Playing games in Facebook, however, has its down turns. Most game apps on Facebook cannot be played on mobile devices, so there is no way to harvest your virtual strawberries using your smartphone. Thankfully, a new iPad app called GameBox lets you play some of Facebook’s popular games wherever you may be.
So far, the GameBox app has only two Facebook games that can be played with the iPad: Digital Chocolate’s Army Attack and Zynga’s CityVille. The app’s developer has promised that more games are on their way though. The user interface remains just like how it looks like on Facebook, so players will not waste time relearning. GameBox works by “place-shifting technology,” which uses actual flash renderings being relayed back and forth from the cloud to the device. It’s sort of a legal gray area, but we’ll let GameBox take care of that.
The GameBox for Facebook is now available in the Apple App Store for $2.99.
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Want to have a Sony PlayStation Vita by Christmas? If you live in the United States or Europe, it is highly unlikely.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Sony’s Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai says that its next-gen handheld console will not be released in the States or Europe until next year. Hirai even says the device will only be available in Japan by the end of this year.
The executive acknowledged that not selling the Vita during the holiday season would be really costly. “This is going to prove painful for Sony,” Hirai added.
So why the delay? Nobody knows for sure, but let’s just hope Sony will not delay its release. They did that with the PlayStation 3 countless times, which ultimately hurt sales when it was launched a year after the updated Xbox 360 was released.
The PS Vita will be available in two different models: The WiFi-only model costing $249 and the one with 3G for $299.
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We all know Garmin to be one of the best GPS manufacturers in the world. This particular GPS device is no exception when it comes to the great products manifactured by Garmin and it has been ranked as the top GPS device by several top sources online. It has a powerful multi-touch glass display, a voice-activated navigation, a 3D building and terrain view, subscription-free traffic alerts and hands-free calling compability. It is also known for its sleek design and can be easily put in the pocket without it looking like you have something in there.
The TomTom XL 340 S is a great and elegant device with a low price tag. Aside from it being a great device that you can easily purchase without thinking about your decision twice it also has a complete widescreen display with accurate maps. You can also control the navigation using your voice and it also makes use of the 3D technology to deliver high quality graphics. If you’re someone who loves to be in full control then you can’t go wrong with the TomTom XL 340 S GPS device as it makes it easy for you to modify street names, street directions and any other thing you want to on your device.
With a big 5-inch screen and support for full-screen display the TomTom XXL 550-TM is one of the best GPS devices ever. This device is very powerful with a database of over 7 million POIs and live traffic receiver. It also has very accurate maps that make it easy to find locations. This GPS device is also preloaded with the maps of the US, Canada and Mexico and it also has free lifetime map updates.
The Garmin Nuvi 1350T is another great GPS device from Garmin and it is a widescreen device with subscription-free traffic alerts. It also has preloaded maps for North America and a feature that announces streets by name. If you’re someone who is always on the go this device will be very handy as it also has the option to give you details about the traffic status and road condition of where you’re planning to go.
The Garmin Nuvi 1690 is also a great Navigation device by Garmin that helps you get real time content on the go. With this device it doesn’t matter whether what you want to know more about is fuel prices or even results in the Google Local Search database you don’t have to worry about anything before it is done. It also comes with preloaded maps, hands-free calling and the ecoRoute technology making it one of the best GPS navigation devices.
The Magellan RoadMate 1700 is a solid 7-inch wide GPS device that can be pretty handy if you’re a car owner who will love to have a GPS device in your car. It also has an ultra-clear display which makes it easy for you to see things more clearly than it would have been with an ordinary GPS device. The Roadmate 1700 also has other options that allows you to easily search and bookmark any location you want. Using a GPS device in a car can be very tricky but you have nothing to worry about as far as this device is concerned because it also announces street names and other locations to you so you have no need to worry about your attention being divided.
The Nuvi 1260T is another GPS device that is very portable but also has a lot of great features. This device has preloaded maps for North America and Europe and it also gives regular free traffic alerts. The Garmin Nuvi 1260T also has pedestrian navigation options and it allows hands-free calling and supports ecoRoute to help you calculate a more fuel-efficient route.
The next device on this list is the TomTom GO 2505-TM with slim design, crisp and sharp graphics and great user menus. It also has a 5-inches glass touchscreen and a pinch-to-zoom feature for easy map viewing. Also as a result of the accuracy of TomTom maps this device has one of the most accurate maps and you can be assured of getting the right results from the locations displayed. It is also preloaded with maps for the US, Canada and Mexico and to crown it all with this device you have free lifetime map updates.
The Garmin Nuvi 205W is a great GPS navigation device with a 4.3-inch touch screen navigator with support for both 2D and 3D maps. This device also has an option that allows you to control it by voice and it also has an option to be giving you locations by voice. You also can’t go wrong with its “emergency locator” feature that tells you exactly where you are whenever you want to know it. It also has some fancy features like the currency converter, the JPEG picture viewer, the world travel clock and a calculator.
The final device on this list is the Garmin Nuvi 265WT. This device is a very cheap device with a widescreen navigator. It also has preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions that can call out streets by name. You can’t ever go wrong with its crisp and widescreen display.
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Don’t get me wrong, the word “useless” used here is used endearingly. These apps will have you spending those idle hours creatively in no time. Not to mention the fact that these apps are also filled with vibrant colors and great noises. Without further adieu, I bring you three apps from Japan that have no use, but are lots of fun.
Broadway Café -- $4.99
Ever wondered what it’s like to work in a café? Have you had dreams of becoming a chef? Well, Broad Café lets you fulfill those dreams. In a highly developed, really nice to look at, app sort of way, Broadway Café is a game that puts you in the midst of a busy café.
Work tables, cook, organize the books, and create your café décor with this app. You can also connect the app to Facebook, so that you can share your café duties with your Facebook friends (you can recruit).
Samurai Chess -- $2.99
Does this one really need an explanation? If you love chess and you’ve always dreamed about becoming a samurai, this app’s for you. This 3D game allows you to play with people from all over the world. You can challenge other samurais to a game of chess or you can dress up as a samurai and play chess at home – the choice is yours.
GottaDo2 -- $2.99
This app is a bit more productive (and perhaps not as useless) as the other apps mentioned above. GottaDo2 is a checklist app of sorts. You add items to your “To Do” list using the provided checklist. Once items have been checked off, the checked items “feed” tiny monsters who are waiting to devour your productivity. As you feed them, the monsters included in this app will grow. You’ll also be encouraged to do stuff if you feed your monsters regularly. If you love monsters and checklists, this is an app not to be missed.
Quick Pigeon – Free
Sometimes a “yes” or “no” answer will do. This push app allows you to reply to a friend’s question by sending a carrier pigeon to your friend. The virtual pigeon delivers a yes or no answer. Again, not a necessary app, but a really fun one!
Apps That You Need
The word “need” and the word “app” don’t necessarily need to go together. Apps are meant to be fun, and productivity is just a bonus. If you have to do a task (such as keep a “to do” list), why not have some fun with it? These apps from Japan turn mundane tasks into tasks that you’ll actually want to do. So what if you’ve never run a café? You can always pretend – that is, after all, what imagination is for!
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From Facebook to Twitter and now Google Plus, there’s something instantly gratifying about knowing what’s going on in your world. But, how much is too much? Is social media truly addicting? If so, do we only have ourselves to blame? The aforementioned study reveals more about the growing social media habit than most people would like to know.
Social Media Is Life
Think about how much time you spend socializing online. Most of us check our social media accounts at least ten times per day. Social media drive the way we think, interact, and communicate with those people around us – or, those people who live far away from us. The strange thing about social media is that many of our connections are people we haven’t spoken to in years – worse, people we’ve never spoken to.
Yet, as the study suggests, we have come to build virtual relationships with our social media contacts. Knowing what someone is thinking, doing, and feeling at all times of the day keeps us connected to the outside world. Social media addiction is a growing habit for sure, but is it a healthy habit?
As Serious As a Drug Addiction
Researchers from the University of Maryland conducted a study earlier this year. Gathering hundreds of students from colleges across the world, these participants were not allowed to use any electronic device for 24 hours. To make matters more difficult for the students, newspapers were not allowed either. All communication with the outside world was suspended.
During these 24 hours, the students recorded their feelings in diaries. Researchers found that many participants experienced depression, anxiety, and some even had physical withdrawal symptoms comparable to the withdrawal symptoms experienced by drug addicts and alcoholics. This has prompted many within the medical community to become concerned.
Recognizing an Addiction
A social media addiction may seem laughable, but the notion of an alcohol, smoking, or drug addiction was once laughable as well. At some point in history, it was perfectly acceptable to do drugs, drink like a fish around the clock, and smoke without concern. As soon as these habits were termed “addictions” help groups and clinics popped up.
Presently, there are no social media help groups. No clinics where people have to check their smartphones at the door exist. But, that doesn’t mean that a social media addiction isn’t real. Try leaving your smartphone behind for one weekend. During that time, don’t use any computers or other devices. Then, see how you react. If you feel like your “hand has been cut off” after leaving your smartphone behind for one day, it might be time to seek help.
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With the internet, consumers don't have to rely on their local market or catalog delivery, they can log on to the internet and access a whole world of products and services.
All of this choice can be overwhelming, however, and many people get stuck in trying to decide where best to invest their money. Many websites include a review feature, where consumers can read other people's experiences with products they are considering buying.
However, some of these reviews are spam, created by people who will profit from you choosing one product over the other. Unfortunately, humans are not that good at telling the difference between a spam and a genuine review.
Thanks to computer science, we can now rely on software to filter out spam reviews. The software uses statistical machine learning algorithms, which detect indicators of spam, such as a high volume of verbs, which usually means spam, as opposed to a high number of nouns, which tend to indicate a genuine product review. The software also detects other differences between fake and real reviews, such as use of keywords, punctuation, and how much the reviewer references him or herself.
Truth Bias
Humans tend to fall prey to what Cornell doctoral candidate, Myle Ott, calls a "truth bias." This means that most people tend to assume everything they read is true, until evidence to the contrary is presented. Once people find out what they thought was true, is actually false, they tend to think in the opposite extreme.
They then assume that much of what they read is not true. Neither of these instances is ideal, of course. Ideally, one would be able to decipher what is true from false, but with the endless amount of information on the internet, it is nearly impossible to verify everything one reads. This new software can help people trust what they read.
Review Accuracy
Reviews are an incredibly valuable resource, but their value is limited to their accuracy. The internet provides a great forum for people all over the world to share experiences with different products and services. This information helps consumers make decisions about how to best invest their money. Because anyone can write these reviews, however, people can write false reviews, over-praising certain products and bashing rival products.
Certain spam reviews are quite easy to spot, but studies show that false reviews can easily slip under our radar. Cornell tested three human judges, to see how accurately they could spot false reviews. They were presented with 400 fraudulent positive reviews and the same number of genuinely positive reviews of 20 Chicago hotels.
The judges scored quite poorly, no better than if they had been guessing which reviews were false. "Ultimately, cutting down on deception helps everyone," said Myle Ott. "Customers need to be able to trust the reviews that read, and sellers need feedback on how best to improve their services."
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The Death of the Landline
While many people might argue that the death of the landline came with the mobile phone, there are still quite a few legitimate reasons not to swap one's landline for a cellular phone. The cost of using a mobile phone to make all one's phone calls can get quite expensive. Cellphones are a great way to stay in touch with people while out running errands or doing business, however they're not exactly ideal for fielding long conversations with a client or a grandmother on a Wednesday afternoon.
Most mobile phone contracts include a lots of free usage during the evenings and weekends, and the user can choose how many minutes he or she wants to purchase for use outside of those boundaries. The more "anytime" minutes you require, the more you'll need to spend, not to mention the devastation to your checking account that can occur if you exceed the allowed minutes. Skype is a great solution for people who don't want to spend tons of money on daytime phone calls.
Features
Skype has plenty of free features to help people stay in touch with loved ones and clients alike. Free, unlimited video and voice chat is available for all Skype to Skype calls. Just make sure everyone on your contact list knows about this free service, and staying in touch is easier than ever. If both users have a webcam, they can take advantage of intimate face to face conversations. If not, they are free to send instant text messages or engage in voice chat. Skype also allows free unlimited file sharing, making it easier than ever to instantly send images or documents to friends, family and business associates.
Premium
The free features of Skype may be enough for many people, but for the rest of us, premium features are available at great prices. If you only have the need for an occasional call to a landline or cell phone, you have the option of paying per minute. It is a lot like a prepaid cellphone plan. The user puts money on his or her account, and then can use those funds to make long distance or local calls. Per-minute prices are available at www.skype.com, and there are regular discounts available for different regions.
Skype offers a variety of plans, to make sure users don't have to pay for services they wont use. Monthly subscriptions start at $2.99, for unlimited calls within the United States and Canada. The next plan includes all of North America, at $7.99 per month, and the most comprehensive monthly subscription includes unlimited calls worldwide, across more than 40 countries, at $13.99 per month.
Additionally, Skype offers premium packages, which can be purchased a day at a time, $4.99 per day; a month at a time, at $8.99 per month; 3 months at a time, at $6.74 per month and a year at a time, at $4.49 per month. The 3 month premium subscription comes out to a total of around $20, and the year-long subscription comes out to about $54. The premium features include group video calling, group screen sharing, live chat customer support, in addition to everything available at the free level. A one-month subscription and up includes a 25% discount on an HD webcam, and the 3-month and year subscription includes unlimited calls within the US and Canada.
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Kids these days are smartphone savvy. Parents across the world often hand children as young as the age of four an iPhone, Android phone, or Blackberry to play with.
These smartphones are fun centers packed into tiny squares, and fun apps manage to keep kids who travel quiet for hours on end. Give all the appeal that a smartphone has for children, it’s no wonder that big movie studios are starting to cash in on the “apps for kids” trend.
In the past, movies such as "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Shrek Forever After" gained their own apps. Now, the latest cartoon blockbuster “The Smurfs Movie” is already attached to a new iOS game app called “The Smurf Storybook.” This app comes before the release of the movie as a sort of teaser for kids.
Who Needs Previews?
Previews are effective marketing tools if kids manage to catch a preview. For those kids who don’t watch a lot of television or head to the movie theater frequently, previews are a lost cause. Movie studios don’t want to lose this potential audience. So, instead of spending all advertising dollars on creating previews that some kids may miss, these studios are sinking large amounts of money into creating smartphone apps.
Parents are far more likely to purchase a movie preview disguised as a smartphone game app than they are to allow kids to watch hours of television per day. Thus far, pre-movie apps for kids are working like magic. When it comes time for quiet time, it’s far easier to hand a child a smartphone filled with fun games than it is to find other activities to occupy a child’s mind.
What This App Does
The Storybook app contains read-alongs and games for kids to enjoy. One game includes allowing children to find certain mistakes within a storyline. While this all seems like harmless fun, there’s one reason why you may want to think twice before downloading the Smurfs app. This app will get your child hooked on the new Smurfs movie before the movie even debuts.
In addition to games, the Smurfs app includes celebrity voiceovers, characters from the movie, and the whole thing is based upon the storyline from the movie. So, when your kids finally do head to the theater, they will know all about the movie. Needless to say, they’ll also be familiar with the celebrities who are taking part in the film. One has to wonder if movie studios will soon be slipping advertisements into these apps as well (will Smurfette get a hankering for a Coke?).
Cost and Availability
The Smurfs Movie Storybook is currently available on the iPhone and iPad. No Android app release has been created at the time of this writing. If your kids want the new Smurf app, you’ll have to fork over $2.99 for the iStorybook application.
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Cell phones are important in Japan. Japanese cell phone manufacturers produce hundreds of phones every year. Most of these phones sell out quickly. Japan also has a love affair with Apple products (who doesn’t?), and some other best-selling North American phones. But there’s an air in Japan that’s nothing like the North American vibe. Simply, a different way of being – of living. This difference makes Japanese apps better than most other apps on the market.
Existence Not Purpose
Japanese apps don’t necessarily have a direct purpose. Developers may or may not have designed these apps to reach a specific target audience. But most Japanese apps do have one commonality: apps coming from Japan are fun. Not only are they fun, but they’re highly interactive.
Take the app Tiny Riot, for example. Tiny Riot makes a lot of heavy metal, head-banging, noise while you shake and yell at your iPhone. Sure, this app was created in order to help angry Japanese teens deal with anger issues, but it’s also a lot of fun to use. The harder you shake your iPhone, the more noise Tiny Riot makes. It’s just plain fun, and that’s what apps should be.
The Most Successful Apps
Have you ever noticed how the most successful apps tend to be gaming apps? Look, for example at the Angry Bird empire. Angry Birds is, essentially, a video game. But, it’s also a game that’s a lot of fun to play. People have become so hooked to Angry Birds that some can’t put the game down. Granted, Angry Birds is not a Japanese invention, but it’s still a fun app that doesn’t necessarily serve a direct purpose.
This is not to say that North American developers haven’t created some great apps. There are apps that make Twitter easier to use and apps that help you fall asleep, but most of these are targeted and full of purpose. Purpose isn’t a bad thing, but it won’t allow you to let loose and abandon all fear of public embarrassment the way that many Japanese apps do.
Where to Find Japanese Apps
If you don’t speak Japanese, you may want to stick to foreign-made apps that can be used in English. Otherwise, you may be navigating a whole different type of water (who knows, you may find that many Japanese apps are still fun – even if you don’t completely understand the directions!). Thankfully, a lot of great Japanese apps come with English instructions.
To find the best Japanese apps on the market, start by conducting a bit of research. I recommend that you research all the apps you download beforehand (Japanese or not) anyway. This way, you know whether or not you are wasting your hard-earned pennies.
You’ll quickly find that the apps coming out of Japan are simply fun to use, and that’s something worth exploring!
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The Future of Intel’s Atom Processor
Intel’s Atom processor was a huge hit, we first saw it power a flurry of netbooks. This really pushed netbooks on to the market and made them successful. If you thought that the Atom Processor was only powering netbooks you are sadly mistaken. It powers quite a few different devices and Intel has big plans for it in the next few years.
Let’s start with the very exciting news, you will start to see Intel Atom processor’s in smartphones! Intel recently announced its 32nm “Medfield” smartphone platform. This platform is directly aimed to compete with the ARM architecture. Not only will this platform be powerful, but the battery life will be great. Intel has said that this architecture is the most efficient on the planet. The “Medfield” platform is scheduled for production this year, so possibly we will see a device by the end of the year.
In April Intel launched the Atom Z670 platform. This is the platform you are going to see on many mobile devices like slates, convertibles and sliders. Intel actually had some of those on display for us. I think the one that was most compelling to me was the Maestro Evolve III.
This convertible tablet is a hybrid, meaning it can act as a tablet using touch-screen or you can prop it up using the built-in stand and connect a wireless keyboard. What’s great about this device is that you can load multiple operating systems (Windows 7, Android and MeeGo) and you can switch between them instantly. This means you can have all of the cool Android apps, then when you need to be productive and write or use something in Windows you just switch right in to Windows mode. The Evolve III will give you 10+ hours of battery life too! It is powered by the Intel Z670 1.5GHz processor.
Intel also had the ViewSonic ViewPad 10 to show us.
This tablet can dual-boot so you can run both Android and Windows 7. It is powered by Intel’s N455 1.66GHz processor.
So let’s get back to netbooks, Intel’s upcoming platform for netbooks is codenamed “Cedar Trail”. This is the first netbook platform based on Intel’s 32nm technology, and will enable ultra-thin, fanless designs with new capabilities such as Intel’s Rapid Start technology which provides fast resume, Intel Smart Connect Technology which enables an always updated experience even during standby, Intel Wireless Display and PC Synch, which let users wirelessly update and synchronize documents, content and media across multiple devices. This new platform is going to bring battery life to the next level too with 10 hours of battery life during operation and weeks of standby. Expect to see mobile and desktop designs based on the “Cedar Trail” platform towards the end of the year.
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