Measuring a mere 87.5mm, the SoundFrame is very sleek and discreet and can be mounted easily by the TV (even on the wall) and will complement the rest of the flat screen home décor perfectly.  Choose from either landscape or portrait mode and benefit from the SoundFrame’s audio products.

When gadget-lovers feel the need to replace their technological toys with the latest and newest versions, perhaps their non-gadget lover partners or friends feel that a lot of money has been going to waste.  Well, this need not necessarily be the case anymore.  It seems that iReTron – a website set up by a 15-year-old high school kid – will enable these people to sell their secondary gadgets for some real money.  Indeed, a classic iPod could retail for around $45 and a Blackberry Torch, for $88.

Jason Li from   was perturbed upon learning of the hazards of electronic waste in his world geography class as they want to upgrade the whole time.  He feels that with his website, everyone will gain.  It’s fine that people want to upgrade, but as a way of not causing too much electronic waste, his website will solve it.  By purchasing used electronics, modifying and then reselling them (as other websites already do), consumers have a win-win.

As accurately and poignantly pointed out by Tweeter Kris Sanchez, unlike its predecessor that was named iPad 2, “It's not the iPad 3. It's "The New iPad.”  So understandably, the question on gadget gods and goddesses lips is, what gives this version the edge (if indeed an edge – as opposed to great marketing tactics – it has)?

There has been speculation and commentary, as to why the response – both for and against – has seemingly been so radical.  Ultimately, this iPad doesn’t seem all that different to the iPad 2.  Now, when that version came out, there was understandably a big hullabaloo, since it was so much sleeker than its predecessor.  But surely, if Sanchez is anywhere near the ball – and indeed Phil Schiller (the company’s senior VP of international marketing who used the same terminology) – there has to be something worth getting excited about as there apparently was at the new gadget’s recent launch in San Francisco.

New iPad’s New Features

Let’s look at the new features?  First, there is the retina display which has four times the amount of pixels as its predecessor.  Second, there is a really effective camera that one might actually be excited to use for snapping some good shots.  Third, the HD video recording capacity is impressive.  But still, many have complained that it’s all a lot of noise about nothing.

But while Apple says “demand is off the charts,” an article in Techland was written espousing 6 reasons not to buy the “new iPad.” It dismisses retina display; claims that since it’s not an iPad 3 technically, one shouldn’t make the purchase; for those living out of the 4G LTE umbrella, they will only be getting 3G speeds; it’s bigger and heavier than its predecessor; the camera is only 5 megapixel (not 8); and there is no Siri included.   

Still, there must be some reason demand is so high.  Proponents and Apple supporters (who would probably never dismiss an Apple product) argue that the camera is much better on the new iPad than the iPad 2.  But the question others may ask is, is one realistically going to be using such a large machine (so much bigger than a phone or regular camera) to be taking pictures?  Some say, yes they will.  In addition, given that the processor is larger than this iPad’s predecessors, it renders way speedier results.

Ultimately, these might not seem such good reasons not to buy the “new iPad,” but if one cannot find real reasons to buy it (presuming they already have the iPad 2), then it might be worth giving this a miss and saving oneself the $800 price tag.

For anyone who wants to see a cool color change on their iPhone, the heat sensitive iPhone 4/4S Backing will make the perfect gift.  Fitting a self-adhesive laser cut on to the back of the phone causes it to change colors from 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or just below body temperature.  Since it is particularly thin, it can fit comfortably under any bumper one is already using for their phone.  The backing changes color from heat from one’s hands, pocket, etc.  It even changes colors and reveals outlines from its inner components while you’re doing something else with the phone like surfing, listening to music or even on a call.

It really is pretty cool.  Check it out on YouTube to see just how you can impress your friends with your cool new tool and how much you can enjoy it yourself as well.  Colors it goes from are black (cold), red, yellow green and then deep blue (when it’s really hot).

Nevada Legalizes Driverless Cars

You might not have to actually drive your car, but as the “driver” it will still be illegal to drink and drive.  At least for the moment in Nevada where computer-driven cars have been legalized. It is the first state in which people will be able to get into their cars and not actually have to drive them on public roads. Don’t expect to find a bunch of self-driving cars lined up at your car dealership though, but this is the sign of things to come. 

Currently, it is only Google that is marketing driverless cars. But it seems it is only a matter of time before other cars take the driver out of the mix.  Yet this concept is not quite ready to go to market.

“Driver” Benefits

So how, one may ask, does this benefit the driver if one still is not allowed to drink and drive?  According to one report in Geeky Gadgets texting apparently is legal, but drinking is not.  Still, it’s great for people with medical conditions who cannot get a driving license to be able to enjoy this type of independence by using a virtual chauffeur.  Gov. Brian Sandoval test drove a Toyota Prius last year. Human drivers will be able to override the autopilot function (this is probably why they need to be sober while in the car). 

In addition, there must always be two drivers in the car, with one of them being able to take control of the car, should the need arise. In addition, the cars need to have something like an aircraft black box that has the capacity to store the sensor data for at least half a minute before a collision occurs. In addition, ultimately whether or not there is a human driver present, the operator will be held responsible whether or not he or she is actually in the vehicle at the time of something happening.

Car Expenses

It won’t be cheap initially.  It seems that if a company wants to test one of these cars, a bond of between $1-3m (depending on how many cars they are planning to test).  Following the testing, the firms must provide data to the state on what they found.

So it is going to take time but it looks like Nevada is showing the rest of the nation the sign of things to come vis-à-vis mobility.

The first Macworld/iWorld Expo since the passing of Steve Jobs recently took place in San Francisco.  Now in its 27^th year, it was held at the Moscone Convention Center.  Apart from being filled with iPhones, iPads, and cool new gadgets and gizmos, the expo ended with something that really went back to basics – a drum circle led by guru Arthur Hull from the Village Music Drum Circles.  He claimed that the circle group was “ancient futurists. We're using this technology to connect with community.  Remember that who's on the other side of this technology has heart, spirit, eyes, fingers, and is sharing.”

But for those who still wanted something new and exciting from the modern technological world, the Alljack diamond-studded speakers were certainly drawing a lot of attention.  Priced at a mere $68,000 and fresh from the CES, they are probably somewhat beyond the financial capacity of most viewers but still, it was a great way for Alljack to show off its skills. And indeed, while the diamonds probably do not make the speakers sound any better or louder, they certainly add to their beauty and glamor!

Unveiled at the recent CES, the Victorinox has brought a whole new understanding to Swiss Army Knives.  Not content with just being a really tough, stay-away-from-me knife, it now has 21^st century technology embedded into it as well.  The Victorinox SSD has a USB 3.0-capable SSD and capacities of up to 1TB.  So if you need a ton of data for your camping experience, this is the Swiss Army Knife you should be taking along.  For those for whom size is important though, they might not want to purchase it as it is boasting its smallness.

The cool gadget also comes with a 96 x 48 Bi-Stable monochrome graphic display that tracks what it has inside and users can enjoy 220 MB/s read and 150 MB/s write speeds.  For those interested in the device, it can be purchased in either 64, 128 or 256GB sizes.

Nissan has partnered up with Apple to create a self-healing iPhone case.  What does that mean exactly?  The Scratch Shield iPhone case, when scratched, is able to fix itself with no outside help.  Small scratches can take less than an hour to complete the process, but larger ones might need up to a week.

It’s a nice combination – Nissan and Apple – and clearly it’s gone well.  Nissan is confident that this could be a real commercial success when it arrives in stores later this year.  So rather than think “cars” when we hear the word Nissan, we can now think “iPhone” as well. 

Nissan did not develop this technology alone.  It had some help along the way. The company joined forces with Advanced Softmaterials Inc., and the University of Tokyo.  So how did Nissan come into the equation?  Apparently the paint it uses on some of its cars is being put into the case.  Made from polyroxatane, according to the Nissan website, “when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.”