When people think of the U.S. government, it’s usually in quite the negative light, especially with the ongoing stuff going on with the NSA snooping on everyone and everyone they can. Considering how “advanced” the U.S. government is, it’s kind of shocking to hear 3.5-inch floppy disks are still used on a regular basis. (more…)
The U.S. Government Still Uses Floppy Disks original content from Ubergizmo. 
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There are some Android devices, like the Nexus 5, which do not feature a removable backplate, which also signals that it will not accept microSD cards, meaning that you will need to decide carefully if 16GB is enough for you, if not you would have to go with the 32GB model. Well the good news for Android users who either have devices that do not support microSD, or who are running low on space, Sony has announced its first dual micro USB flash drive. Basically what the micro USB flash drive does is that it connects to the Android smartphone via the micro USB port at the bottom which is also used for charging.
Users will also need to download a specialized app to make use of the USB drive, and will need to run at least Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich of higher. It will also contain a full-sized USB 2.0 port in which users can then transfer the data from their phones to their computers without having to bring along a cable. The good news is that unlike the i-Flashdrive which is priced pretty high, Sony’s offering is rather affordable at $19.99 for the 8GB model, $29.99 for the 16GB model, and $62.99 for the 32GB model, with the latter model being the most expensive, although we’re not sure what’s with the huge jump in price!
Sony expects that these USB flash drives will be available via the Sony store come January 2014.
Sony Announces Micro USB Flash Drive For Smartphones original content from Ubergizmo. 
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If you’re in the market for a new business desktop PC, I recommend you to take a look at this newly launched TWOTOP bz-B85M-X from Unitcom. Powered by a 3.40GHz Intel Core i7-4770 processor, the system is packed with an Intel B85 Express Chipset, an Intel HD Graphics, a 16GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD Super Multi Drive and runs on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (SP1) OS. Price itself is set at 109,980 Yen (about $1,065). [Product Page]
Earlier this morning, we talked about how the redesigned Facebook news feed might not jive with just about everyone (hey, do you know how difficult it is to please every Tom, Dick and Harry? Ask the politicians, and they will relate their experiences to you), but hopefully the latest staggered rollout of their new “Like” and “Share” buttons will be a pleasing experience for most. The new designs ought to be made visible across all websites that make use of the buttons, and these are subtle changes, mind you, and not something that will look out of the ordinary the moment you lay your eyes on it.
Facebook mentioned over in a blog post that the new look for the buttons has managed to achieve the objective of increasing the overall number of Likes and Shares by more than 5% ever since the rollout kicked off in November. The blog post mentioned, “Based on these results, we’ve rolled out the new design to everyone and extended it to the Follow and Like Box plugins as well.” Of course, I am also quite sure that this kind of generalization does not hold true for all users, but who knows? Facebook has also performed a change to its recently launched embedded posts feature, letting users set the width of any post that they like to embed to a website, ranging from 330 pixels all the way to a far wider 750 pixels.
Facebook Reveals New Like And Share Buttons original content from Ubergizmo. 
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When it comes to gaming PCs, Digital Storm is a company that has released some pretty impressive (and beautiful looking) products in the past. Now it looks like they are back again and this time instead of announcing a new PC meant for gamers, they have announced their own Valve approved Steam Machine. At the moment the exact specifications of Digital Storm’s take on the Steam Machine remains somewhat a mystery, although what we do know is that it will come with a liquid cooling system, advanced thermal management, and will come with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTA Titan graphics card as an option. It will also be able to dual-boot both Windows and SteamOS, allowing gamers to swap between platforms as needed.
We reckon this is a pretty smart move as gamers who want a bit of productivity will be able to switch between operating systems when the need arises. It will measure 4.4-inches wide, 14.1-inches deep, and 16.4-inches tall, making it a tad larger than the Xbox One, but still compact enough where it will not take up too much room, unlike the company’s previous PC offerings with towering PC cases. Unfortunately in terms of pricing, the Digital Storm Steam Machine will be priced starting at $1,469, meaning that compared to iBuypower’s Steam Machine offering of $499, this will not be as accessible. In any case check back with us during CES 2014 where we will have more information available for you.
Digital Storm Teases Steam Machine For CES 2014 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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A rumor was circulating last week that hinted at Spotify launching an ad-supported version of its popular music-streaming service some time this week. Well – it looks like that’s what is exactly happening as Spotify has announced its mobile applications will be receiving an ad-supported version that would allow those who don’t pay for the service to listen to still be able to listen to some tunes. (more…)
Spotify Offers Free Ad-Supported Listening On Your Mobile Device Starting Today original content from Ubergizmo. 
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New York City, also fondly known as the Big Apple, has taken yet another step in the right direction for technophiles – the city’s Internet access will be enhanced with the introduction of the largest Wi-Fi network in the country, blanketing all 95 blocks of Harlem in the process. This humongous undertaking is known as the Harlem Wi-Fi Network, and by the time it arrives at its completion, it would hold the stature of being the largest outdoor Wi-Fi network in the US. The approximate number of people being served? We are looking at around 80,000 Harlem residents, at least that is what New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg mentioned in a press conference.
Best of all is, this Wi-Fi network will be free of charge to use, where it delivers speeds of at least 2Mbps. As for the area of coverage, expect it to begin from 110th to 138th streets, between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue. Harlem residents can look forward to the first phase of the network’s rollout to be completed before the calendar rolls over to 2014, with the final phased touted to be completed before the second half of next year. Does this particular bit of news make you want to move over to NYC?
NYC Rolls Out Largest Free Public Wi-Fi Network original content from Ubergizmo. 
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What do you think of Dell products so far? Have they managed to live up to your expectations? Well, here we are with word that Dell has already unveiled their very first Chrome OS device, which so happens to be the Chromebook 11. The Dell Chromebook 11 is an 11.6” notebook that will tip the scales at 2.9 pounds, not exactly extremely lightweight, but still far lighter than most of the other standard issue notebooks that cost within the affordable price range for average Joes. The Chromebook 11 was specially constructed and developed with students being the main target group, and you can also download the Wyse PocketCloud app from the Chrome Web Store that ought to make life easier for both students and teachers alike to share their work online.
Underneath the hood, the Chromebook 11 will feature a 1.4GHz Celeron processor (say goodbye to playing games on high graphics here) alongside 4GB RAM and a 16GB solid state drive – basically a functional notebook that is solely meant for word processing, simple Internet surfing, and perhaps communicating via Skype or other IM services. Dell claims that the Chromebook 11 will arrive with a 10-hour battery life, where it will only ship to the US and the UK from January onward. A 2GB RAM model is also available for those who are more cost conscious, and that model will arrive in Q1 2014. Chances are, it will retail for $300 at most for the 2GB RAM model. [Press Release]
Dell Chromebook 11 Announced original content from Ubergizmo. 
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It was recently that Microsoft announced that they would stop selling Windows 7 to OEMs come 30th October 2014. This is unsurprising given that Windows 8 is the company’s latest platform, and one which we’re sure they would prefer if many were to adopt. However it seems that Microsoft might have a change of heart regarding the sales of Windows 7 to OEMs, and have released a statement in which they stated that the end of sales date has yet to be determined.
According to the statement, “We have yet to determine the end of sales date for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled. The October 30, 2014 date that posted to the Windows Lifecycle page globally last week was done so in error. We have since updated the website to note the correct information; however, some non-English language pages may take longer to revert to correctly reflect that the end of sales date is ‘to be determined.’ We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our customers. We’ll have more details to share about the Windows 7 lifecycle once they become available.”
Microsoft, however, confirmed that end of availability of the boxed version of the operating system is still set at 30th October 2014, meaning that regular customers will not be able to get their hands on it, but OEMs will still be able to. We’re not sure why Microsoft changed their mind, but for fans of Windows 7 we suppose this is a good thing.
Microsoft Unsure When They Will Stop Selling Windows 7 To OEMs original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Google might now allow you to create Street View places on your own, but Microsoft does not intend to just sit back and do nothing about the situation. A response is definitely needed for sure, and just like how a picture is worth a thousand words, don’t you think that certain places are worth a thousand views? A preview of the new Photosynth has been revealed, where this is one app which will be able to analyze digital photographs, ending up with the generation of three-dimensional views of real world spaces.
The rollout of Bing Maps Preview for Windows 8 last week saw one step taken in the right direction of developing a digital replica of the planet using an immersive 3D method, so that one is able to explore the vast world without having to leave the comfort of the living room. From there, the inclusion of Photosynth would be able to provide just about anyone with access to powerful tools in order to capture their own favorite spots worldwide. Just how does Photosynth work? It allows you to upload a bunch of photos to the cloud service, where the technology will be on the lookout for points known as “features” in successive photos which appear to be the same object. Should it discover majority of features that happen in the same photo set, such information will be used in bundle adjustment, which is a standard technique in photogrammetry, to figure out just where in 3D space each feature is. Once done, 3D shapes will be generated based on the feature points, how neat is that? [Press Release]
Photosynth Delivers 3D Views Of Real World Spaces original content from Ubergizmo. 
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