When it comes to communication with other BlackBerry users, BlackBerry Messenger is the default IM client.

When, however, you have contacts that use other smartphones, we know that you need a good cross platform IM client because you want to stay in touch with those contacts as well.

This is why you should check out WhatsApp Messenger…

Not familiar with WhatsApp Messenger?  Here's how it works…

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia and yes, those phones can all message each other! Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.

WhatsApp Messenger for BlackBerry has recently been updated to version 2.7.6401 and is available for download via BlackBerry App World.  You can also pick it up OTA by pointing your devices browser to http://www.whatsapp.com/ota/.

 

Microsoft announced new features today including support for Open Document Format (ODF), 300 MB browser uploads and short URLs for SkyDrive images. These features may not be big but Microsoft teases us with a promise that really big things are coming soon, we are waiting to see what are those big things that are coming to SkyDrive.

ODF is a XML base document format for spreadsheets charts, presentation and word processors. Microsoft Office, Open office and other word processors support this format. With the ODF support in SkyDrive I think we can upload and edit ODF documents online, I haven't tested this so far.

SkyDrive files can shared to twitter from the SkyDrive web interface. Windows Phone images shared via twitter will carry a short URL (sdrv.ms) instead of the long SkyDrive urls. Another feature added today is that now users can upload files upto 300MB in size directly from browser.

Microsoft is adding features to SkyDrive from quite some time after ignoring it for years. SkyDrive will be integrated to Windows 8 and will offer premium plans sooner than later. With the expected launch of Google Drive it is interesting to see what other features are planned for SkyDrive to compete with Google.

Source: SkyDrive

By David Ponce

Not everyone is fortunate to be born in a part of the world devoid of earthquakes. It's estimated that a total of 300 million schoolchildren worldwide go to school in earthquake prone areas and they are inadequately protected in case the building they're in collapses. See, in many places, the kids are told to take refuge under their desks if things start trembling, but most desks are very unsuited to provide any sort of effective protection. But the table you see above, designed by Arthur Brutter and Ido Bruno from Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is a different beast. Engineered to withstand the impact of up to 1,000 kgs (or 1 ton) dropped on it from what appears to be 8 or 10 feet, the table can provide effective shelter to anyone hiding underneath. What's more, if arranged in rows, multiple tables then create evacuation corridors that you can crawl through when things have quieted down. It's even light enough that it can be carried by two k ids, so it makes an ideal addition to any classroom.

The earthquake-ready desk will be featured in the 2012 Design Bonanza Bezalel exhibition in Milan from April 17 to April 22, and has been nominated for London Design Museum's design of the year award. It's more than just a concept design, though. The table is currently licensed by school furniture manufacturer A.D. Meraz Industries Ltd. for distribution in Israel.

According to Bruno, the team is working on further international manufacturing and distribution negotiations.

It's around 2.5 times more expensive than current school desks, but its sturdiness also means it will likely outlast current designs by about the same factor.

VIA [ Wired ]

Not that airline food is all that great, but I was amused to see the kind of meal selection they offered on an international travel. Some of the diet plans were unheard of! So this brings me to the segment of society who fusses about the organic details of the produce like being genetically modified. I suppose they'd really value a tool like the Elephant Nose, a device that identifies genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as 'super tomatoes' and genetically modified salmon.

Like the designer explains, "Many people are concerned about the health effects associated with the consumption of GMOs. Elephant Nose was designed to identify the state of foods (GMO/natural, fresh/stale, and so on) using artificial nose technology. Information about the food is displayed on the device's LCD panel. Elephant Nose is portable and can thus be used at the grocery store or market, as well as at home."

The Elephant Nose is a 2011 red dot design concept winner.

Designer: Junhyun Kim

This year's NAB show opened this Monday with the theme "The Great Content Shift." Going with the theme Dolby Labs and Royal Philips Electronics have jointly unveiled a new 3D HD format, which would deliver Full HD 3D content to 3D-enabled devices. This would include the glasses-free devices as well as the traditional ones that need you to wear the 3D glasses. The companies intend to improve the viewing experience on such devices that range from smartphones and tablets to PCs and televisions. According to them the Dolby 3D technology can be integrated into the existing distribution systems.

Though 3D was launched with a bang and consumers are still not sure whether to pay hefty amounts to get the 3D experience. A large part of the potential consumers also regard it as just a gimmick and a marketing trick. Technologies such as this tend to bring 3D to the mainstream of entertainment and broadcasting. Philips has done extensive research to bring enhanced 3D performance to the audience and aims at standardization and licensing of 3D technology.

The two companies intend to work with the display manufacturers and broadcasters for large scale adoption of this technology. It wants to make 3D content as common as 2D content with the same level of convenience and appeal. Content owners and broadcast operators can encode their 3D content to Dolby 3D and differentiate themselves from the competition. The technology can also be used for the real-time 3D content conversion.

Via: Tech2

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Force Media JF-UFDP4S is a USB 2.0 flash drive that features dual connectors – a standard USB 2.0 connector and a microUSB 2.0 connector. It can be hooked up to your PC via the standard 2.0 USB connector. And what makes it handier is the micro-USB 2.0 connector, allowing it to be connected directly to your smartphone or tablet for backing up data.

The Force Media JF-UFDP4S USB 2.0 flash drive offers 4GB of capacity and comes in a robust aluminum body and can be had from J-Force.net for around $24. Have one, if you frequently want to backup data from your smartphone or tablet. This eliminates the hassles of having to hook up your devices to a computer for data backup.

Filed under Computer Hardware. You can leave a response below:

I am often asked the question, "What can RIM do to get the BlackBerry back on top?"

To be totally honest , I don't know that there is anything, realistically speaking, that RIM could do to regain the crown of top smartphone in the foreseeable future.

As a matter of fact, a potential bright future for Research in Motion could be one where the BlackBerry doesn't even play a significant role in getting things turned around.

A lot of people, many industry analysts included, believe that Research in Motion exists as a company because of the BlackBerry.  What actually is true is that Research in Motion is the company that manufactures the BlackBerry and does a list of other things that generate tremendous revenue for the company with far greater margins.

Jim Balsillie's strategy wasn't a bad one…

The story behind Jim Balsille's resignation from RIM's Board of Directors is making its way around the interwebs.

It is a story where Mr. Balsillie, in essence, wanted to start offering RIM's proprietary network infrastructure to carriers so they could offer inexpensive smartphones not necessarily named BlackBerry to their customers with very inexpensive data plans that offer BBM, Facebook, Twitter, and a few other social media services.

RIM's network services are ridiculously high margin compared to the BlackBerry and it makes almost a billion dollars for RIM each quarter.

It would be naive to think that a path to righting the ship at RIM couldn't be based around expanding RIM's proprietary network beyond BlackBerry users whose numbers are well south of 100 million to Earths' feature phone / low-end smartphone market which numbers in the billions of users.

It would be equally naive to think that the only viable future for Research in Motion is one where the BlackBerry is a dominant force in the smartphone landscape.

I personally hope that the first BlackBerry 10 device turns out to be the best smartphone ever manufactured, and, like a magic wand, fixes all that it wrong with RIM.

BlackBerry 10, however, is definitely not RIM's only shot at turning things around, and, may not even be RIM's best shot at doing so.

Hopefully BlackBerry 10 isn't RIM's only card

It's hard to say it, but, a bright future for RIM doesn't necessarily mean there will be a bright future for the BlackBerry.

If Thorsten Heins is doing his job (increasing value for RIM shareholders), moving the company in a direction where the BlackBerry is no longer the flagship for Research in Motion has to be one of the options on the table…

Not the only option, but, at least one of them…

Apple today announced that the new iPad will be available in South Korea and 11 countries starting April 20th. A week later that is from April 27th it will be available in India and 8 other countries.

The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in these countries for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model.

The iPad Wi-Fi + 4G models will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. 4G LTE model is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the US, and Bell, Rogers and Telus networks in Canada, Apple notes in it's press release

.

The list of countries where new iPad is launching on April 20th are South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. The list of countries new iPad will be available from April 27th are Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

If the new iPad retails in India for the suggested price, then it is a lot less than what online retailers are selling it now, currently it is retailing upwards of Rs. 50,000. If Apple sell iPad in India starting with $499 for the base model, then it would cost around Rs. 25000.

Apple also slashed the price of iPad 2 to $399. Recently Apple slashed the price of iPad 2 in India by Rs. 5000.

By David Ponce

Much has been said about Thermaltake's Level 10 GT case since its release back in January of 2011. And now it's gone and gotten itself a shiny new army-style paint job "to evoke the "battle" spirit of being a gamer and its true representation." That was enough to justify a new-ish name: meet the Level 10 GT Battle Edition. It's still the same case as before though, and if you've never heard of it, here's a quick primer:

It's a full tower SECC chassis with plenty of cooling fans, an integrated fan controller, eight drive bays, USB 3.0 support, various LED color light modes, PitsStop 5 (EasySwap HDD bays), internal Superspeed USB 3.0 ports, Quadfans, Triple Colorshift, Coolflux, S.S.S (Smart Security System), Cableclear and TripleMax.

No price has been announced for this edition, but the regular case costs around $290 so expect something in that range.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

04.16.12
Radhika Seth

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While this might not sound like much of an accomplishment to the Western powers who have already developed weapons of such capability, the Chinese are pretty upbeat about the weapon added to their arsenal. The press release from the Ministry of National Defense exudes the sense of accomplishment as it states how its new weapon seeks out targets, senses them and then destroys them with multiple sub-projectiles. Terminal Sensing Ammunition (TSA) is especially effective against armored tanks and other heavily protected targets on ground as it can approach them, blow the armor apart with an initial explosion and then wipe out targets with a series of sub-projectiles.

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Staying in your bathtub, light up aroma therapy candle and enjoy the relaxing song that you like, that would be the best time you can have, to relax and release all stress inside your mind. But, the problem here is you can't put your music player or speaker together inside the bathtub. Yes, if you do that, your music player and speaker will be broken, or is that so? Let's we take a look at this iDuck.  Maybe the designer of this iDuck gadget has same problem like yours. Therefore, they combine the rubber duck, which is the toy that accompany most of us in the bathtub, with the speaker.

iDuck Feature

The iDuck gadget has two parts. There's the iDuck gadget and the Egg. To use this unique gadget, you just need to connect your music player; it can be iPod, MP3 player or other player that has 3.5 mm headphone jack into the egg. Turn the egg on and throw the iDuck into your bathtub. This gadget is waterproof, so, you don't need to worry it will break or soaked. The iDuck will play your favorite song that transmitted from the egg. Put the egg on the dry place and you're ready to use this gadget. IDuck can be used with music player. If you get bored with the song that you have in your music player, this iDuck also has radio in it. It can play the FM radio. It uses 2 AAA batteries.

iDuck Design and Price

The design of iDuck is pretty funny. It looks like rubber duck that you know. This funny design is also great thing you can use to encourage your kids to take a bath. For the price, this gadget is priced around $29.99. It only has yellow color. Overall, iDuck is unique, fun and product that can solve our music problem in bathtub.

Buy it from ThinkGeeek for $29.99

YouTube has opened up their partner program to everyone in 20countries where this program i s launched. What it means is all video producers in these countries can now monetize their videos and make money. Earlier the partner program is open to select partners who producer popular content.

Users who want to join the program now have to enable their YouTube accounts for partner program, and they have to monetize at least one video successfully. You can find more information from here.

The expanded partner program is currently available in these 20 countries listed below.

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States.

The new producers who join the program won't enjoy all the perks right away, some features will be made available in the long run. Features like custom thumbnails and banners are most sought-after features and they won't be available to all producers immediately YouTube notes on their blog.

There's a brand new cool and cute watch in town, and it goes by the name Ninja Time. This little beast has two "eyes" which show the hour and the minute, while the rest of the watch is dedicated to framing them in a way that looks assuredly ninja in style! The entire casing is made from molded plastic, the dials controlled by the ninja's "ears" so you can set the time whenever you like.

If there's a cuter watch in the world than this, please tell us about it – what could be more attractive than a set of ninjas running up your wrist? Have a peek at the color combinations as well – blue eyes for great justice!

Designer: Andy Kurovets

Ever wondered what it would be like to own a clock like the one which the Weasley family owned in the Harry Potter series of books? What was seemingly an idea from a fantasy just got freakishly real, with a little help from Christopher "Kirgy" McKirgan. A student of theology, this British hacker was always interested in computing. His passion for hacking coupled with a serious devotion to Foursquare, a popular geo-tagging and location sharing service, prompted him to take up this project and make the Foursquare Clock a reality.

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Asus has introduced a super thin notebook in its line, known as U32U. The Asus U32U Notebook comes in a thinness of 0.9 inches only and weighs 3.4 pounds or about 1.5 kg, which should be lightweight enough for users on the go.

The Asus U32U Notebook is equipped with a screen of 13.3 inches and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It's powered by a choice of an AMD C-50, AMD C-60, or AMD E-450 processors. It also packs 4GB of RAM (supports up to 8GB), an AMD Radeon HD graphics and offers the capabilities of full HD 1080p video playback.

The U32U notebook also offers options of either 320GB or 500GB of HDD, and 44Whr or 83Whr battery. It's also equipped with one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA and headphone/mic jacks. It'll be first available in Europe starting at a base price of €499 or $656 USD. It's expected to be cheaper when it's available in the US.

via liliputing

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Google is tight lipped about Google Drive service, it is supposed to release in this month if the rumors are true. But there is no official conformation or indication of it being launched this month. Although it is not launched for the public Google might have launched the same for select partners.

The Verge published a screenshot of Lucidchart showing Google Drive integration into their application. Lucidchart is an online drawing and flowchart tool. Lucidchart added a link to Google Drive integration page to its control panel and removed later. The integration will allow their users to automatically sync documents they create to cloud by linking to Google Drive account. Verge also notes that Lucidchart's CEO is Ex-Googler.

Is it the indication that Google Drive is already launched for select partners or developers before the launch to the public?.

What you're about to take a look at is a vehicle that may be shorter and more to the point than any car you've yet experience. This is the eSetta, inspired by the legendary BMW Isetta, made to be as compact as possible with its intent being set for the car sharing environment across the earth. Will its bright red and yellow accents be enough to entice you to get tiny?

This vehicle is inductively charged at sharing hubs which sit around your city, these places being where, like similar bicycle hubs, you'll be able to unlock and drive a vehicle to your next destination and back – no sweat! The front door has a slide and rotate ability that allows you the driver to enter and exit via the sidewalk – frosting on the pie!

Have a peek and see if you'd be willing to ride one of these sassy little numbers around your local city!

Designer: Tony Weichselbraun

Uncovering patent applications can sometimes show how firms are planning the future direction of their products. Apple's patents seem to constantly make a buzz in the gadget world, but here is a patent application from IBM that really seems to have hit on something. IBM have applied for a patent on 'Multitouch Floor' technology that will enable them to design floors of future homes that are smart enough to identify who is in the home, welcome its residents, open doors for them, switch on lights and pretty much offers services the moment your feet hit the floor!

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Ematic is to release its 7-inch eGlide Prism Android 4.0 tablet which comes in a slim size and offers enhanced gaming and entertainment experience for users on the go. The eGlide Prism runs the latest Android 4.0 ICS for improved multi-tasking, faster web browsing and a refined user interface.

The tablet is equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen display, a built-in 3-axis gyroscope combined with accelerometer, offering the capabilities of advanced motion sensing including user acceleration, and full 3D altitude and rotation. The eGlide Prism tablet also supports up to 2160p 3D HD videos.

Other goodies of the tablet is a powerful processor, a front-facing camera, memory card slot, built-in speaker and WiFi connectivity. It comes in a super slim size, measuring 9mm in thickness and weighs only 6 pounds, making it ideal for users on the move. The tablet has an on-board 8GB flash storage and is backed by 5GB online cloud storage.

It also comes with a number of accessories including 3D glasses, USB cable, a protective sleeve, earphones and wall charger and is now priced at $157 on ShopNBC

Filed under Shop Online. You can leave a response below:

Check out Episode #112 of the SMRpodcast, Chicken Wings and Beer Part 4, where the big fella and I hold down the fort while he who shall remain nameless was on a road trip.

This week we talk about, not one, but, two billion dollar tech deals, the release of the Windows Phone 7 powered Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone and the $150 million marketing budget AT&T is putting behind it, and, as always, our tech picks of the week.

Have a listen…

Download the MP3, subscribe via RSS, or, check us out on iTunes…

Show Details

• Recorded: April 10th, 2012
• Published: April 11th, 2012
• Duration: 01hr 11min 00sec

Opening Thoughts

• Rod is out this week so it is just Robb and Chris

We jump right in to the the Facebook purchase of Instagram

• Chris feels the purchase was done as a defensive move by Facebook
• Robb just started using it and actually likes it
• Robb explains why other people like Instagram

Chris bought three Nokia Lumia 900s

• Chris gives an early rundown of what he likes and does not like about the Lumia 900
• Robb talks about the need for Windows Phone to get on Verizon

We also discuss the verge's review of the Lumia 900

• Robb says that the rebuttal was worse than the original review
• Chris says that Joshua's comments did not sound sincere but rather an after thought
• Chris explains why he feel some of his points were not valid

Other topics we cover

• AOL sells patents to Microsoft
• Everybody should be moving to cloud storage
• AT&T unlocking iPhones for users

Picks of the Week

• Instagram for Androdnofollow (photo sharing app)Robb Dunewood (RIMarkablefollow)
• Motorola Surfboard Modemnofollow (All in one cable modem)Chris Ashley (SimpleMobileReview)

SMRPodcast

Windows 8 Metro style is heading to more Microsoft products, new screenshots emerged over the weekend show that Windows Live web services are also getting a touch of Metro UI. Metro is the most talked feature since Windows 8 consumer preview is released.

Whether you love it or hate it, Metro is not going anywhere in fact it is making it's way into more Microsoft products. It is already available in Windows 8, Xbox and Windows Phone and is a matter of time before it's presence is felt everywhere.

A Brazilian site Technoblog.net posted some screenshots of the next version of Windows Live web services user interface.

In the first screenshot there is a minimal header with a small arrow, clicking on that will reveal a metro styled box menu showing links for Mail, People, Calendar and SkyDrive. LiveSide obtained English screenshots of the same, embedded here. Tecnoblog notes that the design might be in the early stages of development, the navigation is not smooth, some clunky design elements are still there.

LiveSide found that there is an opening for an UX designer on Microsoft careers website, to design "next generation" of Windows Live Web Services. This may be an indication that the design is not yet ready and Microsoft will take some time to release it into the wild.

Tecnoblog also noteds, a TV commercial for IE was posted on Windows team blog last month. In that video there is a screen that shows SkyDrive new look with the black ribbon we saw in the first screenshot.

The new UI of Windows Live web service is touch-friendly, this is necessary to provide a consistent user experience along with Windows 8, as the later is designed for touch-screen tablets. What do you think of the new UI?, do you like the Metro everywhere or not?.

By David Ponce

It's going to be showcased at NAB very soon, but the sexily-named Eizo FDH3601 is very likely only going to be picked up by professionals with a specific need for the prowesses it achieves. It's a 4k display, meaning it sports a resolution of 4,096 x 2,160 pixels. That's the equivalent of four 1080p displays in one 36.4 inch frame.

The manufacturer says that the display delivers 100 percent sRGB coverage in color gamut as well as a "perfect smooth tone reproduction across the screen". There is a 16-bit lookup table supporting up to 278 trillion colors. The maximum brightness is 700 cd/m2, the contrast ratio is 1,000:1 and the response time is 8 ms.

That's a pretty nice display, one that's already being sold in Japan for $35,700. So expect it to be somewhere in that vicinity once it hits American shores.

VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

The whole world still revolves around the writing tool – don't you ever forget it. Designer Matej Korytar hasn't forgotten it, taking the WACOM brand of digital writing instruments to a new level with the WACOM REALISM project: a pen with many abilities. This pen, an advanced stylus as it were, has the ability not only to instantly scan any real-world color and output it to your display and writing app of your choice – it's got green power abilities as well.

This stylus has the ability to take the heat from your human hand and convert it into enough energy to keep the pen powered for its relatively low energy needs. With wireless connections unnamed as of yet, we must assume that some tech-forward Bluetooth or Wi-fi bond will be used to get the pen's knowledge of colors to the tablet, Wacom pad, or computer of your choice.

Designer: Majel Korytar

The tech world looks to undergo some sweeping changes in coming years. Apart from mere computers and handheld devices, the world is to get a new wave of intelligent products like clothes that can interact with the wearer, flexible and modular gadgets and much more. A new breakthrough in plastic electronics by a team of researchers at the Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory is to boost up tech geeks' seek for more flexible and translucent gadgets.

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Allerta has created the Pebble smart watch which is the first Bluetooth watch that offers both iOS and Android compatibility. The Pebble smart watch is equipped with a 1.26-inch 144×168-pixel black and white e-Paper display. And it features Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, four buttons, a vibrating motor and three-axis accelerometer.

The Pebble watch is able to pair with your iPhone and Android phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to receive calls, emails and message notification right on your wrist. The watch also supports downloadable watch faces and watch apps, including apps for you to control music, monitor your cycling, running and golfing (e.g. a Gold rangefinder) etc. The watch is capable of running several watch apps simultaneously. Watch apps can be installed over Bluetooth using the Pebble iOS or Android app and developed using the Pebble SDK.

Check out the Pebble watch's Kickstarter page now. If you place your pledge now, it costs only $99 but will be back to its original price of $149 when it hits the shelves later this year.

via engadget

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Have you ever think to bring a grenade into your office? If you ask me, I will answer yes. I have done that. You might think that I am a terrorist, but, I'm not. I just love army stuff. And this USB Grenade Flash Drive helps me to give some army touch when I work at my office.

USB Grenade Flash Drive Design

USB Grenade Flash Drive design is the first thing that makes me buy this gadget. It looks like real grenade, but, it has black color and shiny surface. So, it little bit different than the real grenade. The size of is also smaller than the grenade that I usually watch on the movie. It's only about the size of your thumb or for more precisely, it's about 32 x 32 x 57 mm, so, you can easily carry it in your pocket if you want to. The USB plug is hidden inside the grenade plug. Take it away and you can find it and plug it into your laptop or PC. However, it won't explode, even if you unplug it. But, it can be very useful tool that you can use to throw your friend that always bothering you at the office. don't forget that ask back the USB Grenade Flash Drive after you throw it away, because, it's not boomerang that can fly back to you.

USB Grenade Flash Drive Feature

This USB Grenade Flash Drive use USB 2.0. The capacity of this USB Grenade Flash Drive is 8 GB, quite big for flash drive that has unique shape, as we all know most of USB flash drive with unique shape has to sacrifice their storage capacity to facilitate the design and price. But when we talk about price, we can get this USB Grenade Flash Drive with $39.99, no problem for me, because, it will be one of cute army stuff collection I can have.

Buy it from ThinGeek for $39.99

There is a bit of buzz in the BlackBerry world surrounding comments Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations at Research in Motion, made about RIM disabling the sideloading of apps in the the next update of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Well, those comments actually came from an interview we did with Alec on the SMRpodcast, episode #111, last Tuesday April 3rd.

To get the full context of what Alec said, start listening at about (22:12).

[SMRpodcast on iTunes] [Subscribe to SRMpodcast]

Google announced a major redesign for the Google+ service that brings lot of changes. The redesign introduces, a customizable navigation ribbon with drag and drop functionality for apps, "full bleed" of photos and videos along with new place for Google+ hangouts.

The redesign includes a new navigation ribbon on the left side of the window instead of the static top menu. The navigation menu allows you to customize the way you want, it is the place for future apps also. It allows you to drag and drop elements, show or hide certain apps. It will show quick actions for the apps when you hover on apps.

To make sharing and conversations as easy as possible Google introduced some updates, including "full bleed" of photos and videos, a new feature Google terms as "Cards" will make it easier to scan and join discussions. An activity drawer that highlights the activity around your content on Google+.

A new home for Google+ hangouts (video chat with upto nine people) announced, that will show always updated list of invitations from your friends circle, quick access to public hangouts like live broadcasts. It will also have a rotating billboard of popular hangouts, pro tips and other things.

Apart from these updates there are some nifty features also included like a new explore page that shows what's interesting and trending across the Google+ network. A new profile with much bigger photos and more.

The features are not updated to everyone, they are being rolled out to everyone in a couple of days, in typical Google fashion.

Source: Google Blog

By David Ponce

Well it can't really be an exotic dancer, but that's not what we mean. The Pixel Table is just a bunch of wooden sticks arranged into a tidy cube. And you just move the sticks around to fit your needs. Want a surface? Pull some sticks out and there it is. Want to put something away? Push some more sticks and there's your drawer. It's simply ingenious and if you look at it with the right kind of eye (read: the possibly artistically pretentious eye), it looks fantastic.

We're assuming the outer edge is glued to hold everything together and the sticks within are somehow prevented from being pushed all the way out. There is sadly no word on price or availability, although it looks like an easy enough project to make in shop class…

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Geekosystem ]

When it comes time to do the laundry in a house or apartment complex with multiple tenants living with or near one another, the idea that they might toss all of their clothing into one machine might never occur to them. According to designer Anthony Yu, its because of this situation that we waste a lot more water than we really should be each time laundry day comes around. The solution is one of multiple tanks and a smart machine brain which knows just how much H2O you need per load.

Why would I toss my shirts in with another random person's pants if I don't have to? With the Lavadora laundry machine, you've got not just more than one separate compartment for clothes, you've got a smart machine with an electronic brain which can tell how much clothing you've got in and how much water it needs to pump out. This machine also has the ability to filter and re-use water and has a fabulously easy-to-use interface to keep your clothes washing activities as simple as possible

Designer: Anthony Yu

The dilapidated public phone booths in the New York City are to get a makeover with 32-inch interactive smart screens. Well, the popularity of smartphones and other high tech communication facilities has ended the golden era of payphone kiosks. The NYC authority has taken an appreciable step to modify the old phone booths with high tech display screens, which will keep people in touch with many essential updates.

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The Nokia lumia 900 landed officially on Sunday in US, some early owners of the phone are experiencing some data connectivity issues on the phone. Users are complaining at Nokia forums and WPCentral forums about the data connection issue, a bug in the newly launched Lumia 900 causing lost of data connectivity though voice and text are unaffected.

A user on Nokia forums has posted a work around for the issue, but it seems it is not working for all, and even if it work it might return with the same issues. The work around is, remove SIM, perform a reset, boot up the device without a SIM, turn off the device, insert the SIM again.

Electronista reports that the bug may be related to IMEI numbers not registering properly with the AT&Ts data network, it is not confirmed by At&T though. But AT&T is aware of the bug and taking defective devices away from shelves.

The bug seems to be not affecting all the Lumia 900 owners but a handful of early adaptors. The issue is not limited to LTE connectivity, even HSPA+ connections also had issue according to user reports. Lumia 900 launch is so important for Microsoft and Nokia, I am sure they will issue a fix for the problem soon.

By David Ponce

We can't really understand why it's taken so long, but there are talk that the big four US carriers will being implementing a plan to thwart phone theft by blocking their use on their combined networks. The reasoning behind this of course is that a phone that can no longer be used is of no value to anyone, thus less likely to be stolen in the first place. We're surprised it's taken this long simply because a similar plan has already been in place in the UK for several years, with a very high success rate.

And while this is good news, we're also saddened that the effort is likely to take quite some time to implement.

"We are working toward an industry wide solution to address the complexity of blocking stolen devices from being activated on ours or another network with a new SIM card," said a T-Mobile spokesperson, "This is not a simple problem to solve."

Not simple indeed. Word is that the central database will be ready within 18 months, and that regional carriers will then come in 6 months after that for a complete rollout within two years.

VIA [ Engadget ]

Created with just an LED strip, a ring diffuser, a power source and a mirror on a bit of back support, this is Aureole, a unique lighting solution. You'll find that what you've got here is a halo of light, made whole by the mirror that sits behind a crescent of LEDs. Hang a series of these on your wall and have a lineup of holy rollers in the making.

Ever want to wake up each morning and feel like an angel? Yuxin Han has the solution for you. Of course the Aureole isn't made specifically for you lovers of the circlet of godly presence, but it does have a rather pointed nickname: "Jesus Lamp."

And what's more, this design isn't just looking great when its all constructed – the components come in such flat pieces that you'd potentially be able to mail this whole project in a flat manilla envelope! That said, you probably wont want to because glass is breakable: USPS won't like that!

Designer: Yuxin Han

3D printing is fast becoming one of those cutting-edge yet practical technologies that insinuate a whole scope of low labor and high quality output. However, this time we have come across an innovative conception that also alludes to cost effective side of affairs. Christened as the 'Veloso 3D printer', this advanced contraption is a fruit of collaboration between two Singapore based designers: Junior Veloso and Pedro Braga.

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Android users must take note of this. A new version of the Legacy Native (LeNA app) is able to take control your device remotely and gain root permission. According to LookOut Mobile Security the LeNA app malware makes use of an exploit called GingerBreak to gain root permission of your device. It does not even need your interaction or permission while gaining the root access to your phone.

The new variant of LeNA simply hides itself as a legitimate app, it can even disguise as a fully functional copy of the recently released Angry Birds Space or hide among other apps.

The malware is able to install packages from remote server without the phone user's notice. LeNA has been spotted on alternative Android markets but not the Google Play. So, if you've been downloading Android apps from other sources instead of Google Play, then your device is very likely at risk.

via uberphones

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It's a regular struggle if you are on a custom firmware and wants to be on the latest iOS 5 firmware. Following the iTunes software update, if you are facing iTunes errors then download the newer iREB version 5 for Windows from the links given below, it works for latest iOS 5.1.1, iOS 5.1.2 and also for the older iOS firmware.

As the new iTunes version is also available, a new update iREB r6 could also be released soon by iH8sn0w.

Download iREB 5 for iOS 5 Windows

Download link. Version 5

iREB r6 download link will be made available on this as soon as it is released.

If you are looking for iREB for iOS 5 for Mac OS X and Lion then download Redsn0w (latest version at the time of writing).

Lenovo unveiled quietly it's new IdeaTab on YouTube. IdeaTab S2109 is an Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet measuring with 9.7 inch display, 8.9 inch thick unibody shell.

Pricing and the launch dates are not yet announced. It has a 93.7 inch display with 4:3 aspect ratio 1024×768 screen resolution. It is using IPS panel for display found in the previous generation of iPads.

Other specifications of the tablet include a 1.3 megapixel front camers for video calls, there is no rear facing camera though. it has micro USB, micro SD, and micro HDMI slots.

It has four SRS speakers at the back panel. The body is a unibody shell with gunmetal finish. Lenovo says that the tab has a 10 hour battery life. Watch the YouTube Video embedded below to see the tablet in action.

Via The Verge

By David Ponce

The Japanese seem to have a thing for pretty humidifiers. It's not the first time we've covered one, although this time we have a tiny bit more information on the product. The above is called the PlusMinusZero Humidifier Version 3, by Naoto Fukasawa design. It looks like a fancy bedpan, but will keep your nostrils hydrated and your sinuses free of pain instead. Coming in brown, red or green, this particular humidifier will break the bank at a cool $352. Of course when you're serious about decking out your living space with unique looking things, money can quickly become the least of your worries.

[ Product Page ]

For those about to camp in dangerous or otherwise unsettling environments, remember that you've always got LED lamps on your side. In this case is via Kairi Eguchi's design LET Touch Stick, a device which breaks up into parts for easy carrying and otherwise provides solar-charged sticks of light for safety. These lights are able to stay on all night or blink off and on throughout the night so you can safely be rescued by the forces that be from your long-lost place of snow-bound camp.

This design is made to be both easily packable and easy to use in emergency situations. As Eguchi notes, you'll want to leave the charging panels revealed to the sun all day long, then toss your lights out at night if you do so happen to come into an emergency situation. And for those of you looking to get some extra use out of these lovely beasts if you're not in trouble – just flip em on in your tent!

Designer: Kairi Eguchi