New Year brings joy, hope, and happiness all around the world. People set up resolutions, plan events, make shopping lists and buy presents for their family and friends. With the innovative technology pacing like a furious beast, nothing more would be better than a tech gift. Moreover, on the New Year everyone would love to add a tech item to their gadget lists. 2012 is around the corner and we have compiled some of the best tech gifts that would be a great surprise for everyone whether they are kids, teens, your family, friends and colleagues.

1. Contour+ PoV camera
2. Sony PS Vita
3. Optimus Maximus Keyboard
4. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
5. Neurosky’s Mindwave Brainwave Headset
6. AVADirect X7200
7. MS Watersports GmbH JetLev-Flyer
8. Sound Spa Classic Deluxe Clock Radio & Sound Machine with Time Projection
9. LG Infinia 47LW6500 3D LED TV
10. B&W Zeppelin Air

1. Contour+ PoV camera

Don’t want to miss you memorable New Year moments, then Contour+ PoV camera would be a perfect gift for your friends and family. Everyone would love to capture the bright photos and record videos with this wonderful camera on this festive event.

Why is it a wonderful capturer??

• A 5MP still photo mode and Custom Wide-Angle Lens+ 6 Element Glass Lens can capture amazing photos
• Bluetooth , iPhone and iPod Connectivity is offered
• GPS Support is available
• Video with audio streaming and viewing with white balance, exposure, and sharpness is possible.

2. Sony PS Vita

Kids, teens and game lovers of all ages would adore Sony PS Vita as their tech present. They would enjoy 2012 with innovative games and immerse in the world of Nathan Drake’s epic adventure in Uncharted Golden Abyss

Why is it a Gaming Monster??

• Dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, multi-touch rear pad, GPS and new unit specific media flash-based storage make it a true gaming monster.
• Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display gives amazing gaming graphics.
• Internet Connectivity is possible via Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity
• You can play with your friends through location based gaming.

3. Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Missing your family and friends who can’t meet you at New Year’s Eve?? Then send them this cool exclusive gadget, Optimus Maximus Keyboard as they can easily connect with you wirelessly and chat with you while sitting on their cozy beds and sofas in this chilly cold weather.

Why is it an exclusive gadget??

• You can use it to type any language like Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic, Quenya, hiragana, etc with Optimus’s customizable layou
• Stand-alone display functionality of each key let you type intuitively

4. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Everyone would love to have the world’s first smartphone, Samsung Galaxy Nexus running on Android 4.0. Yes, the innovative smartphone with superb features like a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Contour Display, Full HD 1080p video recording, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera makes it stand out of galaxy of mobile phones.

Why is its tech galaxy??

• 4G LTE Network Connectivity with Verizon Wireless gives wide range Communication.
• Fastest 1.2 GHz dual-core processor offers multitasking
• Face Unlock feature, web browsing, gaming, NFC connectivity and 12 hours of talk time is amazing

5. Neurosky’s Mindwave Brainwave Headset

Neurosky’s Mindwave Brainwave Headset would be a unique present for anyone in 2012. It is truly a revolutionary innovation in the world of technology.

Why is it a revolutionary breakthrough??

• It lets you select from hundreds of apps including movies via thought, meditation and brain enhancement training.
• It allows you to play fun mind games.
• It connects with your computer via USB dongle

6. AVADirect X7200

Your kids and friends would be in love with the world’s lightest 13.5-pound notebooks. It is claimed to be the fastest desktop replacement in the world with the fastest processor and an ideal present for everyone. It not only has excellent computing capabilities but also give amazing gaming performance.

Why is it a power laptop??

• A six-core Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processor offers multitasking
• NVIDIA GeForce 580M graphics gives amazing displays
• 12GB of RAM offers superb capacity

7. MS Watersports GmbH JetLev-Flyer

Join with your friends in the skiing adventure but that is only possible if you give them MS Watersports GmbH JetLev-Flyer as a New Year gift and fulfill their dream of enjoying watersports.

Why is it a dream sports flyer?

• The powerful 4-stroke engine and two high-pressure nozzles let you propel skyward
• Gives top speeds of 47 km/h and has a cruising duration of 2-3 hours
• Can carry a person of 40 – 150 kg in weight

8. Sound Spa Classic Deluxe Clock Radio & Sound Machine with Time Projection

Don’t want to get late for the 2012 celebrations neither your friends would want to. So, Sound Spa Classic Deluxe Clock Radio & Sound Machine with Time Projection would be a nice tech gift and luminous fantasy for everyone.

Why is it a luminous fantasy??

• Time is projected on ceiling in soothing blue light
• Large digit green LED clock display is unique
• AM/FM clock radio with snooze function is excellent
• Six natural sounds including Ocean, Waterfall, Summer Night, Rain Forest, and Rain creates peaceful environment

9. LG Infinia 47LW6500 3D LED TV

Why not enjoy the 2012 with your loved ones by watching your favorite programs on LG Infinia 47LW6500 3D LED TV. Present it to your family or friends and experience an ultimate multimedia entertainment.

Why is it an ultimate entertainment?

• The 47-inch screen gives amazing 3D display
• Amazon’s on-demand streaming service let you enjoy your favorite TV shows
• You can watch your favorite HD moves and play 3D games

10.B&W Zeppelin Air

The New Year celebrations would be incomplete without music. Yes, the B&W Zeppelin Air is the perfect choice as a tech gift. With its exquisite design and crystal-clear sound quality, it makes the air around you truly musical.

Why is it a musical hub??

• It offers compatibility with AirPlay that allows it to work with iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch.
• USB connectivity let you stream music wirelessly

So, Choose the right gift and Join the celebrations of 2012

Technical Specifications

General:

Product Type: Ultra-portable Notebook PC

Processor: Intel Core i5 – 540M with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.06GHz

Size and Weight:

Dimensions (Approx.): 12.4″(W) x 1.0-1.3″(H) x 8.3″(D)

Weight (Approx.): 3.04 lbs

Display & Graphics:

Screen Size: 13.1″

Display Technology: Backlight LED

Resolution: 1600 x 900

Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU and Mobile Intel Graphics Media

Total Available Graphics Memory: 2650MB (max.)

Graphics Technology: Dynamic Hybrid Graphics System

Capacity:

Installed Memory: 4GB

Max. Memory: 8GB

Solid State Drive Capacity: 256GB

Optical Drive: Yes with CD and DVD support

Audio:

Audio system: Intel High Definition Audio

Camera:

Camera: Built-in MOTION EYE camera and microphone with face-tracking technology

Battery and Power:

Battery Type: Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery 5400mAh

Estimated Battery Life: Up to 6.5 hour Standard Capacity Battery

Wireless and Networking

Bluetooth Technology: Integrated Stereo A2DP (2.1 + EDR)

Ethernet Protocol: 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T

Mobile Broadband: Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In

GPS: Yes

Wi-Fi: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 (802.11a/b/g/n)

Remarkable Features

Outstanding Performance and Mobility

Outstanding performance is achieved with Intel Core i5-540M processor that uses Intel Turbo Boost technology. It is lightweight i-e only about 3.04 lbs that let you carry it around easily.

Innovative Design

The VAIO Z notebook exhibits an innovative design and uses a mercury-free backlit LED display. The 13.1″ screen is scratch resistant and gives you a vibrant display. The Electro-static touchpad with Biometric Fingerprint Sensors let you scroll, pinch and zoom easily. A backlit keyboard glow both in day and night that let you type whenever you like.

HDMI Connectivity

Now you can have all the entertainment on your HD TV. The HDMI connectivity let you connect this netbook PC to HD devices. MOTION EYE camera and microphone with face-tracking technology let you video chat with your family and friends.

Wireless Connectivity

The Built-in Wireless-N technology let you connect with the internet at blazing speed. The Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband let you connect with the most reliable 3G network. The Stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology gives you liberty to use wireless.

Advanced Technology

This netbook PC uses advanced technology and also use hybrid graphics. A built-in Assist button launches VAIO Care software and maintains your PC.

More Storage

The 4GB of pre-installed system memory is present on the system. A 256GB Solid State Drive gives faster read and write times.

So, enjoy working on this laptop PC and compute with Sony VAIO Z.

Technical Specifications of Amazon Kindle Fire

General:

Product Type: Tablet PC

Size: 7.5″ x 4.7″ x 0.45″

Weight: 14.6 ounces (413 grams)

Capacity

On-device Storage: 8GB internal. That’s enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.

Cloud Storage: Free cloud storage for all Amazon content

Battery

Battery Life: Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.

Battery Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours

Display

Screen Size: 7″ multi-touch display

Display Technology: IPS technology and anti-reflective treatment

Screen Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.

Connectivity

Wi-Fi Connectivity: Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.1X

USB Port: USB 2.0

Audio: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.

Other Feature

Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.

Documentation Quick Start Guide, pre-installed Kindle User’s Guide

Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included.

Remarkable Features of Amazon Kindle Fire

Color Display of Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon Kindle Fire will feature a unique Colour Display with a 7” touchscreen. Kindle Fire uses IPS technology which gives vibrant display as iPad and what’s more you can enjoy your favorite magazines and read you beloved books with this luminous color display. Full-color layouts, photographs and illustrations with 16 million colors in high resolution give you crisp display.

Dual-Core Processor of Amazon Kindle Fire

The dual core processor of Amazon Kindle Fire is expected to give fastest performance. You can browse the web at a speedy rate and enjoy all the stuff on internet with the powerful performing processor.

Entertainment Features of Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon Kindle Fire will not let you get bored as it is loaded with a lot of entertaining features. Your favorite Apps and Games including Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, The Weather Channel and more will let you entertained on the go. Amazon Kindle Fire will also allow you to download 100,000 Movies and TV Shows. Now your kids can also enjoy with the Amazon Kindle Fire as you can get access to 1000 beautifully-illustrated children’s books, including favorites like Brown Bear, Curious George, and Circus Ship. For the music lovers out there, 17 Million Songs in the Amazon MP3 Store will let you have all the fun. Amazon Appstore for Android has got all the apps for you, whether you want to check your work e-mail or private messages.

Maximum Storage of Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon Kindle Fire will offer Free Cloud Storage which will enable you to access all the digital content including books, movies, music and apps at your fingertips.

Easy Touch Interface of Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon Kindle Fire will be easy to handle and feasible to carry .You can read all your documents with an intuitive touch interface. Browsing, playing, reading and searching will be easier and Amazon’s Whispersync technology will be available to sync your library, last page read, bookmarks, notes and most important the new feature videos. Movie streaming will also be easier with Amazon Whispersync

Expected Release Date and Price of Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon Kindle Fire is expected to release on 15 November in the US and will be available at a price of $199. However, preorders are available. But its release in the rest of the countries is not announced yet.

So, look out for this smart Amazon Kindle Fire in your nearest stores and immerse in the world of colors.

You can chat with friends and family, converse with your co-workers, watch live TV, download videos, navigate places, listen to music and what not?? You can be in touch with the world with just a single touch. Smartphones are the best communication tool. Here’s our list of top 10 smartphones that will let you in touch with the world.

1. Apple iphone 4
2. HTC Evo 3D
3. Motorolla Atrix
4. Samsung Galaxy S2
5. HTC Sensation
6. T- Mobile G2
7. Sony Xperoia Play
8. Google Nexus S
9. HTC Thunderbolt
10. Motorola DROID 2 Global

1. Apple iPhone 4

Apple has topped the smartphones with its Apple iPhone4.  It operates on both AT&T and Verizon and gives you Facetime video calling facility. The 3 G connectivity gives you the latest communication technology. With the unique feature of multitasking it offers you all the multimedia. HD video recording can be best done on 960x 960 retina display. The 5 mega pixel camera gives bright pictures. The battery time is 7 hrs on 3G and 14 hrs on 2G to let you have all the fun.

2. HTC Evo 3D

HTC Evo 3D let you experience the world around you in 3D.The connectivity is faster and browsing is quicker. The customizable home screens let you use it with convinence.HTC Watch let you experience your favorite movies. The dual 5 mega pixel color camera can capture both 2Dand 3D photos with brightness and clarity. USB and Wi- Fi tethering gives you the best communication. The battery time is great with ability to talk upto 450 minutes on WCDMA network.

3. Motorolla Atrix 4G

Motorolla Atrix 4G is the samtphone built on the Android platform and offers the most modern communication technology. With the Motoblur you can connect with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. GPS and location services let you navigate with the AT & T carrier. Talktime on WCDMA network is up to 540 min and on GSM up to 530 min. 5 Megapixel camera with digital zoom let you capture natural photos with sharp colors.

4. Samsung Galaxy S2

Samsung Galaxy S2 features the 4.3” Amoled Screen and Gorilla cornering glass. The slim design and dual core processor gives you an amazing experience. The Social Hub let you be social and Near field communication let you do all your transactions with this smartphone. Game Hub let you play games and Music Hub gives you wide range of music.  You can handle all your business on this Smartphone via Microsoft Exchange Active Sync and Cisco Web EX. The 8MP LED Flash + 2MP Front camera let you capture your favorite scenes.

5. HTC Sensation

HTC Sensation with 3 G connectivity and 8 megapixel color camera is the smartphone that let you experience the world with just one touch. The smartphone with best social networking and multimedia features gives you all the ease and feasibility. Wi- Fi Tethering let you connect with the internet and have richer browsing experience.

6. T- Mobile G2X

Google’s T- Mobile 2X is a truly entertainment smartphone with smart 4 G connectivity. The dual core processor let you play games like Need for Speed and connect to your the social circle via Facebook. The battery life is good and available talktime is 7 hrs. The 1.3 MP frontfacing camera and 8 megapixel camera take some bright shots. You can easily access to Google applications via this smartphone.

7. Sony Xperia Play

Sony Xperia Play is the world’s first play station certified smartphone which let you have all the entertainment on your fingertips. The real game controller let you play your favorite games.  You can connect to Facebook in seconds and more than 200, 000 apps can be downloaded from Android market. The graphics are amazing and you can browse the web faster than you can think with the Wi- Fi connectivity.

8. Google Nexus S

Google Nexus S is the Smartphone which not only connects you with the world but also let you explore the maps of places in 3D. It is based on the Gingerbread software and displays brilliant graphics. Three carriers offer its services on this smartphone including AT& TT, T- Mobile and Sprint with low international calling rates.

9. HTC Thunderbolt

HTC Thunderbolt with its thundering speed offers you all the fun you want on your smartphone whether they are e-books, movies and music. The 8 Megapixel camera has good capturing capabilities. A 720p HD camcorder let you record movies. The DLNA connectivity let it to be compatible with other devices and 4G connectivity enable you to be in touch with the world.

10. Motorola DROID 2 Global

Motorola DROID 2 Global is boasted by Motorola as one of the fastest phone with 1.2 Ghz processor. With the Quad band capability it let you connect with more than 200 countries. You can create your own Wi-Fi hot Spot. This smartphone can handle all your business requirements. Google Mobile services can easily be accessed and you can listen to your favorite music on this smartphone.

So, come out of your own world and be in touch with the whole world via these top 10 smartphones.

Technical Specifications of HP TouchPad

General

Product Type: Tablet PC

Outlook: HP Gloss Black finish

Processor: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core APQ8060 Processor

OS: HP WebOS

Size and Weight

Dimensions: 9.45 x 7.48 x 0.54 in

Weight: 740g

Battery and Power

Battery Type: 6300 mAh (typical) lithium-polymer battery

Charging options: HP TouchPad A/C charger plus microUSB cable

Camera

Camera Type: Front-facing 1.3MP camera

Camera Formats: Video calling Supported with digital microphone

Display

Screen Type: LED backlit multi-touch glass display

Screen Size: 9.7-inch diagonal

Screen Resolution: XGA (1024 x 768)

Viewing angle: IPS wide viewing-angle technology.

Network and Connectivity

For Home Users

Wireless and Cellular: Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 1 wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP Stereo Bluetooth support

Mail Attachment: Microsoft Exchange email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology POP3/IMAP support Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, etc.

Messaging: Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS

For Business Users

Wi-Fi network connections: WEP/WPA/WPA2 and authentication protocols.

Security: Exchange email access128-bit encryption and SSL

Firewall Protection: Cisco AnyConnect and IPsec VPN support

Mail Attachment: Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and protocols like SMTP/POP3 and IMAP4

Messaging: Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS

Memory

On Board Memory: 16GB or 32GB

Support and Warranty

OS Support: HP webOS Butler Service–90-day toll-free setup assistance

Warranty: 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

Superb Features of HP TouchPad

Multi functional HP WebOS of HP TouchPad

The novel and multifunctional HP WebOS of HPTouchPad let you have all the technology on your finger tips. You can write an e-mail while searching the web, update your status on Facebook while listening to songs, or read an e-book while searching for your favorite artist’s album.

Marvelous Display of HP TouchPad

The Qualcomm Adreno 220 core graphics gives you the marvolus display with best picture quality.

Fastest Processor of HP TouchPad

HPTouchPad features 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core APQ8060 processor giving you the fastest speeds and excellent multitasking capabilities.

E-Printing Capability of HP TouchPad

Now you can e-print wirelessly with HPTouchPad. Whether you are on the business trip, at school or college or across the street all you have to do is send to the printing command to the printer you want to print on.

Entertaining features of HP TouchPad

HPTouchPad features a lot of smart apps, games and the Beats Audio™ to let you entertained during the whole day.

Wireless Support for HP TouchPad

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity enables you to connect to internet and Wi-Fi hotspot thus giving you the feasibility to read your work e-mails or surfing the web at home

More Battery Life and Storage of HP TouchPad

HP TouchPad gives 8 hours of batter life to let you do all the computing and sufficient storage of 16GB and 32GB is ideal for both home and Business use.

Pricing of HP TouchPad

Pricing of HP TouchPad varies for home and business users

Touch Pad for Home

16GB: $99.99

32GB: $149.99

Touch Pad for Business

16GB: $99

32GB: $149

So, look out for this latest HP Tablet PC in the market and add it to your gadget collection.

After the implementation of this partnership based project, groundbreaking ethnic ICT industry that addresses ICT needs of South Africa in public as well as private sectors is anticipated as the main outcome. Naledi Pandor addressed the media on this partnership and said, “This is why the DST is leading the implementation of the national ICT research, development and innovation strategy. In this regard, we view public-private partnerships to be of importance for us in achieving this objective.”

Most important areas which are highlighted as integral part of MOU are; basic science education support program, mobile application industry, access to broadband networks for communities. Managing Director of Nokia Siemens Networks South AfricaRufus Andrew said, “Nokia Siemens Networks is using its global expertise in telecommunications and in-depth knowledge of the local South African market to advise the SKA bid teams, from both a technical and business perspective, about the best options to transport the huge volumes of generated data to the high-performance computer center of the SKA. We have been involved in the project from the start, supporting and advising the project team on all technical requirements, capacity planning, provisioning and skills.”

The Xperia X10 will get an Android Gingerbread up-gradation this summer, as announced by the Sony Ericsson.

Indeed a very good news for X10 owners, Sony Ericsson says that work on the 2011 Xperia line-up, including the Arc, Play, and Neo, made the new project possible.

Though there is a possibility that networks locked handsets may not be qualified for this software up-gradation, as the official blog wrote that, “Regarding possible customized operator’s kit we will have to get back with more information on this at a later stage. But we want to be very clear already at this stage on the fact hat some of you may not get this upgrade.”

In its official post, Sony Ericsson wrote: “The intention is that the Xperia X10 will receive similar software and functionality that we have in our new 2011 Xperia smart phones”.

“The current ambition is to provide the majority of functionality of the Gingerbread platform, as well as the Sony Ericsson specific UI and features that are not restricted by hardware limitations (for example no HDMI out). The final scope of the software is still work in progress but we are working to minimize the differences.”

It’s an iWorld these days, and iTechnology has shown us a new way to teach our kids. With the influx of iPhone, iPod, and iPad, Apple has created a number of exciting educational apps and fun games for toddlers, preschoolers and kids. Now you can teach your child in an easy but interesting way, so he or she can learn things quickly.

Here we’ve listed some of the best free educational iPhone, iPod or iPad apps, for kids of all ages.

1 – Toddler Teasers Shapes

Ages – 2 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

This app is a nice gift from parents for their toddler. The combination of colorful shapes, audio instructions and sticker rewards make this app a great learning experience for your toddler or preschooler, and let them get to know about basic shapes in a very interactive way. The Toddler Teasers Shapes app tells kids to touch a colorful shape, and after every four correct selections, he/she will get sticker rewards. Even if they give a wrong answer, they’ll still learn as Toddler Teasers Shape app will speak the answer, he/she just touched and then asks again for the right answer.

2 – PopMatch Basic Math

Ages – 5 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

PopMatch Basic Math is a great app+game to learn basic math skills, including subtracting, dividing and multiplying. It’s fun and very easy to use, even those children who don’t like Math at all, find it very useful.

Six pairs of bubbles float on the screen. Each bubble with a number and your kid has to pop the pairs that match. For example, one bubble might have the number 8, while another bubble has 4+4. So he/she has to pop these two matching pairs. This app makes it a fun to learn basic match skills, and at the end of each level, your time, number of mistakes, and personal score will be displayed.

3 – Feed Me – Pencilbot Preschool

Ages – 3 & up
Free For iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Your preschooler will love this game. The lovable pet monster in this app is hungry, but he only wants to eat correct answers. This colorful fun game includes over 100 preschool proper questions about numbers, letters, shapes and colors, and your child will love this dynamic app, and will quickly learn by feeding correct answers to that cuddly creature.

4 – Alphabet Zoo

Ages – 2 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

With this simple, yet extremely entertaining app, your toddler will learn how to recognize letter sounds. The pictures are easy to recognize with some enjoyable sounds, and kids will love the crazy noises it makes.

5 – iWrite Words Lite

Ages – 2 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

This app is great for learn about numbers, letters and words. Your kid can learn many things while playing around with Mr. Crab. He/she can help Mr. Crab in collecting numbers by dragging him with his/her finger, while at the same time tracing a letter. Scrawling drawings give him/her hints to the word being spelled, and once all the letters of the word are drawn correctly, he/she will get rewarded with a picture and can move to the next level.

6 – Pocket Frogs

Ages – 4 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Make your kid an amphibian’s lover. This app will keep your child busy in collecting, trading, and breeding new frogs in customizable environment. This app features more than sixty rewards to earn as you go along in the game, and can be played with more than one people. This is a great app for children to learn some tactics of planning and trading. It will be a good learning experience for them.

7 – Scribble Lite

Ages – 4 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Make your iPhone, iPad or iPod a baby sketch pad for your kids. This app lets your kids draw their thousands of sketching masterpieces using tons of available colors, pen sizes and draw-on photo options. Scribble Lite is very appealing in terms of its look, and there are endless drawing possibilities available for kids this app.

8 – Says for Kids

Ages – 4 & up
Free for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

You can significantly enhance your kid’s memory through this interactive memorization game. This game asks your child to hit the animal’s heads in the same order as he is shown. It stars off easy, but as the game progresses, the number of animal heads keeps growing!

9 – Trace

Ages – 5 & up
Free for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

This unique app helps your child to develop problem solving skills, and it is one of the most interesting and interactive app as well. The aim of the game is to walk a man to a target in each screen and level. You can draw and delete paths and you need to stay away from moving obstacles. As the levels of the game gets higher it becomes much difficult to avoid obstacles and get to the target. You can download this app for free at iTunes App store.

10 – Chicktionary Lite

Ages – 5 & up
Free for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

Chicktionary Lite app uses poultry-related terms and silly cartoon chickens to help increase your child’s vocabulary. This is an extremely entertaining app for kids to learn words quickly and get encouragement from funny chickens through head bobbling and clucking. If your kid gets stuck on a word, he/she can get help with the “beak sneak” option. This game has 12 different levels and could keep your little one busy for quite a while.

Recently Apple launched its slimmer, faster and lighter, 2nd generation iPad2 while retaining the virtues of the older iPad.

Apple is not the only player who creates tablet PC, now they are getting competition from other players like Samsung with Galaxy Tab. The Apple iPad2 launch news caught its closest market rivals off-guard, as Apple has made lot of changes in iPad2 which make it much better than before.

Samsung recently introduced Galaxy Tab 10.1 with a 10.1 inch display which can be the biggest competitors for Apple iPad2. The two key factors that have set the competition between theses two top contenders for the top position are iPad’s slimmer and lighter form factor and price. Reportedly, Samsung vice president Lee Don-joo told to a news agency, “We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate, Apple made it very thin.”

Apple runs on its own OS platform iOS 4.3, but Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will use Google Android 3.0/Honeycomb which is a tablet optimized operating system. Both the tablets run on a Dual core 1 GHz processor.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is expected to be available by March and Apple iPad 2 will be available from March 11 in U.S. and from March 25 in UK. Samsung sure is looking at Apple as its main competitor, and right now it is difficult to predict who will win the race of tablet PC, but so far Apple is leading this race with its new big thing iPad 2.

If we put these two tables from Apple and Samsung side by side, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 certainly comes out as a worthy competitor to iPad 2 compared to any other Android tablet out there.

Operation System

Apple iPad 2 runs its own iOS 4.3, which has an enhanced version of Apple’s Nitro Java script which allows iOS-based devices to run JavaScript at a faster rate, while Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is runs on Android 3.0/Honeycomb from Google which supports multi-tasking and customizable widgets.

Processor

Apple’s iPad 2 gets a speed boost up by its new A5 processor with a speed of 1 GHz. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is also powered by a 1GHz dual-core chip.

Display, Weight and Thickness

Samsung Galaxy comes up with a 10.1-inch display and 1280X800 screen resolution which is slightly larger than the Apple’s 9.7-inch display with 1024X768 resolutions. Both Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2 weighs 1.3 pounds, but Apple’s iPad is thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy Tab’s 0.43-inch, as it measures 0.34-inches in depth.

Memory

When we talk about memory factor, Apple’s iPad comes with three options 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB, while Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 has only two configurations 16GB and 32GB.

Camera

Apple iPad 2 offers a rear facing and a front-facing VGA camera, but on the other hand Samsung comes up with a better option of 8MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing camera.

On the battery front iPad 2 supports 10 hours battery life while Galaxy Tab 10.1 battery life details have not been revealed. The main difference point between these two front runner tablet PC will be their price, as iPad 2’s prices start with $499 for a 16GB WiFi model and goes all the way to $829 for a 64GB WiFi+3G model. Thus it is to be seen what Samsung has to offer to its customer, will it be able to beat Apple iPad 2 in terms of price?

Let’s have a look at the product comparison summary between Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Apple iPad 2:

These days, online search is synonymous to “Google”. Peers tell each other “to Google” a term or topic when they mean to search it online. Google has definitely played an important role in the life of every human being who is related to internet in some way. There are many other services provided by Google which have made researches and study even easier like Google Books, Google News, Google Scholar, Google Maps and Google Earth. The latter has gained great deal of importance in past few years as it is one-of-its-kind service. People all around the sphere gain help from this service of Google. Apart from information and study purposes, it is also used as entertainment tool e.g. locating your home on the globe, finding out the location of your high school, searching for the international landmarks like Great Wall of China or Pyramids etc.

In this article, I will discuss the usage of Google Earth, along with the detailed history and background of this grand service.

What is Google Earth?

This is a virtual world map that displays geographical information of the globe. You can locate your house and see the place in map form, terrain form, satellite or hybrid.

History of Google Earth:

We cannot give the whole credit of Google Earth to Google, as it was created by another company. This program was originally named EarthViewer 3D which was fashioned by a company called Keyhole, Inc. As EarthViewer 3D, it was released back in 2001. In 2004, the big daddy Google acquired Keyhole Inc. and obviously, the EarthViewer came under Google’s control. In 2005, this product was released once again, but with a new name; Google Earth. This is available for those systems that run on MS Windows 2100 and above, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above, Linux Kernel 2.4 and later and FreeBSD. As far as using Google Earth on mobile phones is concerned, it is available as free download both for iPhone OS and Android OS form their respective App Markets.

Overview of the Program:

Google Earth allows users to see images of the earth taken via satellites. These satellite images are of varying resolution; varying according to the significance and popularity of areas. Most of the times, land is covered in minimum 15m of resolution, but at popular places like Las Vegas, Melbourne and Cambridge, we find the highest resolution at fifteen cm. Basically, one will only get 2D image for most parts of the world. It is nothing like seeing something in front of you (or 3D), rather it is something like a huge snapshot of cities and colonies. There are but only few places on the earth that can be seen in 3D mode. These are the places which are considered more like the greatest landmarks like Grand Canyon and Mount Everest. With the help of NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and collected digital elevation model (DEM) data, Google Earth offers these 3 dimensional images. Though the service was unable to render 3D images of places, but now there are certain places of which 3D images can be viewed. Now, we have Street View option as well as exploring moon is also possible with new version of Google Earth. Google Earth is available in 37 languages, with two version of English and Chinese each.

Features of Google Earth:

Now, let us discuss the nice features of Google Earth.

1. Wikipedia and Panoramio

Back in 2006 December, Google added a new layer to the Google Earth called “Geographical Web”. This included integration with Wikipedia and Panoramio. In 2007, Google acquired Panoramio and in 2010 the Geographic Web Layer was removed. Now, Panoramio layer sits in between the main layers and Wikipedia layer is lying in the “More” layer.

2. Flight simulator

There is a flight simulator feature in the Google Earth where the aircrafts can be controlled via keyboard, mouse or joystick. In the beginning, this was a hidden feature, but now it is not. The featured airplanes include F-16 Fighting Falcon and Cirrus R-22.

3. Google sky

It was introduced in 2007. As the name suggests, this feature enables users to view bodies and stars in the space. Though it offers great experience, Google Sky has tough competitions in form of Microsoft WorldWide Telescope and Stellarium.

4. Google Street View

In year 2008, the Street View was fully and completely integrated into Google Earth. In this mode, viewers are able to view some selected parts of few chosen cities at ground level. A 360 degree panoramic street level image is provided. It began with 5 cities, and now it has expanded to a great number of cities worldwide. The street view shows such photographs that have been taken before via an automobile. While in the Street View mode, these photos can be seen in a variety of sizes and from different angles and directions.

5. Ocean

This feature was added in the Google Earth in 2009. It offers views of oceans and underwater 3D imagery. Information from great oceanographers and scientists is included in this mode.

6. Historical Imagery

This feature allows the users to know about historical development and background of a certain place. If you are a student and working on an assignment regarding historical background of a certain place, this feature of Google Earth is bound to aid you big time.

7. Google Moon

As the name suggests, this feature displays images of our beloved moon. Google introduced Google Moon as a feature of Google Moon in 2009, on 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 mission.

8. Google Mars

This feature displays images of planet Mars as well as 3D topographical exposé. Though good for entertainment purposes, this feature can be best used for research purposes and studies.

Things change and technology keeps on developing. It is an ever growing thing, thus these features do not complete Google Earth. The service will keep on growing and we hope to see new and more exciting features and layers in the upcoming