GeekSugar

Cover Your Phone With Will and Kate Commemorative Cases

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 06:30:13 PDT

ICYMI, the royal wedding is happening this Friday. We're pulling an all-nighter here at Sugar HQ to watch it live (check out our royal wedding live stream guide!). If you, too, have been sucked in by the romance of it all, you can show your support with a Will and Kate Barely There iPhone case from Case-Mate. Choose from one of four different styles for your iPhone 4 or 3GS, and keep track of the royal wedding madness thanks to the variety of different apps available for your iOS-running smartphone. Check out all the styles in the gallery, and hopefully we'll see you online in the wee hours of Friday morning to celebrate the nuptials!

4 Free Alternatives to Siri

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:13:34 PST

Didn't get an iPhone 4S this holiday? Don't worry - there are other voice-recognition apps on the market that can stand up to Siri's voice-controlled awesomeness on your devices. In fact, a few of these apps are available for Android and BlackBerry users as well. Check out some download-worthy and free Siri alternatives below.

Vlingo - Vlingo doesn't just take voice commands to make calls, SMS, emails, search the web, or get directions, it does something Siri can't - interfaces with your Twitter and Facebook accounts to let you update with your voice . . . and it really works, even without workarounds.
Dragon Go - Available for iPhone and iPod Touch owners running iOS 4.0 or later, this app works similarly to Siri in that it will interpret and take commands from your voice. You can ask for directions, to draft an email or SMS, and get show times to upcoming movies in your area by directing you to external websites.
Google - Google Mobile's voice abilities let you find information available on Search. For example, you can search with your voice for movie times, photos, websites, nearby restaurants, and more.
Voice Control - Your iPhone's included voice search isn't as powerful as Siri (or any of these other apps), but it does the trick when making calls, searching music on your phone, and getting the time. It's a good start, anyway.

Choose a Pop of Color For a Tech Basic

Kelly Schwarze — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:21:29 PST

The basic white Apple cords have had their time to shine. This year, we want our technology accessories to serve their purpose minus any hint of stale industrial design. The rainbow spectrum of this mini two-in-one iPhone charger kit ($3) is ingenious and so extremely affordable.

Available in seven candy-colored hues, the USB charger kit works with iPhone 4, 4S, 3GS, and 3G devices. We like feeling as if Summer's in the air with the orange set, but a choice almost isn't even necessary. At $3, we can afford to accessorize our iPhone's cords just as we do the cases.

HP Veer 4G Review

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 25 May 2011 03:15:09 PDT

This review of the HP Veer 4G comes from our own areitz, who tells us all about the latest webOS device on his blog, Andy's brain OnSugar:

If you're in the market for a smartphone that isn't an iPhone, and you don't think that you're ever going to want to listen to music on said phone, the Veer 4G ($100) might be worth a look. However, due to the poor experience with the headphone jack, and high price (compared to the iPhone 3GS), I really can't recommend this phone.

According to HP, the small size of the Veer shouldn't translate to a lack of functionality. The phone has a 2.6-inch 320x400 multitouch display, an 800Mhz CPU, 512Mb of RAM, and 8GB of flash storage. But it's the size of the Veer that is easily its most impressive feature. It's hard to describe how small it is - you just have to hold it in your hand to see. It's so small that I was frequently worrying about losing it. I don't think it's possible to make a phone much smaller (maybe you could do this size, but thinner). I did like carrying it around, and as I have shifted more of my non-Mac time to the iPad, I could see having a smaller, less powerful phone that is something of a "tablet companion." That being said, I think that for all-around use, the 3.5-inch display in the iPhone is probably the sweet spot, in terms of still being pocketable, yet providing a good size for use. Yet there might be a killer product in the space - I could see how people might prefer a smaller phone, like the Veer.

See more from areitz's review after the break.

iOS 5 Gets Plenty of Handy New Features

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:20:49 PDT

Along with OSX Lion, Apple detailed some of the new additions coming along with iOS 5, which will be available for iPhone 3GS and 4, both iPad versions, and third and fourth generation iPod Touches this Fall. Over 200 new features are coming packed inside the latest updates, but Apple picked a few of the more exciting ones to showcase. Check out what's new below!

Better push notifications - With the new "Notification Center," you'll see your alerts and notifications in the top nav bar (just like Android). And you can see all current notifications with a swipe of your finger down (and without annoying popups).
Newsstand - Just like iBooks, you can download magazines and newspapers via Newsstand.
Twitter integration - Apple has not only added a single sign-on for Twitter, making it easier to sign in, but it's also integrated the microblogging service into many apps, so you can tweet what you're doing from the camera, stories you find in Safari, videos from YouTube, or Map locations. Twitter @replies or notifications will also show up in the new notification center at the top of the navigation bar.
Safari - Apple has open sourced Safari, allowing devs to create more reader-friendly websites (turning them from regular webpages into single, more PDF-like pages). It's also added a "Reading List" for stories you want to save for later (which syncs across browsers on iOS and OSX) and full-tabbed browsing.
Reminders - Instead of taking notes on your iPhone's notepad app or putting a reminder in your calendar, you can now use Reminders in iOS to create a digital to-do list right on your iPhone. The geo-location abilities will trigger surrounding events for you to choose from.

Learn more about other new features coming in iOS 5 (including the BBM for Apple users) after the break.

5 Reasons Why the iPhone 4 Is the Second Most Popular Camera on Flickr

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:33:21 PDT

Flickr is one of the most widely known photo-sharing sites for professional shutterbugs. But according to a new graph released by the Yahoo-owned site, recreational iPhone 4-toting photographers are gaining ground.

The graph shows the most popular cameras used on the site: Nikon D90, Apple iPhone 4, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and Canon EOS Rebel T1i are the most popular. Another interesting graph details the most popular camera phones used for uploads with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, HTC EVO 4G, and iPod Touch rounding out the top five. Why is the iPhone so widely used among photographers? I've got five reasons for you. Check them out below.

Portability - The iPhone 4 is tiny, and can slide right into your bag, pocket, or clutch with minimal bulk, which is quite the contrast to bigger, more professional-grade cameras.
Camera apps - Photoshop, Camera+, and Hipstamatic make it easy to turn regular images into something extraordinary.
Social features - Instagram and its offspring, like Postagram, let users share their images with various groups of friends instantly rather than hooking up to a computer, downloading images, then uploading them to their social networks.

See the rest after the jump.

4 Black Friday Deals That Aren't Really Deals

Emily Co — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:03 PST

As I was scouring through many of the Black Friday ads for the best deals, I noticed that there were no "before" prices cited on the ads. Sure, it's a chance for shoppers to get a good bargain, but retailers need to make money as well. A good number of the deals I looked through weren't exactly what I would call a deal. Here are some things you shouldn't buy at the Black Friday sales.

Kindle

Office Depot, Office Max, Radio Shack, Staples, Target, and Walmart are all selling the latest versions of Kindle. They are the same price as the Kindles sold on Amazon, and Target even charges a higher price for it. And not to mention, you'll be paying sales tax with the purchase of a Kindle at one of these retailers. Don't bother getting a Kindle from these stores; instead, buy yours on Amazon.

Apple products

So far, there doesn't seem to be any good Apple product deals around. Best Buy is selling the Apple TV for $90, which is the same price that Amazon is selling it for online. The two iPhones that they are selling are older generation phones - the iPhone 3GS (Free) and the iPhone 4 ($99) - which you can buy at the AT&T stores. Even the Apple store doesn't usually offer deep discounts for its products during its Black Friday sale.

DSLR Cameras

The DSLR cameras are items you should stay away from when you're rummaging through the stores. In fact, I found that many of the cameras sold have the same price, or have a very minor discount. For example, Best Buy is selling the Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP DLSR camera and camera bundle for $480, while Amazon is selling the same camera for $488 (the price fluctuates; at one point I saw it for $452). You can buy a good camera bag that's worth $15 on Amazon. Although the bundle is a little more expensive when you buy it on Amazon, the price difference is very minor in proportion to the base price. I have a feeling that the price will continue to rise and fall, so keep watching the product listing.

Read on for more nondeals.

Let Your Apple Devices Get Some Air Flow This Summer

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:11:17 PDT

Incase knows it's getting hot in here, so they added some much-needed ventilators to their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook Air, and MacBook cases for Summer. Really, it's just their updated Perforated Collection ($29 - $59) that includes new colors and devices. Cover your 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs with a white, black, or blue case, while your iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 can show off variations of blue and pink. Get 'em while they're hot!

Daily Tech: Superhero License Plates Take Australia

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:45:59 PST

DC Comics license plates exist in Australia - The Mary Sue
Disney and YouTube team up to create original web series - Tecca
Don't believe these popular animal myths - Cracked
Siri hacked to work on iPhone 3GS - SlashGear
How to unlock the iPhone's secret panorama camera mode - Dvice

What You Need to Know About Ereading

Kiplinger — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:41:04 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

It's cheaper than ever to snuggle up with an e-reader. But finding bargain-bin books is a challenge.

1. Look for big deals on the big three. You can now buy an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes & Noble Nook or a Sony Reader for $150 or less. Plus, if you were going to buy a tablet computer anyway, the Apple iPad ($500) and Motorola zoom ($600) make excellent e-readers.

2. Read the small print. Some low-cost smart phones, including the Apple iPhone 3GS and Samsung Continuum, make decent e-readers. But you'll need e-reading software. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer free apps to download for most major mobile devices. The iPad also comes with iBooks, a Kindle competitor. Want to read e-books on your PC? No problem: The leading e-reading apps are free for laptops and desktops, too.

3. No bargains on bestsellers. Most current titles cost $10 to $15 - less than a hardcover edition and comparable to the cost of a trade paperback. You can find older titles that will set you back $5 or less, but to find free e-books, you'll have to work a little. Kindle users can browse the Top 100 Free eBooks list on Amazon.com or type "free Kindle books" in the Amazon search window. Barnes & Noble has a similar freebie page for Nook users on its Web site. Sony also has a free section for Reader fans, plus Sony has teamed up with Google to offer more than one million free e-books that are off copyright, which you can read on a PC as well. Project Gutenberg, Google Books, Free-eBooks.net and Mediabistro's free e-books page are also good resources.

Read on for more things you need to know about e-reading.