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    Flashlight accepts any battery you have

    Gadgets Team
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    Flashlight accepts any battery you have

    It’s happened before to all of us: your device needs an AA battery or two (or six), but you’ve only got AAA batteries lying around, and you don’t want to shell out money for more batteries. Well, you won’t need to worry about that anymore, at least with flashlights: Panasonic has developed a flashlight that will accept any battery that you have in your home.

    Whether you have AAA, AA, C or D batteries, the Panasonic Any Battery Light will take them. Although the light from an AAA battery obviously won’t outshine the light from a D battery, it will give you enough light to get around just in case you have a brownout and need to find your way around. One of the catches? You can’t use all of the batteries at the same time, but the Any Battery Light has separate switches for whatever battery you’re using.

    The Any Battery Light only costs $24, and with all battery slots filled, it can last for up to 86 hours. Japan has been creating products like this for their local market in light of the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in 2011. There’s no word on whether it’s going to be released in any other markets around the world, but the Any Battery Light sounds like an ideal companion for the emergency kit you (should) have in your home.

    New iPhone 5 case gives you keyboard/gamepad in a sleek, thin package

    Gadgets Team
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    New iPhone 5 case gives you keyboard/gamepad in a sleek, thin package

    If you’ve ever wished for a sleek, physical controller for the iPhone 5 to play your mobile games with, your prayers have been answered. Chinese accessory manufacturer iPhone5Mod made the EX Hybrid Controller for people who like physical controls for both typing and gaming. The case attaches in the back of the iPhone 5 and the keyboard and gamepad sticks on top of that via powerful magnets. The devices use USB 3.0 technology to connect to the iPhone 5, and has a runtime of around 4o hours with a standby time of 160 hours.

    The Chinese firm confirmed to TechCrunch that their controller/keyboard uses physical buttons and not touch-sensitive ones, which should be good news to people who are sick and tired of using unresponsive touch-sensitive keys. The case retails for around $50, which is around Php 2042 – a steal, considering what it promises to deliver.

    Source: iPhone5Mod via TechCrunch

    Samsung makes good on its promise – shows off Evolution Kit for Smart TVs

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung makes good on its promise – shows off Evolution Kit for Smart TVs

    Remember when Samsung said that customers will be able to upgrade their old Smart TVs into current generation ones (sans panel) via a simple upgrade via their Evolution Kit? Well, the Korean firm has made good on that promise and has unveiled the first ever Evolution Kit upgrade for their 2012 Smart TV models. While Samsung has not given detailed specifics about what’s new in the Evolution Kit, the firm has said that the Evolution Kit upgrade puts the CPU, memory and GPU of your old Smart TV to the  to the level of the latest model.

    The new kit will also supposedly enhance Samsung’s Smart Interaction features such as voice and motion control. In addition, once the Evolution Kit is attached to the slot, the 2012 Smart Hub will be automatically upgraded to the 2013 version. No word on pricing or availability for the kit has been mentioned.

     

    Kickstarter project hopes to give gamers a two-inch Android-powered console

    Gadgets Team
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    Kickstarter project hopes to give gamers a two-inch Android-powered console

    Console gaming is pretty expensive to manage and maintain, if you think about it. The cost of the console is a huge initial investment, then sustaining it by purchasing content—the games themselves—is an entirely different matter that isn’t easy to maintain. Mobile gaming offers a more open platform (for both players and developers), and in effect, games are relatively more within reach and made available to more users. A lot of mobile games are even free. Mobile gaming also offers a more portable experience since you can’t go around toting your console just to be able to play outside your home. Mobile gaming is indeed more practical, but many gamers agree that nothing beats playing on a television screen in your good ol’ living room.

    PlayJam has come up with a way to bridge the two platforms, offering a dedicated gaming device that lets you play on your TV screen, yet is portable enough that you can pop it in your pocket. They christened this device as the GameStick and calls it the “most affordable, open and portable TV games console ever created.” It is Android-powered and is only two inches long, so you can pack the device with your favorite games and bring it along with you so you can enjoy these games almost anywhere as long as there’s a TV screen to play on. Below are the specs of the device:

    • Processor – Amlogic 8726-MX
    • Memory – 1GB DDR3 / 8GB FLASH
    • Content Download Manager w/ cloud storage for games.
    • WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n
    • Bluetooth – LE 4.0
    • O/S – Android Jelly Bean
    • Controller – Bluetooth, 3 mode controller: gamepad, mouse and keyboard with support for up to 4 controllers.
    • Full 1080p HD video decoding

    PlayJam packed the GameStick with an Android Jelly Bean OS in order to make the GameStick open for both developers and gamers. Since it’s an Android device, it allows access to nearly 200,000 in the Android ecosystem. PlayJam says that they have identified 200 titles that could be played on the GameStick, but they claim that they have been working with a network of developers to offer more. “What’s really cool is that the average cost of a game on GameStick will be just a few dollars and many will be free to play,” says PlayJam.

    Despite being compatible with any Bluetooth controller supporting HID, the two-inch GameStick comes with its own Bluetooth controller that’s even bigger than the stick itself. The back of the controller has a transport slot in which you can keep the GameStick when you’re not using it or when you want to carry around both devices.

    PlayJam says they now have a working prototype, and that the controller is in its final design stage and is in the custody of their engineering team for PCB (printed circuit board) development.

    The project is still collecting funds via crowd sourcing on Kickstarter in order to complete the production. Pledging on Kickstarter will only be up to February 1st, but we’re pretty optimistic that PlayJam won’t have to wait that long for them to reach their financial goal. As of press time, 728 backers who have pledged USD $67,673 of the USD $100,000 goal—all this in only a little more than a day.

    [UPDATE] The Kickstarter funding has been completed within only two days, with 1,423 backers who pledged USD $139,917.

    Samsung outs enhanced 15-inch Series 7 Chronos and new Series 7 Ultra 13-inch ultrabook

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung outs enhanced 15-inch Series 7 Chronos and new Series 7 Ultra 13-inch ultrabook

    Samsung has just unveiled two new notebooks ahead of their CES appearance: the enhanced Series 7 Chronos and their new Series 7 Ultra. The Series 7 Chronos is a touch-optimized 15-inch notebook which is loaded to the brim with heavy-hitting specs. Samsung’s decked out the Series 7 Chronos with an Intel Core i7 CPU running at 2.4 GHz, an AMD Radeon HD 8870M GPU and comes with 4 or 8GB of RAM (which can be further pumped up to 16GB) and 1TB HDD. Samsung has also managed to get all of that into a body that’s only 20.9mm thin. The Series 7 Chronos’ 15.3-inch display has a full HD 1920×1080 display with a display brightness of 300 nits.

    The Series 7 Ultra is an all-aluminum ultrabook that slides neatly into the Korean firm’s current lineup of ultrabooks. You can expect to get a Core i5/i7 processor in it (depending on the configuration) as well as 256GB SSD for storage. Like the Series 7 Chronos, the Series 7 Ultra’s 13-inch display is capable of full HD resolution (1920×1080). The Series 7 Ultra will also be able to surf the airwaves via 4G LTE in the markets that support it. No price or availability has been set as of yet.

    Source: Samsung Tomorrow

     

    The Internet (technically) turns 30

    Gadgets Team
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    The Internet (technically) turns 30

    The very reason you’re reading this blog post is 30 years old—the Internet, or at least what you use to connect to the Internet. It’s also the same reason you check your email, talk to your friends and family on Skype, share that latest meme on Facebook, post your lunch on Instagram, argue with complete strangers on anything with a comments section, frag a few noobs on Call of Duty, the list goes on and on.

    Most people connect to the Internet using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Vint Cerf, one of the “fathers” of the Internet, developed TCP/IP as far back as 1969. “A long time ago, my colleagues and I became part of a great adventure, teamed with a small band of scientists and technologists in the U.S. and elsewhere. For me, it began in 1969, when the potential of packet switching communication was operationally tested in the grand ARPANET experiment by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),” Cerf said. ARPANET was one of the precursors to the modern-day Internet, but was generally used by the United States military to communicate with one another.

    Before TCP/IP was adopted, each network had its own communications protocol, making it impossible to transmit anything between networks. “In an attempt to solve this, Robert Kahn and I developed a new computer communication protocol designed specifically to support connection among different packet-switched networks. We called it TCP, short for ‘Transmission Control Protocol,’ and in 1974 we published a paper about it in IEEE Transactions on Communications: ‘A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication.’ Later, to better handle the transmission of real-time data, including voice, we split TCP into two parts, one of which we called ‘Internet Protocol,’ or IP for short. The two protocols combined were nicknamed TCP/IP,” Cerf said.

    TCP/IP was eventually accepted as the new standard protocol for communications in 1981, and all 400 ARPANET hosts had to switch over from the Network Control Protocol (NCP) to TCP/IP by January 1, 1983. NCP was simultaneously rendered as obsolete on that day. “When the day came, it’s fair to say the main emotion was relief, especially amongst those system administrators racing against the clock. There were no grand celebrations—I can’t even find a photograph. The only visible mementos were the ‘I survived the TCP/IP switchover’ pins proudly worn by those who went through the ordeal! Yet, with hindsight, it’s obvious it was a momentous occasion. On that day, the operational Internet was born. TCP/IP went on to be embraced as an international standard, and now underpins the entire Internet,” Cerf said about the occasion.

    Although consumers didn’t see the modern-day Internet as it is until the mid-1990s, Cerf and his colleagues kicked its development into high gear 30 years ago, unaware of the consequences it would have. “It’s been almost 40 years since Bob and I wrote our paper, and I can assure you while we had high hopes, we did not dare to assume that the Internet would turn into the worldwide platform it has become,” Cerf said.

    12 updates in Gmail, Drive, and other “lifehacks” in 2012

    Gadgets Team
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    12 updates in Gmail, Drive, and other “lifehacks” in 2012

    Google has made a lot of updates in its services throughout the year—particularly in Gmail and Drive. Here, we look in retrospect at the some of the coolest updates in both services that happened this past year, as well as some nifty “lifehacks” that Google threw in to make the overall user experience easier and more interesting.

    1.  Find your stuff faster in Gmail and Search

    In a new field trial, instead of waiting for the results to come in after your hit the Search button in Gmail, you already get to see relevant results as you type your entry in the search bar. When you key in something in Google Search, the right side of your browser will also show emails and files from Gmail and Drive that are relevant to your search.

    2. New compose and reply experience in Gmail

    You are now given the option to have a separate window for drafting your emails. This means that if you’re currently typing an email and you need to pay a visit to another message in your inbox, sent items or drafts, then you no longer need to save the message as a draft and go back to it after you’ve referred to your other messages. Now, you can simply minimize the little pop-up window and get back to it whenever you like. Plus, since the pop-up window works the same way as it does in chat, you can keep multiple email windows open (in case you need to reference one for the other).

    3.  Sign out of Gmail remotely

    Worried that you might get hacked on another computer because you forgot to sign out? Fret not, young netizen. You can now sign out remotely from Gmail. The process is extremely simple. At the bottom of your Gmail page, click on Details and select Sign out all other sessions.

    4. Drive keyboard shortcuts

    Navigating through your Drive and manipulating files has been made easier thanks to simple keyboard shortcuts.

    5. Work offline with Google Docs

    Here’s some good news for you: a failed Internet connection will no longer stand in the way of your productivity. Now, you can create and edit documents on Google Docs even if you’re not connected to the web. All new documents and all changes to existing ones will automatically be synced once your computer is back online again. Here’s how.

    6. Access more of your stuff in Docs, Slides & Drawings with the update Research Pane

    The Research Pane—the panel that appears alongside a document that allows you to search the web directly from where you are working—has been given a new update! It has now expanded to presentations and drawings. Your search results in the pane now include relevant files in your Drive, pictures in Picasa and posts shared with you on G+.

    7. Access revision history in Docs

    Want to go back to an older version of your Docs file, before certain edits were made? If want to see what changes you or other people have made on the document, hit  File then select Revision History. A list of previous versions of your document will appear and you will be given the option to restore certain differences of a previous version and the latest one. All changes are color coded to indicate who implemented what change on a shared document.

    8. Insert files directly from Drive to Gmail

    This has got to be the handiest of them all. Gone are the days that you had to attach files to your email for it to be transmitted to your recipient. Now, with access to Drive, you can send files up to 10GB—40 times larger than your typical attachment! All you have to do is look for the Drive icon in the new compose experience.

    The new Save to Drive Chrome extension, once installed, lets you save content from anywhere on the web directly to your Drive by simply clicking an icon to save a web archive, an image of a page, or its HTML source code. When you right-click images or links to files, you now have the option of saving them directly on Drive.

    10.  Share your stuff from your Drive in Google+

    Photos and documents in your Drive can now be embedded directly into your posts on Google+.

    11. Do more on-the-go with Google Drive on iOS and Android

    Thanks to some tweaking in the Drive app for iOS and Android, you can now create and edit documents and spreadsheets while you’re on the go using your mobile device. In addition to being able to create files, you can also add collaborators and search.

    12. Manage folders more easily in Drive

    Dragging and dropping entire folders from your Desktop to Drive. Additionally, Once in Drive if you select files in your Drive list, in addition to adding them to an existing folder, you can also add them directly to a new folder.

    Source: Google

    All images taken from the Gmail/Google blogs

    Can’t wait for Google Glass? Why not build your own?

    Gadgets Team
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    Can’t wait for Google Glass? Why not build your own?

    Google’s revolutionary wearable computer, codenamed Project Glass is one of the most anticipated tech products to emerge from El Goog’s research labs. Unfortunately, it won’t be here for a while (projected completion of the device is around 2014) and even if it arrives, it’s going to cost an arm and a leg. If you want your augmented reality glasses now (and cheap!) you can always build your own.

    That’s exactly what Rod Furlan did. Of course, his own attempt at the wearable computer doesn’t have the same polish as Google’s offering, but that doesn’t mean it’s less functional. How exactly did he build his own version of Google Glass? Well, Rob  managed to get his hands on a Myvu Crystal  personal head-mounted video display for iOS devices, paired with a Jailbroken, fourth generation iPod Touch. He then coded rudimentary software for the device and voila! He got his very own version of Google Glass. His version cost around $250, a bit pricey but still well below the price of Google’s offering. Hit up the source link below to get the nitty gritty of how he did it.

    Source: Spectrum Ieee

    Hackulous is gone.

    Ren Alcantara
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    Hackulous is gone.

    Hackulous, the group behind Installous, which allows users with jailbroken iPhones to install apps illegally, is shutting down. Heading over to the group’s site at hackulo.us brings up a final message from the team saying it was getting harder and harder to keep people together and working, so they have decided to hang up the gloves and leave the scene behind. This is sad news for those who have used the Installous app to bypass Apple’s app store to get apps on their iDevices. The group did say, however, that they hoped their absence would create a void that would be filled by other members of the hacking community. While this is crushing news for those who pirate their apps, it is a big strep for those who want to jailbreak for legitimate reasons, but have roadblocks set for them because of the ease by which there is access to pirated apps. Users who have tried to update Installous will be faced with a multitude of errors, and ultimately, a failed update. While there are other ways to sideload apps onto your iDevice, it’s still best to support the app developers and get your apps straight from legitimate sources.

    Sony Xperia Z and ZL images leak online

    Gadgets Team
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    Sony Xperia Z and ZL images leak online
    Xperia Z (Yuga)

    As we get closer and closer to the madhouse that is CES, more and more products are going to be leaking ahead of their official launches. Case in point: two Sony Xperia devices – the Xperia Z (Yuga) and the ZL (Odin). Both devices are rumored to sport 5-inch full HD 1080p displays, as well as quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processors with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 320 graphics, along with a 13-megapixel Exmor RS sensor on the rear camera. Naturally, Android 4.1 will be on-board for both devices.

    Xperia ZL

    Probably the only difference between the two judging from the leaked images is their physical size, as the ZL looks like a slimmed down version of the Z. We’ll know more about these devices when CES rolls around next week.

    Source: Unwired View, Xperia Blog

    LG beats rivals in OLED TV launch, now accepting pre-orders in Korea, deliveries expected next month

    Gadgets Team
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    LG beats rivals in OLED TV launch, now accepting pre-orders in Korea, deliveries expected next month

    LG has beat their TV rivals in the OLED TV space as the Korean company is now taking pre-orders for its 55-inch OLED TV model in Korea, with the firm promising deliveries next month. The company is making their 55-inch WRGB OLED TV (Model 55EM9700) available for peeps with inordinate amounts of cash in South Korea this month, as the TV is expected to command a price of around KRW 11 million, which is approximately $10,000 or Php 410550 before taxes and duties.

    LG’s OLED TV is possibly the thinnest in the world, and boasts and overall thickness of only 4 millimeters thin and weighing less than 10 kilograms. Thanks to the new technology, the TV is capable of producing extremely vivid and realistic pictures, especially when combined with LG’s WRGB technology. LG also says that their unique Four-Color Pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output. No word yet on when this particular TV will hit the Philippines.

    Samsung unveiling new TV design at CES

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung unveiling new TV design at CES

    Samsung’s cranking up the hype machine as the Korean manufacturer has unveiled a brand new teaser for its TV product reveal in CES, just a few weeks away. The company is teasing at a new ‘TV shape” that they say all the other TVs will line up for. While we’re not entirely sure what that particular shape is, promotional material from Samsung Tomorrow hints at either a 4:3 aspect ratio (doubtful), transparent display (probably) and/or a rotatable bezel that does landscape and portrait orientation (most likely). What do you think Samsung has in mind for its TVs this coming CES?

    Source: Samsung Tomorrow

    Netbook market ends in 2012, ASUS ends Eee PC production with Acer following close behind

    Gadgets Team
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    Netbook market ends in 2012, ASUS ends Eee PC production with Acer following close behind

     

    Goodbye Netbooks, it’s been fun. Digitimes is reporting that two of the biggest netbook makers in the world will now either stop production or will not continue to release new models. ASUS has announced that it is ending its effectively ending its Eee PC product line in 2012, with Acer doing essentially the same by announcing that they have no more plans to create new models of the low cost notebook. Both manufacturers have said that they will be selling off the remaining stock of netbooks in their warehouses.

    So what killed the Netbook? Well, it’s a combination of things, but mostly it was because of tablets. Tablets are easier to use, lighter, is faster is some respects when it comes to performance, more versatile because of apps..the list goes on. Not to mention the prices of tablets have fallen so much that some of them are even cheaper to buy now than some netbooks. Probably the only markets where netbooks are sold in are developing countries like ours, which is slowly being taken over by affordable tablets that cost much, much less than netbooks.

    Source: Digitimes

    Samsung announces new touch-capable Series 7 monitor optimized for Windows 8

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung announces new touch-capable Series 7 monitor optimized for Windows 8

    Samsung is starting the year off with a bang by outing a brand new, touch-capable monitor specifically optimized for Microsoft’s latest and greatest OS, Windows 8. The Series 7 SC770 is Samsung’s first multi-touch display optimized for Windows 8, and has a 24-inch panel and boasts supporting up to 10 points of simultaneous multi-touch. The display also has the ability to tilt 60-degrees, which allows comfortable use of its touch-screen on desks.

    Not content to just announce one monitor this New Year, Samsung also announced the Series 7 SC750. While this particular 27-inch monitor isn’t a touch-capable, it makes up for it by being able to pivot 90 degrees, allowing users to use it in portrait mode, which should delight professional artists. It has a 5,000:1 contrast ratio which Samsung says is five times that of a standard monitor. Both devices will be in Samsung’s booth come CES, and will be released globally in the coming months.

    Want to keep track of your personal (game) development?

    Ren Alcantara
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    Want to keep track of your personal (game) development?

    Do you like making games? Do you need motivation to do so? Playing on the ever-popular achievement-based system that gives every game amazing replay value, Onegameamonth.com gives programmers a way to keep track of progress with personal gaming projects, and rewards them for success. The goal is to have, by the end of the year, 12 games under your belt, and every month, once you complete a project, you can post updates, screens and other related material on the page for the whole world to see. While there is no real prize apart from the achievements you get from the site, it’s a great way to keep on truckin’ (and keep score) so you don’t lose your coding momentum. The project kicks off January 1, 2013, so get cracking! Head over HERE to sign up!

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