Ouya introduces limited console edition during
last week of funding

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 02:34:54 PM. © Ubergizmo

Ouya, the $99 Android game console project, in entering its last week of fund raising on Kickstarter. The company raised $6M+ out of an original goal of $950,000 (it hit $5M 10 days ago). It is clear that support for the project has been overwhelming as the idea of an affordable Android game console is resonating with a lot of people (45802 backers at the time of publishing).

The limited edition of the Ouya game console is a brown, brushed-metal, version of the game console and controller. The color has been selected by Yves Behar, a man known for its many successes in technology design and who worked on the industrial design of Ouya. The special edition version requires a pledge of $140 (vs. $99 for the normal version), and can only be obtained during this week of Kickstarter funding.

If you are not familiar with Ouya, it is a game console that aims at changing the game development market dynamics in the same way that app stores have changed the landscape for smartphone, tablets and computer apps. With Ouya, anyone can create and submit a game into its marketplace, which makes it easier for Indie developers. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 also feature Indie games, but Ouya wants to take this to the next level, and that includes a low $99 price for the hardware. Most Android games should be easy to adapt to Ouya, so there should be plenty of titles at launch – that’s in addition of PC games from Onlive. [official Ouya blog post]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Check out Ouya: a $99 hackable Android video game console designed by Yves Behar, Square Enix backs Ouya with Final Fantasy III as a launch title,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/ouya-introduces-limited-console-edition/

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Yahoo! Calendar refreshed

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 02:22:14 PM. © Ubergizmo

Nice to know that Yahoo! has already sorted out whatever issues it ran into with their online services yesterday, and here we are with word that Yahoo! Calendar has been updated for the masses in order to make it easier to use, not to mention offering a more seamless experience as part of the Yahoo! Mail universe. For starters, Yahoo! Calendar now appears as a tab in Yahoo! Mail, where it remains as a permanent tab instead of having you click the Calendar link under the ?Applications? section in the left panel as you did before. Basically, each time you login to your Yahoo! Mail account, your eyes will be able to check out a ?Calendar? tab that is located right next to the ?Contacts? tab.

It is also a whole lot easier to send RSVP responses for Calendar invites from Yahoo! Mail itself, in addition to checking out the day’s events and appointments at a glance thanks to the ?Check Availability? button. All of these are certainly a step in the right direction, but other online mail services that also jive with a calendar in its ecosystem have been working great all this while. This revamping exercise should appeal to Yahoo! diehards, but will it be enough to win over new converts? Only time will tell.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Yahoo! services restored, Yahoo! Mail outage - momentary pain for permanent pleasure?,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/yahoo-calendar-refreshed/

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Android tablet gaining share, thanks to low-cost
devices [study]

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 02:14:53 PM. © Ubergizmo

Android-powered tablets are gaining traction according to Frank N. Magid Associates. In fact they are selling fast enough to decrease the iPad’s overall market share, despite recent record sales for the Apple tablet. In a survey, Frank N. Magid Associates found that the iPad share went down to 50% from a record high of 72% during the previous survey.

The study’s conclusion was that low-cost devices like the Kindle Fire ($199) have been particularly effective to expand Android’s reach and with the imminent arrival of the Microsoft Surface and the strong start of the Nexus 7, things could get even worse for Apple’s tablet share going forward. That said, Frank N. Magid Associates still expects the iPad to remain the leader in the tablet race, but with a much reduced lead. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Demand for the iPad slows down, causes worry for investors, Kindle Fire said to have caused iPad purchases to be put on hold (Survey),

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/android-tablet-gaining-share-thanks-to-low-cost-
devices-study/

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ComScore: Android has 51.6% market share in US
mobile market

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 02:04:44 PM. © Ubergizmo

Before we continue, let me get one thing straight – there are different ways of carrying out a survey, and the interpretation of statistics and results largely depends on the kind of message that you want to convey, in addition to how you “package” it to the audience. Having said that, here are some of the latest bits of information that was picked up by ComScore, where they claim that the Android operating system commands a 51.6% market share in the US mobile market, which is a tiny increase over its previous month. As for Apple’s iOS platform, that is no shrinking violet as iOS has also been growing along at an extremely healthy rate (at the expense of others, I would presume) touching 32.4%. The losers? Those would be the folks over at BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows. Do you think that the mobile platform will eventually whittle down to two players just like a 2-party democratic system? At this point in time, just which side of the mobile operating system divide are you siding with?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android owns over 40% of US smartphone share, iOS Outreaches Android by 59% says Comscore,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/comscore-android-has-51-6-market-share-in-us-mob
ile-market/

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PowerSkin for Motorola Atrix HD gives added talk
time

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 01:59:19 PM. © Ubergizmo

Don’t you just hate it when you are in the middle of an engaging conversation over the phone and the line gets cut off due to poor signal or the end of your handset’s battery life? You cannot do much about the former other than to change carriers, but even so there is no guarantee. As for a depleted battery, this is where you can intervene with the right kind of accessory. PowerSkin has just announced its latest battery skin for the Motorola Atrix HD, where it is said to be able to offer an extended talk time of up to 220 minutes on a single charge.

Now, the idea of merging a protective case that also carries a battery is not new, but it is always a novelty when a new model that supports a different smartphone comes out. This PowerSkin for the Atrix HD will boast of a new angular design and smooth-touch, weather-resistant coating, coming in a durable, matte finish which will help it shrug off dust, scratches, moisture and grime. It has a 1500 mAh rechargeable battery integrated within, an On/off button and Smart Power Management capability, LED lights which indicate battery level and charge status, all coming in a one-piece, silicone case. The asking price? $69.99 if you are interested.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Motorola Atrix HD Review, Motorola ATRIX HD in stores today,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/powerskin-for-motorola-atrix-hd/

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Chrome browser delivers Retina Display support
now

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 01:52:43 PM. © Ubergizmo

The most recent version of Google’s Chrome browser will now play nice with Apple devices that carry a Retina Display, which is a good indicator of how well Google keeps its promises to the end user after making a commitment to support Retina Display devices with a future version of the Google Chrome web browser. Owners of the spanking new 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks that will feature the Retina Display can now check out webpages at a resolution count of 2880 x 1800, thanks to Chrome 21. Chrome 21 is not a browser that shies from different operating systems, in fact, it will hum along just fine on the Mac OS, Windows and Linux environments without missing a beat.

In fact, Chrome 21 now boasts of a new API (application programming interface) known as getUserMedia which will enable users to allow Web applications to access their computers’ cameras and microphones without the need to install another pesky plug-in that might result in consuming more system resources. Of course, as with any other new version of a software, this one will come with its fair share of bugs fixes and security patches.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android and Chrome to feature radial-style menus?, Google Chrome delivers blank pages,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/chrome-retina-display-support/

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Ematic eGlide 4 tablet comes with Ice Cream
Sandwich

post from Ubergizmo on 01 August 2012 01:47:21 PM. © Ubergizmo

Now here is another budget friendly tablet that might suit most people’s bank accounts in this economically challenging moments – the Ematic eGlide 4 tablet that will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in tow. Being one of the more recent 7? Android 4.0 tablets available in the market, are there any factors that help set this puppy apart from the rest? Not really actually, other than the sweetly positioned price point that will definitely appeal to most folks who want to take a dip into the Android-powered tablet market, but do not quite have any idea as to where to start.

Underneath the hood of the Ematic eGlide 4 lies a 1GHz processor that gets the job done if you are not exactly looking into processor intensive tasks. Other hardware specifications include 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal memory in addition to another 5GB of cloud storage. Surely 4GB is not enough in this day and age, which is a good thing that the Ematic eGlide 4 ships with a microSD memory card slot. Not only that, a built-in voice recorder comes in handy especially for students who do not want to miss out what their lecturer talked about in class. The eGlide 4 is priced at $79.99 a pop.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ematic eGlide Pro X runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Ematic introduces the eGlide Steal Android tablet for $119.95,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/ematic-eglide-4-tablet-comes-with-ice-cream-sand
wich/

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Microsoft Windows 8: It is finished!

One of Microsoft’s executives, Steven Sinofsky, did announce in a blog post that their next generation of the Windows operating system, simply known as Windows 8 (it is always nice to keep things short and sweet) is now complete. Yes sir, Microsoft is working on releasing the finalized Release To Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 8 to third-party manufacturers later today, if they have not yet done so already. It will take several weeks for manufacturers to get Windows 8 installed on their machines before the October 26 launch date arrives. Are you looking forward to what Windows 8 is able to deliver off hand, and have you made preparations to purchase a brand new computer at the same time to coincide with the Windows 8 launch?

Do not take the title in the wrong way though, I am not calling down curses on Windows 8 in any way, but rather, am making a reference to how the software giant’s job is done for Windows 8 – at this point in time, anyways.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Blizzard does not appear to be thrilled about Windows 8 either, Microsoft announces BUILD 2012,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/08/microsoft-windows-8-it-is-finished/

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Wadjet Eye Resonance

post from GadgetSpeak - Member reviews, blogs and forums on 01 August 2012 01:04:09 PM. © GadgetSpeak - Member reviews, blogs and forums

Forget among a split personality, in this next game you can switch your role backwards and forwards between four characters.[...]

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http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/751/664192/Wadjet_Eye_Resonance.ht
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Raspberry Pi Gets Android ICS

If you're familiar with the Raspberry Pi Android-powered computer you will be glad to hear the device will soon be getting Android 4.0. When the Raspberry Pi launched, it ran an older version of...

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http://www.i4u.com/51265/raspberry-pi-gets-android-ics