Hasta La Gadget!

At this point in time, if you are looking for plenty of bang for your hard earned buck when it comes to purchasing a smartphone, perhaps those of you who are peering down the Android barrel might want to check out Motorola’s Moto G handset. It is hands down, at the moment, the best value for money one can obtain where an Android-powered smartphone is concerned. Even better yet is Republic Wireless stepping forward to offer the Motorola Moto G for a mere $149 without having you to be hooked to a contract, and this will come in the form of the 8GB model.

Republic Wireless happens to be a unique MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that relies on both VoIP calls over Wi-Fi as well as Sprint’s network for roaming capability. Of course, if you think that 8GB is not enough for you, there is always the option to bring home a 16GB model, which will cost $30 more. It is a no-brainer as to which particular version you should pick up, especially since $30 might not go very far in this day and age, no thanks to inflation and the ilk.

Republic Wireless do have plans that start from $25 monthly for unlimited calling, texts, and 3G data, and those who want 4G connectivity can do so for $40 per month. It makes no sense to jump aboard the 4G bandwagon since the Moto G is 3G only though.

Motorola Moto G For $149 Unlocked Via Republic Wireless , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, moto g, Motorola,

Steve Ballmer, who used to be the CEO of Microsoft and has since retired from the position, should be free from the shackles of the type of smartphones and tablets that he uses, which means he can now cross over to Apple’s pasture if he so desires. Hey, it is a free country, is it not? While he owns around 4% of Microsoft, shouldn’t he continue to stick with what he knows best, and that would include riding with a Windows Phone handset? It does seem that he has picked up an iPhone along the way, at least according to a new Twitter account, @MicrosoftSteve, that has sent out some tweets using the Twitter for iPhone app. In one of those tweets, there was a selfie, with Mr. Ballmer in it, of course.

While it has yet to be verified that this is yet another of Mr. Ballmer’s Twitter account, if it were to be proven so, then it would surely mean he really has taken the leap over to the iPhone from Apple. That would certainly be ironic, since when the original iPhone launched in 2007, Mr. Ballmer was more inclined to support Microsoft’s mobile strategy while promoting the good side of the Motorola Q.

Ah well, perhaps he has made his peace with the iPhone, and is now enjoying his time as a retiree, surfing the Internet on Cupertino’s mobile device.

Update: Several reports have flown around on Twitter that @MicrosoftSteve does not belong to Ballmer at all, but happens to hail from the efforts of serial scammer Arturas Rosenbacher.

Is Steve Ballmer Using An iPhone Now? (Debunked & Updated) , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, Rumors, iPhone, Microsoft,

Google’s Project Ara is a pretty unique and interesting concept. The idea is to allow users to continuously upgrade their phones and swap out parts to create the phone of their dreams. For example right now we are pretty much limited in terms of customizability. For example you might like this phone’s design, but its camera is somewhat lacking, or you like a set of features from a particular brand but feel that its hardware could be better, and so on.

Those are the kind of problems that Project Ara wants to address, but at the same time could Project Ara be applied to wearable technology as well? It turns out that Toshiba might have thought of something like that. During the Ara Developer Conference, Toshiba’s Senior VP and Technology Executive, Shardul Kazi, took to the stage where he revealed a concept in which Ara’s modular components could be taken out of the smartphone and inserted into a wearable device.

For example if you wanted to use your smartwatch to play music, you could take out the storage unit from the smartphone and plug it into your watch and allow it to access the data on it. You could even swap out sensors, like accelerometers, gyroscopes, or maybe even health-related sensors like heart rate sensors and so on, depending on your needs.

However this is only a concept at the moment, as pointed out by Kazi. He also stated that nothing of the sort was in development right now, but it’s still a very interesting idea and it certainly does open the door to all sorts of possibilities. Of course the first step would to actually release the Ara smartphone first, which Google estimates to be in January 2015, but in the meantime what do you guys think of this idea?

Toshiba Shows How Project Ara’s Modularity Can Be Applied To Wearables , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, Google, project ara, Toshiba,

Parents, if you’re planning on getting your child their own Windows Phone handset, you might be interested to learn that one of Windows Phone 8.1’s features, Cortana, will not be available to your kids as long as they are aged below 13 years. It has been recently discovered that users whose Microsoft account has been marked as a “child” account are not able to access Cortana.

Attempts to use the voice assistant feature will be met with a message that reads, “I’m sorry, you’ll need to be a bit older before I can help you.” Basically what this means is that if you wanted your kids to be able to use Cortana, the Microsoft account that they sign in with needs to be yours, otherwise they’d be out of luck, at least until they turn 13.

From that error message, all users are left to do is exit the screen because Cortana will not be able to function otherwise. It is unclear as to why Microsoft has decided that the minimum age to use Cortana has to be 13 years and above, but it could be a legal thing especially with regards to internet services. After all we’ve seen some restrictions when it comes to signing up for certain services that one needs to be at least 13 years and above, or in some cases, 18 and above.

Microsoft has yet to issue an official statement on the matter but in the meantime, this is definitely something to take note of, especially if you’re planning on getting your kids a Windows Phone handset, unless of course the lack of the Cortana voice assistant feature is not a big deal to you.

Cortana Is Off-Limits To Users Aged Below 13 Years Old , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, Cortana, Microsoft, Windows Phone,

Zynga’s FarmVille was once very popular. You would receive dozens of requests from people on Facebook who played the game. It was designed in way that players often needed to request their friends on Facebook to join in just to progress beyond a certain stage. Zynga then released a mobile version in 2010 which was essentially meant as an alternative method to play the desktop version on mobile. The company abandoned it after two years. Now it has gone back to basics by launching a new title called FarmVille 2: Country Escape.

It offers the true FarmVille experience with animals, crops and more that players have long been accustomed to. However its no longer like previous incarnations. Zynga says that it developed this game from the ground up for mobile devices. Its no longer a way to play the desktop version of mobile. FarmVille 2: Country Escape is a bonafide mobile game, though players will be able to interact and share items with the desktop version.

The title is available as a free download from the App Store and Google Play Store, though it offers a variety of in-app purchases through which players can move through the game at bit quicker. Since its a proper mobile game FarmVille 2: Country Escape doesn’t require an internet connection to play and neither does it compel players to connect to the internet like the original version.

Former Microsoft executive Don Mattrick, who became Zynga’s CEO last July, has repeatedly said that the FarmVille franchise will play a major role in turning the country around. Lets see if this new title aids that objective in any significant way.

Zynga Goes Back To Basics With FarmVille 2: Country Escape , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, zynga,