Category Archives: Gadgets

13 Great Smartphone Apps for Traveling Overseas

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Heading overseas for a trip? Download some of these apps first to make your trip easier. (Note: Check with your service provider first to see how much overseas roaming will cost!)

chinese new year smartphone

Phoning Home

Skype Mobile
http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-mobile/

  • Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Mobile
  • Cost: free

With a user-friendly interface and excellent Wi-Fi call quality, Skype Mobile’s video calling service can keep you connected with all of your friends and family. Skype to Skype calls are always free, but audio calls to landlines and cell phones are pay per call. Crystal clear audio and easy connections make this app a must have.

Locating Wifi on the Go

Wi-Fi Finder
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jiwire.android.finder&hl=en
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/wi-fi-finder/id300708497?mt=8

  • Platform: iOS, Android
  • Cost: free

This directory of a half-million Wi-Fi hotspots in 144 countries depends on user-submitted information, so you can bet it’s authentic since the people supplying the information are the same people using the app. Wi-Fi Finder maps out locations, signal strengths and signal availability. This apps works both online and offline, so you can find hotspots on the go! If you are using the app offline, the app can use your phone to make a call and then send you information on hotspots at your location.

Translating on the Go

Google Translate Mobile
http://www.google.com/mobile/translate/

  • Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Mobile
  • Cost: free

We are all familiar with Google Translate, but the mobile version can really be a lifesaver. It can be used in multiple ways: the screen can be shown to someone else to read/translate, attempts can be made to sound out specific words, and the app (in certain languages) can speak the translation for you.

No Roaming Charges

Fring
http://www.fring.com/

  • Platform: iOS, Android
  • Cost: free

Make voice over internet (VoIP) calls via Wi-Fi. Fring lets you use other VoIP providers on your smartphone or iPod Touch. Fring is known for its group chats/conference calling and is less prone to the crashing that sometimes occurs on Skype. Up to four people can sit in on a call at one time.

Dude, Where’s My Phone?

FindMyiPhone
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8

  • Platform: iOS
  • Cost: free

Apple has skipped the chip-in-your-keychain idea and gone straight to the smartphone. With this app, you can go to the nearest internet café and locate your phone by accessing your iTunes account. Then, from that remote location, you can either play a beacon sound, lock the phone or clear your data depending on the situation.

Where’s My Droid
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alienmanfc6.wheresmyandroid&hl=en

  • Platform: Android
  • Cost: free

This 4.6 star app for finding your lost Android phone is the original “Find Your Phone” app for Androids. You can track your lost phone from anywhere by texting a magic word to it. Turn up your phone’s volume to hear the phone ringing, or if you’re too far away to hear it, you can locate your phone with GPS coordinates on Google Maps. To avoid unauthorized use of the app, you can create a white/blacklist of who can text the magic word, activate stealth mode so your incoming ‘magic word’ text isn’t visible and password protect your app.

The Change-Up

Hotelsbyme
http://www.hotelsbyme.com/

  • Platform: iOS, Android
  • Cost: free

Just in case your reservation falls through and you find out that the other rooms in your hotel are available on an hourly basis, this app allows you to book a room at the last minute based on location. It’s easy to use and provides great filters to sift through options by price, location, rating, etc.

The Add-On

Kayak’s app
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kayak-flight-hotel-search/id305204535?mt=8

  • Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Mobile
  • Cost: free

What if you need more than just a change in accommodations? What if you want to add another leg to your trip or quit your job and just wander around Europe for a month? Kayak can help you book flights, ferries, rental cars and any other means of transportation. It also stores the invoices to avoid the hassle of a printout.

Grease the Locals

Tipping Tips
http://www.snappapp.com/TippingTips/overview_en.html

  • Platform: iOS
  • Cost: $.99

What do you tip a concierge in Bermuda? A waitress in Japan? (Hint: you don’t tip in Japan!) This app can suggest, in detail, tips for over 100 localities around the world. It also features a built-in calculator that divides tabs into separate checks and a service rating system upon which to base your generosity.

Know Your Money Roll

Currency Banknotes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/currency-banknotes/id460777167?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.currencyBanknote&hl=en

  • Platform: iOS, Android
  • Cost: $.99

This user-friendly currency converter can calculate more than 150 world currencies and provide images of the bills for easy spending – and to avoiding using a £50 bill to pay for a £20 item. There is a free version available for iOS and Android without the bill images.

XE Currency App
http://www.xe.com/apps/

  • Platform: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows 7, Windows 8
  • Cost: free

This app provides an instant currency calculator and currency chart. The app tracks all world currencies and precious metals, providing you with live conversion rates. The app stores the last updated rates, so you can use the app when you’re offline. The currency calculator doesn’t require Wifi connectivity.

The Lifesaver

Find-ER
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-er-by-air-ambulance-card/id379300376?mt=8

  • Platform: iOS
  • Cost: free

Wherever you are in the world, Find-ER maps the route to the nearest hospital – via vehicle, foot or bicycle. The app can store emergency contacts, medical information and your doctor’s contact information that may be necessary to the hospital staff. Your insurance company back home and/or your doctor will want you to approve any medical care received overseas for your insurance to pay for it.

Hospital Finder
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uknowapps.android.hospitalfinder&hl=en

  • Platform: Android
  • Cost: free

Use this app to search for hospitals in your local area all around the world. You can also store hospital information in the app before traveling. Should your phone be offline, you can find a hospital quickly regardless.

About The Author:
Chris Turberville-Tully works with ESA-ServicedApartments.co.uk. ESA provides vacationing families, businessmen and other travelers budget-friendly accommodations that include more spacious rooms than hotels, wifi, kitchentte and private laundry.

Image source: Mr. T in D.C. via Flickr Creative Commons

Where Is The Chromebook Trend Going?

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 1 Comment

gallery-trackpadI’ve been watching the connected device trend develop for the last ten years and it’s just now starting to get interesting. What happens to the device market from here will depend a lot on the established players in the PC industry.

When I say “established players” I don’t mean Microsoft, which is meeting the Chromebook challenge the same way they met the Android challenge; by signing deals with hardware manufacturers to pay them off to avoid patent litigation. Chromebook supplier Wistron recently signed a deal to pay the Microsoft patent tax on Chromebooks and there will be others. You’re already paying the same Microsoft patent premium on Android devices.

That is an unsustainable business model for Microsoft that also seems a little pathetic. Sticking to it will ultimately leave Microsoft as relevant in the technology world as Kodak is in the world of imaging.

Connected devices like tablets and Chromebooks are at a clumsy stage in their own development. Chromebooks are not quite replacements for a full size laptop or desktop but they’re powerful enough for 90 percent of the routine tasks most people perform on their larger computers.

It’s that last 10 percent that’s going to determine whether connected devices become the standard or we all face up to buying a new generation of laptops. Right now the last mile for Chromebooks are applications like Illustrator, Photoshop and heavy video editing and rendering in applications like Premiere Pro. Chromebooks just don’t have the juice to run big apps and the native applications are still a ways off. A lot will depend on where development goes at places like Adobe, which is heavily invested in the desktop market.

Productivity applications, like Word and Excel, are starting to fall to cloud alternatives although adoption is irregular. I’m not counting productivity apps in the 10 percent of applications keeping people chained to a laptop.

Hardware manufacturers have seen the disembodied hand writing on the wall and jumped into the device market, but it’s low-end hardware. The hardware limitations almost seem designed to protect the manufacturer’s own laptop and desktop market. So far only Google has dared put more punch into Chromebook appliances but the pricetag will certainly discourage many people from even considering a high powered appliance which is a little like being able to brag about having the fastest go-kart in town.

For the moment, Google’s Pixel is the fastest go-kart in town but with its sleek aluminum construction, boot up times measured in seconds and high definition monitor it shows what Chromebooks are capable of being at a time PC and laptop manufacturers may secretly want them to go the way of netbooks. Chromebooks, and the concept behind them, are very disruptive to the big hardware and big software models that have been around for decades.

Google knows that and isn’t standing still to give anyone a chance to corral Chromebooks to serve the status quo. Development for Android and native applications for Chromium OS are flying ahead and the features of an online operating system like instant backups, cloud synchronization, automatic updates and integration of Google services are already compelling features that can only improve in the days ahead.

The real sea change will come if Adobe releases functionally competitive cloud versions of their popular image editing and video editing software. If they wait too long that runs the risk of watching their market share be eaten away by more nimble competitors.

For now most of us are still juggling a smartphone, which we use increasingly more often, a laptop or desktop, which we use less often and are loath to carry, and some assortments of tablets, netbooks or e-readers. What you’ll be carrying in two years and what operating system it will be running is still up in the air, but what is certain is you will have more functionality in fewer devices.

Samsung S4: First Look

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s4 handsetRumours have circulated the Samsung Galaxy S4 since its release was first announced last year, but finally the full specs of the new handset have been revealed, at an exclusive press event held by Samsung in New York last week. We’ve taken a look over the details, and it really does seem like the S4 could be 2013′s handset of the year – while other major releases are on the horizon, it doesn’t look like anything will come close to this in terms of popularity of hardware.

First things first though: let’s take a look at the phone itself.

The phone

Speculation on the S4 was more or less accurate – it does indeed boast a five-inch screen, and a 13-megapixel camera, as well as a number of Samsung-specific features over the Android Jelly Bean OS. With a full HD display and a 1920 x 1080 resolution it’ll make the ideal pocket camera, perfect for taking snaps as well as more advanced shots and video chat – there are a huge number of additions allowing you to take photos via the front and back camera at the same time, or make an animated gif from your photographs. The front camera is also installed with eye-tracking technology, so it can see if you’re still looking at the screen, and Air View, to allow you to control the interface using gestures if the touchscreen is just too much hassle.

The handset’s impressive hardware makes it a real workhorse of a phone, and should suit mobile gamers as well as intensive users – under the cover the S4 features Samsung’s new Exynos eight-core processor, a two-part build featuring one large, powerful four-core for heavy-duty tasks and a smaller four-core for more mundane everyday use. The battery is much larger too, to compensate for the extra computing requirement, but the handset remains as light and slimline as ever.

The competition

It’s undeniable that the S4′s biggest threat this year comes from Apple; two handsets are expected from the tech giant this year, but early market predictions suggest that things may not be looking good. Both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 are tentatively on the tech calendar this year, but with Samsung getting a headstart Apple might find that there are few people still willing to opt for the relatively restrictive iOS when the S4 offers a powerful alternative with open-source software.

It’s hard at this stage to know which other phones on the market will stand up to the S4; pricing hasn’t been released at the time of writing, but it seems Samsung is planning a staggered worldwide release across April and May. Overall, the S4 is a well-balanced high-end handset, packed full of features and designed for every type of user. This kind of achievement, executed so impressively, will make it hard for any other handset to dominate the market in 2013, and while it’s played it safe in terms of aesthetic design, it represents an incredibly high standard for the current market. Definitely one to keep an eye on!

About the author: Jordan Peck is a freelance writer who writes on various topics including mobile devices and technology. He is currently writing on behalf of E2Save.

Brace Yourselves – Here Come The Low-Cost Tablets

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 2 Comments

fire2The press releases are coming out fast and furious as manufacturers keep pushing the cost of small tablets lower and lower, approaching price points for the 7 inch models that make them nearly disposable.

The new rush to low cost tablets is being fueled partially by Android 4.1, called Jelly Bean which is starting to show the polish of a mature operating system. Android is expected to ship more units than iOS this year and is moving into the dominant position thanks to apps and integration being fueled by services like Google Now.

The HP Slate 7

HP’s entrant into the market is the $169 Slate 7, which should be available in May, sports a dual core ARM processor with 16GB of memory. The Slate 7 has a screen resolution of 600 x 1024 pixels with front and rear facing cameras.

The D2 Pad

The D2 Pad is priced at just $89 for the 4GB model. With anemic SVGA screen resolution and barely enough power in the single core processor to drive video, the D2 Pad pushes the price point in a surprising low direction for those who don’t need HD streaming power.

Google Nexus

nexus7
The $199 wifi-only 7 inch Google Nexus 7 sports 16GB of memory with GPS support running on a NVIDIA 3 quad-core processor. The Nexus 7 provides a much cleaner 1280×800 HD back-lit screen and a 1.2MP front-facing camera.  The success of the early models of the Nexus 7 are likely the spark that propelled the newer entrants.

The advantage to the Nexus 7 will be the likely integration between the tablet and Google’s service offerings.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire HD Tablet is another $199 7 inch model that also sports a 1280×800 HD screen, Dolby sound and dual-band, dual-antenna wifi all powered by a dual core processor. Besides the on-board storage, you’ll also get automatic access to Amazon’s cloud storage and services such as Cloud Player.

k_fireIf you follow tech you could have seen this coming by watching the sales figures in Japan, where the connected device trend really started. The trend toward tablets and away from PCs has continued and accelerated and you can expect that trend to be reflected in U.S. sales as well.

Weighing less than a pound, carrying one of these slick beauties is certainly not going to be a problem, but I’m wondering how large the market for 7 inch devices is going to be when much of the same functionality is more accessible in your smartphone. I actually found myself wondering about the utility of 7 inch tablets that can’t make phone calls, although with Skype and Google Hangouts, the whole concept of phone calls is starting to feel a little old fashioned.

Manufacturers and the smartest guys in the room at Google and Amazon think the Japanese trend toward connected devices is going to wash onto our shores like fallout from a Fukushima power plant and are investing heavily in low-cost hardware. For consumers it’s another example that competition is a wonderful thing.

Will 2013 be the year of DIY computing?

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raspberry piWith around 750,000 units sold following its launch last February, it is fair to say the Raspberry Pi was one of the most unlikely computing sensations of 2012. Developed to help young people learn programming skills, the credit-card-sized device found a huge swathe of followers among those with an interest in coding.

The Pi’s small, low-cost nature means it is the ideal choice for a range of homebrew computing projects and its open-source platform extended the possibilities even further, attracting those with a passion for building custom gadgets.

From powering a camera capable of taking photos from the edge of space, to providing the basis of a voice control unit for a robotic arm, the Pi has been used for a huge range of projects. With so much innovation going on, it makes sense to have a place people can share and even sell their work, which is why, as 2012 drew to a close, the Raspberry Pi Foundation launched an app store.

Pi StoreThe store isn’t exactly going to get Apple and Android aficionados’ mouths watering – right now it has just 35 apps – but it is the potential the store has which makes it so exciting. Of course, the Raspberry Pi is never going to challenge the smartphone market, that’s not the point of it. The device was created to foster innovation and the store will help people showcase their ideas as well as finding fresh inspiration – exactly what the programming world needs.

Anyone old enough to remember the first affordable home computers of the late 70s and 80s will know that one of their attractions was the ease with which programmes could be written and run. Many classic games from that period, perhaps most notably Manic Miner, were created by bedroom coders and it is that kind of creativity the Pi Store is looking to inspire. True, it is highly unlikely the Pi will ever play host to a smash hit game to rank alongside the Call of Duty series, but it could well prove to be the breeding ground for a future generation of software superstars.

The store hasn’t been without its critics; some fans of the Pi feel the venture is against the open-source principles of the device and believe charging for apps created on it will damage the community spirit that has grown up around the computer. But Raspberry Pi Foundation executive director Ebden Upton strongly disagrees and says the chance to monitise their skills straight away rather than in ten or 15 years’ time will incentivise youngsters to stick with coding, just as it did in the 1980s.

DIY computing isn’t for everyone, but history has shown young people are keen to get programming – they just need an affordable way of doing so. As technology has become more advanced, learning the basics of computing has become increasingly hard and anything which makes it easier to get coding should be applauded. In fact, it’s hard to think of an element of the online world where a job hunter, no matter their age, would not benefit from coding skills. You might not find yourself building apps from scratch if you work in online marketing, but understanding how to do so could be the factor which sets you apart from the crowd when applying for a new position.

DIY computing won’t gain traction across all demographics – it didn’t 30 years ago and it won’t this time around – but the fact the Raspberry Pi has proved so popular with those who grew up using the early microcomputers shows that once you’ve got a passion for coding, it won’t leave you. So we probably can’t call 2013 the year of DIY computing – it’s just not mainstream enough a field to gain that kind of attention – but we can say, for the first time in a long time, it’s a sector that’s doing something exciting, and that’s what matters.

Written by Will Stevens, part of the Webfusion blog team. The Raspberry Pi Foundation uses Webfusion servers.

Would You Pay $1,000 For a Graphics Card?

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | NO COMMENTS

TN-128872_GF_GTX_Titan_Final.jpgIf you don’t think $1,000 is too much to have the most powerful graphics card on the market, one suitable to drive a gaming supercomputer, then NVIDIA has a deal for you in the form of the GeForce GTX Titan.

The specs are truly mind-boggling in scope; over 7 billion transistors and 2,668 GPU cores delivering 4.5 Teraflops of single precision and 1.3 Teraflops of double precision processing power. A graphics card that’s nearly as powerful than any of the military research systems I worked on several years ago.

One expects a certain amount of hyperbole from company execs but this time they have grounds for bragging. “GeForce GTX TITAN is a beast of a GPU — and the only one in the world powerful enough to play any game at any resolution at any time,” said Scott Herkelman, general manager of the GeForce business unit at NVIDIA.

The card is expected to be available next week, so save room in that new $10,000 gaming machine you’re building and make sure you have at least $999 in your bank account.

Kindle Fire Dominates U.S. Android Tablet Market

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | 2 Comments
Kindle Fire (kid)

The Kindle Fire dominates the Android tablet space in the U.S.

With all the buzz about Samsung’s Galaxy Note “phablet” it may come as a surprise to learn that the Kindle Fire still accounts for the single largest group of Android tablet users, that according to data from Localytics.

Nook is a distant second at 10 percent and, at present, the Samsung Galaxy family is running third with 9 percent.

The news is relevant to Android app developers who will want to put getting into the Amazon app store high on their ToDo list. Google Play is unavailable to Kindle Fire owners and the Fire doesn’t come with the usual suite of Android apps, which may leave some users missing their Google goodness. Google Play apps can be side-loaded onto a Kindle Fire but the apps don’t always work right.

The fact that Amazon has been able to carve out such a large niche for themselves in the Android tablet space without Google Play is pretty impressive in its own right, but the lack of coordination between app spaces in the Android universe means that Apple will continue to face only fragmented competition.

Archos Takes On iPad Mini With Stylish 80 Titanium

Posted on by Chris Poindexter | NO COMMENTS

archosWhile it may lack the stylish sophistication of Apple products under the hood, it’s hard to beat the $169 price tag on the Archos 80 Titanium tablet rolled out at CES this year.

The 80 Titanium features Android 4.1 Jelly Bean riding on a dual core 1.6 GHz central processor, backed up by a quad core graphics processor and 1 GB of RAM. The stylish 8 inch aluminum tablet has front and back cameras and a high definition IPS capacitive touch display supported by 1080 video decoding.

Inside the trim tablet packs 8 GB of internal storage with a microSD expansion slot along with micro-USB and mini-HDMI ports.

Besides the 80, Archos will be fielding the 101 Titanium with a 10.1 inch screen with comparable features.

While the 80 Titanium is a nifty tablet at a great price a lot will depend on whether the function supports the form. One of the early comments was that it feels sluggish, which is a real handicap in a hardware space where speed rules. We’ll see if Archos can amp up the responsiveness on the production models which would make these little gems a home run.

Available in March.

Batteries of the Future: Will Viral and/or Motion-Powered Batteries Power the Gadgets of Tomorrow?

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Have you ever had a battery die on you at the absolute most inconvenient time? Your cell phone goes dead at a time when you actually need it. Or your camera battery dies, and you miss that perfect Kodak moment. And surely there was a time that your car battery died and left you stranded. Wouldn’t it be great if you never again had to worry about a dead battery? Considering new technologies that are being developed, that may not be as far off as you might think. Researchers have been exploring two new methods for self-charging batteries. One method uses viruses to generate electricity, and the other involves harvesting the energy that is around us every day.

Viral Power

A demo of a virus-built battery. Credit: Donna Coveney via MIT.

Researchers at MIT have discovered how to genetically engineer viruses, specifically the virus they have dubbed M13, to build the anode and cathode (positive and negative) ends of a battery. (Don’t be alarmed; this particular virus is harmless to humans as it infects bacteria only.) Batteries created in this manner have the same power performance and energy capacity as a traditional battery; however, they would be much better for the environment. The process to make them uses less energy, there are no toxic chemicals involved, and there are no restrictions regarding their disposal.

M13 is a natural power source, an example of the piezoelectric effect which occurs when stress such as motion or vibration cause a material to build up charge. Through genetic engineering, scientists have been able to enhance its output enough to power a small LED screen. They arrange the virus into thin films, and then stack layers of these films together until they build up a sufficient amount of voltage. Someday you could be able to keep your smart phone charged just by tapping its screen or walking down the street.

Motion Power

There is energy in motion all around us: children running on the playground, cars parading down the street and leaves blowing in the wind. Researchers are aiming to harvest some of that energy and transfer it to batteries that could power anything from military applications to consumer electronics, perhaps even wind and water turbines. This is a 21st century application of Faraday’s principle, the law of induction which states that putting a conductor near a magnetic field will produce a current proportional to the speed of movement. The design involves a magnet attached to a spring, wire coils, circuitry, and a regular battery to store the electricity. It is self-charging, so the batteries can be made with less traditional storage material. And because it is less taxing, the battery will last longer.

Researchers say that six hours of average human movement can be converted into 30 to 60 minutes of cell phone power. That may not seem like a lot at the moment, but the potential is certainly there for exploration. If we could harvest that potential, it would make our lives much easier. As an example, the military wouldn’t have to cart around 20 pounds of batteries just to use their equipment when carrying out an operation.

Using viruses or motion power to create batteries may soon be a reality, and we may someday find battery chargers to be a thing of the past. It certainly would be a convenience that would enhance life as we know it.

About The Author:
Steven Kellett is the owner of Electronics Warehouse, an ecommerce store that specializes in batteries and battery chargers.

Lenovo Releases Short Film (Directed by Martin Campbell) To Promote New IdeaPad Yoga 13

Posted on by Adam Thompson | NO COMMENTS

Lenovo has launched their new IdeaPad Yoga 13, a device that converts/functions in four modes: laptop, tablet, tent, and stand. To promote the new product, Lenovo teamed up with Casino Royale and Legend Of Zorro director Martin Campbell to create a short film. Here it is – The Pursuit: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga (Director’s Cut).

Not bad. I’d certainly rather watch this than a typical TV commercial!

Plus, the IdeaPad Yoga 13 doesn’t look half bad, either.

What do you think of the film short? What about the IdeaPad Yoga 13? Thumbs up or thumbs down?