Gadgets Archive

Why Not to Trust Your New iPad Battery Indicator

– March 23, 2012Posted in: Apple, Gadgets, News

If your new iPad tells you its battery is fully charged, it might not be telling you the full truth. Display research company DisplayMate discovered that the tablet keeps on charging up to two hours after the indicator reports a complete charge.

The discrepancy was uncovered during tests of the iPad’s power usage, specifically identifying how much battery drain is caused by the tablet’s Retina display. Based on further testing, the new iPad continued to draw power at the full recharging rate – around 10 watts – for two hours.

Apple has yet to comment on this glitch, so until a solution is found owners of a new iPad will have to leave their tablet plugged in longer – well after the iPad reports being charged – in order to have a full charge.

(Story and Image via Mashable)

Tags: Apple, Battery indicator, new iPad

Instant Recycling with Toshiba Tech’s Erasable Toner

khoward

– March 12, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Innovation, Tech

If your office is concerned about wasted paper, but isn’t quite ready to go paperless, Toshiba Tech may have the solution. The company has come up with an eco-friendly toner that that can be erased from printed pages. The toner loses its color when heated, allowing a single printed sheet to be erased and reused up to five times.

Right now the disappearing toner can only print in blue, but Toshiba Tech is working on a full-color version. While the erasable toner could save companies on paper costs, the actual price of the Toshiba Tech toner is undecided. Check out the video to see the erasable toner in action.

(Story and Image via Engadget)

Tags: erasable, Printer, recycle, toner, Toshiba Tech

Kinect-Enabled Smarter Cart Helps You Shop

khoward

– February 28, 2012Posted in: Apps, Gadgets, Innovation, Microsoft, Tech

Thanks to Windows, Chaotic Moon Studios, and Whole Foods, losing track of your cart at the grocery store could be a thing of the past. The Smarter Cart, which uses a Windows 8 tablet, a Kinect sensor, and a bar code scanner, will follow shoppers around the store and help with grocery lists.

The shopping cart identifies users by membership card and besides scanning items as they are loaded into it, the Smarter Cart can detect added items that don’t match the grocery list – or dietary regulations. It can also direct users to the appropriate aisles to complete their shopping lists.

Smarter Cart is one of many non-gaming uses for Microsoft’s Kinect software that have starting making appearances since the company finally gave its approval to Kinect hackers. A prototype is currently being tested at an Austin, Texas Whole Foods store, while Chaotic Moon plans to start testing multiple devices in April.

(Story via PC World, Image via Digital Trends)

Tags: Kinect, Shopping, Smarter Cart, tech, Windows 8

Is the new Samsung WiFi 4.2 a threat to the iPod?

kduffy

– February 28, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, News, Tech

The appearance of Samsung’s latest WiFi 4.2 is looking pretty slick with its shiny white coat. And if you’re thinking what we’re thinking, this device is oddly familiar—did somebody say, iPod Touch?

Engadget gave us a hands-on review of the WiFi 4.2, the 4.2 signifying the 4.2” size, and they are saying this Android-operating media player displays a 480 x 800 resolution on a 1GHz processor, and is a little less than 9mm thick, but “foregoes the chin found on sister devices like the Galaxy S II which is its closest relative.”

As far as sound quality goes, the audio was “respectable,” and navigating the device was comparable to any other Android device. The WiFi 4.2 will come in both 8 and 16GB models with microSD support for all your albums and tracks.

HTC has just released a similar line featuring Beats Audio with emphasis on high-quality sound, the HTC One Series, but unfortunately the WiFi 4.2 won’t have any phone capabilities.

When these devices will start appearing in the market remains a mystery, but forthcoming announcements in the near future are expected.

Tags: Samsung, Samsung WiFi 4.2, Samsung WiFi 4.2 series

HTC One Series debuts at Mobile World Congress

kduffy

– February 27, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Google, News, Tech

This year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona has showcased some pretty hefty announcements in the mobile market, including the HTC One Series: The HTC One X, HTC One S, and the HTC One V. Take a first-look here.

The HTC One series’ “Mighty quad-core Performance,” will all run on Ice Cream Sandwich and will have the cloud-based service via Dropbox, giving owners 25 GB of free space for 2 years. The 8 megapixel camera will allow for continuous shooting so there’s no way to miss a shot; HD video shooting will also “grab high-res photos.”

Audio-wise, the HTC One Series offers authentic sounds fueled by Dr. Dre’s Beats Audio—whose philosophy is simple: “Most headphones can’t handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line, the music doesn’t move you. With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should[,]” so the sound quality can only be expectantly good.

The only difference between the three models is the screen size: The HTC One X at 4.7”, the HTC One S being slightly smaller than the One X, measuring 4.3”, then the HTC One V, measuring 3.7”.

Look out for HTC’s “essential smartphone” One Series in the next coming months.

(via HTC & The Washington Post)

Tags: Beauts Audio, HTC One S, HTC One Series, HTC One Series Beats Audio, HTC One Series debuts at Mobile World Congress, HTC One Series Dropbox, HTC One V, HTC One X

2012: The Year of AR HUD Glasses

khoward

– February 22, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Google, News, Tech

According to a New York Times report, Google could be releasing Android-powered heads-up-display glasses before the end of the year. The glasses would stream real-time information to a screen on the glasses using augmented reality software, sensors, and a 3G or 4G data connection.

The rumored Google glasses would be priced about the same as a smartphone ($150 to $600), which indicates a mass market intent. The navigation system requires “head tilting to scroll and click” while a low-resolution camera monitors the users environment.

For now, it seems the information sent to the glasses would incorporate Google services such as Google Latitude and Google Goggles, recreated as augmented reality. Intended to be used only as needed, these futuristic HUD glasses might see more use than expected as they make information even more immediately available than your smartphone.

(Story and Image via Mashable)

Tags: Android, Augmented Reality, Glasses, Google, HUD

Barnes & Noble Planning Kindle’s Competition

khoward

– February 20, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Tech

When it comes to the more affordable tablets, Amazon’s Kindle Fire seems to be running away with the market. It may be receiving more focused competition this Wednesday, when a new, 8 GB Nook Tablet is supposedly making its way to Walmart.

The Verge reports that the tablet’s smaller storage (half the on-board memory of the current Nook Tablet) should mean a lower price – one that would better compete with the Fire. Details like processor speed and RAM remain unknown, as does the actual price of the new Barnes & Noble tablet. Time will tell whether the cost and specs of the new Nook Tablet will be enough to draw attention – and sales – away from the Kindle Fire.

(Story and Image via CNET)

Tags: amazon, Barnes & Noble, e-reader, Kindle Nook

The Power Strip that Fights Vampire Current

khoward

– February 17, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Innovation, Tech

Your computer is constantly on and your cell phone gets charged daily, along with countless other gadgets that draw power –all adding to an increasingly painful electric bill. The PowerUSB wants to ease some of that energy bill pressure; it’s a computer-controlled power strip that can be programmed to turn on and off.

The four-outlet strip conserves power and lets you control connected devices and appliances through your computer. The last outlet, reserved for your computer, is always on, while the other three outlets can be timed or set to turn on for certain events (like printing).

If you’re looking to save a little electricity and better manage your computer peripherals, the PowerUSB could be the answer.

(Via Geeky Gadgets, Image via PowerUSB)

Tags: energy, power, power strip, USB

How Strong are Your Memory Cards?

khoward

– February 17, 2012Posted in: Gadgets, Tech

Samsung’s new line of SD and microSD cards feature an attractive brushed metal design that’s sure to appeal to those who look for aesthetic quality in their digital storage. But even more impressive than the newly-improved looks of the High Speed Series and the Plus Extreme series are the survival skills of these memory cards.

Designed to be waterproof, shockproof, and magnet-proof, the new memory line should stand up to just about anything you can throw at them – or, more likely, anything into which you throw them. According to Samsung, they’re stylish memory cards can make it through 24 hours in water and withstand the force of a 1.6 ton vehicle.

If you’re particularly hard on your memory cards, or you simply enjoy testing the limits when it comes to the claims of technology companies, Samsung’s new series could be the way to go. They also sound like the perfect memory storage for an action hero.

(Story and Image via TechCrunch)

Tags: memory, memory cards, microSD, Samsung, SD