Hasta La Gadget!

We’re sure that many of you guys use the WhatsApp messenger on your Android device, but if you have felt that WhatsApp’s interface on your Android device is starting to get a bit stale, you might be pleased to learn that an update could be heading your way soon. Google+ user Jose Luis de la Torre has managed to snag some screenshots of the updated WhatsApp which appears to have been redesigned to be more in line with the Android Holo UI, and as you can see in the comparison screenshots above, it is looking pretty good! Unfortunately the update is not yet available officially via the Google Play store, which means you will have to download the beta APK yourself via WhatsApp’s website. Its supposedly in beta although according to reports of those who have tried it, it seems relatively stable enough and it should be usable for your daily needs. If you’d rather not download the APK, we guess you will just have to wait for the official update, but considering that the beta seems relatively stable, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the update to hit Google Play!

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So, iOS 6.1 hasn’t been Apple’s finest hour. So far it’s been plagued with connection issues, battery woes, and now it’s sadly insecure, too. You can bypass any lockcode on an iPhone using this straightforward sequence of button presses. More »

Millions of vehicles, smartphones, and other devices in use all around the world support GPS navigation capability today. People rely on this GPS capability every day to get around in unfamiliar cities and to find better routes in cities they are familiar with. A group of Spanish researchers has recently claimed that they have discovered a way to help improve GPS accuracy in cities by as much as 90%.

GPS can be difficult or impossible to use in major cities where satellite signals can be blocked by tall buildings. Many people who live in rural communities have a similar problem with GPS signals being blocked by tall trees and foliage. A group of Spanish researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has developed a prototype device to improve GPS signal quality.

The device is able to add data from accelerometers and gyroscopes to the conventional GPS signal thereby reducing the margin of error in the system. Researcher David Martin claims that he and his team were able to improve the determination of the vehicles position in critical cases at a rate of between 50 and 90% depending on how degraded the GPS signal to the navigation device is. The standard margin of error for commercial GPS receivers in cars is roughly 15 m in an open field.

In an urban setting where buildings block signals, accuracy can be off more than 50 m. Using the new prototype device, the researchers say that that margin of error within an urban setting can be reduced to one or 2 m. The prototype device uses a low-cost Inertial Measurement Unit using three accelerometers and three gyroscopes that are able to measure changes in velocity and vehicle maneuvers and direction. That data is then merged and used to correct errors in the GPS position data. There is no indication of when or if this technology might come to market.

[via TG Daily]

Spanish scientists claim to have significantly improved GPS accuracy is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Tummy rumbles will be cured with this adorable snack pack that’s durable enough for kids and convenient enough for adults.

A few years ago, the defacto device of choice for governments and businesses would be Blackberry. However with iOS and Android controlling the majority of the market share these days, the preferences of users have changed, although it is possible that Blackberry could regain their footing with Blackberry 10. However until that happens, it seems that as far as the New Zealand police are concerned, it looks like iOS will be their software and hardware of choice. According to New Zealand’s The National Business Review, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, and Police Minister Anne Tolley, have said that they will be distributing 6,000 iPhones to frontline police, and 3,900 of which will be given iPads as well.

The police will spend about $3.65 million rolling out this program over the next three months, and $134.7 million over the next ten years. If this seems like a lot, they have also estimated that by using these gadgets, productivity is expected to improve whose benefits are valued at $258.5 million in a ten-year span. The decision to go with iOS compared to Android or Blackberry was thanks to an 11-month trial period that involved 100 officers. Ten years seems pretty long, especially since technology is constantly shifting, upgrading and improving, so who knows, perhaps Blackberry 10 will prove to be a viable business alternative in the near future and we could see a change then as well.

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