Hasta La Gadget!

[CES 2014] IOGear intends to take advantage of the latest wireless capabilities in terms of NFC and Bluetooth by introducing the Bluetooth with NFC Audio Receiver. Also known as the GBNAR3 if model numbers are your cup of tea, the IOGear Bluetooth with NFC Audio Receiver will cost you $49.95 when it is available. This device will be able to wirelessly hook up an Android-powered smartphone or tablet that has been enabled for NFC to a stereo or home audio receiver music system, where all that is required to do so is a single tap against the provided receiver. As for the other range of smartphones, tablets or notebooks, those can also be hooked up via the standard Bluetooth pairing processes.

For instance, a college student is able to rely on a small set of box speakers to fill up the room with music from his or her handset itself, before making the seamless switch to a friend’s phone content whenever he or she taps the receiver. This would mean that a living room which has been wired for speakers will also benefit from the luxury of wireless audio streaming, coming in handy during family and friend get-togethers, parties and events. As for home theaters and audio video receivers, these can be connected via an optical or 3.5 mm output (2.1) without the need for any drivers or applications.

IOGear Bluetooth With NFC Audio Receiver original content from Ubergizmo.

[CES 2014] Sony has introduced a new line of BRAVIA LED HD TVs to complement its new 4K UHD models, the W950B and W850B series lead this new lineup. The former is Sony’s 2014 flagship LED TV series with TRILUMINOS display working in unison with the company’s X-Reality Pro engine which analyzes images from any source to reproduce accurate color without upsetting the brightness, hue and saturation. Sony’s One-Flick entertainment feature is also included in the W950B models, allowing users to access content from the internet, digital broadcast, DVR or local files by simply flicking up or down. It remembers viewing preferences and makes recommendations based on viewing history. Screen mirroring via NFC is also supported, all users need to do is simply tap their NFC tablet or smartphone to the One-Flick Remote Control. The W950B series also incorporates Sony’s proprietary X-tended Dynamic Range, which results in deeper blacks, higher peaks and detailed gradation. (more…)

BRAVIA W950B And W850B Lead Sony’s 2014 LED HD TV Lineup original content from Ubergizmo.

When it comes to browsers on our computers, we have a few options to choose from. We have the default Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, and Mozilla’s Firefox, just to name a few, and the good news for Firefox fans is that if you were waiting for the company to release a Windows 8 version of the browser, you might be in luck as the software’s Wiki page has recently been updated and has been given a new release date, which is pegged for the 18th of March 2014, with the software expected to be completed by the end of January 2014. Of course it should be noted that this is only the forecasted date, meaning that there is a chance it could be delayed, or (fingers-crossed) it could be released even earlier than expected.

The company had initially planned to launch Firefox for Windows 8 back in 2012, so it’s nice to see that we are finally getting a possible release date, even if it might be forecasted. For those who cannot wait until March 2014, there is a beta version of Firefox which can be found through the company’s “Firefox Aurora Beta Channel”, meaning that you will not be able to find it via the traditional channels, which is the Windows Store. Of course given its beta status there are bound to be bugs but if you don’t mind working through those bugs, you can always give it a try, or alternatively you can wait until March. Either check back with us at a later date to see if there are any updates to be had.

Firefox For Windows 8 Sees A March 18th 2014 Release original content from Ubergizmo.

The postal delivery service here in the US nearly ended Saturday mail delivery, while folks over in Sweden might actually look towards the direction of SMSes instead of stamps. All in all, postal services do seem to be keeping up with the times, and as for Canada, they happen to be ending their home delivery service. The reason behind this? Home delivery services cost a bomb to run, and with digital communications being more or less the de facto method of folks communicating with one another in an affordable manner. Right now, they are projecting a loss of up to $1 billion CAD (!) by 2020.

This has led Canada Post to completely stop door-to-door delivery, which is something that around 33% of Canadian households make use of at this point in time. The alternative? To deliver mail to communal mailboxes, which is pretty much the equivalent of a P.O. box over here Stateside. Not only that, Canada Post will also be reducing their workforce of between 6,000 and 8,000 people from its total staff, where majority of them will also hail from the 15,000 expected retirees over the course of the next five years. Well, there goes another relic from the 20th century. Would you miss it? [Press Release]

Canada Post Quits The Home Delivery Game original content from Ubergizmo.

It was over the weekend that we brought you word that the SteamOS Public Beta version from Valve had been released, and earlier this month, we also mentioned how Steam Machines were being shipped to 300 beta testers before the middle of December arrived What you see above is one of the images that a Steam Machine box owner had captured, where a certain “SteamMachineBetaTester” Tumblr and Reddit user Colbehr have already made sure that the world is aware of their respective Steam Machine unboxings. Nothing surprising was revealed this time around, as a similar form factor showed up, coming packed in a wooden crate.

Valve did make one change, however, as they drilled out a hole in every single test unit’s ventilation grates, which would be a representative blemish to set it apart as such. The Steam Machine box would feature the beta hardware of course, a prototype Steam controller, HDMI, USB and power power cables, a USB Steam OS recovery thumbdrive and a removable Wi-Fi antenna module. Valve has also ensured that the beta machine remains serviceable, where it features disassembly instructions that have been shown off in an accurate manner in the device’s instruction manual, in the manner where the folks over at IKEA would also be proud.

Steam Machine Box Arrives In Wooden Crate original content from Ubergizmo.