Go Mini: Smaller iPad comfortable to hold

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Google Glasses update

IN the past I have written about Google Glasses and how awesome I think they are going to be.

If you don't know anything about Google Glasses, here is an explanation from TechoPedia: "Google glasses provide an experience that is referred to as augmented reality, where images are superimposed over what the user is seeing in real life. With Google glasses, these images are generally icons that provide directions, alert the user to messages from contacts or give weather updates."

A release date for the glasses has not been confirmed yet. This week, technology website The Verge said it learned the glasses will be released at the end of 2013. For the past few months the glasses have been rumoured to cost around $1,500 a pair, but The Verge is now saying they will be less than that. Google is allegedly working with Warby Parker, an optics company, to create a more attractive model than the one currently being tested.

New iPad Mini leak

PHOTOS of the iPad Mini 2's rear shell have been leaked online this week. The shell looks almost identical to the first iPad Mini except it's a little bit bigger. When I bought the iPad Mini a few weeks ago, it was rumoured that a new iPad Mini with a larger battery and a Retina display would be released very soon. The leaked image of the larger shell quite possibly could account for the Retina display and the larger battery. I've been using the iPad Mini every day and I must say it's an absolutely fantastic device. If I had to choose between the Mini and the full-sized iPad, I would most definitely prefer the Mini simply because it's smaller, which makes the device very comfortable to hold. I find typing on the original iPad hard sometimes because the device is so large.

Wikipedia without data

WIKIPEDIA has become the world's largest and most popular general reference source. It seems that every time you search something on Google, Wiki is always within the top three search results.

Now, says KnightFoundation.Org, the Wikimedia Foundation recently received Knight News Challenge funding to create ways to deliver Wikipedia for free to users in the developing world.

An overwhelming percentage of mobile users in developing countries cannot afford a data plan. This is incredibly unfortunate because these people do not have access to information online.

In 2012, the Wikimedia Foundation signed Wikipedia Zero partnerships with three mobile operators, which is bringing free Wikipedia access to 230 million mobile users in 31 countries. In January of 2013, it signed a fourth partnership that extends Wikipedia Zero to at least 100 million more mobile users in five more countries. And with the recent support of the Knight News Challenge grant, designed to accelerate media innovation by funding breakthrough ideas in news and information, a series of exciting new developments is on the horizon, says a Wikipedia news release.

PlayStation 4

SONY has officially announced its new gaming console: PlayStation 4. The new console is consumer focused and developer inspired. Engadget reports the PS4 has an 8-core 64-bit x86 Jaguar CPU from AMD and a Radeon GPU with 18 "compute units" pushing 1.84 TFLOPS of horsepower. It features a 6X Blu-ray drive, 802.11n WiFi, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, optical out, analog AV out, and an unknown amount of internal storage.

If all of that information went in one ear and out the other, don't worry, all you have to understand is that the PS4 will be fast and beautiful. The PS4 has a new dual-shock controller, which sports a touch screen, share button, mono speaker, and new rubberized grips. There is also new integration with the PS Vita. There is tons more information about the release; to read some in-depth coverage, simply do a Google search!

Disk Utility

I was flipping back through my old YouTube videos the other day and saw that one of my Mac tip videos has received over 260,000 views. The video showcased a pre-loaded Mac app that allowed you to fix some problems and essentially speed up your computer! The app is called Disk Utility. Whenever you notice that your Mac is running slowly or that there could quite possibly be a problem, I recommend repairing your disk permission of your Macintosh HD. This will simply fix up some problems and allow your computer to be a bit healthier. It's as simple as opening the app, picking the Macintosh HD, and clicking repair disk permissions. If you have a lot of problems it could take a few hours. If you've never done this, do it right now.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 24, 2013 ??65521