DoNews claims that they have spoken to an Apple engineer who is currently developing the Chinese language version of Apple’s digital assistant. The unnamed source told the news site that testing has already began internally and if it continues to be successful, it will be released to the public by March.

Rumor also has it that Siri will now be able to provide local information and navigation that is only being enjoyed by iPhone users in the US. Currently, Siri can speak English, German and French. But Apple has promised that they will develop support for Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Korean and Spanish this year.

This isn’t really difficult to grasp since Apple has been focusing on the huge potential of the Asian market. Developing and making support for Siri in Asia will not be a risk since it will come as a major boost for their product.

Image source and image composite: Joe Aimonetti/CNET

Sony has been silent leading to the event. But a recent development considering a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office may reveal clues as to what the company has in store for us. The company applied and asked for a trademark on the name “Xperia Sola” last January 31. As to what this device would be and what type of device would carry the name, sources don’t have a clue.

Sony has unveiled to devices at the Consumer Electronics Show last month. The Xperia Ion and the Xperia S. If this trend continues, at least a couple of devices from the company will be expected at the Mobile World Congress.

They are going to hold a press conference on the 26^th of February. This comes a day before the show in Barcelona, Spain. Tune in to Technewsgadget.com for updates on Sony’s revelation.

Image source: fusible.com

The “Gorilla Glass” is one creation that should be placed on all existing devices as this one of a kind invention helps to build your device into an indestructible toy.

Since not all gadgets are created with “Gorilla Glass”, we end up buying things that shield the latter from the harshness of the environment and at times our recklessness. Shielding your gadget from these troubling nuisances is of utmost priority to all of us. And if we can combine protection, style and functionality into one the better.

Introducing the iPad 2 Folio from Knomo London. Retailing at $80, this wonderful piece of creation combines soft nappa leather with tough molded plastic and perfectly matches form and function.

The leather-coated plastic frame firmly clamps onto the back of your device, while the leather front has a magnet to keep the flap closed.

Folding the flap backwards allows you to stand your iPad 2 in two different ways. First, it lets you angle your device slightly to let you browse easily. Next is you can let it stand up nearly 90 degrees to allow you to present to your guests or watch a movie.

The best feature of the folio is it has a tracker tag. This allows you to track or locate your device. Isn’t that fabulous?

Well, ‘lo and behold that LodgeNet Interactive Corporation’s free mobile app. The company that is big in on-demand and other TV-based services in a number of hotel rooms in North America has released an app that allows their guests to use their smartphones or tablets as a TV controller.

According to Derek White, president of interactive and media networks for the company as told to msnbc.com, “We didn’t have germophobes in mind when came up with the app. But that does seem to be a very popular aspect of the system”.

The app will be available for download this Monday. An onscreen QR code is needed in order to download the app before checking in in a hotel lobby or in your room. In order to sync your mobile device to the TV system, a unique code will be received by the guest to enter into the app.

White added, “We can’t remove the remotes entirely form the rooms yet. Because you still use the remote to turn the TV on to do the initial sync up, but after that, there’s no need to use the remote or, for that matter, the in-room phone.”

This looks like a great app for Germophobes out there.

Now, all your boyish hopes and dreams would surely come to fruition as the popular laser tag is coming to your Android, Windows Phone devices and iPhones.

Called the Xappr Gun, it is a new accessory that can be connected to your smartphone that enables you to play shooter and augmented-reality games. This new toy has a mount with a viewfinder area that you can attach to your gadget. An auxiliary cable connects to your smartphone’s headphone jack that registers your shot or trigger pull.

The Xappr is going to be on the shelves by June and is said to be compatible to a number of games in the market already. Games like, AR Invaders and Spray’Em are two of the titles that this gadget is compatible with.

The new laser tag game called ATK, which is still being beta-tested, enables players to engage in a shootout with you Xappr-equipped frenemies.

This new toy is pegged at $49.99. Remember; shoot in the same direction as your teammates.

Apple Inc. has reached a new milestone as they were able to eclipse Hewlett-Packard Co. as the world’s No. 1 maker of personal computers in the fourth quarter.

The data includes iPad sales during that same period.

Canalys released the data and said that the PC market worldwide has grew by 16 percent to 120 million in the final three months of 2011.

Image source: businessmodelinstitute.com

As the world’s leading PC company, Apple Inc. has reached another milestone. The company is known for their innovations and sleek and sexy designs.

The market actually dropped by 0.1 percent if we take out the iPad out of the equation. The research firm is the first organization that included the latter in their tally of computer sales.

They said that Apple sold 20.6 million units of iPad in the fourth quarter of 2011. This is up by 17.01 percent.

HP on the other hand sold 15.3 million units, growing by 12.7 percent.

Tim Coulling of Canalys said, “Currently, HP is pursuing a Windows strategy for it pad portfolio, producing enterprise-focused products, such as the recently launched Slate 2, until the launch of Windows 8.

However, questions remain over Microsoft’s entry into the consumer pad space. While early demonstrations of the Windows 8 operating system seem promising, Microsoft must focus its efforts on creating an intuitive user experience that is far less resource intensive.”

Well, you’re one of the many who seem to always pledge this every year yet break this due to laziness and all other reasons that seemingly doesn’t end.

If you really are serious with your pledge, but just can’t seem to to follow through with your project of going to the gym, there is an app for you. Introducing the GymPact. And guess what? This app introduces money into the equation!

Isn’t money enough to motivate you to hit the gym and start to sweat and shave off those excess fats that you are harboring? Well, this app gives you money to go to the gym. At the same time, it also takes away money from you for not going.

Users begin by creating a weekly pact that states how many times he/she intends to go to the gym. To raise the stakes, users will also key in a desired amount of money to be taken away from them if they fail to live by to this pact.

After you go to the gym and stay there for at least 30 minutes, you will be able to receive a cash reward for living up to your end of the deal. This money comes from the funds that GymPact collects from people who fail to meet their fitness goals.

Pretty cool huh? At least people can now earn and at the same time loose those unwanted pounds. Want to start now? Head on over to the App Store and download the free GymPact App.

Image source: slashgear.com

The days of throwing flashbangs, carrying MP4 rifles and evading sniper fire could be back in the fold.

One of the most popular first person shooter games of all time has been redeveloped to bring this cult game back to the limelight and into your Android phones. Though the game is still being played nowadays, but fans have been declining since a thousand and one games like it have popped up on the scene.

Counter-Strike has made every boy and every man’s dream come true. Now, fans who wish to keep the game alive is developing a version of the game for the said device. The game being a modified version of Half-Life has seen its up and downs in recent years and hopefully, the new generation of gamers will be able to appreciate the game.

The Android version will still have a team of counter terrorists pitting them against the bomb wielding terrorist team. The game used to be a Windows exclusive game. Now, it has evolved because newer versions can now be played on your web browsers. There are currently 2 Android versions for this game. One is for Android 2.0+ devices while the other is for Gingerbread and higher.

Let the war games begin!

Image source: jayceooi.com

The Kinect is mostly seen as an add-on for Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Now PC users can enjoy this technology as the Microsoft is set to deliver on its promise to bring Kinect to this popular device.

Not only are they bringing it to the PC but they’re bringing it with all the official support. Not only will Microsoft bring it to PC owners but they are also giving it to portable systems.

A prototype of this was unveiled to the public as two notebooks from Asus had built in Kinect sensors and it ran on the new Windows 8. The daily speculates that this motion sensor will make sense for gaming and switching applications or as a replacement for media controls.

Kinect seems inept on smaller screen PC’s. While it is visually atractive on a 27 inch all in one PC. But this technology would rather be useful in a laptop than a multi-touch interface.

Unfortunately, the popular newspaper wasn’t able to get any comment from a representative from the company.

This could possibly be a new tablet. It can also be an affordable e-ink e-reader that can retail to about $50. Or it could even be an e-reader that has a Qualcomm power-efficient Mirasol color display that is now being used by e-readers in Korea and China.

Can this new e-reader be a part of the Nook’s launch outside US? Barnes & Noble is rumored to making this gamble and the Times article said that it is “expected to be a Waterstones bookstores in Britain.” Though they haven’t revealed any date as of yet but at least there is some glimmer of hope that its release could have this new feature.

It’s good to note that Barnes & Noble will continue to redesign their stores. This according to CEO William Lynch. They will investing in smaller stores and eliminate DVD and music sections while not completely removing them from their line-up as they will only move it to other stores.

With the G-Shock name synonymous to toughness and with a solid name backing it, are you willing to entrust you mobile phone to a company like them?

Casio has designed a new and quite interesting G-Shock watch. The company has developed a watch that is also a smartphone. Built for users who usually find themselves in rough situations, this new breed of smartphones surely trumps any like it out there. Aesthetically, it is similar to that of it predecessor, the G-Shock watch. It features a rubberized bumper around the edges and can survive a fall as high as 10 feet. It is also water resistant up to 10 meters and is capable of taking a full ton of weight. Now that is tough!

It runs on the Android and it was first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Vegas. Though we are not sure if they would place this in the production line or is just a conceptg, but at any rate, if this is going to be available on the shelves, I bet that people would flock stores just to get their hands on this.

So what country does mobile phone usage constitute as a war crime? North Korea.

In a seemingly comedic story, The Telegraph is reporting that in North Korea, anybody who is caught using his/her cell phone or attempting to escape to china during the 100-day mourning period for Kim Jong-il is subject to punishment as it is considered as a war crime.

North Korea was grieving and mourning as their “Great Leader” died due to heart attack last December 17. The Telegraph reported that increasing poverty and oppression and diminishing food supplies, tens of thousand of people are trying to escape to neighboring countries.

The ban on cell phone use came from the North Korean government wanting to keep the information flow in and out of the country to a minimum. Stifling cell phone usage isn’t new to this country as they did it in 1998.

last November, Reuters reported that at least a million North Koreans are going to have cell phones by the end of 2011. This was encouraging news as just a few years ago, people were incarcerated or executed just by owning one. The one million is only a tiny percent of the population.

But according to iPhonefaq, the jailbreak that is being used by Apple can be used for Windows too. This jailbreak has been unethered and can be installed on any Apple device using its latest iOS – iOS 5.0.1. Those who use their Windows PCs have to back-up their device first and then update their device to the latest OS.

Here is a short list of what you need to do after backing up your device:

1. Download Absinthe for Windows
2. Unzip the file
3. Run the Absinthe.exe file after extracting it
4. Tether the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the Windows PC using the sync cable
5. Click Jailbreak

The iPhone screen will show a message saying Restore in Progress, similar to that of the Mac. This process may take time to finish and after the device restarts, an Absinthe widget will appear on the gadget. Click or tap the widget and let the device do the needful. Once this is done, the device will again reboot with the Cydia Icon appearing on the screen. This suggests a successful jailbroken device.

Apple said last Tuesday that they were able to sell 37 million units of iPhones in the past 3 months of 2011. This feat by the iPhone exceeded the estimates of some analysts and it propelled Apple to hit record quarterly sales.

The 37 million units account to 53 percent of Apple’s revenue during that quarter. Other Apple products such as the iPad and MacBooks can’t keep up with the spike in the sales of the iPhone.

They have edged out rivals Samsung Electronics Co., which announced that they sold 35 million units in that same time, and Nokia Corp..

According to ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall, “It was a pristine quarter. The investment community has never seen a company like this, inside or outside technology.”

The magnificent performance by Apple places them at the top of the world’ most valued company. They are being trailed by Exxon Mobil Corp. The two have been exchanging the top spot since last summer.

Looking to brandish a new smartphone that screams “I’m rich and can afford anything”? Or you just want to prove that you belong to the elite class? Well, if you have $2,400 to spare you don’t have to look any further.

BlackBerry is launching its BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9981. The smartphone’s mere price makes the iPhone 4S, or any smartphone for that matter, a cheap buy.

Though feature-wise, the P’9981 isn’t as impressive as other cheap smartphones in the market. What you get for that price is a 2.8 inch screen,640 x 480 touch screen (the iPhone 4S bags a better screen and resolution), a 5 megapixel camera and 720p HD video recording (the iPhone 4S has 8 megapixels and 1080p) and 768MB of RAM.

The BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9981 really isn’t that impressive. Its features aren’t top of the line and are not up to par with high end Androids or the iPhone line.

But if you prefer to have a smartphone that differentiates you from the others, then pick this phone and show it off! For that price you really have to.

The P’9981 as of present, is only being sold in UK and in the Middle East.

This small image sensors is going to be used in developing cameras of higher quality for cameras and as well as smartphones. According to a statement by Sony, “The popularization of smartphones and other devices in recent years has been accompanied by an increasingly diverse use of camera functionality. This has brought heightened demand for more sophisticated camera, to ensure adaptability to a wider range of scenes, and Sony developed this stacked CMOS image sensor to meet such demand.”

The new image sensor has no supporting substrates between the pixel layer and chip circuitry. The pixel section, which contains the back illuminated structure pixels, and the circuit section can now be manufactured independently.

This technology has built-in signal processing and uses large scale signal processing circuits than is possible with current image sensors. This new technology gives a better image quality, better speed, low power consumption and more features for the camera.

Among those who are happy with the development of this technology are those who deal with perishable goods. ThinFilm and partner company PST Sensors are eying to create a prototype of a disposable sensor that monitors the temperature of goods.

The Smart Tag will display the temperature of the food or drug that people are purchasing. This method is cheaper compared to placing sensors in shipping containers, the company said.

This technology is a device that keeps the zeros and ones of digital information by replacing the orientation of polymer chains when a voltage is applied.

ThinFilm CEO Davor Sutija said, “For the first time, you have a smart device that is fully printed, which means you don’t have the upfront cost that you have with traditional electronics. This allows for 33 cents a tag.”

The company is planning to add a wireless networking module to its smart tag. This will enable goods to send communications to cell phones. This is planned to be released by 2013 or 2014.

After the Power Balance trend that basically tricked us into buying their bands, letting us think that it can improve our game, here comes another one coming from big shoe brand Nike.

The company launched the Nike+ Fuelband in New York this week.

This fitness wristband can help athletes track and download every level of their daily activities. This device is designed to motivate users and as well as a stylish watch.

It will officially be launched to the public next month. The price is set at $149. but it is available via pre-order starting today.

Oklahoma City Thunder main man Kevin Durant and legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong are two of the endorsers of the product. The high scoring NBA forward said that he’s going to use the wristbands during practices and hopefully in some of his games.

Durant said, “I love it. I’m a competitive person. So being able to match my scores up with all my friends and fellow athletes from around the world, that’s going to be fun.”

Durant revealed what his training regimen is. He says he focuses more on conditioning drills, cycling three times a week during the off-season. He is eying to take up boxing in 2013.

Top telecommunications provider AT&T is going to roll out new wireless data plans as their subscribers are needing more to surf, text and email from their smartphones and tablets.

AT&T announced last Wednesday that they are releasing new plans to accommodate the needs of their subscribers. They added that these are going to be heftier than their current plans.

The new price list is going to took effect January 22. Current subscribers need not change their plans but are given the option to upgrade to the new one.

Smartphone users who pays a monthly rate of $15 for a 200 MB plan has an option to upgrade to a 300 MB plan for $20. A 2 gigabyte plan will cost you $25 and a 3 GB plan will cost you $30.

Tablets users on the other hand will have a new 3 GB plan for $30 and a 5 GB plan will cost them $50.

AT&T said that data usage among their subscribers have been rising on a rate of 40% per year. This is the reason behind their decision to create a new data plan to offer their clientele. Users who go over their data plans pay a huge fee.

According to David Christopher, Chief Marketing Officer for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, “Customers are using more data than ever before. Our new plans are driven by this increasing demand in a highly competitive environment and continue to deliver a great value to customers.”

A report from NPD In-Stat said that home entertainment devices that has Wi-Fi are expected to sell about 600 million units by 2015.

Vice President of research of In-Stat, Frank Dickson, said that this is because Wi-Fi is now a must in all entertainment devices.

He said, “It is important to note though that Wi-Fi is growing from being simply about getting content from a network to devices, to sharing content between devices, as Wi-Fi evolves from being a network-centric connectivity standard to one that enables peer-to-peer  connectivity.”

“New innovations such as Wi-Fi display and Wi-Fi Direct will fundamentally change the way that content is moved and shared in the home,” he adds.

The report includes all gadgets from digital picture frames to your Blu-ray players.

Though the report includes television sets, he says that consumers still bypass the Wi-Fi feature in their TV purchases.

The Torch has a slider touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard that slides out of the smartphone. This latest device run on the BlackBerry OS 6.

Co-Chief Executive Officer of Research In Motion, Mike Lazaridis said, “This is one of the most product launches in our history. The product is very special because of all the innovations it includes.”

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is similar to the Palm Pre Plus with a business twist. This is the initial device that runs on BlackBerry’s latest operating system, the OS 6. The latest OS has some advantages to its predecessor such as Universal search, a better user interface, better browser experience and excellent multimedia experience. It weighs about 161.1 gms with a 3.2 inch touch screen display with a 480 x 360 pixels. The camera has 5 mega pixels with flash and auto focus function.

The Torch has an internal memory of 512 MB. It is expandable to 4 GB using a MicroSD memory card.

The rumored buy-out of Research In Motion by Samsung is totally just a hearsay.

The world’s No. 2 phone maker is denying reports that Samsung is going to buy RIM. The rumor resulted to an 8 percent spike on Research In Motion’s shares.

According to a report by Businessweek.com, Samsung has not considered buying company behind BlackBerry. They also added that there has been no contact from them to RIM.

As the trading closed in New York yesterday, RIM stock rise to $17.47 after a site posted an article regarding the so-called buy-out. RIM has been battling problems with their system that resulted into a shares drop a year ago.

RIM declined to release a statement regarding the article.

Research In Motion’s market share in the US has dropped to 6.5% from 7.1% during the last quarter. Samsung on the other hand, increased its share from by at least .3% to end up at 25.6%.

Samsung has been the center of speculations during the past year. It included the supposed acquisition of Hewlett-Packard Co. PC business and WebOS.

The company is planning to expand its production in its Texas site.

Japanese car maker Nissan is stepping up to the plate in their effort to protect your smartphone. The company announced last Monday that they now have the Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case.

So how does this case help you stave off those unwanted scratches on your iPhone?

This technology was developed by Nissan in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc.. And the best part of this technology is that it has a “self-healing” feature. This basically enables the case to remove small scratches on it with an hour and deeper ones for a week.

It uses a special type of paint that a number of Nissan cars are finished with. Nissan explains, “the outer ‘paint’ is made from polyrotaxane, which means that when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.”

This technology is being used for the first time outside the automotive industry. Not only does this product protect your phone, but it is also easier to grip unlike conventional phone covers.

The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone is on its last phases of tests. The company is planning to release the product later this year.

Overseas program director of business development for Nissan Europe Bob Lasihley said, “the Scratch Shield iPhone case is a great example of us taking a Nissan automotive technology that has had a huge impact for our customers, and then shifting the boundaries to apply it to another everyday product. We’re really excited about the possibilities provided by this technology.”

As years went by, developers and companies began to shrink the size of the cell phones and as well as add functions that turns the seemingly “dumb” phone into a much needed companion.

With the influx of smartphones this past few years, humane tasks such as doing laundry, can now be controlled by a simple touch of a button from your phone. What the heck! Our phones can now even clean our floors.

Samsung’s latest trump card is its WiFi-capable vacuum robot which they bared during the Consumer Electronics Show.

The company’s latest NaviBot robotic vacuum cleaner enables owners to control the robot with the same app that lets them control other WiFi compatible gadgets. The robot’s battery gives it 100 minutes of floor servicing before the need to recharge arises. It also allows you to command the clean up just about anywhere.

The latest NaviBot also has a Visionary Mapping Plus. Which means that it now has a camera mounted on top that analyzes the cleaning route and its charging dock. It also features a self cleaning dust bin.

It looks more like a bar of soap rather than a computer mouse. But it is what it is.

Logitech’s Cube mouse is an eye catcher. It’s one of the smallest mice in the market. Unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Week, the Cube is only 2 inches long and can fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. It is designed to be used by two of your fingers rather than your whole hand.

Logitech’s Cube uses a USB 2.4 GHz radio receiver that communicates with not one, not two, but up to six devices with only one USB port. It has a touch sensitive surface. To scroll using the Cube, you only have to slide your finger along the cube, and to click you can just tap the front and the middle to right or left click.

It is a great addition to your portable devices as it is lightweight and small. Though if you have big hands, it would be best to try it yourself first before purchasing one. It will be released to the public late this month for $70.

Microsoft’s much awaited Windows Phone will be packing up a huge punch with the impending release of the Skype app.

According to Skype’s vice president of products, Rick Osterloh, “working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon.” He revealed this at an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show last week.

Microsoft has been mum on the details of their Skype app. They acquired the company last October.

Joe Belfiore who is the Director of the Windows Phone Program of Microsoft originall said that Skype will be available for Windows Phones late last year. 2011 has come and gone and no app was released and we haven’t heard anything from him or the company since.

Microsoft’s first Windows Phone Skype app is largely seen as a beta version until the company releases “Apollo” which is expected to be released this year.

If this pushes through this year, then it would be a big boost for the Windows Phone as it tries to gobble up market share from the iPhone and the Android smartphones. The Skype app will truly revolutionize the industry as it will make voice calling easier.

The launch of Apple’s latest iPhone in China was welcomed and marred by rioting and egg pelting which resulted in chaos and the subsequent cancellation of the release of the smartphone.

Apple’s store in Beijing’s Sanlitun district was jammed with Chinese iPhone enthusiasts a night before the official release of the iPhone 4S. Crowds began to flock the store not minding the near freezing temperatures which covered the evening.

As time came to open the shop’s doors, the stores management decided not to put the iPhone 4S on sale due to the throngs of crowds who waited outside. They would only want to ensure the safety of the individuals. They announced the cancellation over a bullhorn which then turned the anxious crowd into an unruly one.

Police assistance was required to help secure the scene as the crowd began to pelt the store with eggs. Chinese market researchers criticized Apple for the problem.

According to reports, other stores in China had little to no problem at all with their iPhone 4S release. Customers are also free to order the smartphone online via China Unicom and Apple’s online store.

Image source: obamapacman.com

According to a report from Bloomberg, who cited an unnamed source in their article, the latest version of this popular device is in full production in China. The latest iPad will be touting a much better screen than your normal television set, 4G capability and excellent video graphics.

Apple, Inc. has not replied to allegations being brought to their gadgets, which is not unusual for them. This latest development, if indeed true, is not going to come as a surprise since a lot of tablets were launched last week at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas.

Samsung, one of Apple’s chief rivals, presented a handful of devices during the CES. The two have been battling it out not only in the stores but also at the courts.

Android tablets have been slicing through the iPad’s market. And with the influx of a number of new Android tablets, Apple might be wary of its competitors.

Apple’s iPad 2, their current tablet, was released about a year ago.

The 1.3 inch OLED touch screen watch has Bluetooth 3.0 and is compatible with Android smartphones. The Sony SmartWatch’s predecessor was the Sony Ericsson Live View that was released in 2010.

The SmartWatch basically is the same with the Live View. Though it is much prettier than its predecessor, Sony’s latest device has an accelerometer and a vibrating feature. It is also a wristwatch that anybody can wear.

You can do a lot of things with the SmartWatch. Just like your Android smartphones, you can send text messages and e-mails or check the weather if you’re going out for a walk. If someone calls you while you jog, you can simply look at your SmartWatch and view the caller with its caller ID feature. You can also check updates from Twitter and Facebook with your watch.

The Sony SmartWatch is pegged at $149 and is targeted to be released this coming March.

Snapkeys wants to wipe out the QWERTY keyboard on the face of the earth.

Ryan Ghassabian of Snapkeys inputs words to his tablet in a fast rate and high precision as he demonstrates their device at a booth of the Consumer Electronics Week in Vegas.

Their device is a keyboard that isn’t visible. It uses a new technology called the 2i and predicts typing to remove the need of the user to look at the screen of his smartphone or tablet.

The idea behind it is to use all the characters of a typical keyboard and and to effectively reduce the whole keyboard to only four “buttons”. For instance, those that stand on one point such as F, I, T, etc. are grouped in one button; those that stand on two points such as M, N, X, etc. are in another, those that stand on a wide base like Z, U, L, etc. are in the third button; and characters with a closed circle @, P, O, etc. are in the last button.

There are also two spaces at the sides of the buttons. One is for the space bar while the other one is for the delete button or backspace. Snapkeys predicts the letter that you’re trying to input by the way you push the buttons and which buttons you choose. The company is sure that the device will get it 99% of the time.

Ghassabian explains that the purpose of this technology is to “reclaim the space” that is being consumed by the keyboard.

Now don’t go rushing into any app store (be it Apple’s, Android’s or RIM’s) because the technology is not available in the market yet, and it won’t even be available as an app to be downloaded. The company says there are currently in the process of talking to carriers to embed the technology to upcoming devices and phones.

Can’t wait? You can try the demo at Snapkeys’ website.

Image source: thegadgets.net

Hobbyists and photography connoisseurs would certainly want their hands on this. It’s a lens attachment that can be placed to your iPhone that gives you the ability to shoot panoramic footages.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kogeto Jeff Glasse said, “It captures 360-degree video and then lets you share that video online. You’re capturing in the room – 360 degrees.”

Called the “Dot” it is a $79 add-on to your iPhone and was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Glasse also added that you can have the ability to upload it to Facebook, Twitter or wherever you want to share it.

The Dot attaches to the iPhone’s camera lens and it automatically turns into a 360-degree panoramic image.

The company started distributing the device for the iPhone 4 and the 4S last October. It will be released to the European market by February and is available in Apple Stores in US in two weeks.

The Dot for the Android Samsung Galaxy Nexus is going to be released at the first half of this year.

“We’re bringing this to the consumer market so we can be the plumbing for panoramic video. I believe wholeheartedly in panoramic video. I believe it’s transformative,” said Glasse.

Image source: EnGadget.com

Video security is much valued nowadays. With the proliferation of theft and residential break ins by unwanted guests, individuals flock security stores to strengthen their home and as well as office defenses.

A new player is set to shake the business up as they unveil its latest development.

Romo, a robot that uses your smartphone as the hub for its functions has arrived. Though the Romo is only eight months old, investors have seen potential in the device and have been flocking to support the idea.

Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Keller Rinaudo told CNET.com that “the company just closed its first major round of funding.” He did not mention how much he got but the report said that Zappos founder Tony Hsieh gave an undisclosed amount to the company.

Though it looks like a toy, while some might even say that it is in fact a toy, investors are backing it because they see a lot of potential in the Romo. The start-up behind the Romo, called the Romotive, gives an open software development kit (SDK). It means that apps can be developed for the Romo.

The company started out in Seattle. Now, the company has settled in Las Vegas where developers are churning out Romos in a incredulous rate.

The device costs $99 and is expected to be available by February or March.

Image source: Geekygadgets.com

A group of researchers have found a way to tap into your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry handset. The connection between your two devices has a weakness that lets hackers tap into your corporate e-mail.

Zach Lanier and Ben Nell of Intrepidus Group revealed the PlayBook deficiencies at the Infiltrate Conference last week.

Dennis Fisher of Threatposts explain that weakness would enable the attacker to rap into your connection between your tablet and BlackBerry smartphone. The Bluetooth connection between the two in BlackBerry’s bridge application, enables them to access their corporate email, calendar entries and other data on the PlayBook.

The researchers found a way to find and use the authentication token that is being shared by the two gadget during the Bridge connections as a user, connect to the PlayBook and enable them to access the user’s email and other information. They said that the PlayBook’s OS places the authentication token for the Bridge sessions in a terrible spot that can be read by anybody who know how to find it.

Lanier said, “while the bridge is active, the token is in a place that is essentially world readable. The .all file being in a place that is world readable is the thing that causes the problem with the Bridge sessions.”

Fisher also reported that the team was also able to find that the file names in the BlackBerry app store can be predicted. This allows the user to simply increment the file name to a number and download an app he/she wants.

In a statement released by RIM, “the BlackBerry PlayBook issue described at the Infiltrate security conference has been resolved with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, which is scheduled to be available as a free download to customers in February 2012. there are no known exploits, and risk is mitigated by the fact that a user would need to install and run a malicious application after initiating a BlackBerry Bridge connection with their BlackBerry smartphone.”

Image source: unitedgadget.com

But this modest piece may soon turn into something more than we see it. This seemingly unimportant contraption can now turn into a tool that can help you with anti-theft measures.

Apple has just filed for a patent that requires for people to plug in their adapters to help them remember their passwords.

In patent number 2012/0005747, Apple will develop an adapter whose transformer unit has a memory module built inside it. Only the correct device will have the ability to recover data.

New Scientist says that Apple was quoted as saying, “if the password is not easily and conveniently recoverable, the consumer is likely to choose either not to use a password at all or to use a trivial password. Both choices increase the threat of data loss.”

The memory module that is in the transformer unit stores the encrypted password.

With this, it will make it harder for identity thieves to steal some of your stored data or from someone from recovering your password.

Just as other companies are upgrading their products to keep up with technological advancements, Victorinox has jumped on the band wagon.

You read it right. The makers of the popular Swiss Army knife just launched their latest knife set at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Vegas. This new product still has the knife popularized by the company with the addition of a 1 terabyte USB thumbdrive.

According to a report from CNET, “this tiny portable storage device abou the size of the small-size popular Swiss Army tool set. In fact, the storage part can be pulled out and collapsed into its case just like you can do with a Swiss Army knife.”

The report also added that the Swiss Army’s latest entrant to the market is the world’s smallest high-capacity SS drive out there. It supports both USB 2.0 and 3.0 and as well as as eSATA connections.

The gadget also comes with a Bi-Stable graphic display for individuals to label contents.

It has a graphic display that is 48—x-96-dot LCD that shows the label even when the device is not plugged to a computer.

The SSD has an automatic backup and synchronization tool with AES 256 security encryption.

It will be available to the public by April of this year and is priced from $470 to $2,000 depending on the capacity of the drive.

Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. No! It’s a plane. No! It’s an iPad?

An iPad reached 100,000 above sea level and dropped to the earth’s atmosphere after the weather balloon it was attached to burst. Like the previous Apple device, the iPhone, the iPad reached space and then crashed back into land. It survived the perilous fall in a rocky hillside in Nevada.

The iPad lived to tell its story with the help of a 6-ounce Extreme Edge case by G-Form.

According to G-Form Vice President for Innovations, Thom Cafaro, “it’s the first iPad that’s ever free fallen from space and survived to play more movies.” Though the outer space can’t be reached until it is 328,084 above sea level, this feat of the iPad is one for the books since the device is still fully functional after the fall.

G-Form also had similar stunts before. The company skydived an iPad from a height of 1,300 feet and they threw another one out of a moving Porshe when the car reached the speed of 113 mph.

To watch the video of the whole escapade, click here.

The convention had a record 3,100 companies present in the event. Their stalls ranges from small ones to mega boots from big companies who paid millions just to show their latest technologies.

In LG Corporation’s booth, representatives handed out 3D glasses and a movie was played in their gigantic screen that showed meteor showers shooting towards the viewers. There was an exchange of oohh and aahh from the gathered crowd.

In a sadder note, this is Microsoft Corporation’s final CES. They have already delivered their final keynote address. The company even hired the famous Ryan Seacrest to be their emcee.

The host exchanged a few laughs with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer such as when the latter tried to explain the new Windows 8, called the Metro.

The exchange went, Steve: “The Metro user interface– you’ve seen it being pioneered in recent years, but now it’s all coming together”. Ryan: “why did you look at me funny when you said Metro?”

The popularity of Ultrabooks is quite evident since it first burst into the scene. There was the MacBook Air followed by the ASUS Zenbook UX31. Now comes Dell’s XPS 13.

The latter only weighs at 2.29 pounds and has a tapered design from .71 to .24 inches. It is pegged at $999 with an aluminum lid and carbon fiber chassis. Add to that its 13-inch screen and it certainly is one helluva gadget.

The entry level version comes with an i5 Core processor with a 128GB SSD and 4GB ram and a backlit keyboard. It is upgradeable to a 256SSD and i7 processor. It has a 300 nit, 1366×768 Gorilla Glass display, Intel HD 3000 graphics, Bluetooth 3.0 and the Smart Connect and Rapid Start both Intel technologies.

Dell is planning to release their Ultrabooks by February both consumer and business channels.

The XPS 13 also supports both 3.0 and 2.0 Bluetooth technology. It has a Mini Display Port, an audio jack and a 1.3 MP webcam. But just like the ASUS Zenbook, the XPS 13 doesn’t have an HDMI and no has no memory card slot.

Which makes us ask, if the MacBook Air, which is thinner than the XPS 13, has an SD card slot, why then does the latter don’t have any built in it?

The Galaxy Nexus is powered by Android’s latest 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a Super AMOLED screen that is 4.65-inches, it definitely packs a mean punch.

Sprint Galaxy Nexus package is quite different to that being offered by Verizon. Sprint’s package includes the Google Wallet which enables those who have a Citi MasterCard or a Google prepaid card to sign up for an account with Google Wallet that in-turn gives them the ability to use their phone at participating stores to pay for their goods.

The Verizon version of the 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus won the CNET Editor’s Choice Award and Sprint’s variant may follow suit as long as their LTE network backs it up.

Though Sprint didn’t divulge when it will be available to their subscribers, but the fact is when they do release it, you might find a lot of individuals paying for their merchandise with their phones and not wallets.

Image source: Androidtapp.com

Razer is weaving its magic again!

The popular PC hardware maker think tanks and developers have created another surprisingly creative gaming hardware. The “Project Fiona” which was undraped at this years Consumer Electronics Shows in Vegas comes as a hybrid of a Tab and an analog gamepad. This allows PC gaming fanatics to play any “gamepad-enabled” title.

Though “project Fiona” is just a concept as of the moment, they said that they are planning to release the final product in the fourth quarter of this year.

It has an Intel Core i7 processor. It looks similar to the iPad with two Wiimotes. It also features a multi-touch screen, accelerometers for motion control and analog sticks for controller handles.

At last year Penny Arcade Expo, the Razer featured an odd looking, hybrid gaming device touted as the Razer Blade. Priced at $2800, this laptop built for gamers with a touchscreen beside the keyboard, the latter was supposed to be available on the shelves last year. Unfortunately for gamers, the Razer is only going to be available this year. It is also featured at the CES.

At the Consumer Electronic Show this week, LG has finally unveiled its latest 55-inch OLED TV set to stunned onlookers. It is considered as one of the major HDTV announcements in the show and if you’ve come to watch it display its features you’d surely jump on the bandwagon.

Colors are fantastic and the motion is undeniably sharp.

According to Tim Moynihan of PCWorld, “the passive glasses display doesn’t look as dim as other plasma and LED-based 3D displays we’ve seen in the past year, which is an added bonus of the set’s stunning brightness.”

“3D footage looks about as lifelike and immersive as possible, with sharp image quality and smooth motion without any of the shimmering effects seen in even some of the best 3D TVs we’ve looked at,” he adds.

The OLED TV does not only give you great quality on the pictures. The plasma and LCD also eats up lesser power compared to other TV sets.

Unfortunately for us who can’t afford to shell out mega bucks for a TV set, this new OLED might be priced beyond our budget. Though not yet divulged, Moynihan predicts that price is expected to reach five figures. A deal breaker for some of us, huh?

Image source: PCWorld.com

Mobilerun.com provides a review of the latest Droid.

The tech site say that it is good to note that Motorola’s newest device is thicker than its predecessor which is quite rare in today’s standards. The DROID RAZR MAXX is 8.99mm thick. But with its bulk comes a much larger battery which improves its battery life. According to Motorola, the DROID RAZR can last 21 hours of talk time before the need to recharge it arises.

There are no other big differences to note after that since the DROID RAZR still has a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display and run on a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with a 1GB RAM. It currently runs on the old Android OS, the Gingerbread. But Verizon has said that they will be upgrading the OS to the Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the future.

According to the Mobileburn.com, “the overall fell and sex appeal of the origianl DROID RAZR are lessened as a result. I can certainly get behind the huge battery that the MAXX offers, but it certainly turns the RAZR MAXX into a far more pedestrian looking device than the original.”

A portable speaker that is unlike any other. This device uses a conductive gel “to transform hard surfaces into attention-grabbing woofers”.

According to Roger Arnold, “the gel serves as an acoustic coupling that is actually resonating the table.” The device basically turns any inanimate things into a huge boom box just by placing the WOWee on top of it.

He added that, “if you are looking for a really good, pocketable speaker for your music this is it.”

The WOWee One Pro is retailed at $150 and is available in Apple Stores by March as an add-on to your iPhones, Ipods and iPads.

This device can be connected to any gadget using its onboard bluetooth.

The WOWee also serves as a hands-free speaker for calls.

The company also gave audience a glimpse of the “Vue”. The latter is a small projector that fits in your pocket. It uses an enery-sipping green light to display video on any surface.

WOWee sales director Andrew Caddick said that, “if you are a businessman you can just turn up at a meeting and do a presentation. If you are a family man and your kids are really annoying you, you can pull this out and your kids are watching a move’ hopefully nice and quietly.”

The “Vue” is projected to be released this February.

Bob Marley was and still is a great musician that has contributed a lot to his native land and at the same time in music. Known for reggae tunes and fashionable dreds, the icon has turned a lot of haters into followers because of his musical genius and beliefs. After Marley’s death, all you here from that popular surname were his iconic songs and the memory of the late legend.

Fast forward to the 2012 CES show in Vegas and that popular surname is back on the limelight. Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley, was at the convention promoting his headphone line that are supposed to embody his dad’s beliefs and life.

According to Marley, “we don’t fall into the celebrity movement, we’re more in the sustainability movement. This is what I interpret my father’s message as, the ideals and responsibilities of life and how we see the earth.”

The Marley line would eventually expand this year with the release of their portable iPod and iPhone speaker system that is made from sustainable wood and cotton. They are also planning to sell earphones that are made with recycled plastic.

A cut from the company’s sales goes directly to 1love.org, a non-profit group that helps people from all over the world.

Rohan Marley also noted that, “there’s nothing wrong with being an innovator. But how do you innovate, are you destroying the place or are you protecting the place?”

Image credit: ubergizmo.com

Though a lot of individuals find the Qooq as an unusual and strange tablet, this Linux based device is selling fairly well in France and is set to conquer the US market.

The Qooq’s 10.1” inch display is powered by a Cortex A9 processor running at 1 GHz. Though the cook is quite pricey compared to other tablets (priced at $399), this device has an enclosure that sets it apart from it rivals. The Qooq’s enclosure enables the device to be dropped, spilled at and face conditions unlike its competitors.

Unfortunately for Android fans out there, this device runs on Linux. It is designed to be used simply and user friendly.

The Qooq is a highly specialized device intended for individuals who easily smear on their devices most of the time. What’s great about this gadget is that it can run cooking applications and live in your kitchen behind a protective book stand.

The Qooq is banking on its specialization for it to fly out of the shelves. This device is developed for the companies own subscription cooking content.

Perhaps a tie up with Chef Gordon Ramsey would be a big boost for the company. We’ll see..

The cell phone world was once lorded over by Finnish company Nokia. During the late nineties up to the turn of the century, the company was responsible for the way we look at cell phones. People used to love and worship Nokia’s.

Lately, the phone mogul has had a few set backs. With the smartphone evolution, Nokia just seemed to be a step late.

But in a development set to shake up the industry, Nokia is going to unveil its first Windows Phone for AT&T Inc. at this years Consumers Electronic Show. This move will benefit both companies as Microsoft Corp. now has a bullet to combat Apple Inc. and Google Inc., and Nokia to mark their big bang anew.

The US second-largest wireless carrier and Nokia is going to announce plans to sell the Nokia Ace in a few months. The latter is going to be the first Windows Phone that will be using the next-gen wireless technology or the LTE.

AT&T is going to be the biggest carrier to carry a Nokia Windows Phone. Nokia is trying to rise back after they lost their No.1 ranking to Samsung Electronics Co. as the world’s top smartphone developer during last years third quarter.

The Ace is going to run the latest version of the Windows Phone software.

The telecommunications provider is ahead of schedule in its plans to expand its LTE network.

Image source: EndGadget.com

This was what an industry analyst revealed last Sunday. He said that developing countries will be responsible for 46% of global sales in gadgets this year.

GfK Boutique Research and the Consumer Electronics Association presented their forecast before the kick-off of the Consumer Electronics Shows this week in Vegas.

They estimate that this years electronic sales worldwide would reach $1.038 trillion.

Buyers from China and other Asian countries, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe are gobbling up the market as they improve their lifestyle.

The NPD Group also said that American sales of electronics were down by at least 5.9% last Christmas. They also added that sales in electronics, excluding phones, totaled $9.5 billion five weeks leading to Dec. 24.

Best Buy Co. said last Friday that their December sales feel short because of weak traffic. However, smartphones, tablets and e-readers showed strong sales performance for the month.

Steve Bambridge, the research director at UK-based GfK said, “we’ll see most product categories slowing down or going into contraction.” Smartphones and tablets are going to suck up consumer expenditures he said.

Image credit: www.blogtrepreneur.com

Book lovers don’t have to bring a bulky book with them to enjoy reading their favorite novels nowadays. With the advent of inexpensive e-book readers, the once bulky books has turned into a seemingly thin and hi-tech piece of work.

Unfortunately this new technology has its limitations. Just like any other devices out there, it has a battery that can and will be drained in long term usage. That’s quite sad for readers who are at the stories most exciting part then the screen turns blank on them due to battery shortage.

But Amazon has found a way to help these troubled readers. They don’t have to fret about having their Kindle’s batteries drained on them. Because the SolarKindle is here.

The latter is a Kindle protective cover that has a solar panel attached to it. This solar panel is not only green, but it also lets you charge your Kindle and an hour of charging in the Sunlight would enable you to use your Kindle for 3 days. In low light conditions, the SolarKindle can be charged via a USB port. It also features an 800lux LED reading lamp to help you read in dark areas.

Currently, the SolarKindle works for the manual version of Kindle. A model for the Kindle Fire will be released later this year.

Not a bad add-on for your Kindle.

The top three TV makers in the world has just teamed up with Google in a bid to conquer a new and different market after it has successfully barged into the smartphone market with its Android.

With this new development, the Internet giant is going to release a “smart” television set at the CES in Vegas. Dubbed as the Google TV, it will empower its users by letting them connect to the Net and enjoy its services. It is due to be released in the first half or 2012.

Google is planning to use the same strategy for its TV business as what they used with their Android. The TV giants will make the sets based on Google’s Android software.

Market researcher Gartner said that the Android OS ranks first with a 52.5% share in the smartphone market during last year’s third quarter. Apple’s iOS had 15% share.

Google tried the TV market once when it partnered with Logitech and Sony. Unfortunately, this attempt failed as the partnership was not with the top TV developers in the market and American TV stations.

Now, Google’s latest gamble seems like a very sound decision. Not only are they partnering with three top tier companies, but they are also teaming up with Vizio. The company is also partnering with Marvell and Mediatech.

There are already 150 TV applications available and thousands of Android applications as well.

Gadgets evolve through time. Laptops used to be a gargantuan chopping block with no curves and packed a lot of pounds.

Now, it seems like companies and developers are competing to have devices that are the smallest of their brood.

Take for example Acer. The Taiwan based company will be unveiling the world’s thinnest laptop at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this week. The company will be selling the latter in the second quarter of 2012.

Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies said, “that S5 is quite significant. It looks like the thinnest and lightest, and it sets the bar for the rest of the ultrabook vendors.”

The Aspire S5 boasts of a 34cm screen and is only 15mm at the most. It weighs no more than 1.35 kg.

Acer chief executive J.T. Wang said, “we are committed to evolving this technology. By the second quarter of this year we will have four models of ultrabook and more to come.”

J.T. Wang also believes that the ultrabooks will eat up 35% of Acer’s product line this year.

Tim Bajarin also noted that, “the real battle is not with Apple, it is with all the other vendors coming out with Windows ultrabooks. Apple will still do great with MacBook Air, but in the Windows world it is great news that five years after Apple set the tone the industry is finally getting something equal.”