Gadgenator is back!

Welcome! I haven't been blogging since 2011 and now I'm back, sharing the latest technology news, gadget reviews and showcases on gadgets from exhibitions running throughout the year. I'll keep you updated with announcements on all kinds of stuff as soon as it happens, and give you peeks of our gadgets coming in the near future (like Google Glasses) so make sure to visit Gadgenator daily. 

Android App Review: TweetDeck

TweetDeck is your mobile browser for staying in touch with what's happening on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz. TweetDeck makes it easy to stay up to date and organized no matter where you are.

TIP: Touch the column header to jump to the top!

Rating: ****
Price: Free
Version: 1.0.2
Added: October 13, 2010
Publisher: TweetDeck Inc
File size: 639 KB
Downloads: >250000

Download 

Gadgenator reaches 114 Pageviews today so far

Thanks for everyone who visits my blog every day. I try to get give you the latest news daily. I also post a Android App Review for all those Android users who wants only the best applications on their phones. When I started blogging at the end of August 2010, I got a daily amount of 40 pageviews. Now I get a daily amount of 90 pageviews. Yesterday I got 97 pageviews and today so far 114.

My 8.ta is here in South Africa! article got the most pageviews. I get most of my traffic from Google, but also from the blog Android ZA Forum. Most of my audience are from firstly the United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, South Korea, Russia, Canada and France. Pageviews from browsers are mostly from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari and last Opera. Pageviews from operating systems are mostly from Windows and then Mac. I get some pageviews from Blackberry and iPhone users.

Please take my Survey and let me know exactly what you like and would like on my blog. Also feel free to comment on my posts. Join me on Facebook & Twitter. Follow me on the blog with your Twitter or Google username. Take the poll on the bottom right panel, and let me know what mobile phone do you use.

Keep on visiting Gadgenator!

Google Chrome Smartbook

While there has been much talk about smartbooks, they kind of never materialized. While the exact definition can vary, what sets them apart from netbooks is that they use a Linux based OS, and have an ARM chip, rather than the x86 one. And they are supposed to be even cheaper.

Google had promised that their Chrome browser would form the basis of a smartbook, and in fact would release a Chrome OS. While this did not seem too realistic at first, with the increasing acceptance, and even popularity of Google Android in the smartphone space, an Android based Chrome OS, running on a smartbook device could be quite popular.

It is expected that this smartbook will be released later this month, and the device will not be sold in normal retail channels.

LG Android Tablet PC

Hot on the heel’s of Samsung’s success with their Galaxy, it looks like LG is heading towards the tablet market. The specs are to have an 8.9″ display, and use Android 3.0, the upcoming release. It is the “Honeycomb” OS, which is reportedly optimized for the tablet market, unlike current implementations. With the success of the Galaxy, it is not surprising that LG will enter this space. The product, yet unnamed, is expected for 2011.

Sharp plans to bring its 3D phones to the U.S., India and China

It looks like Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp is going to bring a few of those groundbreaking 3D phones to other parts of the world as well. The technology that produces glasses-free 3D images is called autostereoscopy, and the two first phones featuring it, the Galapagos 003SH and 005SH with 3.8” screens and Snapdragon CPUs, will debut next month on Japan’s Softbank network.

For the good of mankind, Sharp has now announced that it intends to bring its 3D phones to the U.S., as well as China and India in 2011. No word yet on whether other parts of the world also will see some Sharp 3D action eventually, but if all goes well; hopefully the company will begin to release phones globally.

Click here to view the video on YouTube 

Google launches improved mobile editor for Google Docs

If you’re a Google Docs user you’re going to love this news. Google has announced a new and improved Docs mobile editor that will be rolled out over the next several days. The new layout makes mobile document editing easier and more fluid, and allows for collaboration from other Docs users on mobile devices or desktops. If you happen to be sporting an Android handset, you also have the option to use the OS’ built-in speech-to-text functionality for verbal entry. There is video demoing the new hotness waiting for you after the break.

October search engine numbers: Google, Bing up; Yahoo, Ask, AOL down

Analytics company ComScore has released its October search engine market share numbers and… instead of making you fire up your search-site of choice and finding the information yourself, I thought I would just put it right there for you. October’s search numbers are as follows: Google 66.3%, up from 66.1% in September; Bing 11.5%, up from 11.2% in September; Yahoo 16.5%, down from 16.7% the month prior; Ask.com 3.6% down 0.1% from the previous month; and AOL 2.1%, down from 2.3%. I'm curious to see how/if the recent release of Windows Phone will help Bing’s search numbers. We’ll find out next month.

Android App Review: Shazam

 Start your music journey now with Shazam to discover, buy & share music. This free app gives you 5 tags each month to identify music anywhere, plus:

•Shazam Widget: Tag straight from your home screen
•Read track reviews and artist info
•Share Tags on Twitter & Facebook
•See what’s popular with Tag Chart & Shazamers Blog

Recent changes:
v2.5:
Shazam Widget: Tag straight from your home screen and discover songs Shazamers around the world are tagging with our live Tag Stream. Add tracks you like to your Tag list and watch music videos.

v2.1:
Off-line Tagging
Update of Facebook Connect
Removed unnecessary permissions

Rating: *****
Price: Free
Version: 2.5.0-BB70125
Added: October 28, 2009
Publisher: Shazam Entertainment Limited
File size: 999 KB
Downloads: >250000


Download 

ViewSonic ViewPad 7 hits Amazon for $120

In a peculiar turn of events, Amazon has made ViewSonic’s upcoming ViewPad 7 tablet available for pre-order. Amazon — an online retailer known for retail prices so low that countless brick and mortar retailers have been forced out of business — is charging $120 over MSRP for the upcoming Android tablet. A 7-inch touchscreen display, cellular data connectivity with support for voice calling, a 3-megapixel rear camera, a 0.3-megapixel front camera for video chat, 512MB of RAM, microSDHC support (up to 32GB) and up to 10 hours of battery life all sound great, but definitely not great enough to warrant $120 above retail. The ViewSonic ViewPad 7 is set to launch some time before the end of the year.

Official Google Voice application for iPhone lands in App Store

Yesterday, an official — Google made — Google Voice application landed in Apple’s iOS App Store. The new program, which requires and iPhone and iOS 3.0 or higher, offers push notifications of text messages and voicemails and allows users to access GV’s settings and dialer directly from their device. If you’re a Google Voice and iPhone user, make sure to pick this up!

LG Optimus One sales top 1 million units

LG announced Tuesday that sales of its entry level Optimus One smartphone hit 1 million units within the first 40 days of availability. The LG Optimus One is an affordable smartphone powered by version 2.2 of Google’s popular Android operating system. With the device, LG shows us once again that there is still very high demand for capable devices that are also affordable. While the bulk of sales likely fell outside of the U.S. LG’s Optimus One features a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen display, a 600MHz processor, a 3-megapixel camera, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS and microSDHC support.

Android App Review: FxCamera

FxCamera enables you to take a picture with various effects.

- ToyCam
- Polandroid
- Fisheye
- SymmetriCam
- Warhol
- Normal


Rating: *****
Price: Free
Version: 0.6.8
Added: October 28, 2009
Publisher: ymst
File Size: 1.39 MB
Downloads: >250000

Download

Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. the iPad: Compare For Yourself

Here you can see a comparison between the two tablets from the website PC World. I would like to get the Samsung Galaxy Tab for Christmas.

 

 Apple iPad

Visit website or buy online

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Visit website

Sony Ericsson LiveView now available in France and the UK

In late September, Sony Ericsson introduced a new neat Android accessory to the world: LiveView. It looks similar to a big, digital wrist-watch, and acts as a second display for your phone. Via Bluetooth, LiveView can show instant notifications for SMS and incoming calls, and it can also provide you with Facebook and Twitter updates, calendar reminders and RSS feeds.

The little gizmo may also be used as a remote control for your music app, and since the functionality of it can be extended with compatible third-party apps, LiveView shows promise.

Not many LiveView reviews are out yet, but if you live in France or the UK and want to grab one – now you can. In the UK, you can get the accessory from Amazon and SuperETrader-UK for £55.99.

Click below if you want to buy it online at Amazon

Facebook announces new communication platform; simple, seamless, not email

Yesterday, at the company’s planned media event, social networking giant Facebook took the wraps off of its new communication service. Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, noted that the new system aims to be seamless, informal, immediate, personal, simple, minimal, and short… but not email.

The new service will: provide messaging across all of the different ways people communicate (SMS, email, IM, SMS), a conversation history for reference and archiving, and a social inbox to aggregate all the messages you really care about.

The scenario presented is this: someone sends you an email that is displayed on Facebook as a chat window (the new system is being described as “very IM like”), when you reply to this message an email is sent back to your conversation partner. If you happen to be away from your computer when they reply, you can get a push email notification via the mobile Facebook application or via SMS (the company noted that a new iOS Facebook app will be launching today) and respond from there. The idea is to keep a permanent, running history of conversations with the people you care about while making digital communication feel like an actual, face-to-face conversation. “Your conversations are no longer locked in a phone or a particular email service,” said Facebook engineer Andrew Bozworth. “The days of typing “g2g” and “brb” are over.”

Users of Facebook will be given the opportunity to have a @facebook.com email address that matches the public user-name (facebok.com/public-useranme) that they’ve picked; Facebook employees will use the new fb.com domain purchased from the Farm Bureau. Down the road, the new service will support XMPP, IMAP, and several other open protocols to will allow users to access their Facebook messages however they want.

The company will be rolling out the new service slowly over the first few months; initial testers will be part of an invite system similar to the one used by Gmail early on.

Microsoft has sold over 1 million Kinect units so far

Is Kinect worthy of all the hype? That question was on everyone’s minds ahead of the hotly anticipated device’s launch earlier this month. As they say, money talks — and Kinect is speaking loud and clear. Microsoft said Monday that it has sold over 1 million Kinect units thus far. Microsoft Kinect, which launched less than two weeks ago on November 4th, is an Xbox 360 accessory that allows players to control games simply by moving their bodies. Microsoft said ahead of launch that it expects to sell 5 million Kinect units by the end of the year and with the holiday shopping rush still to come, the company is certainly on the right track. “It’s a strong start,” Microsoft’s head of gaming Don Mattrick told Reuters. “Consumers are loving it.”

Android App Review: Buzz Deck

Buzz Tech, Buzz Gossip, Buzz Sport, Buzz Fun, Buzz News. Crowd sourced aggregation, keeps you easily upto date with 1200+ sites. Get Twitter, Facebook, etc., social updates.

Updates:
0.9.8: YouTube card fix + Bug fix

NB: No widget if stored on SD card

Buzz Deck is in beta, all feedback welcome

Rating: *****
Price: Free
Version: 0.9.8
Added: October 27, 2009
Publisher: mippin.com
File size: 488 KB
Downloads: 10000-50000

Download 

Visit Website 

Review: DStv's HD PVR Decoders

 (DStv is a multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa)

DStv’s HD PVR decoders (High Definition Personal Video Recorder) have revolutionised the television experience with lifelike viewing, sharper images, more vibrant colours and precision picture quality.

The first decoder (HD PVR) was launched in July 2008, retailing at the price of R2999,99 currently.
The second decoder (HD PVR 2P) was launched in May 2010 for a cheaper price of R1999,99 for people who wants a HD PVR but can't afford the 4-tuner HD PVR.


The HD PVRs offer you the following benefits:

Original HD PVR model (4-tuner) : View one channel, while recording another two simultaneously
New HD PVR 2P model (2-tuner): View one channel, while recording one other channel simultaneously
Record 150 hours of standard definition TV (double the SD PVR) or 50 hours of HD TV.
Pause live TV programming
Rewind programming
Fast forward and slo-mo programming you have recorded
HD capable
Surround Sound capability
XtraView capability
Favourite Channel Feature
Full Parental Control
24 hour i-Plate
Simple installation for homes with a twin LNB
DStv ON DEMAND*
Series Recording*


* These features are available on the original HD PVR model only. These features will be rolled out to the HD PVR 2P model before the end of this year.


The HD PVRs also include a feature called "Favourite Channels". If you select your favourite channels, you get the following:
A personalised TV Guide, listing the schedules for just those channels.
A personalised viewing environment (like the current bouquets on other decoders) which includes only your selected channels. This means that when “surfing” through the channels, you only see the channels you have selected, so no more hopping over unwanted or unavailable channels.
A Favourite Channels Grid – similar to the existing channel grid, but listing only the channels you selected, making it easier to tune between channels.


While the HD PVRs may not be dual view PVRs, all our HD PVRs are XtraView capable and cater to your needs. XtraView takes care of the second and in some cases, third viewing environment at no additional subscription fee to what you currently pay for on the Dual View decoder or SD PVR.


THERE IS CURRENTLY 5 HD CHANNELS FOR DSTV PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS 

170 M-Net HD

M-Net HD is a cutting-edge channel that combines state-of-the-art high definition broadcast technology - ensuring sharper images, sound and clarity - with the best shows and movies from the M-Net family of channels.



 171 SuperSport HD 1
SS HD 1 consists of a variety of sporting codes, including local rugby; soccer matches from the SA Premier Soccer League, UEFA Champions League, English Premier League; international tennis; local tennis; golf matches and more.



172 Discovery HD Showcase
Discovery HD is a 24-hr high-definition television brand offering factual and lifestyle entertainment that fulfills the promise of high-definition technology. The channel delivers       unrivaled content, providing thousands of hours of Discovery HD content across the                                        company’s 29 media brands.


174 SuperSport HD 2

SS HD 2 feature varied HD sports programming, plus World Cup matches that cannot be accommodated on SuperSport HD due to simultaneous kick-offs.




175 M-Net Movies 1 HD 

M-Net Movies 1 HD is a 24 hour channel from M-Net providing up to 100 different movie titles a month with no commercial breaks. All movies screened on M-Net Movies 1 HD are in their premiere season, bringing you the newest Pay-TV offerings in High Definition.




For more info visit www.dstv.com

Netflix coming to Android in 2011

The ever-popular streaming movie service is coming to Android. In a post on the company’s official blog, Netflix announced that they will start to appear on “select Android devices” in early 2011. The reason why Netflix for Android won’t immediately be available on every Android handset is due to a “lack of a generic and complete platform security and content protection mechanism for Android.” There seems to be a DRM issue with making Netflix’s content providers happy, and apparently on Android it’s on a device-by-device basis. We’re sure it will all get worked out, however, seeing that almost every other mobile platform and gaming system now supports Netflix.