British company Six Degrees Group announced that they acquired Datahop.

Datahop, an international datacenter interconnection company based in UK was bought by the Six Degrees Group for an undisclosed amount. The latter is a cloud service provider. The purchase improves the company’s high-speed fiberoptic network connecting different cities in Europe.

Datahop has about 200 clients and a high-speed fiberoptic cable network connecting Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and London.

According to managing director of Six Degrees managed data division Daniel Lowe, “Datahop’s technologies will allow us to deliver higher bandwidth, and a broader range of services to our customers. Our ability to link people, places and clouds has been boosted significantly with the flexible service creation capability we now offer to the market.”

Six Degrees now has a total of 37 point of presence. This will connect European and American financial centers.

The company is also eyeing to upgrade its network that will give them a multi-gigabit port capability for data and hosting services.

So who is going to be next?

Image Source: launch.co

From Six Degrees acquires Datahop

But at this day and age of technology advancements, speakers are a must have for any home. Today, these devices are back on track as iPods and digital music players are now back on the scene.

Majority of the good speakers are expensive. That is why people tend to shy away from them and choosing speakers that are affordable, but quality-wise, isn’t up to the task.

Not until the Dayton Audio B652 arrived at the scene. These aren’t the most attractive speakers out there in the market. But for under $50, these bookshelf speakers emit great sounds.

The company may not be as popular as those expensive brands out there. Dayton is a leading supplier or loudspeaker drivers (raw) and speaker building accessories. The company is also marketing home theater systems.

The Dayton B652 emits a crisp sound and has excellent bass quality for an inexpensive speaker. it may not be designed lavishly, but these black speakers aren’t that bad looking.

If you’re looking for a budget speaker, the Dayton B652 might be the right choice for you.

Image Source: hermanmiller.com

From Dayton Audio B652: Quality affordable speakers

A new iPhone app helps you tag your friends minus the hassle. KLiK does a real-time facial recognition to help you identify and tag your friends in photos.

CEO of Face.com Gil Hirsch said, “It’s our most recent evolution of both the platform and the consumer product that we’re offering. We noticed that at parties or events there were many photos being taken but only a few were actually getting tagged.”

By connecting Facebook with Klik, it enables the latter to scan your friend’s photos to create a facial profile of every person in your network.

Klik can only identify individuals who are your friends in Facebook.

The app includes a mode where you can teach Klik for your friends who don’t have an account with the social network.

Hirsch added, “It’s all private and on your device only. I use it to tag my children so that I can later search for all the photos I took of them.”

“We provide a minimum and maximum and approximate age guesstimate, only using the facial information in the photo – nothing else,” he added.

Image Source: webpronews.com

From Klik helps you tag friends in Facebook

For these individuals who can’t seem to keep their minds off of their children and who wants to have maximum control over their mobile phone, Vodafone is introducing a new parental control system that can give you this.

Developed by Bemilo, this gives parents the ability to read every text messages, filter friends before adding them as a contact and also features a timer that can set the phone on and off in certain times.

It is controlled by a website and is linked to a SIM card.

Simon Gaff, founder of Bemilo, said to The Telegraph, “Unlike an app, Bemilo’s SIM will work on any mobile device or tablet and most importantly cannot be bypassed by the child.”

Bemilo developed this technology to safeguard children between 6 and 16.

Although this technology could be a big boost to your child’s protection, this also raises a question about your child’s right to privacy. Although child protection is of utmost importance, this technology could potentially raise a debate on the amount of parental control parents have on their child.

Image Source: parentalcontrolmobilephone.com

From Vodafone enables parents to snoop into their children

The company released its latest 12-35mm f/2.8 X lens for their followers to enjoy.

Panasonic earlier this year announced their plans to release this lens. This led of a lot of excitement in the camera world. This is very first Micro Four Thirds zoom lens that offers the user with a constant aperture of f/2.8.

This new lens is compatible with Panasonic’s G range and Olympus PEN and OM-D range. Full frame users will enjoy this lens as this offers an equivalent of 24-70mm in its 35mm frame.

The 12-35mm f/2.6 X lens was manufactured in Japan and is made up of metal.

This lens features a standard zoom function and it offers a Power Optical Image Stabilization. What’s best about this lens is that it is touted to be waterproof and as well as dustproof.

Panasonic is hoping that sales will pick up from this lens and they are expecting G3, GX and GH users will be the core of the sales of the lenses.

The Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 X is going to be priced around $1,300 and will be available by the end of June.

Image Source: 

From Panasonic releases 12-35mm f/2.8 X lens

The hold out of HTC smartphones in US Customs was due to patent dispute with Apple. It’s unknown what specific HTC device was being allowed into American shores as the One X and the Evo 4G LTE models were put on hold by Customs official last week over the unresolved patent issue with Apple.

The statement added that each model has to be inspected by the Customs and will only be released if the agency completes its inspection and sees that it can be released in the market.

HTC said, “Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carriers customers. We don’t have the status of each specific device model at this time, but we are working closely with Customs.”

The International Trade Commission ruled that HTC infringed Apple’s patent for data detection last December. This process allows a device to recognize items like e-mail addresses, phone numbers and addresses in text and automatically moves them to a calendar, dialer or mapping application.

HTC removed this feature on all its phones after the body issued its ruling that imposes a ban on importing HTC products that has the feature.

Image Source: htcwalls.com

From Customs ok’s HTC release

These updates are for those who opt to use the older OS X 10.5 Leopard instead of upgrading to the latest 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.7 Lion.

According to security firm Sophos, “It’s encouraging to see Apple has not left users of this older version of the Mac OS X operating system completely out in the cold when it comes ot protecting against the latest threats.”

They added, “clearly they realize that it’s not good for the Apple Mac’s image if older computers connected to the Internet are harboring malware that could cause problems for others in the Mac community.”

The Security firm also said that fixes were also released for Snow Leopard and Lion users.

The Flashback Trojan wreaked havoc earlier this year as the malware targeted issues with unpatched version of Java on OS X.

The update is going to scan Mac user’s hard drives for the most common variants of the Flashback malware and remove them from your system.

The update will also disable the Java plugin on your Safari browser.

“This additional level of protection when it comes to Safari users running Flash is good to see – as Adobe’s software is so frequently exploited by malware authors and malicious hackers to infect web surfers,” Sophos added.

Image Source: 

From Apple issues security updates to battle Flashback

It is no secret that over the years, information technology has played its role in promoting the cause. Companies offering web hosting services initiated the use of solar and hydro power for running their data centers. Desktop and server vendors supported the cause by incorporating features that save power. Such power-saving strategies were aimed at reducing carbon footprints that continue to serve as a trouble for the environment.

In the society we live in, the inhabitants of the earth continue to pollute the environment, intentionally or unintentionally.  As technology continues to grow and the number of high speed internet providers sees a steep rise, the extent to which information technology can influence the environment comes as a shock. While information technology has furnished extensive convenience in our everyday lives, when it comes to saving the planet, nothing even comes close.

Spam is a menacing headache that every single internet user is well aware of. Spam is defined as the transmission of messages in bulk and so if someone tells you that SPAM is short for Stupid, Pointless, Annoying Message, you may as well believe it because that is what it is. From contacts to emails, from software to documents, today it is hard to name one area that is not affected by spam.

Sadly, the implications of this nuisance are not limited to security but is now becoming a menacing problem threatening the well-being of the environment.  Wondering how this happens? Read on to reveal the mystery.

According to a research conducted recently, if the emissions of green house gas are to be compared with the energy it takes to open one spam email, it will be equal to that of driving a car for three feet. While one may think that three feet is a seemingly harmless figure, this example does not fully comprehend the environmental consequences.

All you have to do is to multiply those 3 feet to 95 trillion as it was the number of spam emails sent in 2010 and you will be shocked to find out that the green house gas emissions are now equivalent to those of driving the car across the globe two million times.

If you are still reeling from the shock, you have even more surprises in store for you. A study has shown that every single year carbon dioxide in quantities as big as 28.5 million metric is created just by spam. Still wondering how green house gases and spam emails are related? Well, there is an abundance of high speed internet providers. To use internet, it is important to keep the computer open and these green house gas emission are a result of it.

What actually happens is that it takes a system several processor cycles to access your mail client and power is then needed to retain the message and deliver it to the user. This complete process is polluting the planet and this is how spam emails sabotage our environment.

One other devastating fact associated with green house gas effects and spam emails is that each year, an approximate of 104 hours are spent by users online to read or manually delete spam emails. What comes as a bigger shock is the fact that this amount is 4700 times greater the number of man hours that were spent in the construction of the tallest building in the world, the renowned Burj Khalifa.

As far as the culprits are concerned, the three countries that are actively participating in polluting the world are USA, China and India with a contribution of 21%, 15% and 7% respectively. So, the next time you come across someone calling spam the biggest environmental threat till date, just nod in agreement.

From Why Spamming Is Considered a Bigger Threat to the World Than Green House Gas

Let us find out how:

Wikitude

Android treats its users with a grand new application that is absolutely free! This is nicknamed Wikitude, which basically acts as your personalized global travel guide. This application integrates the information supplied by the contributors at the Wikipedia and other such blogs and websites. These develop the knowledge base in order to supply you with all the travel related feedback of your surroundings. If you are inquisitive to know how the system works, we will inform you that the in-built GPRS system, movement sensor and compass provided with this app do the needful. These amalgamated systems judge your position in relation to your nearest landmark. Together with being your most trusted tourist guide this Android app also gives you thorough information of the history of a particular place.

Hotels Near Me

Once you land in a foreign land, it is perhaps the accommodation that comes first in your mind. You might certainly look dazed about finding the best hotel in the area and the offers it has. Android has lessened your tension to a great extend. The ‘Hotel Near Me’ app is offered to its users absolutely complementary. The GPRS chip installed inside your handset uploads in depth information of as many as 60,000 hotels within your proximity. It gives more vivid information of the particular hotel you prefer too.

This is accompanied with the pictures of the rooms, dining hall, balcony, toilet and other places within that hotel along with the rate packages needed you are supposed to spend for boarding. You can even book the hotel room straight from your Android species before you actually land up in that place! A counter email confirmation will follow your hotel selection and booking as a mark of acceptance by the
hotel authority.

Layar Reality Browser

This is another app for Android users, which acts almost in the similar concept as Wikitude. This is also a hi-fi augmented reality browser that displays various images connected to the place you are interested in. However, a greater detail is provided in the form of digital description as well, which appears at the header section of each of the image frames. The camera provided with your Android handset does the needful by capturing the image of the place and using the GPRS chip inside it to extract information connected to the site which you have captured in your mobile camera. You will have a bonus option of adding numerous layers to your clicked image and storing information obtained from various social networks and websites connected to the same in each of the layers.

Where

This is perhaps the handiest app that for the “travel freaks”. Together with the provision of various technical and travel information regarding your preferred location, it also gives you feedback on real-time information such as nearest gas station, cheap gas supplies, movie theaters,
show timings, news headlines, restaurant recommendations and traffic conditions. The most appealing news about this app is that it is absolutely free. This all new personal travel guide of yours also lets you browse through the pages of Yellow Pages and Yelp Directory as well. The information in this app is also supported by real-time images.

Trip Journal

If you are an Android user, all you need to do is to pay a very nominal fee if $2.90 monthly for Trip Journal. You will be reciprocated back in the form of exact travel routes that connect with your preferred location. You can add customized place markings and notes too in the preferred location of the route plan. This app also gathers all the necessary statistics of your chosen location and also that the distance you have covered till now. These routes can also be shared with your friends and close ones by means of Google Earth or as picture information through Facebook or Picasa web album. But, if you are not interested to spend money on this app, you can use the free ‘lite version’ of the same. However, you will be exempted from the facility of sharing pictures in that case.

FXware Currency Guide

Money is utmost important wherever you go. But, the most pathetic condition appears when you have to sit back and calculate the exchange value of each and every penny you pay or get back while on a foreign tour. Android app lessens your agony in this case too. This app helps you to convert as many as 160 currencies of the world in just a few fractions of seconds. Moreover, the software is upgraded every other minute, which means that you will get the exact exchange rate. It also combines a portable travel guide along with, so that you are equipped with a ready reference of your destination too. There a handful of extra features in this app as well, such as tip calculator, quiz game on global exchange, Forex market updates and share market commentary. All these facilities come to you on your Android gadget for just $0.99!

Star Translate

If you are a global traveler and language becomes a major barrier for frequently, then it is time to get hold of Star Translate and end you language problem forever. This is a free app that comes with a translator and a dictionary so that you are never stuck when you are interacting with foreign delegates and language problem becomes an issue. You have the freedom to convert as many as 50 international languages. An in-built speaker translates whatever you say instantly, so that they create the right impact in the right place.

Android apps are definitely great measures that improve the experience of using the same manifold. But, these travel apps will be a blessing for those who are frequently on the move.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and autos. Beside this she is fond of fancy accessories. She is a tech freak and loves to write on her sites cellphonebeat and ecofriend.

From Android apps for Road Trips [LIST]

A year ago, Microsoft made students an offer which they couldn’t refuse. The company offered students a free Xbox 360 for every Windows PC that they buy.

And voila! Microsoft is once again offering students the deal of the lifetime as they are bringing back the promotional offer. If a student buys a Windows PC worth $699 or more, they get a free 4GB Xbox 360. The promo started on the 20^th of May and can be redeemed at retailers such as Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics and New Egg.

Microsoft is trying everything they can to boost the popularity of their Xbox 360. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced a $99 subscription subsided Xbox bundle.

These offers by Microsoft are most likely being targeted to students due to their need of Personal Computers to help them in their studies. The Xbox is also highly popular with these age segment as these are the types of individuals who are hooked into games during their free time.

The company didn’t mention until when their promotional offer is going to end but analysts say that it would most likely be pulled out at the end of summer.

Image Source: geekalerts.com

From Free Xbox 360 for every Windows PC purchase

Director of growth and international at Twitter Othman Laraki said, “These tailored suggestions are based on accounts followed by other Twitter users and visits to websites in the Twitter ecosystem.”

“We receive visit information when sites have integrated Twitter buttons or widgets, similar to what many other companies – including LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube – do when they’re integrated into websites.”

By recognizing which accounts are frequently followed by people who visit popular sites, we can recommend those accounts to others who have visited those sites within the last ten days.”

Do Not Track is a privacy setting available in a few browsers; it basically tells websites that you have opted out of tracking by way of an HTTP header.

If you choose not to be tracked at browser level, some websites will be unable to allow third parties to note what websites you visit and when to inform advertising and analytics.

Unfortunately, not all websites agree not to track you and not all browsers have the option.

It is currently available only from Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox. Google has assured their followers that their own Chrome browser will have the option before the year ends.

Image Source: searchenginejournal.com

From Twitter upgrades users privacy control

PC World reported that Windows 8 will is going to come with an upgraded version of Windows Defender. The latter is going to have antivirus functions to protect users and their smartphones.

PC World said, “Windows Defender now provides similar protection – and a similar look and feel – to that of the free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program, which Microsoft has offered to users as an optional download since 2009.”

This antivirus software will provide basic protection against viruses and malware.

Another feature that is likely one of the best is the SmartScreen filter. This is similar to Internet Explorer 9 that help detects and blocks potentially malicious programs.

PC World added, “The function complements IE’s website filtering, which works to block phishing and malicious sites. Starting with Windows 8, the program monitoring portion of the SmartScreen Filter is built into Windows itself, and it will work whether you’re using IE, Firefox, Chrome, or any other browser.”

Another feature that Windows 8 has is the “picture password.”

This uses a photo or image and requires the user to draw three gestures –circles, straight lines or taps/clicks – in different places.”

Image Source: softwarebuzzer.com

From Windows 8 to be released with pre-installed antivirus program

The company unveiled the LG Optimus LTE II in South Korea. It features a 2GB RAM which makes it the first smartphone to do so.

It is being powered by a 2,150mAh battery to support its increase in power. LG claims that it could last 40% longer than the previous Optimus LTE versions.

It also features a 4.7 inch display that has True HD IPS technology.

The LG Optimus LTE II runs on a 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm processor and has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich supporting it.

It has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. It has 16GB of internal storage and is expandable with a microSD card slot.

The company said that the Optimus LTE II is made for South Korean users only but added that they are planning to release a similar phone for release worldwide sometime in the future.

LG has been lingering at the middle of the smartphone race and sales have not been high for the company. They are hoping that they could turn the tide around to their favor with their future smartphone releases.

Image Source: androidheadlines.com

From LG hopes to boost sales with Optimus LTE II

A popular video sharing app has created ways that makes sure that the videos we share are shared only to the right individual.

Video sharing app Socialcam has made strides to prevent inadvertent sharing of videos.

Director of The Future of Privacy Forum Jules Polonetsky said CNET that the developers of the app told him that they are making changes to address the concerns that was brought up to them by users.

Polonetsky said, “Two weeks ago I saw a rabbi in my network share a bikini-type video. Facebook posts are full of friends clicking to view these videos,” he said that the video was mistakenly shared.

Polonetsky added that the Socialcam team made changes to prevent this from happening again. He said, “Kudos tot hese guys for both responding quickly – with a tiny team of developers, while their apps were picking up millions of new users a day. Will the changes make a difference? The one thing we have learnt over the years is that privacy folks are not consumer experience experts. A notice may seem logical to us, but to users it is a confusing UI. Testing with actual users is the only way to tell.”

Image Source: stateoftech.ent

From Socialcam protects users from accidentally sharing videos

Gaming mouse is not excused from this. The once 2 buttoned mouse has evolved into a multi-buttoned device that can make life easier for them.

German manufacturer Roccat announced the release of their latest gaming mouse called Savu. This hybrid device was developed to combine performance and user-customizable features.

The Savu was unveiled during the CeBIT last March. It has a 400, 800, 1600 and 4000 DPI using an R3 sensor as well as Easy-Sift [+] technology. This allows the user to assign multiple functions per mouse click and the scroll wheel.

The Savu has a total of seven button with can be programmed to 12 functions using Easy-Shift[+].

You can also customize the lighting system that complements the Roccat Achievements Display. This system tracks multiple statistics such as movement of the mouse, button clicks and scroll steps. Users can share these stats in Facebook if they want to.

The customizable light bar enables users to choose between 18.8 million colors.

The Roccat Savu is now available in major retailers and is priced at $59.99.

Image Source: gadgetsin.com

From Roccat unveiles Savu for gamers

Industry tracker Gartner reported that about 419.1 million mobile phones were sold during the first quarter. This figures amount to a two percent decline from the same period last year.

Anshul Gupta of Gartner said, “Global sales of mobile devices declined more than expected due to a slowdown in demand from the Asia-Pacific region. The first quarter, traditionally the strongest quarter for Asia – which is driven by Chinese New Year – saw a lack of new product launches from leading manufacturers, and users delayed upgrades in the hope of better smartphone deals arriving later in the year.”

The most promising figure came from South Korean electronics giant Samsung as they became the top mobile phone seller in the quarter.

Samsung sold about 86.8 million units, a 25.9 percent increase from last year’s first quarter.

Smartphones with Android OS accounts to about 56 percent of the total market. iPhones on the other hand has 22.9 percent.

Research in Motion’s BlackBerry saw a dip in its market share. RIM sold 9.9 million units in the first quarter down from 13 million last year.

Grupta said, “RIM desperately needs to deliver winning BB10 products to retain users and stay competitive.”

Image Source: tolmol.com

From Mobile phone sales dip, but Samsung’s sales increase

Retail outlets may start asking Canadians these three words when checking out an item as CIBC and Rogers Communications announced a partnership that will harness the Near Field Communication technology that is a feature in newer BlackBerry’s that would allow your BB to act as your credit card.

Senior vice president of retail and business banking for CIBC David Williamson said, “Some people might not carry a wallet but they’ll always have their smartphone.”

But a research released by Google said that Canadians are not keen on the idea of using their smartphones to make purchases online. After polling about a thousand individuals who have smartphones, only 20 percent said they already purchased an item using their devices and 16 percent said they are going to increase mobile shopping next year.

Mastercard estimates that only 15 percent of Canadian consumers are willing to use a mobile device to pay for their items.

Ian Shelly from KPMG said that this figures are quite low. “The 15 percent number is really just the tech-savvy individuals who have kept up with the mobile payments agenda. But once these sorts of announcements come up I think you’ll see much greater adoption.”

Image Source: intomobile.com

From BlackBerry to act as credit card?

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that the company’s 3G unlimited plan that customers enjoyed for about a year now will be switched to a tiered offering. The company will migrate all existing subscribers and 4G LTE customers to a data share plan.

Verizon has previously said that they will be introducing this data share plan this summer. This will allow members of a same family plan to share data each month.

The company terminated their unlimited data plan last July. Their rival AT&T did this a year ago.

Shammo said, “Everyone will be on data share. When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial for us.”

The pricing of the plans have not yet been released. But according to Shammo, this will make it easier for families and small enterprises to connect multiple devices.

T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel still offers unlimited data plans to their subscribers. T-Mobile slows down users if they consume big data every month. Sprint on the other hand claims that they are the only carrier in the US that offers the unlimited data plan.

Image Source: androidguys.com

From Verizon to terminate unlimited data plan

Still, nothing would happen if we follow the rules mandated by the law. But there are times that we have to check our emails. This happens when businessmen travel and have an important presentation or is waiting for an important message coming from his boss or subordinates.

Now, people don’t have to hide while using their phones. Virgin Atlantic is now going to allow a certain number of flyers to use their cell phones during flights.

The airline announced today that they are allowing passengers to use their phones while flying, may it be to make an in-flight phone call, send or receive text and check their emails via a general packet radio service from the their seats inside a Virgin Atlantic A330 Airbus. The company is hoping to extend this service to their others planes. This includes their fleet of Boeing 747s.

Virgin Atlantic Chief Operating Officer Steve Griffiths said, “We have listened to what customers want and connectivity in the air is always on the wish list. Many people will have experienced that moment when you’re about to take off on a 10-hour flight and you need to send an important message to the office, or even reminding a family member to feed the cat.”

This privilege does not extend to all passengers unfortunately. Those who want to gain access to their phones will have to pay $1.20 per minute for access and access to the service shall be limited to six passengers at a time.

Image Source: pixellogo.com

From Virgin Atlantic allows passengers to make in-flight phone calls

Research firm Macquarie Group is saying that before the year end’s, Apple iOS users will be able to use Google Chrome in their devices.

They are claiming that this will be a great move for Google since the company pays Apple for each person using Google services in Apple’s default Safari browser. If they use their own browser, it could offset these costs. This is one reason among the many reasons that the research firm is saying.

But writer Seth Rosenblatt said in his article that this is going to be a difficult task for Google. He says that the iOS is a “very different beast” from the Android and PCs.

Google Chrome has been available for Windows since 2008, on Mac OS X and Linux since 2010. The Chrome gained popularity due to its stability, features and speed.

Android for Chrome, even in beta phase, is fast and solid. But it is only available for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

One of the major problems that Google faces in its iOS dreams is that Apple doesn’t let third-party browser developers make changes in iOS default browser from Safari. For example, if you use Chrome as your primary browser and decide to open a link, that link will be opened by Safari.

If Google can only iron it out with Apple, then Google Chrome for iOS could possibly be a huge hit for iPhone, iPod and iPad users.

Image Source: macgasm.com

From Google Chrome for iOS?

Unfortunately for them, one of the two suspected robbers failed to log off of his Facebook account thus making the Policemen’s lives very easy.

According to the report by CNet, two individuals went in the café and were just browsing the net. Then at some point, they decided to rob the café. So they made their way to the cashier acting as if they will be paying for their computer rental, then they assaulted the owner. They then escaped by stealing a motorbike.

It looked like a perfect crime but then the unthinkable happened. When the cops arrived at the scene, they noticed that one of the thieves hadn’t logged off Facebook.

This led to the arrest of one of the suspects.

This was not the first time that stupid criminals were caught due to their Facebook obsession.

About three years ago, Jonathan G. Parker was accused of burglarizing a house and stealing jewelry. It was supposed to be a picture-perfect crime. But he forgot to do one thing. The suspect forgot to log off of his Facebook account.

What the hell is wrong with this people?

Image Source: avoidfacebook.com

From Facebook leads to criminals arrest

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. gave a preview of their new UNI-CUB personal mobility device. This device was developed for harmony with people. It features a compact design and comfortable saddle. The UNI-CUB gives its users the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person can do while he is walking.

This is an upgrade of its predecessor the U3-X personal mobility device that the Japanese company that the company announced way back 2009. The UNI-CUB has Honda’s proprietary balance control technology and omni-directional driving wheel system.

These technologies enable the user to control the speed of the UNI-CUB, go to any direction, abruptly stop and turn. The user has only to shift his weight to easily maneuver the device.

Beginning June of this year, Honda will conduct demonstrations to test the UNI-CUB with Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. This test shall also explore all other applications of the UNI-CUB in a number of environments.

The UNI-CUB is a member of the Honda Robotics family of technologies. Honda’s first devices that are part of the technology are humanoid robots including the popular ASIMO.

Image Source: motorsportsnewswire.wordpress.com

From Honda unveils UNI-CUB personal mobility device

The Korean tech giant is set to release their next Windows Phone, the Omnia M handset.

Being powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, the Omnia M features a 5-megapixel rear-mounted camera, a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and a bunch of memory at 4GB of internal storage. It has WiFi connectivity through WiFi 802.11 and is a 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbp.

This newest Windows Phone smartphone coming from Samsung also features pre-installed social networking options such as Windows Live, ChatOn messenger, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It also has the Samsung AllShare feature that enables users to play games and watch movies.

The Omnia M is touted to be the next best smartphone out there. With the popularity and success of the Galaxy S III, analysts say that the Omnia M could become the flag-bearer of the Windows Phone lines.

Samsung hasn’t revealed the price and the date of the Omnia M’s launch but it is pegged to be within the first half of this year.

Image Source: geeky-gadgets.com

From Samsung to unveil new Windows Phone

But what the players experienced as their most dreaded enemy yesterday was not a monster or an in-game character. Instead it was an error message that made Diablo III players lives miserable yesterday.

Activision Blizzard was forced to take the Diablo III servers offline at least two times on its initial day citing to fix “several issues” the impacts the game as their reason. The company took down the servers at 10:22 AM Pacific Time for about an hour then 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM and from 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM. Some players posted in Battle.net forums that they were not able to play the game for hours.

The cause of these errors was wide ranging. Some errors occurred during character creation while some experienced a loading screen that wouldn’t stop and was impossible to quit.

Blizzard said that they are fixing the issue.

A probable cause of this problem is that Diablo III requires a good Internet connection. Unlike previous versions of the game didn’t required Internet connection unless you play a multiplayer game over the Internet.

Image Source: gamezone.com

From Diablo III launch hounded by issues

A tipster informed Reuters that the company is about to release their latest version of the Kindle. The report said that the source has direct knowledge of the matter but asked not to be named.

This new Kindle now has a front light that enables users to be able to read in the dark. Previous versions of the device had to buy an external light to suffice their craving of reading while in the dark.

Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch Jennifer Colegrove said, “I do see demand for a front-lit Kindle.” She also added that this could pose as a problem to the Kindle as a Front-lit battery could consume additional power thus it’ll run out quicker.

Amazon is also expected to launch a new Kindle Fire later this year. Sources have said that this latest gadget boasts of an 8.9 inch display.

Reuters source also added that the Kindle e-reader will be launched in two versions: the Touch 3G and Touch WiFi.

The news agency pegged the price of the Kindle e-reader at the same price or will be slightly higher by $10.

Image Source:Guim.com.uk

From Amazon to release new e-reader this July

Still it remains a mystery as to why some individuals still can’t receive these said invites. Lost text messages or unseen Facebook invites? It could really be the reason behind that.

A start up mobile app is trying to change all these. Developers Elliot Goldwater and John Zurbach created an app that uses the contacts list in your phone and not those from your social networking accounts.

The mobile GiddyUp was created for these types of situations. According to Goldwater, “We pull directly from your contacts list, which we think is your truest social network. Those are the people you rely on, at the last minute, or on any given Friday to meet up with on a whim.”

GiddyUp’s interface is simple. It has three tabs – Home, Create and FAQ. On the home page, individuals can view events that they will attend and access the individual chat bar. The recipient of the invite need not have to download the GiddyUp app to access the details of the event.

The app was a result of more than a year of fine tuning the product and was launched about a couple of weeks ago.

Goldwater added, “Traditionally you think of Evite, Facebook events and Paperless Posts as the traditional medium for planning events – birthday parties, wedding showers and more formal things. What we want to capture is everything from what’s happening later tonight, leading up and including those events.”

Image Source: Nibletz.com

From Startup makes sending out invites a breeze

Unfortunately for some, some games are being shown in live television while some are not. Well, fear no more as the magic of streaming video enables NBA fans to watch any game they want in a way that they’ve never seen before.

Thanks to TNT, fans can now watch the games live using their computers. What’s good about this is that TNT Overtime brings you at-home action with multiple camera angles.

TNT Overtime splits the screen in four ways. One camera is focused on the home team, the other focuses on the away team. The third shoots aerial shots from a “Backboard Cam” and the fourth one gives a shaky, close up shots from the floor for a more visceral perspective.

You can opt to make just one screen your fullscreen view. You can also opt to choose to make the three other camera angles into smaller windows for you to still view whole action of the game from different perspectives.

The only thing that is not provided by TNT Overtime is a six pack and a bunch of ribs.

Image Source: nba.com

From TNT Overtime brings basketball viewing to a whole new level

One of Britain’s ISPs, TalkTalk, is switching on its porn filtering software for all new subscribers. To enable users to surf porn sites, they have to choose to switch on to access this by informing the company.

This serves as a great deterrent for your kids to avoid entering this scandalizing websites.

Customers will have to reconfirm their decisions after every year. Unless a subscriber says that he wants this turned off, then TalkTalk’s HomeSafe filter will automatically block websites that features violence, gambling and porn.

This is the company’s action towards promoting their resolve for the young ones and their decision to do this pre-empts the government’s plan to make ISPs use filter as a default.

Some individuals call this censorship. Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group criticized this move by the government and the ISPs by saying, “We welcome a consultation but default filternets are awful. They block a wide range of innocent material; and nobody should be advocating broader and simpler censorship.”

While chief executive of TalkTalk Dido Harding disagrees and said, “Dreadfully slow to wake up to the fact that society as a whole cares strongly about this.”

Image Source: gogadgetnews.com

From British ISP makes surfing to porn optional

This is the second part of iPad tips and tricks that is aimed to help you ease through your iPad tablet.

Have you experienced accidentally deleting an app on your tablet or have deleted an app but now you want it back –especially if you’ve paid something for it? Just proceed to the App Store and download the app again. Look at where the price is located, is should say “Install” instead of “Free” or the price of the app. You can also go to the Purchased icon at the bottom and select “Not On This iPad” and you’ll see app that is associated with your iTunes account.

How about those purchases like virtual icons that your kids buy, without them knowing that you have to pay for this of course. Can you turn them off? You can simply go to Settings>General>Restrictions and tap Enable Restrictions at the top screen. You can then choose to adjust whatever it is that you want to adjust. If in-app purchases is all you need to restrict, then slide the tab over “In-App Purchases”.

More to come in the coming days.

Image Source: ipadapphost.com

From iPad tips and tricks II

One thing that will most likely become one of the most impressive improvements in the game is the auction house that enables players to trade their items such as sword, armor and potions for real-world currency with the developers of the game getting a cut on every deal.

According to Jennifer Martin, a member of the academe at the University of Western Ontario, “A lot of companies are realizing that it actually can be profitable. We’re seeing a much greater willingness in people to pay for stuff that doesn’t really exist, other than on internet servers. And if they’re willing to spend money to make their game play better, companies are definitely going to capitalize on it.”

The previous version of the game, Diablo II, is considered as one of the best-selling games of all time. Cowen Co. analysts say that they are projecting about 5 million units will be sold by Blizzard in Diablo III’s first year of release.

Image Source: anandtech.com

From Diablo III set to shake up the PC-gaming world

In your neighbor or community, once you have an unsecured WiFi to your home, you’d certainly see that a number of individuals will try to connect to your connection. Not placing a password to protect your network can mean free Internet to your neighbors. You’ll notice this because your connection might come out as slow and the problem with this is that they might even gain access to your computer or laptop.

But researchers from the Grenoble Institute of Technology and the Centre Technique du Papier in France has found a way to get rid of freeloaders even if you don’t password protect your WiFi network. They developed a wallpaper that shields your home from WiFi signals, may it be incoming or outgoing.

This said wallpaper blocks electromagnetic radiation in the frequencies used by WiFi but lets radio waves and cellphone signals go in and out without interference.

But before using this, you’d have to plan your interior design first. You’d have to place them in your exterior walls to prevent it from blocking signals within your house.

Image Source: pcmag.com

From Get rid of freeloaders that access your WiFi

See the thing that wraps around their neck enables them to communicate with their comrades without the need of clicking anything. It surely is a gadget that we mortals would love to have.

The Black ops 2 Professional Tactical Headset is designed to work with your iPhone to make you the perfect merc, spy or paintball hero. This device wraps around your neck and pickups nestle up against your vocal cords.

This will cancel out environmental noise such as strong gusts of wind and loud neighbors. According to the company, “Direct voice communication free from environmental noise.”

Another great thing about this product is that you can still be heard even while whispering. This makes you a threat in those war games that relieves your boyish fantasies.

This may not look trendy and fashionable, but it has its uses and could give you the extra lift.

The Black Ops 2 Professional Tactical headset was developed by iASUS. The company might have thought about men’s dream of becoming a James Bond like figure. Imagine being able to play a Bond like character?

Image Source: evotactical.com

From Wrap your mic around your throat with the Black Ops 2

According to PCWorld, this problem arose due to Siri’s complexity. The latter uses Wolfram Alpha to answer questions based on sets of data available. When it came to smartphones, somebody on the team failed to note about this glitch and Lumia 900’s high rating is based only on 5 reviews of the device. All of the reviews gave the Lumia five stars.

The list doesn’t involve any iPhone devices or any Samsung Galaxy S models. The article said that Wolfram Alpha’s data is coming from Best Buy.

The company’s reviews are the ones behind Wolfram Alpha’s answers to questions when it pertains to electronics. When you take a look at Best Buy’s review page of the Lumia 900, they really show 5 exceptional reviews.

Though this may not cause an alarm in Apple’s HQ, but this glitch is something that has to be addressed.

Image Source: muycomputer.com

From Siri calls the Nokia Lumia 900 the best smartphone ever

If you are one of the shutter friendly individuals out there who seem to post every photo you take using Instagram, chances are you’d have a collection of picturesque photos that you’d want to hand in your living room wall. Well, this can now be done using the service called Instacanv.as.

Users can log in with their Instagram accounts and choose a photo from their profile or browse through the numerous number of selection from other individuals from the site. You can select prints ranging from three distinct sizes. You can opt to print the photo in either black or white canvas.

This service can also make you some serious money. If your photo gets chosen by an individual, you get 20% of the purchase price. The good thing about this is that you still keep the rights of the photos.

CEO of the company Matt Munson says the they are keen on keeping the sometimes fickle Instagram community happy.

The company is only one of the many to choose from and is one of the cheaper options in the market.

The site will be officially launched this Wednesday and photo prices start at $31.99.

Image Source: fbnstatic.com

From Turn your Instagram photo into a work of art

It doesn’t need to be your biological mother. She can be someone who adopted you, cared for you or to basically put it, someone who showed you what it is to have a mom. Some of us are fortunate to have our real mothers at our side, while some of us are not so fortunate enough to have theirs all the time.

Well, in light of the Mother’s Day celebration, the guys behind the Google Doodle showed their appreciation to Mom’s the world over. The doodle is a hand drawn style crayon animation.

The doodle starts with the two “o’s” rushing to the scene giving their Mom, being symbolized by the “g” letter.

Though Mother’s day are celebrated in different times in the world, in the US and other locations it is celebrated during the second Sunday of May while in UK and other locations it is celebrated during the fourth Sunday of Lent, this doesn’t stop the team from creating a wonderfully themed doodle.

Kudos to the Google Doodle team for another job well done.

Image Source: gizbot.com

From Google’s Mothers Day Doodle a hit

Though there are a million and one iPad owners out there, there are still thousands upon thousands who lacks the “know-how” on maximizing the abilities of their tablet. Even simple things such as copying things en masse and splitting the on screen keyboard are unknown to some.

Well, here are a few tips on how to enjoy your precious tab.

Copying a lengthy paragraph is a tough job if you’re doing that by tapping the words and highlighting the entire text that you need to copy. There is an easier way of doing it. Simply tap the text the you want to copy quickly four times and you’ll see the entire text will be highlighted in blue. Once done, select if you’d want to copy, cut or delete the selection that you’ve created.

How about splitting the onscreen keyboard? If you’d like to hold the iPad while typing, simply press the virtual keyboard with both thumbs and drag it to each side of the tablet. This will split the keyboard into two groupings, one on each side.

These are some of the few tricks of your iPad. Try it and visit this site because we’ll be posting additional tips in the coming days.

Image Source: ipadappshost.com

From iPad tips and tricks

The release of the iPhone 4S closed the gap between the two OSs in the run-up to Christmas, but Android has opened up a comfortable lead over its nearest rival since Kantar Worldpanel ComTech last conducted its analysis of the market in December last year.

Android-powered handsets accounted for 48.5% of the smartphone market during the study period, after its sales were dented when the 4S hit the shelves in the final quarter of 2011. The Google-designed operating system has seen its market share increase from 37.8% just one year ago. Android has carved out its impressive market share since launching from a standing start in 2008.

Year-on-year, the next biggest winner in terms of market share was Apple, with iOS’s share of UK sales up by 6% to 28.7%. The launch of the iPhone 4S had pushed the California-based manufacturer’s operating system to just below 35% of the market in the run-up to the festive season, but sales have fallen back.

Overall, smartphone handsets accounted for 73.2% of all mobile devices sold in the UK over the study period. However, some survey data suggested that growth in the sector could be in decline. Just over half (51.6%) of people who bought a smartphone during the study period already owned one, suggesting the pool of feature phone users switching to smartphones could be decreasing.

The research also revealed that the Windows Phone 7 platform outperformed Nokia’s ancient Symbian OS for the first time. Nokia and Microsoft’s big push of the Lumia line of devices helped boost WP7 to a 2.5% share of the UK market, slightly ahead of Symbian which languished on 2.4%. The Nokia Lumia 800 accounted for 87% of all WP7-based phone sales in the UK, making a huge contribution to the 2% uplift in sales year-on-year.
Kantar also discovered that smartphone users are becoming increasingly pleased with their devices. When asked how satisfied they were with their handsets, the average smartphone user awarded their device 7.9 out of 10, with one being very dissatisfied and 10 being very satisfied. The typical feature phone owner only awarded their mobile 6.9 out of 10.

Apple customers proved to be the most satisfied with their choice of device, with the typical iPhone user giving their handset 8.8 out of 10. Samsung devotees could only manage an average of 8.0, while HTC handset owners mustered only 7.6.

Smartphone owners were shown to be fairly promiscuous when it comes to OS loyalty, with 54.1% of those who bought a new device changing platform.

This post was written by Simon who compares iPhone contracts at Best Mobile Contracts, a leading mobile phone comparison website in the UK.

From Android gains UK smartphone market share

As several announcements around ultrabooks were been made before, it was no surprise that CES will see plenty of action on the table front. The show had several advanced tables that will prove trendsetter in terms of technology, performance and convenience. From a 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet priced under 200 USD to a quad core tablet for just 25 USD, technology will soon touch everyone’s life alike. With so much buzz around display, most of the tablets had full HD displays.

As expected this CES 2012 did showcased an explosion of new tablet, each one distinguished with extraordinary HD display, outstanding gaming ability and some with 3D technology.

Here are the top 10 budget Android Tablet launched in CES 2012.

1. Viewsonic ViewPad E70

Viewsonic has broken its image of an under-performing cheap tablets manufacturer with the launch of Viewsonic Viewpad E70. This Viewpad is Ice Cream Sandwich-running Android 4.0. Priced at mere 169 USD, this tablet runs on 1GHz processor for seamless performance. However, there is nothing notable about this tab other than the aforementioned features. A 7-inch 800×600 display is of high definition quality allows you to enjoy applications on the go. At such reasonable price such high performance tablet is not commonplace. With Viewsonic Viewpad tablet will be in everyone’s reach in future.

2. LePan Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich tablets

LePan is a not so known tablet brand in the market till CES 2012. The less known manufacturer set eyeballs rolling this year with its Android gadgets. LePan III is an excellent tablet that is powered by a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It is fitted with 1 GB RAM and its processor can reach 1.5 GHz. Last but not the least, LePan III has 8 GB of storage, 4.0 Bluetooth for seamless connectivity and 5-megapixel camera on the back. For video chat this tablet comes with a 2-megapixel camera on up front. 1080p video output allows the user have HD video recording on the go. Another one from the manufacturer is LePan II that runs on 3.4 Android Honeycomb with all the aforesaid features except a slower dual-core 1.2 GHz processor.

3. Panasonic ToughPad A1

The Panasonic ToughPad A1 as the name suggests is all about durability. This tablet can survive water damage and normal shocks with aplomb. Its matte display gives it an elegant look. This tablet is been designed especially for enterprise as well as military personnel. It is loaded with latest software and runs on 3.2 Android Honeycomb OS. With a RAM size of 1 GB RAM and 10.1 inch diagonal screen, 2 megapixels front and a 5 megapixels rear camera, this tablet is just ideal for rough working environments

4. Gadmei E8 3D glasses-free 3D Android 4.0 Tablet

Gadmei showcased in CES 2012, its first glasses free 3D Android 4.0 tablet that runs on Android 4.0.3 on 1 GHz Cortex processor and I GB RAM. The storage capacity is around 8 GB with a 0.3 megapixels, optional 2 megapixels rear camera. It has an 8-inch, 1280×768 display screen that uses a parallel barrier glass-free 3D technology. So, when it comes to 3D pictures and movies, Gadmei E8 is frankly awesome as compared to Gadmei T863.

5. Toshiba Excite X10

Toshiba Excite X10 that was launched at IFA and Japan with a different name some time ago was a center of attraction at CES 2012. It has been recently introduced in the American markets as Excite X10. It is an ultra slim tablet that weighs 1.2 pounds and runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. One can also upgrade this tablet to Ice Cream Sandwich. This tablet is powered with 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM. It has a 10.1-inch, 1280×800 display screen with a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter.
Toshiba has priced the 16 GB version of this tablet at 529.99 USD

6. Asus MeMO Me370T

Asus MeMO Me370T by Asus won the “Best of CES” award in the tablet category. This tablets runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It is powered with 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm processor and 1280 x 800px resolution 7 inch HP display screen. This tablet is all about performance and has been reasonably priced at 250 USD.

7. Lenovo K2 10-inchTablet

This tablet is one of the most sophisticated and optimum quality, Ice Cream Sandwich implementations. Powered with Android 4.0 operating system and 10-inch display screen and 2 GB RAM, Lenovo K2 tablet will push the bar even higher for multimedia aspirations in its genre. In addition, this tablet also features a fingerprint scanner, a camera and LED flash on the back

8. Acer Iconia Tab A510

NVIDIA in partnership with Acer has launched Acer Iconia Tab A510 with quad-core Tegra 3 behind Android 4.0. This processor can clock up to 1.3 GHz and Ice Cream Sandwich operating system seems to work quit fine on this tab. It has a 10 inch, 1280x 800 HD screen. Acer Iconia Tab A510 comes laden with advanced stock of software and games

9. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Samsung also set many eye balls rolling with Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. This tablet is already available and has been well received in the US markets. However, this one had a new feature added to it, the LTE connectivity. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 has super AMOLDED plus HD display screen. It is powered with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 3.1, Honeycomb. If required then one can also upgrade it to Ice Cream Sandwich. For HD video recording it is laced with a 3.15-megapixel rear-facing camera along with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

10. Lenovo IdeaTab S2

It’s a 10.1-inch tablet from Lenovo which is fitted with dual-core Android 4.0 running on Qualcomm’s edge cutting Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor. Lenovo IdeaTab S2 weighs 1.1 pounds and is one third of an inch in thickness. The battery backup is excellent and can last up to 20 hours. Last but not the least, a Kernel level security system places it amongst the most secure tablets available in the market.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of phones and bikes. Recently an article on network security attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on bike accessories.

From Top 10 budget Android Tablet launched in CES 2012

The Aviators was and still is a fashion statement. It has turned heads the world over and has become an image of a dressed down sophisticated man.

Now, Skullcandy headphones wants to reinvent the Aviator line with their Aviator inspired headphones. The company who is popular for making excellent sounding earphones have set their sights into creating a marvelous piece, combining the iconic style of that popular sunglasses with their hip headgear.

Designed with the classic sunglasses in mind, the Aviators headphones have a style of their own. As for its sound quality, this line belongs to the company’s new “Supreme Sound” campaign. It is their attempt to jack up the brand’s appeal among audiophiles who want to hear the perfect tone.

It has an Aviators memory foam ear pillows and durable design. This provides the comfort that is necessary for extended listening sessions.

If you have $150 to burn, then go down to your nearest Skullcandy dealer or you can visit their website at www.skullcandy.com to own this marvelous piece of engineering and art.

Image Source: flickriver.com

From Skullcandy releases Aviator inspired headphones

The usual complaint by people is that people tend to complain too much, followed by unwanted private information and over-the-top photographs.

The huge number of those who are troubled by these posts are shocking enough because people can easily hide or even dismiss these types of posts. Instead, people tend to choose to be offended and complain about the problem.

This may be because of the fact that individuals tend to hide away from the fact that we are the problem. 85% of American adults share information online. Majority of those being shared are photographs. Family and friends photos are probably harmless, but those drunken stupor images and accidents still populate the Web and these types of posts irate individuals.

According to a survey by Intel, 46% of American adults do not think that they would not know anything about their friends and family without the help of social networking sites and sharing information online. 33% of American adults on the other hand feel more comfortable sharing information online than in person.

So what does this say about the current situation?

Image Source:bevinsong.blogspot.com

From Survey says majority of Americans tend to share too much on the Web

Prime members of Kindle’s Lending Library will be able to have access to the 7 book series by J.K. Rowling. The books will be available in various languages including Italian, French, German and English.

The Harry Potter series was only made available in e-book form last March on Pottermore. Kindle owners have to transfer the e-books to their devices. Now, Amazon has an exclusive license from make the books available in the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.

CEO and founder of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have reached this agreement with Pottermore. This is the kind of significant investment in the Kindle ecosystem that we’ll continue to make on behalf of kindle owners. Over a year, borrowing the harry Potter books, plus a handful of additional titles, can alone be worth more than the $79 cost of Prime or a kindle. The Kindle Owner’s Lending Library also has an innovative feature that’s of great benefit for popular titles like harry Potter – unlimited supply of each title – you never get put on a waiting list.”

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From Harry Potter series now available for Kindle

Rumors have been circulating the Web for weeks now that the company will release a new series of cameras that records images only in black and white.

A post from rangefindforum.com shows that this isn’t just a rumor but appears to be true to form.

This latest line from Leica features a new monochrome CCD sensor with a resolution of 18 million pixels. It is said that the images being produced are ‘100% sharper’ due to the direct processing of raw data with no interpolation or color filter array. Noise produced by the camera is said to be ‘extremely fine-grained’ up to ISO 10,000.

The post from the rangefindforum.com said that a Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH will be joining the new M-system. This cam will most likely hit the shelves this August.

The new Leica line is called the Leica M Monochrom.

Image Source: blogspot.com

From Leica to release new monochrome camera

Individuals who have Smartphones or even ordinary cell phones usually turn their devices off when travelling abroad for fear of a skyrocketing bill due to high charges of international calls or messaging.

The EU union placed a cap in roaming charges that will take effect on the 1^st of July. This will cut your bill for roaming to about two-thirds.

About 578 members of the European parliament voted in favor of the cap.

By July 2014, subscribers of Telecom companies will be able to choose a separate mobile roaming provider when abroad.

Analysts from Informa Telecoms and Media states that this move will increase the use of email and internet on smartphones.

Mobistar said that the caps combines with reduced termination rates would hit the company and will take 58 million off their revenue for this year. Mobile termination rates is a fee Telecom companies charge each other for use of their networks.

Stephane Beyazian said that the benefits of increased mobile data usage will not take effect immediately. She said, “That traffic is unlikely to triple by 2014 to make up for the loss.”

Image Source: telecoms.com

From Cheaper international rates for Europeans

According to EVP for Smartphone Business at RIM Carlo Chiarello, “The new BlackBerry 9320is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.”

The company says that this device has everything an individual needs to keep in touch with other individuals. It has a dedicated BBM key and the usual QWERTY keyboard.

RIM says that the long battery life of the 9320 can give the users about 7 hours of talk time.

Users can interact with their social network in real time, using pre-loaded applications for Facebook and Twitter. The 9320 also features a camera and a flash and photos can be tagged with their location due to the built-in GPS in the device.

The package comes with the new BlackBerry 7.1 OS. Unfortunately for some, it doesn’t come with the new BlackBerry 10.

Image Source: gogi.in

From RIM’s new BlackBerry 9320

So how can the average Joe find a quality app in the sea of apps?

Well AppMyWorld thinks that they could do the job for your iPhone, iPad and iPod.

This app makes it easier for us to choose an app that is specific to our needs. AppMyWorld scours the Web for reviews of apps then aggregates their review scores into an AppScore.

The AppScore is a measure of quality that enables users to see how professional reviewers rate their experience with an app.

 AppMyWorld founder Will von Bernuth says, “At AppMyWorld, we believe aggregating professional reviews results in an objective measure of an app or game’s quality and helps users determine the top apps and games. It’s a model that has worked well in other industries such as movies and console games.”

There are about 30,000 reviews and 5,000 apps and games with an AppScore with numerous numbers being added daily.

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From AppMyWorld simplifies app hunting to a breeze

The new version also includes Malware Freezer, a module that ‘freezes’ detected malware for seven days by placing it in quarantine. This tool ensures system stability, restoring false positive files.

Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.0 is a cloud-based security service for PCs, servers and corporate laptops managed remotely from anywhere through its Web-based console.

Panda Cloud Office Protection’s infrastructure is fully hosted in the cloud, eliminating the difficulties managing remote users and hardware costs associated with a client-server security model. As always, Panda’s endpoint security service can be installed remotely, either through a distribution tool or email, without requiring the installation of a remote access add-on. The solution also offers group policies for advanced configuration of protection levels; concise and informative malware and threat reports; and a unified, centralized quarantine.
The new version is hosted in Windows Azure, a cloud platform hosted in Microsoft data centers and designed to support highly available, scalable and reliable applications. Windows Azure uses a set of privacy and security controls that ensure maximum protection of its hosted data and applications.

For more information, please visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/uk/enterprise/solutions/cloud-office-protection/

You can view the first review of Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.0 from http://www.itproportal.com/2012/05/02/panda-cloud-office-protection-review/

About Panda Security
Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world’s leading provider of cloud-based security solutions, with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the World. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples every day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on system performance. Panda Security has 61 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain.
Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.
For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/ or our press site http://press.pandasecurity.com/.

From New Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.0, The Only SaaS Endpoint Solution with Device Control Technology

At this day and age of mini thumb drives, nothing compares to the Kingston’s Wi-Drive. They have unveiled this technology a few years ago, and now they are upping the ante with the release of their new 64GB Wi-Drive.

The Wi-Drive is compatible with pretty much any wireless-capable devices out there in the market.

This enables you to store any content, may it be music files, video files or any files for that matter, from your wi-fi enabled device to this Wi-Drive. The speed of the transfer rate is fast and can even stream content to an iPad and iPhone simultaneously.

The company says that you can use the Wi-Drive up to three devices all together. You can access the Wi-Drive from any number of devices. The catch is that, the more devices that are trying to access the device, the slower the speed.

It charges via USB and can last up to 8 hours with a single charge.

Unfortunately, the company has yet to release the price of the 64GB Wi-Drive. The 32GB version is pegged at $89.95. So just do the math.

Image Source: legitreviews.com

From Kingston releases Wi-Drive 64GB

Well, Nevadans need not look that far to see a driverless car plying their highways and streets.

The State Department of Motor Vehicles gave Google a license to test their autonomous vehicle. The company’s autonomous Toyota Prius will be tested in the desert city.

Though state regulations require a person sitting behind the wheel and one in the passenger’s seat during the tests, make no mistake about it. It is not being driven by a human.

According to DMV spokesperson Tom Jacobs, “It’s still a work in progress. The system regulates the brakes, accelerator and steering.”

Google is actually not testing only one vehicle. In fact they have a fleet of eight vehicles to test. They have Six Toyota Priuses, a Lexus RX 450h and an Audi TT.

The license plates of these vehicles will have a red background and an infinity symbol on the left side.

DMV director Bruce Breslow said, “I feel using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the ‘car of the future’”.

Image Source: cnet.com

From Driverless cars to ply the roads of Nevada

Just a few weeks after Facebook acquired Instagram, the company has again went to shop and shop they did. They acquired the smartphone application for finding like-minded individuals nearby.

Analysts say that this move by the social networking giant is a talent grab rather than an app grab.

Glancee said in their Website, “We started Glancee in 2010 with the goal of bringing together the best of your physical and digital worlds. We wanted to make it easy to discover the hidden connections around you, and to meet interesting people.”

“We are therefore excited to announce that Facebook has acquired Glancee and that we have joined the team in Melo Park to build great products for over 900 million Facebook users,” they added.

Glancee’s application was removed from Apple’s online App Store last weekend.

The terms of the purchase was not disclosed but it is believed that it would be far less than what Facebook paid for Instagram.

Facebook executives are currently scouring the United States this week in an intense marketing drive ahead of the company’s trading launch.

Image Source: ubergizmo.com

From Facebook buys startup Glancee

But some of these trial apps are great and can do wonders for your BlackBerry device.

• Viber: Of course, the free app the lets you send text and photo messages to any of your friends, only those who have Viber accounts of course, for free. Although this app for BlackBerry doesn’t let you call your Viber friends (Android and iPhone users can enjoy this feature), Viber says that they will soon upgrade this and will allow BB users to call Viber friends soon.
• BlackBerry Protect: This free app enables you to secure all the information if your BB smartphone gets stolen or you accidentally misplaced it. You can lock, locate or wipe out your BB’s data remotely.
• BeBuzz Free – LED Light Colors: See that red light blinking on top of your BB everytime you get a message, an email, a call or a BBM message? You can actually change that color to what you think would be best for a person. For your boss, a blue on perhaps. For your wife, a pink one may do.

These are some of the free apps that are at the BlackBerry App World. Will be posting another batch of great free apps in the next few days.

Image Source: technobuffalo.com

From BlackBerry App World top free apps (Part II)