TechyPak

Heart disease-on-a-chip" could usher in an age of personalized medicine

2014-05-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

When we've previously heard about "organs on a chip," they've been miniature recreations of healthy organs. If they're being used for research into the treatment of health problems, however, then it only makes sense that those "organs" should have something wrong with them. With that in mind, a group of Harvard scientists have created the world's first lab-grown sample of functioning human heart tissue that has a cardiovascular disease.
The researchers started by taking skin cells from two patients afflicted with Barth syndrome, an inherited and currently-untreatable heart disorder caused by a mutation of the Tafazzin (or TAZ) gene.
Those cells were converted into stem cells, and then grown on chips that were lined with human extracellular matrix proteins. That environment mimicked conditions in the human heart, causing the cells to join together and form into heart tissue – complete with the TAZ mutations. That tissue contracted but did so quite weakly, just as the heart tissue of a Barth syndrome patient would.
The scientists noted that the mutation caused the tissue to produce excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is normally released in smaller quantities by the cells' mitochondria. By reducing the ROS production to normal levels via gene replacement therapy, however, they were able to get the diseased tissue to contract like healthy heart tissue.

New Boogie Board Sync Review

2014-03-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

The Boogie Board is basically just an LCD screen that you can write on, either with the included stylus, or even with your fingernail. What makes it so natural to use is that resting your palm on the screen or touching it with your finger does not register, unlike on an iPad or similar tablet. Writing and drawing the on the Sync is as close as you can get to using paper and a pencil.
That said, there have been several Boogie Board models released over the past couple of years, but they all had one serious drawback, and that is that you couldn’t save your work. Not anymore, with the Sync 9.7 everything you write is saved, for up to about 1,000 pages!
Retrieving what you have written or drawn is simple. Just connect via bluetooth and all of it magically appears on the free app on your phone, tablet or PC. The app also works as a virtual whiteboard mirroring exactly what you are writing on the Sync. This can be especially useful if you were to connect your phone or tablet to a projector or monitor, allowing a large group to see what you are writing on the Boogie Board.
There are three buttons on the Sync, a “Power” on the edge of the device and then two on the face, “Save” and “Erase.” The “Save” button will save your progress, but will not clear the screen. Whereas the “Erase” button will clear the screen AND also save a copy of your work, just in case you did not intend to erase it. This will no doubt be an especially loved feature.
The Sync also functions as a mouse in Digitizer mode. This seemed like an exciting feature to us at first, however it was rather disappointing. First off, they want you to hold the stylus just off the surface and only touch the surface when you want to select something on screen. This is difficult to say the least. In addition, the connection and response time is slow and inconsistent.
In any case, one full charge should last you about a week of typical use. But even with the power off you can still write on the screen. The image will just stay there until it has enough power to erase and save it.

Microsoft Surface 2 Gets New trends with AT&T

2014-03-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Surface two is obtaining a refresh nowadays, with a innovative 4G LTE model touch shelves, which can work with AT&T’s network.

As invariably once talking concerning the Surface, we’ll get this cleared up from the beginning – this can be the ARM-powered, Windows RT eight.1 version of the Surface two. It’s the pure pill, with no desktop mode, as critical the hybrid tablet/laptop Surface professional two that runs Windows eight.1. The Surface professional two, as of now, won't be obtaining a 4G LTE version.

The Surface two can have 4G LTE property as associate possibility, that you’ll be able to access by obtaining a thought through AT&T. you'll add it to associate existing Mobile Share set up for $10 per month, or get monthly knowledge in bunches one by one – $15 for 250MB/month, $30 for three GB/month, or $50 for five GB/month. Either way, there won’t be sponsored valuation out there – you’ll have to be compelled to administer the complete price of the 4G LTE Surface two, and it isn’t low-cost.

You can get the 4G LTE Surface two on-line or in Best get or Microsoft stores for $679 – that’s a giant evoke one thing that's, ultimately, simply a pill, notwithstanding it's a high-end pill. But, if you were fascinated by obtaining your hands on one before however were turned off by the shortage of information property, this can be what you’ve been watching for.

Google launches operating system for watches to make wearables work

2014-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Android Wear delivers what many folks have been waiting for before investing in a smartwatch. It's contextual Google Now information combined with almost-instant Google voice commands.

So, much like Google Now for smartphones, it will give you info like traffic for your commute, sports scores, and any upcoming meetings you have. And like the Moto X and the Google Now launcher on the Nexus 5, you'll also be able to trigger voice commands without even touching your device. Just say "OK Google" and Google Wear-powered watches will instantly start listening for your command. That could mean sending or replying to a text, searching Google for a good restaurant, or something like scheduling a meeting.Android Wear's default screen is basically a scaled-down version of the Google Now we already know from smartphones. You're greeted with the time and weather, but a quick swipe or two can show you things like the detailed forecast or your meetings for the day. Non-Wear-powered watches, like the Galaxy Gear, do some of those things, but Google's platform looks like it combines them in a seamless manner that we haven't seen before.Obviously a wearable-focused version of Google Now is the killer feature here, but Google is also opening up Android Wear to third-party developers, who will be able to tie Android Wear functionality to their smartphone apps. So, for example, a fitness app you're running on your Nexus 5 might send a glanceable second-screen version of itself to your Android Wear-powered watch. Look at the smartphone version for the nitty-gritty details, but get quick access to things like your distance and step count on your watch. That's just one simple possibility, but as is always the case with new SDKs, we might not really know what's in store until developers' imaginations have at it.

ASUS Announces New Gaming Notebooks

2014-03-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the G750JZ, G750JM and G750JS, new additions to its highly acclaimed range of G-Series high-performance gamer-centric notebooks. The latest G750 models feature a 4th-generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700 processor and the brand-new enthusiast-level NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 800M Series GPUs, and include exclusive ASUS TurboMaster GPU-overclocking technology to deliver desktop-grade gaming performance. With its awesome looks and components that are designed from start to finish with the needs of serious gamers in mind, G750 sets the standard for amazing portable gaming performance.

Break the barriers: ASUS TurboMaster for extreme graphics performance

The new GeForce GTX 800M Series GPUs with up to 4GB of GDDR5 video memory, certainly delivers incredible gaming power, and the new G750 models — featuring up to the top-of-the-range NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M GPU — take this even further with exclusive ASUS TurboMaster technology. TurboMaster lets users easily and safely overclock the GPU by up to 5% for even more extreme performance — perfect for those times when every frame-per-second is critical.

TurboMaster is bundled with a version of the GPU Tweak utility that’s specifically designed for the new G-Series notebooks. GPU Tweak makes GPU overclocking easy and uses parameters that ensure long-term stability, even during extended overclocking experiments.

The GTX 800M Series GPUs also include support for two NVIDIA technologies — Battery Boost and ShadowPlay™ — that are specifically designed to enhance mobile gaming. NVIDIA Battery Boost automatically gives up to a 2X improvement in battery life while gaming, and NVIDIA ShadowPlay allows gamers to capture and share their greatest gaming moments — automatically. “The ASUS G750 continues to push the boundaries of performance and style.” said Brian Choi, Senior Product Manager at NVIDIA. “With the ultra-fast GeForce GTX 880M GPU delivering the most gaming horsepower to notebooks, these new notebooks are sure to be a gamer’s dream.”

Keep cool, whatever the challenge

Heat is one of the biggest enemies of performance notebooks. That’s why the new G750 notebooks have an upgraded thermal solution that uses intelligent dual independent fans with copper heatsinks, so they will never lose their cool in the heat of battle, even during those all-night gaming sessions. Both the processor and GPU each have their own independent and powerful heat-pipe-based cooling that is automatically optimized according to the demands on the system, making G750 the coolest gaming notebook ever — in more ways than one! And what’s more, the unique rear-vented thermal design means that distracting fan noise is kept to a minimum while maximizing cooling efficiency — so even if the action is hot, G750 won’t be.

Tomorrow’s gaming technologies — today

The new G750 models add support for the latest 4K/UHD (ultra-high-definition) displays, and its Trinity display technology means that up to three separate external displays can be connected simultaneously using the HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 interfaces. This not only allows incredible multi-screen gaming possibilities, but is also fantastic for watching movies or even multitasking during play!

Wireless network performance is critical for uninterrupted online gaming, so G750 uses the very best wireless solution available – the Killer™ Wireless-N 1202. With its dual-band, dual-stream MIMO (Multiple-input, Multiple-output) design, G750 delivers rock-solid speeds of up to 300Mbit/s on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. And with built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct™ technology for direct (peer-to-peer) connections and Advanced Stream Detect™ technology that intelligently prioritizes game-related traffic, G750 keeps players ahead of the game.

Designed for champions

Using the power of ASUS SonicMaster audio technology and the unique Bass Eye built-in subwoofer, G750 delivers majestic full-range 2.1 sound that puts gamers right in the center of the action. Precision control of audio settings is provided by the exclusive ROG AudioWizard with its five preset audio profiles, so getting the perfect sound for any kind of entertainment is simple. Users can also create their own custom settings for instant use at any time.

For the ultimate sound experience, ASUS realizes that headphones are the gamer’s favorite choice, so G750 has a powerful hi-fi-quality headphone amplifier with support for high-end 600ohm headphones.

ASUS Republic of Gamers understands exactly what gamers need in a notebook, and delivers it. From the Stealth-inspired low-profile chassis design, all the way through to its anti-glare screen, large multi-touch touchpad and cool white-backlit one-piece keyboard with long-travel (2.5mm) keys, G750 is built for those who demand the best.
Source: ASUS

Arash debuts the 550-hp AF8 review

2014-03-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

The AF8 is only the second car to carry the Arash name, following the AF10 that debuted in 2010. Arash only developed a single AF10 show car but plans to actually build and sell a limited run of AF8 models.
Like the AF10, the AF8 has a reworked 7.0-liter GM V8 engine mounted amidships. Interestingly, output has been dialed back a touch from the AF10 spec sheet, with the AF8 firing out 550 hp at 6,500 rpm (versus the AF10's 600 bhp) and generating 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque at 5,000 rpm. The engine breathes naturally with the help of a carbon intake system, while a titanium exhaust system spits things out the other end. A six-speed manual transmission mounted to the rear subframe puts the driver in charge of gear selection.

The real magic of the AF8 lies in its lightweight build. It steps gingerly on the scale, weighing in at 2,645 lb (1,200 kg), a fighting weight it maintains with a diet of carbon fiber body panels and carbon-reinforced tubular steel chassis. The car touches ground with Michelin Pilot 2 tires wrapped around forged aluminum wheels (19 x 9.5-in front, 20 x 12.5-in rear), which send it rolling to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in an estimated 3.5 seconds, on up to a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). Double wishbone suspension eats the bumps of the road, while ventilated floating steel disc brakes bring the car screaming back to rest.
Its powertrain may be old school, but the AF8 does employ plenty of modern technology, including a five-stage Arash Stability Management traction control, touchscreen infotainment system, heated windshield and optional Navtrak ADR security immobilizer and tracking system. The air conditioning will come in handy while showing off the exotic wheels on the sweltering summer beach circuit.

Arash explains in detail that the styling of the AF8 was carefully evolved from the AF10 and Farboud GT models that preceded it, but the truth of it is, the company might as well have just spit it out of a "generic supercar" 3D printer. Thanks to its rounded edges, it packs a more refined look than the AF10, but it's arguably less interesting as a result. It looks like any dozen of equally derivative designs from supercars present and past, with its only point of visual interest being the LED taillights – and those are slapped on a flat, broad afterthought of a rear fascia.
We wouldn't refuse an AF8 test drive, but for the £165,000 (US$275,000) "indicative on road price," it's far from the most intriguing option in its class. Arash plans to offer 36 specially numbered first edition AF8s painted up in "launch edition yellow." Beyond that, there will be a full selection of solid and metallic color options.
Source: Arash

DANY Genius Tab Q4 Tablet PC Review

2014-03-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

DANY Genius Tab Q4 Tablet PC has been all loaded with all those best features that are needed in any such tablet. It has the finest high resolution screen capacity, awesome larger memory coverage, fastest processing speed power and excellent 3G support as well. But that’s not all! In this article we will going to reveal out all the main features of DANY Genius Tab Q4 Tablet PC one by one….

FEATURES OF DANY GENIUS TAB Q4 TABLET PC:

1. DANY Genius Tab Q4 Tablet PC has the frequency power of 3G: HSDPA 900/2100.
2. It has the dimension capacity of 7.5 mm.
3. It is all added in the device type of being a tablet PC.
4. It has the screen size of 7.85 inches with the display power of 1024 x 768 resolution with 160ppi.
5. Its operating system has the coverage of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean that make the functioning faster and quick running of applications.
6. In the category of processing it has A9 1.6 GHz Quad Core, GPU PowerVR SGX 531.
7. In the memory section DANY Genius Tab Q4 Tablet PC has been accessorized with 8GB built in and 1GB RAM (DDR3).
8. It is all available in white and black colors.
9. Its card slot offer out with 32 GB memory power.
10. Its camera has the capacity of 2.0 MP.
11. In the browser it has been all loaded with HTML and Flash.
12. Its battery power is almost 5000 mAh.
13. In the connectivity category it has the accessibility of WIFI 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, 3G, USB / OTG, SD Card Support, HDMI, PTCL EVO Dongle Support.
14. In additional features it has been all installed with 1 Year warranty, Sleek Standing Case, HQ Audionic Earphone, Super Fine Screen Protector and Lint-Free Cleaning Cloth.

Healbe GoBe: The Only Way to Automatically Measure Calorie Intake

2014-03-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

GoBe is the only way to automatically measure calorie intake—through your skin, by reading the glucose in your cells. Simply wear it to see calories consumed and burned, activity, hydration, sleep, stress levels, and more, delivered effortlessly to your smartphone.
Everything else is just a manual calorie tracker. Only GoBe precisely calculates calorie intake, burn, and metabolic rate during any activity, with no logging, tracking, or guesswork.

How is Healbe GoBe™ different?

GoBe doesn't require you to keep a food diary, scan bar codes, or take photos of your meals. It automatically calculates calories consumed by measuring the amount of glucose in your cells, through your skin. Only GoBe uses Healbe FLOW™ Technology to combine a unique algorithm with measurements from the body manager's pressure, accelerometer, and impedance sensors to show you calories consumed; metabolic rate and calories burned during any activity; hydration; sleep; and stress.

How does Healbe GoBe™ work?

Fits Your Life, Beautifully.

Sleek, Stylish Design

Created by Jozeph Forakis, the product designer who led the design team for the iconic Motorola V70™. GoBe is waterproof, so you can wear it all day—in the shower or for a swim.
Simple digital display gives you instant access to your body's data.

Plug it in, and GoBe You

Easily charge your Healbe GoBe™ in one hour. Your body manager stays charged for three days of typical use.

Effortless Connectivity

GoBe's wristband sensor uses Bluetooth® to transmit your information to your smartphone, where you can easily track your progress with the body manager's app or get more information on your computer via the Healbe™ web portal.

Smartphone App

All the information you need to find your balance, transmitted from your body manager to your smartphone automatically via Bluetooth every time you activate the app.

Set goals, earn badges, and get suggestions for improving your health.
This is more than just data. GoBe's mobile app and web portal tell you everything you need to stay in sync with what your body wants—so you can simply wear it, and GoBe You.

Balance of calories consumed and burned

Hydration level

Sleep phases

Stress level

LG G Pro 2 - smart Review

2014-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

At MWC, LG announced their new G Pro 2, which was written up for an early hands-on and some analysis based upon the information given out by LG’s press release on the device. This is definitely not a device that was unexpected either, as the Optimus G Pro was unveiled at MWC as well, and was effectively a similar upgrade from the Optimus G, with a bigger display, and added a removable battery and microSD slot. What is different is that the G Pro 2 doesn't have a newer SoC than the one found in the G2. It's the same MSM8974AA chipset.

In the same vein as the Optimus G Pro, the G Pro 2 is a phablet that is a direct cousin of the G2. Some news outlets have described it as a flattened G Flex, but there’s more to it than that. While the G2 and G Flex both had a flat black bezel in the front, the G Pro 2 adds a pinstripe texture beneath the glass that makes it shimmer under direct light.

However, the real story is the back cover, because LG has finally gotten rid of the glossy finish and replaced it with a matte back cover that is reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S2, but with a much finer texture. For a plastic phone, the G Pro 2 is an example of how to do things right, as the fine texture is understated and looks as if the clear glossy coat of the LG G2 has been removed to leave the textured plastic underneath. The side is also a matte plastic, although the finish is of a much higher grain to approach a glossy finish.

The overall shape of the phone is also very ergonomic, with smoothly rounded edges that make the shape almost identical to that of the LG G2. The bezels are incredibly thin as well. LG claims that 77.2% of the front face of the phone is dedicated to the screen, which is likely helped by the rear key design that LG is carrying forward from the G2.
Outside of material feel and industrial design, the G Pro 2 continues to use some of the very best hardware on the market today, with the MSM8974 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, a 3200 mAh battery, and a 5.9” 1080p IPS panel. I’ve made a table of the highlights below to compare it with the Note 3 and the Optimus G Pro. I should also note that before the review I was sure that the G Pro 2 was running 8974AB as that would be the latest SoC available for the MWC timeframe launch, but based upon some tests it never reaches a 550 MHz GPU clock.

	LG Optimus G Pro	Samsung Galaxy Note 3	LG G Pro 2
Display	5.5” 1080p IPS	5.7” 1080p SAMOLED	5.9” 1080p IPS
SoC	APQ8064AB, Snapdragon 600, 4x 1.7 GHz Krait 300, Adreno 320 @ 400 MHz	MSM8974AA, Snapdragon 800, 4x 2.3 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330 @ 450 MHz	MSM8974AA, Snapdragon 800, 4x 2.3 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330 @ 450 MHz
RAM	2GB LPDDR3	3GB LPDDR3	3GB LPDDR3
WiFi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0	802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0	802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0
Storage	16/32GB + microSD	32/64GB + microSD	16/32GB + microSD
Battery	3140 mAh, 3.8V, 11.9 Whr	3200 mAh, 3.8V, 12.2 Whr	3200 mAh, 3.8V, 12.2 Whr
Size/Mass	150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4mm, 174g	151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168g	157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3mm, 172g
Camera	13MP w/AF, LED, 1080p30, 720p60, 2.1MP FFC	13 MP w/AF, LED (Rear Facing) – 1080p60, 720p120, 4K30 2 MP FFC	13 MP w/AF, OIS+EIS, LED (Rear Facing) – 1080p60, 720p120, 4K30 2.1 MP FFC

As seen by the table, the G Pro 2 is a direct competitor to the Galaxy Note 3, and outside of the OIS on the camera, a larger display, newer SoC, and no Wacom stylus, they’re almost identical. There’s definitely very little in the way of differences in core specs, so the tertiary characteristics become far more important. LG is trying to differentiate their hardware with things like the 1 watt speaker on the back, and the use of G-RAM to enable panel self-refresh for better battery life.

Software

LG is doing more than just hardware differentiation though, software is becoming increasingly important to them. Some of the key software features that the G Pro 2 pushes are a software-based addition to OIS, “KnockCode”, flash for the FFC, “Magic Focus”, “Natural Flash”, “Mini View”, “Content Lock”, and “Dual Browser”. I’ll get to the camera features later, but KnockCode should definitely be at the top, especially because LG’s entire presentation on the G Pro 2 and other devices strongly emphasized KnockCode. While it was presented in a rather silly manner, KnockCode is actually quite good, and a logical evolution of the KnockOn feature found in the G2. It’s great to be able to unlock the phone without ever turning the display on, and LG’s implementation of the feature has no major issues to talk about.
The Mini View feature is also good, but I’m not too sure that this is the fix for those that don’t want a huge phone. Rather, it is a workaround for the sheer size of the formfactor when only one hand can be used. The window can be resized, and the window is created when the on-screen buttons are swept from one direction to another.

One feature that LG hasn’t really been talking up is Slide Aside, which is effectively a way of saving up to three applications to view at a later time. I’m not quite sure how valuable this is, especially because the multitasking menu effectively does the same thing, although it’s admittedly not as consistent in saving application states.

Outside of the new features that LG is pushing, the UI is mostly the same. Out of the box, LG continues to leave QSlide and volume sliders/brightness sliders in the notification drawer to take up half of drawer, although all but the quick settings can be removed to tidy things up, as seen below.

The settings drawer in the tab view is logically organized and the ability to actually swipe from one tab to another instead of tapping the tab on top of the display helps a lot, as does the ability to convert the settings application to a single scrollable list, although I noticed that some settings go missing when this is done, such as modifying the front display keys.

The dialer and the contacts aren’t really much to talk about, and I found that those parts worked just fine, although it certainly shares quite a bit with TouchWiz when it comes to visual design. The launcher was smooth and there really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary when it comes to how LG’s UI is made. It’s almost identical to the one in the LG G2, and I wouldn’t expect this to change too much any time soon, although based on Samsung’s changes to TouchWiz I would guess that the Korean OEMs may be shifting their visual styles soon.

New Razer Blade: 14” QHD+ with GTX 870M Is Review

2014-03-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Razer has announced a new version of the 14-inch Razer Blade that was introduced last year. A lot of the components have been retained in the new model, including the quad-core 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor and 8GB of RAM. But now you get a stonking 3200×1800 resolution display instead.The new display replaces the 1600×900 resolution display on the previous mode. It uses an IGZO panel and has multitouch support so you can experience Windows 8.1 the way it was intended to be. Powering the new display is a new GPU: an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M with 3GB DDR5 VRAM, along with the standard integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics.
The new model measures 13.6″ x 9.3 ” x 0.70″ and weighs 2.03kg, slightly more than the previous model. The battery life is said to be around 6 hours for regular usage and 2-3 hours for gaming.

The price has also seen an update, with the base 128GB model now starting at $2,199 and you also have the option of 256GB and 512GB SSD. The new display possibly makes the 14-inch Razer Blade the highest resolution notebook on the market, but one has to wonder if such a resolution is appropriate for what is essentially a gaming machine, where higher resolution just means lower framerate unless you have a GPU capable of handling it.

Source

Kia Forte 2014: A perfect Car with high tech Features

2014-03-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year we got a sneak peek at the the 2014 Kia Forte and now we were able to get behind the wheel and see what this sleek compact car can do. First and foremost, the Kia Forte has gotten a facelift for 2014. This is one sassy and sexy looking compact car. Toyota Corolla eat your heart out. Not only are its new refined curves front and center, so are its guts and they have been totally re-engineered. The LX model in particular comes with an efficient 1.8-liter engine, or if you opt for the EX model, there is the 2.0-liter engine.
The Forte’s stylings could easily be found on pricier vehicles and that is what we have come to love with the Kia brand in general, that you get so much more for half the price of some other competitors. To that effect, the interior is refined with clean lines and it is not plasticky. If you opt for add-on packages then there is the heated seat option too. Of course this is a very welcome and cozy convenience to have on cold days, so much so, that it warms up your body so well you that you might not need to turn on the heat in the car.
There is also the keyless entry, which comes standard, LED headlights, and then of course there is the biggest feature by far which is the latest generation of the UVO infotainment system. It might be the easiest infotainment system that we have tested so far this year. That said, while it may not support Apps like Pandora or some others that are typically found in cars these days. The important key features you would want in a good in-car infotainment system, including robust digital music support, and a simple to use Google based navigation system are all here.
The UVO system recognized our iPhone 5s just a moment after we plugged it in via USB. When attempting to pair the iPhone via Bluetooth, UVO was just as efficient, and we were able to stream our Spotify songs almost instantly. Finally, the navigation system on UVO is also easy to navigate, with a more intuitive U.I. than previous generations.
The Kia Forte EX which was used for our review, comes with remote keyless entry with a trunk opener, a rear camera back-up display, and a sliding center armrest and a cooling glove box. This version of the EX also included the Premium Package that really transforms the Forte into a premium class vehicle. The package includes heated front and rear seats, a 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with class-exclusive air-cooled ventilation, leather seat trim, a power sunroof, and 17-inch alloy wheels.
But how does this car drive? We are happy to report that the suspension has been significantly improved and that the Forte handles pot holes and frustratingly choppy streets much better than previous 2013 Forte, resulting in a much smoother ride. There were a few points during our drive that we were able to rattle the suspension, but not too badly that we thought the car was going to fall apart in the street.
As for MPG, the Kia Forte 2014 is pretty solid with an average of 24MPG in the city versus 36MPG on the highway, and those numbers were definitely on point. Lets also keep in mind that your gas burns much slower on the ECO setting versus the normal drive mode. But ECO will inhibit a bit of the car’s performance as well. Overall, we weren’t disappointed with the Forte’s on-road performance, it was tight on handling and accelerated pretty smoothly and without hesitation on quick moves.
Kia ups the ante with their ‘little’ compact car. Certainly the additional equipment packages add even more to the entire experience, but even without them, you will be very satisfied with the 2014 Forte LX trim or EX trim. These models looks great, drive great, sound great, and have a lot of standard features that you would have to pay extra for otherwise. In comparing it to a higher-end 2013/2014 Honda Civic, Ford Titanium, or Toyota Corolla – you will save on average $2,000 to $3,000 dollars – and this is certainly a worthwhile chunk of change. The pricing for the 2014 Kia Forte with LX trim starts at around $16k to $17.5K. While the Kia Forte with EX Trim around is about $19.5k.
The Good: Solid vehicle with good upgrades over previous models. Priced well. Lots of standard but premium features. Good handling. Looks a lot more expensive than it is. New and Improved UVO infotainment system is a pleasure to use.
The Bad: ECO mode still holds back the true engine capacity of the car. Still doesn’t handle big bumps that well, but suspension is still a big improvement over the 2013 model.

HTC One Plus smart review

2014-03-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is the HTC One Plus. Or at least, it's the most convincing leak of HTC's upcoming flagship we've seen so far.
Supplied (and subsequently removed) by Russian site mobiltelefon.ru, the leaked shots match up with all the HTC Plus rumours we've seen to date.
The design is almost identical to the existing HTC One (which is no bad thing), bar the removal of the front capacitive navigation buttons on the bottom bezel.

The on-screen buttons can be summoned or removed with a simple swipe gesture, and the extra bezel space appears to have been filled with more screen.
This supports rumours of a 5in full HD screen in a body no bigger than the current HTC One.

Other rumoured specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, Android KitKat 4.4.
The HTC One Plus will also arrive with two rear cameras, which could be used for Lytro-like post-shot refocusing.
HTC is expected to unveil the One Plus at a New York launch event in March, where all will finally be revealed.
[mobiltelefon.ru via GSM Arena]

Nokia Lumia 2520 Tablet Review

2014-03-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Nokia Lumia 2520 is the first Windows RT powered tablet from Nokia. The company has hit a home run when it comes to Windows Phones, but how did they do the first time around with a tablet? It turns out they’ve nearly knocked this one out of the park too. So much so, that it some ways, it gives the Surface 2 a run for its money.

It’s hard not to talk about the Nokia 2520 without comparing it to the Surface 2. To that effect, they both sport similar proportions. However, the Surface 2 does weigh a bit more than the Nokia 2520’s 615 grams. That said, the curved edges of the Nokia 2520 give the illusion that the 2520 is actually the slimmer device, even though it’s not. Beyond proportions, the 2520 is also all about color! So you can choose from a fun selection of Nokia typical colors, including red, blue, white, and of course, there is a black option too. In a world where most tablets are black, we’re grateful to see a tablet that is not just another drab-looking slate.
The 2520 sports a 10.1” full 1080p HD display. This display is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 2, so it’s tough. It’s also a 24 bit TrueColor display with 218 ppi and it has a luminance of 620 nits. Don’t get us wrong, the display on the Surface 2 is excellent. But the 2520’s display is even better, with more vivid colors, and it’s also significantly brighter. Plus, its viewing angles are excellent, and readability is pretty good outside too, even under sunlight. That said, we did notice that there is some flex on the sides of the display, but this is only noticeable when you apply pressure to the sides. Also, while some reviewers have complained of a yellowish tint on the display, we think that it is pretty negligible and that the display’s whites are plenty white enough.
Performance on the Nokia 2520 is similarly top notch. The system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.2 GHz quad core processor. The system earned a benchmark score of 16104 under 3DMark’s Ice Storm Unlimited test. That indicates that the 2520 is a really fast device and actually one of the most powerful tablets around according to 3DMark. As a matter of fact, it just edged out the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 who are top performers as well, and it also surpassed the Surface 2.
Another way with which the 2520 stands out, is that it doesn’t just come preloaded with Windows RT, but it offers a suite of apps from Nokia. This includes Nokia MixRadio, Nokia Storyteller, HERE Maps, My Nokia, Nokia Camera, and Nokia Video Director. In particular, Nokia MixRadio is pretty awesome and a welcome alternative to Xbox Music, especially considering that apps like Spotify aren’t available yet for Windows RT. The app also offers offline music playback which is a very nice touch. The built in speakers on the tablet aren’t half bad either.
The body of the 2520 also houses a micro-HDMI port and a micro-USB 3.0 port, but we wish that it housed a full sized USB port. On the accessory front, Nokia has created the Nokia Power Keyboard for the 2520 which adds 5 extra hours of battery life and two full sized usb ports. Unfortunately, we did not get to try the keyboard case.

Verdict

If you can’t wait for the Surface to come out with a 4G LTE version, well, you really don’t need too. The Nokia 2520 is a solid alternative that offers a beautiful design with fun color choices, along with plenty of performance and a top of its class display. Overall, this is a really nice tablet that is unfortunately hampered by Windows RT’s weak app catalog. This is the same issue we have with the Surface 2, and that is that Windows RT is seriously lacking in the apps department, more so than its Windows Phone counterpart. Fortunately’s Nokia’s preloaded apps like Nokia MixRadio do help add some value.
The Nokia Lumia 2520 is available in red and black for Verizon Wireless customers, and black for AT&T Wireless with LTE. We hope that the blue and white versions arrive stateside soon. Currently, the best available deal for the Nokia 2520 is available at the Microsoft Store where you can get the tablet for just $299 on contract and $399 without contract. Furthermore, if you head into your local Microsoft retail store, they are currently running a promotion where if you trade in your smart phone or tablet, you can get up to a $250 in store credit towards the purchase of a new tablet.

NEX Band is a High Tech Bracelet

2014-03-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

We got an unexpected new entry into the world of wearable technology this week at the American International Toy Fair – the charm bracelet has jumped into the digital world. It’s called the NEX Band, and it’s a brand new way to bring you notifications.
The bracelet has room for five Mod charms, which connect over Bluetooth to your mobile device. See! It’s a Pandora bracelet, but for geeks. Each charm can be tied to a gaming app, social app, or anything that might give you a notification. When a notification does come in, that charm will light up. An API and an SDK for developers is being released, so you can expect more and more support for Mod charms as time goes on.
The bracelet itself is pretty refined – the charm bases can come in multiple materials, including chrome and gold, so you’re definitely not getting a cheap piece of wristwear. The smoked lenses on the charms make the bracelet look like a piece of jewelry, not a high-tech gadget that stands out more than it should. It seems to strike the right balance between fashion and tech – crucial if you want to sell any piece of wearable technology.
We still have a long time to wait for the NEX Band, though – it won’t become available until just before the holiday season this year.

Huawei Takes a Stab at Wearables

2014-03-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Huawei had a few announcements at this year’s Mobile World Congress, including a brand new device in everyone’s favorite category, that tablet-sized smartphone.
The Huawei MediaPad X1 is a 7” tablet with full phone functionality. There’s a 1920 x 1200 LTPS HD display with 10-point capacitive touch, along with a pretty massive 5,000 mAh battery. That battery is good for 21 days of standby time or five days of continuous use – that’s a pretty long time, right there. The MediaPad manages to still keep a fairly low profile, considering you’re going to need to old a 7” device up to your head – 7.18 mm thick and 239 grams. Specs are pretty impressive, too – a quad-core 1.6 GHz processor with a 1920 x 1200 display, a 13 MP Sony Exmor BSI camera, and a 5 MP front-facing camera.
Or, maybe you won’t have to hold it up to your head – Huawei is also releasing their own smartwatch companion, called the TalkBand B1. The TalkBand is a device embedded in a wristband, but it can be popped out and used as a Bluetooth headset if you need to make any calls. Other than that, it’s a smartwatch with a 1.4” display, and looks more like a fitness tracker than the other smartwatches we’re used to seeing. It keeps track of steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned, and has a battery that should last six days.
No specifics on pricing or availability yet, but neither are likely to hit North America – expect these in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa at some point this year.

Mophie Space Pack Review

2014-03-14T08:55:00.001-07:00

Mophie had the hottest tech announcement at CES this year with their Space Pack; the charging case that not only doubles iPhone’s battery, but iPhone’s storage too! If your iPhone is nearly full of photos, videos, and apps, you can instantly add on an extra 16GB or 32GB with Space Pack. Space Pack’s release is right around the corner and we got our hands on a demo model for review.
The Mophie Space Pack looks nearly identical to Mophie’s Juicepack charging cases. The case engulfs iPhone and provides some solid protection in the process. Only iPhone’s face is left exposed, and it’s recessed so the Space Pack will take the brunt of any impact. It’s a two piece-case: iPhone slides into the main portion, and the bottom chin slides into iPhone’s lightning port and then locks into the rest of the case.
You’re left with a bulkier and heftier iPhone, but it looks and feels very like a brand new device. Now your iPhone has a very smooth and grippy feel, and an even cleaner appearance too. The case comes in white or black glossy plastic and it’s not quick to scuff or scratch. My black iPhone looks like a dapper tuxedo, dressed in a glossy white casing with silver accenting.
The case design is functional. There’s button overlays and a toggle overlay for easy access to all of your buttons. The lightning port for charging and syncing is replaced by a micro-USB port. The headphone port is deeply recessed, but there’s an included adapter that will work with any headphones. iPhone’s microphone and speaker get rerouted to the front of the phone, which works out nice.
Space Pack is simple to use. On the back you’ll find one button and one switch. The button is a battery indicator and illuminates the 4 adjacent LEDs. The switch turns charging on and off; you can control when and how long you want iPhone to charge. There’s an intuitive and free Mophie app in the App Store that takes care of the rest.
With the Space app you have full access to Space Pack’s 16GB or 32GB of storage. All files stored on Space Pack are exclusively available from the app and you’ll need a bit of charge on Space Pack to access the data. The app is your only way to access the data, and nicely enough, there will be a password to lock down all of your data.

The app organize your files by media type: photos, videos, music, or documents. Alternatively, you can browse the file system like you would on a computer. All files that are compatible with iPhone will open without issue. You can even rename files, delete them, send them to friends, or favorite them for easy access. To add files to Space Pack you plug the micro-USB cable into the computer and treat it like any other flash drive. You just drag and drop all of your files to Space Pack, no special software required, and Space Pack will categorize all of the data for you. The Space Pack also has a great option to automatically save your camera roll, so you don’t need to store those photos and videos on your phone anymore.

The built-in battery is 1700mAh, which is a bit bigger than iPhone 5/5S’s battery. Despite the larger battery, a full charge took us from 1% battery to about 80% before the Space Pack stopped charging. Granted, iPhone uses battery while it’s charging. It charges about 1% a minute, which is pretty fast.

The Verdict:

Well done Mophie. The Space Pack is an awesome solution to two problems that many iPhone users face: low storage space and low battery. This isn’t the first method of expanding iPhone’s storage, but it’s the first we’ve seen that doesn’t rely on a wireless connection. Space Pack is much faster at accessing data because it gives iPhone a wired connection to the flash storage. The Space app is well organized, easy to navigate, and easy to use. There was a tad of bugginess with our demo model, but that was expected. The biggest limitation of Space Pack is that it requires some battery to access your data, so once the battery is depleted, you can’t access your data. Mophie tries to leave a bit of battery just so that problem won’t occur.
The Mophie Space Pack for iPhone 5/5s is currently available in white or black. The 16GB model retails for $149.95 and the 32GB model retails for $179.95. Pre-orders are available from Mophie.com with an estimated ship date of late March.
The Good: 16GB or 32GB of extra storage space, Password protection, Camera roll sync, 1700 mAh battery, Functional, Easy to use, Nice design/appearance, Drag and drop storage for iPhone
The Bad: Battery may not provide a full 100% battery, When battery dies – data is inaccessible, Extra storage space doesn’t integrate with iOS–it’s only accessible from the Space App.

Pear Mobile Fitness Training Review

2014-03-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Pear Sports Mobile Training Intelligence System is built for iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, and 5C, and it is indeed an interesting product. It’s supposed to be much more than a heart rate monitor and fitness app, it’s supposed to be a workout instructor that understands your body.
Pear consists of gym headphones and a heart rate monitor, neither of which are technically required to use the free training app. The gym headphones are pretty decent and have a built-in button that will read your heart rate on demand. They’re on par with your average $20 earbuds. Most importantly, they’re sweat proof and come with rubber fit tips designed to stay in-ear. It fits well even during extreme activity.
The heart rate monitor is your basic chest strap. It’s an adjustable elastic band that secures to the bluetooth transmitter, located in the center of your chest. There’s no on/off button and the battery lasts for months. All you have to do is wet the sensors underneath the strap. With a proper fit and moist pads, Pear does a good job of constantly monitoring heart rate.
Pear consists of a number of different training sessions, ranging from strength to cardio, free and paid. The audio guidance will push you to hit the recommended heart rate zone or exercise goal. It can tell you to speed up or slow down, and it offers tips like how to maintain good form. The coaching is what really differentiates Pear from other fitness and heart rate monitors. There’s hundreds of training sessions available, and there’s just about everything you could want. There’s specific muscle groups like ab workouts, leg workouts, upper body, there’s activities like biking, running, stretching, yoga, and there’s goal activities for weight loss, fitness, or racing. There’s very specific workouts and very broad workouts. There’s a lot. There’s enough free workouts to last you a long time, and there’s $30 workouts like a 16 work training for marathon running.

If you’re used to fitness apps, you’ll find the Pear app pretty familiar. It does GPS logging, integrated music via the iTunes app, and workout scheduling. It charts your heart rate and keeps track of your workout.
Pear is a little more limited then other apps, especially when it comes to workout reviews. It aggregates your high level stats, but you can’t check your pace or heart rate from a certain point during the workout. You also have to flip your phone sideways just to view your heart rate. Worst of all, there’s no real time charting for pace or heart rate. You can see current heart rate, but you can’t see the trend over the last few minutes.

Verdict

Pear really comes down to dedication. If you want a trainer without paying hundreds of dollars, it can be a great value and a priceless utility. There’s an epic number of workouts that guide you every step of the way. The workouts range from beginner to advanced and you can start with anything you’re comfortable with. You can also base your workouts on what equipment you have available to you. We weren’t so crazy about the app, it’s limited on the usability and logging. On the bright side, there’s always potential app updates that could turn that right around. Pricing out at $135, it’s expensive for what you’re getting (heart rate monitor and inexpensive headphones). We recommend checking out the app before making a decision. If you need that push to start exercising again then Pear could be your new best friend. It’s currently available on Amazon.com.

Google’s first time introduce 3D-Mapping Smartphone

2014-03-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

US-based internet giant Google has unveiled a prototype of a 3D-mapping smartphone dubbed Project Tango. Using customised hardware and software, sensors enable the 5-inch prototype to make more than 250,000 3D measurements a second, allowing it to map its surroundings in real time.
Over the past 12 months, Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (Atap) unit has been quietly working with international research labs, universities and industrial partners to develop the prototype. Potential applications for the technology include indoor mapping, helping the visually impaired navigate unfamiliar environments, and augmented-reality gaming.
Atap’s website states: "The goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion… Now we're ready to put early prototypes into the hands of developers that can imagine the possibilities and help bring those ideas into reality."
To find out more about how the prototype works, watch this video. For more on how mapping technologies could help retailers target consumers, see Data Tracking & Response Monitoring, part of the Future of the Store Industry Trend.

Shazam’s the first time online streaming Data

2014-03-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Online streaming has overtaken traditional methods of music consumption, and music app Shazam has become the go-to data collector for the music industry.
Shazam has come a long way since its early days as a simple music-tagging service; earlier this month, it announced the launch of a new Shazam-branded music label in partnership with US-based Warner Music Group (WMG). The label will focus on discovering and developing unsigned artists through data gathered by Shazam.
In the process, WMG gains access to the extensive data Shazam gathers from its 420 million users worldwide (more than 200 countries). With it, the music group will be able to create tailored promotional campaigns based on how its fans are reacting, distributing, and listening to its music.
Shazam’s data is becoming a highly sought-after commodity. In November 2013, UK radio channel BBC Radio 1 said it had dropped online video site YouTube in favour of Shazam and other music-streaming services like SoundCloud and iTunes to gauge music popularity and create viral playlists. “The Shazam chart is very important now – you have to really love a track to bother Shazam-ing it,” a spokesperson said in a statement about the BBC’s increased focus on its music offerings.
This year, Radio 1 also announced it will include streamed music from Spotify and other services like Shazam in its UK Top 40 single chart from summer 2014 – the first time online streaming data will be recognised alongside traditional downloads.

Filip: A Smartwatch for Kids

2014-03-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

Designed for five to 11 year-olds, Filip is a wearable phone and tracking device that aims to give parents the confidence to allow their children a little more freedom, safe in the knowledge that they can contact each other if needed. As highlighted in Business of Parenting, surveillance is a key technology market for families – particularly with children who are considered too young to own mobile phones.
Filip incorporates GPS, wi-fi and mobile phone tower location technology to track the child’s location. In tandem, these technologies provide more accurate information on the child’s whereabouts than devices that rely on GPS alone. The accompanying app also allows parents to be notified when children leave or arrive at a number of designated ‘safezones’.
The watch can be used to call up to five pre-programmed phone numbers – only these numbers are permitted to call and send text messages to the child through Filip. In the case of an emergency, the child can simply push the red alarm button; this trigger calls each of the five contacts in turn until one of them answers, and starts an audio recording of the child’s surroundings.
Designed to be robust enough to survive the everyday wear and tear of a child’s life, the watch is oversized and chunky in shape. It is available in four vividly coloured plastic finishes and is water resistant.
For more on smartwatches for children, see Digital Natives Seek Transmedia Play. For more insight into how brands are offering contemporary solutions for parents’ needs, look out for our Modern Family Macro Trend.

Facebook start video advertising to News Feed

2014-03-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

Facebook has announced that video adverts will start to appear on the News Feed within the next few months.Premium Video Ads will last 15 seconds each without sound and will stop playing if the user chooses to scroll past.

Tapping the video will prompt a full-screen view of the video with sound, but the social network is being cautious about who can advertise initially and the quality of their videos.

It will use a quality-control company to assess how engaging an advert is before it appears on News Feeds.

"Ace Metrix will allow us to objectively measure the creative quality of the video in the Facebook environment," it said in a statement. "We're taking this step in order to maintain high-quality ads."

Facebook started testing video adverts in December 2013, after multiple reports that the social network had been planning auto-play video adverts for some time.

Premium Video Ads will be rolled out gradually while Facebook observes closely how users react.

Top 25 best free apps for Android

2014-03-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, for every 10 bad apps there's at least one good one. Which still leaves 92,700 good apps out there. We'll be honest, we've not tried all of them - but we have rounded up 25 crackers for you here. Read on, download and enjoy.

1. GOOGLE TRANSLATE

We've seen a few clever translation apps in our time, but recently Google Translate has crushed them all. It now offers (sometimes clunky, word-for-word) translations of over 70 languages with input via text, handwritten words or symbols, spoken words or even text recognition via the camera. It can then give you the translation in the form of text or speak it for you.
The core app can do all this with a data connection, and language packs can be downloaded for free so you can use it abroad without the need for Wi-Fi or the fear of roaming data charges.
Download Google Translate

2. NASA App

This isn't the best looking app in the world, but it's full of geek-level info and media from the NASA archive, along with news and updates on what's going on up there and back at base. Maybe one day they'll get a slick front end for it all, but for now this raggle-taggle collection of links, pictures, videos and news feeds has plenty to keep space cadets informed and entertained.
Download NASA App

3. TWICKETS

Twickets is a way to buy or sell spare tickets to gigs or events, but what makes it special is the rule that tickets can only change hands for their face value or less. That means the profiteering touts stay away and genuine fans get to recyle spares in good faith - great if one of your mates has dropped out and left you in the lurch, or you need an extra seat at short notice.
You can browse what's available or offer tickets via the app and finalise the deal via Twitter (hence the name).
Download Twickets

4. Audible for Android

Long journey? Tired eyes? Audio books! A bit like radio shows that you actually want to listen to, a bit like podcasts before all the funny people stopped doing them, a bit like books being read to you (OK, mostly the latter), audio books are a treat to be savoured.
Amazon's Audible app is a gateway to its own audio book service, drawing you in with free tasters of some of its best sellers. It's worth downloading even if it's only for those free nibbles.
Download Audible

5. Navfree

You've got Google Maps already and that's lovely. However, that relies on a data connection, which isn't always available even in your home nation and will sting you with ludicrous charges abroad. Navfree is based on an open-source map database and provides mapping and voice-guided sat-nav for no cash at all.
You can load it with paid extras if you like, but it's fine as it is. Download the local variant for any country you're visiting before you leave and you'll always have a map and a sat-nav tool at your hip.

6. Airbnb

Hotels are great when other people are paying, or if you have pots of cash to waste, but otherwise they're rarely situated where you want them. Airbnb is one of the stars of the so-called shareconomy, an accommodation network built around normal people offering up their unused rooms for a little bit of extra cash.
The result? You'll be able to find somewhere to stay right in the heart of the city, up a mountain or even down a river, often for a very decent price. Just spend a minute browsing the amazing pads on offer and you'll be hooked.
Download Airbnb

7. Any.do To-do list & task list

We're all busy. Busy creating Stuff To Do lists and sticking them in our bags, on the front door, in our back pockets and tapping them into note apps on our phones. Any.do is the best way to keep on top of all those loose ends, thanks to its cloud syncing and sharing skills. You can have it running as a live widget on your homescreen and also separate your tasks into different folders.
Download Any.do

8. Comics

With access to over 45,000 comics from DC, Marvel, Image Comics, IDW and Disney, the Comics app is the place to go for all things graphically novel. You get quite a few freebies to get you started, with more free titles released each week. Paid-for comics will typically set you back between £0.69 and £2.49. The app really comes alive on larger devices, where you can pore over the panels in a more leisurely manner than on a phone.
Download Comics

9. Zoopla Property Search

It won't necessarily find everything in your chosen area, but Zoopla (which incorporated Findaproperty.com in 2012) has a huge amount of properties for sale, and even if it's just used as a jumping off point it can give you a good idea of what's available and the prices involved. The app itself could be easier to use, but it does the basics of allowing you to search on specific area, property type, number of bedrooms and add keywords, then browse photos and link up with the agent.
Download Zoopla Property Search

10. Cocktail Flow - Drink recipes

The best feature of this cocktail recipe book is the way you can tell it what odds and ends you've got lurking in the cupboard under the sink, and then ask it to suggest palatable ways to mix them up. It also comes with a library of popular cocktails, with additional packs that can be downloaded for a small fee.

11. Money Tracker

Easily our favourite app for keeping a handle on incomings and outgoings, Money Tracker strikes a sensible balance between simplicity and features. As well as the basic sums, it lets you create your own folders and categories, so you can see where it all goes each month, and more easily define where you might be able to make savings in future. Did you really spend that much on coffee this week? Maybe you should invest in a flask this weekend.
Download Money Tracker

12. Hangouts

"Hey! Who wants brunch at Choochies today?" "Count me in! I've got tickets to the Nicks game, wanna come too?" Etc. Alternatively you can use Hangouts to message friends via text, video and emoticon-style "emojis" in a more realistic manner. "Train cancelled again", or "Dad, get on the video call so you can show me how to fix the boiler". That sort of thing. Woah! Hangouts rocks!
Download Hangouts

13. Duolingo: Learn languages free

Google Translate may be great, but the long-term aim should be to learn to speak all those languages yourself. Duolingo does an amazing job of making this fun, with a format that's a bit like a pub quiz machine. It currently supports Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English, and if you "play" it regularly you'll definitely pick up at least some competence in your chosen language. With more intensive use you can give yourself a week's crash course before a trip abroad.
Download Duolingo: Learn Languages Free

14. Houzz Interior Design Ideas

This one is all about inspiration. As you would hope from an app about design, Houzz itself is neat, logically laid out, smart and pretty in all the right places, making it the perfect distraction as you recline on your Eames lounge chair, feet up on the ottoman, contemplating the witty juxtaposition of that chandelier in your bedsit.
Download Houzz Interior Design Ideas

15. FxGuru: Movie FX Director

This slightly gimmicky special effects app is nonetheless very clever, verging on useful. It comes with a batch of free effects (the kind of things you'd see in a disaster movie) with additional packs as in-app purchases.
You point your phone or tablet at a scene (say, your office, the street or your garden), and then the app records a short video clip with a destructive missile attack or perhaps a hovering UFO superimposed over the live action. Motion tracking allows you to pan as you film, too.

16. BBC Cbeebies Playtime

A lot of free apps for children are beset by confusing prompts for in-app purchases that can seriously hamper the fun. CBeebies Playtime is an ad-free lucky dip of educational games and activities for pre-school children, based on some of the channel's biggest shows and characters, including Mr Tumble, Tree Fu Tom, The Octanauts and real-life actual people such as Andy and Nina.
Download BBC CBeebies Playtime

17. SoundCloud

SoundCloud is great because it's not just the same old music rehashed in a new, futile money-making shell. It does hold a lot of full-length commercial tracks but it's the unique user-generated music that makes it special. That means DJ mixes, remixes, cover versions, live recordings and recitals, snippets, sounds and spoken word contibutions. If you want to listen beyond the sphere of Spotify, cock your ear this way.
Download SoundCloud

18. Met office weather application

All UK weather forecasts are based on information and predictions from the Met Office, so why not get your forecast from the horse's mouth? This app doesn't go in for swanky visuals but does give it to you straight, with timeline breakdowns of the changing skies plus map-based predictions of advancing weather systems. If you're less of a weather geek, try the BBC Weather app for a prettier presentation of much the same stuff.
Download Met Office Weather Application

19. VLC For Android Beta

Wouldn't it be lovely if there was one video format to rule them all, like MP3 is to music? Well, dream on... Until that day you'll be thankful for VLC, which aims to play every video format you'll ever encounter. If you like to source your movies from varied locations you'll find this one of the most useful apps on your phone or tablet. It's ad-free and doesn't try to harvest all your personal data either, which makes a nice change.
Download VLC For Android Beta

20. Dropbox

As Android moves closer to home computer territory, syncing photos, music and work documents is increasingly important. As a free service, Dropbox offers 2GB of pleasingly simple online storage which is automatically synced whenever you log in from any of your devices – very useful for occassional file transfers, semi-permanent documents and shared folders. The Android app is nothing fancy but it doesn't need to be, getting the job done without fuss.

21. Runkeeper - GPS Track Run Walk

If you're putting yourself through a fitness grind alone, this virtual back-patter will help spur you on. It tracks all your runs, walks and rides, then does the maths to tell you (and the entire world via social media) how many calories you've burnt, how far you've gone and generally how heroic you've been over the past week or so. The in-app purchase model keeps it all nice and tidy too, so even in the basic free format it's a very neat app to use.
Download Runkeeper - GPS Track Run Walk

22. WiFi File Transfer

Google's liberal management of the Play store leads to some strange situations, such as the presence of six apps with exactly the same name. Here we're referring to the one developed by smarterDroid. We find it the easiest way to move files wirelessly to and from a computer and an Android device on an ad-hoc basis. The free version has a file size limit of 5MB, but you can buy the full, unlimited version for £0.88.
Download WiFi File Transfer

23. Peppa's Paintbox

We don't review childen's cartoons, but if we did, Peppa Pig would get five stars because it's consistently brilliant in its own little way, full of practical education wrapped up in addictively snappy episodes. Like the CBeebies app, this porcine painting app has no hidden agenda so your kids can paint away without being tripped up or led astray by ads, links or in-app purchases. Madame Gazelle would certainly approve.
Download Peppa's Paintbox

24. TuneIn Radio

Take a break from the endless banality of UK radio and tune in to a different point of view or musical selection. So long as you have a half-decent data connection, this app will tickle your ears with audio streams from all over the world, browsable by location, genre or what's trending. It also works as an on-demand podcast player. It's brilliant for in-car entertainment, so long as you have a data contract that can take the strain.
Download TuneIn Radio

25. Vine

One of the best ways to get your fix of LOLs is to flick your way through Vine's stream of micro-movies. The quality is always going to vary, but the way the app delivers them is beautifully quick and simple. Just check out your feed or do a search (say, #skatefails), then enjoy a string of LOLable 4-second loops. Maybe even upload a few of your own.

Somatom Scope, a Budget-Friendly CT, Helps scale back in operation prices

2014-03-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

How can you deliver high-quality, affordable care to as many people as possible while keeping costs in check? SOMATOM^® Scope provides an answer – by focusing on the essence of CT. This cost-efficient scanner delivers outstanding image quality, at the right dose. Highly reliable and easy to use, it saves you time and effort throughout your daily routine. And a flexible service model helps keep overheads under control, safeguarding your facility’s long-term competitiveness.

Siemens has released a new general purpose CT scanner, the SOMATOM Scope. The tomograph is available as an entry level, low cost of operation device, or as a more capable version, the Somatom Scope Power. The scanner takes only eight square meters (86 sq feet) of floor space, significantly reduces its energy usage over previous models, and doesn’t run as hot to save on facility cooling costs.
The system features a sleep mode that helps save energy when not in use, and the eStart function makes sure the X-ray tube is warmed up before running the first scan after the scanner takes a nap. This extends the tube’s lifetime, helping save on the costs of running the device in the long term.

PCell is a new wireless technology that's 1000 times faster than 4G

2014-03-13T07:44:00.003-07:00

In today's world, there's one area of technology that can almost never be fast enough: the wireless networks that power our mobile devices.
Despite decades of advancements, we still lose signal when walking around in a big city like New York or San Francisco.
Or when attending a popular sporting event — individual towers just can't handle thousands of people trying to move data at once.
But a hot startup with some major engineering talent is hoping to change all of that.
Founded in 2011, Artemis is a startup working on pCell, a new wireless standard that it thinks could leapfrog 4G altogether.
Like any new, potentially disruptive technology, pCell has a ton of hype and uncertainty around it. We've put together the following guide to pCell for those who want to know more without any of the confusion or tricky marketing language.

What is pCell?

Cell towers as we know them today can be visualized as giant umbrella tops. You deploy them, and they broadcast a bubble of reception that gets weaker as you get farther away. They have to be far enough away from each other so as to not cause interference, but close enough together that you can move between their areas of coverage and still have cell service. If you have too many people in one place, their data use can bog down a tower for everyone.
Artemis' technology takes a very different direction. Rather than carefully spacing out a relatively small number of towers, Artemis wants to deploy a massive number of boxes the size of routers — called "pWaves" — that will provide much better service to a much smaller area.
Rather than working against interference, pCell embraces the collision of radio waves. By combining the incoming signals from several of the pWave base stations, each pCell user is given the equivalent of their own "personal cell" (hence the name) — which basically means getting full bars of LTE at all times becomes the new standard, while "good" signal strength means getting a signal that's as much as 1,000 times faster than what we're all used to.

Artemis

pWaves are small enough to deploy in a number of unobtrusive locations.

How is pCell better than 4G or LTE?

Besides speed and signal strength, it uses a lot less power. pWave radios use a 1-milliwatt transmitter to deliver data, compared with the 250 milliwatts used by most Wi-Fi radios and even larger amounts of power used by cellular towers.
They also use less power on the user's end, too: phones as they exist today would waste far less power searching for a signal, and one day "pCell Native" devices could use parts that use even less power than the Wi-Fi chips built into devices like the iPod Touch today.
Going back to the carrier side of things, pCell also brings significant reductions in the amount of infrastructure needed to power a cell network. Unlike cell towers, which need a massive fiber infrastructure to provide enough bandwidth for all their users, pWaves can be deployed in enough locations that each unit can "see" another unit, meaning they can bounce data around using line-of-sight radio waves for far less money. And instead of using custom hardware to handle all signal processing, a carrier using pCell can run the software behind it on any sufficiently powerful Linux computer.

Will I need a new phone to use pCell?

Nope. To make adopting the technology as easy as possible, Artemis engineered pCell to work with regular LTE devices — so when it's ready, your iPhone or Android device should already be compatible. That also means you'll be able to use your phone on a pCell network and still have it work when you go somewhere that's still running regular LTE cellular service.
With that said, there will be some devices made "pCell Native" that will use less power (and thus get better battery life) than regular LTE-compatible devices.

LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Portable Storage device

2014-03-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Move at the Speed of Lightning.

Universal connectivity with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
Shocking speeds up to 385MB/s (SSD)
Bus-powered for complete mobility
Accident-resistant to protect your data

Design by Neil PoultonDeadlines rule our world. When digital storage is critical for your project, it had better be as fast and reliable as you are. From the desktop to the badlands, it has to connect to any computer, deliver more than enough speed for the most demanding applications, and protect data against any threat. Enter the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Series.

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