Sep 26
Control Center’s quick access to regularly used settings in iOS 7 is great. Until you inadvertently pull it up while using another app. Here’s how to shut down the up-swipe drawer before it gets in the way.
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Sep 26
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could chat on your desktop and have it sent to a messaging platform on a mobile device? As it stands there are a multitude of options, such as Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Line, and etc., but if you’re a heavy BBM user, it seems that during the BlackBerry Jam Asia 2013, BlackBerry showed off BBM running on a Windows computer, essentially mirroring the app on a desktop platform, similar to how BBM would be mirrored on the Playbook tablet.
It was not mentioned as to when this feature would be released or what the feature could be known as (BBM for desktop, perhaps?), but it would certainly be a pretty cool feature and an additional reason for users to turn to the BBM platform. BlackBerry also mentioned that they would exploring taking the feature onto Mac computers as well. However like we said, there was no mention of a release date for this feature, but what do you guys think of it? Is this something you’d like to see happen in the near future? It’s starting to seem like BlackBerry is looking to recreate the BBM experience, not only taking it onto other smartphone platforms, but to computers as well.
BBM For Desktop Demoed At BlackBerry Jam Asia 2013 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 26
Charge It With Fire! FlameStower Turns Your Campfire Into A USB Phone-Charger
Posted in: Today's Chili
Charge your gadgets with fire! FlameStower, a startup that came out of Stanford’s StartX Summer 2013 class, has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to get its alternative charger to market.
The gizmo lets you harness the heat from a campfire/gas stove/naked flame heat source to add some juice to a phone or other USB-charged device. It has a max power output of 3W and an average output of 2W, which its makers say can yield between 2 to 4 minutes of phone talk-time per minute of charge
The team behind FlameStower are targeting outdoorsy types, first and foremost, but also reckon their device could be a reliable back-up option to keep in store for use in power outages and storm scenarios.
In keeping with camping kit, the FlameStower folds down to a fairly flat profile so you can chuck it in your backpack.
And unlike the other outdoorsy/back-up option of solar-powered chargers, this bit of kit can work at any time of day — provided you have access to FIRE!
How does FlameStower work exactly? It creates and harnesses a temperature differential to generate electricity using its Thermoelectric Generator. The user exposes its metal blade to a flame to heat it up, while the other side is cooled by a small water reservoir that they fill with water. So really you need both fire and water for this to work. Oh and air, to fuel the fire. It’s elemental.
The hotter the fire, the more charge will be outputted. Albeit, the amount of energy generated is never going to match what you get from a wall outlet. FlameStower’s makers liken its output to charging via a laptop USB port. Which is to say slow and steady, giving you time to appreciate the great outdoors scenery.
The East Palo Alto team behind the device are hoping to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter to get the charger to market — and are around half way there, with 28 days left to run on their campaign.
They are offering the FlameStower to early backers for $70 ($10 off its expected retail price) and are aiming to ship in December.
Sep 26
The BlackBerry Z30 phablet was announced not too long ago and we know that the handset will be making its way onto Verizon at an undisclosed time and price. Well hopefully it won’t be too long before an official release date and pricing will be revealed, but in the meantime thanks to a leaked photo, a photo of the Verizon BlackBerry Z30 has been caught in the wild and we’re hoping that this translates into an official announcement in the near future.
For those who missed out on the news, the BlackBerry Z30 will be BlackBerry’s latest handset. It will sport a 5” Super AMOLED HD display, a quad-core chipset clocked at 1.7GHz, BlackBerry Natural Sound to help boost audio quality, a 2,880mAh battery which should allow it to last a decent amount of time, and of course will come with BlackBerry 10 running the show, although we’re not sure if it will come with the latest BlackBerry 10 update or the current version which is running on available BlackBerry 10 devices. Last we heard Verizon could be getting an exclusive version as well in white, and in the photo above, the sides appear to be white, but it’s either that or the lighting that gives off that effect.
BlackBerry Z30 For Verizon Caught In The Wild original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 26
Google Talk/Hangouts Experiencing A Glitch That Sends Messages To The Wrong Person
Posted in: Today's Chili
If you are a frequent user of Google Talk or Google Hangouts, you might want to pause the chatting for a bit because according to a smattering of reports, it seems that for some reason messages that are supposed to be sent to a particular person, end up being sent to someone else, or in some cases, to multiple people at the same time! For the most part this can be pretty embarrassing for some users, but for those conducting their business over Google Chats or Hangouts and don’t want the sensitive information to get out, then this is a glitch you’ll want to keep an eye out for.
When contacted by ZDNet about the issue, a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Talk. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. For further updates please refer to the Apps Status Dashboard.” According to ZDNet, they have confirmed that this is an issue within the Google Apps for Business accounts, including those who might not have updated to the new Hangouts platform yet. It is unknown as to when Google will get around to fixing this, but presumably ASAP, and like Google suggested, checking the Apps Status Dashboard will probably the best way to find out if and when the problem has been resolved. In the meantime you might want to hold off on chatting for a bit.
Google Talk/Hangouts Experiencing A Glitch That Sends Messages To The Wrong Person original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 26
Computer chipmaker AMD and a company called Raptr have announced that they have teamed up to build a new application for computer gamers called AMD Gaming Evolved. The goal of the application is to make PC gaming as easy as console gaming. The app will allow AMD hardware users get the most performance out of […]
Sep 26
AMD and Raptr create PC gaming suite to tweak settings, dole out prizes and stream over Twitch
Posted in: Today's Chili
Hate mucking around in PC game graphics menus? NVIDIA’s got an app for that — and now, AMD does too. The chipmaker has teamed up with Raptr, a video game-focused social network, to launch Gaming Evolved: a suite that offers tools for chat, takes screenshots and even tweaks game settings for better performance. Unlike Nvidia’s kit however, Gaming Evolved relies heavily on Raptr’s community data to determine the best configuration for your PC. Naturally, the social network’s rewards system is in play, offering users beta access to select games or free DLC for using the service, too. You can also stream via Twitch, and even simultaneously watch someone else’s broadcast while you play DayZ. The company says the program is designed to “make PC gaming as simple to use as consoles,” but the beta build that’s available now plays more like Steam than a living room device.
Source: Raptr
Sep 26
After being invaded by Germany in the west and later by Soviet Russia in the east, the Polish government fled Warsaw but continued to fight from abroad. After Germany attacked Russia, the Russians decided to release their Polish prisoners of war, who then began re-forming into an army.
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Sep 26
Back in June, Asus unveiled what it claims to be the world’s fastest Wi-Fi router. The router is the RT-AC68U and it’s capable of combined dual-band data rates as fast as 1900 Mbps. That gives the router three times faster performance than the typical 802.11n router on the market today according to Asus. The router […]
Sep 26
Sony seems to be hard at work creating new mirrorless cameras these days, and as far as their A-mount cameras are concerned, there aren’t many announcements on that front. This has led to some wondering about the fate of Sony’s A-mount cameras and if the mirrorless E-mount cameras would eventually replace them. Given that Sony has created E-mount cameras designed to look like A-mounts, we guess we can’t really blame photographers for being concerned. Well the good news is that according to a Sony Alpha Rumors reader who reached out to Sony regarding the future of A-mount, their response appears to be good and basically reassured them that the new E-mounts will not replace the A-mount system.
According to Sony’s response, “The A-mount units have always been the flagship ever since the release of the very first Sony Alpha camera. Much like the Single Lens Translucent (SLT) technology, the E-mount system is an innovation, introduced to further expand our interchangeable lens line, and in no way a replacement for the A-mount system. Rest assured that we will further develop the A-mount system together with the E-mount, introducing new technology and upgrading features.” So there you have it. Photographers can rest assured knowing their investment in Sony’s A-mount cameras and lenses will not be a waste.
Sony Reassures E-mount Will Not Replace A-mount Cameras original content from Ubergizmo. 
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