Google Adds Call Recording to Gmail

Gmail recently added the ability to make phone calls from your inbox, and they've recently (silently) rolled out the ability to record incoming calls as well.

While Gizmodo mentioned call recording as a cool way to take advantage of Gmail calling, Google adding in this feature means you don't need any extra software to get the job done—just hit the record button to record the call with Google Voice. Note that it only works for incoming calls—you won't be able to record calls you initiate from your Gmail inbox.

Another iPod solution for Windows Users

Splashtop has just unleashed its Remote Desktop app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, enabling users to funnel Windows PC content onto their handheld. The catch is an obvious one -- you'll need a WiFi connection to make the magic happen, though we're assuming you wouldn't even want to imagine how sluggish the process would be over 3G. The company claims that this app will let users "watch movies, listen to music, or access any other Windows files and programs, including full web browsers with Flash," and you'll need a WiFi-connected Win7, Vista or WinXP machine nearby to take advantage. We've got a feeling this won't work nearly as well as advertised (sorry, it's just the nature of tunneling / emulation), but those willing to take the plunge can tap into the App Store as we speak.

Take a look: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/19/splashtop-remote-desktop-brings-windows-pc-access-to-your-iphone/

Holographic TV coming your way in 2017

Step aside, fancy 3D HDTVs with your expensive “shutter glasses”—new breakthroughs in holographic 3D technology mean that we could see real, glasses-free 3D TVs in the next seven to 10 years.

Previously, the only thing (okay, one of the only things) that was stopping us from sending Princess Leia-type messages across the universe in an R2D2 was the fact that we couldn’t make holograms with refresh rates quick enough to convey movement. Well, that’s changed—a research team at the University of Arizona has developed a system that can render an image in near real-time and update the image every two seconds, which is pretty darn close to real-time.

In 2008, the same team presented an updateable holographic 3D display that was capable of recording and displaying images every few minutes. The display could then last for several hours without needing to be refreshed, but was sensitive to ambient noise (vibration and air turbulance), as well as thermal expansion, and so needed to be fully enclosed on an air damped optical table.

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National Ed Tech Plan Puts Technology at the Heart of Education Reform

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on November 9 released the final version of the Obama administration's National Educational Technology Plan (NETP), a federal policy statement that puts technology at the heart of proposed changes to the way education is delivered in this country.

Click on the link or read more here.

Microsoft Security Release

Microsoft released a beta refresh version of Security Essentials 2 this past week. According to Microsoft, the new version includes "performance enhancements as well as some user interface modifications. In particular, the team decided to remove the protection against web threats feature in the Security Essentials Beta as it was causing PC performance issues."

Dynamic 3D holograms

Perhaps the biggest challenge in making holograms usable on a daily basis -- aside from having to film your subject with a million trillion cameras -- is in getting their refresh rates up to the levels we're used to with "normal" two-dimensional video. We're still a fair way away from those magical 30 fps, but the University of Arizona is touting a heretofore unheard of redraw rate of once every two seconds. The current prototype is built on a 10-inch photorefractive polymer screen, with lasers beaming information onto it, though 17-inch versions are also being tested. Another present limitation is that the hologram displayed can only be of one color, but that is also subject to the continuing labors of the UA researchers, who foresee no major hurdles preventing them from eventually cobbling together full-color, fast-refreshing, and fully realized 3D holograms.

Take a look.

Xbox Kinect Review: It's a Brand New Console

Microsoft's motion gaming peripheral is, if executed correctly, quite possibly the future of gaming. It might even be the future of WIndows 8 and computers everywhere. But how much fun is playing with Kinect right now?

Take a look.

Science, Wearables Affectiva's Q Sensor wristband monitors and logs stress levels

The Q was to give a voice to those who may not have one, and in theory, it can provide vital information to caregivers long before a breakdown takes place. Particularly with autistic children, who often cannot communicate their stress levels effectively, the Q Sensor is able to "detect and record physiological signs of stress and excitement by measuring slight electrical changes in the skin." From there, it can send signals to doctors, parents or caregivers, and those folks can react accordingly to information that they would otherwise not be privy to. Put simply, the band works by detecting subtle moisture changes under the skin when the "flight or fight" mode is initiated, and while even the creators admit that such a response isn't absolutely indicative of stress, it's generally a signal worth paying attention to for one reason or another. Purportedly, a beta version is set to go on sale to researchers and educators later this month for $2,000.

Take a look:

Android edges Apple iPad as second-most-popular mobile development platform

Google's Android platform has narrowly overtaken the Apple iPad in terms of total developer support for mobile devices, though the iPhone remains the most popular software destination, according to a new report.

The new study by cross-platform mobile ad network Millennial Media and DigiDay, found that 30 percent of developers are currently creating content for the iPhone. In second is Android, with 23 percent, followed in third by the iPad with 21 percent.

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Apple's Thinking About Making Your Gadgets Extra Scratch-Resistant And Durable

Based on an Apple patent application, it seems that the company is contemplating ways to make gadgets more scratch-resistant and durable with cheap nitride coatings on top of stainless steel exteriors.

The nitride coatings would not only be low-cost, but they would also leave your gadgets looking great.

Take a look: click here.

Garmin GPS for Golfers

Garmin's new Approach S1 watch is loaded with every hole from over 14,000 golf courses and, from anywhere on the course, will give you precise yardage to the front, back, and middle of the next green -- meaning it won't help your lay-up but could be just the ticket for nailing that approach. Its integrated odometer will even track how many miles you covered through the course of the day and, we're presuming, not tell your significant other whether you spent those drinking in the cart or walking at a brisk pace. The Approach S1 is available now for $249 and is subtle enough that your buddies might not even notice your new wrist-borne advantage.

Take a look - click here.

Energizing Qi Wireless Charging Station

It's taken quite awhile to go from discussion to shipping, but Qi looks just about ready to make its mark on the public. And on Powermat's bottom line. We've known all along that Energizer was a huge proponent of the protocol, and now we're finding that review units are making their way out to the media.

Take a look: click here

Walgreens Now Selling $100 Android

Kmart may have been the first department store to get into the cheap Android tablet business, but it looks like Walgreens isn't about to stay out of this race to the bottom -- it's now offering the Maylong M-150 Android tablet for a mere $100. As you can see above, it's pretty much the tablet of your dreams. Not only does it run Android, but it boasts a familiar iPad design and interface, plus Internet Explorer for a web browser (icon), and access to the always useful "App Market." As for specs, it looks like you'll get a 7-inch resistive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, a 400MHz VIA VM8505+ processor, built-in WiFi, an unspecified amount of built-in flash memory, and a microSD card slot or expansion. Head on past the break for a video, and hit up the source link below if you're ready to place your order.

Take a look - click here

Microsoft Office for 2011 Review

A review of the new version of Microsoft Office for the Mac:

Office on the Mac desperately needs an overhaul. The last release took a decades old Carbon code base, applied a comically foolish looking layer of user interface glitz, and then stripped away core features that its target audience of corporate users found essential, including Visual Basic for Applications (used in many companies to create automated template documents).

The Good

The new Office 2011 makes major improvements in adding back the VBA support removed in the previous version, and in dialing back some of the more ridiculous aspects of the previous day-glow user interface.

It also strives to integrate Mac users into corporate settings much better, with improved support for Office document interchange with its Windows counterpart, as well as other Microsoft server technologies, including multiuser document co-authoring when used with SharePoint Foundation or Windows Live SkyDrive.


Read the rest by clicking here.