CCFC award the ipotty as 2013’s worst toy

Article of the Day………ok so i haven’t got an article seven days a week, but when i get a chance I will post articles that I find interesting. Lucky enough here’s one of those articles that I read and had to share. Should you enjoy it as much as me, please add one of those special social media likes, you know the one which tells everyone you loved something, rather then you sat on your arse and watched TV!

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has officially selected the ‘iPotty’ (from CTA Digital) as the worst toy of 2013.

In case you’re wondering, the iPotty consists of a basic potty setup, but with the added innovation of a stand for holding an iPad (apparently an aid to toilet training). I’m also assuming that there is an app. There’s always an app.

Once the infant is placed on the potty, the iPad can be rotated 360 degrees around the seat on its stand, meaning that the device can be switched between vertical and horizontal views. The iPotty even has a protective touchscreen for use in case of…Well, you get the idea.

However, that’s not all. You’d think it would be, but it isn’t. The iPotty also has a clip-on cover that converts it into a regular seat, so your child can enjoy a quiet, insular, sedentary activity in the exact same place they just took a dump.

The CCFC’s TOADY (Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young children) award, a dubious honour that the group bestows upon the worst toy released over a 12-month period, is a rather damning indictment of the iPotty’s usefulness.

Despite being described by its manufacturers as a “comfortable and fun place to learn to use the potty”, the CCFC’s Michelle Salcedo said that, “Children should be aware of the cues in their bodies as they learn. This toy takes this social/emotional focus out of the process and substitutes the hypnotism of a screen,” CCFC voter Alex Reynard added that the iPotty, “not only reinforces unhealthy overuse of digital media, it’s aimed at toddlers. We should NOT be giving them the message that you shouldn’t even take your eyes off a screen long enough to pee.”

He’s got a point.

According to the CCFC, potty training ought to be a time of positive interaction between child and parents. Sigmund Freud also famously suggested that potty training is a vitally important time for the development of a child’s psychology.

The iPotty is available online for about £30, but the iPad itself will need to be sourced separately (they start at about £400, so I’d suggest instructing your child to read a book instead, like the rest of us do).

Evidently, a parent did not design this device, as any parent knows that it is hard enough to get your child to focus on the task at hand in the first place, without throwing a few levels of ‘Angry Birds’ into the mix as well.

Amazingly, were CTA Digital to have marketed this product to a certain variety of adult, I personally believe that it would have been very popular indeed.

Anyway, that’s all from me this year!

Audiofly AF160

Audiofly AF160
Article of the Day………ok so i don’t have an article each day, but when i get an opportunity I will post content that I find fascinating. Lucky enough here�s one of those articles that I read and had to share. If you enjoy it as much as me, please add one of the special social media likes, you know the one that tells everybody that you loved something, rather than you sat on your arse and watched Television!

Design
The bulky maroon/brown-and-black earpieces let you know immediately that the AF160 means business. Its easily detachable, black-and-gray braided cable descends from each earpiece, then joins into a single cord with a cloth casing. Semi-rigid wiring near the earpieces offers a moldable, extremely secure, over-the-ear fit. There’s no in-line remote control or microphone�your next clue that the AF160 is not for the casual listener.

Armed with a handsome brown leather hard case, the AF160 feels like a luxury item. It comes with six pairs of eartips: three of the standard silicone round variety, and three flange-shaped pairs. Also included: An earwax-cleaning tool, a 1/4-inch headphone jack adapter, and an airplane jack adapter. No one can accuse Audiofly of skimping on accessories or design details.

Performance
Calling the AF160 light on bass response would be doing the earphones a bit of a disservice. In an era of overly bass-boosted earphones and headphones that shift the balance way too far toward the lows, the AF160’s sound signature is a breath of fresh air. On tracks with tremendous low frequency content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the AF160 delivers the closest thing to a clinical, flat response sound I have heard in earphones in quite some time. However, at top (and unsafe) listening levels, it also distorts quite a bit on this track. That should never happen in this price range. At more moderate levels, the AF160 sounds defiantly light on low frequencies, with a focus on the high-mids and highs.

Audiofly AF160 inlineI was curious to see if the AF160 was capable of producing big bass sound when forced to, so I connected the earphones to my Marantz stereo receiver and pumped the bass level to maximum. Interestingly, at moderate-to-loud volumes, the AF160 suddenly delivered some beautifully rich, vibrant bass. It’s a bit odd that it needed the Marantz receiver’s bass levels to be maxed out in order to deliver any real semblance of low-end, but the point is that the AF160 is capable of bringing out the lows in a mix you if use an equalizer, either on your mobile device, or on your stereo at home. It just doesn’t do very much of this on its own.

Back to regular listening on my iPhone 5s, Bill Callahan’s “Drover” sounds crisp and beautiful on the AF160. Yes, it’s again light on the low frequencies, but its focus on the treble edge of his baritone vocals and the guitar strumming deliver this mix cleanly and powerfully. This approach can’t work too well for all genres, however.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild”, the kick drum loop gets a nice boost to its attack, so that the hits slice through the mix. It sounds sharp and clean, but the loop lacks much in the way of bass presence, and the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat have very little low frequency power. For electronic tracks like The Knife’s and modern pop and hip hop mixes like this one, the AF160’s approach to bass seems a bit too gentle and hands-off. These types of tracks can end up sounding weak.

Classical tracks, like John Adams’ “The Chairman Dances,” manage to sound a bit fuller than I would have guessed based on the sounds of the previous tracks. The higher register strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion take center stage here, with focused sound that is never too bright. The lower register strings, however, somehow seem to have a little extra life at times. It’s nothing like what some bass boost might bring out in them, but it is more presence than the sub-bass frequencies have on the aforementioned tracks. Basically, this is the epitome of a flat-response style sound signature�a sound that is less popular now than ever, as the ubiquity of mega-bass changes the balance of mixes, and perhaps even the way some engineers approach mixing.

If your budget is sky-high and you want an even more pro-level-style in-ear pair, the Shure SE846$999.00 at Amazon and Sennheiser IE 800$999.99 at Crutchfield both sound amazing. You can also find the clinical sound minus the AF160’s pricing in earphone pairs like the Etymotic ER-4PT$264.99 at Amazon, the go-to flat response in-ear pair for years now, and the Westone W10$199.99 at Amazon with its slightly more low-end-focused balance. I was turned off by the AF160’s distortion considering its price, but at normal levels it’s not an issue. I tend to like a bit more bass response than what the AF160 offers, so I’d probably augment the low-end a bit with a subtle EQ, Plenty of listeners who a flat, mids-and-highs-focused won’t be disappointed, though. From the secure fit to the classy design and accessories, the Audiofly AF160 is every bit a high-end, audiophile-grade earphone pair�if you can get past the distortion at top volumes.

The Importance of Two Way Radios in the 21st Century

So to resume my run of articles on this blog, I’ve planned to share one of my favorite content pieces this week. I was cautious to add it to this blog as I actually didn’t want to offend the original author, but I hope he/she is happy that I enjoyed reading their work and wanted to share it with my readers.

Whenever you hear about a two way radio the first thing that comes to mind is a device that has unattractive looks and a fuzzy sound.
These factors would never let you believe that this device is still being used in the 21st century. This doubt gains more strength when you see well-polished and glamorously designed smartphones and tablets for communication. However, the reality can‚ be further from the truth. The importance of two way radios in the modern century can‚Ŵt be explained in just a few words. There are many developments in this device which makes it very important.
Versatility
The number of places where you can use two way radios are virtually limitless. They are easy to use and have many features which makes them useful for all types of uses. That’s why you would see them being used at nightclubs, construction sites, battle zones and industrial units. This versatility is only provided by a two way radio to its users. This makes them a great asset for many people working in tough conditions.
Durability
The modern two way radios are tailored specifically for use by people who are involved in dangerous work or have an active lifestyle. The two way radio sets you find today are shock-proof, water-proof and rubberised to provide a longer working life. These features make them suitable for use in tough conditions like under water, in air or on mountains. You don’t have to worry about them breaking after being dropped or even stop working due to any damage. This durability is not provided by any other communication device except two way radios.
Voice Activation Capability
There are many new technological upgrades that have been added to the latest two way radios which make them a truly advanced communication device. The best example for this is voice activation capability or VOX. Millions were spent by Apple on the development of their technology for the iPhone. Although, VOX doesn’t have all the capabilities of something like a Siri, it surely can do most of the basic things. Due to the use of VOX technology you get the ability to operate your two way radio by giving voice commands. This is very helpful for communication when your hands are full and you want to use different features of your two way radio.
Throat Mic
VOX is not the only technological advancement which makes two way radios an important communication device of the 21st century. There is another technological option called a throat mic. A small mic is clipped around the neck of the user and is connected to the two way radio. This setup helps in the reduction of the distortion caused by background noise by up to 90%. That’s because sound is directly picked up from the user’s voice box. This might seem a little scary but it works efficiently in achieving clear communication between the users of two way radios.
Conclusion
You could easily realise the importance of the two way radio technology in the 21st century by reading this article. There are many more tricks that two way radios from two way radio shop are able to perform, which makes them an impressive gadget of the 21st century.

Using Pee to charge your tablets, can it be possible

This piece is posted by the faithful agreement of technology.com, that is the original blog. please get agreement from that site before reposting this piece of writing.

Scientists working at the University West of England (UWE) in Bristol, UK, have figured out one way to power a mobile phone with Human urine.

The team has been capable of charge a Samsung phone by placing the liquid through a surge of microbial energy cells. Using this process, enough energy is produced to send text messages, browse the Web and even make a If you have any thoughts regarding where by and how to use Communication Earpiece, you can contact us at our own web page. brief phone call.

As outlined by the scientists in charge, the next step is to completely recharge the device with pee…I assume cleaning their hands straight afterwards.

Dr. Ioannis Ieropoulos has worked for a long time with microbial energy cells; he’s considered a guru in harnessing power from extraordinary sources. The potential purposes of his work are very appealing from an environmental point of view.

Dr. Ieropoulos said, “We’re very excited as this is a world first, no-one has harnessed power from urine to try this so it is an exciting discovery. Using the final waste product as the supply of energy to provide electricity is nearly as eco as it gets.” Eco-friendly tech is, obviously, the good doctor’s main area of interest.

The microbial cells work as a energy converter, they turn the organic substance directly into electrical energy, via the metabolism of live microbes. The electrical power is the by-product of the microorganism’s natural life phase, meaning that as they ‘eat’ the pee, they create power the energy that powers the phone. Now that’s what we call ‘pee as you go’.

Bathroom humour aside, the team have engineered a world first, as nothing as large as a phone battery has ever been charged using this method before.

You’ll notice, at present, no plans to market this technology on a sizable scale, but maybe someday we could be signing a ‘P’ mobile contract, the trick, as they say, might be pissistance.

PS – I’m apologetic about this one. The task and its implications are astonishing. All credit to the UWE team. However, I always wanted to do one of those ‘And Finally’ type tales and now I finally get to. Please forgive me, one and all.

Why are beats headset some of the best on the market?

What would you do if i stated I had found a earpiece piece that isn’t only fascinating but educational also? I knew you would not believe me, so here it is the informative, excellent and appealing editorial

In today’s market, celebrity counts for a lot.

In this world of Twitter feeds, Google trends and reality TV, name value can make or break a new product. The name of a brand is important and, accordingly, terms like ‘brand awareness’ and ‘brand identity’ have migrated from the meeting rooms of corporate America and into our daily lives.

The next level, then, is celebrity endorsement. An old-as-the-hills concept that has been picked up, dusted off and given a brand new sheen, the 21st century’s take on celebrity endorsement functions mainly as an amalgamation of two pre-existing brands; in this case, the celebrity’s name (and any values associated with it) and the product manufacturer’s name and brand.

Using this method, Beats were able to transition from what would have been ‘just another consumer electronics outfit’ to a company now closely linked with Hip Hop culture, fashion and music. Before Beats hooked up with superstar rapper ‘Dr. Dre’, consumers had to customize their own music systems to the tune of their preferred type of music. In fact, this writer vividly remembers sticking a ‘DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE’ sign on the back of an iPod, in order to indicate a love of heavy-duty rock n roll.

Yeah, that worked.

Kids these days go to great lengths to advertise their favourite brands. They buy the tour T-shirts, the hoodies and the limited edition sneakers but, no matter how solidly their fledgling sense of identity may be rooted in the process of consumption, the music itself is still being played through bland, nondescript speaker units. These are speakers that might be used by any other customer for anything from Mozart to Motorhead. Latterly, brands like SkullCandy and Beats have emerged with specific genres of music in mind, and these devices are branded, brazen and instantly recognizable on the streets.

Now, ‘Beats by Dr. Dre’ may be expensive headphones, but they are the only product of their type out there at the moment. Dr. Dre himself has personally approved the design and the specifications are, according to him, the best way to listen to Hip Hop music (his own in particular). The headphones have already proven to be massive sales successes, (despite the price tag) and this is due, almost entirely, to the expert marketing employed by Beats (and the good doctor himself, of course).

So, these are the high-fashion headphones to have, the ultimate accessory for an upcoming rapper with paper to burn. These are as essential a product as the albums they’re designed for listening to.

Turtle Beach i60 review: Wi-Fi headset made for Macs

Without giving too much about this headset short article, but I found it interesting and relevant to what I�m currently doing.

i60 review
Turtle Beach is well known in the gaming community, with its gaming headsets favourites of tournament players. So you might be thinking what is a gaming headset company doing designing a headset with Apple users in mind. Macs aren�t exactly renowned as gaming machines, although Mac gaming is getting better. So what opportunity has Turtle Beach identified in the Apple market that has lead it to market this new Wi-Fi headset as ideal for Apple products?

Obviously we aren�t talking just Macs, and neither is Turtle Beach. The i60 headset is designed for use with Apple products, most notably for multitasking between various different Apple products. For example, you could listen to the movie you are playing on your Mac and answer a call on your iPhone at the same time while the movie audio continues to play in the background. You could even talk to Siri on your iPad that�s over the other side of the room, all via the i60 headset.

The multitasking is possible because the i60 headphones feature both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 +EDR connectivity, Turtle Beach is also selling at the slightly cheaper i30 headset but that set lacks the Wi-Fi, relying on Bluetooth for wireless audio. Listening to music via Bluetooth is never going to give you a great experience, so the i60�s look like the obvious choice, but do the additional features warrant the extra �100 expense – that�s �349.95 compared to �249.95. And does the Turtle Beach i60 Media Headset even warrant a price that puts it in the same league as big players such as the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Mobile Headphones, Parrot Zik, and Bose QuietComfort 3 (in fact all those headsets cost less than the i60s).

In the Turtle Beach i60 box
The first place to start is by looking at what�s in the box. Along with the i60 headset there is the i60 transmitter; a USB cable for connecting your Mac to the transmitter; a headset charging cable that plugs into the USB port on your Mac (there�s no mains charger included); an audio cable (for plugging in your iPad or iPhone); a 6.3mm adapter plug and an airline adaptor plug (why don�t airlines just change this port?); a headset carry bag (pictured below); a Quick Start Guide; and a Turtle Beach sticker. Rechargeable lithium polymer batteries with, according to Turtle Beach, up to 15 hours continuous operating time are also included, although it�s more realistic to suggest you will get 10 hours of continuous play on a single battery charge.

Turtle Beach i60 set up
That Quick Start guide is definitely worth a read because these aren�t simple plug and play headphones, but don�t let that put you off, the reason they aren�t plug and play is the fact that they offer surround sound capabilities and you�ll need to change the default settings on your Mac to get the most out of them. You can view the i60 instruction manual online here.

That manual takes you through the set up with easy to follow illustrations. Start in System Preferences and in your Sound settings associate the Turtle Beach i60 Media Headset with Output and Turtle Beach i60 Chat (USB) with Input. Then you need to open the Audio Midi Setup and configure the speaker output at 8ch-16bit integer. The multichannel then needs to be changed to 7.1 surround. It sounds much more complicated than it is – the clear instructions in the guide make it simple.

Once you have told your Mac what it�s dealing with the next step is to set up the transmitter that connects with the headset via Wi-Fi. If the LED is blinking it is unable to communicate with the headset. To get the headset and transmitter talking, start by turning the headset off, then press and hold the Power Button for about 5 seconds until it announces �Pairing Headset�. Now press the pairing button on the transmitter until that LED begins to blink. When the units are paired the LED will remain on on the transmitter, the LED on the headphones will blink intermittently, and a voice will announce �headset paired�.

Finally, setting up Bluetooth pairing is a case of pressing the Bluetooth LED on the side of the headset for 5 seconds until the voice prompt announces �Bluetooth Pairing�. Then go to Settings on your iPad or iPhone, turn on Bluetooth and select Turtle Beach i60 Media Headset from the devices listed. The good news is you can simultaneously pair to two Bluetooth-enabled devices with the i60 at once and the i60 will automatically remember the last two paired devices upon powering on. However, only one Bluetooth device can be active on the headset at a time.

You can also pair your headset with your Mac via Bluetooth, but you won�t be able to take advantage of the surround sound audio features.

Receiving a call via the i60 headset
Once set up you can listen to audio on your headset via Wi-Fi and, as long as you are connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth, when you get a call you�ll hear your ring tone and you can answer it. If you get a call when you are listening to audio on your headset the audio will be lowered automatically, but it will still play in the background and when the call is finished you won�t have to reconnect the headset to your computer.

To answer that call you tap a button on the side of the headset. The mic is incorporated into the headset and it offers noise filtering technology.
There are a total of nine buttons and various combinations of key presses to learn, from a double key press to redial a phone number to three key presses to activate Siri, but it�s logical enough to learn and you�ll hear a button selection voiceover so you know what you pressed.

Audio settings for the i60 headset
There is an app you can download to your iPhone (Ear Force Audio Hub) that allows you to fine tune your headset. We like the way you can adjust and optimise sound using various presets from flat equalisation or to bass boost, but also a mid boost for human speech, Footstep Focus (ideal for game play), and Superhuman hearing (also designed for gaming). There are also three surround sound settings: movie mode, music mode, game more, you can also turn surround sound off. The strange omission is the fact that you cannot increase or decrease the volume using the iPhone app, nor do the volume controls on your iPhone have an impact. Given that many of the presets are louder or quieter than others it�s frustrating that you need to use many different means to make adjustments. We would have preferred to be able to adjust the sound levels from our iPhone given that we were using it to change the sound presets. Adjusting the volume is a case of finding the buttons on the back of the ear piece, or using the Wi-Fi transmitter, which features a big outer ring for volume control. This volume control is a bit redundant if you happen to be over the other side of the room, which is after all the point of using Wi-Fi, but it looks nice.

You can also play around with the microphone using the app. There are four settings: flat, high morph (to sound like a chipmunk), low morph (to sound like a robot), and voice reverb. We�re not entirely sure when we�d implement these sounds.

The Bluetooth volume control in independent of the Wi-Fi volume control – so if you have the volume on high while you are watching a movie, you won�t be deafened if friend calls.
The various audio settings hint at the uses Turtle Beach is anticipating for this headset. As we mentioned earlier, gaming isn�t huge on a Mac, but it is growing, and obviously gaming is massive on the iPad and iPhone. Here we�d advice plugging the headphones in directly, rather than relying on Bluetooth though.

The superb 7.1 Surround Sound and 5.1 Channel DTS means this headset is ideal for watching movies. We also found the mid boost great for radio and TV programmes that focused on the spoken word. However, we found it frustrating that the audio levels in films were considerably lower than for music, meaning that movie sound levels were quiet unless we set it to super human hearing (perhaps you needed super human hearing to hear the other audio settings). It�s odd that the sound levels were so different when movies and music were compared. We�ll look in to this further.
We were impressed with the audio quality for music – but our audiophile technical editor is yet to try them out himself, so we may update this article if he decries them not up to his exacting standards.

Unfortunately these aren�t noise cancelling headphones so they aren�t ideal for use in noisy environments. Noise leakage was reasonable, but if you do have the music on loud expect to annoy the person sitting beside you.

Turtle Beach i60 comfort
Since this is an over-ear headset many will be concerned about comfort, especially if you are planning to use them for long periods of time. We found them to be light weight, and the leatherette ear cups were soft and comfortable to wear. With it�s previous focus on game players, it appears that Turtle Beach knows how to make headphones that you can wear for long periods of time. We did feel that they were a little lose on our head, however.

The headset itself looks nice enough, with a white plastic finish that will stand out from the crowd (should you want to). The Turtle Beach logo will also speak to those who are familiar with the brand.

OUR VERDICT
The �349.99 asking price might seem a bit high and, as we said above, it puts them in the same league as Bose and the like. At that price we�d hope for noise cancellation, but the surround sound quality is superior and as a result we suspect that it would take a lot of external noise to distract you. Our only criticism is that the audio levels are so different between music and movies and this makes the fact that the audio level can’t be turned up via the iPhone app all the more frustrating. (We’ll keep testing this aspect of the i60s and will update this review should we find a solution).

Headphones, speakers top gift lists

Can�t get over how inexpensive the headset is, an amazing deal for a top-end product!

Headphones, speakers and other audio gear are topping the holiday gift lists of many Americans.

Audio equipment is among the top-selling electronics gifts this holiday season, accounting for 13 percent of the $8 billion in consumer electronics sales between Nov. 24 and Dec. 7, according to research firm NPD Group.

Headphone sales rose 14 percent. Sales of sound bars, long, thin speakers that create surround sound, grew 80 percent. And wireless speaker sales nearly quadrupled.

The trend is being driven in part by the economy. Audio gear, which can range from $10 for ear buds to thousands of dollars for a home theater system, is being considered by some an affordable luxury during a still shaky economy.

Americans also have spent the last several years buying tablets, smartphones and TVs. Now, many are looking for ways to squeeze better sound from those gadgets.

“It stands to reason that people at some point want a better audio experience than the ear buds you get in the box,” said Ben Arnold, NPD’s director of industry analysis.

Indeed, Drew Smith, 21, began coveting better headphones when he got an iPhone 5 in August. Now, headphones are the only big present he’s asking his parents for.

“Because of my smartphone, I listen to more music and … I want a good set,” said Smith, a cinema manager who lives in Paragoule, Ark.

If you have any issues pertaining to exactly where and how to use earpiece (www.communicationpowersol.com), you can get in touch with us at our own web-site. Likewise, Adam Daniels, 23, a commercial banker from Sharonville, Ohio, decided to buy a Phillips sound bar for his parents for Christmas after they purchased a 50-inch TV.

“They have a great TV, but the audio on it is terrible,” he said.

The trend this season is a continuation of an audio craze that started last year. That’s when Beats by Dr. Dre, oversize headphones that come in different colors and run about $200 per pair, became the “it” holiday gift.

Beats doesn’t give sales figures. But the company said it grew its share of the market for headphones over $99 from 71 percent last year to 78 percent this year.

Some competitors also have upped their sound game. This year, stores and analysts say Bowers Wilkins, Bose, Jawbone and JBL all are among those offering more products, colors and stylish designs.

“Audio has been really popular this holiday,” said Josh Davis, manager of Abt Electronics, a large electronics store in Chicago. “Last year, it seemed like all anyone wanted was Beats … But we’re seeing good competition this year among other brands.”

At the same time, prices have fallen for some audio gear. For instance, the average selling price for wireless speakers dropped 33 percent to $73 this year compared with last year, according to NPD. And Best Buy, Amazon and other stores have offered deep discounts on some audio gear.

Target, which says sales of headphones, wireless speakers and sound bars have “increased significantly” this year, offered deals on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday. They included the Beats Solo HD Headphones for $119 from $179.99; Sony Bluetooth speakers for $49.99 from $89.99; and a JBL sound bar for $99.99 from $199.

The deals influenced Rob Patak, 29, to give headphones as gifts for his roommate and friend. Patak, a customer support manager at a software company in Washington, D.C., bought wireless speakers art Marshall’s for $20. And when he saw Amazon was offering $50 off $100 Plantronics Backbeat Go headphones, he snapped up two pairs.

Price was also a consideration for Jeremy Sylestine, 34, a prosecutor in Austin, Texas. He had been searching for a sound bar for his 40-inch TV last year but couldn’t find one for a good price. This year, though, he bought a Samsung sound bar for $184, which was $70 off the original price.

“It was the only thing that was on my list,” Sylestine said, adding that he found “basically an unbeatable price.”

2014 gadget hot list: Take a look what’s going to be the next big thing in technology

While many of my visitors might be interested by some of our own articles, here’s one i found surfing around ezinearticles.com that is far better written than I could ever expect to accomplish. Maybe at some point I will get to this rank, you never know.

How is it nearly 2014 already? Where has the time gone!
And we all know what that means once the clock strikes midnight on December 31 – yes, another year of rumour, counter rumour and conjecture about the latest gadgets, gaming and technology.
So what have you got to look forward to during the next 12 months?
Here are the top 10 things to watch out for.
Reuters Developer Maximiliano Firtman wears Google glasses before a news conference
10. Google Glass
Will it launch publicly in 2014? Well, we’ll see clearly soon – ‘see clearly’, geddit!
Anyway, these futuristic specs are currently in Beta with some high profile geeks posting pictures of themselves wearing a pair on their Twitter accounts.
Enabling you to interact with the world around you in a totally different way, Google Glass lets you get info from the web and take pictures using voice commands.
You just might look an idiot wearing a pair in the next 12 months, before it takes off and everyone has them.
Samsung Samsung’s Galaxy Gear SmartWatch
9. Smart watches
Hot on the heels of the Pebble and Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watches, will surely come newer and more innovative mobile-linked wristpieces.
In fact, at the 2014 Mobile World Congress expo, we’re bound to see loads of the things in a concept stage.
But 2014 will be the year Apple launches one. Or maybe it won’t.
Both of which would be a big story.
The first would show the potential power of these products and the second would dismiss the idea as a fad if a company like Apple fails to take up the gauntlet.
No doubt, in time, we’ll discover which one.
YouTube – SmartyRing
8. Wearable tech
Similarly, 2014 will be the year of technology that you wear – and not just on your wrist or nose.
The whole sector looks set to increase throughout our lives on the back of the growing trend for wearable fitness devices that track exercise progress and healthy living.
Expect to see products built into clothing as well as stuff you can physically wear yourself.

7. Big screen Apple TV
Will Apple launch its own TV set in 2014?
Well, it’s been talked about since 2012 and we are still none the wiser.
But it would make sense to enter that market and take on rivals Samsung and Sony.
A touchscreen telly backed by iOS and all of Apple’s apps and games would be a massive disrupter in the TV space.
However, it would surely cost a premium price and that marks out one major issue for the US giant as it battles to extend mainstream reach of the iPhone and iPad.
AFP A fairgoer passes by a tunnel made of washing machines
6. Internet of things
This catch-all term for appliances in our home talking to each other is yet another buzzword but it will come further to fruition in 2014.
It speaks of a world where washing machines, fridges, kettles and ovens connect to the internet and can be controlled via mobile phones or tablet computers.
Watch out for many manufacturers launching compatible products at the CES gadget fest in Las Vegas in early January.

5. iPhone 6
The next yearly update for Apple’s flagship product will be crucial.
With the 5S bridging the gap with its fingerprint reader, it will take a huge jump in technology and design for the iPhone 6 to really garner positive headlines and satisfy investors.
Apple usually has a trick or two up its sleeve but facing stiff competition now in the smartphone space, it will have to conjure up the sort of magic that set the original iPhone apart from the rest.
goCarShare
4. Sharing economy/Tech for good
There are dozens of startups in the UK now operating in this space aiming to use technology for the greater good of society.
From car-sharing ones like goCarShare to the product sharing RentMyItems, there’s a huge shift in creating services to help others, and for some, not concentrate so much on huge profits.
This theme will certainly continue in 2014 so watch out for new ways to collaborate with friends, neighbours and strangers to make the world a much better place.

3. Electric cars
From the Nissan LEAF to the BMW i3, 2013 started to bring electric cars more to the middle of the road.
As more charging points are rolled out across the country in 2014, expect the interest in these motors to increase.
As well as helping the environment, they keep the cost of driving low with no need for petrol or diesel.
All you do is plug them in overnight and off you go in the morning.
Of course, you have a limited range but they’re great for local and short hopper journeys.
Rex The Oculus Rift – a 1080p HD Virtual Reality headset (davegreenports.edublogs.org) for 3D Gaming
2. Gaming takes centre stage
As the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 begin to take hold in our living rooms, all eyes will be on new gaming experiences being created for them.
With more power and better graphics, we’re expecting some developments that really push the boundaries of immersive entertainment crossed with gaming experiences.
If we don’t get them though in the next 12 months, that’ll be the final nail in the coffin for the traditional-style home console we used to know and love.
AFP A journalist takes a look at a 110 inch giant screen 4K television
1. 4K TVs
When we switched from normal telly to high-definition, the change in picture quality was massive.
Now imagine taking that up a few notches further and moving from HD to Ultra HD or 4K.
2014 should be the year these screens start their extension into the mainstream with prices lowering enough to make the them affordable for early adopters.
It won’t be until late 2015 that these will be within reach of us all but in the meantime, along with thinner and even curved TV screens, this is a trend to watch.

Set For Life, why xbox headsets follow the series

With very little information on the internet about headphone’s, it is very rare when we get a chance to re post, with permission, an article from this industry.

Xbox has been something of a revelation since its initial release back in 2001. At the time, many of us (including this writer) had our doubts about the viability of a Microsoft gaming console. But Xbox got off to a cracking start and has since showed no signs of slowing down.

A case in point; the founders of this site had a friend who had asked his parents for a PS2 for Christmas and was incredibly disappointed on Christmas Day when he learned that they had mistakenly bought him an Xbox. Now however, some 12 years later, he is still an Xbox gamer and shows little, if any, interest in getting a PS3.

Why�s that then? Xbox is great for playing online, alone, or with a few friends and has successfully married the best of PC gaming with the best of console gaming. The games are enthralling, immersive multiplayer adventures that keep you entertained for hours…And therein lays the problem.

Y�see, although the online functions are absolutely incredible, you still need a headset in order to liaise with other players verbally. In addition, if you want to stay up past your partner�s bed time because you�ve �just gotten to the good bit� (we�ve all been there), then you�ll also need a headset. Likewise, if your housemate or significant other is watching the TV and doesn�t want the atmospheric music and chilling sound effects of the latest Xbox release (for whatever reason), you�ll need a headset.

I suppose you can see the point that we�re (rather forcefully) trying to make here.

A headset really does open up a whole new dimension of the Xbox, or, at least, a good one does. A bad headset just sounds, well…Sketchy. How can you have fun listening to your enemies beg you not to grind them into the dust (as you grind them into the dust) when their desperate pleas are all crackly and static-y? Or, failing that, you might, mishear your squadron commander as you open fire on your own team and blow the mission straight to hell. Worse still, you�ll have absolutely no excuse when called away to take out the recycling in the middle of a high-pitched space battle. Yeah, you heard it (dammit).

You don�t just need a headset. You need a good headset.

That�s where we come in.

Our site gives you up to date news, reviews and features on all things Xbox-headset related. We offer the best selections, the best prices and the best advice that money can buy…Actually, that last part isn�t true. In actuality, its three geeks huddled round a laptop, but you get the idea.

Did we mention that you should get a headset?

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The most popular headsets and earpieces of 2012

The most popular headsets and earpieces of 2012
While many of my readers will be interested by some of our own writing, here is one i found rummaging around wordpress.com it�s far better written than I might ever dream to accomplish. Maybe someday I�ll get to their level, you never know.

2012 was no doubt a great year for all the tech lovers. Smartphones became even more advanced and we got new software and gadgets from such titans as Apple, Google and Microsoft, but in this article we won�t mention new iPads and iPhones, we are going to talk about headsets and earpieces, the segment of the market that also achieved some remarkable heights last year.

Plantronics Voyager Legend is a bit too smart to be called an ordinary Bluetooth set. Once you put the headset on, smart sensor technology reacts immediately and lets you take a call without a click. This headset announces who is calling and with voice commands �answer� or �ignore� you can either take a call or dismiss it. It also provides you with notifications about connection status and battery charge. And one of its greatest features is that if it gets lost somewhere you can track the gadget to the last place it was used, for that you need to download only one simple mobile app. Not bad for such relatively inexpensive gadget, if you ask me.

For those who have been dreaming about comfortable noise-cancelling earpieces now there is Beats by Dre Executive. It is not exactly something you would expect from the brand that is worldwide known for its colorful design, because this particular model is all about comfort: smooth leather, aluminum, noise-cancelling � I think it�s everything someone might need to get lost in the sounds of music.

We all know that size is not always an indicator of quality, and that is the case with the following gadget. For those music lovers who are not so crazy about huge over-ear headphones 2012 brought Bowers & Wilkins P3 � headphones that provide fantastic sound quality and that are so small, light and comfortable you might forget you are wearing them.

Speaking about small and comfortable, there is one more gadget that seems to be getting more popular year after year � wireless earpiece. This device has now became classic among gadgets for If you have any kind of questions regarding where and ways to use Icom Earpiece, you could contact us at our web page. covert communication, but it�s constantly getting more advanced and offers more features, more working time, better sound quality and advanced ergonomic design. One of the newest features that wireless earpieces offer is an ability to listen to music covertly with the help of special MWE MP3 set. Just think about it: you are at a boring lecture or a mandatory seminar and can enjoy your favorite music up to 6 hours straight!

As you can see, last year has given us gadget that would satisfy every flavor, so you can listen to music or talk with your friend with more comfort than ever.