Apple is Targeting the Wrong Students with iBooks 2

Feb 16th, 2012 Discuss [0]

With the recent launch of iBooks 2 for the iPad, Apple shook up the textbook industry. With the easy-to-use iBooks Author tool, creating highly interactive textbooks for the iPad is now a breeze. These digital textbooks not only feature traditional text and pictures, but they can also show videos, audio, and interactive widgets too. Best part of all, textbooks in the iBookstore cost less than $15 and can be stored on an iPad forever. Apple launched iBooks 2 the day of its announcement and chose to specifically target high school students for its textbooks endeavor. → Read More

Samsung Omnia W vs ZTE Tania – Smartphones Compared

Feb 14th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Samsung has been known primarily for its high end devices. However, with the release of the Omnia W, the Korean giant has set its sights on budget consumers while still providing some of the features associated with its more premium models. This year, ZTE unleashed its own take on the budget smartphone with the Tania. The following is a comparison of the two offerings to see which provides the better value. → Read More

Think Outside the Box With a 3D Scanner

Feb 2nd, 2012 Discuss [0]

If you’ve ever tried to capture a 3D image of an object with a traditional scanner or digital camera, you probably know how difficult it can be. Traditional scanners are only designed to capture images of documents, photographs, and other flat items, for example. The average digital camera, on the other hand, won’t always be able to capture quality 3D images either.

With its odd looking plastic arm rising above the top of the machine, the HP TopShot 3D scanner certainly doesn’t look like your average scanner and printer. After using this unique scanner just once, you’ll quickly realize that it certainly isn’t like your run of the mill scanner and printer. → Read More

Laptop or Tablet: Which One is Best for Your Needs in the Long Run

Jan 27th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Before Apple released the iPad in 2010, this question was not really one which troubled most people. Tablet computers were not widely available and lacked mainstream popularity. Now it can be tough to work out whether a traditional laptop or a new tablet is suitable to meet your needs. To get to the bottom of this it is necessary to establish the main differences between the devices and determine whether or not each one’s features will fit your requirements.

Laptops have remained fundamentally unchanged for the past couple of decades. You still get a clamshell-style body which houses a screen on the top half and a full QWERTY keyboard on the bottom, with all sorts of inputs and outputs arrayed around the side. Dual- or quad-core processors and between 2GB and 4GB of RAM are common on even the more affordable laptops, while the actual size of a typical machine depends largely on its screen, with 10.1-inch netbooks sitting alongside 17-inch media powerhouses. → Read More

The Hottest Tech Gifts for Under $100

Jan 22nd, 2012 Discuss [0]

Everyone loves to give and receive the latest and greatest in the world of technology, but so many of the things people want are too expensive to give as a gift, particularly on a holiday like Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, there are plenty of the hottest, newest gadgets out there that can be had for under $100. These are some of the most popular tech gifts that will please even the pickiest person, without the kind of price tag that makes someone need to take out payday loans to afford it.

Kindle – $79 and $99

The latest Kindle to hit the shelves is the Kindle Fire, a $199 color e-reader and media consumption device. But for those who simply love to read, Amazon has two Kindles for under $100. The Kindle for $79 offers readers the ability to hold up to 1,400 books, all in a package that weighs less than six ounces and has a one-month battery life. For twenty more dollars, the $99 Kindle Touch holds up to 3,000 books, and has a touch screen as well as a two-month battery life. The Kindle Touch also has audio capabilities, offering users the ability to listen to audio books and mp3s, with support for text-to-speech. Both Kindles have built in Wi-Fi and advanced E Ink displays that read just like paper. → Read More

Samsung Is Looking To Expand Their Own Platform With Help From Intel

Jan 20th, 2012 Discuss [0]

In what could be a very smart move, Samsung has chosen to join their Bada mobile operating system with another. The second mobile operating system is called Tizen and is based on Linux, just like Bada. Read on to find out more on this platform shakeup here in this quick article.

Free Is Good, Especially If It Has To Do With Smartphones

The word “free” seems to be taking both the internet and the mobile revolution to higher levels. The Linux platform has become much more popular than in recent years. Now, no less than five mobile operating systems are created with Linux as their foundation. The most popular at the moment is Android, which has been used by Samsung extensively to become one of the most popular smartphone brands in the world. The ride was a quick one to the top, since Nokia took a nose dive in market share. → Read More

Top Five Tips on Buying Your New Gadget

Jan 12th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Just because the holidays have passed doesn’t mean the gifting needs to slow down. In fact, some of the best deals surrounding tech gadgets can be found right after the holidays after the hype has died. You may have to do some internet exploring to find the best price, but whether you need worldwide express shipping or messenger pigeons, finding a great deal is worth the extra steps.

Cell Phones

The original iPhone, originally sold at $600 dollars, dropped to $200 just a few weeks after its launch. Find a few phones that you would like and wait a few weeks to see if the price dips. Most likely at least one of them will budge. However, don’t wait too long to buy a phone. It may seem like a new one comes out as soon as you bought your old one, but this will continue to happen indefinitely. If you see an affordable phone that satisfies your needs, go ahead and snap it up. → Read More

CES 2012: What to Expect?

Jan 9th, 2012 Discuss [0]

CES 2011 paraded a slew of iPad-killing tablet devices, leading some to call the year, “The Year of the Tablet.” Boy, were they wrong. Android-powered tablets proved to be among that year’s biggest flops.

Now another CES is in the works, likely filled with consumer electronics manufacturers who wish they didn’t waste last year’s money building products the market did not want. Here’s a look at some of the top trends to expect from CES 2012. Perhaps this year, manufacturers will be more in tune with consumer demand.

Better TV Screens

New organic LED television screens eliminate the need for a backlight, making them less power hungry and more pleasing to watch. Color quality, contrast and screen resolution are all better in the new breed of TV splashing onto the trade-show floor this year. So far, the largest model to debut at CES will be a 55-inch TV made by LG.

The Ultrabook

Lightweight, portable netbooks were becoming the rage in the consumer world until the iPad showed up. Now netbook sales are in the toilet and so is Intel. Unwilling to succumb to a fate of irrelevance, Intel has pushed a thinner, more chic portable computer it calls the Ultrabook. The company hopes this will boast sales of its flailing consumer processor line. → Read More

Robots As Teaching Tools: NAO Next Generation Robot

Jan 8th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Several weeks ago, Aldebaran Robotics released the NAO Next Gen, the most advanced humanoid robot in mainstream use. The NAO isn’t a toy you’ll find gracing the underskirts of Christmas trees. It was designed with a purpose much greater than entertainment: learning.

As the term ‘humanoid robot’ suggests, there is a learning aspect to NAO’s processing makeup. It’s not like you’re programming the software that determines the actions of the robot, it’s more intuitive than that. Its process is to experience then adapt, not to set by programing. Facial, object and vocal recognition software enable NAO to be programmed through interaction, the same way people learn. The idea is that NAO will be useful in a number of settings like classrooms and labs, as well as a beneficial interactive tool for people with autism. → Read More

Livio Radio a Substitute for Bluetooth Internet Radio Kit for iPod, iPhone

Jan 6th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Users of the iPhone & iPod enjoy listening music on the device and when asked, they don’t want to stop doing so when they enter their vehicles. There are cars which will nonetheless compel you to do so owing to the reason that they lack the input for Aux. This makes it fruitless when you want to connect your iPhone the car’s stereo. The solution to this predicament is finally here thanks to Livio Radio. The company introduced the ‘Bluetooth Car Internet Radio Kit’ specifically meant for the iPod and iPhone users that want to desperately make the desired connection. → Read More

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