Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

/

Budweiser: The Buddy Cup


If you thought you'd seen it all think again. Budweiser's back at it again with some cool new tech, introducing the buddy cup the cup that lets you clink you cups together and become friends on Facebook. Particularly helpful for that hot girl you met at the bar and just cant remember her name. See below!

Posted in , , , , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

New App: Twitter #music

If you haven't already heard Twitter released an application today called #music. It aims at tapping into the vast music community by allowing music discovery based on who you follow and suggestions Twitter has as well. I downloaded the application today, and i must say it's a start. It offers previews of songs but if you've got a subscription to Rdio or Spotify you can stream full length music. It's also clear to see how much iTunes integration was involved in the application on the iOS version. Right now this aplication is only for iOS but an Andriod version must be on the way soon. Download by clicking the app icon! Check out some screenshots below.

Posted in , , , , , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

Facebook's Android Event Review

By - J


Looks like Facebook is trying to be more and more like a phone. The Zuck's said they're not building a phone or an operating system on android. But it looks like they've made an OS off Android. They've introduced Facebook home which according to them is not an OS but I beg to differ. They've said that it's simply an integration into the Android platform without forking it.

Facebook Home

1. Cover Feed

 Facebook's said that they want Facebook Home to be about people rather than applications. Your Android home screen takes on a completely different look as it's now immersed in content from your Facebook rather than a still background image.

2. Chat Heads

This is probably the coolest feature that Facebook Home has too offer. It truly brings multi tasking to the phone. One of the problems many people have with (including myself on my iOS device) is when i'm doing something I can't simply reply to a message from my application. Normally I  have to leave my current application and go into the messages application to send a reply. With Chat Heads Facebook's put ease to that by having Chat Heads hover over the application in the corner so you can reply without leaving your current app.

3. Devices

A number of manufacturers have signed up to offer Facebook Home on their devices as depicted in the image below.


4. HTC First

Facebook also, unveiled a partnership with HTC and AT&T today. Something we were already expecting; to bring us the HTC First. The first phone to be shipped with Facebook Home, they will also be releasing it through the Facebook Home Program in order to bring it to more devices.


Facebooks promised updates every month and Home will be available through the Google Play store or  Andriod users will see a notification via the Facebook application. It will be available April 12th. See our photo gallery of the event below.

What do you think about a "Facebook Phone", i find it a bit creepy what do you think?

Posted in , , , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

O.R.B.: The future of wearable tech?

By - HD


When you thought you'd seen everything when it comes to technology, they just continue to surprise you. There is a new Bluetooth headset style. The ORB which is a ring, yes a ring that goes on a person’s finger turns into a Bluetooth. It can be used as much as 30 feet away from your phone.

It works by connecting to a mobile device via Bluetooth, when the phone rings, the ring vibrates alerting the person there is a call. On a horizontal screen the number of the person who is calling appears. To answer the call, you simply take the ring off of your finger and twist it. It then becomes a blue tooth headset that can be adjusted to fit the person’s ear. Once you are done with the call you can twist it back into the ring style and carry on. You have the option when someone calls to ignore the call by touching a button on the side of the ring which then cancels the incoming call.

When you receive a text message, the ring will display the message on the ring. If you have an event scheduled, this advance technology has the capability to remind you of your schedule to keep you on track. When you think that is it, it isn’t. It has a built in alarm clack as well. It is also a clock when it is not being used. This device comes in Male and Female bands and multiple sizes. However don't look to see it too soon, the product has been in development for years but we're hoping that it'll come to the market.


What will be next when it comes to technology? Is this something you think is worth bringing to market? Let us know in the comments below.

Posted in , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

The Future of Watches

By - J

Ever wish you could have something crazy cool like what Tony Stark or Batman would wear? Well that might just be coming in the near future in the form of a watch. That's right folks we said watch. Today Samsung exec Yee Young Hee let loose that Samsung is working on a Smart Watch. You're probably wondering what a smart watch is. According to Techopedia, "A Smart Watch is a wearable device marketed as more than a cell phone. With a glance, it gives atomic clock accuracy and allows you to read your text messages in a device that is always at hand." 

So far what we've seen are devices that directly link to your Smartphone devices, so that any incoming notifications you get can be seen without physically pulling out your device. Many companies have begun production of these devices. Some of the more popular brands are those of Pebble and Cookoo who both got their starts from KickStarter. A few years ago Sony made one of the first Smart Watches to hit the market, this turned out to be very buggy and the majority of owners had many complaints over it. If you remember the older 6th gen iPod Nano many people tried to turn this into a watch through different hardware, but it just didnt have that Apple flair to it.

Now it looks like the big players are getting into the game as both Apple (unconfirmed) and Samsung have both began production of a Smart Watch device. We expect it to be called the iWatch and Galaxy Watch, neither would surprise me. Check out some of the ones already on the market and some future concepts in our gallery below.
What do you think about a smart watch?
  

Posted in , , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

Samsung Unveils the S4 in a Broadway Musical

By - J


 Well after weeks of speculation Samsung's officially Unveiled its next galaxy device the S4 at this years Samsung unpacked in New York City. I must say though this was a sub par release, but i'l go over the highlights of the show. Samsung's branded the S4 as a "Life Companion" and they've definitely taken a stab at showing us that today.

Design

Not much has changed in terms of design language used in the S4, it's much the same looking phone as the SIII. The phone is lighter as well as bigger a message we've heard before from Apple with the iPhone 5.

GS3                                                     GS4

4.8” HD Super Amoled Display             5” HD Super Amoled Display
306ppi                                                 441ppi
8MP Rear Camera                             13MP Rear Camera
136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm                          136.6 x 69.8 x 7.6mm
133 grams                                           130 grams

Features

Dual Camera:  A feature that allows both cameras to take pictures and video simultaneously together as one image.

Air View: Not exactly sure how often you'd use this feature but it is a cool one. Air view allows the user to interact with the device without physically touching it.

Story Album: This isn't really a feature we haven't seen before. It's been on the iPad since the iPad 3 launched last March and it's also on the Blackberry. This feature allows the user to create albums with pictures and notes to be viewed easily.

HomeSync: Samsung is getting more serious into being a hardball player in the cloud interface. With HomeSync users can sync with there devices at home and have access to 1 Terabyte. Yes that's terabyte or storage for up to 8 users.

S-Voice Drive: I don't know if this is an attempt into the mapping system or if this uses Google services. Samsung wasn't exactly clear on how this actually worked. But if anything it brings the questions as to why Samsung is creating their own system for turn by turn nav.

S-Health: This was probably the feature no one was expecting. Samsung's packed a pedometer as well as a thermometer to build reports on how healthy you are. Looks like they are taking a stab at products in the healthy living category with this one, but it looks like it fits in with the new branding of "Life Companion".

Group Play: This again is not a feature i see myself using a lot but a novelty one none the less. Samsung's made it possible o share music without a data connection through wifi to up to 8 devices all synced together.

Conclusion

All in all not very much innovation as far as my judgement goes, more of a subtle upgrade to the S3 than anything else and definitely software based. But I'm sure it'll be a great seller with its "new" design it's got that S3 look with a Blackberry esk ribbon around it. The S4 will hit stores at the end of April and come in two colours "Black Mist" and "White Frost".

See the full video below. Let us know if you're looking forward to upgrading or making this your next smartphone device in the comments below.


Check out the folks over at The Verge, with their hands on experience with the device itself.

Posted in , , , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

Hater - App Review

-EB


Attention haters. Ever wish you could express how much you hate the traffic in the morning or how much the selfies on Instagram piss you off? Well now you can share with Hater. Basically the app allows you to obtain an alter ego, be anonymous and express the people, places and things you hate. I can't say it's the most perfect application because of the confusing navigation but maybe thats just because I'm used to Instagram, Vine and Twitter. The real question is, do you really need another social media app clogging up the home page of your iPhone? We say yes, one more cant hurt and especially if it's a way you can hate on all the noise out there and it's free.

If you get this app look me up @realevanbrown and see what I'm hating on. This is only version 1.0 of the app and it's only been around for a few weeks so give it some time.  Let us know what you think.

Posted in , , , , , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment

/

Microsoft Surface Tablet Review

By -TQ
In the last year Microsoft has been really busy. Not only did Microsoft launch a dramatically reinvented Windows 8, but they also designed and marketed their own tablets. I think it is a natural and forward movement for the company. Windows Surface is a 10.6”, 900 gram tablet.  It has all the necessary features that we have come to expect from tablets in the current market from micro memory cards to front/rear cameras with a microphone, multi-touch display and more.

The things that make the Windows Surface stand out well from the crowd is, it is designed by Microsoft. It will integrate with a computer easier with things like SkyDrive access. The tablet has a micro-HDMI port so one can plug it into a bigger screen if need be. With 4GB of ram, the Windows Surface is more than enough to multi task where one can shift from a movie to an excel spreadsheet seamlessly.

Here are the specifications of the one I played around with at the Widows Store at Yorkdale Centre:

Display Type
LCD
Screen Size
10.6”
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Built-in Storage
128 GB
Built-in Store Type
Flash Memory
Memory Card slots
MicroSD, microSDHC, microSDXC
Card Capacity added
64 GB
RAM
4 GB
Rear Camera
1.2 MP (still) 720p (video)
Rear Autofocus
Yes
Front Camera
1.2 MP (still) 720 (video)
Front Autofocus
No
WiFi Video Calling
Yes
Processor Type
Intel Core i5
Processor Cores
1.7 GHz
Microphone
Yes
Headphone Jack Size
3.5 mm
Bluetooth
4.0
USB 3.0
1
USB 2.0
0
HDMI Output
Micro HDMI

The Windows Surface has made a great step forward with merging a tablet and a laptop. Have you had a chance to play around with the Surface? What do you think? Comment below.

Posted in , , ,

Permalink Leave a comment