Hasta La Gadget!

According to The Information, Sony could release a Windows Phone device, diversifying its mobile device lineup, bolstering Microsoft, and perhaps demonstrating a growing wish among hardware firms to hedge against an Android-dominated future.

Sony appears to be strongly interested in the project. The Verge wrote this morning that the company has continued the project despite Microsoft’s plan to purchase Nokia’s handset business. Its willingness to consider building a Windows Phone device despite the platform having a firm home-advantage tilt towards Microsoft’s own hardware is indicative.

For Sony the move would diversify its mobile line away from Android, a platform now generally associated with Samsung hardware. The irony to that is the simple fact that Nokia is the de facto Windows Phone OEM, so Sony would be entering into a second realm where it would be a second-place player.

The winner in Sony’s potential entrance is Microsoft, even if the release of a Vaio-branded Windows Phone handset could potentially slow sales growth of its — soon to be owned — Lumia phones. Microsoft would collect a per-unit fee, perhaps enjoy faster overall platform sales growth, and, of course, there has ever been an implied connection between the Windows Phone and Xbox product lines. We have yet to see hard evidence in my estimation that one leads to greater use of the other, but the shared Xbox platform experience must have some impact on consumer activity.

Therefore, Sony building a Windows Phone would have some positive impact on Xbox. And that would, presumably, come at the cost of Playstation momentum.

According to the latest public data, Nokia’s control of usage share in the Windows Phone hardware ecosystem is now more than 92 percent. That’s dangerous for Microsoft as betting your mobile platform on a single device stack could lead to platform risks (a poor hardware update cycle could slow growth for a year, etc.), meaning that Sony’s joining the Windows Phone cadre could better moor Windows Phone.

When Windows Phone launched, it did so with OEM partners as diverse as Dell. There has been a winnowing. If Microsoft can flip that trend, it will have gone a ways to proving that the progress it made in 2013 was no fluke.

Top Image Credit: Flickr

There are a number of reasons why people choose to jailbreak their devices. Some like the advanced customization options that are otherwise not available on stock iOS firmware. Some jailbreak their devices for the sole reason of installing pirated applications. Then there are people who go down this road so that they’re able to install apps that Apple doesn’t allow in the App Store. iFile is one such popular app that has been around for a few years now. With the recent release of an iOS 7 untethered jailbreak, Carsten Heinelt, the developer, has now released the iFile 2 for iOS app in Cydia.

iFile is a complete file manager and viewer which runs under user root. Basically the app gives users full access to the files on their jailbroken devices, it works like Finder does on a Mac computer. Not only can users view files through the iFile app, they can also handle customization and advanced management. iFile 2 for iOS 7 has an all new design which brings it in line with the user interface of Apple’s latest and greatest iOS update. There are new buttons, a new icon and an “iOS 7 look and feel.” Those interested in downloading the app through Cydia first need to jailbreak their device. The recent release covers iOS 7.0 to iOS 7.0.4 on all supported Apple mobile devices.

iFile 2 For iOS 7 Released In Cydia original content from Ubergizmo.

While fish are graceful and fun to look at, those of us who travel frequently couldn’t hope to keep any. Some pets require feeding and playtime, which is fine to ask a friend to do rather than to feed your aquatic creatures and clean out their habitat. One wrong move when cleaning out a tank and it could put all of your fish in danger. No one wants to ruin a friendship over the loss of a beloved pet.

If you’d like to be able to watch the floating movements of a jellyfish, but not actually tend to its well-being, then the LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp would be right up your alley. Of course, these aren’t actual jellyfish, but they certainly look like it. This way there’s no guilt on your end, and no animal cruelty involved. Everyone wins!

Alright, that’s a bit of a stretch, but this is very calming to look at. It’s a tank that has three ‘jellyfish’ that have lifelike movement via a gentle current swilling about. You will need to add some measure of dish soap for things to work properly, but the amount or type is not specified. There will still likely be the occasion to clean out the tank of the soap and water mixture, but it will be few and far in between. The cost is $30, but reading the commentary on how quickly it breaks, or has a loud sound from the motor makes me a bit more than skeptical.

Available for purchase via ThinkGeek
[ LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp is like having a pet without the mess copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Verizon has already confirmed that it going to offer the Moto G smartphone to its prepaid customers in 2014, but so far it hasn’t revealed any more than that. Big Red hasn’t revealed what it intends to charge for this smartphone. A photo of the Verizon Moto G was leaked recently which hinted at a $100 price tag. The price tag is surprising to say the least, because the Moto G is sold off contract and its regular price tag is already very competitively priced at $179. More information has emerged about the Verizon Moto G, with Best Buy spokesman Jonathan Sandler telling The L.A. Times that the phone is currently landing in the retailer’s stores and it will go on sale “as soon as it arrives.”

At a $100 price tag the Moto G will be an excellent option for someone looking to find a decent smartphone with decent specifications without having to sign a conventional service contract with any U.S. carrier. The Moto G has a 4.5 inch HD display, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 8GB of onboard storage and an 8 megapixel rear camera. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is pre-installed on the Moto G. Verizon is yet to make an announcement about its variant of the Moto G.

Verizon Moto G To Be Sold By Best Buy For $100 Off Contract original content from Ubergizmo.

Now here is a pair of extremely interesting balls – the $39.99 Nanodots GYRO DUO, where they happen to be magnetically gyroscopic balls. These two balls will feature self-orienting, high-powered magnetic cores, where you will be able to do a whole lot with them – ranging from playing with them or building with them, they are ready and waiting to go at all times. It really depends on you, and each purchase would arrive with a display stand of its own.

Described to be “fun and fantastic”, the Nanodots GYRO DUO magnetically gyroscopic balls will feature a quartet of super-powerful neodymium-iron-boron magnets within. These magnets happen to be rigged into a self-orienting mechanism, and just how exactly do they work? Well, a pair of these happen to be GYRO balls, while the other two are magnet proxies, being grey on the outside with magnets within. These proxies will provide you with the freedom to build more and play more, but the GYROs are where the fun really starts. They resemble robot eyes that you will be able to view its innards as you move them around one another. Alternatively, you can also choose to stick them together and check out how the insides will be able to move independently of the reinforced polyoxymethylene shell. Your imagination’s basically the limit here.
[ Nanodots GYRO DUO are magnetically gyroscopic balls copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]