The New Macbook Air 11 & 13" in 24kt Gold

After a 2 year hiatus, the Macbook Air is now back in our product lineup. Our first example is a 24kt Gold Macbook Air 11" with custom engraving, a color matched keyboard and trackpad. These laptops are now offered in plating and anodizing with all of the same customization techniques used in the Macbook Pro lineup. You won't find this kind of Macbook Air anywhere else in the world.

Exogear's Exovolt Plus 'stackable' battery pack claims to be the first of its kind

We've seen (and tested) a fair share of interesting power packs during our time, and Exogear's hoping to make a mark of its own in this very juicy department with what the outfit's calling "the world's first" stackable battery pack. The newly minted Exovolt Plus consists of a main 5,200 mAh kit, which can then be paired -- or, in this particular case, stacked -- alongside a "Sub Battery" unit to create the ultimate portable charging station. One thing worth noting, though, is that each extra stack will be sold separately for nearly $50, while the essential Exovolt Plus is set to run at about $90 minus some change. Given its universal capabilities (30-pin, USB and micro-USB), something tells us the Exovolt Plus won't have trouble landing any suitors despite its somewhat hefty price tag. Still, you'll have to wait a little while before you can snag one of these, as it's currently listed as "coming soon," and its creator's yet to reveal when we can expect it to go on sale.

Zotac launches new ZBOX with Geforce GT 520M

Zotac has updated its line of ZBOX mini-PCs with yet another model that combines Intel's dual-core Atom D2550 with Nvidia's Geforce GT 520M dedicated GPU, the ZBOX ID84.
As it was always the case with ZBOX Mini-PCs, the new ZBOX ID84 will also be available as a barebone or as a fully equipped system. Main specs include Intel's Atom D2550 dual-core CPU working at 1.86GHz and Nvidia's Geforce GT 520M GPU with 512MB of DDR3 memory.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

If you've been paying attention, you not only knew Lenovo was readying a ThinkPad-branded Windows 8 tablet, but you probably already noticed all the leaked specs, too. Indeed, we first saw this thing all the way back at Computex, where Lenovo gave us a fairly hands-off peek, taking care to conceal most of the device's specs. Later, it turned up in the FCC and in official documents, letting us know the slate would actually be arriving quite soon.

Is Samsung about to launch a black Galaxy S III version

When the Galaxy S III was announced, many were surprised that Samsung didn’t introduce a version in the classical black, but instead went forPebble blue.

This might change, as a couple of photos of what appears to be a black Galaxy S III were uploaded to the company’s Facebook page, showcasing the phone’s capabilities at the London 2012 Olympics.

The photos aren’t a definite proof that a black version of Samsung’s Android flagship is on the way since they have slight blue tints here or there. In the end, it may all be just bad lighting, but it would make sense for Samsung to launch a black version of the S III.

A Samsung Galaxy S III in garnet red is already available for AT&T, so it’s highly likely for Sammy to launch even more color variations and try to appeal to an even wider audience.

Splashtop 2 HD Remote Desktop App For Android Now Available

Remote desktopping has long since been an integral part of computing, but tablet devices have made this practice a whole lot easier. The quality of remote desktop apps for mobile devices varies as much as the prices do, and although there are plenty available for both iOS and Android, only a handful of them seem to be worth bothering with.

Splashtop certainly falls under the umbrella of remote access apps worth considering, and following the success of the first edition, Splashtop 2 HD has just been released for those running an Android device. It features a beautiful new interface, and is billed by its creators as being the smoothest and most secure edition yet.

iPhone 5 Features, Specs: Bigger Screen Confirmed

The iPhone 5 release date is still likely over a month away, but based on a beta version of the new operating system developers say they can confirm that Apple's new smartphone will support a higher resolution and therefore feature a redesigned, bigger screen.
The release of iOS 6 Beta 4 recently revealed that the new iPhone 5 will feature an improved resolution of 640x1136. The upgraded resolution likely means that the iPhone 5 will feature a taller screen. This change in design has been predicted online for weeks - if not months, and confirmed in a number of leaked images of the iPhone 5. Based on this information, however, developers believe they can accurately predict that the iPhone 5 will be exactly four inches in height.

Original iPad prototype photos

It appears that as early as 2002, Apple had been working on what would eventually become the world’s most famous tablet computer: the iPad. In some recently explored court documents made public in an Apple vs Samsung court case, it appears that not only did Apple Senior VP of Industrial Design Jonathan Ive reveal when he first began work on the unit known as 035, aka eventually the iPad, several photos were shown as well. What you’ll see here is a very thick early vision.

Windows 8 Release Date is October 26

Windows 8 will be released on October 26, 2012.

Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows division, made the announcement during the company's annual sales meeting, according to the Windows Team Blog. The company had already announced late October availability for the new operating system, but did not give a specific date until today.

The release date applies to new Windows 8 PCs and to upgrades, which will cost $40 through January 31 for users running Windows XP or later. No specific launch day hardware was mentioned, but Microsoft's Surface Windows RT tablet should be available around that time.

Microsoft still hasn't announced non-upgrade Windows 8 pricing for users who build their own PCs or want to run the OS on Mac hardware. There's been some chatter that Microsoft will sell a "System Builder" or OEM version of the OS, but not a standalone full retail version.

Windows 8 is a major overhaul, with a new Start screen optimized for touch screens and an app store for tablet-friendly "Metro-style" programs.

iPhone 5 to Feature 1GB RAM, 4G LTE and NFC

Last week a report claimed that 'iPhone 5' had hit production and had speculated that it could be released as early as September.
However, folks at BGR claim that according to a trusted source, the next generation iPhone is still in engineering testing stage and yet to enter production, but is on track for fall release.

SteelSeries Sensei Gaming Mouse Available Now

The SteelSeries Sensei [RAW] features the core essentials of a premium-quality gaming mouse, but for users that may not require all of the customization that the 32 bit ARM processor inside of the SteelSeries Sensei has to offer. The Sensei [RAW] will provide users with the same Sensei shape and size as well as:

Sony Xperia Tipo pictures and hands-on

A glance of the expert's eye might miss that the Sony Xperia Tipo is an Android Ice Cream Sandwich handset, but it seems that Google's most recently released mobile OS version is everywhere these days - even in a handset preparing to hit the shelves at under £100.
The idea from Sony is a fairly simple one. There are plenty of budget Android phones out there but few from the likes of the trusted hardware manufactures such as HTC, Samsung, Nokia and its good self. So, customers looking in that price bracket might then be swayed by the Xperia name as well as the promise of ICS.

Skype Source Code Leaked

AFTER MICROSOFT ACQUIRING SKYPE FOR 8.5 BILLION DOLLARS AND PROCEEDING TO ADD BACK DOORS FOR GOVERNMENT TO THE PROGRAM, THE SOFTWARE HAS BEEN HACKED AND IT'S SOURCE CODE RELEASED.


Skype1.4_binaries：http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/6442887

SkypeKit_sdk+runtimes_370_412.zip(Windows/Linux)：http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7190651/

skype55_59_deobfuscated_binaries(Windows)：http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7238404/

iPad Mini: Something Bigger than Rumors

Apple, at the moment, offers iPad in 10-inch form factor only. However, the fact might change this year as rumors and reports focusing on a 7-inch tablet from Apple are at all time high.

After the debut of Google Nexus tablet, iPad Mini is the only big tablet left in the rumor mill. However, this tablet is not just a rumor. Most of the big publications and analysts are talking about iPad Mini nowadays.

FINAL FANTASY® XIV for Windows Specifications

FINAL FANTASY® XIV for Windows® - Recommended In-Game Settings

The following in-game settings are recommended to run the game smoothly.

Window Size and Display Mode		1280 x 720 (Windowed)
Ambient Occlusion		OFF
Depth of Field		ON
Shadow Detail		Standard
Multisampling		4 x MSAA
Buffer Size		Window Size
Texture Quality		High
Texture Filtering		High

First True4K Video Camera Under $1000 Films FullHD at 150 FPS

In the cinematographic and film industry, the 4K standard is the next best thing. While many cameras cost thousands of dollars, Point Grey Research Inc. is proposing a very capable True 4K video camera for just $945 USD.

We always complained by the somewhat low resolution of the films rolling in movie theaters and we enjoyed those 4K marketing clips quite a bit.

One other desirable aspect about movies is the adoption of a more decent FPS standard, like 85 FPS instead of today’s 29, or even 21 FPS.

Win8 Build 8432, Microsoft demonstrated new Word 2013

Before TechEd technology conference, Microsoft demonstrated the latest Windows by RT version of Build 8432, the Word 2013, PowerPoint 2013's icon first exposure (OneNote 2013 and Excel 2013's icon has been exposed).

Microsoft demonstrated Windows by RT version of Build 8432 belongs to the Pre-RTM branch, compiled on June 11. This screenshot below for the first time exposure of Word and PowerPoint in Office 2013 in the new icon:

PSP STYLE IPHONE GAME CONTROLLER

These thing just keep getting better and better I hope to see a few of these at E3 this year. ION made a PSP like case that your iPhone can just pop right in to. You can even turn the device to portrait mode for the game that use it. The device is called iCade Mobile and ION claims it to be compatible with over 100 apps and games. It’s designed with four bumper buttons a D-pad and four action buttons and works via Bluetooth. For those of us that have large hands or fat fingers or large hands with fat fingers this could be a God send! allowing one to see all the iPhone screen real-estate in all it’s retina glory can be pure bliss for the mobile gamer. ION has this slated for launch in May and expect a $79 price tag.

RTS X Fighters. Check out the Ultimate Starcraft II Arcade Stick

Custom built arcades sticks are a particularly unique aspect of the fighting game scene.  To celebrate these incredible creations, SRK commissioned a cross-over contest:  design and build the ultimate Starcraft II arcade stick.  The task was to take all the craftsmanship and flair that goes into a handmade fightstick, but translate it to a different game genre.
Here is the winning submission, by Mauricio Romano.  I was blown away by the initial renderings for his stick, and equally impressed by the fully functional final product.  Here’s Mauricio’s concept render for the stick.

The “Keyboard”

Instead of a keyboard, the stick uses a matrix of Sanwa buttons traditionally used in fighting game arcade sticks. The larger buttons on the bottom left and right of the button array are for the CTRL, SHIFT, and Space keys. When plugged in via USB, the stick is recognized as a normal keyboard.  No button mapping required.

The Mouse

The hemisphere you see on the right is a fully working 2-button mouse build using an Ultrastik analog joystick configured as an absolute pointing device.  This allows for an RTS like feel while still maintaining the two-hands-on-the-stick spirit of a fight sticks.

The End Result

Is this controller as effective as a good mechanical keyboard and mouse?  Hell no, but that wasn’t the point!  This was a cross-over challenge to blend RTS and Fighter controls, borrowing from both and unifying them in a way that makes sense in both worlds.  If you’d like to see more of the stick, check out these galleries.

Gorgeous nebula theme open chassis MOD

Prior to this, we started to appreciate the domestic players Xing Kai, Hulk, Iron Man, two Avenger Union hero chassis MOD works. Today, Xing Kai also offer individuals the fifth artwork, "Nebula ON.5, The style again changed a lot and it is the first time trying an open platform as a principal.

Four-core MX: Huawei's new flagship Ascend D, Quad just 2999 ( 472 USD )?

We already know that Huawei quad-core mobile Ascend D Quad will be on the market in August, but now most people are concerned about its price.

Earlier today, the sources claimed that in view of the pricing principles of Meizu quad core version MX which also powered by the quad-core processors of their home-grown K3V2, Huawei's new flagship Ascend D Quad selling price will maintain same level of 2999 yuan (472 USD).

Nokia launching Windows Phone 8 devices before the end of the year

Microsoft announced at the Developer Summit a couple of weeks ago that Windows Phone 8 would have four partners at launch, namely, Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei. While Huawei were quick off the mark to announce that they were going to be bringing their Ascend range to Windows Phone, it took a "leak" from an HTC insider to for us to find out the they were planning to launch three Windows Phone 8 devices; the flagship "Zenith", the midrange "Accord" and the entry-level "Rio." Samsung have also promised to bring a Samsung Galaxy SIII like device to Windows Phone 8, yet the premier Windows Phone OEM in Nokia has been conspicuously quiet. Unknown to us, there have been rumours that the first Windows Phone 8 Nokia devices were not going to be launching until early 2013. Fortunately - for some of us that are holding out for a WP8 Lumia - WPDang is reporting that Nokia has accelerated its processes and are now on target to release their initial Windows Phone 8 devices before the of the year.

360 Flagship Machine: 4.5 inch Screen Retina Sold 1888

Qihoo 360 (NYSE:QIHU) joint Haier today published its third special phone Haier W910, equipped with 4.5 inch screen retina and Qualcomm 1.5G processor, price of 1888 Yuan, will be listed in late July.

This phone is named “Haier Super flagship”, equipped with 28 nm high throughput 8260A dual core 1.5G processor and United States Corning’s Donkey Kong II rub the scratch proof glass, will be listed in late July.

NEC LaVie Z Ultrabook Claims to Be the World's Lightest

No one complained when we reported NEC's initial claimed weight of 999 grams (2.2 pounds) for its LaVie Z Ultrabook, but it turns out that statistic is brutally unfair. The 13.3-inch laptop actually tips the scales at just 875 grams (1.9 pounds) thanks to the magnesium lithium alloy used in its 0.59-inch chassis -- not bad when you consider that there are still 1.3kg netbooks wandering the planet. Of course, in line with Intel's official Ultrabook spec, you're getting a minimum Core i5-3317U processor (yes, that's Ivy Bridge) and 128GB SSD, plus USB 3.0, SDXC slot, HDMI out and a claimed battery life of 8.1 hours. There's no word on US pricing yet, but that base spec will set you back ¥130,000 ($1,600) in Japan, while the top model with Core i7-3517U and 256GB SSD will add another ¥30,000 ($375) to your bill.

Samsung's WP phone Omnia M

Samsung held a press conference in Beijing this afternoon, officially launched in the domestic market first Windows Phone mainstream mobile phones - Omnia M, the mobile phone into a mobile custom S7530 and Unicom custom S7530E (WCDMA standard) two versions.

Omnia M hardware is also very much in line with the WP mainstream processor is a processor clocked at 1GHz Qualcomm S2 of the Windows Phone needs, other areas, including Samsung's own 4-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 800 * 480 pixels, 5 megapixel main camera and front of 300 000 pixels 1500mAh battery.

Xbox Music said to rival Spotify and iTunes, Microsoft to make a mark in music

Xbox Music is coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, that much we know. We also know that the Zune brand is dead. But whether the new service will be a simple rebadge or an entirely new beast remains a mystery. Bloomberg has it on good authority, however, that that Xbox Music will more than just a new face. Microsoft is allegedly combining all the most successful elements of its competitors -- streaming, online storage, and offline syncing -- into a product that will put iTunes, Spotify and Google Play squarely in its crosshairs. The company is allegedly in talks with the record labels to secure the necessary rights for a monthly subscription service and a market for purchasing tracks. It will also take a page from Google Music and allow customers to upload their own collections. If Microsoft can pull off a such a comprehensive service others in the field better watch out -- few companies have the reach or budget of Redmond.

Nintendo takes on Disney veteran as senior VP for digital in US, gets serious about this whole internet thing

Nintendo hinted it was improving its notoriously rudimentary online access with word of the Nintendo Network early this year, and was even more adamant at E3 about making a big push into digital video. Some have accused the company of nothing but flag-waving -- if that's true, the waving is about to turn into a full parade through a new hire. As of July 1st, Nintendo is bringing on Disney's former Interactive Media Group senior VP Duncan Orrell-Jones to take on the just-minted role of senior VP for the company's Network Business group in the US. He'll be handling the overall American digital strategy, which covers both gaming as well as content. We'll need to wait awhile before we see the results, but if it helps make sure friend codes never rise from the dead to haunt our Wii U, we're all for it.

Google Compute Engine brings Linux virtual machines 'at Google scale'

As anticipated, Google has just launched its cloud service for businesses at Google I/O 2012, called Google Compute Engine. Starting today Urs Holzle announced "anyone with large-scale computing needs" can access the infrastructure and efficiency of Google's datacenters. The company is promising both performance and stability -- Amazon EC2 they're coming for you -- claiming "this is how infrastructure as a service is supposed to work". It's also promising "50 percent more computes per dollar" than competitors. Beta testers will be on hand at later meetings to give impressions of the service, if you want to know how running your apps on 700,000 (and counting) cores feels. During the presentation we got a demo of a genome app and we're sure if we understood what was going on, it would have been impressive. 

Google Drive for iOS hands-on

It's an exciting time when two worlds collide, especially for iOS users that have an affection for Google services. The head honchos in Mountain View took to the stage at Moscone West today and announced two programs were going to be made available in the App Store by the end of day: Chrome and Drive. The latter pushed out first, so we decided to give the free app a closer look. Head below for some screenshots and our impressions of the service.

Google Chrome for iOS hands-on

Google has just launched Chrome for iOS, the long-awaited browser replacement we've all been hoping for, just a day after Chrome for Android came out of beta. While iOS still does not offer the ability to set your own default mail client or web browser, Chrome lets you take your tabs, bookmarks, saved passwords, and settings with you. The only bummer is that while Google claims that "you can enjoy the same speedy and simple Chrome experience across your devices," Apple's rules about third party browsers ultimately cripple it. John Herrman summed it up well, for BuzzFeed:

But other apps that want to include a browser function, be they Facebook or an actual alternative browser like Chrome, don't get Nitro. For security reasons, the browser developers get to use in their apps is a variant of an older, pre-Nitro version, called UIWebView. It's fine — it renders pages with the same fidelity as Mobile Safari. But it is slower. Noticeably slower.

GIGABYTE Unveils First-Ever Touchpad Mouse, Aivia Xenon

GIGABYTE Technology Co. LTD are due to release their Aivia Xenon Dual Mode Touchpad Mouse, the world’s first-ever dual mode touchpad mouse. The Aivia Xenon can serve as a practical mouse with multi-touch gestures, and a portable touchpad. This innovative touchpad mouse makes you free from space boundary, and now all the operations are just one touch away.
Switching between mouse and touchpad mode with the button on the side of Aivia Xenon is only a simple click. When using it as a normal mouse, you can enjoy the precise tracking of GIGABYTE laser engine and superior webpage surfing experience with intuitional multi-touch gestures.
Feel free to personalize the gestures anytime with software, so that you may optimize the functions that suit you the most. Moreover, Aivia Xenon is equipped with GIGABYTE Free-Scrolling Technology, which allows you to effortlessly browse the files. When activating touchpad mode, it is just like using the touchpad on your laptop, but only better, because the touchpad is now portable, and the smooth control is beyond imagination.

Google Nexus 7 vs. Apple new iPad: Head-to-head

Google has unveiled its own-branded Android tablet, the Google Nexus 7. Although it isn't trying to directly compete against Apple's new iPad, the Nexus 7 will naturally be compared to the iPad due to the absence in Australia of its main competitor, the Amazon Kindle Fire.

Smarter to buy Galaxy Nexus than Galaxy S3 because of Jelly Bean upgradability?

Despite being older and having worse specs than the Samsung Galaxy S3, would it make more sense to buy the Galaxy Nexus because it will likely be the first phone to get Jelly Bean?

Jelly Bean is supposed to make movements/screen response more smooth (Project Butter) and make OS appear faster.

Since the Nexus would get this update before the S3, would the performance improvements from Jelly Bean outweigh the better specs of the S3?

Also, how quick is Sprint to release updates for the Nexus? Would it take just as long for Jelly Bean to be released on the Nexus as it would the S3?

And while I know that everything surrounding Jelly Bean is, at this time, purely hypothetical, I'm mostly asking about previous release cycles/trends

Google Nexus Q: Made in the USA!

As we previously reported, Google announced the Nexus Q hardware device today at their Google I/O developer event. The Android 4.0-powered streaming media device that looks like it came from the Portal games is now available for pre-order on the Google Play website for the price of $299. It's expected to start shipping sometime in mid-July.

Android 4.1's easter egg inevitably features jelly beans

The grand tradition of hiding easter eggs in mobile OSes continues with Android 4.1. As with previous versions, you trigger it by rapidly tapping on the version number within settings. Doing so reveals the happy jelly bean you see above. A further long-press on its rosy face brings up a floating sea of jelly beans, each of which can be flicked away with what seems like some finely tuned inertia. Essentially, it's exactly what you expect an easter egg to be: cute, light, and probably not worth visiting multiple times. It's no Taxi, but it'll do.

Google I/O’s 6,000 attendees all get free Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus Q

Google I/O 2012 is just kicking off, but right from the very first keynote the event has been super intense - Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Google Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q device that connects to the cloud and Project Glass going up for pre-order. What more can you wish for?

How about that each one of the 6,000 developers in attendance get a Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, a Google Nexus 7 tablet and the Nexus Q? Is that a good enough value for those $900 entrance tickets?

We think it is - the cheering after the whole “value pack” developers got went on and on. You can try not to be jealous in the comments below, but is it really possible?

Half-Life 2: Episode Three

Since the release of Half-Life 2: Episode Two in October 2007, there has been very little news from Valve on the next Half-Life game.
Half-Life 2: Episode Three, the third and final instalment of the Half-Life 2 episodes, was expected to follow soon after Episode Two, as Valve had stated that they aimed to release a new episode every six to eight months.[1] However, as of March 2012, three pieces of concept art are all Valve have shown of the next game. Since then, Valve has released four games, and it currently has two in development, with only one of these, Portal 2, being set in the half-life universe.

Google Now: hands-on with Jelly Bean's Siri competitor

We've spent some quality time with Google's new voice-enabled search and information system on Jelly Bean, Google Now. It's an interesting system that could be described as Google's take on Siri, but that's not entirely a fair description. Yes, Google Now allows you to perform searches by voice and provides a mix of pre-computed information along with web searches, but it goes further by offering persistent "cards" that automatically populate based on your searches.

Google Nexus Q

Google is officially going head-to-head with Apple, Sony, Samsung, and Microsoft in the battle for your living room. The Google I/O keynote ended with the company's latest attempt to bring its services to your TV: the Google Nexus Q.

Google Nexus 7 tablet

It's been on display in full form since before I/O started, but only now is it official: the Nexus 7 tablet from Asus. Built for Google Play, running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It has a 7-inch, 1280 x 800 HD display, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 12-core GPU, and 1GB RAM. There's also a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera and all the sensors you'd expect from a modern slate, including NFC (there is no 3G / 4G option). Google is touting nine hours of HD video playback and up to 300 hours of standby — although the product page quotes eight hours "of active use" on a 4325 mAh device — in a device that's 340 grams.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Revealed At Google I/O

Google I/O just kicked off at Moscone West in San Francisco, and it wasn’t long at all before Google’s Hugo Barra pulled the curtains back on the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
The update was originally thought to be a major one (rumors at the time referred to it as Android 5.0), and it seems like quite a treat for Android users despite the minor version bump. So what has Google brought to the table this time around? Let’s find out together — I’ll be updating as new information and features are revealed.

Mozilla Delivers Faster Firefox for Android

Mozilla has released a major upgrade to Firefox for Android, the company’s open source web browser for Android phones.
To test out the new Firefox for Android, just install it from the Google Play marketplace.

Meizu MX 4-core and Flyme OS 1.0 formally announced, available on June 30th

Forget that "MX Quad-core" moniker, because Meizu's just formally introduced its first quad-core Android phone as the "MX 4-core" in Hong Kong. For those who care, this is the first time ever for Meizu to collaborate with a carrier -- that being Hong Kong's PCCW, who's offering the HK$3,099 (US$400) 32GB model for free on various tariffs, while details are light on the HK$4,099 (US$530) 64GB version. Once the stage cleared we had a chance to take a closer look at the international variant of the MX 4-core. Aside from the disappearance of the Chinese logo above the screen plus the duller logo on the back (but accompanied by an extra capacity label), the 4-inch HSPA+ phone looks identical to its dual-core sibling. Additionally, Hong Kong and mainland China customers who pre-order between now and the launch on June 30th will get to pick a colored back crystal shell for free, including ivory white, milky lime, lilac purple and misty pink to replace the original white.

Google TV goes international, Sony NSZ-GS7 set-top box up for preorder in the US and UK

Google TV had a second coming-out party at CES 2012, where a number of manufacturers introduced new features for the television-based operating system, new devices running it, and other big plans. Eric Schmidt, in a fit of what turned out to be insanity, declared shortly before CES that Google TV would be on a "majority" of new TVs by this summer.

Facebook's Find Friends Nearby: GPS lets you give nearby mobile users a Friendshake

A mobile Facebook feature called Find Friends Nearby, previously code-named Friendshake, is coming out of development and will soon be on its way to your iOS or Android phone. Perhaps springing from the social network's acquisition of ambient social app Glancee, it's still fairly primitive, merely navigating to a browser page on your device, where it will show you a list of other users within a given, undisclosed radius. Presumably, the benefit is to let you quickly add someone in your purview like Find my Friends, although we're interested to see what privacy settings are on offer. You never know, Mr. Zuckerberg could be tempting the privacy gods -- and governments -- once again.

Gmail for iOS gets notification support and persistent logins, brings joy to Apple mobile masses

It took quite awhile for the official Gmail app to arrive for our Apple-toting friends, but when it debuted, it lacked many features enjoyed by Android users. Well, today the iOS Gmail app got a refresh that brings it a bit closer to the green bot version. Chiefly, notification support to allow folks to set up banner alerts and lock screen notifications, so they no longer have to check their inbox for new messages. Not only that, the app now has persistent login capability, meaning no more re-entry of your Gmail credentials every time you're preoccupied slaying space pigs for a few hours. Interested parties can hit the source link to get the new goodies.

iRobot Roomba 790 Robot Vacuum

iRobot has announced the launch of their latest robot vacuum cleaner, the iRobot Roomba 790, which they describe as their most advanced robot yet, and it comes with a wireless command center plus a remote control.

The remote control can be used from anywhere in your home, and will let you steer the Roomba and schedule a cleaning, adjust the clock and even send it back to its docking bases.

[A]djust to Lighthouse, set the distance of the door opening and place the Virtual Wall Lighthouse outside of the doorway to the room you want Roomba to clean. The Lighthouse will communicate with Roomba via an infrared sensor to contain it in one room until it vacuums the area completely (aka: completes its mission) and then it will move on to the next room and so forth.