Bluetooth Rearview Mirror Not Just For Easier Parking

For the parking-impaired, Chinavision’s Complete Car Bluetooth Rearview Mirror Kit would be the perfect automobile add-on. It provides a wireless rearview camera that practically removes all blind spots. While this new gadget makes backing up easier, it also offers so much more features that you wouldn’t expect of a rearview mirror.



Hands-free calling: Hook up your Bluetooth-enabled mobile to the device and use the mic and speakers that come with the kit. You no longer have to cut calls in mid-conversation.

GPS: How many dual-core rearview mirrors can you name? This one comes with a SiRF Atlas VI chip and a Centrality Atlas 4 500 MHz processor to give you fast and reliable navigation.

DVR: Record anything that happens inside or outside the car. Afterwards you’ll have video proof that you really weren’t swerving.

Entertainment: The left side of this rearview mirror is actually a 4.3-inch touchscreen. This where you can play movies or games while you’re stuck in traffic.

All these come in a small form factor that you can easily place over the rearview that came with the car. It can be had for $200 and Chinavision will even toss in a 4 GB Micro SD and 4 GB SD card.

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SlingPlayer for Facebook Debuts

OK Slingbox users, if you have been wishing for a way to watch your favorite shows on a computer without having to install anything your wish is here. Slingbox has announced a new Slingplayer for Facebook that you can download right now. Once the app is installed, you can watch your content on Facebook.

This is a cool thing because you won’t need to install anything on the computer presumably, all you will need to do is install the app on your Facebook account and then watch your content. The computer you are on will need a web connection and Facebook access obviously.

The only catch is that you need a Slingbox Pro-HD or Solo box for the Facebook integration to work. What do you think? Does this sound useful to you? If you like to watch from the office or other places where you can’t install software this might be the perfect way to go.

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Enhance Your Home Security Via Webcam and Mobile Apps

Something fairly complicated and costly comes to mind when the talk is about home security with video surveillance capabilities. It is entirely possible however to set up a system that can provide adequate security on your own and without resorting to specialized service. All it takes is your home computer’s webcam and some phone camera apps.



There are two applications presented here and they’ve been chosen based on cost and ease of use. The first one is iCam. For only $5, you get the necessary features of motion detection, video streaming to your mobile device, and password-based access control. Besides being user-friendly, the app works fine whether you’ve got a PC and Android phone or a Mac and iPhone set.

Download and install the iCam app for your mobile device and do likewise with the complement iCamSource app for your home computer. Select the webcam to use, set the motion detection sensitivity, put in a username and password, and then leave for work with a little more piece of mind. The only limitation with this app is that it can’t record or save so you’ll have to take snapshots of the live video on your mobile.



In this regard, the WebcamXP app gets a bit more advantage as it even enables uploading videos to the web. You can set up a schedule when to record, detect motion, or upload. It also has a feature that sends out alert notifications. So it’s a more automated system where you don’t have to constantly monitor your phone.

Naturally the more robust features come at a higher $60 price. As you’ve also guessed by the app’s name, it only works for Windows. One other limitation is that you’ll have to tweak some network and router settings to watch the videos on the web. Good thing WebcamXP comes with a fairly comprehensive manual.

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Philips Vital Signs App Uses Your iPad 2 Camera To Measure Your Heart Rate And Breathing (video)

It does sound a little far fetched, but Phillips have created and this week launched a new iPad 2 application called Vital Signs Camera. Which has been designed to monitor your heart rate and breathing remotely, by just using the iPad 2′s camera.

The new Vital Signs application is able to measure your heart rate by just using the colour of your face, and measure your breathing by monitoring the motion of your chest.



Once you have installed the application to start taking measurements. Simply position your iPad 2 on a table and position your face inside the marked area. Then sit still while the application takes your measurements.



The new Phillips Vital Signs application is now available to purchase for just $0.99, from the Apple App Store.

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Flipboard Unveils New User Accounts And New Flipboard iPhone App

Flipboard the popular iPad content reading application has just received a new update together with a new user account feature. That allows users to sync content across multiple devices, and the new iPhone Flipboard application which is soon to launch.

Flipboard creators explain:  
“Starting today, you can sign up for a Flipboard Account. With Accounts, your reading preferences stay with you no matter how you access Flipboard. For example, families and friends who share an iPad can log into Flipboard and find their favourite sections. And when Flipboard comes to the iPhone, accounts ensure that your Flipboard is configured exactly as you like it, with your favorite reading sources already saved and your social networks connected.”

At the moment no firm dates have been released as to when the new iPhone Flipboard application will be arriving, but as always we will keep you updated.

The new Flipboard update is now available to download from the Apple App Store on to iPad devices.

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BlackBerry Bold 9790 Headed To Vodafone And O2 UK

Earlier this week RIM announced its latest BlackBerry smartphones, one of those is the new BlackBerry Bold 9790, and it looks like it will be headed to at least two mobile carriers here in the UK, O2 and Vodafone.

According to the guys over at Unwired View the Bold 9790 will be available to enterprise customers with Vodafone and will be available to everyone on O2 some time in January next year.



The BlackBerry Bold 9790 comes with BlackBerry 7 OS and features a 1GHz processor and a 2.44 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 360 x 480 pixels.

There is also 8GB of built in storage, plus a microSD card slot which can take up to 32GB cards, plus a rear facing five megapixel camera for shooting photos and video, and it also comes with a QWERTY keyboard, plus NFC.

We don’t as yet have any information on how much the Bold 9790 will retail for on either network, as soon as we get some more information we will let you guys know.

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SwiftKey X Keyboard Android App Updated With Multitouch Typing Support

SwiftKey has today rolled out a new update for its SwiftKey X Android application, which brings with it support for multitouch typing. Together with full language support for French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, now making 35 languages fully support by the SwiftKey X application.

Other new features include updates to its Fluency engine, which have been tweaked to reduce memory load and provide more efficient and faster response times whilst typing.

Together with improved prediction, correction and layouts for DVORAK and COLEMAK. As well as new updates to the user interface, which now provides enhanced settings menu, alternative character selection and sharing features.

You can download the newly updated SwifyKey X application from the Android Market for £2.49 or $4.99.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Headed To AT&T?

It looks like the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus could be headed to mobile carrier AT&T in the US, as the device has turned up at the FCC with HSPA+ bands which suggests it will be landing on AT&T.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus features a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and comes with a 7 inch multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.



Other specifications on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus include a front facing 2 megapixel camera and a rear facing 3 megapixel camera which can record HD video in 720p, it also features an LED flash and auto-focus, plus 1GB of RAM and will be available with 16GB or 32GB of storage.

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iPhone 4S Owners Reporting SIM Card Problems

There have been a number of problems reported for the iPhone 4S since it was launched, and also some for other devices including the iPhone 4, with iOS 5, the main one being the battery problems reported by a number of users.

Now it would appear that there may be another problem, although from early reports this one is exclusive to the iPhone 4S, some users have reported that their handset has stopped recognizing their SIM card.


Users then have to reboot the device, and things seem to go back to normal for a while, although other users have reported that this doesn’t fix the problem.

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Nintendo Builds Full Size Mario Carts (video)

intendo has this week unveiled two full size Mario carts its had made by West Coast Customs, to promote the launch of its new Mario Cart 7 game which will launch in December.
The two cars consist of the classic Mario Standard kart, complete with glider attachment, and the Luigi Bumble V kart, equipped with a rear propeller just incase you need to navigate underwater.

Nintendo CEO Reggie Fils-Aime says “When I saw the Karts, I put out a big ‘woo-hoo’”
If you fancy winning one of these fantastic custom cars you need to be a member of GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards program, and make a purchase or trade in during December. Or if you are interested in seeing how the two cars were created an episode of Inside West Coast Customs will be aired in early 2012.

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iBuyPower Chimera 4 Gaming PC Announced

iBuyPower has added another high end gaming PC to their range with the launch of the Chimera 4, which comes with a choice of Intel Core i4, i7 and AMD FX-4100 processors.


Other specifications include up to 64GB of DDR 3 RAM, a choice of multiple AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards and enough room for 8 internal hard drives, with up to 24TB of storage.

Prices start at $799, although the high end models with the latest Intel Core i7 processors start at $1659, you can find out more details over at iBuyPower.

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FXI Cotton Candy USB Stick Transforms Any Screen In To An Android System

This week FXI has unveiled its new Cotton Candy device which is a new USB stick capable of transforming HDTV, laptops, phones, tablets, or set-top boxes into dumb terminals for the devices Android operating system to run.

The Cotton Candy device, is equipped with a USB 2.0 connector at one end and a HDMI jack on the other. Its powered by a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU, which is the same one used in the Galaxy S II.


To run the Android device simply plug it into your TVs, or devices HDMI port. The small device will then use this port for video and will take the power it requires from a USB connection. Its also equipped with Bluetooth allowing you to connect a keyboard and mouse of your choosing.

Once connected the FXI Cotton Candy USB stick can output 1080p video and will run the pre-loaded Android 2.3 OS at its native resolution. The tiny device is also fitted with an microSD card slot to provide memory and has connectivity provided by 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet by FXI. But its thought that the device will be priced around the $200 mark once launched. As always we will keep you updated.

For more information about the FXI Cotton Candy Android USB 2.0 system jump over to the Laptop Mag website.

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Google Music App Launched For Google TV

After a long delay Google has finally jumped in to the music market and yesterday launched their Google Music service. Wasting no time Google has followed up yesterdays launch and has today announced the release of its new Google Music application, designed specifically for Google TV. Allowing you to sync your Google TV device with your Google Music account, removing the need for you to stream your media from your computer or download media to your HDTV.
To set up the new Google Music application on your Google TV, simply download it from the Android Market and login to your Google account. To enjoy the new Google Music app you need to have installed the Android 3.1 update.

Even though Google have arrived later than most to the music market, Google says that they will continually improve both their Google TV service and the Google Music applications with future updates and new applications.

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Google’s Motorola Takeover Approved By Stockholders

Google’s $12.5 billion takeover has already been approved by the various regulators, and now the stockholders of Motorola have approved the takeover of the company bu Google.

Google has previously set themselves a deadline for the Motorola takeover, for February next year, and it looks like the company is on track to meet the deadline.



Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “We are pleased and gratified by the strong support we have received from our stockholders, with more than 99 percent of the voting shares voting in support of the transaction. We look forward to working with Google to realize the significant value this combination will bring to our stockholders and all the new opportunities it will provide our dedicated employees, customers, and partners.”

Google has said previously that Motorola will be run as a completely separate company to Google, and that Motorola won’t get preferential treatment and earlier access to new versions of Google’s Android OS over other manufacturers.

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CloudFTP Lets You Share Any USB Device Over WiFi

loudFTP is a Kickstarter project, that has been designed by Daniel Chin, and the device is designed to let you share content on any USB enabled device over WiFi, which includes cameras and basically anything with built in storage and a USB connection.



CloudFTP is a pocket size adapter that can turn any USB storage device into a wireless file server, sharing files with WiFi-enabled devices (iPad, iPhone, computer etc.). It can also automatically connect to the Internet to backup and synchronize your USB data with popular online Cloud storage services like iCloud, Dropbox and box.net.

The developers of the device are trying to raise $100,000 to put the CloudFTP into production, and it looks like they have already raised about a third of what they need, each device will retail for $69 when it goes into production, you can find out more information over at Kickstarter.

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Gets Detailed

Google has updated their Android.com website, and has now listed full details on all the new features that can be found in the latest version of their mobile OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.



Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is the latest version of the Android platform for phones, tablets, and more. It builds on the things people love most about Android — easy multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, resizable widgets, and deep interactivity — and adds powerful new ways of communicating and sharing.

You can find out more details on all the features that are included in Android 4.0 over at Android.com.

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus Gets Reviewed

Google’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the UK yesterday, and now the first reviews of the Galaxy Nexus have started to appear online.

As a reminder, the Galaxy Nexus features a massive 4.65 inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, and it also comes with a dual core 1.2GHz processor and an advanced 5 megapixel camera on the back, pls a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat.



Some of our fellow technology sites have already got their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, have a look at the reviews below to see what they thought of the first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone.

Galaxy Nexus Review – The Verge

Samsung Galaxy Nexus: the Best Android Phone We’ve Seen Yet – Mashable

My First Day With The Galaxy Nexus And Ice Cream Sandwich (This Is Really Big) – TechCrunch

Samsung Galaxy Nexus review: Hands on – T3

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Goes Up For Pre-Order In Germany

Asus’s second generation Transformer tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime will go on sale in December, and the device is now available to pre-order in Germany from Amazon.

As a reminder the Transformer Prime comes with a 10.1 inch LED backlit Super IPS+ touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, it will launch with Android Honeycomb 3.2, although ti will be upgraded to Android 4.0 ICS shortly after release.

Other specifications include Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, it also comes with two cameras, up front we have a 1.2 megapixel camera for video chat, on the back there is and 8 megapixel camera with an F2.4 aperture lens, a flash and auto-focus.

The Transformer Prime features NVIDIA’s new quad core Tegra 3 processor, plus an NVIDIA GeForce GPU and a 5th companion core for low power usage, there is also 1GB of RAM and a choice of ether 32GB or 64GB of built in storage.  

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Nokia Updates Music App for Lumia Windows Phones

The Nokia Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800 Windows Phones will come preinstalled, among others, with the Nokia Music application. Espoo has updated the software even though the Lumia phones are just hitting shelves and meeting their new owners as we speak.

The new version of Nokia Music adds personalization features and improves the GigFinder functionality. You can now create personalized Radio stations for MixRadio by entering the names of three artists. MixRadio will then populate your playlist with music from and similar to those artists of your choice. GigFinder uses your location and the current date to find nearby gigs. Booking information is also available in certain cases so this is an easy way to find music related events closest to you both in time and space.

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Nokia Lumia 800 Wins Editor’s Choice Title, Elop Pleased

We're currently reviewing the Nokia Lumia 800 and while we're at it and the phone is meeting up with its new owners in certain regions and countries of Europe, What Mobile Awards 2011 at London’s Whisky Mist grants it the Mobile of the Year Editor’s Choice award.

With its unique design borrowed from the Nokia N9, the Lumia 800 runs Windows Phone 7.5; Stephen Elop called it "the first real Windows Phone" and now it's Mobile of the Year with What Mobile Awards 2011. "The decision was reached after thousands of readers voted for their favorite new phones, apps and networks during October on the magazine’s website".

If you live in one of the launch countries (UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands) you will probably be already able to pick one up. Reaction to the phone is, according to Stephen Elop who spoke at a conference organized by financial services firm Morgan Stanley, "remarkably positive". "We need to introduce the experience to consumers to get them to try it because we know once they try it they will like it".

Update: As Mayur Manani points out in the comments, the Lumia 800 won the Editor’s Choice award and not the Phone of the Year. The original source has been updated to reflect this information as so have we.

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Is There a Real Need For a Mobile Anti-Virus? Google Says "No"

Google's Chris DiBona has a bone to pick with those who make misleading comments about the state of mobile security, especially when it comes to Android and open source software. He took to Google+ earlier this week to outline his frustrations, attempting to explain that there's nothing inherently insecure about open source, and that reports of malware on smartphones are largely overblown for the threat they actually pose.

DiBona's criticisms take special aim at companies dealing in smartphone anti-virus software, labeling those selling such tools as "charlatans and scammers". He rightly points out that nearly all the malware we've seen on smartphones thus far has been trojans rather than anything resembling a virus, the definition of which requires its ability to spread to other devices. Unsurprisingly, he's already attracting the ire of companies like Kapersky that develop smartphone security software.

Maybe DiBona's splitting hairs over the virus/trojan distinction, but he has a point. Malware that uses exploits to bypass Android security protocols may be one thing, but most malware is working within the confines of Android security just as any normal app would. Trying to divine intent when an app requests permissions is a losing battle, and Google ultimately turns that decision over to the user at the time of installation. This is a knowing choice, and doesn't represent a risk built-in to Android so much as reflects on the system's open design; if you want to treat your smartphone users as adults, and give them a large degree of control over software choices, that includes granting them the ability to make bad decisions. When malware is found, DiBona notes that Google, just like any other app store owner, is quick to remove it.

All things considered, he argues that Android security isn't anywhere near the big problem some make it out to be, and so attempts to sell you software based on a false threat are disingenuous. Do you think he's on to something here?

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Mozilla Bringing Adobe Flash to Firefox for Android

Ever since it adopted a strategy towards rapid releases, Mozilla has been cranking out new versions of Firefox for Android nearly as fast as we can keep up with them. Despite the arrival of all these updates, we've noticed that the feature sets being introduced have seemed a little lackluster, but that's likely a consequence of not waiting around to deliver more infrequent, larger updates containing more content. One feature in particular that we know a lot of you have been waiting for is already starting to arrive, as we've learned that a working version of the browser has been compiled that includes support for Adobe Flash.

As far as Adobe's concerned, Flash may no longer have a place on mobile devices, but that's not about to stop the Mozilla team from implementing support. The latest nightly builds of Firefox for Android include this new Flash support, as well as feature a new native Java-based user interface instead of the previous XUL implementation.

Mozilla seems resistant to introducing Flash, and while it might prefer to turn its attention to adding other new features to Firefox, the response it's received from its user base has made it clear that Flash is a priority for them. That's a refreshing direction to see a mobile developer take, especially when we're so used to having changes forced upon us by a company's vision for its app, rather than letting user preferences dictate the path it takes.

Keep in mind that this is a work-in-progress, but if you're interested in giving Flash support a whirl, the latest nightlies are always available for download.

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