Hasta La Gadget!

This week Android 4.1 Jelly Bean recieved an update inside itself, that being Google Now – this update works with Google Maps, Navigation, and more, to bring you updated information about everything around you. This update works with Appointments to bring you to the bus that’s closest, tells you how long it’ll be to walk, how long the bus will take, and everything in-between. Flights are included – status, terminal, and delays.

Google Now works with Sports in that it’s got updated sports scores, your favorite teams included from your already loved bits from Google+. This update works with Travel – with cash exchange rates, translations, and current events. Google Now works with traffic, will get you where you want when you want, and can understand your requirements no matter what you’re going to use to get there.

If you’re headed to a Minnesota Twins game, you’ll get game scores, ticket information, shows food information around the area (if you’re downtown Minneapolis, that’s a lot), and connects to Google Maps to bring you there.

Have a peek at our Jelly Bean timeline below and stay tuned all week to each of our portals!
• I/O 2012
• Google I/O
• Android

Google Now boosts events and planning for Android is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was introduced at Google I/O 2012, with a full update of your homescreen interface. This update will increase your ability to move elements around in several ways, with automatic moving of icons when they’re in the way, automatic resizing of widgets when they do not fit, and pushes back and forth in a much easier way. This update will come to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus first, and will be pushed ot the rest of the Android world soon.

This update to Jelly Bean includes elements from all around the Android device, including Bluetooth, accessibility, and language updates across the board. The camera has been boosted, there’s Voice Recognition offline, and more! Stick around all day and week to see all of our I/O 2012 action, and hit the timeline below for more Jelly Bean as well!

Jelly Bean boosts homescreen workability is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at Microsoft responsible for the mobile sect of their world have promised a dedicated homepage for Windows Phone version 7.8 specifically. This page will be the future home for Windows Phone 7.8 news, not unlike the page that currently exists for Windows Phone 7.5 and brings with it some excitement surrounding this nearly-next release of the Windows Phone platform. While the next wave of Microsoft smartphones will be rolling out with Windows Phone 8, you’ll be back on Windows Phone 7.8, and you’re going to like it, whether you think you want to or not.

Of course there are quite a few relatively large changes to this next-generation update to the Windows Phone user interface when it comes down to it, beginning with the most obvious: the addition of a tile size. You’ve got colors, three sizes of tiles, and ultra-easy to re-arrange goodness. Next you’ve got an announcement that Audible just hit the Windows Phone app market, and that Words with Friends, Draw Something, and the online banking system PayPal will all be hitting the market soon.

Above you’ll see a brand new Microsoft-made hands-on video focusing specifically on the start screen, with Windows Phone 7.8 live and in-action – this just one of a vast collection of content bits we’re sure will be appearing on the Windows Phone 7.8 homepage soon. The basic push for this version of Windows Phone as a viable alternative for those not quite entirely happy about the fact that their devices will not be upgraded to version 8 of Windows Phone is plain to be seen. Microsoft will certainly be continuing to make an effort to appear fair for legacy users moving forward, you can bank on it.

Have a peek at our own Eyes-on with Windows Phone 7.8 and check out the video from the big event earlier this month here:

Windows Phone 7.5 getting official web presence is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There must be a better way to take pictures of yourself without having to painstakingly set up the timer and running all the way to join the others who are already posing for the picture. It’s pretty clear who’s in charge of setting up the timer by just looking at the photo: just pick out the guy or girl with the haphazard hair and frazzled expression.

There are triggers and remotes for this kind of thing, of course. But if you can’t be bothered with that and don’t mind clapping to show the world you’re happy (and that you’re eager for a picture), then you can get the Snap Clap app for iOS devices instead.

It’s basically a simplistic trigger app that snaps a picture – every time you clap your hands.Now you’d probably have to worry about you clapping your hands in the photos, but that’s better than looking all haggard and unkempt, right?

The cool thing is that the app also has some post-processing tools up its sleeve, such as filters that you can apply to change the look and feel of your photos. Snap Clap can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store for $0.99 (USD).

[via Chip Chick]

PicapiCamera, developed by Casio, is the world’s first iPhone app which uses visible light communication technology.
To send and receive data via the app, the message to be sent is encoded using red, green and blue flashing lights and shown on the display. The receiver points their iPhone at the flashing lights and the data is transferred.
“There are two approaches to communication using visible light. One is to embed data in the light from illumination sources, by turning it on and …