Samsung Galaxy S4 - Eye-tracking smartphone landed

The long waited Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled by Samsung yesterday on March 14 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The new smart phone, Galaxy S4, with features like photos with sound from a 13MP rear-facing camera, language translation, group media streaming, infrared gesture control and more.

what is new with the S4?

The S4 is still impressive light, weighing in just above 130g, with new addition of a solid metallic banding around the side of the phone. It's also slimmer than Galaxy S3, the previous version the has been released back 2012, with the phone measuring 136.6x69.8x7.9mm alongside packing in full 5 inch HD Super AMOLED screen.

Hardware 

One of the few major hardware features Samsung introduced was the S4's cameras. A dual-camera mode can capture images from both the 13MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, allowing the photographer to be in the video or photograph. Therefore, users can also add audio to still photos, along with other advanced software functions.

The 5-inch, 441 pixel-per-inch Super AMOLED display on the S4 includes "Air Gesture" capabilities that allows users to interact with the screen without actually touching it.

Rounding out the new component set is a plastic body measuring 5.3 inches long by 2.7 inches wide and 7.9mm thick. The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box on a 1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core processor and comes with 16GB of storage standard, with options for 32GB or 64GB, while all models come with a MicroSD slot. Powering the device is a 2,600mAh battery.

Please see below YouTube video first look on Samsung Galaxy S4 from AndroidCentral.

Summary

Overall, it seems that Samsung is banking on software improvements and innovations to drive sales, as hardware enhancements were largely iterative. 

Stay tuned for more update including prices and release dates. Please support us by joining  our Facebook page and we will keep to update all tech news in real time for free.

Source: CNET

Category › News , Samsung , TECHNOLOGY

Sony Xperia Z / Yuga

Whether it will be called the Xperia Z or the Yuga doesn’t really matter. The fact remains that one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets of 2013 is set to be the first phablet from Sony. It’s rumoured to be water and dust-resistant have a 5-inch screen and measure 139 x 71 x 7.9mm.

At its heart will be a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 chipset with Adreno 320 graphics, with great graphics results reported from an early prototype - just the ticket to power the Full HD 1080p display. Expect a CES2013 launch.

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48903/hottest-gadgets-for-2013

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Samsung Galaxy S IV

Nothing official has been said, but you can bet Samsung will be keen to release a fourth version of its flagship Samsung Galaxy S smartphone. Will it have a flexible screen, an even bigger 5-inch screen, the ability to make a cup of tea, or will Samsung go retro and shrink the whole device to finally fit in any pocket.

The verdict is still very much out, well at the start of 2013 is it, but that hasn't stopped people having a go at making a hands-on video of what they want the SGS4 to look like.

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48903/hottest-gadgets-for-2013

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BlackBerry 10

Set for a January 30 launch date, we've already started to see a number of "leaks" surrounding RIMs new BlackBerry 10 operating system as the company tries to ensure its survival. BlackBerry fans can expect two new phones to kick off the proceedings - an all touchscreen affair and  a traditional QWERTY keyboard model akin to the BlackBerry Bold already on the market. 

With a stack of new and exciting features in the operating system already, RIMs job won't be convincing people they've got great hardware and a great OS, but that their favourite apps will be available to. Successful launch or not, many are expecting RIM to have to change dramatically if it is to make it through 2013 without being bought or going bust.

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48903/hottest-gadgets-for-2013

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Major breakthrough in 3-D printing

Photonics West – the world's leading photonics, laser, and biomedical optics conference – took place this week in San Francisco. During the event, a German company called Nanoscribe GmbH presented the world's fastest 3D printer of micro- and nanostructures.

Nanoscribe's latest printer allows the smallest three-dimensional objects – often smaller than the width of a human hair – to be manufactured with minimum time consumption and maximum resolution, using a novel laser lithography method. Replacing conventional electronics with optical circuits of higher performance, its polymer waveguides can reach a data transfer rate of more than 5 terabits (Tb) per second. Printing speed is increased by a factor of about 100, with jobs that previously took several hours now being possible in a matter of minutes.

This huge increase in speed is possible thanks to a galvo mirror system, a technology that is also applied in laser shows and the scanning units of CD and DVD drives. Reflecting a laser beam off the rotating galvo mirrors facilitates rapid and accurate laser focus positioning. This video is shown in real-time:

This ultra-precise fabrication allows feature sizes ranging down to just 100 nanometres (nm). At present, the total area of the scanning field is limited to a few hundred micrometres (μm) due to the optical properties of the focusing objective. Just as floor tiles must be joined precisely, the respective scanning fields must be connected seamlessly and accurately. However, by using a patented autofocus technique and high-precision positioning stages, areas can be extended almost arbitrarily by a so-called stitching process.

Martin Hermatschweiler, the managing director of Nanoscribe GmbH: "We are revolutionising 3D printing on the micrometre scale. Precision and speed are achieved by the industrially established galvo technology. Our product benefits from more than a decade of experience in photonics, a key technology of the 21st century."

Source: http://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/computers-internet-blog.htm#.UTvlwdako1P

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FDA clears first autonomous telemedicine robot for hospitals

RP-VITA, created by iRobot and InTouch Health, enables doctors to provide patient care from anywhere in the world via a telemedicine solution.

US technology firm, iRobot Corp., has announced that its RP-VITA Remote Presence Robot has received 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hospitals. RP-VITA is the first autonomous navigation remote presence robot to receive such authorisation.

This new machine is a joint effort between two industry leaders, iRobot and InTouch Health. The robot combines the latest in autonomous navigation and mobility technologies developed by iRobot with state-of-the-art telemedicine and electronic health record integration developed by InTouch Health. RP-VITA allows remote doctor-to-patient consults, ensuring that the physician is in the right place at the right time and has access to the necessary clinical information to take immediate action. The robot has unprecedented ease of use. It maps its own environment and uses an array of sophisticated sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects. Using an intuitive iPad interface, a doctor can visit a patient, and communicate with hospital staff and patients with a single click, regardless of their location.

The FDA clearance specifies that RP-VITA can be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical settings – including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological and critical care assessments and examinations.

RP-VITA is being sold into the healthcare market by InTouch Health as its new flagship remote presence device. iRobot will continue to explore adjacent market opportunities for robots like RP-VITA and the iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform.

Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot: "FDA clearance of a robot that can move safely and independently through a fast-paced, chaotic and demanding hospital environment is a significant technological milestone for the robotics and healthcare industries. There are very few environments as difficult to maneuver as that of a busy ICU or emergency department. Having crossed this technology threshold, the potential for self-navigating robots in other markets, and for new applications, is virtually limitless."

Yulun Wang, chairman and CEO of InTouch Health: "Remote presence solutions have proven their worth in the medical arena for quite some time. RP-VITA has undergone stringent testing, and we are confident that the robot's ease of use and unique set of capabilities will enable new clinical applications and uses."

Source: http://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/computers-internet-blog.htm#.UTvlwdako1P

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Samsung flexible OLED display at CES 2013

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samsung introduced its new flexible OLED display, known as 'YOUM':

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More Cloud Computing

Office Web Apps from Microsoft is a great cloud solution for basic typing

Source: Microsoft

It is easy to underestimate the potential of the cloud given that it has been with us for the better part of the last decade.

But just think about it. What is better than having every file and document on the fly however much you travel? You write documents, store photos, store music, watch movies and communicate via video with all your friends.

Microsoft Office Web Apps is embedded in Live and hotmail is just good enough for online typing.

Advancements in mobile device technology makes all these possible. Smartphones, phablets and tablets are getting faster, more convenient and reaching every corner of the globe. It is just a matter of harmonizing and maximizing usability of these innovations .

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Holographic Display and Infra red Keyboard

The Apple patent of August 2011

Source: Patently Apple

A concept demo about how Infrared keyboard would work

Source: Aatma

There are lots of future technological concepts and innovations floating around the internet, and none so compelling as the implementation of holographic display and infra red keyboard. As far-fetched as they may look, the implementation of these features is already there and just waiting to get the perfect boost.

A case in point is the patent filed by Apple on 11th August 2011, where it unveiled plans to integrate mini orpico-like projectors into future devices. Integration of the projector would enable the user project video or image data presentation on any surface or better still, anywhere without a surface.

The same technology will also be used to further keyboard enhancement. Infrared keyboards should help smartphone users type and interact with much larger and friendly keyboard.

With this technology the phone projects a virtual keyboard on a surface before the user who then enters data as if he were using a laptop keyboard.

Some think that Apple may after all integrate this technology in the upcoming iPhone 5. Whether this technology is integrated or not in the next iPhone, it surely must be the trend for 2013.

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Budget iPhone

Samsung Galaxy Mini

The rumor has always been there for about two years and 2013 seems to be the year that Apple will finally bow down and produce a budget iPhone!

The proposed budget iPhone will be priced at about half the normal figure that Apple charges for top of the bar iPhones.

Reports from the Guardian indicate that the new iPhone is primarily set to for the Chinese market. It is then obvious that the cheap iPhones will also be shipped elsewhere in Asia, Africa and south America. Reports indicate the phone should be out for sale by around December 2013.

The apparent need for a cheap iPhone is being made a necessity following the successes by Samsung with its versions of Samsung Galaxy mini. Samsung upgraded the old mini to Galaxy Mini II in 2012.

Another clue to Apple’s dive for a cheap iPhone is the release and apparent success of the iPad Mini in 2012. As Apple is working on the iPad mini for 2013, an equally cheaper iPhone will be welcome news.

Source: By Xanor

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Better Near Field Communications (NFC)

Near Field Communications has been implemented in a number of Google's Android based smartphones. It is still not as wide spread as analysts had always predicted but is bound to catch fire, now that Apple is implementing it in the upcoming iPhone 5.

Google Wallet

NFC technology allows commercial transactions to be done wirelessly through mobile devices, without the need for data cards. The phone can be paired (read placed close to each other) or tap products, in order to transfer files, read product information and seal financial transactions.

Google has been running miles to implement Google Wallet app to enable its users do all online mobile financial transaction.

Source: Google

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The New Apple iTV and Smart Television

A concept of the iTV

It is possibly true that Samsung Smart TV set the pace in modern television, but there is much in the waiting that may just revolutionize how television viewing is done.

A smart TV is different from the traditional TV set in that it runs a specialized operating system, which seamlessly integrates web services, multitasking, modern gaming and enhanced human interactivity – all in addition to normal TV services.

A major step should possibly be realized with the launch of the much anticipated iTV from Apple.

Rumors and endless speculations talk of top of the bar iTV that will do more than simply display movies and produce sound. Loaded with targeted apps, the new TV will well be integrated with Facetime, Siri – much like Microsoft’s own Kinect, and a possible retina display.

iTV promises to offer the ultimate in facial recognition, effortless voice interaction, and the ultimate in use of gestures. The current breed of smart TV sets are still lacking in these features.

How far Apple intends to perfect these features remain to be seen, and if all the hullaballoo about their ‘next being thing’ is to be believed, then the next smart TV from Cupertino should be a wonder.

The iTV is expected in 2013 and will possibly hit the shelves by the end of the year.

Source: http://www.t3.com/news/apple-itv-rumours

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Phablets 2013

Samsung galaxy Note, a notable example of a phablet

Source: By Rwxrwxrwx

The smartphone and multi-touch concept is a technological feat that holistically changed the concept of communication and computing. Starting with the iPhone in 2007 and followed with the iPad in 2010, manufactures were sent scrambling around for a perfect mobile device and soon thought of something that bridged the two products.

The device in question is what became popularly known as Phablet. The word Phablet is an amalgamation of smartphone and tablet, and is meant to serve as a communication and internet device at a cost lower than a full tablet, and a screen slightly bigger than a smartphone but much smaller than the traditional tablet.

A Phablet screen should agreeably be around 5 inch and priced at much lower or just slightly over $199. Apart from the price, a 5 inch device is light enough to carry around and at the same time accomplish the task for the normal smartphone and tablet.

The need for phablets was heightened by success stories of the Amazon Kindle Fire and later on, Asus Google Nexus 7 mini tablets.

Samsung consequently released its first tablet, Samsung Galaxy Note, in October 2011. This apparent opening in the phablet market catapulted Apple into designing the iPad Mini, which was first announced in November 2012. Not necessarily a phablet, the iPad Mini was meant to fill the gap for Apple of ever increasing enthusiasts of gadgets much smaller than the current tablets.

And now with iPad mini having scored big, especially in China, maybe the thought of small and not very small is becoming the fad! Apple is actually rumored to be working on its own version of Phablet which may be called iPhone plus!

Other notable examples of phablets include Droid DNA, Dell Streak and of course Samsung Galaxy note II.

'Phablets 2013' should be the tagline for most of the year and should help escalate the popularity of smaller tablets and bigger smartphones as a whole.

Source: http://amuno.hubpages.com/hub/Technology-and-IT-Trends-2013

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Cables and Wires

• Although these are not the most sophisticated part of the system, they are just as important as any other component.
• All the components in a PC are connected together and to power with wires and cables.
• Ninety percent of all electronics problems (including PCs) are the result of poor connections.
• If you have a PC problem, it is always a good idea to first check that all the cables on your PC are plugged in and properly seated.

Source: by John Anthony

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Mouse

The mouse is the most common 'pointing device' used in PCs. Every mouse has two buttons and most have one or two scroll wheels. 

• By default the left button is used to select items. The right button is assigned as a context or alternate menu. A single wheel is normally set to scroll up and down on the active page . If a second wheel is present, it is usually assigned to scroll left and right on the page.
• The button functions can be reassigned by going to Control Panel > Mouse > Buttons tab.
• Data is transferred to the PC over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-din connector that plugs into the back of the motherboard. This type of mouse sells for $10 to $25 depending on the style, button and wheel configuration.
• Some versions of the mouse are wireless. They communicate with a receiver pod that is plugs into the mouse port. Radio Frequency (RF) or InfraRed (IR) technology is used for communication between the mouse and the pod. These sell in the $30 to $45 range.

There are two designs used in a mouse for detecting motion: 

Track ball 
This type of mouse uses a rolling (track) ball. As the mouse moves the ball rolls. The rolling motion is converted electronically into matching movements of the mouse pointer that moves across your video display. 
The track ball mouse is rapidly becoming another casualty of rapidly changing technology. The optical mouse has pretty much replaced it. The track ball mouse is already becoming a thing of the past. 

Optical 
This mouse uses an InfraRed transmitter/receiver pair to optically detect the motion of the mouse. It has a number of advantages over the track ball mouse:

• No mouse pad is required.
• Can work on any flat surface
• No rolling track ball that collects and transfers dirt to the internal rollers, making them slip. When they do, your mouse pointer jumps around in an unpredictable and annoying way!

Source: by John Anthony

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Keyboard

• The keyboard was the first input device developed for the PC.
• The standard keyboard layout provides 104 keys organized as four groups:
  
  
  • alphanumeric keys (A-Z, 0-9) 
  • location keys (home, end etc.) 
  • numeric keypad 
  • function keys (F1-F12)
• In addition to the standard keys, some keyboards offer functions such as volume control for speakers, web browser functions and power management.
• Data is transferred to the PC over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-din connector that plugs into the back of the motherboard.
• Standard keyboards sell for $7 to $30 depending on the feature set.
• There are wireless keyboards that communicate with a pod that is plugged into the keyboard port. Radio Frequency (RF) or InfraRed (IR) technology is used to communicate between the keyboard and the receiver pod, which plugs into the PC. Wireless keyboards are priced in the $40 to $45 range.
• Cherry Hill Inc. is releasing a keyboard that has an integrated Finger Tip sensor. Instead of having to type in passwords to access the PC a successful fingerprint match allows entry in to the PC or specific programs.

Source: by John Anthony

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Hard Disk Drive

• The HDD installs in one of the 3-1/2 inch internal drive bays in the PC. It is secured by machine screws.
• Data Transport: IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is a 40 pin ribbon cable originally used to carry data to and from the host bus adapters on the motherboard and the hard disk drive. This parallel bus was later renamedPATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment).
  Drives with PATA interfaces are powered by a separate 4-pin cable from the power supply which carries +5v, +12v and ground.
  
  Since 2009 SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) has replaced PATA in consumer and laptop PC's. It is a very fast serial bus and uses only 7 lines for data transport which is huge reduction from the 40 lines PATA requires.
  SATA drives use a separate 15 pin connector for power and receive +5v, +3.3v, +12v and ground from the power supply.
• Data Storage is maintained magnetically on multiple rigid disks that are stacked up like pancakes. Small arms with magnetic pickups move rapidly back and forth across the top and bottom surface of each disk in the drive. The sensors float just a few microns above the rotating disk surface and can read and write data (ones and zeroes) at very high rates.
• Most commercially available hard drives rotate at 5400 or 7200 RPM (revolutions per minute) which translates to 90 or 120 revolutions per second respectively. The data transfer rate from the drive to the motherboard is 33 Mbytes/second in bursts. Newer drives are capable of higher speeds up to 66 Mbytes/sec. To use this faster drive, the PC must have an ATA/66 interface that is capable of keeping up with it.
• A 40 Gbyte (Gigabyte) drive in 2004 sold for about $100. In 2012 a 1 Tbyte (Terabyte) drive sells for the same or slightly less and has 25 times more storage capacity!

Source: by John Anthony

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Power Supply

• A power supply is installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to the motherboard.
• It converts 120vac (standard house power) into DC voltages that are used by other components in the PC.
• A 20 conductor cable carries +5vdc, -5vdc +12vdc, -12vdc and ground to the motherboard.
• Another pair of cables, each with four conductors and two 4-pin connectors daisy-chained along it, carry +5vdc, +12vdc and ground to the drives (hard, floppy and CD/DVD).
• Typical PC power supplies are rated at 200-250 watts and sell for about $50 - $75. Higher wattage supplies are available.

Source: by John Anthony

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Motherboard

The motherboard is the main circuit board in a PC. It contains all the circuits and components that run the PC. 

Major Components found on the motherboard are: 

• CPU - the Central Processing Unit is often an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor. It is the heart of every PC. All scheduling, computation and control occurs here.
  
• BIOS - Basic Input Output System is a non-volatile memory that contains configuration information about the PC. It contains all the code required for the CPU to communicate with the keyboard, mouse video display, disk drives and communications devices.
  
  When a PC is powered on it uses the BIOS 'boot code' to set up many required functions that bring the PC to a point where it is ready to work.
  
• RTC - the Real Time Clock chip keeps date, day and time in a 24 hour format just like your watch. The PC uses this clock to 'time stamp' files as they are created and modified. When you print a file it time stamps the pages as they are printed.
  
• Chip Set - these are large chip(s) that integrate many functions that used to be found in separate smaller chips on the motherboard. They save space and cost.
  
  The functions performed by these chip sets often broken into two devices with one providing an interface from the CPU to the memory and the other providing controllers for IDE, ISA, PCI and USB devices (see below).
  

Primary Connectors found on the motherboard are: 

• Power - A 20 pin connector accepts a plug from the power supply. This plug carry DC power to all the circuits on the motherboard.
  
• Keyboard - A Mini-din 6-pin (round) connector found at the back of the motherboard is where the keyboard plugs in.
  
• Mouse - A Mini-din 6-pin connector found next to the keyboard connector is where the where the mouse plugs in.
  
• Display - This connector is not integrated into the motherboard but is included in this list since its function is absolutely necessary. It is a 15-pin, D-shell type connector found on a video card that plugs into the AGP connector of the motherboard (see below).
  
• IDE - stands for Integrated Drive Electronics. These are 40 pin connectors that provide a place to connect the ribbon cables from the drives (hard and CD/DVD). All data between the motherboard and the drives is carried in these cables. They are not accessible unless the PC cover is removed.
  
• FDD connector - it is similar in function to the IDE connector. It is a 34 pin ribbon connector that carries data between the motherboard and any floppy drive installed in the PC. Not accessible with PC cover on.
  
• DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory connectors for SIMM and DIMM type memory modules. Not accessible with chassis cover on.
  
• Serial Connectors
  
  
  • Standard Serial Connector - This connector has been around in PCs since they first appeared. It was originally located on ISA expansion type cards (see below). Today it is an integral part of newer motherboards. It is a 9- pin, D-shell connector that allows you to connect external devices with serial ports to your PC. The maximum data rate is 115 KB/s.
    
  • USB - Universal Serial Bus This is a relatively new serial bus. Originally specified as low speed, 1.2 Mb/s, it was enhanced to full speed, 12Mb/s. The latest version 2.0 is specified as high speed, 400 MB/s.
    
    Someday USB will completely replace the standard serial connector that has been the workhorse serial port in earlier PCs. USB is now a standard connector on all new motherboards.
    
    Unlike serial and parallel ports, the USB port is designed to power devices connected to it. The devices must be low power devices and must be able to reduce their current draw to less than 0.5uAmps when commanded to do so by the PC.
    
• Parallel Connectors
  
  
  • Centronix or Standard Parallel - This connector has been around in PCs since they first appeared. It has 37-pins and is now integrated on new motherboards. It is usually used to connect your printer to the PC and moves data at about 1MB/s.
    
  • SCSI - Small Computer System Interface moves data at a maximum of up to 80Mb/s. It not integrated into most PC motherboards. It can be added to a PC as an Expansion card (see below). Some printers and hard disk drives use SCSI interfaces.
    
• Expansion Card Connectors - The CPU connects to expansion card connectors through one of the chip set ICs mentioned above. They are located on the motherboard near the rear of the PC. These connectors allow special function cards to plug into and work with the PC.
  
  Before motherboards integrated the serial and centronix connectors they were found on expansion boards that plugged into ISA slots.
  
  Most PCs have the following expansion connector types:
  
• ISA - Industry Standard Architecture connectors have been around since 1980 and first appeared in the IBM XT PC. This type of slot still appears on some newer motherboards so that older expansion boards can still be used. However, many motherboards no longer have ISA connectors on them.
  
• PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect is a newer and faster interface that accepts all expansion cards that have a PCI interface.
  
• AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port is a connector that is designed to work with video cards. Your video display plugs into and is controlled by one of these video cards. Many modern video cards offer enhanced 3D-graphics and fast, full motion video.

Source: by John Anthony

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PC Case

The PC case is a thin sheet metal enclosure that houses the motherboard, power supply and various drives (HDD, FDD, CD, DVD). 

• Cases are offered in two styles, desktop and tower. Today the tower type is predominant. It stands upright and is much taller than it is wide. It is usually placed on the floor next to, or under a desk. The desktop has a pizza box profile and usually sits on the desktop.
  
• Tower cases are offered in two basic sizes, one that can fit ATX (12" wide) motherboards and one that can accommodate ATX mini (8.5" wide) motherboards. The number of drive bays offered also varies depending on manufacturer.
  
• The motherboard and power supply mount to the floor at the rear of the case. The drives (hard, floppy and CD/DVD) mount in enclosures called drive bays at the front of the case.
  
• Cases run from $20 to $70 depending on size (ATX or ATX mini), number of drive bays and the wattage of the power supply.

Source: by John Anthony

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Ultrabook

An Ultrabook is a higher-end type of subnotebook defined by Intel. Intel has registered the name as a trademark.Ultrabooks are designed to feature reduced bulk without compromising performance and battery life. They use low-power Intel Core processors, solid-state drives, and unibody chassis to help meet these criteria.^[Due to their limited size, they typically omit common laptop features such as optical disc drives and Ethernet ports.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook

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Top 40 best technology news websites – the definitive list

Sites are listed in alphabetical order.

AllThingsDigital – This is the Wall Street Journal’s Blog hub featuring top industry analysts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. This is your source for hard-hitting, far-reaching opinion and commentary on the tech industry.

Ars Technica – The site caters to computer enthusiasts and covers a wide array of technology, science and gaming news. It is one of the most linked-to sites by tech blogs and news sites.

Boy Genius Report – BGR uses the blog model to cover gadgets, predominantly mobile phones. It’s a favorite for tech-savvy users looking for the latest, breaking news and product releases ahead of the mainstream media.

Business Week – This is among the Web’s top spots for the latest international business news, offering in-depth company profiles, financial advice and insight on the global technology industry.

Centernetworks – The site offers news, reviews, insights and interviews covering Web 2.0, social networking, social media and social lending with a special focus on Web applications development.

Cnet.com – If Engadget’s cool, albeit geeky, way of presenting fresh tech news doesn’t appeal to you (see below), then you may like Cnet’s more business-oriented writing. Like Engadget, Cnet.com also has a stable of reliable news sources, which helps the site break news and exclusives.

Crave – Crave’s commentaries on the gadget world are top-notch, well-written and occasionally witty.

CrunchGear – It’s your daily dose of geek gadgets: cell phones, gaming hardware, software, computers. Techcrunch’s gadget arm competes with Engadget in the gadget news and reviews arena.

DailyTech – This is an online magazine geared for the well-educated tech audience. It features hard hitting and up-to-the-minute tech news.

Download Squad – With a diverse crew of tech writers, Download Squad offers the latest news and reviews of downloadable applications on Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile devices.

Electronista – Part of the Macintosh News Network, Electronista offers the latest news on technology, gadgets, mobile phones, DVR, GPS, and digital photography,

Engadget – Its witty and short tech articles, breaking tech news and exclusives are updated around the clock. Engadget is home to the latest and greatest gadgets.

Gearlog – This is the gadget site for geeks by geeks, written by the staff at PC Magazine. It’s coverage will whet the appetite of any gadget freak.

Geek.com – With a killer domain name like Geek.com, it’s not surprising that this site has been around since 1996. The site covers news and reviews of the hottest hardware and software, including computer buying guides, Apple, gadgets, games, mobiles and chips. On the downside, the site has a canned, blocky design. And the pop-out window displaying ads can be annoying.

GigaOm – This site dominates telecommunication news: VOIP, broadband, mobile phone applications and more. Tech journalist Om Malik heralded GigaOM as among the top tech news sites on the Web today.

Gizmodo – This site offers reviews of gadgets, gizmos and cutting-edge consumer electronics. It’s closest rival would have to be Crunchgear. Both sites sport almost the same design. The two cover similar topics but with very different voices.

I4U – Among the independent tech news sites, I4U has stayed quite but still manages to get tremendous referral links from both big and small tech sites. I4U’s breaking stories and features cover the latest gadgets, portable devices, home entertainment, notebooks and more. The site has strong sources in Asia’s tech hubs.

iLounge.com – The small “i,” means Apple. iLounge offers the latest on iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and more. It features news, information, discussion forums, and tips and tricks.

Information Week – Information Week is geared for information technology professionals and managers. The site delivers breaking news, blogs, image galleries, proprietary research and top-notch analysis of IT trends and issues.

Kotaku.com – Check here for your daily dose of gaming news, tips, reviews and other related information. Its only low-down is the confusing site layout. It might be hard to find the report you’re looking for.

Lifehacker – This site is one of my favorite tech news sites. It offers tech-related productivity tips and news and articles on how to get things done. It helps you work smarter and save time through recommended downloads, Web sites and shortcuts.

louisgray.com – This blog covers Silicon Valley, occasionally delving into the latest on media, sports and politics. The site is geared for early adopters, technology geeks, RSS addicts and Mac Freaks.

Mashable – This is your source for anything and everything on Web 2.0 startups and applications. Three to five daily posts feature top lists, startup reviews, and comprehensive industry-specific comparative articles.

NYT Technology Bits – This online newspaper’s technology content is not to be outdone with its timely and will-written tech news.

Official Google Blog – The search engine behemoth’s official blog deserves to be on our list: it is the official source for all things Google – products, services, acquisitions and more.

PCWorld – The online version of the popular magazine offers quick access to authoritative reviews of technology products, pricing information, updated tech news and downloads of freeware and shareware. It reigns as one of the industry’s best news sites.

ReadWriteWeb – This is another premiere Web 2.0, social media and startup-centric site. It has distinguished itself from the rest of the crowd with its comprehensive and well-written articles on Web applications, Web technology trends, social networking sites, social media applications.

Scobleizer – Robert Scoble comments on tech news, blogging and the Internet. Chances are if you read a post or two, you’ll come back.

Silicon Alley Insider – This is another Silicon Valley news site covering the most pressing tech news of the day.

Slashdot – The site is sometimes are heavy on Linux and Open Source issues, but offers a great variety of news from around the Web.

Techcrunch – Who doesn’t know the blogosphere’s top tech blog? If you’re a blogger and into tech-related stuff, Techcrunch is your ultimate source for anything and everything on startups, Web 2.0, social networking and VCs. The site always breaks interesting news and offers exclusive coverage. TC’s news items range from the simple to the most comprehensive.

TechRepublic.com – This is another well-crafted and professional source for business and technology news. The site features timely articles, forums, multimedia and other technology-related information products.

TechSpot – Since opening its doors in 1998, Techspot has evolved into one of the leading independent computer technology sites for computer enthusiasts, gamers and IT professionals. The site provides daily news coverage, in-depth product reviews, buying guides and download updates.

The Inquirer – The site offers the latest breaking news on computers, mobile devices, servers, consoles, hardware and software innovation, graphics and microprocessors.

TheRegister – The Register is your ultimate source for tech industry news in the UK. The site offers views, opinions and reviews with a British bent.

Valleywag – The site offers tabloid-style news and gossip on Silicon Valley. It manages witty yet sensible coverage of goings-on in the capital of technology.

Venturebeat – The site follows the venture capital, focusing mainly on private companies. Initially it covered Silicon Valley startups but has started to expand its coverage.

WebProNews – The site offers news, tips and analysis on e-commerce, covering search engine optimization, social media marketing, advertising and online branding.

Wired Science – This is the more science-based arm of Wired.com. It offers the latest science news, delving into space, biology, geology, neuroscience and physics.

Wired.com – The site provides in-depth coverage of trends in technology and its affect on business, entertainment, science and society. Wired.com covers games, culture, gadget, entertainment and other tech-related news through its blogs, regular reviews and videos.

Source: http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/11/15/top-40-technology-news-sites-the-definitive-guide/

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Technology Quiz

Have fun using the questions & answers to test how much you know and enjoy the wide range of cool technology trivia for kids.

1. Solar power generates electricity from what source?

2. Did the Apple iPhone first become available in 2005, 2006 or 2007?

3. In terms of computing, what does CPU stand for?

4. True or false? Nintendo was founded after the year 1900.

5. The Hubble Space Telescope is named after which American astronomer?

6. Is the wavelength of infrared light too long or short to be seen by humans?

7. Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari and Explorer are types of what?

8. True or false? Gold is not a good conductor of electricity?

9. The technologically advanced humanoid robot ASIMO is made by which car company?

10. True or false? Atomic bombs work by atomic fission.

11. In terms of computing, what does ROM stand for?

12. Did the original Sony Playstation use CDs or cartridges to play games?

13. What is the Earth’s primary source of energy?

14. IBM is a well known computer and information technology company, what does IBM stand for?

15. Along with whom did Bill Gates found Microsoft?

16. What science fiction writer wrote the three laws of robotics?

17. True or false? In computing, keyboards are used as input devices.

18. What does the abbreviation WWW stand for?

19. Nano, Shuffle, Classic and Touch are variations of what?

20. True or false? DNA is an abbreviation for ‘Deoxyribonucleic acid’.

Answers:

1. The Sun

2. 2007

3. Central Processing Unit

4. False - 1889

5. Edwin Hubble

6. Long

7. Web browsers

8. False

9. Honda

10. True

11. Read Only Memory

12. CDs

13. The Sun

14. International Business Machines

15. Paul Allen

16. Isaac Asimov

17. True

18. World Wide Web

19. The Apple iPod

20. True

Source: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/quizzes/technology.html

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