Gadgets

Apple Planned the iPad BEFORE the iPhone. Who knew?

February 10, 2012

Everyone assumes that Apple was working on the iPhone before the iPad. However, the recent lawsuit by Proview Electronics suing Apple over the name 'iPad' says others wise. The iPhone was launched in 2007 and the iPad in 2010. However, in 2006 Apple purchased the iPad trademark from display manufacturer Proview Electronics (Taiwan) for $55,000 by way of a front company called IP Application Development.

Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet, Tablets, Wireless

Gadget Lovers! LaGuardia Airport Adds Electric Outlets to Waiting Gate Seats

January 30, 2012

Gadget lovers rejoice! LaGuardia Airport has added electric outlets to roughly every other seat in the seats by all the gates. The electric outlets sport a glowing blue light that draws gadget lovers like moth to a flame. It was so annoying when I previously came to LaGuardia airport and had to struggle to find an outlet to plugin. Now your iPad, iPhone, Android, iPod touch, and any other gadget won't be drained surfing the Web, checking email, etc. while waiting to board Your gadgets can be fully charged so they last throughout the flight. Here's some photos:

Posted in Gadgets

Google to Offer Free Tablets?

January 5, 2012

Several media reports are claiming that Google is going to be offering their own tablet soon, including DigiTimes which said, "As Google reportedly may launch an own-brand tablet PC to compete against Apple's iPad, sources from Google's upstream supply chain believe that Google, instead of Apple, may actually be targeting Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire as its major competitor."

The Amazon Kindle Fire had torrid sales for the Christmas holiday season, certainly earning its "Fire" moniker. You can't go wrong with a $199 tablet device that surfs the web, runs apps, and consumes entertainment content using Amazon Prime, which features a Netflix-like streaming service in addition to Amazon's other paid digital content - e-books, music, etc. Amazon gambled consumers would consume paid content to recoup their losses and it has paid off handsomely.

This purported Nexus tablet will come with a 7" display, run Android's latest Ice Cream Sandwich and will be priced under $199 to undercut even the mighty Amazon Kindle Fire. What is Google thinking? They're thinking the same thing Amazon is thinking - take a loss on the hardware and subsidize the cost of the tablet by selling digital content, such as movies, books, and music.

Posted in Android, Apple, Gadgets, Google, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet

Winter Wake-up App Wakes You Up Earlier If It Snows

December 29, 2011

Yesterday, I reviewed Zeo Sleep Manager and now today I came across another interesting sleep app created by Boondoggle called "Winter Wake-up", which wakes you up early if it snows giving you time to shovel the snow off your car, de-ice it, and make the slower commute to work due to road conditions. Now you won't have to tell your boss, "Sorry I'm late. I didn't know it was going to snow".

Winter Wake-Up is a smartphone alarm app automatically checks the weather and wakes you up earlier if it snows. You set the number of minutes to be woken earlier for "frost" (a little dusting) and the number of minutes to be woken up earlier if it snows.

Posted in Accessories, Android, Apple, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, Technology and Science, Wireless

Zeo Sleep Manager Review

December 28, 2011

Just about everyone claims at one time or another they don't get enough sleep. Spouses can even argue over who got the least amount of sleep and claim immunity from doing a household chore or offload the task to their spouse due to a lack of sleep. Well, now you can prove you had a bad night sleeping using the Zeo Sleep Manager, which uses a headband to record REM sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, and awake times and gives you a ZQ score. Then you can say to your spouse, "See! I got only a ZQ score of 75! I can't possibly mow the lawn today.

Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, Reviews, TMCnet, Technology and Science, Wireless

Gadget Bans On Airplanes Due to Possible Interference is a Lie!

December 28, 2011

Gadget bans on airplanes due to possible interference is complete bull according to New York Times reporter Nick Bilton. I always knew it was a crock due to my engineering background and some basic-level physics. If a tiny mobile phone or tablet can bring down an airplane, then by golly, we are screwed! The FAA claims gadget devices can cause interference with the airplanes equipment, which is designed to handle 100 volts per meter of electrical interference.

Well, the Kindle was tested and it only put out less than 30 microvolts (0.00003 volts) per meter when in use. This is about the same voltage put out by electric razors and voice recorders, which are allowed according to FAA regulations.

According to Nick's article, “The power coming off a Kindle is completely minuscule and can’t do anything to interfere with a plane,” said Jay Gandhi, chief executive of EMT Labs, after going over the results of the test.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Wireless

Impressive SkyDrive App for iPhone & Windows Phone Released

December 14, 2011

The SkyDrive app is now available both for the iPhone and Windows Phone users running the Mango update. This is a kick ass app that might make me switch from using Dropbox. You may recall I use Dropbox in my home surveillance recipe, which helped catch someone in the act of messing with my home theater.

The SkyDrive app isn't simply for viewing & uploading files or photos. Using either the iOS app or the Windows Phone app, you can upload photos, files, documents and manage your SkyDrive folders right from your mobile device.

Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Wireless

Only 15 Christmas Shopping Days Left!

December 9, 2011

Where has the month of December gone? There is only 15 shopping days left till Christmas Day and I haven't even started shopping yet. I have no idea what to get for my wife and two kids -- nor what gadgets to ask for myself. Already own an iPad and an iPhone 4S. Also own an Xbox 360, Denon 7.1 home theater setup, 55” TV, and various other gadgetry that would be too long to list here.

Posted in Gadgets, Personal and Humor

Apple's Ridiculous Patent Claims Against Samsung Destroyed!

December 9, 2011

Just had an awesome read on the Samsung vs. Apple patent battles and the ridiculousness of it all. For instance, the following is a list of alternative design options that Apple thought Samsung should have considered to not infringe on their patents. First off, the smartphone list that Apple provided, with my comments italicized: Front surface that isn't black.

Posted in Android, Apple, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Tablets, Technology and Science

Jabra PRO 900 Series Unveiled

December 6, 2011

Today, Jabra launched the Jabra PRO 900 series, which includes two headset models - the Jabra PRO 920 (base unit wired to desk phone + headset is wireless) and the Jabra PRO 930 (base unit wired to PC [USB] + wireless headset). Jabra stated these are entry-level wireless headsets with a retail price of $199 is aimed at companies that cannot afford typically expensive wireless headsets, so they designed these headsets for this market.

I'm not sure $199 is exactly inexpensive, but I'd have to see how much competing products from Plantronics and others cost. In any event, they are targeting the Jabra PRO 930 for companies implementing Unified Communications and leveraging PC-based telephony, i.e. a SIP softphone, Cisco softphone, etc. The Jabra PRO 920 on the other hand works with any desktop phone that supports Electronic hook switch control (EHS/HHC) and then you simply wear the wireless headset, freeing you from your desk by eliminating the need to disconnect or remove the headset.

Both the Jabra PRO 920 and Jabra PRO 930 contain sound quality enhancements such as Jabra SafeTone™, which protects hearing by cutting off sudden loud noises and securing safe average sound levels. Each wireless headset also features a noise-canceling microphone that eliminates ambient background noise from an office environment when on an important call.

Posted in Cisco, Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Headsets, SIP, VoIP, Wireless

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