Top 5 Smartphones to look for in 2012

Nokia Lumia 900

Among the latest Smartphones in market 2012 the Nokia Lumia is the most exciting release. The handset is packed with all the recent technologies. The handset is extremely sleek and it is packed with a 4.3 inch AMOLED screen. The handset is based on the Windows Mobile operating system.

The Lumia 900 is the world’s first 4G LTE Windows based handset and it has an 8MP shooter that takes splendid pictures. The handset is a great choice for everyone and what is even more enticing is the fact that the handset comes is a wide range of colours.

HTC Titan II

The HTC Titan II is the successor of the HTC Titan. One of the top mobile phones 2012 will see, the handset will be the first Windows based 4G LTE handset to be launched in the US and the second it will be packed with a fine 16MP shooter.

The handset packs great features in the form of a 1.5GHz processor, 4.7 inch Super LCD display and an internal storage capacity of 16GB. To add to it, the handset has an extremely great external appearance. 

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx

Among the new mobile phones 2012 will see, the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx will woo you with its looks and the features that it packs. This handset is based on the Android operating system 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. This handset is the successor of the Droid Razr and is sure one step ahead of it. The hamdset packs an 8MP shooter and the most alluring feature of this handset that has got people drooling is the fact that the handset can be used for 21 hours after a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy Note

The Galaxy Note is not new to us and we know about most of its features, the most enticing being its 5.3 inch Super AMOLED screen. The handset seems like a miniature tabled from a distance and thus it is being considered as a hybrid between a Smartphone and a tablet.

The Galaxy Note has a mammoth screen, but it is ultra light and that just adds to the charm of the handset. It comes with an integrated stylus that is also developed with all the latest technology. Other features of the handset include 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 16GB storage capacity and an 8MP rear facing shooter.

LG Spectrum

Last but not the least is the LG Spectrum, a handset that is clearly a cut above the rest. It is equipped with a 4.5 inch HD display and packs a 1.5GHz processor. The handset has support features in the form of an 8 MP rear facing shooter that is complemented by the Dolby Digital Plus technology. Apart from this is has an on-board storage memory of 16GB. The LG Spectrum has decent looks and is sure to find many takers once it is launched.

The best smartphone 2012 will see is surely not on the list. Even I am not sure which this handset will be, but my best bet is on an Apple device, in case they plan to launch one in the coming year, though it seems unlikely. Till then, these are the top 5 smartphones to look for in 2012.

Steampunk heels come with remote control and LED lights

If you thought that these steampunk heels are just a regular pair of heels with a retro design, you would be wrong because these are the only heels that come with a remote control. That’s right, these heels come with a remote control that is used to control the LED lights that are placed on the shoes itself. The remote control is used to turn the lights on or off, adjust the brightness, switch through 16 colors and 5 presets such as slow or fast fading, strobing, etc. We should mention that each heel comes with a rechargeable battery that can be recharged over 250 times, although we don’t know how long can a battery last on a single charge.

These steampunk LED heels are great if you’re a fan of steampunk, but we doubt that you’ll find a special occasion to wear them. As for the price, these heels are priced at $180.

Windows 8 might not have Start button?

We are all excited about newest operating system from Microsoft, and as you already know, Windows 8 will feature many changes, and since we’re speaking about the changes, Windows 8 might bring some changes to the famous Start button.

The famous Start button was an essential part of Windows since Windows 95, and according to the latest reports, it seems that Windows 8 might abandon the Start button. However, there’s no need to worry, since you will still be able to access Start menu by moving your mouse to the bottom left corner of your screen. In addition, you’ll be able to access Start menu by pressing the Windows key or CTRL + Esc on your keyboard, so you might not even miss the Start button.

TOSY mRobo: Portable speaker that transforms into a dancing robot

Each day we see more robots, and if you’re fan of robots and portable speakers, you’ll be interested in this hybrid robot.

Developed by TOSY, mRobo is one of a kind robot that comes with built-in speaker, and it can easily play music thanks to its internal memory, but what really makes this robot so special is that it transforms into a 18-inch robot when music starts playing. In addition to transformation, this robot also dances, and when you’re done listening to your music, robot transforms again into its portable form. mRobo weighs 3.3 pounds and built-in speaker produces 40Hz bass, and as for the storage space, this hybrid robot comes with 2GB of internal memory. So far, mRobo is just a prototype, so it won’t perform any spectacular dance moves yet, but we’re looking forward to future improvements.

TOSY mRobo might not be advanced as other robots, but it’s definitely entertaining, and in regards to release date and price, we should see this robot in fall of 2012 for $200.

Angry Birds USB drives: USB flash drives for Angry Birds fans

Angry Birds have achieved tremendous popularity, and we’ve already seen Angry Birds merchandise, such as Angry Birds headphones, and if you’re a fan of Angry Birds, today we have a special treat for you.

Angry Birds USB drives are made by EMTEC, and each USB drive is designed to resemble one of the characters from the video game. Each drive measures 135 x 123 x 42mm, and as for the USB stick, it is hidden inside of the each figure. As for the speed of these USB devices, Angry Birds USB drives read files at 15 MB/s and write files at 5 MB/s.

Each character is made out of rubber, and as for the available figures, there are Red Bird, King, Yellow Bird, White Bird, Blue Bird, Piggie and Black Bird USB drives. In regards to capacity, Angry Birds USB drives come with 8GB of storage space.

 Angry Birds USB flash drive will be perfect for you, if you’re fan of Angry Birds, and as for the price, each drive is priced from $19.99 to $29.99.

Logitech Touch Mouse M600: Uses touch surface instead of buttons

Many people like using touch interfaces, and if you’re one of those people, you should know that Logitech has introduced its latest mouse with touch surface.

Touch Mouse M600 is a touch-based mouse from Logitech, and unlike a standard computer mouse, this one comes with no physical buttons. Thanks to the touch surface, users can scroll and swipe fluidly, just like on a touchscreen smartphone.

Touch Mouse M600 comes with unique ergonomic design, and you can use this mouse with your right or left hand without any problems. This mouse uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology and it utilizes Logitech’s Unifying receiver. Logitech Touch Mouse M600 uses laser-grade precision optical tracking technology and it is powered by two AA batteries that provide enough power for three-month usage.

Logitech Touch Mouse M600 is perfect if you’re tired from your standard mouse and you want to try a mouse with touch interface. As for the price, Touch Mouse M600 is priced at $69.99.

Amazing things on Internet every 60 seconds

While you relaxing, sipping a cup of tea for a minute or even more; one cannot even fathom the amount of activities, updates and searches that are happening all over the world of the internet.

The power of action and influence that exists online is one that has never existed before.

Did you know that in a single minute there are over 695,000 status updates on Facebook?

Below are two charts demonstrating the magnitude of what can happen in a mere 60 seconds:

TV that can be carried in pocket

Coming soon the QD TV, say British scientists who have developed a technology which they claim could be used to produce TV that can be rolled up and carried in a pocket. It is bound to replace liquid crystal displays, LCDs in near future, including the desktop and notebook computer spaces and televisions.

A team at Manchester University has actually developed a new form of light-emitting crystals, known as quantum dots, QD, which can be used to produce ultra-thin televisions. The tiny crystals, which are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can be printed onto flexible plastic sheets to produce a paper-thin display which can be easily carried around, or even onto wallpaper to create giant room-size screens, say the scientists.

They hope the first quantum dot televisions like current flat-screen TVs, but with improved colour and thinner displays will be available in shops by end of next year; a flexible version is expected to take at least three years to reach the market.

Michael Edelman, Chief Executive of Nanoco, a spin out company set up by the scientists behind the technology at Manchester University, said: "We are working with some major Asian electronics companies. The first products we are expecting to come to market using quantum dots will be the next generation of flat-screen televisions.

"The real advantage provided by quantum dots, however, is that they can be printed on to a plastic sheet that can rolled up. It's likely these will be small personal devices. Although Edelman was unable to reveal which companies Nanoco are working with due to commercial agreements, it is believed that electronics giants Sony, Sharp, Samsung and LG are all working on quantum dot television technology.

Nike+ FuelBand keeps track on your physical activity

Staying fit is rather important, especially if spend a lot of time in front of your computer, and if you want to keep track on your physical activity, today we have a device that might help you with that.

Nike+ FuelBand is a simple LED wristband that collects the data about your daily activities, thanks to the built-in accelerometer. At the start of the day you need to set your daily goal, and your LED indicator will be red, but as you move, the LED indicator will slowly turn green as you get closer to your predefined goal. With Nike+ FuelBand you can measure progress in time, calories burned, steps, or in special points called NikeFuel. As for synchronization, you can synchronize Nike+ FuelBand with iPhone over Bluetooth or simply by connecting it to USB port on your computer. As soon as you synchronize using the iPhone App or via Nike+ website, you’ll get detailed information regarding your physical activity.

Nike+ FuelBand is great if you’re an athlete or if you simply want to stay in shape. As for the price, Nike+ FuelBand should cost about $150, and as for the release date, Nike has disclosed no information.

Matias One keyboards docks and controls your iOS devices

Sending text messages while using your computer can sometimes be a tedious process because you need to switch constantly between your computer and your smartphone, but luckily for you, today we have a device that should make this process more streamlined.

Matias One Keyboard is full size USB keyboard, but it also doubles as a two-port USB 2.0 hub, however, unlike other keyboards on the market, this keyboard has built-in cradle that allows you to dock your iPhone or iPod Touch. After you've docked your iOS device, with a press of a button you can switch to your iOS device, and use your keyboard to type a text message for example. This is rather useful if you’re getting many text messages, and you don’t want to switch back and forth between your computer and your iOS device to replay to each message.

iMobifone: Retro-looking accessory that protects you from cell phone radiation

There are many people that are concerned about cell phone radiation, and if you’re one of those people, you’re probably going to be interested in this latest accessory for your smartphone.

iMobifone is an accessory for your smartphone that allows you to take calls on your smartphone using the retro-looking handset. You simply connect iMobifone with your smartphone using the curled cord, and you’ll be safe from harmful cellphone radiation while talking on your smartphone. In addition to smartphones, iMobifone is fully compatible with tablets or even with your computer. iMobifone might be bit bulky to carry around, but thanks to the belt holder, you can attach your iMobifone and carry it with you at all times.

iMobifone sounds interesting and it is available in several colors, but we have to admit that it looks a bit silly and bulky, but if this doesn’t bother you, and you want to reduce the amount of harmful cell phone radiation, you can get your iMobifone for $24.95.

Convert your iPad into portable scanner with iConvert Read more: Convert your iPad into portable scanner with iConvert

iPad is one amazing device that has all sorts of functions, and if you’re looking for an accessory that can enhance your iPad even further, today we have the perfect device for you coming from Brookstone.

Brookstone has launched iConvert Scanner, a device that turns your iPad or iPad 2 into a portable scanner. iConvert scans hard copies at 300dpi in JPEG file format and stores them in your pictures folder, so you can easily access them. After you’ve connected your iPad or iPad 2 to iConvert, you just need to download the free app for it, so you can easily scan your documents.

This app comes with standard functionality, so it will allow you to preview scanned documents in real time, save them to your tablet, or delete them.

iConvert will be perfect for you, especially if you need to scan documents in your office or in your home, and as for the price, iConvert is available for $149.99.

Flygrip: Smartphone attachment keeps your smartphone safe in your hand

There is variety of accessories for your smartphone on the market, but if you’re looking for an accessory that can keep your smartphone safe, you might be interested in this latest accessory called Flygrip.

 Dropping your smartphone is always a problem, especially if you don’t have rugged case that will protect it from damage, but luckily for you, there’s a Flygrip that should keep you from dropping your smartphone. If you usually use your smartphone with one hand, than you know that you can easily drop it and cause potential damage, but thanks to the Flygrip attachment that attaches to your smartphone, you should have a firm grip on your smartphone, even if you’re holding it with one hand. After you've attached Flygrip to your smartphone, you just need to slide your fingers into the “grip”, and you should have somewhat a better hold on your phone.

Programmable USB massager OSIM uPixie

USB can do all sorts of things nowadays. They can play multimedia content, transfer our files but today there is a new USB device that can massage while you're working on your computer.

The company OSIM is famous for its massage chairs and after massage chairs. OSIM uPixie is used when experiencing back pain due to long hours of staying in you computer. It is just connected to the USB port and place it on your body. It comes with four predefined massage programs, but it can also be easily program, it can even even be synchronized with the music on your player.

OSIM uPixie is perfect for quick massage but can't get away with the computer.

OSIM uPixie is great if you need a quick massage but you don’t want to get away from your computer, and as for the price, this little gadget is priced at $170.

New device disables phone while driving

One product to hit the market, software by Dallas-based WQN Inc., can disable a cell phone while its owner is driving.

The new product uses GPS technology, which can tell how fast a person is traveling. But it can't know whether the person is driving and therefore it can needlessly lock a phone.

Aegis Mobility, a Canadian software company, plans to release this Global Positioning System-based product, known as DriveAssistT.

DriveAssistT system will disable a phone at driving speeds and send a message to callers or texters saying the person they are trying to reach is too busy driving. Setup involves installing the device in your car, which should take all of two seconds, and installing an app on the phone you want to disable when the car is in motion.

Text messaging or talking on your cell phone while driving is a nasty habit, dangerous and illegal. It's hard to break habits sometimes though, but you don't have to rely on willpower alone. Hence E-mail, texting, phone calls, web access, the camera and more they’ll all be rendered useless once the car is in motion.

Flash Drive

It was recently  one of the smallest USB flash drives,Data Traveler Micro, but today we have another USB flash drive coming from Deonet, and according to Deonet, this should be one of the smallest USB sticks on the market. This USB stick measures 19.5 x 14.5 x 2.9 mm and it utilizes Micro UDP chip, and thanks to this chip, the entire stick is almost twice smaller than any other USB sticks. This device is so small so you can just leave it inside of your USB port, and as for the capacity, there will be 4, 8 or 16GB models available.

This might be the smallest USB flash drive in the world, and only problem with it is that you can accidently forget it somewhere.

Pros:

- compact and light

- trackball

- wheel

- many shortcut buttons (multimedia, browser, applications etc)

Cons:

- trackball not even decent and need push "connect" twice if not used for a while; sometimes stops working at all (hours later starts working again)

- too small sized for long texts

Other Thoughts:

The trackball was the main reason I bought it and could be way better.

Windows 8 brings password management and synchronization

We all know that Windows 8 will offer a variety of features, and regarding the upcoming features, we’re pleased to inform you that Windows 8 will have an improved password management system.

You probably use a variety of passwords on your computer, so it’s not uncommon that you lose or forget your password, and the only solution for that problem is to request a new password, but that can be a tedious process sometimes. Luckily for you, Windows 8 will try to eliminate this problem with enhanced password storage and syncing feature. By logging in to Windows 8 with your Live ID, you’ll automatically retrieve passwords that you’ve used on this computer, and all your website passwords will be saved on Internet Explorer 10, so you won’t have to log in again. However, if you need to see those passwords, you can do so easily right from the credential manager.

 Password storage and synchronizing feature sounds promising, however it has it flaws, but we can’t wait to see how it works in action.

Samsung WiFi Surveillance Camera monitors your home wirelessly

Finding a proper surveillance system isn’t always an easy task, but if you’re looking for a wireless surveillance system, Samsung has the right thing for you.

Samsung WiFi Surveillance Camera uses WPS, a wireless security technique that is used by many wireless routers, and thanks to WPS, you can pair your security camera with network simply by pressing WPS button on your camera and on your router and you’re good to go. In order to view video, you just need to visit Samsung’s web service and view live video, and you’ll be pleased to know that this service is accessible from computer and Android or iOS devices. As for the video quality, Samsung WiFi Surveillance Camera can record video in 640×480 at 30fps (in H.264), and it also has infra-red illuminator, so it can record up to 15 feet distance during complete darkness. In addition, Samsung WiFi Surveillance Camera can automatically upload your videos to your YouTube channel, which is a useful option when it comes to storage.

Board of Awesomeness powered by Kinect will go off road

Unveiled at this year’s CES 2012, the Board of Awesomeness has been brought to our attention by a team from Chaotic Moon. In fact, this may be the team you’d least expect to come up with something like this. The objective of the mobile app-making studio was to take on the “mobile” aspect of its business to the next level.

The electric skateboard is equipped with a Kinect Sensor fixed to the front of a longboard so it faces back at the rider to detect their movements and gestures. These are translated into commands used to control the board’s 800 watt electric motor, which is powered by a 36 volt battery and can carry the rider at speeds of up to 32 mph. The all-terrain tyres means that the board can also head off road!

iShower: Wireless Bluetooth speaker for your bathroom

Enjoying in your favorite music is always nice, and if you want to enjoy in your favorite music even when you’re in the shower, today we have a special wireless speaker that might be helpful to you.

iShower is the latest water-resistant Bluetooth speaker for your bathroom that will allow you to enjoy in your favorite music from any Apple or Android device. This speaker mounts in your shower, and thanks to the built-in playback controls, you can easily switch between songs, and all that you have to do in order to enjoy in your favorite music is to pair iShower via Bluetooth with Android or iOS device, and you’re good to go. As for the iShower, it can also display current time of the day, and thanks to the three AA batteries, you can enjoy in 15 hours of music with iShower.

Windows 8 lets you restore your system easily with reset and refresh features

We already wrote that Windows 8 will use picture passwords, but today we’re going to focus on two features that allow you to fix problems and restore your Windows to earlier state.

According to Desmond Lee, a program manager on Microsoft Fundamentals team, Windows 8 will have two ways that will allow you to restore Windows to an earlier state. The first is the refresh feature that will take you to the Recovery Environment, save your data and settings, and install fresh copy of Windows 8. This feature will restore your personal files and Metro apps, but it won’t restore any reinstalled software, so keep that in mind. As for the reset option, it will go to Recovery Environment and it will delete your personal files, format your hard drive, and install a fresh copy of Windows 8.

These two features are going to make reinstall process of Windows 8 a lot simpler and easier, since both of them are automated, and we can’t wait to test these features in the final version of Windows 8.

Sanwa 400-PRJ011 Micro Projector comes as an iPhone case

Projector is always a handy device to have, and if you’re looking for a projector for you iPhone, look no more because we have the right model for you coming from Japan.

Sanwa 400-PRJ011 projector comes with 640×360 resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 12 ANSI lumens brightness, and it uses LED for lightning while providing you with 20, 000 hours of life.

Sanwa 400-PRJ011 projector is simple iPhone projector, and if you would want to get one, you can do so for 19800 Yen.

A new handy high-tech accessory for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 can add a new dimension to your multimedia experience, whether for entertainment or business purposes, as well as boost your phone's battery life.

The Sanwa 400-PRJ011 micro projector fits onto the iPhone and can project images, video files, movies or games onto a wall for your friends or colleagues to share; and as an added bonus it also acts as a battery charger when the projector function is switched off.

As Sanwa, the case maker, announces on its website, the 400-PRJ011 has a DLP micro projector able to produce images of up to 65 inches with a 640×360 resolution and 1,000:1 contrast ratio. The internal speakers of the device enhance those of the iPhone to deliver better sound.

The projector doesn't need the iPhone's battery to function, it uses the built-in 2,100mAh battery. When the projector is turned off, the gadget can charge the iPhone; it takes 5 hours to charge up, and can then project for two and a half hours.

The Sanwa 400-PRJ011 has already been released on the Japanese market where the price is about $260.