you’ll want to mess with the valve control, which will change the rate at which the libations flow. This means you can have it range between chilled and straight up cold if you prefer. You will need to hand-wash this item, though hopefully you’ll remember to take that step before putting it back in the freezer after you’ve had your fill for the evening. This is a $28.90 purchase, and will hopefully be of some use to the lushes of the world.

Gaming Mouse That Dazzles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 20:36:00 +0300

A company is not going to go anywhere if it chooses to rest on its laurels, and the same applies to Logitech. This is a company that has long dabbled with computer accessories, ranging from keyboards to speakers, protective cases and even mice, and their expertise in the realm of gaming mice shines forth yet again with the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum. Just in case the name sounds familiar to you, that is because this will be a direct successor to the best selling Logitech G502 Proteus Core tunable gaming mouse, and boy, will you be able to dazzle your mates with this bad boy – although it would be even better if your gaming skills were mad enough to complement such a piece of hardware.

Logitech has decided to throw in RGB customizable lighting into the Logitech G502 Proteus Core, resulting in it being the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum. Of course, it will be able to maintain what Logitech is proud to call it the world’s best DPI sensor, where its exclusive Logitech G Delta Zero optical sensor technology will help to increase reliable targeting. Not only that, the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum also boasts of a massive DPI range of 200 to 12,000 with zero sensor acceleration, zero smoothing or filtering and zero pixel rounding.

In addition, you can have it match your style and environment by adjusting up to 16.8 million colors and brightness, thanks to Logitech Gaming Software (LGS). You can make sure your mouse is brought to life with breathing light patterns, or opt to set your lighting to continuously cycle through the color spectrum. To be more inclusive, the lighting can also be synchronized with Logitech G’s other RGB products.

To make sure that you gain any and every edge possible, personal tweaks like the ability to adjust its weight makes it all the more impressive. After all, weight adjustment lets you modify the center of balance through the placement of up to five 3.6g weights in the mouse, and one will be able to reassign any command or macro to one of the 11 programmable buttons, using LGS, in double quick time.

Expect the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum to be available for an investment of $79.99 apiece.

The New Sony Vaio Z and Vaio S Buniness Notebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 01:12:00 +0300

It has been so long since we actually came across the name Vaio where notebooks are concerned. The Sony Vaio Fit did not really manage to take the world by storm, and it looks as though there is still hope for the Vaio brand just yet after Sony sold it off to concentrate on other matters, as over in the US, Vaio has just announced the arrival of its new flagship notebook line, where there are the Vaio Z and the Vaio S.

The Vaio Z will arrive in flip and clamshell models with the former being a two-in-one convertible, while the other standard model would be the Vaio S that has been developed to target the hardworking business professional. Regardless of which particular model that you decide to settle for, they will arrive in a lightweight form factor with sophisticated design that is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

First of all, the Vaio Z is said to be a notebook without any compromises, where it will weigh between 2.58lb and 2.96lb depending on the mak, running on Intel’s 6th generation 28W Skylake processor. Accompanying that would be a long battery life of up to 11 hours 30 minutes for the flip model and 15 hours and 30 minutes for the clamshell model. Boasting a chassis that makes use of aluminum and UD carbon to provide stability and durability, it has a keyboard which does away with high frequency typing noises thanks to a finely-tuned keycap tooling. There is a 13.3” WQHD display for the flip model, while the clamshell model arrives with a 13.3” WQHD display or a 13.3” full HD display.

As for the Vaio S, this will be a business productivity notebook with a 13.3” full HD display, where it comes across as an all-around performer for those who would want something that can last for years without sacrificing on performance. The clamshell and flip Vaio Z models will retail for $1,499 and $1,799, respectively, while the Vaio S will begin from $1,099 a pop.

Gest Allows You To Control Your Computer Without A Keyboard Or Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:36:00 +0300

Sometimes when you’re in a great work flow on your computer, you get annoyed at how long it takes to switch between tasks. There are keyboard shortcuts we can use to expedite certain things, but even then they don’t seem like they’re moving fast enough for what we want. While we haven’t gotten to the point where our minds can control our computers, it is possible for your computer to understand gestures.

While there are certainly some options out there like this already, Gest seems like a really neat way to work with your computer through gesture. This interaction tool will give you a new level of speed as it packs 15 sensors into each hand device. All that sensing means any hand or finger twitches will be read as commands, and you can program it to understand what all of your movements mean. It would be a bit weird to have little finger cuffs on for the first few times of using these things, but you likely wouldn’t even notice them after a while.

The palm strap and finger mounts are completely adjustable since everyone has differently sized grippers. It will take a little time to program this how you’d like, but this is said to learn how you perform common gestures over time. You’ll be able to point, swipe, flick, and grab at the screen for everything from typing to Photoshop. Getting two of these is going to cost you $350, or you can opt for one at an obviously lower price point.

Samsung Galaxy View To Debut Nov 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 21:20:00 +0300

Samsung has just taken the wraps off one of the best tablet we may have ever seen. Its name is the Galaxy View and this goliath has a whopping 18.4-inch display -- 18.4 inches from corner to corner of its widescreen display. It'll cost you $599 when it arrives on November 6

Ridiculous though that might sound, Samsung reckons the View serves a noble purpose: couch potato nirvana. It's geared solely towards watching video. That's something you can already do on smaller tablets, of course, but the View's huge size will make movies and TV shows a lot more immersive.

It's running Android at its core -- version 5.1 Lollipop, to be specific -- but Samsung will load the slate with a custom overlay that puts streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and so on right at your fingertips.

Being an easily portable media machine for the home means the View is targeted much more towards families than the Android power user. As such, Samsung hasn't equipped the View with particularly high-end specs. It has a full HD display (1,920x1,080 pixels), rather than the higher resolution ultra HD screens seen on its smaller Tab S2 line and its octa-core processor runs at just 1.6GHz.

The battery is expected to provide up to 8 hours of video playback, which is enough even to sit through "Lord of the Rings 1,2 and 3".

Samsung hasn't paired the View with a stylus, as with its Note range, but I can really see this being a benefit on future models. As well as graphic designers appreciating the larger screen, I can picture families sitting around the View, creating all kinds of fun sketches together.

The Ideal Gadget For Donald Trump

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 1 Oct 2015 23:03:00 +0300

Many of the things great and small that we take utterly for granted were once upon a time a breakthrough — the wheel in 3500 B.C., the lightbulb in 1879, the bra in 1914, Velcro fasteners in 1955, the home computer in the 1970s, and on and on to the time when gadgets like Google Glass and the modern smartwatch joined the universe of things that someday will be as common as the 70-year-old ball point pen.

So what’s next? What gadget, invention or breakthrough would make a big difference in your life?

Donald J. Trump

I like using my smartphone, having conference calls and tweeting — that’s all easy. But because I have a lot of international properties now, I do a lot of traveling. I would like an invention that lets me be in two locations at once, without the apparent prerequisite of sainthood. Or better yet, a device that could beam me to another location without having to get to an airport or board a jet — like teleportation.

Donald J. Trump CreditCourtesy of the Trump organization

I love visiting different places around the world, but it is time consuming. I’d just like to be there, and pronto. I guess I’m leaning more toward science fiction rather than a gadget, but who knows? I never figured that something like Twitter could be such an effective tool.

Donald J. Trump is a billionaire businessman, real estate mogul and author.

The Dodge Charger and Challenger HellCats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:47:00 +0300

Whether you’re talking high performance cars, or all-you-can-eat buffets; restraint is never easy. And, you’ll need to exercise a lot of it if you own one these 707 horsepower Dodge Hellcats, and want to hang on to your driver’s license. That’s why we’ve come to a place where we can unleash all of the evil that these hellions can deliver!

This pair of SRT Hellcats, a 2015 Dodge Challenger, and 2015 Dodge Charger, have a lot in common. But really, it’s what’s common under their hoods that is our interest here. Forget about Mustang and Camaro, these beasts have more power than a Z06, and even FCA US’s, or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as the Chrysler Group is now known, own Dodge Viper.

It’s a HEMI of course, and while its 6.2-liters of displacement is not the biggest HEMI in the stable, for the first time there’s a 2.4-liter supercharger on top of this orange-panted iron block; that more than makes up for any lack of displacement to the tune of 707-horsepower and 650 lb-ft. of torque.

Now, you might think that cramming this much oomph into a daily driver would destroy the daily driver part, but there’s little indication of its full insanity when you first fire it up.

No matter which Drive Mode you’ve dialed in, there’s a soft personality to these cars, a “smooth as Grandma’s Caddy” 8-speed automatic transmission, and 2 keys to choose from. Pick the black one and you’ll only get about 500 H-Ps of Hellcat wrath. Use the big boy red key, and you’ll have full access.

And of course that means no matter whether you’re “Charging” solo or “Challenging” a friend, exercising some of that restraint will be necessary if you plan on getting off the line with anything other than smoke and melted rubber.

Once you’re rolling, the power is delivered less abruptly, but no less forcefully; and we hit 60 miles-per-hour in just 3.8–seconds in the Challenger and 4.0-seconds flat in the Charger.

That ultra-smooth 8HP90 TorqueFlite transmission, with its beefed up internals, can also deliver shifts as quickly as 160-milliseconds, taking you to the end of the ¼-mile in as little as 12.1-seconds at 124 miles-per-hour. The Viper’s Tremec 6-speed manual is available in the Challenger only.

That makes the Charger Hellcat the most powerful sedan in the world. Plus, the Charger also cheats the wind a little more than the Challenger, so can achieve a higher top speed of 204 miles-per-hour.

But, while there is absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to straight-line heroics, unleashing these two beasts on Roebling Road Raceway’s 2-miles of road course, showed that while not quite full-analog in a digital world, they are much more adept at destroying blacktop than clinging to it.

And while full Track Mode and Bilstein ADS dampers help when it comes to keeping things flat through corners and more capable than most buyers need; it never feels truly at home on a road course.

Factor in the 4,500-pounds of weight these brutes are saddled with though, and they feel more responsive than they probably should. And, thanks to the largest steel brakes on any production car, braking held up to the track task better than expected.

Outside of track work, and inside, these cars remain the roomiest and most comfortable of the muscle car breed. With full-size car space to spread out and even plenty of room for bringing loads of stuff with you.

Hellcat bucket seats offer plenty of support for fast corner work, yet stay very comfy. The center stack is slightly driver oriented, with the 8.4-inch UConnect screen along with SRT Performance Pages the obvious highlight.

The exteriors gets demonized with unique, non-cross haired front ends that are functional for both allowing more air in to cool things down and for making both cars look Hella bad. An exclusive hood with scoops and vents was also designed for airflow management.

20-inch wheels wear 245 rubber both up front and in the rear; both cars sit about half an inch lower; and of course there are more prominent rear spoilers. Further touches from there are surprisingly subtle, with the Challenger boasting the more nostalgic look of the two.

The Challenger SRT Hellcat starts at $61,090; 4-doors a little more at $65,290. These cars aren’t for everyone, but they’ll sure as “heck” impress anybody who gets near one.

We’re not sure if there are actually cats in hell, and why exactly they would come to earth bringing us 14-hundred horsepower’s worth of ungodly, road-going evil. But we say “here kitty-kitty; bring it on”! The 2015 Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcats are indeed Demonic Dusters that will be making life for the competition a living hell for years to come.

Apple Releases IOS 9.0.1 to fix nagging bugs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 20:00:00 +0300

The iOS 9 bug fixes:

-- Fixes an issue where some users could not complete the setup assistant after updating, because the "Slide to Upgrade" function was unresponsive.

-- Fixes an issue where sometimes alarms and timers could fail to play.

-- Fixes an issue in Safari and Photos where pausing video could cause the paused frame to appear distorted.

-- Fixes an issue where some users who manually set up how their phones connect to their wireless networks could lose their data connections.

It's certainly not a big update, but it will allow a small group of people who were unable to upgrade to iOS 9 finally get the latest iPhone operating system. That unresponsive "Slide to Upgrade" bug was annoying to people who were eagerly waiting to get iOS 9, but couldn't.

Apple made the new iOS available in a public beta for the first time this summer, allowing people to test out the new software. In theory, that should have helped reduce the number of bugs at launch.

Compared to previous versions of iOS, iOS 9 is (so far) pretty bug-free. The biggest problem so far was Apple's inability to satisfy demand, giving thousands of people headaches when they were unable to contact Apple's servers to download the new operating system.

Eventually, people were able to get the upgrade, however. In fact, Apple said iOS 9 has the fastest adoption rate of any iPhone operating system in history.

Pre-Orders Start For The Vaio Canvas Z

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 22:29:00 +0300

VAIO this week announced the availability to pre-order its new VAIO Canvas Z tablet with prices starting from $2,199 and rising to $3,099.

Even though the VAIO Canvas Z tablet is one of the more expensive tablets on the market VAIO have equipped the device with some impressive hardware and processing power.

The VAIO Canvas Z is equipped with a 12.3 inch LCD WQXGA+ IPS display sporting a resolution of 2560 x 1704 pixels and is powered by Intel Core i7-4770HQ processor supported by 8GB of RAM and 256GB 2nd generation PCIe SSD with PCIe Gen.3 storage on the base model.

Graphics processing on the tablets is handled by an Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics chip and VAIO has also included an active digitiser stylus for users to enjoy being able to sketch and make notes directly onto the screen of the tablet. VAIO explains more :

If the human brain can think up any idea at any moment, regardless of time and place, the tools they use to express those ideas should not interfere. We want creative professionals to concentrate on how they express themselves. VAIO Z Canvas is the precise and powerful tool for professionals with a mission.

Creative professionals aspire to draw as they imagine. To minimize the distance between where the nib senses the screen and where ink appears on the device, the VAIO Z Canvas uses a unique optical resin between the LCD and glass. We want users to feel like they are using a real pen on a sheet of paper.

VAIO as expected has preloaded the full range of VAIO Canvas Z devices with Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system and offers a number of different configurations that include :

• 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $2,199
• 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2,599
• 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $3,099

Apple Releses Statement Over Xcode Ghost Malware

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 00:15:00 +0300

Apple recently removed a number of apps from their app store due to the XcodeGhost malware that was found in some apps.

The malware was found int apps that there created using fake versions of Xcode and it mainly affected developers in China.

Apple has now posted some guidelines for their developers on how they can check to see if their are running a valid version of Xcode.

' We recently removed apps from the App Store that were built with a counterfeit version of Xcode which had the potential to cause harm to customers. You should always download Xcode directly from the Mac App Store, or from the Apple Developer website, and leave Gatekeeper enabled on all your systems to protect against tampered software.'

Whether you downloaded Xcode from Apple or received Xcode from another source, such as a USB or Thunderbolt disk, or over a local network, you can easily verify the integrity of your copy of Xcode.

Developers can find out more information on how they can check if they are running a legitimate version of Xcode over at Apple at the link below.

A Must Have Concept Car

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 00:08:00 +0300

Back in January of 2014 a new Kia GT sports car was unveiled in the form of a concept car, the Kia GT4 Concept and now we have more details about the company’s future plans.

The new Kia GT sports car will launch in 2020, this was recently confirmed by the head of Kia UK, Paul Philpott.

The new car will be a different model than the Kia GT4 Concept that we saw previously, although it may take some design cues from the concept.

Kia have said that the car will be affordable, although exactly how much it will cost remains to be seen, the company plans to launch the car worldwide and are looking at the US and Europe a major markets for the car.

As soon as we get some more details about the car, we will let you guys know.

A New Level For Amazon's Fire TV Gaming Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 01:01:00 +0300

Back in April last year, we were introduced to the Amazon Fire TV, which did not really take off in a big way which Amazon would have liked, but it would be folly to say that it was a complete disaster, either. So, what is it about the Amazon Fire TV that requires a second look? The folks over at Amazon apparently thought so, which was why they decided to work on the Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition. The Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition is definitely something new, as it merges the spanking new Amazon Fire TV, in addition to that of a new game controller, a 32GB microSD memory card, and a pair included games – namely Shovel Knight and Disney’s Ducktales, and all of that will be going for $139.99 a pop.

It is nice to see that the new Amazon Fire TV Game Controller will boast of an all-new ergonomic design, a headphone jack, and voice search, where you will be able to take advantage of it as part of the Gaming Edition, or opt to take it as an accessory for Fire TV which can be added on later. Just how much better is the new Fire TV compared to its predecessor? Well, Amazon claims that it boasts of 75% additional processing power, double the GPU performance, in addition to a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes of up to 128GB, delivering incredible value and powerful performance for gamers.

In addition, the Amazon Fire TV will come with more games than any other streaming media player in the market, where some of the new and popular games will include Minecraft Story Mode, Pac Man 256, Disney’s Ducktales, and Shovel Knight.

As for the Amazon Fire TV Game Controller, it will run on a set of AA batteries, offering up to 90 hours of performance before a replacement is required – assuming you do not hook up a pair of headphones to it, of course, as doing so would result in a lower battery life but a more intimate gaming experience. Any takers for the new Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition?

Amazons's New Fire Tablet, And It Only Costs $50!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 00:57:00 +0300

The tablet industry has gotten rather crowded lately, although it must be said that the iOS and Android platforms have dominated the landscape for quite some time already. Well, it looks like Amazon has not thrown in the towel where tablets are concerned, what with past models like the Kindle Fire HD, and this time around Amazon intends to keep your wallet happy with an asking price of just $50 attached to the new Fire tablet, now how about that? Of course, Amazon has ensured that this will not be some sort of sloppy piece of hardware, but rather, it will have the kind of innards that are respectable enough to be productive on the move.

Running on Fire OS 5 “Bellini”, it boasts of an updated user interface, adding hundreds of new features and platform enhancements, all the while providing instant access to Amazon’s vast content ecosystem of more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps, and games. I guess you will not end up bored with the amount of choice presented. In addition, the new Fire tablet will include Amazon Underground with unlimited access to more than $10,000 in paid apps, games, and even in-app purchases which happen to be actually free.

For $50 a pop, what do you get? For starters, there is a 7” IPS display which delivers a great viewing experience with vivid and accurate color reproduction that can be seen at all angles. Not only that, a quad-core 1.3GHz processor runs proceedings from underneath the hood with double the processing power compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, being close to twice more durable than the latest generation iPad Air (no idea on how Amazon “measured” that), front- and rear-facing cameras, up to another 128GB of storage space thanks to the microSD memory card slot, and an all-day battery life that delivers up to 7 hours of activity before requiring a recharge. Any takers for the new Amazon Fire tablet?

Metal Gear Solid 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 1 Sep 2015 23:28:00 +0300

Metal gear solid 5 finally arrived for the game fanatics out there and seems to have created a bigger furore than mad max franchise.

Alot of fans have expressed their opinions of the game on pages like Reddit, here is a preview of the game for those who missed it

The Ripsaw EV2, A Tank With Plush Interior

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 19:29:00 +0300

Meet the Ripsaw EV2, the product of Howe and Howe Technologies, a family-owned business founded by twin brothers Geoff and Mike Howe. In 2000, stuck in boring jobs, the brothers decided that they should create the world’s fastest tracked vehicle.

Two hundred ninety-five thousand dollars will get you in the basic package. Each one is hand-built, and they have only one in production at a time.

The basic package is a four-ton, 18-foot long two-seater with a cabin suspended in an exoskeleton of aerospace aluminum and high-grade steel. A Duramax turbodiesel V8 from General Motors pumps out 600 horsepower, enabling a top speed of about 60mph

The Ripsaw EV2 is easy to drive, since it has a steering wheel rather than traditional tank stick controls, though navigating the 75-degree slopes it can handle takes a bit of confidence. The ride, says Howe, is “boatlike,” and surprisingly gentle thanks to the vehicle's ride- and height-adjustable nitrogen-damper suspension. The interior is industrial, with a racecar instrument cluster, some specialized gauges, a bit of bed-liner polymer and a lot of powder-coated metal. This is a get-dirty vehicle, so the one true luxury detail is the leather upholstery on the eight-way power-adjustable bucket seats.

Remember this car is not street legal, so building a garage in your rich neighbour's open land acreage of land and doing some mud bashing during the weekend with him/her may not be such a bad idea.

Progress of the 1 Trillion Dollar F35 Jet Project

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 01:19:00 +0300

The long awaited F35 joint taskforce jet has made yet another mile mark by displaying it's fire power strength, although now it's shooting something else other than it's missiles

The gatlin gun mounted on the side of the airplane can shoot upto 3300 rounds per minute which can even shred a tank when using armor piercing bullets. If that doesn't sound scary then think of it in seconds, 50 rounds per second!!

See for yourself on the video below.

Smart Halo Makes Your Bike Intelligent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 00:42:00 +0300

Using GPS from your smartphone and reading maps on its small screen while riding your bike is not always the safest way to navigate around busy cities.

But now a new device called SmartHalo has been created by CycleLabs to provide safe city navigation allowing you to concentrate on the more important tasks at hand, such as the road ahead.

SmartHalo is a smart biking device designed for urban cyclists And provides an intuitive navigation system that guides you to your destination safely. Watch the video below to learn more about this handy device that uses a military grade blocking system to make sure it stays on your bikes handlebars.

SmartHalo finds the quickest, safest routes to make your ride a stress-free experience. Input the destination on your smartphone, tuck it safely in your pocket and let SmartHalo take care of the rest. Get turn-by-turn navigation straight on your handlebars…a bike GPS communicated through an intuitive light halo. Alleluia.

Automatic tracking capabilities save your biking metrics seamlessly. The powerful front light illuminates your path at night. And when you’re not around, SmartHalo keeps your bike safe from thieves. This is the smart biking system you’ve been waiting for. Unlike regular fitness apps, there is no need to press “start” or “stop” – SmartHalo tracks your progress as soon as you start pedalling. Get extensive metrics and visualize the data in the app.

The SmartHalo project is currently over on the Kickstarter crowd funding website and has already raised the required funds to go into production in just the first few days after launch.

So if you think SmartHalo is something you could benefit from, visit the Kickstarter website now to make a pledge from $105.

10 Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 23:46:00 +0300

It's hard to imagine that inventors wouldn't get excited by their own inventions. After pouring hours, days, or even years into a single creation, it must be thrilling to see something finally come to life as it was imagined.

However, some inventions don't ever seem to work properly. It's not unheard of to spend tons of time working on something new, only to have it blow up in your face. For these unfortunate few, that's literally what happened to them. Their life's work ultimately led to an early death.

Franz Reichelt, 1879-1912.

Austrian-born Franz Reichelt created what is now jokingly known as the "Flying Taylor" — an aviator's suit that was supposed to double as a parachute in the event of an emergency. Though tests using dummies and other inanimate objects wearing the suit proved to be successful, Reichelt unsuccessfully tested the suit himself by jumping from the top of the Eiffel Tower and falling to his death.

Horace Lawson Hunley, 1823-1863.

Hunley served as a Marine engineer for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. His creation of the first combat submarine, the aptly named CSS Hunley, seemed like it'd give the South a major advantage. However, during the craft's tests, Hunley and seven other crew members were unable to bring the sub to the surface, causing everyone on board to drown.

Thomas Andrews, Jr., 1873-1912.

Thomas Andrews was an Irish shipbuilder who designed one of the most infamous vessels of all time — the RMS Titanic. Andrews also had the unfortunate honor of traveling on the "unsinkable" ship's maiden voyage, during which it sank after hitting an iceberg. Andrews was one of many passengers on the Titanic who died in the disaster.

Karel Soucek, 1947-1985.

Karel Soucek lived for danger. In 1984, the daredevil went over Niagara Falls in a homemade barrel, somehow surviving the 75-mph plunge. However, when Soucek attempted a similar stunt one year later from the roof of the Houston Astrodome, his contraptions failed, causing him to die shortly after landing.

Max Valier, 1895-1930.

Max Valier created rocket engines that would eventually serve as a starting point for the first spaceship engines. Valier's mechanisms used liquid fuel, which he thought could be used for both space and land vehicles. Sadly, less than a month after testing the first "rocket car," one of Valier's engines exploded, killing him instantly.

Marie Curie, 1867-1934.

Marie Curie made extensive contributions and discoveries in the world of radiation and radioactivity. However, since Curie was constantly working with hazardous materials, she exposed herself to lethal amounts of radiation. She was even known to carry radioactive materials in her pocket. This eventually caused her to die of aplastic anemia, a degradation of the bone marrow.

William Bullock, 1813-1867.

William Bullock created the web rotary printing press — a major improvement on a similar contraption built by Richard March Hoe. Bullock's creation helped improve the printing industry by quickly producing quality material, which in turn would allow for greater distribution and larger volumes of texts. In 1867, as he was installing one of his printing presses, Bullock's leg was caught in the device. Shortly after this incident, the leg developed gangrene, and Bullock later died on an operating table.

Otto Lilienthal, 1848-1896.

Otto Lilienthal became so influential in the world of aviation that historians refer to him as the "Glider King." Lilienthal spent years creating his winged contraptions, which looked more like bird wings than the gliders we know today. Lilienthal also personally tested his gliders. This proved to be his downfall when one of his inventions failed, causing him to fall 50 feet and fracture his neck.

Aurel Vlaicu, 1882-1913.

Aurel Vlaicu was one of the first airplane constructors in the 1900s. The Romanian engineer created smaller winged crafts until the completion of his largest creation, the Vlaicu II. During an attempt to fly the craft across the Carpathian Mountains, the aging Vlaicu II failed and crashed, taking its namesake with it. The exact circumstances of the plane's failure are still unknown.

Jimi Heselden, 1948-2010.

Jimi Heselden is often mistaken as the inventor the Segway. He was actually just a lifelong entrepreneur who bought the company that made the less-than-popular vehicles. Shortly after his purchase, Heselden accidentally rode a Segway off a cliff in Thorp Arch, West Yorkshire, England. Investigators discovered that Heselden attempted to reverse the vehicle near the cliff's edge, but was unable to do so, causing him to fall 80 feet to an untimely end.

If you're tinkering around with a new invention, make sure it's completely safe before you use it yourself. You don't want to be the person who was done in by their own creation. That would be the absolute worst and most ironic way to shuffle off this mortal coil.