Archive for December, 2010

iFan keeps your iPhone juiced using wind

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2010

We’ve seen our share of chargers for the iPhone, but the iFan is…different. It features a huge fan on top. The creator of this mod claims that it took him six hours to charge the phone, which probably is a little longer than most of us are willing to wait.

Still, if you are desperate for a charge and have lots of wind, it could come in handy. The designer thinks he can even reduce a few charging hours by redesigning the fan blades. Holding it out of a car window might help to.

Samsung sells one million Galaxy Tabs

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2010

When your device is picked up and marketed by all four major carriers in America, you can move a lot of units. This arrangement has helped Samsung’s Galaxy Tab sales soar. It has just passed the one million mark in global sales of the 7-inch Android tablet.

However they point out that Samsung’s not clear on whether that’s units in the sales channel or units in the hands of consumers. Either way, one million units is something to celebrate. Only 600,000 had been sold as of November 22nd. Now they are hoping to move 1.5 million of them by the year’s end.

Rock Band Reloaded released for iPhone, iPad

Posted in iPad by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

EA has just released the update to its Rockband for the iOS called Rock Band Reloaded. It’s available for the iPhone for $4.99 and iPad for $9.99. There’s a bunch of new songs and a number of new features for both including vocal recognition.

Now you can tap the tune notes for the vocals or you can use your voice and sing the melodies. There’s also a Tour Mode where you can earn achievements and awards, and you can play with friends via Bluetooth or WiFi locally.

Sonamba Senior Monitoring System with Digital Picture Frame and iPhone App

Posted in Health by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Sonamba, is a well-being monitor system for seniors that has SMS messaging so that family caregivers know how their parents or relatives are doing everyday and not just in emergency situations. Sonamba features two-way messaging capabilities in addition to medication and calendar reminders, games, social networking, and a digital photo frame.

There’s also an iPhone App to update the Sonamba from a distance so that the seniors in your life are always updated with new appointments or medication schedules. It retails for $549.00 with a $39.00 a month subscription fee.

Google accidentally shows Android 2.3 in demo video

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Google Hong Kong gave away a handful of Android 2.3 features in a video demonstrating voice commands on a Nexus One. The video has since been removed. The clip showed some cosmetic changes, like the green icons in the shortcut bar, the black menu bar and new buttons, but also the expanded Android Market. A third tab has also appeared on an app’s page that lets users find related apps on the store.

The video didn’t showcase some of the biggest features that are expected for Android 2.3, like video chat or WebM video, but it did confirm a push to make Android Market more discoverable.

LG Star shows off in video with custom Facebook app

Posted in LG by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

The dual-core LG Star has now shown up in a video. The phone is also known as the LGP990 and the video confirms the Tegra 2 processor is onboard and that the handset is currently running on Android 2.2.

There’s also a custom Facebook app from LG and the device is slightly larger than the iPhone 4. The screen is said to be a four-inch screen.

AT&T Dell Streak gets Android 2.2 Froyo update

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Dell has been rolling out the Android 2.2 Froyo update to its Dell Streak tablet for the last few weeks to those who purchased the tablet without a contract. But if you have one on contract with AT&T, you’ve had to wait. Not anymore.

The good news is that there are reports that the OTA update of Android 2.2 is now hitting the Streak on AT&T. Android 2.2 Froyo on the Dell streak brings several new features, which include a new home screen, Swype, and Dell Stage now works in both portrait and landscape modes.

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 Froyo update delayed

Posted in T-Mobile by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Yesterday there was news that T-Mobile had announced that they would be pushing out an OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy S to Android 2.2 Froyo. Samsung said that if they had problems with the OTA update that it would be available today from Samsung’s KIES software as well.

Sadly, T-Mobile has just announced that the Android 2.2 update for the Galaxy S will be delayed for another week. You would think that they would be ready for the update when they announced it, but that’s not the case.

Tron Motorcycle Helmet

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

You may not find any light cycles on the open road, but you can at least look like you are from the Tron movie with this helmet. This Tron decal Motorcycle helmet mimics the design of the original Tron lightcycle suit.

It was designed by French firm Ruby who have tried to replicate the look and layout of the circuits on the original helmet from the film. Its a limited edition created to celebrate the release of the Tron film in France. It will be released and available to purchase in January when the Tron film hits France.

Transcend 8GB aXeRam Dual-channel DDR3 Memory Kit

Posted in Memory by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Transcend has announced the 8GB aXeRam DDR3-2000 memory kit which contains two identically matched 4GB memory modules. These have super low voltage of just 1.6 Volts, making them ideal for hardcore gamers, overclockers and professional users alike.

The 8GB aXeRam DDR3-2000 memory kit has a clock frequency of 2000MHz and timings of 9-11-9-24. The kit retails for around $230.

Minimalist SD Card Reader

Posted in Memory by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

We’ve seen plenty of memory card readers, but some are better looking than others. The Elecom MR-C27 SD card reader has a pretty nice design, even if it is somewhat like a toaster. It features four SD card slots for your SD/microSD/miniSD cards.

Your cards won’t pop out like toast, but this will look good on your desk. It will cost you $48, but hey, it’s designed very well and looks great.

Apple ZipCheck used in select Old Navy stores

Posted in Apple by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

We’re all looking to avoid the holiday rush and long checkout lines in stores. Well if you find yourself at Old Navy and you have an Apple iPod Touch, you can get in and get out quickly. They’re testing out a new EasyPay point-of-sale type system that Apple’s calling ZipCheck, with iPods, to minimize long check out lines.

Employees of Old Navy will just need your credit card and by using the device via wireless, you can have your bill ready thanks to wireless printers around the store.

Android 2.x on 83 percent of Android devices

Posted in Android by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Not every Android-powered device out there has the latest firmware update. Sometimes that’s due to carrier or hardware restrictions. Now the stats are in and according to the Android Market, Android 2.0 or higher is already on 83 percent of all Android devices with Android 2.2 Froyo already installed on over 43 percent of all Android devices.

That’s up 10 percent since October. Not bad at all. Older versions of Android like 1.5 and 1.6 are still around, but you can expect the share to slowly shrink. With Android 2.3 and 3.0 coming, we hope this chart will be updated soon with those versions.

iFlash external flash for your iPhone

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

The iPhone’s camera is not the best, but people still enjoy taking pictures and manage to take some pretty good ones with it. Sometimes you want more light though and that’s where the iFlash External Flash for the iPhone comes in handy.

It will cost you just $39.95 and can be attached to the iPhone 4/3GS/3G. Just connect it to the bottom of your iPhone and you’re ready to take more pics. It’s available in black or white colors to match either iPhone.

Toshiba launches NB520 and NB500 netbooks

Posted in Toshiba by Conner Flynn on December 2nd, 2010

Toshiba is packing stereo Harman Kardon speakers with two watts each in their latest laptop, along with an Atom N550 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB HDD, 10 hours of battery life, and a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display. Finally a laptop that will wake the dead.

But if you want something quieter, there’s also the NB500, which has the same specs but without the sound system and stepping down to an Atom N455, while it rocks a lower price. Both ship in the first quarter of 2011.