Amazon Updates the Kindle Lineup

In a recent press event, Amazon, the makers of the popular Kindle e-reading device, announced the next generation of Kindle devices.

Kindle:


The good old Kindle we all know and love, right? Wrong. Although it keeps the simple, one word name, the new Kindle is a very different looking device. With the same 6 inch screen size as its predecessor, the new Kindle weighs 30% lighter (6 ounces), most likely due to the most noticeable difference: the new Kindle has no keyboard. Instead of using the keyboard, one navigates the device using the new five way controller, as well as four other small buttons.

The New Kindle

Download books over Wi-Fi (no 3G option this time around), and read them wherever you go, with up to a month of battery life on a single charge. Also, as Amazon is marketing strongly, the Kindle can be used even in bright sunlight, because of its black and white e-ink display.

The most compelling aspect of the new Kindle is it's price. The new device is the cheapest Kindle ever, at $79 if you choose "special offers" (click here to get an overview of what special offers is). If you choose not to go for the special offers, you'll pay $109 for this new e-reader.




Kindle Touch:

The Kindle Touch

At first glance, the Kindle Touch looks almost identical to the Kindle. The main noticeable difference is the Touch's lack of buttons. However, no buttons are needed, due to the Kindle Touch's 6 inch, e-ink, thouchscreen display.

Other than the touchscreen display, the Kindle Touch is almost identical to the regular Kindle. Another big difference is the 3G capabilities. The Touch is the only new Kindle that is available with a 3G model. With the always connected convenience of a cell phone, without any monthly fees or yearly contracts. The Wi-Fi version costs only $99, while 3G capabilities will cost you $149.


Kindle Fire:

The Kindle Fire

Probably the most anticipated update to the Kindle family is a color tablet device, called the Kindle Fire. The fire comes packed with a 7 inch color screen (something completely new to the Kindle brand), a 14.6 ounce weight (about the weight of a can of beans), a dual-core processor, and 8GB of storage. The body of the device is simplistic yet pretty, with no visible buttons.

The Fire runs Android, with an Amazon skin that makes it look like a completely new OS. Amazon is marketing the Fire as more of a multimedia player than a tablet computer, and, since it doesn't run the Android Market, that's really what it is. You can, however, download apps from the Amazon Appstore, which has, as Amazon says, "thousands of apps and games". You can download this content via the built in Wi-Fi, as this device has no 3G built in.

The Fire seems to revolve almost solely on Amazon's content. You download music from the Amazon MP3 store, apps from Amazon's Appstore, and movies from it's own video store. As always, books are also downloaded from Amazon's own service. This is an Apple-like strategy (with Apple's iTunes store), and is probably one of the reasons that Amazon can sell this device for only $199.

The new Kindle Fire is available for pre-order now, and will ship on November 15.

[HOW-TP] - Use OS X Lion's Hidden WiFi Diagnostics App

SOURCE: CultofMac



Apple has included a nice app in Mac OS X Lion that you can use to gather all kinds of diagnostic information from your wireless network. The app provides really technical information about the network that most users might find puzzling perhaps that is why Apple decided to hide it. Today’s tip will show you how to uncover this handy wireless network utility.

The app named Wi-Fi Diagnostics is in the /System/Library/CoreServices folder. The folder isn’t normally accessible to you so you need to get there by going to the Finder and either going to the Go menu and selecting Go to Folder or by using the keyboard shortcut Shift-Command-G. A dialog will open so that you can enter /System/Library/CoreServices and press Return. A folder will open and you will find Wi-Fi Diagnostics inside of it. Just double-click it to open it.

Once you launch the app it gives you four options:

1. Monitor Performance which displays network signal strength, transmit power, noise level and data rate.
2. Record Events which maintains a log of what is going on with your Wi-Fi network.
3. Capture Raw Frames collects and retains information about all the data going into or out of your Mac via Wi-Fi.
4. Turn on Debug Logs does exactly what is says – logs of debugging information is collected to help you troubleshoot your wi-fi network.

You can use this handy tool to troubleshoot and resolve Wi-Fi network problems or simply to impress your friends and family.

 


 

 

 
 

Introducing Timeline -- a New Kind of Profile

Great FEATURE!! Just can;t wait to sign up!

A New Class of Social Apps on Facebook

Sensor Technologist - Shwetak Patel, 2011 MacArthur Fellow

5 Android Apps you Need: App 5

This is the final post of a five part series. Read the fourth post here.


So we've been pretty productive with our first four apps, and it's time to have some fun. If you follow sports of any kind, this free app from ESPN.com, is a great download. Called ESPN ScoreCenter, the app puts sports news, videos, scores, and more, in the hand of the user.

The app allows you to what's going on in tens of different leagues, including the big ones like NFL, MLB, and NBA, and the smaller ones, like Formula 1, NCAA Water polo, and Cricket. The app offers live scores, news, videos, and more for free, ad-free, from ESPN.

LauncherPro for Android

Although the design's not the prettiest, it's definitely a lot better than many other apps, making this sports-lover's app a sure download. It can be downloaded for free from the Android Market, or ESPN.com.

Now, I promised in the App 2 post that App 5 would contain a special bonus app. So, here goes.

Everyone knows that User Interface design isn't one of Android's strong points. It may be a powerful system, but iOS leaves Android in the dirt as far as UI. The good thing about Android, is that you're not stuck, and here's an app that'll make your phone just a little more pretty.

A free app from a developer named Federico Carnales, LauncherPro completely changes the look of your Android device, hopefully for the better. It is also extremely customizable, so check out the pics below, and see if you like it. If you do, it's a free download from the Android Market.


Hope you enjoyed this series, bye for now.

[HOW-TO] -Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.9b1

SOURCE: Cydiahelp
The iPhone Dev Team today released a major update, Redsn0w 0.9.9b1, which they’ve promised to release with so many major improvements and features. Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 is now available for download with many major improvement and features. Below, we’ve made a quick walk-through inside the Redsnow 0.9.9b1 version.


Once you start Redsn0w 0.9.9b1, you get a totally new screen asks you to choose either “Jailbreak” or “Extras”. Once you get to Extras, you’ve a lot of options to do.

First of all, Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 extras include the Just Boot option which is made for those tethered-jailbroken devices. Tethered means you have to connect your device to your computer every time it reboots and choose Just Boot option from Redsn0w so it opens again.
Second option in Redsn0w 0.9.9b1: Pwned DFU, this option is made for those restoring via iTunes using custom IPSW firmwares cooked by Sn0wbreeze or PwnageTool. Putting your device in Pwned DFU mode will bypass so many errors that would appear without it.
Recovery fix is the next option. It’s the same as many apps as Recboot and TinyUmbrella which allows you to get kick your device out of Recovery mode (or enter it) which may be caused by iTunes errors while restoring.
The most important option is that SHSH Blobs, it includes many options inside it. Here’s the options:

• Fetch - fetch current partial blobs on your iOS device.  Should complete in under 10 or 15 seconds.  Puts the set PARTIAL of blobs on your computer as a plist.  Checks if Cydia already has a full set for this device and build.  If not, it submits this partial set and returns Cydia’s acknowledgement or rejection.
• Verify  – cryptographically verifies existing blob files from either redsn0w, TinyUmbrella, or Cydia server.  You can select a whole bunch of blobs to verify at once if you want (like the TinyUmbrella directory).
• Submit  - both verifies and submits one or more blob files to Cydia.  This lets you copy your entire TinyUmbrella cache of blobs up to the Cydia server.
• Query - queries the Cydia server for all available full or partial blobs for a given set of ECIDs.
• Stitch – stitches either FULL or PARTIAL blobs to a STOCK or CUSTOM IPSW.

Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 also includes an option called Select IPSW which is for picking non-public IPSWs, or overriding auto-detection.
Need more clarification? Well, we’ve made a quick guide to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 7 using Redsn0w 0.9.9b1:
Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 Guide:
STEP 1: Download iOS 5 beta 7 firmware for your iOS device from here then download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 from the links given at the end of the page.
STEP 2: Open Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 and then choose Jailbreak to be able to jailbreak your iOS device:



STEP 3: Now you’ll have to follow the on-screen instructions to enter the DFU mode.

STEP 4: Once Redsn0w identify your iOS device, you’ll get a message telling you which IPSW file it needs.

Note: In our case you’ll need to get back to Extras and Select IPSW as we’re on beta but for public firmwares, you’ll be able to select it directly.
STEP 5: Finally, you’ll select Install Cydia and then Cydia will be installed successfully on your iOS device.


One of our team members have made a quick video walkthrough for our readers, hopefully watch it:

Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 for Windows
Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 for Mac OS X

iPhone 5 to be launch on Oct. 5?

This is my guess and looks like others on the Net also guessing the same thing. Its going to be OCTOBER 5.
Why? The date is significant and synonym to Apple next release of products i.e. iPhone 5 and iOS 5.
Together, we would expect to have iCloud launch with both iPhone 5 and iOS 5.
What do you think? Are you ready?

.

5 Android Apps you Need: App 4

This is the fourth part of a five part series. Read the third post here. Check back next Monday for the last part of the series.


The only thing you really can't live without is food, and grocery shopping is never such a fun experience. Make it easier with Grocery iQ, a free app from Coupons.com, which allows you to create personalized shopping lists, get free coupons, and much more.

Coupons on Grocery iQ

When starting with Grocery iQ, you make a list of all of the stores you shop at, and then personalize the aisles in each store, so you know which store has which aisles. Although this is a slightly tedious process, when you're done with it, it's worth it.

You then add grocery items to your list, and add each item to one or more of the stores on your list, and specify which aisle each item is located in. When you then go shopping, you simply click the name of the store, and you see the list of all of the items you need at that store, and which specific aisle it's located in, making your shopping experience a lot more enjoyable.

A great feature of this app is the syncing feature. Grocery iQ also has apps available online and for iOS, so if you have any other device with Grocery iQ, your lists can be automatically shared, and when anyone else with Grocery iQ buys an item, it gets automatically synced with any other users using the same account as you. This makes it great for families, as both a mother and father can share a list on different devices.

Since Grocery iQ comes from Coupons.com, free coupons are integrated to the app, also an extremely convenient feature.

If you eat food, (and I know you do), you need Grocery iQ, so download it for free today, from groceryiq.com or the Android Market.


Hey Twitter users! If you're on Android, check out Plume for Twitter!

5 Android Apps you Need: App 3

This is the second part of a five part series. Read the second post here. Look out for more every Monday and Thursday.


Welcome back to 5 Android Apps you Need. Now that you're reading and chatting, it's time to get some watching done. Netflix, a free app from Netflix.com, allows users to stream thousands of movies and TV shows, with a small monthly fee.


We've talking about Netflix a few times before, but never really in detail. Also, we've never talked about the mobile app, so here goes.


With a $7.99 a month Netflix subscription, users can choose from thousands of movies and TV shows to stream, ad-free, immediately. Although Netflix has a lot of movies for those who like less popular stuff, it also has it's fair share of the more popular content as well, including Mad Men, Super 8, and Secretariat. There's also plenty of stuff for the kids, including, SpongeBob SquarePants, Toy Story 3, and Blue's Clues.


Netflix is also available on, well, almost any device you can think of (Click here for a complete list). A $7.99 subscription gives you access to the Android app, as well as all of the other devices Netflix is available on, and with Netflix's huge collection of content, it's definitely a good deal.


With Netflix's great Android app, huge collection, and free 30 day trial (available at Netflix.com), there's no reason not to try it. The app's free, so give it a download.   

Monochromatic Finder Icons with Old-School Colorful Ones

Source: Lifehacker


Apple has moved to a much more grey-and-white look with OS X Lion, but you don't have to take it lying down. Here's how to bring back Snow Leopard's colorful Finder icons in 10.7.

Sure, this tweak won't make your system any more usable, but it'll certainly make it a little less depressing. All you need to do is to download and install SIMBL (if you don't have it already), then download and drag the .bundle file in this DMG file to:

~/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins

If the folder doesn't exist, you can create it. Then, just open up a Terminal window and restart the Finder with:

killall Finder

And voilà! You should see the Finder's sidebar has returned to its old, colorful self. Hit the link for more useful Finder tweaks in Lion.

OS X Lion Ultimatum Dreamboard Theme Review iPhone & iPod Touch

iPhone FaceTime Problems (Facetime Button Missing)

FaceTime is not working. What has happened? I have been searching numerous places but very few people talk about the missing FaceTime setting. Heres what I have consolidated.

1. Check your FaceTime setting
Go to Settings > Phone and verify your FaceTime is ON.

If your FaceTime setting is missing, I am guessing that you have just jailbroken your phone. FaceTime will have problem working properly after you have jail broken. (Read more here). Do a Cydia update of the "Base Structure" package and the setting should appear after a reboot.

2. Check you are on WIFI
You should be on WIFI for the FaceTime to work. If you do not mind playing a small fee, my other post will share how to make FaceTime work on 3G.

3. Check your calling party is on iPhone 4
The person you are calling should also be on iPhone 4 with WIFI.

5 Android Apps You Need: App 2

This is the second part of a five part series. Read the first post here. Look out for more every Monday and Thursday (Hopefully).

First off, I'd like to apologize. I had written "Look out for more every Monday and Thursday." in my first post on Monday. Come Thursday, and my next post isn't up. Today is Friday. This is the post that was supposed to be published on Thursday. I plan on being on time, next Monday and next Thursday. Also, to make up for it, App 5 will contain a special bonus app. (If I don't forget.)

Now that that has been taken care of, we can proceed. The second Android app I'm covering in this series is called Skype. Available for free from Skype.com, the Skype Android app allows users to chat with audio or video to any other Skype user. Skype can also be used to any phone number for a small fee. 

To use Skype, you must have a Skype account, also free from Skype.com. Skype is also available on many other platforms, including iOS, Mac OS X, and Windows. This means that you can chat with users from your phone, even if they are at their computer. 

Skype is a great download, as it allows you to video-chat from anywhere, stay connected on the go, and even have meeting while you are away, allowing for more vacation. 

Skype is great for business, great for personal use, and great for you. Also, since it's free, you have nothing to lose. Download the Skype Android app today.

BenQ Gaming LED monitor RL2240H

BenQ RTS (Real-Time Strategy) Gaming LED monitor RL2240H is built to set an exceedingly high benchmark for RTS gaming displays with Black eQualizer, an exclusively designed color engine technology that reveals critical combat details with improved visibility in darkened areas. BenQ also worked with the STARTALE players to develop the RTS Mode, a preset mode with tailored monitor calibrations for RTS gaming.
The Display Mode and the Smart Scaling feature were created to accommodate individual viewing preferences. Gamers can use the Display Mode to interchange between four monitor screen sizes from 17” (4:3), 19” (4:3), 19”W (16:10) to 21.5”W (16:9) and the Smart Scaling feature to manually scale the screen to any custom size.
source: BenQ

5 Android Apps you Need: App 1

This is the first part of a five part series. Check back every Monday and Thursday for more.

If you've been reading Gadgetator regularly, you probably know about the 5 iPhone Apps you Need series we did a while back. Although iPhone may be slightly more popular than Android, I never like to be biased, so here's... 5 Android Apps you Need.


iOS, the operating system behind the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, has always been known for it's large number of apps available. However, with Android's success over the past few years, it's app numbers have been slowly creeping up, and it's getting hard to choose the great apps from the not so great ones. Here's a little  bit of help, as I, over the next few weeks, will highlight 5 of the best apps for your Android device.

The first app in this series, called Kindle, is available for free from Amazon.com, as well as a free download from Google's Android Market.

Many people enjoy reading for different reasons. Be it to relax, laugh, or soak up information, Kindle strives to help get that reading done without having to lug around heavy books. All you need is your Android phone and the Kindle app (iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry apps also available), and you're set. You can now read wherever you are without carrying heavy books around.

Now, you get that you can read with the Kindle app, but there is much more to it. Kindle allows you to browse over 950,000 books, as well as newspapers and magazines, and read them on your device. Although some books are free, most cost close to $10.

The reading experience is also great, as you can change font size, search inside the book, and instantly look up hard words with the built in dictionary. The Kindle app's Whispersync technology means that the page you are on, any notes you took, and bookmarks are automatically synced with any other Kindle apps you have on other devices, as well as on the actual Kindle device itself, so you never miss a word.

So, if you're running Android and enjoy reading, the Kindle app is a great, free download.

GIGABYTE GB-AEDT 21.5 All-in-One PC

GIGABYTE GB-AEDT 21.5 is All-in-One PC with touchscreen technology combines a 21.5 full HD screen, the latest Intel Core Series processors, the new USB 3.0 technology, and optional features like TV tuner card within the same chassis.
The GIGABYTE GB-AEDT complies with the Thin Mini-ITX standard that supports Intel®’s 32nm microarchitecture, the LGA 1155 socket, LED screen, Full HD resolution, HDMI™ Interface which in addition, HDMI™ is compatible with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), allowing the playback of Blu-ray/HD DVD and other protected media content, GIGABYTE GB-AEDT can also be equipped with TV tuner cards allowing the computer to be used as a HD TV as well and it also has a free mSATA connector that can be used for storage purposes.