Fitbit Flex – The Fitbit Flex is the latest model from fitness technology specialists Fitbit. The slim and stylish rubber wrist strap is small but powerful, tracking your steps, distance travelled and calories burned during the day, while at night it measures things like your sleep cycle to see how well you slept. It also has a built in alarm to wake you softly in the morning. You can set goals for yourself and track your results via the online and mobile app dashboard, which the Flex automatically sends your information to wirelessly.

Mio Alpha – For those whose workouts are all about heart rate, the Mio Alpha is the gadget for you. It’s a watch-like device that uses the most highly advanced, patented technology to achieve some of the most accurate heart rate readings around. Giving you detailed data about your total exercise time, average heart rate, and your time “in zone” (i.e. exercising at your target heart rate), it’s a favourite amongst athletes in training, and it’s a great unobtrusive way to measure your heart rate without having to fuss around with chest straps.

Motorola MOTOACTV – GPS tracker, MP3 player, heartrate monitor, calories-burned counter, wireless music player…is there anything the Motorola MOTOACTV can’t do? It’s a truly innovative device which can monitor your performance for running, cycling, golf, and over 40 other activities directly on your device and through the online MOTOACTV Training Portal. The MOTOACTV lets you create different playlists depending on what sport you’re doing that day, and also comes with a whole range of different accessories and attachments so you can easily attach it to your wrist, arm, chest, bicycle handles, golf clubs, tennis racquet…

Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS running watch – For those who care about style as well as functionality, this GPS running watch by Garmin (one of the world leaders in GPS technology). It’s super simple to use, and you can get started with your run in just the push of a button. It tells you how far and how fast you’ve run, and you can also upload your run results to share with the online Garmin community. Their website has some great resources like training plans and fitness experts on hand to answer your questions. Great motivation if we ever saw it.

HAPIfork – While it may draw some raised eyebrows and funny looks if you bring this one out to you at a restaurant or café, the HAPIfork is a fun new gadget that recently picked up a stack of awards and accolades by technology gurus everywhere. Essentially, it’s based on the idea that eating too quickly can lead to all sorts of bad things like weight gain, indigestion and reflux. The electronic fork has inbuilt sensors which measure how many times you bring your fork from your plate to your mouth and back again (one “fork serving”) during a meal, and sends off an alarm if it detects that you are eating too quickly. Then, data such as how long it took to eat your meal, the amount of fork servings you took per minute, and your fork serving intervals are uploaded via USB to your online dashboard or mobile app to track your progress. We think it’s pretty nifty. Just don’t bring it along with you on a first date…

FINIS Swimsense – If you prefer your workouts sweat-free, the FINIS Swimsense is perfect for you. For all of those who love to hit the lap pool, the Swimsense tracks your swimming workouts for you, and even has an inbuilt sense which automatically identifies which swim stroke you’re performing!

For more awesome fitness gadgets, head to your local tech store like The Good Guys to ask about how the newest generation of workout tools can help you stay on track to reaching your fitness goals.

What’s your favourite fitness gadget? Do you think a trendy new piece of technology like one of these we’ve mentioned above would motivate you?

S Cover View

This is probably the most interesting accessory for those users that want to protect their new Galaxy S4. This flip cover protects the screen without any need to unlock your phone to see necessary information’s because a small opening at the top allows you to see basic information such as time, date and notifications (number of messages, missed calls, etc..). They are displayed without even having to open the lid and the screen is less busy. S Cover View is available in several colors so you will find the one that you like the most.

Protective Cover +

Protective Cover + is used to protect the back of the smartphone. This rigid shell has a silicone edge. It respects the design end of the smartphone and nicely follows its curves. It is especially useful if you handle your phone a lot, because all connectors and screen remain uncovered. However, it offers no protection to the screen if you drop it for example.

Flip Cover

Flip Cover for the Galaxy S4 does not differ greatly from what Samsung has already proposed to the previous models. Even if you do not have direct access/view to clock or notifications, you can enjoy optimal protection for the screen. Again, Flip Cover stays thin to maintain a stylish look.

Samsung GamePad

This is a joystick that is dedicated to devices in the Galaxy range. This controller looks more or less than an Xbox 360, with virtually the same keys (two analog paved the arrow keys and the keys A, X, Y, Z with the same colors). This controller is compatible with more than 80 games. Everyone knows that it is often not very easy to enjoy a full game play on a touch screen device, especially if we are talking about FPS game. A fact that many manufacturers are trying to fill and Samsung seems to have found the right accessory to address this problem.

PhonePad+

Taking the concept of the ASUS PadFone, PhonePad+ go further and is compatible with Android devices although for the moment it is functional with Samsung smartphones namely the Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4. The work principle is very simple and it requires from user to put its smartphone inside a slot that will connect it with device and then receive a 10.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 X 600 pixels. While the resolution is not yet at the top, the difference is barely noticeable especially for the price of $200. The screen can be positioned in different ways for maximum comfort.

Wireless charger

The wireless charging is something we hear about for some time, but the fact that the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world (Samsung) is using it for its latest high-end device, could finally democratize this technology at the moment. Because Galaxy S4 does not comes with built-in wireless charger, you can buy it as additional accessory that is required to be installed in the rear.

All above mentioned accessories and more you can find at this Galaxy S4 online store, so if you are after a new cool gadget or accessory for your Galaxy S4, that’s the store where you will find it.

Every day technology is helping backpackers and travelers across the world; some of it can even help save money. Here are the top travel gadgets to have in your backpack during 2013:

Kindle Fire

Thanks to the new and improved reading tablets, gone are the days where a person would have to stuff expensive travel maps into their pockets whilst leaving freshly released hardbacks at home.

Now found on the Amazon store for as little as $159.00, the 1.2GHz processor and 7” touchscreen offers you the perfect opportunity for taking your personal library every step around the world.

In fact, much like a mobile phone, the Fire can also connect to WiFi modems, meaning that if you do happen to get lost, a quick stop in a cafe or public place can quickly get you headed in the right direction.

With Stephen King, Lemony Snicket and Charlaine Harris all releasing books this summer, the 400 gram tablet is great for evading those naughty airport weight fines.

Prepaid SIM Cards

Unbeknownst to some is the fact that many backpacking trips are ended simply because the people on them tend to suffer from homesickness; leaving no option than to return to their native country.

Sometimes this can be amplified by the fact that many people are simply too afraid to take their phone abroad in lieu of the fines and bills that they might face upon their return.

With pre-paid SIM cards from SimSmart Prepaid for example, you can load up on an International SIM card before you leave; meaning that you can avoid hefty bills whilst keeping in touch with the nearest and dearest in your life – even when you are thousands of miles away.

You can also get them depending on what continent you are traveling to or around; great if you plan on roaming around more than just one country.

Wedge Door Alarm

If security on your travels is one of your top concerns, then you may just be interested in a Wedge Door Alarm.

Used in much the same way as a doorstop, the wedge is placed in front of a closed door and should any intruder therefore try and enter, the alarm will activate at 130 decibels, the equivalent noise of a pneumatic riveter.

This is a great device for security, though bear in mind that it comes in at just 10 decibels under the safe limits of even short term exposure to any noise.

It is therefore recommended that the wedge is only used as security, and not therefore as a toy to prank your fellow hostel guests!

Found online for just under $20 however, this simple piece of technology could prove indispensable to your personal security abroad.

But what about tablets? On several occasions we seen leaks from Nokia that work was underway. In an interview with The Verge, Stephen Elop reiterated once again that Nokia was watching the market, including everything that surrounds the Microsoft Surface. The manufacturer will seek in particular to establish the “dynamic” that make up this competitive market.

The Verge do not hesitate to ask Elop if Nokia feels “betrayed” by Microsoft and its surge in worldwide hardware with the tablet surface, especially with an obvious effort in the field of design. The CEO believes that Nokia is strong enough to fight almost any competitor. And when it comes to the question about the tablet, Stephen Elop confirms that “there is definitely an opportunity” for Nokia.

Elop will then continue the relationship with Microsoft, including asserting that there is no regret about the choice of Windows Phone. The firm is obviously very proud of its Lumia 920 line, but the demands of users will go in the direction of lower prices. For this reason the CEO told us that the Lumia 520 and 720 were designed for this reason.

While Nokia seems to insist to say that everything goes well, our colleagues highlight an interesting point. It may be good time that the Nokia takes the time to design a tablet that will stand out from its competition. On the other hand, Nokia expects more and their expectations are high.

For those who are not familiar with this term, phishing is a cyber-scam therefore a crime-related social engineering, and is the attempt to materialized users’ personal information fraudulently. To keep it simple, you do not want anyone get our information this way. Social networking, a place where we usually share these information’s can present a challenging scenario. Today’s web application development companies are doing a lot on improving their security however you still need to be very careful on how you share your personal information’s.

Some basic tips

No matter on which web site you are located, phishing can be prevented through a responsible and careful navigation. So, here are some basic tips that can be applied not only to social networks, but for all online services.

Check the domain: Before entering sensitive information like our mail or password, it is important to check that the URL inside address bar is correct. Check every alphabet, one by one, and also make sure you enter the correct extensions such as .com or .net.

Change Password: This is something we always recommend, and it is important to respect the administration of social networks. It costs nothing to get a reminder on the calendar to change the password regularly, and create strong passwords that can not be obtained through precisely social engineering.

Avoid clicking on suspicious links: often we receive direct messages or wall posts from our friends or brands/companies we are following. In this case, it is better to avoid clicking on the link if you are not sure if its safe.

Check that install applications: social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have thousands of apps which require from us to access our personal information’s  It’s best to avoid allowing an application to access our data if not fully trust the source.

These tips are very basic and can be used in all social platforms. We named Facebook and Twitter as an example, because that is where we have more risk of getting these type of phishing attempts. Other platforms such as Pinterest and Tumblr, also can make us victims of phishing, on a smaller scale, but are not exempt from danger.

The 3 GT is 200mm longer and 81 mm taller than any of the 3 Series BMW which means it is 4284 m long and has a wheelbase of 110mm.

The new version promises a higher seating position for the front and rear passengers. They can be raised by 59 mm, while leg room can be increased by 70mm compared to that of the sedan. That would make it easy to get in and get out of the car.

The LED-illuminated boot helps to fold down the rear seat backs and alter the boot shape and capacity so that the car offers more space for rear passengers.

The GT 3 offers a choice of 4-cylinder 245PS 328i and the 6-cylinder 300PS 335i with three petrol and two diesel engines, and power outputs of between 141 and 302bhp. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is an option.

The new model resembles earlier versions in the 3 Series, but it tops the range by incorporating stylish features like integrated active spoiler at the rear and an M Sport package.

All these features make the 3 Series GT a good tourer than the sedan. Prices start from £27,880 and first deliveries are expected this June. The model will hit North American showrooms by the end of this year.

Images: IBNLive

JVC Flats

JVC Flats headphones are lightweight, less expensive, and comfortable and can be folded flat. JVC also offers multiple colours and headphone users will definitely love them. The only disappointing thing is that it lacks a carrying case. The cost ranges from $11.08 to $19.99.They are on-ear models so that ear pads sit on your ear and don’t entirely cover it. It boasts powerful sound system with 30mm neodymium driver units and iPod nano matching colour housings.

Blackberry Z10

The BlackBerry Z10 has a sleek, modern, and professional touch-screen body with an up-to-date OS with 4G LTE support. It has a virtual keyboard’s and options for voice chats.  Z10 has Micro-HDMI port, 8-megapixel camera with in built tools and HD screen. It is specially designed for business personals.

Blackberry10 OS

It offers new security features, especially for business people. Its graphical interface and virtual keyboard gives Blackberry users more options to stick-on. The improved BlackBerry Messenger application  and the innovative BlackBerry Balance feature will be more useful.

Canon power shot SX 500 IS

It has very light body with 30x zoom lens, offers more shooting options than any other zoom lens camera and is good in optical image stabilization. The negative factor is that it is too slow in action shots and there is no choice for low light shots. Canon has thrown in  a 16-megapixel CCD sensor and an old Digic 4 image processor so as to lower the cost.

Microsoft Office 2013

A significant update from Microsoft, it delivers all the familiar software and tools that make common processes easier, and the cloud-friendly system lets you work from anywhere .The cloud-connected Office 365 comes in separate versions for home and business. The home version is now available and the business version will be available at the end of February. The subscription costs $100.

Dell Inspiron One 2330

It comes in an attractive design, and has a broad selection of less common video and audio connectivity options. A comparatively low $1,199 price tag makes the Inspiron One 2330  a charmer.

iHeart Radio Android

With this you can access more than 1,500 live stations FM and AM from around the US and has a library of more than 15 million songs. The significant feature is that these stations are advertisement free .but we cannot rewind or record it. The application includes pop music, country talks, rock, electronic and hip-hop, to talk and also college stations. The Talk Radio section also presents options including News and Talk, Public Radio, and Sports stations.

Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker System

It is an excellent speaking system with sound quality. The speaker has a very intimate sound and is best suited to ensemble music or folk. The promise of an Airplay option is a big plus. You need to use the 3.5mm input for better performance, though. The Aris is not suited for background listening.

Philips Shoqbox SB7200

Philips Shoqbox SB7200 Bluetooth speaker is wrapped in a protective layer of hard mesh with dual magnets inside. The Smart Sensor gives a complicated layer to the speaker’s simple design, and the single action button is prone to accidental presses. The hard-mesh speaker and rubber casing amplify tones as well as protect the unit from dirt and dust.  It is easily portable as it is only 7 inches long and 3 inches wide and has a Bluetooth enabled audio source.

Asus Taichi 21-DH71

It comes with a dual-screen design in a slim Core i7 chassis. Out of this only one of the screens is touch-enabled. It is available in both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch ultra book-branded models, both versions of the Taichi are double-sided LED-backlit IPS display. That means there is a standard laptop screen, and then a second screen. The model has an Intel Core 7 version with 11.6-inch displays. It costs $1,599.

M56 Infiniti 2013

With full of forward driver aided features, the M56 outshines all other automobiles. But the EcoPedal feature is not so good as it does not increase efficiency. The M56 sedan starts at a base price of $63,700. It has 5.6 ltr V8 engine. M56 was equipped with a $5,650 Sport package, which has 20-inch wheels, five-spoke rollers and performance tires. It has four-piston sport brakes up front and two-pot stoppers on the rear axle along with upgraded sport suspension components with stiffer springs. It also adds a feature called 4-Wheel Active Steering.

SanDisk Ultra Plus

The new SanDisk Ultra Plus solid-state drive is a new version of SanDisk. The new drive is among the most affordable in the market and in fact is more affordable than the SanDisk Ultra but not impressive with its performance. It still makes a great upgrade for those moving on from using a hard drive as the main drive of their computer or laptop.

Trunk Bay (Virgin Islands)

It’s really adventurous to be there as it provides hiking, birding, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sailing  - together in one place. You cannot miss the white sand expanses and sunset at Trunk Bay.

Fort Jefferson (Dry Tortugas National Park)

Situated 70 miles west of Dry Tortugas National Park is a string of seven islets together called Fort Jefferson. The tropical beauty created by the coral reefs in the island is really charming.

Moraine Lake (Banff National Park)

Located in the high Canadian Rockies within Banff National Park’s Valley, Moraine Lake is a fine example of Mother Nature’s handiwork. This makes it a popular romantic escape inside a national park.

Old Faithful (Yellow Stone National Park)

With a cone geyser that dramatically ejects thousands of gallons of boiling water every 91 minutes, Old Faithful is a must go for newly acquainted lovebirds.

Bryce Point (Bryce Canyon National Park)

It boasts one of the darkest night skies in all of North America due to high elevation, arid environment and an absence of light pollution. Bryce Canyon offers a range of astronomy and night sky programs including a popular annual Astronomy Festival hosted by the park.

Lovers Lane (San Fransisco)

One of the most romantic towns in San Francisco, Lovers Laneis the oldest footpath and is specially meant for jogging through a dense eucalyptus grove, across a historic brick footbridge and past some beautiful homes.

Yavapai Point (Grand Canyon National Park)

It is located in the Colorado River and is the best place to catch sun dip in the horizon and is also close to the best romantic El Tovar Hotel.

Lake Crescent (Olympic National Park, Washington)

A mini tourism centre generated in the ‘twilight ‘boom. The temperate grass lands and the giant mountains not only give the feel of the vampire love story but also a beautiful feast to the eyes with its scenic beauty.

Toshiba Qosmio X875

Qosmio X875 is yet another exciting gaming laptop from Toshiba. It is the only 17-inch laptop launched at the show and the specs are really impressive. It boasts of a storage capacity of 1TB. This is the first time we are seeing a hybrid hard drive with such a storage capacity packed in a laptop. It also has 8GB storage of NAND flash memory as the cache. With such hard drive capacity, the read/write functions and start up of applications can be done almost instantly. It will also include Nvidia’s GeForce GTC 670M high end graphics card with a memory capacity of 3GB. The build is diamond textured and the Qosmio logo is lit-up. Its 17.3 inch display renders a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and you can also opt to buy it with a stereoscopic 3D version. It will be available for sale from the first week of February for a price of $1,479.

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia Z is a high end phone with various cool features. The notable point is that it is waterproof and dust resistant. It can stay under water at a depth of up to three feet for thirty minutes and still work fine. This super cool phone has other exciting features, too. It is made from tempered glass covered by an anti-shatter film and so it can accompany you for all your outdoor trips. These features haven’t made it thicker as you might expect. It is as thin as the iPhone and so it can sit in your pocket without causing any pocket-puffing. Its 5-inch display renders a resolution of 1080 pixels and the colors are vivid. The 13MP rear camera works excellently well and it can help you shoot photos continuously with a break of just a few seconds.

Pebble Watch

This Pebble watch looks as attractive as a pebble and it also packs some outstanding technology to help you control your smartphone when you’re on the go. It is thin, light and has an excellent trendy design. You can read text messages, caller information and other notifications on this watch. If you often go overseas, this is your device, as it can easily adjust itself and configure the device it controls to different time zones. It uses e-ink style LCD technology and so you can view the screen even under bright sunlight. It is unbelievably light at 38.2 grams and the chassis is light, too. It has a built-in accelerometer and a light sensor to help you have a better control. You can change the exteriors to suit your outfit and stay trendy.

NVIDIA Project Shield

NVIDIA is branching out to the gaming front. Having seen them as a component maker for quite a long time, we were amazed at what they could do with a gaming console. Their first gaming console, Project Shield, was an eye catcher with more capabilities than what we expected. It is a Tegra 4 device with a 5-inch LED screen. Bringing with it Android’s latest version, it offers lag free gaming. Yes, zero second lag! The design is also simply cool and looks like a hybrid form of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The graphics are stunning and its built-in Steam Big Picture Mode integration lets you play the games on your PC on this device. So, you can play not just Android games, but any game you want. The only defect we could find was with the placement of the controller. In an effort to make the device look like a clamshell, NVIDIA has pushed in the game controllers and so using the controllers doesn’t feel as good as in Xbox 360. Otherwise, this is a freaking cool gaming gadget.

Samsung 4K LED TV

While the smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more compact, the TVs are becoming larger. Samsung is aiming at increasing the screen size of its TVs and as a result, their latest 4K LED TV has become the biggest 4K TV. It has a colossal screen which measures 110 inches. It has also announced an 85 inch TV just before a couple of days. It has surround speakers at the right, left and the center which deliver 120W and includes two woofers. This smart TV comes with a smart Hub which lets you access social media apps. It packs with it, a 1.35GHz processor to process ultra HD images and active 3D images. As 4K content is not extensively available these days, this TV will not help you see what it is meant for. You will have to wait until 4K content becomes available. It also includes Precision Black Pro technology to support high contrast ratio.

These are some of the innovative gadgets launched at the CES 2013. The beginning of 2013 was very interesting with the CES and companies are yet to reveal the innovations they have up their sleeve. Let’s wait to see more innovations in the near future.

This is a guest post by Sharon Thomas of thecornersuite.com, a site that offers savings and current information on getting internet through dish, as well as dish.com services.

The arrival of Haswell

In 2013 we should see the rise of the Haswell micro-processor architecture. Designed by Intel, it will remain based on a fine engraving 22 nm but offer a significant performance gain both on processor and graphics. The interesting thing about Haswell will be found on the side of the power consumption that is expected to make significant progress. Intel suggests a reduction of around 20X standby power via various improvements, including through the introduction Connected Standby mode, a new power state of the processor.

One thing is for sure, Haswell micro-architecture should be widely deployed by Intel on ultra-efficient desktop PC’s, laptops and ultrabooks and perhaps even tablets! Intel has indeed demonstrated Haswell chip consumes less than 10 watts. In short, the PC 2013 will be Haswell… and maybe even the tablet.

The year of the SSD and ultrabook?

2012 was the year a fundamental changes in the SSD. New chips take place in the latest SSD, which has the advantage of giving the consumer more choice than it had before.

I think 2013 will be the year of increased competition and lower prices even more significantly, thanks to the arrival of the TLC memory type. When it comes to price, we should approach the 50cents per GB for the most efficient models. Democratization of SSD in 2013?

Another trend that emerges very clearly for next year, are the touch ultrabooks. The formats are varied, but thanks to touch interface in Windows 8 ultrabooks will surely be highly popular among users.

Assistants finally useful?

In 2012, Google launched Google Now for Android, somehow his answer to Siri on iOS, but with a very promising set of features, allowing the display of information (schedules, routes, places to visit …) depending on user position. We expect the evolution of this type of interaction with the mobile device, and I think Google Now Apple Siri will be very succesful.

Steam Box and new consoles

Gabe Newell, the big boss of Valve, has officially announced: Steam will soon be focused on a specific hardware platform. Not really a console itself, but a PC if we believe to the words of Newell. Logically, the arrival of such a platform on the market, potentially in 2013, is expected to shake up the video game market, at a time when the consoles side eyeing multimedia services.

Add to that the rumors of more persistent about future new consoles from Sony and Microsoft – and this is clearly a new clash of the titans that promises in 2013, even though it’s a safe bet that the equipment for them will arrive in 2014 … except maybe the non-Steam console. Anyway, at Valve, the revolution is already underway for the launch of the Big Picture mode.

High resolutions

This trend began in 2012 but it will definitely momentum in 2013. I think a higher screen resolution will be the main novelty of many new products throughout the year.

The year for Windows?

Is it really a “trend”? Probably not, but it seems to me anyway that 2013 would be a crucial year for the Windows world. Microsoft will indeed draw the consequences of the launch of Windows 8 and it is likely that the world’s number one software takes advantage of the upcoming year to adjust its strategy.