Gadzooki

4 Apps to Make Divorce Easier for You

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Going through a divorce can be stressful to couples and more so, to those with children. Ending a marriage is never an easy process as it is often associated with the death of a loved one due to the pain it brings to the spouses. Depending on who puts great value on the marital relationship, any spouse can feel devastated.

divorced couple with child

But thanks to technology, people going through a painful process in their lives can get immediate help. Many of you may be unaware that there are now software apps that can lessen the stress of couples who are going through divorce. The best thing about it is you can access them whether on your PC, tablet or mobile phone. [Read more…]

BubbleScope produces 360-degree photos

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Cameras have invaded gadgets in a big way. Practically all the gadgets that have been coming out in the last few years have a camera wedged in there somewhere. At this point, any device that doesn’t have a camera is considered an “incomplete” product. Just look at the first iPad and the flak it got for not having a camera when it was released. [Read more…]

iOS 5 officially announced

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We’ve heard rumblings about it in the last few months and last June 7, Apple officially unveiled the latest version of their very popular mobile operating system  — the iOS5. There is big reason to pay attention because iOS5 is installed in iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, combined this will mean that iOS5 is installed in a big majority of smart device, and we all know how rabid the following is for these Apple gadgets. Consider that over 200 million iOS-run Apple products have been sold worldwide and you will know that the world’s attention is on this new operating system. [Read more…]

New Study by WHO: Mobile Phones Increases Cancer Risk

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Cellphone

To that, my immediate response was “No s–t, Sherlock!” Seriously, I remember a time when there were only two families in our entire subdivision who had mobile phones. There was a time when only a handful of students had mobile phones in class. And those mobile phones were not so mobile as they are now.

Way back then, the issue of increased cancer risk was already being brought up. There were studies – supposedly – being conducted. Then some years later, most every health organization in the world took the stand that the studies were inconclusive and that it was safe for the general public to continue living their lives connected to their mobile phones.

As things would have it, the tides have changed yet again. An agency under the World Health Organization has released the findings of a study on the effects of prolonged cellphone use on humans. ((LA Times)) The findings point to the possibility of increasing the chance of forming two kinds of tumors. The good news is that one is not cancerous. Called acoustic neuroma, this noncancerous tumor forms in the nerve that goes from the ear to the brain.

The bad news – aside from the fact that you have been excessively using that mobile phone in the past years thinking that you were totally safe – is that the other tumor is cancerous. This other possibility is called glioma, a specific kind of brain cancer.

The frustrating – but expected – thing is that WHO says that the study does not have definitive findings and that further tracking is necessary. The organization does, however, state that the risk for these health problems roughly doubles after 10 years (a decade) of cellphone use. So I have been using a cellphone for more than 10 years – shall I go have a CT scan or MRI now?

Seriously, though, many other researchers and scientists do not agree with WHO at this point. They belong to the school of thought that upholds studies showing that there is no link between brain cancer and mobile phone usage.

As for us mere gadget lovers/users, we can only sit back and read about what the researchers come up with. One question that I would like to pose is this: WHO being a respected body, how are you going to take their advisory about cellphone use? Will this piece of news (rather stale, I think) affect how you use your mobile phone?

Photo via Ed Yourdon

Coverage… It’s All About Coverage

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Nahhh…… not about the skimpy clothes the girl who passed by is wearing but rather the coverage of the many networks that are offering mobiles all over the place. Carriers offer mobile phone units for free in exchange for subscriptions to their mobile plans which is the norm in the industry. The mobile phone invasion has resulted in a whole generation of people who cannot exist without their mobiles that just keep on getting better and smaller.
mobilecarriers
Though most carriers have expanded their coverage areas, it is still wise to compare cell phone coverage areas for the best deal. Though dead-spots may never be eliminated, the larger the area coverage, the better, so you don’t get a no coverage message as you make an emergency call. The huge expanse of the US being one solid mass is easy to cover with satellite and land-based site antennas but even in the most developed areas, too much interference or noise as it is called can interfere with your mobile’s signal.

Firefox Mobile released… for Maemo

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For those waiting to bring Mozilla’s rendering goodness with them on the go because they feel that heavy contenders for mobile browsers like Opera Mobile and Safari for the iPhone isn’t just cutting it, well, luck is on your side. The much-awaited Firefox Mobile 1.0 is finally out, but for those unlucky to not have a Nokia N900 will have to wait a bit because this new contender in the mobile browser war is available only for Maemo.

From Download Squad:

Like the desktop version of Firefox, version 1.0 of Firefox for Mobile looks to set itself apart from other mobile browsers with the inclusion of browser add-ons.

Mozilla’s Weave Sync add-on is already available for Firefox for Mobile, and in the blog post announcing the new browser’s release Mozilla point out some third-party add-ons that they anticipate will be useful in a mobile context, including AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators, and geo guides.

I love the fact that Mozilla is also going to let us bring add-ons anywhere, but we all know that add-ons are the leading causes of crashes for Firefox. They give us additional functionality and make Firefox better than any other browser out there, but it perceptibly slows down the browser 30-40% on some pages. I sure hope they manage to pull off something that’ll let let us choose mobile-ready add-ons that won’t impact the mobile experience that much in terms of speed and reliability.

What do you guys think? Do you think a vanilla browser is good enough already or should we push for the full Firefox experience for mobile?

The Google Nexus One Phone: specifications revealed

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nexus-one-specs-1-2

It looks like Google’s not going to let news about their Nexus One die, because specs of the much-awaited Google Phone have come out. I’m guessing this is meant to stem the steady stream of questions about the phone’s guts. I mean, how the heck are we all supposed to know if the Nexus One is going to be good if we don’t know a single thing about its hardware specs?

The good news is that the guys from Engadget have been able to get their hands on a Nexus One, and darn it’s good. The highlights of the Nexus One specs are as follows: 1GHz Qualcomm QSD (Snapdragon) 8250 processor, 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touch screen (currently non-multi-touch), quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz) GSM/EDGE and tri-band (900, 1700, 2100MHz) HSDPA support, a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, an included 4GB microSD card with support up to 32GB, 5MP camera with mechanical autofocus and LED flash, Android v2.1, and a very svelte 0.45-inch thick body.

It’s also possible that it’s going to work on T-Mobile 3g and not (the much-ranted about) AT&T 3G. That’s good.

One more thing: it’s going to be available come January 5. Yes, that soon! But it’s going to be available only for limited “invite-only” retail sales. That means you have to look far and wide into the bowels of eBay (heh) to get your hands on a Nexus One if you’re not invited.

There isn’t any word on pricing yet, but it looks like the Nexus One is indeed coming much sooner than we thought.

[via]