Hasta La Gadget!

You would never buy a car without cup holders like you’d never buy a car without seat belts. A secure place to store your scalding coffee so you can concentrate on driving and put both hands on the wheel isn’t a convenience—it’s a safety feature. And it wasn’t even standard on cars until the 1980’s. More »

Sprint has another smartphone available this time, and it is one tough cookie. So tough, in fact, that it has been advertised to be the handset that Bear Grylls would not mind using, as it was specially built to “survive extreme elements and everyday life.” Yes sir, while the might seem to be one tough cookie on the outside, underneath its belly is actually a soft creature, as this 4G LTE Android smartphone will retail for a mere $99.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate, running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as the operating system of choice.

Specially constructed according to Military Standard 810G (MilSpec), the Kyocera Torque can withstand dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, humidity, blowing rain, low pressure, salt fog and extreme temperatures, not to mention IP67 standards for dust, sprayed water and full immersion of up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes. Grylls has been given the honor of bringing the Kyocera Torque on a bunch of “adventures” that would certainly push man – and phone, to the limit. I sure hope he does not end up trying to eat the Kyocera Torque in the wild when he’s low on food! [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Analyst Says Cheap iPhone Makes Sense After Meeting With Apple, Google Supplies iOS Developers With Updated Maps SDK,

HTC recently announced the One smartphone and it looks like the company is going to try and make things a bit simpler for those switching from an iPhone. HTC is reportedly working on improving their SyncManager software so that it will be able to import data from an iPhone backup file. These are the files that are created with iTunes and if things arrive as expected, One users should be able to get data to include images and videos as well as calendar entries and text messages.

Some of this data could certainly be grabbed and loaded onto the One using other methods, however being able to offer an ‘import from an iTunes backup’ should appeal to those who have been considering a switch, but otherwise wouldn’t have the knowledge to transfer the data. While that may seem on the silly side for some, we have to remember that there are plenty of people that simply start from scratch when they get a new phone.

The details are still emerging and in fact, right now we have yet to see anything official coming from HTC. One of the questions that remains is platform support. The current version of SyncManager works with both Mac and Windows which would lead one to believe this updated version will do the same. There is also some question as to which HTC devices will be able to import data from the iTunes backups. CNET is reporting this as a feature for the One, however if HTC really wanted to make the push, it seems to make sense that other devices would have the same ability.

We have also yet to see a release date for this updated SyncManager software. It would be nice to see it arrive when the One arrives for sale, however we suspect a tool like this will be more beneficial in the long term. In other words, it would probably not be something the early must-have-on-day-one adopters would be looking for anyway. In the meantime, the current version of the HTC SyncManager has some support for iTunes transfers, however those deal mostly with importing music.

[via CNET]

HTC SyncManager update to put the focus on iPhone imports is written by Robert Nelson & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It should come as no surprise that iPhones and iPads are prime targets for theft, but it’s gotten really bad in New York City. It’s so bad that, according to the New York Post, the NYPD is setting up a unit specifically to handle iDevice theft and work with Apple to track down the thieves. More »

Just a couple of days ago, we got to see what it’s like to wear a pair of Google Glasses, which only strengthens our desire for a pair of our own. However, it seems that Google is planning to have Google Glasses shipped out to consumers by the end of the year that aims to bring a “fully-polished” version of the frames to anyone who wants a pair.

Google has confirmed to The Verge that Google Glasses will be making their way into the mainstream by year’s end, and the company said that a pair will cost “less than” $1,500. We would love to interpret that as maybe just a couple hundred dollars, but we guarantee that users will be paying a lot more for such glasses.

Google’s Sergey Brin said last month that Google Glasses would ship in a few months to developers, but no specific timeline was given. Pre-orders for the glasses began last year at Google I/O for strictly developers. However, it seems that the public will be able to get a hold of a pair before 2014 rolls around.

Google Glasses passed through the FCC earlier this month, and the filing hinted at the addition of bone conduction technology, which will allow users to listen to audio without putting headphones on or in their ears. Instead, special tips that are placed near the temples create vibrations that our ears and brain interpret as music or other audio.

Google Glasses reportedly coming to consumers this year is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.