Julie’s Gadget Diary – My quest for an ultimate alarm clock has finally ended

I’ve been searching for an ultimate alarm clock for what seems like forever. I even have proof that it’s been at least 6 years… I posted a diary post back in 2007 listing my must-have alarm clock features.  Some of which  included:

1. Wake up by playing a tune from a specific playlist in iTunes.
2. Play the local national news.
3. Play the local weather forecast.
4. Speak any calendar events and to-dos that I have scheduled for the day.
5. Speak the current time at specific intervals during the wake-up cycle.

I tried creating my own clock by writing Applescript scripts and was able to get some of the pieces to work.  But it just never quite came together, so I gave up and shifted my quest to finding the best ready made clock radio. I finally settled on the Moshi Voice Control Clock, which I’ve been using everyday for the last couple of years. Now Moshi is history because I’ve found WakeVoice, a very cool Android app which gives me all my original must-have features and then some.

First of all, WakeVoice is a multi-alarm clock, so you can set multiple alarms for specific days of the week. That’s pretty standard though… Where it gets exciting is that you can turn off or snooze the alarm by using your voice or a hand gesture – not THAT gesture! Using the front camera, you can wave your hand over the device and it will silence the alarm. These two features alone make this app worth buying. But wait, there’s more…

After you silence the alarm with your voice or a wave, the app can be configured to speak the time, date, weather, news and even your and your partner’s daily horoscopes. The default voice is a semi-robotic female voice, which could be improved, but it’s understandable, which is all that really matters. You can buy additional voice packs of different styles and languages for $2.99.

What would you pay for all these ultimate alarm clock features? $5.00? $4.00? What if I told you that WakeVoice will even stream the radio after it’s finished speaking all the info you configured? You can choose from a list of popular radio stations or provide a link to your favorite. Of course you’ll need a data or wifi connection for these features to work…

Another thing worth mentioning is that WakeVoice has its own independent volume settings. That means you can set your phone/device on silent, but when the alarm goes off, the alarm will play normally. That way email notifications and phone calls won’t wake you in the middle of the night, but the alarms will.

I’ve only been using this app for about a week, but I already love it. It was the best $2.99 that I’ve spent in awhile.

WakeVoice is available on Google Play Trial version, Premium version ($2.99).

Filed in categories: Android related, Watches, Clocks

Tagged: Clock, gadget diary

Julie’s Gadget Diary – My quest for an ultimate alarm clock has finally ended originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 25, 2013 at 11:00 am.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/25/julies-gadget-diary-my-quest-for-an-ultimate-alarm-clock-has-finally-ended/

FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS

Tips And Tricks For Your iPad

Apple have designed the iPad to be easy to use, in fact even a two year old can use this device without any problems whatsoever. This makes it a very attractive option for people who are used to using an iPhone or for those who are not. However, there are still a few things about the device that do need a little bit of explaining.

Soft Reset Explained:

Although the iPad is pretty robust in so far as there are not actual moving parts in it, there are still a few things that can go wrong. With this in mind Apple have incorporated a ‘soft reset’ function into the device. This is particularly useful if the system ever freezes. By just holding the top or the power button at the same time as the Home button for a few seconds, allows users to reset the device.

Cut and Copy Pasting Explained:

Copying long texts on an iPad is a long and tiresome process. With this in mind Apple created an easy solution to the problem. Users can copy a whole paragraph without having to stretch the blue knobs on their screens. All they need to do is tap any of the text four times and this automatically highlights the whole paragraph. However, this only works on text that can be edited.

Importing Free eBooks Explained:

Users can benefit from free e-books on their iPads and this includes books that are no longer copyrighted.

Easy Mute Explained:

This is an easy to use function on an iPad that allows you to automatically turn off the volume on your device. Just by pressing the volume down button for a couple of seconds, users can turn off the volume on their devices.

Supersized Screenshots Explained:

Users can increase the size of a screenshot by simply holding the power and home buttons down simultaneously for half a second.

Bringing the Virtual Keyboard Back

Many people thought this would be difficult to achieve on their iPads but in fact it is easily done. All users have to do is touch the eject key on the real physical keyboard to get the virtual one back up.

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/tips-and-tricks-for-your-ipad/

SI INTERNATIONAL SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla's increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs' current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change -- some URLs might change, but that's it -- and presumably Messaging's F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

What this means for the end user -- for the hundreds of millions of Firefox users -- is that the next big additions will be communication- and messaging-oriented. Contacts and F1 will be almost certainly be baked into Firefox 5 or 6, both of which will be released this year -- and, who knows, there might be something else even more exciting up Mozilla Labs' sleeve!

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/mozilla-messaging-reintegrates-with-labs-unifies-focus-on-web-b/

IOMEGA INTUIT

New Vinson App Offers A Vision of Mobile TV If It Was Crammed Into An iPad

A

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/pmv3ggpakBI/

AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY

Daily Crunch: Farewell

A

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/25/daily-crunch-farewell/

INTUIT INTERSECTIONS

Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian

Google Voice Search has just introduced localizations for Latin America, Indonesia and Malaysia, enabling native language search for hundreds of millions of users.

Google's official blog post offers some interesting insights into the process of collecting and analyzing the speech data needed to expand support. Thousands of hours were spent gathering voice samples and choosing key regional accents to analyze, and International Program Manager Linne Ha is clearly very appreciative of the Google users who helped the company complete the expansion. Without an enthusiastic base of users to lend a hand, Google Voice Search's polyglot powers would have been nearly impossible to deliver.

Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-voice-search-learns-latin-american-spanish-indonesian-a/

AMKOR TECHNOLOGY AMPHENOL

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

RED HAT RADISYS

Head to head: NVIDIA's Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i

Chipmaker shows its 2013 wares at Mobile World Congress

For NVIDIA in 2013 (so far at least), the conversation revolves around Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i. The gist is that Tegra 4 is more powerful of the two, with more GPU cores than Tegra 4i (72 versus 60) and boasting the ARM 15 processor as part of NVIDIA's 4+1 quad-core package. It's a little bigger and more expensive than Tegra 4i, which dispenses with a dozen GPU cores and integrates the i500 LTE modem onto the die. Tegra 4i also uses an ARM9-r4, which while not quite as bad-ass as the ARM15 can very much still hold its own thanks to the optimization from ARM and NVIDIA. 

We got an up-close look at the new systems today, on the eve of Mobile World Congress, in a series of relatively controlled scenarios on test hardare, including NVIDIA's own "Phoenix" reference phone. And it's tough not to let NVIDIA's enthusiasm for its new line rub off on you. On paper, anyway, and comparing to the best of what's currently available -- which means Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 and its own Tegra 3 -- the next generation of Tegra devices looks damned promising.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/yWjJBxTUG0M/story01.htm

HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO

Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

This morning, Corel released VideoStudio X4. We've already published a quick overview and hands-on of the application, and now is the moment you've all been waiting for: We're giving away ten full licenses of this new version, each worth $99.99!

To enter our random draw, you just have to leave a comment. Full terms and conditions are after the break.

Continue reading Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/22/corel-videostudio-x4-giveaway/

CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR ACCENTURE

We're liveblogging Nokia's MWC event tomorrow at 2AM ET!

The last two events put on by Nokia at Mobile World Congress have been pretty solid affairs -- the PureView 808 last year, preceded by the earth-shattering partnership with Microsoft the year before that -- but we must admit, we're not quite certain as to what we should expect this go-round. Will there be another mystery product that we weren't expecting, such as a tablet or PureView Lumia of some kind? Hard to say, but what is certain is that we'll be there covering it for you. And as an extra bonus, if you want to follow along with us, Nokia is planning to have a live video feed available here as well.

February 25, 2013 2:00 AM EST

Filed under: Announcements, Mobile, Nokia

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/nokia-mwc-2013-liveblog/

SI INTERNATIONAL SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available

TripAdvisor, the popular travel planning tool, has just launched an app for Windows Phone 7. Just like the mobile website, the app allows you to search for anything travel-related -- from hotels and flights to restaurants and points-of-interest to visit once you reach your destination.

Geolocation is supported, which allows TripAdvisor to quickly locate places nearby. But while that's a neat feature, it's also a bit of a downer -- because, really, it's about the only feature TripAdvisor for WP7 brings to the table that its mobile Web app doesn't already offer (its browser-based geolocation doesn't work with WP7 at the moment).

While it's nice to see Windows Phone 7 users getting some big-name apps, it'd be even nicer if we saw some packing a bit more swagger.

Still, TripAdvisor for WP7 might just be worth installing on your device if you're frequently on the go -- at least until a better browser arrives with the Mango update.

Gallery: TripAdvisor for Windows Phone 7

TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/tripadvisor-app-for-windows-phone-7-now-available/

F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent

Microsoft, citing Google's tyrannical 95% share of the European search market, has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission. It's not like Microsoft is breaking any ground here -- the European Commission has been investigating Google's alleged violation of European competition law since November 2010 -- but there's no doubt that the addition of Microsoft's gravitas will affect the proceedings.

Microsoft's complaint reads like a sincere and plaintive cry for help against the Google Overlord. Microsoft lists no less than six damning reasons why Google's behavior is anti-competitive -- from Windows Phone 7's incompatibility with YouTube, to its nefarious handling of Google Books -- and finishes with a wide-eyed plea to the European Commission to please find Google guilty.

For those of you that have been following Microsoft's own antitrust troubles over the last decade, don't worry: MS is quick to point out the irony in the situation. "There of course will be some who will point out the irony in today's filing. Having spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal antitrust complaint is not something we take lightly. This is the first time Microsoft Corporation has ever taken this step. More so than most, we recognize the importance of ensuring that competition laws remain balanced and that technology innovation moves forward."

It sounds like Microsoft, having well and truly gone through the wringer, wants Google to be held similarly accountable. That's fair enough, right?

Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/microsoft-files-antitrust-complaint-against-google-in-europe-sh/

MICRON TECHNOLOGY MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

If you have an artistic temperament, but you weren't blessed with steady hands or an eye for color, Konstruct might be the app for you. Not only does the iPhone app let you produce generative art using words, warbles and whistles, but it also uses augmented reality to bring your artistic creation to life.

To get started, you first need to print out the Konstruct marker and place it wherever you'd like to create your AR sculpture -- it could be on your living room wall, or on the floor of your bathroom, it doesn't matter. Open the app, point your iPhone at the marker, and start making some noises! Once you're done, you can save your creation, or simply wipe the slate clean and start again.

The volume of your voice affects the size of the shapes that are drawn on the screen, and you can move your head around to alter the path of your 'brush' -- but to change the shape of your brush or modify the color palette you have to use a menu. Without knowledge of the app's internal workings, it's hard to say what the actual difference between whistling, talking and singing is -- and judging by the developer's affinity for whistling in the demo video (after the break), the app probably doesn't perform that much analysis on your input.

Still, Konstruct is just a prototype! A later version could do away with menus and rely entirely on the location, tonality, quality and amplitude of your voice -- and judging by the the words of the developer, James Alliban, there is definitely more in store for Konstruct: "The idea of transforming entire cities into user generated virtual art galleries really appeals to me. I see Konstruct as an early prototype that will hopefully be realised in this form in the future."

Download Konstruct for free from the App Store (iPhone 3GS and 4 only)

[Thanks to Richard for the tip!]

Gallery: Konstruct for iOS: create generative augmented art with your voice

Continue reading Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/konstruct-for-ios-creates-generative-augmented-reality-art-with/

IOMEGA INTUIT

Why Free Apps Turn Me Off

Of the 300 million-plus people using iOS 6 in one form or another -- and millions more using iOS 5 -- I get the feeling I'm a dying breed. Why? I generally dislike and distrust free apps. I can blame some of this on the overwhelming influence of games, kids, and the psychology of the masses. Kids, I get. They don't have a lot of money, sometimes they are only allowed to download and try free games and apps, and sometimes they have no budget at all.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28ce916b/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C773580Bhtml/story01.htm

SYNOPSYS SYNNEX

Tips And Tricks For Your iPad

Apple have designed the iPad to be easy to use, in fact even a two year old can use this device without any problems whatsoever. This makes it a very attractive option for people who are used to using an iPhone or for those who are not. However, there are still a few things about the device that do need a little bit of explaining.

Soft Reset Explained:

Although the iPad is pretty robust in so far as there are not actual moving parts in it, there are still a few things that can go wrong. With this in mind Apple have incorporated a ‘soft reset’ function into the device. This is particularly useful if the system ever freezes. By just holding the top or the power button at the same time as the Home button for a few seconds, allows users to reset the device.

Cut and Copy Pasting Explained:

Copying long texts on an iPad is a long and tiresome process. With this in mind Apple created an easy solution to the problem. Users can copy a whole paragraph without having to stretch the blue knobs on their screens. All they need to do is tap any of the text four times and this automatically highlights the whole paragraph. However, this only works on text that can be edited.

Importing Free eBooks Explained:

Users can benefit from free e-books on their iPads and this includes books that are no longer copyrighted.

Easy Mute Explained:

This is an easy to use function on an iPad that allows you to automatically turn off the volume on your device. Just by pressing the volume down button for a couple of seconds, users can turn off the volume on their devices.

Supersized Screenshots Explained:

Users can increase the size of a screenshot by simply holding the power and home buttons down simultaneously for half a second.

Bringing the Virtual Keyboard Back

Many people thought this would be difficult to achieve on their iPads but in fact it is easily done. All users have to do is touch the eject key on the real physical keyboard to get the virtual one back up.

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/tips-and-tricks-for-your-ipad/

VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA

SpiderSense ultrasonic radar suit lets you know when danger is near

Know that feeling when someone wanders too far into your personal space? The University of Illinois' Victor Mateevitsi does, which is why he'd built a suit that does the job to a far greater degree of accuracy. SpiderSense is a onesie that uses a series of microphones to rend and receive ultrasonic signals from the space around you, like high frequency radar. When the outfit senses something approaching, a robotic arm corresponding to the microphone exerts pressure on your skin, pointing you in the direction of the danger. Mateevitsi tested the gear by blindfolding researchers and asking them to throw a cardboard ninja star whenever (and wherever) they sensed a threat -- with positive results 95 percent of the time. SpiderSense will get its first public showing at Stuttgart's Augmented Human conference in March and it's hoped that the hardware will eventually help Blind people get around easier.

[Image Credit: Lance Long]

Filed under: Wearables, Alt

Comments

Via: New Scientist

Source: Victor Mateevitsi

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JtBZk0M9Jsw/

INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA

BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game

In BattlePaint, you play a cube. In fact, you're not even a cube -- just a square. But boy, are you fast! And you can shoot in all directions. That's important, because there are baddies coming in from all over the place.

The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!

After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.

BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/09/battlepaint-is-an-addictive-geometric-shooter-game/

QUEST SOFTWARE QUANTUM

Google Debuts Pixel, a Premium Touchscreen Chromebook

The Pixel, a new Chromebook built and designed by Google that has been the source of web rumors for weeks, is real. And, as also has been rumored, it’s a Chromebook unlike any other -- premium hardware, high performance, and ...

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/02/chromebook-pixel/

AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY

Gargantuan SQL injection infects 3.8 million URLs, installs rogue antivirus

Over the last few days, a mass SQL injection attack has been quickly gathering speed. Just three days ago only 28,000 URLs were affected, but at the time of writing, there could be up to 3.8 million infected URLs.

Websense has a complete write up the attack, dubbed 'LizaMoon,' but here's the basic gist: it looks like someone is exploiting a vulnerabilty (or vulnerabilities) in hundreds of thousands of websites running on Microsoft SQL Server 2003 and 2005. It's not yet known whether this is a vulnerability in SQL Server, or simply a case of outdated, unmaintained, and easily-exploitable CMSes.

The attack takes the form of an SQL injection, which then inserts a link to a JavaScript file hosted on the attacker's server. This is repeated over and over until every Web page in the SQL database has been infected -- and considering 3.8 million URLs have been infected, you can see that this is a very easy, and automated, attack.

Fortunately, the JavaScript isn't particularly malicious: it pops up a rogue AV program called Windows Stability Center, but that's it. Better yet, the rogue antivirus is already recognized by a bunch of real antivirus suites, including Avast, Panda and Microsoft Security Essentials.

The real problem with SQL injection attacks is that there's nothing we surfers can do about them. There will always be old and unmaintained websites, and thus SQL injections will remain one of the easiest and most lucrative tools of hackers and spammers alike. All you can do is keep your antivirus and anti-malware software up to date, and pray.

Gargantuan SQL injection infects 3.8 million URLs, installs rogue antivirus originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/massive-sql-injection-infects-3-8-million-urls-installs-rogue-a/

TIBCO SOFTWARE THQ

Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users

Facebook has announced that its two mobile sites -- m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com -- have been unified, bringing a simpler mobile experience to Facebook users. And there are a lot of those -- a quarter billion, according to Facebook.

Smartphone users won't be losing any functionality because of the consolidation. If your phone supported the enhacned features offered by touch.facebook.com, the new site will automatically flip the switch when you visit.

Rolling the sites together helps simplify things for Facebook's developer team. Now changes can be pushed to a single site instead of two separate sites, which makes it easier to ensure that all mobile users receive a nearly identical experience regardless of the device they're using.

The new Facebook mobile can also check to see if your phone supports geolocation. If it doesn't, you won't be seeing much of Facebook Places -- which obviously relies heavily on geolocation. Images can also be optimized on the fly to keep page performance from suffering on less powerful devices. You can see the three different versions of the share button below, courtesy our friends at TechCrunch.

Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/facebook-launches-unified-mobile-site-announces-250-million-mob/

FINISAR FEI COMPANY