Google Mobile App is a free voice recognition app available to help make searches easier.  No need to type, just say what you are looking for and Google Mobile App finds it.  For example – ask for the name of a place to get an address or directions, the time of day in another location, movie show times, unit conversions or local restaurants.

To download and use the app, go to http://www.google.com on your phone and click on “More” then download “Google Mobile App”.  Grant full permission and after installing you will see the “g” icon in your phone’s Download folder.  After installation, click on the “g” icon, press the dial button and make your request.

Dynamic Digital Depth has developed software that can convert 2-D content to 3-D in real time. They have spent ten years perfecting the software, eliminating the need for 3-D glasses. According to Technology Review, “the software converts the image by estimating the depth of objects using various cues.”  The effect works best on a narrow range of viewing angles making it suitable for handheld devices rather than TVs or cinema screens.  Dynamic Digital Depth has already released software that converts games on PC and they are hoping to release similar software for mobile devices in the next year or two.

The Samsung B710 phone launched in 2007 in South Korea was a forerunner with 3-D software.  It looks like a typical phone, but when the screen is moved from a vertical to a horizontal orientation, the image changes from 2 dimensions to 3 dimensions without the use of 3-D glasses.  Samsung’s latest 3-D mobile phone is their W960 released this past March in South Korea.

Click on the following link to view a video about Mobile 3-D http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=559&ref=rss

We know the Start Menu’s search is good way of searching through our PC, but we can make the Start Menu do searches on the internet as well. In the Start Menu search box type GPEDIT.MSC and press enter, then go to User Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Start Menu and Taskbar.

Double Click “Add Search Internet link to Start Menu,” and then select Enabled. Now click OK and close the Group Policy Editor.  From now on, when a search item is typed in the Search box, a “Search the Internet” link will appear.

Philips has announced it will begin to sell a LED bulb similar to a 60-watt incandescent bulb at the end of this year.  The LED bulb is expected to become a favorite for several reasons – last longer (up to 45,000 hours), potential energy savings (80%), and the potential elimination of incandescent bulbs.  The new LED bulb will not contain mercury, eliminating toxic waste/watershed contamination. Philips LED bulb will give off a warm white light, no longer a bluish glow, and will be dimmable. They are also working on creating a lighting system that will allow for color variation and many other different settings.

Philips has not announced how much the LED bulb will sell for and pricing could be a concern, as forecasts suggest pricing to be expensive.  General Electric, which plans to launch its own LED bulb (Energy Smart LED Bulb) similar to a 40-watt incandescent at the end of this year, suggests pricing could be around $40-$50, whereas, Panasonic suggests $50-$60.  Bridgelux is another LED maker that has introduced the Helion Sustainable Light Module, which they say offers “effortless installation, interchangeability and upgradeability.” With many companies getting into the market it could only be matter of time before the cost of LED lighting decreases.

The Polycom VVX1500D is a videoconferencing IP phone was on show at Interop 2010 in Las Vegas.  The phone comes with an adjustable 7 inch display screen that shows voice call video in high resolution. The phone is capable of delivering these high resolution feeds utilizing 384 KB of bandwidth.  The phone also comes with other features such as touch display to navigate and access still images and phone features. The power to the phone comes from Power Over Ethernet which means that the network cable comes from a Power Over Ethernet Switch in the server room and plugs into the phones network port; this way the phone is given power and network connection through one network cable.  Polycom is based on open source interoperability therefore it works with various IP based PBX phone systems.  The cost for this video phone is approximately $1,030.

To watch a video on how the phone works, please click on the following link: http://allthegadgets.net/?p=234

In April, Microsoft introduced two new touch-screen phones, Kin 1 (square-shaped) and Kin 2 (rectangle-shaped), geared mostly towards social networking and meant for people who text, email, use Facebook and Twitter a lot, and for those looking for a simple to use handset that does not have a lot of menus and icons.

Both phones have a QWERTY keyboard, which will slide from the bottom for Kin1 and on the side for Kin2.  They also have Wi-Fi access and a digital camera capable of high-resolution photos.  The Kin1 has a 5-megapixel camera, while Kin2 has an 8-megapixel camera and is capable of shooting HD-quality videos.  However, the phones do not include external memory slots, but do have onboard storage - Kin1 - 4GB and Kin2 - 8GB.  Users will have an option of uploading photos and videos to a Kin online storage service to free up memory.

The Kins will be sold exclusively in the U.S. by Verizon online beginning in May and sometime thereafter will be sold in stores.