USB powered bicycle helmet should be in all our futures
What do the two pictures above have in common? They’re both wearing a bicycle helmet.
Read MoreAuthor: Doug Groves
dougplanet.com is his personal blog, which is withering on the vine. If you poke around it, you’ll find out that he’s an animator and broadcast designer by trade, usually pushing pixels in either After Effects or Lightwave 3D. If he absolutely had to pick a favourite all time writer, it would be Harlan Ellison more days than any other. If you don’t know who Ellison is, then Doug weeps for you. Doug also likes long walks on the beach, mainly to collect improperly discarded medical waste for an undisclosed project of epic proportions.
Google Maps 5.3 for Android is fascinating slash creepy
Google has added a new Location History feature to its Google Maps 5.3 for Android. The Location History feature is an opt-in decision, and once you do you’ll be treated to a personal dashboard that will give you all kinds of stats like Distance Traveled, Hours At Work, Hours At Home, and weekly averages. With its ability to rate locations using the Google Places feature, it also appears to be laying the groundwork to compete with FourSquare, Facebook Places and other location based services such as Yelp.
Read MoreThe Commodore 64 lives again, sort of
Remember the Commodore 64? In its heyday day, it was the best selling computer of all time, and over the years a number of case modders have managed to cram a fully functioning PC inside the case. Now Commodore USA hoping that nostalgia will help revive the form factor with modern internals on a more ‘official’ level.
Read MoreAcer Iconia Tab to arrive in May (Windows and Android)
As part of its Iconia line, Acer announced a pair of wi-fi multitouch tablets, the W500 and A500 (W for Windows, A for Android). Both tablets sport 10.1″ 1280×800 screens and the Windows will have optional USB keyboard/docks that allow it to be used in a more traditional laptop mode. We’ve received word from an Acer reseller that both tablets should be arriving in Canada sometime next month. The Tab A500 running Android 3.0 has a Tegra 2 under the hood, along with 16GB of storage and will be priced…
Read MoreLevel Up Student Game Showcase
This coming Monday April 4th, OCADU’s game design students, along with the University of Toronto’s computer science crew will be showing off the results of their gaming collaboration at Level Up, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Read MoreAcer Iconia Touchbook laptop up for pre-order
The Acer Iconia Touchbook certainly raised some eyebrows when it first made an appearance at CES this year, gett. The 14″ multitouch laptop ditches a physical keyboard in favour of a second LCD panel with a full-screen keyboard application, as well as a whole suite of applications designed specifically with the form factor in mind.
Read MoreNetflix Canada introduces user-controlled data rates and Paramount Pictures
It’s been a busy week for Netflix, especially when it comes to the Canadian market. When they launched in Canada last fall with its streaming only service, some people were skeptical, as the inital library of titles was a little bit thin, especially without the support of physical media rentals. Since then, the company has continued to add both TV and film titles at a fairly brisk pace. Another concern for many was the restictive caps most Canadian internet users face from their providers.
Read MoreXperia Play and Arc hands on (video)
After months of leaked prototypes and endless speculation on the name, Sony Ericsson finally unveiled their gaming smartphone earlier this year with the Xperia Play. Both the Play and the more traditional slate style Xperia Arc will be coming to Rogers this spring. The two devices, while sharing much in the way of innards, are definitely aimed at different mobile market segments.
Read MoreChild of Eden preview
Our time spent with Child Of Eden was similarly engrossing, and even surpasses its predecessor in many ways. While the ‘inside the network’ storyline continues, visually the game is more lush, replacing many of the vector outlines with vibrant colours. The blending of audio and video carries over from Rez, and playing it on Kinect brings even more to the game.
Read MoreWindows Phone 7 Day to Day
Just a week or two before the launch of Windows Phone 7, my old phone did a nosedive onto a tiled floor. Not just a drop mind you, but a slow motion flung through the air and land screen first about 10 feet away from me drop. Though I had to cover the screen with cellophane to avoid dislodging glass shards, it wasn’t a permanent solution. That’s when I decided to give Windows Phone 7 a try…
Read MoreTelus bringing Motorola XOOM to Canada
Motorola announced today that the XOOM tablet, running Android 3.0 Honeycomb, will be coming to Telus in April. There’s no official date at this time, but Futureshop’s website suggests that it should arrive mid-April. Although there are both 3G and WiFi only variants of the 10.1″ tablet, Telus will initially only be offering the WiFi model, which they’re recommending be paired with one of their mobile hotspot ‘Flex Plans’ to give users on the go connectivity. It will be available at Telus stores and other electronic retailers with no contract starting at $599.99.
Read MoreAcer Liquid mt (Metal) on Rogers review
Over the past couple of years, Android has managed to not only grow, but thrive. Google’s phone OS is now the best selling smartphone OS in the US, and shows no signs of slowing down. With this growth, it’s not surprising that manufacturers of all stripes are trying to establish a name in the smartphone market, as the category shows nothing but growth for the foreseeable future. This is where Acer comes in.
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