Category: Gadgets

An electronic gadgets blog

New Pokemon Nintendo game

On November 18 the new Nintendo Pokemon game called Pokemon Sun and Moon will come out. The legendary Pokemon are called Solgaleo and Lunala. There is also a mythical Pokemon that looks like Diancie called Magearna which is said to be made by humans a long time ago. The starter Pokemon are called Litten the fire type, Popplio the ater type and Rowlet the grass type.

gallery-1464873431-solgaleo gallery-1464873635-lunala

image credit: digitalspy.com

1st picture: solgaleo

2nd picture:lunala

I am very excited to play this game.

First blog, yeah!

Star Wars: Battlefront

It’s been quite a while since the last Battlefront installment, Elite Squadron, 4 years, to be exact. That’s why gamers were relieved to find out that DICE, the developers of the Battlefield games and Lucasarts were teaming to make a reboot of the original Battlefront. Here are some features that Lucasarts has revealed.

Characters

Lucasarts promises players they will be able to play as some of the most iconic characters, with more to come.

  • Luke Skywalker- The Force is strong with this one. Players will be able to wield the enormous power of the good side of the Force.
  • Darth Vader- Portrayed as the most memorable symbol of fear in the Star Wars universe, wield the power of the dark side, crushing your enemies in endless defeat.
    What I thought the cover would look like.
    What I thought the cover would look like.
  • Boba Fett- Unleash death from the air. Play as Boba Fett, the ruthless bounty hunter. Last I heard, he had a bounty on every Rebel scum in the galaxy.
  • Princess Leia Organa- Be a devoted leader of the Rebellion and use both defensive maneuvers and powerful attacks on the battlefront. Avoid enemy fire behind the Enhanced Squad Shield or one-shot most enemies with the mighty Trooper Bane ability. 
  • Emperor Palpatine- End the insignificant rebellion as the galaxy’s prime symbol of evil, Emperor Palpatine. Shock enemies with the iconic Force Lightning or use Force Dash to traverse the battlefront. 
  • Han Solo- The legendary smuggler who’s seen his share of blaster fights. Playing as Han Solo, you can adapt to any situation fighting off Imperial troops. The Six Shooter and Lucky Shot abilities will fit both long and short ranged combat.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Missions

Want to play with a buddy, but your ISP’s giving you a headache? Don’t worry, Battlefront Missions is a great way to pass time while your ISP passes WiFi to your neighbors!

  • Survival- Simple: Live as long as you can without dying with a buddy.

…..And that’s it! Lucasarts plans to release “more in the months ahead”

Multiplayer

Lucasarts promises multiplayer to be even more promising, with the assurance of a mode that promises 40 player battles. Game On!

  • Walker Assault- The Empire calls on their onslaught of AT-AT walkers in this mode, giving you only Y-Wings to fight them. For those who’ve seen the movies, there’s only one way to topple one of these giants.

Again, that’s it. Look for more to be announced soon.

Cover Art
Cover Art
Like always, all features are subject to change.

Release date: November 17, 2015

All features owned by DICE, Lucasfilm,TM , and EA.

I owned none of these features, is what I'm saying.
Citation:http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront

Xbox One

The newest gaming console in the legendary Xbox lineup, the Xbox One has come and I have bought it. (Yes, I know it came out last year, but I got it just this month.) Here are a few things that Microsoft promises in the Xbox One.

Games

The Xbox One comes with an extensive collection of games. Here they are:

  • Witcher 3: Wild Hunt- You play Geralt,a hunter. No, he doesn’t hunt deer, he hunts monsters.

    Citation: http://cloud.attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/xbox-one-picjpg.jpg
    Citation: http://cloud.attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/xbox-one-picjpg.jpg
  • Forza Horizon 2: Fast and Furious*-In inspiration of the newest Fast and Furious movie, Playground Games employees created a standalone expansion based off of Furious 7.
  • Battlefield Hardline- You play as a cop in a drug bust gone wrong. You end up in jail. What will you do?
  • Ori and the Blind Forest*-You play Ori, a guardian spirit. Your goal is to fill the forest up with light once more.
  • Halo: Master Chief Collection*- All of the Halo games from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 4 are included in this bundle of fun.
  • Evolve- You choose. Play as a heartless monster or a brave monster-hunter.
  • Halo 5: Guardians*- Something is wrong. Master Chief has done unspeakable things, and as Spartan Locke, it’s your duty to find out why. No one understands you. You’ve become horribly violent, you don’t care anymore. As Master Chief, it’s your job to be the hunted; and, in the end, become the hunter. Play both roles in Halo 5: Guardians
  • Forza Motorsport 6*- The successor to Forza Motorsport 5, a racing game based on realistic physics.
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider*- Lara Croft’s destiny was to become the Tomb Raider. Fulfill that destiny in the Rise of the Tomb Raider.
  • Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain- A third-person game series about a soldier called “Solid Snake” who does various things, whatever he is assigned. This is the second part of the Metal Gear Solid V mini-series, the first one being Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege- The successor to Rainbow Six: Rouge Spear, an FPS game that involves a terrorist and counter-terrorist team facing off in a hostage-style situation.
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops III- The successor to the Black Ops series, set in the far future.
  • Star Wars: Battlefront- An FPS based on the original Star Wars trilogy. (squeee!!!!!)
  • Fable Legends*- The successor to Fable III, a Smite-style third person MMO.
  • Tom Clancy’s The Division- A futuristic Third Person Shooter that explores the dangers of technology. You play as The Division, a group of people brought out as a last resort.
  • Quantum Break*-unknown
  • Crackdown*-unknown
  • Scalebound*-unknown

(Crackdown and Scalebound’s release dates are yet to be announced, but are confirmed games, according to Microsoft)

*Xbox One exclusives

Xbox Live

Here is the list of things that Microsoft has said that they have improved in Xbox Live on Xbox One.

  • No waiting in lobbies- Apparently you can watch TV while Xbox One does your matchmaking. Convenient!
  • No jerks- A jerk spamming chat? A cheat shooting missiles out of his rifle? Report such activity and Xbox One apparently makes sure they never play with you again(unless they make another account.)
  • Capture your Greatness-Capture that mlg360no-scope420 and let it get noticed, with Game DVR, Upload, Upload Studio, and Twitch.
  • Twitch-Xbox One has twitch, so you can broadcast live directly from your Xbox One.
  • Home Gold-Let’s say your younger brother is broke, but he wants to play online with his friends. If you have Gold, with Xbox One, your whole family can access it, at no extra cost.

Miscellaneous 

  • Playing Games while Skyping-Heck Yes!
  • Windows 10 on Xbox One- As soon as Windows 10 comes out, your Xbox One will run on it, as your computer or tablet does.

    Citation: http://microsoft-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Windows-10-logo-white.jpg
    Citation: http://microsoft-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Windows-10-logo-white.jpg
  • Xbox on Windows 10- You can now play you downloaded Xbox games on Windows 10!!!!!

That’s all that Microsoft has announced, so far. As always, everything is subject to change.

All features are owned by Microsoft Corporation
Citation: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one

iPhone 5

There is a new Apple iPhone 5 announced yesterday. Again, new features, sleek design, retina display, 4G, but missing the favorite youtube. The Siri had learnt a lot in this version and the Apple phone charger is dual sided. One more gadget to be lying around the house, huh.

Aplpe released the thinnest and lightest iPhone 5. Here are some highlights:

  1. The latest phone comes with iOS 6 to allow fastest downloads.
  2. The 8 mega pixel camera has been improved and is thinner than the 4S camera.
  3. The thin connector is dual sided and can be connected to other accessories using an adapter.
  4. The 4inch retina display is taller and allows you to type easily.
  5. Siri learnt new languages and general information about sports and restaurants.
  6. The new audio is sharp with reduced noise.
  7. Facebook integration allows to post directly from the notification center.
  8. The A6 chip allows faster data transfer and graphics performance.
  9. The inbuilt LTE wireless technology allows faster downloads and connectivity.
  10. Enhanced earpods with beamforming sounds.

So, you a have a new reason to buy the new phone. Apple had released one. You may wonderwhat to do with the old phones lying around the house and when the next one will be released. You can donate, exchange, gift, sell, or use them as additional browsers and cameras.

Missing youtube from the iPhone is a shock to the users but lets see how far the iPhone 5 will connect to the world. 🙂

Vizio Tablet

The eight inch tablet from Vizio has good display and widgets but is limited in audio and browsing capabilities. The WiFi tablet costs around $200 and has all the basic requirements of a tablet with many android apps.

Here are the good aspects of VTAB1008:

  1. 8 inch LED LCD display with capacitative touch buttons and screen resolution of 1024×768
  2. Front facing camera for chatting and taking pictures
  3. Inbuilt television remote and bluetooth
  4. 32GB maximum storage with 4GB built in storage
  5. Can be connected to a TV, headset, SD Card, and USB
  6. Weighs 1.5 pounds
  7. Battery life up to 10hours
  8. Bottom menu bar

Here are the not so good aspects I observed:

  1. Heavy and bulky appearance
  2. No horizontal panning
  3. Maximum volume is low
  4. Sensitive buttons get pressed unnecessarily
  5. Browser closes abruptly
  6. Camera is not good for pictures
  7. Web browsing is not that comfortable
With affordable cost, the Vizio tablet provides basic requirements of a portable device. It is a good choice for starters. You need to download additional apps to reduce the lag. 🙂

 

 

 

iPhone 4S

Just before  Steve Jobs passed away, Apple introduced its iPhone 4S, which is basically same as iPhone4 but has inbuilt voice assistant Siri. It also features 8 Megapixel camera for better face detection and video stabilization. iPhone 4S also has iCloud which can synchronize all your Apple devices.

iPhone 4S already sold out its pre orders for its latest features. Apple fans are ordering the latest version of the iPhone series. Its latest features include dual core A-5 chip, built in assistant Siri, Bluetooth 4.0, 8 mega pixel camera, iOS 5, iCloud, along with other built-in applications. The data download speed of iPhone 4S is 14.4 Mbps which is double the iPhone 4.

  1. The A-5 chip is the Package-on-package System-on-a-chip developed by Apple. Apple had already released the iPad 2 with the A-5 chip followed by the iPhone 4S. Apple claims that the chip is seven times faster than A4 and has better image processing capabilities. Manufactured by Samsung, A-5 chip is the latest chips by the Apple which is included in the iPhone 4S.
  2. The voice assistant Siri, the Beta version, sends messages, sets up reminders, makes phone calls, schedules meetings, sets messages, and son based on your voice. You can activate the commands through voice and the assistant replies to you as if a person is reading to you. You can check the weather in a particular place, find out local restaurants, and movie theaters through your voice commands.
  3. Bluetooth 4, primarily consumers 90 per cent less energy. It is useful for medical technologies and medical devices for capturing the data within up to 20  feet. iPhone 4S features Bluetooth 4, through which you can synchronize and control other bluettoh devices such as headset, or mouse, or keyboard, or television.
  4. The 8 mega pixel camera is the next big thing in the iPhone 4S. Additional face detection capabilities along with auto focus, illumination sensors enhance the picture quality. Grid zoom facilities and tap to focus help to take better pictures and videos. The video stabilization in iPhone 4S is claimed to be better than the iPhone 4.
  5. iOS 5 is the latest operating system from Apple that has extended features such as messaging from one Apple device to other, seeing voice messages, capturing pictures, checking instant messages right from the lock screen. Te Notification Center acts as a one stop for all the mails, calendars, reminders, tweets, face book messages and so on.  iOS 5 has inbuilt twitter making easy social networking.
  6. The biggest buzz about the iCloud is synchronizing all your Apple devices such as the Mac book, Apple TV, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and so on. That means, you can download a book on a phone and read it anywhere on your computer or pad or mac book without synchronizing with a wire. It is automatically updated on all your Apple devices.

Compare the Apple iPhones before purchasing and the new features will pave way for more discoveries in the future models. It seems, Steve Jobs laid out future plans for the next four years despite his illness. While some argue that nothing is new in iPhone 4S, some see innovations and advanced technologies in built. 🙂

Motorola Xoom

With the deluge of tablets being released, it has become tedious to decide which one is the best. Motorola Xoom, the latest in the tablet family performs well in the wireless networks for multimedia operations and web browsing. The high priced tablet is a good add on if you are a gadget geek. 🙂

With 10.1 inch display and 1280 x 800 screen resolution, Motorola Xoom is best suited for videos. It is built with Google Android and Honeycomb 3.0. Released in January 2011, the tablet has 32 GB with 1 G Hz processing speed. It weighs around 25 ounces and though some of its features are still being developed, the Xoom is admired by many for its flexibility.

The music is crisp and clear and the video streaming is good. The tablet has support from Google maps, e-books and blue tooth. The mail notification system is at the right hand corner which helps to enjoy the current program uninterrupted. The widgets can be scrolled and stacked on the home screen itself apart from searching and arranging.

You can attaching external memory and though Flash is not inbuilt, it can be downloaded. You can also transfer files from your computer through a cable. You can rent movies, buy applications, and games through the Android market. The tablet is available in different versions and is priced from about $500 to $800.

One can open and view MS Office files through the applications. You can work on Google documents and write blogs using the tablet. The tablet is good for on the go internet, multimedia, emails, and video chatting. The 4G upgrade is planned to release in September 2011. The microSD feature is expected with software upgrade. Its optional accessories include a charging cum speaker dock, wireless keyboard, protective case, vehicle adapter and so on.

The major drawbacks include the high price, limited applications, poor resolution in games, cramped keypad, and heavier than its competitors. Most of the games and applications seem to hang and quit while downloading itself. Despite the dual cameras, the pictures are not that clear.

My favorite part of the tablet is the fruit slicing game and one touch email. Motorola Xoom is a favorite if you need flexibility and watch a lot of videos. (The only reason people buy a tablet is – slightly larger than a smart phone and slightly smaller than a laptop. duh!  :))

Steve Jobs Announces Apple iPhone 4 – Multitasking Ahoy!

Steve Jobs announced Apple iPhone 4 to be available from June 24th. The much awaited iPhone 4 has promises for the frustrated previous iPhone users. iPhone 3GS was the latest in the series though it has some limitations. Most users opted for jail breaking rather than getting stuck with the limited features of iPhone 3GS.

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Apple iPhone 4

iPhone 4 features and design include retina display, A4 processor, built-in three-axis-gyroscope, LED Camera, multitasking (much needed), HD Video recording and editing and so on. It has enabled video calling ‘Face time’ apart from the existing shared features in iPhone 3GS. When you compare the two models, the latest one is obviously better with increased options and promises.

iPhone 4 is going to have multiple new applications including Netflix. Let’s hope the promises are kept up and all the features work properly. 🙂

AT&T or Verizon

Apple has contracts wit AT&T until 2010. In today’s announcement, everybody expected Steve Jobs to mention Verizon as the next service provider. But no such announcement is made leaving the iPhone users to wonder about what is going to happen next?

You can pre-order your iPhone 4 from June 15th onwards which will be available from June 23rd. Let us hope that it wins the smart phone race. 🙂

Jail Breaking Apple iPhone

New iPhone users may sometimes feel stuck by the limitations of the iPhone. Most of the frustration led to jail breaking which improves the features but risks the iPhone itself. Here is a glimpse of iPhone jail breaking.

iPhone Limitations


I was shocked to realize the basic features which other normal phones have are missing from Apple iPhone. I wouldn’t have bought an iPhone if I knew these drawbacks. 🙂
  • Cannot support flash
  • Cannot run applications in the background
  • Cannot customize themes, ring tones, and colors
  • Cannot stop SMS preview when you are in the middle of something else
  • Cannot send MMS or blue tooth
  • Cannot forward text messages
  • Cannot forward contacts
  • Calendar cannot sync with Google calendar!
Moreover, if you are listening to music, answering calls and browsing the Internet in a day through iPhone, you need to keep it plugged and charge it all the time!

Jail Breaking iPhone

All these limitations have increased user frustration and led to jail breaking of an iPhone. Jail breaking is nothing but erasing the existing operating system and reloading the customizable operating system. It involves hacking the iPhone software and loading your own operating system software with customizable features.

Jail Breaking versus Unlocking

Jail breaking is different from unlocking an iPhone. Unlocking an iPhone is freeing it from the service provider you bought it and enabling it to use it on any other service. Whereas, jail breaking is the first step to unlocking but not necessarily changing the service provider.
For example, when you unlock an iPhone, you can change the service provider. But, when you jail break an iPhone, you can still continue with your existing service provider.

Advantages of Jail breaking iPhone

Cydia, Spirit, QuickPwn and so on are some of the tools to jail break an Apple iPhone. With jail breaking, you can have customized wall papers and hide native iPhone applications which you do not use.
You can practically make the iPhone work in your personal way which you want instead of getting stuck with the default options given by Apple. Hackers are continuously working on jail breaking techniques and freeing up the iPhone for better utilization.

Disadvantages of Jail breaking iPhone


Once you jail break your iPhone, you cannot return to apple software though you can continue accessing the Apps and tunes from the apple stores. Jail breaking may not be suggestible because of the following reasons:
  • Conflicts the functioning of the device itself
  • More prone to viruses and worms
  • Loss of warranty of the iPhone
  • With every iTune update, jail breaking is disabled and you have to jail break it again. 🙂
Anyways, if you still decide to go ahead, here are some guidelines for jail breaking.

Legal Issues of Jail breaking iPhone

While the hackers feel that jail breaking is perfectly normal and must be legalized, Apple still claims the copyrights. While it is entirely an individual’s decision whether to jail break or not, I think one must consider all the options before proceeding. 🙂

HP Compaq Presario CQ61-420US 15.6Inch Notebook Personal Computer

Hewlett Packard is the world leader in Personal Computer sales according to the IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, 2007. The latest notebook we bought from HP has the following features.

  • It has 15.4″ diagonal HP Brightview high-definition widescreen display.
  • It can play DVDs, CDs, USB devices with a touch of button.
  • The laptop has a webcam, microphone and Instant Messaging client.
  • It weighs around six pounds and looks sharp with clean design and features a glassy imprint finish.
  • The notebook has integrated high-speed wireless Local Area Network (LAN).
  • The laptop comes with intel Pentium Dual core processor and Windows Vista operating software.

HP has 24×7 award-winning telephone customer service. You can reach the toll free phone support during the one year warranty period and online support as long as you own the product. The warranty system works good and they do not charge for the shipping of the laptop as well. 🙂

The only drawback of this product is the heat it generates and the sensors are heat sensitive. You can buy this laptop for a great day-to-day and office work. You can download software and drivers from HP.

You can connect the laptop to your television using a cable and watch high definition videos from the internet. You can burn music CDs and DVDs from the laptop. It is a great laptop with amazing features and battery life. 🙂

Compaq Presario CQ61-420US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Compaq Presario CQ61-420US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Buy new: $459.99 / Used from: $421.99
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iPhone Apps and Accessories – A Newcomer Guide

Are you a new iPhone owner? Are you confused how to set it up? And are awed by the large number of Apps available? Welcome to the iPhone club. Here are some tips and best practices for you and your iPhone.


My husband and son cannot stop jumping after seeing the new iPhone which we got yesterday. The instructions book said to charge fully, but did not mention how long. And we have to switch it off before charging. So, how do we know if it is fully charged.

Setting up

  • Do not switch on the iPhone initially
  • Charge the iPhone using the charger provided
  • Wait for half-an-hour to one hour and switch it ON. Check if it is fully charged.
  • Download the iTunes software from apple.com/iTunes
  • Register your phone as per the instruction manual
  • Make a test call to any other phone number
  • Connect the Apple iPhone to your personal computer
  • Start downloading the applications

iPhone Apps

You need not download all the Apps given there. You can choose among the free apps given under each category. The Apple iPhone website lists all the paid and free apps under different categories. The Apps for keeping current and the Apps for fun and games are useful. Alternately, you may browse through your iPhone to download an application.

I found the following Apps useful:

  • Apps for Business: Currency Converter, Jobs, iSchedule
  • Apps for keeping current: CNN Mobile, FOX News, Yahoo, TIME Magazine, NYTimes
  • Apps for Music: Rhapsody, Top 100s by Bing
  • Apps for Students: Dictionary.com, Math Magic,  Math Drills
  • Apps for Working Out: Diabetes, Body Fitness, Weight Watchers, Calorie tracker, WebMD, Runkeeper
  • Apps for Managing Money: Expense tracker, Bill tracker, Personal assistant, Wells, BillMinder
  • Apps for Fun and Games: All-in-1, PAC-Man Lite, PandaMania

It is essential to read the customer reviews. Some apps work only on certain version of iPhone and only on Mac computer. The ‘fringe’ app is also useful in calling outside the network and saving minutes! Register at ‘Textfree’ app to send free texts to any other mobile.


iPhone Accesories

Now after the iPhone has arrived, there is a desperate need for its accessories. 🙂 Here are some of the additional accessories you may need for your iPhone.

  1. iPhone LCD Protector – To protect the screen from scratches
  2. iPhone Leather pouch – To carry your iPhone
  3. iPhone Car charger – To charge it in the car on the go
  4. iPhone Additional charger  – To avoid the hassle of carrying the charger to and fro from office
  5. iPhone Emergency battery – To charge the iPhone where you do not have a laptop or other plugin options
  6. iPhone cradle – To charge and rest your iPhone

meritline offers iPhone accessories at a reasonable rate. But, they take two weeks to deliver. If you cannot wait that longer, eForCity can send you the product instantly. The docking station at amazon is $24 and can accommodate your iPhone along with its LCD protector.

In addition, buy.com, newegg, tigerdirect, tech4shop are some other websites to check for iPhone accessories.

Remember to read the user reviews and additional information  before ordering any product and check for its compatability for the iPhone you own. Best wishes for your new iPhone and the monthly internet service charges that your provider bills you. 🙂