Know more about Paris Hilton through her official app

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 30, 2011

Paris Hilton is known to be one-of-a-kind celebrity; media's darling and popular among the masses. She is one of the heirs of Hilton Hotel Corporations. You can either love her or hate her, but you can’t brush her off.

She once said: “You don't have to be an heiress to look like one. I'm an actress, a brand, a businesswoman. I'm all kinds of stuff.” So the thing is who wouldn’t want to get an insight into her world given all the hype and media buzz surrounding her.

Find out facts and information about her through the Paris Hilton app by Velti mobile division. Through this app you can find out information about her family, albums, heritage, pets and films.

The app costs $0.99 and gives you official news about her. The app has got a dynamically changing screen that showcases the latest Paris photos, as well as her live Twitter feed.

Then there is a section where you can rate the photos of Paris or submit an image for other fans to rate.

There is also an option of creating pictures of you and Paris hanging out together. You can even play Paris quizzes and get her quotes, facts and tips directly from her. However, not all features are currently supported for iPad devices.

BBC launches iPlayer app for iPad in 11 countries‎

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 29, 2011

The commercial arm of the BBC has released an iPad app that brings the British network's TV shows to Apple iPads in 11 countries: Austria, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. The iPlayer app is free, but to watch shows you need to pay $10, or $72 for a yearly subscription.

Through the app, people can access archived BBC material as well as programmes broadcast in the last seven days. The subscription version offers users over 1500 hours of programming including the shows like Fawlty Towers and Pride and Prejudice, apart from the story of the Royal Family.

The BBC said the U.K. version is designed to let people catch up on linear TV programs, while the international version will offer more classic and contemporary collection of BBC content. The organization uses IP geolocation filtering to block access to programs by people from outside the U.K.

Users can access the archives which includes the shows like Fawlty Towers and Pride and Prejudice, apart from the story of the Royal Family.

The app streams TV shows over 3G or Wi-Fi, and users can download them to their iPad for offline playback.

The organisaton plans to launch the service later in the US, but no date is set for that. In the future the BBC may look at building versions for the other Apple iOS devices.

BookBook Wallet Case: Put your money where your iPhone 4 is

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 27, 2011

TwelveSouth’s BookBook case is a stunning iPhone 4 (AT&T and Verizon) case that not only has vintage book looks, but will keep all things that you normally carry in your wallet.

The new BookBook for iPhone is a hardback distressed-leather case which is similar to its cousins, the BookBook for MacBook, MacBook Air, and iPad. Besides acting as a case for iPhone, it has few pockets where you can slot a couple of credit cards, your ID, debit card, receipts, driving license along with some currency.

What makes this all-in-one wallet so different is that it is crafted from handmade leather that gives your mobile phone the style and protection that you would be looking for. Also you can easily access all the ports and buttons, thus making it easier for you to charge, sync and use the headphone jack. And as long as you remember your phone, you’ll never forget your wallet again.

The case can be purchased at the Apple Store and TwelveSouth's Web site for $59.99. The case is especially meant for iPhone 4 and won’t fit the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or iPod Touch.

Angry Birds update adds 15 new levels, more collectible jewels

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 26, 2011

Rovio has released an update that has added 15 more levels and a few bug fixes to the original Angry Birds game.

Rovio in its update claimed to have solved the lengthy loading problem apart from adding collecting jewels to the 15 bonus levels.

As of now the version 1.6.2 update may only be available on iPhone or iPad and there is no conformity on when it is going to be available on other systems or phones.

Review: Zombie Gunship

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 26, 2011

This game has got everything to pump up your adrenaline. There are zombies, civilians and one of the military’s premiere pieces of aerial hardware, the AC-130, where you take aim at zombies from the gunner’s seat.

It is a survival game where your mission is to defend an allied army bunker at Cheyenne Mountain from plodding zombie hoards (even hard-to-kill giant zombies) as remaining civilians attempt to reach there. You are equipped with a 25MM gatling gun and a wide-angled camera so that you can zoom in to see with more accuracy. So while you choose to blast the approaching undead, at the same time you must ensure human survivors reach the bunker safely. The civilians will appear as tiny white figures, whereas, the zombies are black.

Gamers will get cash rewards for each civilian that reaches the bunker and every zombie that’s killed. Cash can be spent on upgrades for your weapons and to purchase more powerful guns for your gunship. In terms of upgradation, you can buy a 40MM bofors gun and a 105MM howitzer, which will be better in terms of speed, reload time, damage radius, and of course no so civilian friendly.

Gamers will receive instructions in form a voice which will tell you where the bunker is, escort the civilians to safety, and other such tips. The game or mission will end in case there are too many causalities or if any zombies successfully breach the bunker.

Overall, it offers a complete package, which is also the reason why it has done so well on the top paid iPhone app charts. The game is ideal for almost all age groups and affordable price tag makes it even more attractive.

China shuts down fake Apple stores‎

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 25, 2011

Chinese authorities have moved swiftly to shut down two fake Apple stores due to lack of business licenses in Kunming city.

Recently five self-branded "Apple Stores" in Kunming posing as official Apple retail outlets without authorisation from the California-based company.

The matter was brought to the light after an American blogger visited one such fake Apple store which superficially resembled the official outlets. Moreover, even the staff were convinced they were working for the iPhone and iPad maker.

She said the shops looked very convincing at first glance because so much efforts have been put in to copy key elements of a real Apple store. For example, upstairs seating area, employees wearing blue T-shirts and chunky ID lanyards. The most recognizable sign of fakeness was spotted in form of "Apple store" written on the shop front. She said “Apple never writes 'Apple Store' on its signs - it just puts up the glowing, iconic fruit."

The only official Apple stores in China are in Shanghai and Beijing. It was also further not clear whether the products sold by these shops were real or had come from Apple distributor or a grey market source.

According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, piracy and counterfeiting of US software and other products in China cost US businesses alone an estimated $48 billion and 2.1 million jobs in 2009.

Discovery’s howstuffworks app comes to iPad

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 25, 2011

The popular Discovery Communications-owned site HowStuffWorks.com has released an app that brings the endless world of knowledge to the iPad. It is a great add to your repertoire of information as many a times you’ll search for how stuff works. The app is now available across platforms like iPhone, iPad and Android Market.

It has got an easy-to-use interface and through this app you can access 30,000 articles, facts, quotes from the website. You can also access podcasts (audio and video) and blogs. One such popular podcast on iTunes is Stuff You Should Know. Besides listening to podcasts by Josh and Chuck, you can read their articles as they guide you through various topics. In addition, read Josh and Chuck's blog posts or visit their Facebook and Twitter pages, all within the same app.

Watch more than 200 videos at launch and even download the content of the site to your device. The home screen of the app sports a search bar when you wish to look for something specific and has categories like: featured, facts, quotes, shows and read.

The app is equipped with push notifications for shows and to enable it you may open a show and tap the title image and enable push notifications. Another good part is that the app will be updated as the website gets more content.

The best part about this app is that you get all the relevant content at the one place and it’s easy to skim an article while listening to a podcast. You can interact with writers and editors.

Cars 2 World Grand Prix Read and Race now available for iPad

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 22, 2011


Hot on the heels of the launch of Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe app, Disney has come out with an interactive iPad book, Cars 2 World Grand Prix Read and Race — a must-read for racing fans!

This iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app will attract the young ones with Disney/Pixar movie images, exciting tap-and-play interactivity, narration, music and sound effects, 3-D car customization, and two amazing racetracks.

Lightning McQueen (or "Stickers", as Sally calls him) and renowned global racers power through the streets of Tokyo, Japan, Porto Corsa, Italy, London, England, and finally Radiator Springs. You can choose from three reading modes:  read to me, auto-turn pages and read on my own. You can customize your own team of World Grand Prix race cars at every dramatic event.

The app is available for download from the iTunes App Store for $6.99

HP Pavilion Elite M9065.UK-a PC Review

HP Pavilion Elite M9065.UK-a Desktop PC Product Specifications

Key Features

• Processor:  2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
• System Memory: 3GB DDR 2-SDRAM
• Hard Drive : 500GB 7200 rpm
• Operating System: Vista Home Premium
• Optical Drive: DVD writer SATA DVD RAMNVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT

More Specification

• Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g 
• Intel Viiv processor technology 
• 320GB Personal Media Drive 
• Intel High Definition Audio 7.1
• Wireless keyboard and optical mouse HP Vista Media Center Remote Control
• 15in1 memory card reader
• Dimension-178 x 422 x 394 mm
• Ethernet 10/100/1000BT integrated network interface 
• TV (analog and DVB-T) tuner card
• NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT 
• DVD writer SATA DVD RAM and Double Layer supporting LightScribe technology
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 32-bit.

Heavy Discount on This Product at Systemactive.com, Visit HP Pavilion M9065 - GU660AA For More Details.

Apple reports 183% jump in sales of iPad 2

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 20, 2011

Technology giant Apple has delivered yet another stellar quarter by comprehensively beating profit expectations, thanks to a big surge in sales of iPhones and iPad.

During the third quarter Apple sold a record 9.25 million iPads, a rise of 183 per cent over the same period a year ago, and 20.3 million iPhones over the quarter, a rise of 140 per cent.

The biggest contributor to the iPhones growth were the emerging markets like China, Latin America and the Middle East – not traditionally Apple’s strongest regions.

Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive said it was one of the best quarters ever as the revenue grew by 82 per cent and profits soared 125 per cent.

Apple recorded revenues of $28.57 billion and a net quarterly profit of $7.31 billion, as compared to $15.7 billion and $3.25 billion respectively in the previous year.

The Cupertino, California-based company said many customers decided to buy the latest version of iPad instead of a Windows PC.

The only laggard among the Apple products was the iPod, which fell in popularity, with 20 per cent fewer units sold.

The record iPhones sales placed Apple ahead of Nokia and Samsung to become the world's biggest smartphone maker.

Apple said it would pay more attention to markets like China where it had reported a 600 per cent increase in revenues on quarter-to-quarter basis.

Apple's U.S. online store currently shows a 1-3 day delay between ordering an iPad 2 and the tablet being shipped. It was between two and three weeks in April.

AmEx Facebook page lets users get customized discounts

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 19, 2011

In its latest social media initiative, American Express is rolling out a Facebook application called “Link, Like, Love,” which will offer cardholders deals based on their profile information on the social networking site.

The deals and special offers will be given in form of personalized coupons depending upon the cardholder's likes, interests and other profile information. For example: $5 back on every $20 spent at high-end grocery store Whole Foods.

AmEx Vice Chairman Ed Gilligan said the idea behind this app is to expose its services to the social-media behemoth's 750 million users.

AmEx has over 90 million card members along with 2 million "Likes" on its Facebook profile page.

But how it works: It is a coupon-less service where cardholders just load deals into their AmEx account by hitting an online button and then get the rewards when they swipe their card at purchase.

An executive from the bank said it is not charging merchants for the service as the program allows the lender and retailers to track the progress of certain marketing campaigns.

Nearly 100 businesses, including Whole Foods Market, 20th Century Fox, Outback Steakhouse and Celebrity Cruises, have signed up to be a part of this program.

This week’s best apps

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 19, 2011

Blast Monkeys: It is an addictive, interesting and creative Android game from the house of Yobonja. The gameplay is very simple as you have to feed the hungry monkey named Moki with bananas and to do this you have to shoot Moki through a canon. As you blast him to the goal post, Moki will encounter obstacles like rotating walls, obtrusive enemies, and pitfalls and you need to pass them while collecting floating bananas. The game initially features 30 levels and every level is harder than previous levels. To unlock the levels and get high scores you must find the three bananas that are cleverly hided in the forest. In advanced stages, Moki the monkey can use tappable bubbles that will keep him afloat along with multiple barrels to switch direction. The game is additive and visually intuitive, but lacks things like music and proper navigation.

Qik Video Connect: It is a great app for video calling, with support for video calling between Android and iOS devices. The app supports video calls over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi and brings features like video mail. There is even an option to share your videos via Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Create an account on Qik and you’re ready to make a call. All of your videos are archived on your personal profile page for you to keep, re-watch, and share. If you happen to be in a place where Internet connectivity is low, then the app records your videos and uploads them when the network coverage is available. Even though the image quality is pretty good, the video tends to stutter and pixelize. There is also a premium version which provides options to customise your video chats and streaming by adding one of seven available effects and filters, adding them in real-time.

GIF Shop: It is a new animated .gif creator built specifically for iPhone, which helps you create animations from in-app iDevice photographs. It is a simple to use app that works by stitching together photographs taken in-app. You pics, aided by an adjustably-opaque overlay of the previous photo, are stitched together at a resolution and frame-rate of your choosing to create some great stop-motion art. Once you’re done with the images, share and send these .gif files via MMS or email. You can even adjust the speed and loop mode of your animation, and share it Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr by setting up a free GIF SHOP account. In this current version, there is no option to process and extract video frames, as well as import pics through your Camera Roll. The app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, 4th gen iPod Touch and iPad 2 (in 2x mode only).

CNN live news available on iPad, other mobile devices

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 19, 2011

CNN Worldwide has become the first 24-hour news network to offer live streaming of both the flagship CNN channel and CNN Headline News to iPad and iPhone users through the CNN App.

Thus CNN’s regular news channel programming will be streamed live over the Internet and users, who already subscribe to CNN via AT&T, Comcast, Cox, DISH Network, Suddenlink and Verizon, can access it through their laptops, smartphones, or tablets.

At the moment, CNN and HLN are available to approximately 50 million households.

"A principal goal for CNN is to make more of our content available to more people on more platforms. Further CNN.com has debuted its new video experience, which seamlessly integrates live network TV into a larger and higher-quality video player, capable of delivering HD quality," said said Jim Walton, President of CNN Worldwide.

To view live streaming online, go to the CNN.com video page and click the "Live" tab and log-in through their cable, satellite or telco provider with a username and password. For mobile devices, a user can download the CNN App for iPad or the CNN App for iPhone and iPod touch.

Apart from streaming CNN and Headline News, CNN will also offer up to 4 other streams of breaking news and events.

According to CNN, the offering of TV content on multiple screens will keep TV viewers subscribed to paid services as it offers them more flexibility and variety.

Now, rent textbooks electronically from Amazon

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 18, 2011

In a move that aims to dent college bookstores as well as hefty book prices, Amazon has jumped into the lucrative college textbook market with Kindle Textbook Rental for the 2011 school year.

Amazon claims the bookstore will help students save as much as 80 per cent by renting from the Kindle Store. Thousands of titles are available for students for a period ranging from 30 to 360 days. Students can also extend rental times day by day. Once rented, they can access the textbook from your Mac, PC, Kindle or smartphone.

"We're excited to offer students an option to rent Kindle textbooks and only pay for the time they need--with savings up to 80 per cent off the print list price on a 30-day rental," said Dave Limp, vice president, Amazon Kindle.

Limp said Amazon has extended its Whispersnyc technology that enables students to access all their notes and highlighted content in the Amazon Cloud, even after the rental period completes.

It is certainly a great idea for college students as textbooks are one of the biggest expenses for students. The offer brings with it two advantages: first students will be able to get the latest versions and second they'll save themselves from the hassle of reselling the book.

Amazon is not new to digital e-books market as in May it announced that sales for its digital book format had surpassed hardcover sales.

LookTel's Money Reader: An iOS app to helps the visually impaired count money

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 15, 2011

LookTel’s Money Reader app is a wonderful app especially designed to help those with a visual impairment accurately count their money. LookTel quickly and easily identify and count bills ranging from $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 to $50, and speaks the results.

The working of the app is simple and effective as launching the app will automatically turn on the camera’s viewfinder and flash. Thus all you have to do it iPhone’s camera at any US bill and the application will tell you the denomination in real-time. There is no need to tap the screen to take a photo.

Image courtesy: iTunes

The app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad. It requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Since the app delivers quick results so it is easy to count large amount quickly. To deliver such accurate and fast results the uses its patented and proprietary object recognition technology.

Besides counting money, the app can be used to identify landmarks, recognize objects and read back text. It may also be used with GPS and maps to provide a voice guidance system for the blind.

The app certainly scores high in terms of quick results and accuracy but the only lose point is that it works with the dollar. Well, we hope the updated version will include other currencies as well.

The Money Reader app is available for $1.99 in the iTunes App Store and is compatible with the iPhone (4, 3GS) and iPod Touch (4th Generation).

Vitaminwater launches bus station ads that let you charge your phone

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 15, 2011

Coke's Vitaminwater has adopted a unique marketing strategy to boost its product range. Aiming to promote energy boosting properties of Vitaminwater, the company has installed a 5-volt battery-powered USB port across various bus shelters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.

The “You’re Up” campaign for Vitaminwater is designed for general awareness of the product. The ad hubs allow mobile phone users to charge their USB-compatible mobile, gaming device or MP3 player at the ad location.

But we must mention here that the concept of mobile charging stations for advertising purposes is not new as Samsung has been running charging stations in airports for years. It will be interesting to see how this promotional campaign delivers the results in numbers, but the idea is certainly innovative.

Rihanna pips Lady GaGa as 'Queen of Facebook'

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 15, 2011

Rihanna has dethroned Lady Gaga's massive Facebook following to become the new "Queen" of the social networking site.

According to famecount.com, a social media statistics service, Rihanna is now the most-liked female star on the site, racking up more than 40,564,905 ‘likes’ compared to GaGa's 40,543,536.

Rihanna’s online popularity has been dramatic and unprecedented given that she had only 5,000 Facebook fans one year ago. However, she has a significantly smaller 6.1 million people watching her tweets.

Earlier, Rihanna became the fourth artist to ever reach 1 billion views on YouTube where she is currently the third most viewed artist.

Rihanna and Lady Gaga are followed by pop star Justin Bieber, who has an impressive 37,965,676 liking his page.

However, Gaga still rules over Twitter.com with over 11.6 million followers.

Toshiba A10-1HM - PTSB0E-03D02HEN Review

Toshiba Tecra A10-1HM. Processor: 2.0 MHz, 800 MHz, Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset. Disk drive: 160 GB, Serial ATA, 5.400 RPM. Display: 39.1cm (15.4”), 1.280 x 800 pixels, WXGA TFT High Brightness display, 16/16 ms, 0.25875 x 0.25875 mm, 300:1. Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM (800 MHz), 8.192 GB. Video: Mobile Intel® GMA 4500MHD, < 1.340 graphics @ 4 GB system , shared, Intel®, 1.280 x 800 pixels. Audio: Realtek ALC268-GR, 24-bit stereo, built-in stereo speaker. Networking: Bluetooth®; Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N). Energy management: Lithium-Ion, 10.8 x 5100 mAh, main, up to 4h20min (Mobile Mark™ 2007). Weight & dimensions: >2.80 g, 361.3 x 265 x 37.1 (front) / 39.1 (rear)

This product is Toshiba Official Renew "As New".


Product Features

• 15.4" WX 200
• 2.GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5870
• 2GB DDR2 RAM
• 160GB 5400 RPM
• DVD-Super-Multi (+-R DL)
• Windows-7 Professional
• Intel GM45 Express
• Intel GMA 4500MHD
• Realtek ALC268-GR
• Fingerprint
• Bluetooth

Specification

• Screen Size:15.4 WX 200
• Processor:2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5870  800MHz
• Memory:2GB DDR2 (800MHz)
• Hard Drive:160GB (5400rpm) SATA
• Optical Drive:DVD-Super-Multi (+-R DL
• Operating System:Win- 7  Professional 32bit
• Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD
• Mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipse
• Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N)
• Realtek ALC268-G
• Bluetoot
• Fingerprints

More on www.systemactive.com .

'Spotify' free music service goes live in the US

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 14, 2011

As expected, Spotify is now available for US users complete with web streaming, iOS and android mobile apps.

To get started you need an invite, but if you don’t want to wait then you can subscribe to the unlimited or premium packages at $4.99 or $9.99 per month respectively.

The Spotify Free option offers you buffer-free access to over 15 million songs (with occasional advertising) on your PC, and the facility to manage your own files and syncing them with your phone or iPod.

The Spotify Unlimited service gives you all the special features of the free service but with uninterrupted, ad-free access to Spotify on your computer for $4.99 a month. Also the Premium version offers you the ability to listen online or offline, on your PC, your mobile and a whole heap of other devices.

For the US launch, Spotify has partnered with Coca-Cola and Sprite, Chevrolet, Motorola, Reebok, Sonos and The Daily.

Spottify offers apps for Android and iOS devices allowing you to create playlists based on both local and streaming content. You can get Android app in the Android Market or pointing your mobile browser to m.spotify.com. The iOS app is not a universal app.

“Music is the most social thing and that’s why we are offering the best social features into Spotify. I’m looking forward to connecting with some of you in Spotify and discovering some cool new tracks,” said Daniel Ek, Founder and CEO of Spotify.

The pioneering music service, which has been active for the past two years in the UK, will hopefully take the music consumption market by storm with a Beta trial.

Spotify was launched in Sweden in 2008 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, hoping to offer a better and legal alternative to music piracy. It is now the second single largest source of digital music revenue for labels in Europe (IFPI, April 2011).

StumbleUpon unveils revamped iPad App

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 13, 2011

StumbleUpon, one of the web’s most popular site-discovery social tools, has redesigned and rebuilt its app for iPad. The revised update features a new Social bar which is StumbleUpon’s attempt to make the Stumbling experience more related to social networking rather than content.

The revamped app offers information and surprising content in a visually rich interface, and makes stumbling and commenting instant and more intuitive. Just ‘Swipe to Stumble’ and then comment on the web pages as you discover them. The company says the new design help users easily find articles, videos, and photos across hundreds of different categories. You can share the information with your friends and family using the new simplified sharing mechanism. In the new version, Stumblers can also see what content their friends have liked or commented on, through Facebook.

"The first version of the iPad app never took off like we wanted. We decided we were going to re-do it from the ground up. We revamped the interface and it is now much better than before," the company said in its blog post.

StumbleUpon is a great way to explore websites and content which you have never seen before and using the “Stumble” button, you can find all kinds of things recommended by friends and other people who have similar interests.

StumbleUpon is growing by about 35 per cent every month on both iOS and Android platforms.  StumbleUpon gets 1 billion stumbles daily from its 15 million users. StumbleUpon 1.4 is a universal app for iPhone and iPad requiring iOS 3.0 or later, and you can download the app for free.

Orbitz iPad app lets travelers book hotels

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 12, 2011

Travel giant Orbitz has come out with an iPad app to enable GPS-powered mobile research and hotel bookings. Orbitz claims to be the only one which has released such an app.

The app is free to download and offers travelers a fast and user-friendly interface to find, compare and book hotels even while on the go. One can select from a wide range of Orbitz hotels in just three easy steps.

Barney Harford, CEO, Orbitz Worldwide said, “The Orbitz Hotels App is designed from the ground up to take advantage of iPad's format and interface.”

Besides booking the hotel, the app helps you find the location of nearby hotels using iPad’s GPS capabilities which also serves same day booking requirements. You can search hotels by city, address, zip code or landmark and can filter and sort hotels by price and star rating.

An interactive map is used to compare hotels and prices. The search results though this map show summarized hotel information which can be expanded to show photographs, guest reviews by verified customers, special offers, amenities and detailed hotel/room descriptions.

The app also delivers Automatic Hotel Price Assurance refunds where a customer will get the price different (through cheque) in case another Orbitz customer books the same prepaid hotel room for a lesser amount. One major advantage of using this app is that no fee is charged on hotel cancellations or changes.

While creating the app, the company took into consideration a survey which showed that more than half of the 1,000 people questioned said their mobile device was the most helpful for planning activities once they reached their destination. Only 15 percent said that their mobile device was most helpful for booking trips.

Reviewers have especially liked the app for its accurate search results, clarity, and functionality.

Crayola ColorStudio HD app brings coloring to your iPad

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 11, 2011

There is good news for those who want to introduce their kids to the world of drawing and coloring – that too in a digital style. To give colouring the 21-st century makeover Griffin Technology and Crayola have announced the release of Crayola ColorStudio HD for iPad.

The iPad app is designed to work with a special marker pen stylus called the iMarker, a marker-shaped stylus which is multi-functional having different drawing tips, colors, and an eraser.

Within the ColorStudio app, kids can select a marker, crayon, pen, or paintbrush effect and pick their colours.

The app comes with 30 different animated coloring pages. Young artists can also choose to design an unlimited number of their own coloring pages using ColorStudio HD’s extensive built-in library of backgrounds, music and sound effects. You’s also notice that there is a separate layer inside each of these pictures, so the child can’t go outside the lines and turn it into a mess.

The app will only respond to iMarker input, which means that you can’t use your fingers to mess up the picture.

While colouring the app, there is a variety of background music available, and after you complete the wok the built-in animations bring the pictures to life. You can also email the finished artwork via E-mail and share it through popular social networking channels like Facebook or print it from the iPad.

Drawing on the iPad is pure fun and is an extremely fun activity with children or even other age groups.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD app works exclusively with a $30 iMarker which works best when there is no screen protector on the iPad.

Toshiba L500-1QK - PSLS9E-01000SEN Review

Toshiba Satellite L500-1QK. Processor: 2130 MHz, Intel Core i3-330M, 1.066 MHz, Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset. Disk drive: 500 GB, Serial ATA, 5.400 RPM. Display: 39.6cm (15.6”), 1366 x 768 pixels, Toshiba TruBrite® HD TFT High Brightness display with LED backlight with 16 : 9 aspect ratio, 16 ms, 0.252 x 0.252 mm, 500:1. Memory: 4GBDDR3 RAM (1.066 MHz), 8.192 GB. Video: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5145 supporting HyperMemory™ technology, DDR3 Video RAM (resp. Video RAM and system memory combined), ATI, 1366 x 768 pixels. Audio: Realtek ALC272-GR, 24-bit stereo, built-in stereo speaker. Networking: Wireless LAN. Energy management: Lithium-Ion, 10.8 x 4000 mAh, main, up to 2h40min (Mobile Mark™ 2007). Weight & dimensions: >2.94 g, 383 x 259 x 35.4 (front) / 39.3 (rear) This product is Toshiba Official Renew "As New".


       Product Features 

• 15.6" HD 200 CSV

• 2.13GHz Intel Core i3-330M

• 4GB DDR2 RAM

• 500GB 5400rpm

• DVD-Super-Multi (+-R DL)

• Win-7 64bit Home Premium 32bit DVD

• Intel® HM55

• Realtek ALC272-GR

• Webcam

Specification

•    Screen Size:15.6" HD 200 CSV LD
•    Processor :(2.13GHz) Intel Core i3-330M  1.066MHz
•    Memory:4GB DDR3 (1066MHz)
•    Hard Drive:500GB (5400rpm) SATA
•    Optical Drive:DVD-SuperMulti +-R DL(SATA)
•    Operating System:Win- 7 Home Premium 64bit
•    ATI M92XTX DDR3 (512MB)
•    Mobile Intel HM55 Express Chipset
•    Realtek 802.11(b/g/n)13ch-RTL8191SE MOW-HMC
•    Realtek ALC-262-VD0
•    Webcam

View more at www.systemactive.com .

Game review: Cave Bowling

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 11, 2011

This could be one of the most fun and addictive apps that you’ll ever come across. Cave Bowling is a game that involves the principles of physics where you need to chuck the ball to knock down all the pins in your way in one go with the help of an arrow plus speed.

Set up in the "prehistoric" era of cavemen, dinosaurs, and various other creatures, the terrain changes from spinning objects, slopes, geysers and all those things that affects your ball’s movement.

You score points by hitting the bones that are floating along the way of pins. You’ll get bonus points by chaining pins, but they'll get deducted if you hit your neighbours standing there in amusement.

You may find the game just like the other catapult games but it is a refreshing game having interesting gameplay elements. The game remains challenging as new elements are introduced in a constant manner to keep the interest level high. At initial levels all you need to do is to set the angle and speed and chuck the ball, but in the later stages you will encounter animals like turtles that can that bounce your ball away, and snakes and other critters. What’s interesting is you may have to sometime use those animals to go to the next round.

There are 60 prehistoric stages to clear and you can even auto-save your best solution to each level. You can also submit your scores online.

Besides introducing rising scale of difficulty, the gameplay has got great entertainment and fun level which has become a staple of Donut Games. The game will surely be liked by casual gamers.

Overall, it is a must-have for fans who love ‘simple to play’ games. Moreover, the eye-catching visuals and exquisite gamplay are enough to make it worth a download.

iPhone SLR Mount turns your iPhone 4 into a DSLR

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 8, 2011

The Apple iPhone 4 comes with a 5MP camera along with features like autofocus and even an LED flash, but serious photographers always complained of the lack of its ability to be fitted with a Single-Lens Reflex system or SLR.

But Photojojo’s iPhone SLR Mount hopes to solve this complaint by offering the best of the both worlds. The iPhone SLR Mount, converts the smaller iPhone camera into a much larger contraption, and thus increases your photographic flexibility. The aluminium case allows Canon or Nikon SLR lenses to be attached to the rear of the iPhone.

The Mount is priced at $249 and comes with an aluminium case, an SLR lens adapter, and a UV filter, along with 2 loopholes at both ends to allow for a camera strap to be attached and the iPhone and lens hung around the neck. The Mount for iPhone 3 costs $190.

Top 3 reasons to own M.I.C.’s Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 8, 2011

You own an iPad 2 and are looking to buy a case which is thin, eye-catching, lightweight, functional and does not put burden on your pocket. If you’re not able to decide upon which case may be the best for you given the choices available in the market, we give you top three reasons to buy M.I.C.’s Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case.

Stylish design: Your iPad and the M.I.C Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case seems to be the perfect pair as the case is made out of aircraft-grade aluminum with a bead-blasted, anodized finish matching the design and looks of the iPad. The case is sturdy and you’ll never feel the slate will slip out! When fitted the case looks much similar to MacBook Air.

Functionality: This Bluetooth keyboard is quite portable in a sense that it’s a hard shell case and keyboard in one. The case’s keyboard is similar in size to what you would find on most 10-inch netbooks. The case comprises of a full QWERTY keypad having special function keys for music, volume, slideshow, home and search controls, and you can charge it via USB. The keyboard layout is much similar to exactly what you would normally expect, and the keys are fairly flat to accommodate the iPad 2 in case mode. The case has a lightweight design and gives the necessary stability to the tablet to function properly. It has a built-in stand with supports different viewing angles for both portrait and landscape orientation. It is easy to set up and you can install it even without reading any instructions. The keyboard comes with a dedicated On/Off switch (which makes it easy to tell whether it is powered or not), Bluetooth connection button, charging and status lights.

Pricing: This iPad 2 accessory comes at a price tag of just $50. This is much cheaper than the $99 Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG or the Keycase Pro Folio case. It is indeed a great deal especially considering that Apple’s own Bluetooth Aluminum keyboard costs $70.

News Corp to close News of the World

By: iPadfanzz.blogspot.com on July 7, 2011


British tabloid News of the World is going to close, James Murdoch, son of News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch, has announced.

It follows a series of revelations that the paper illegally hacked into phones. The paper received sharp criticism for hacking the phone of a missing girl in England in 2002. The scandal widened with the allegations that phones of relatives of British soldiers killed in battle were also hacked.

James Murdoch said the 168-year-old Sunday tabloid will cease to exist after this week.

Here is the statement from Statement from James Murdoch:

“I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred.


You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain’s largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.


The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.


The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.


In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose.


Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.


As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.


This was not the only fault.


The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong."

15-year-old from Georgia breaks iPad typing record

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 7, 2011

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's 15-year-old son is the proud new owner of a Guinness World Record for typing the entire English alphabet (A-Z) on the iPad's software keyboard, in a record 5.26 seconds.

His time beats out former record-holder British teenager Charlie Joseph McDonnell's 6.31 seconds in 2010.

The record-breaking event took place in the Justice House of Georgia's Black Sea resort of Batumi.

Eduard said he is delighted to achieve this feat and said he has put in months of hard work to achieve those few seconds.

Review: Aluminum keyboard Buddy Case for iPad 2

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 7, 2011

MIC Gadget’s Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case for iPad 2 appears to be the perfect companion for your precious iPad 2.  It’s a bluetooth keyboard case made from aircraft-grade aluminum with a bead-blasted finish that matches your iPad 2 perfectly. The case will almost transform your tablet into a Macbook Air look alike when fitted.

The stylish case has got a visually delightful design and offers your tablet durable protection with added functionality. You’ll also notice that the keys are also quite similar to what you’d expect to see on an Apple notebook, but they are smaller in size.

The case supports Bluetooth and has its own integral rechargeable lithium-polymer battery (whісh іѕ rechargeable via USB) for long typing hours. It even serves as a screen protector. When you fold down the case into "closed" mode, magnets hold the iPad in place to act as a protective cover.

What makes the case so unique is that it matches the style and finish of your precious tablet and even the rest of your Apple gear.

The Buddy Case is available at the MIC Online Store for $50.

Facebook launches Skype video chat, group chat

By: Aseem Gaurav on July 7, 2011

As expected, social networking giant Facebook has launched a video-chat feature powered by Skype. The video chat product, is browser-based, so one need not download Skype to chat with friends on Facebook. The revamped system now includes a sidebar and it automatically appears when you open up the browser.

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new video calling feature during an event at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto.

The new feature includes an improved group chat feature which allows for a multi-person conversation and the capability of one-on-one video calls with friends.

 Zuckerberg also confirmed that Facebook now has 750 million users and they share four billion items such as photos, links and status updates on the site every day.

"We've been cranking on projects the past six months and have a lot of fun stuff to roll out. We have 750 million users now and it is still growing quickly. But the thing growing faster is the amount of sharing per user,” he said.

IM-like text chatting is quite popular on Facebook and the company will introduce a more prominent sidebar that shows the people a user chats with the most, Zuckerberg said.

The announcement by Facebook comes within a week after Google Inc announced its own social networking service dubbed Google+.

Facebook bosses said the company will keep on working with partners like Skype and at the same time build its own programs to enhance the social network.

The video calling service will be universal by next week, but in case you want it now then go to facebook.com/videocalling.

Facebook and Skype aren't making money directly from the video calling service, but in the future they will add premium services carrying charges.