Mobile Technology

Optics manufacturer Bodelin is no stranger to hand-held microscopes, having previously brought us a series that can be connected to the USB port of a laptop. Given that smartphones are in many ways replacing laptops, however, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Oregon-based company has now introduced its ProScope Micro Mobile – it’s a lab-quality microscope that mounts on the user’s iPhone.  Read More

Shopping for a new smartphone can be overwhelming. Even after you’ve chosen a wireless carrier, there are so many phones – many of which look almost the same – that you might not know where to begin. The choice is made even more difficult by the constantly shifting sands of the smartphone marketplace and this year has already seen a number of major new players enter the fray. So how do you sort through it all? Look no further, as Gizmag breaks down the top smartphones of (early) 2013.  Read More

There are already plenty of telephoto lenses that you can add onto the lens port of your smartphone case, but Honolulu-based inventors Daniel Fujikake and Mac Nguyen have come up with an alternative. Their Snapzoom device is a universal adapter mount, that lets you use your existing binoculars to bring your smartphone closer to the action.  Read More

Keeping mobile phones charged is rapidly becoming just as profitable as making the smartphones themselves. As such, we're seeing all kinds of power banks hitting the market. We saw the Fuel charger hit Kickstarter earlier this month, which claimed to be the world's smallest battery back-up, and now a company called Powerocks is entering the fray with Tarot, which it claims is "the world's thinnest power bank."  Read More

If you own an Android phone and you haven’t tried Swype, you’re missing out. The original trace keyboard has been around for years, but it was only available two ways: pre-installed on select devices, or as a “beta” web download. But today Swype has finally shed that beta tag, and landed in the Google Play Store.  Read More

The iPad still rules the tablet roost, with both versions handily outselling all of its rivals. But Apple’s two biggest competitors, Amazon and Samsung, aren’t going anywhere. Their latest tablets – the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Kindle Fire HD 8.9” – are both compelling alternatives to the iPad and iPad mini. Let’s compare the specs (and other features) of the Note 8 and Fire 8.9.  Read More

Archos is a company known primarily for its range of wallet-friendly tablets, and its first entries into the smartphone market are aimed firmly at the low to mid-end of the spectrum. Though the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum might not stand up to market-leading devices from the likes of HTC, Samsung and Apple, they do boast some nice features for their price category.  Read More

“This is the iPad with Retina Display,” begins the ad. “And this is the new Kindle Fire HD with an 8.9-inch display.” We then see two “stunning HD” screens, with the narrator telling us that we may not be able to tell the difference. Then he drops the bomb: “ ... but your wallet can.” See, the iPad starts at US$500, and this Kindle Fire starts at $270. But is it really the great deal that Amazon says it is? Let’s find out, as we review Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9” tablet.  Read More

It there’s one thing that has stood the test of time while being continually confronted by challenger after challenger, it’s the QWERTY keyboard. A quick look at some of the many keyboards we've covered in the past reveals just how competitive this area is, and the number of options has exploded with the advent of the onscreen virtual keyboard. The latest challenger comes from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Informatics and is aimed at speeding up thumb-centric typing on mobile touchscreen devices.  Read More