Just…like….wow!
If only smartphones weren’t so easy to lose. But they are, and it’s a growing problem. Around $2.5 billion worth of these devices are lost or stolen each year, and it’s not just the financial cost but also the increasingly vital data that we store on them that’s the real worry.
![AndroidLost – if you’re serious about the security of your Android smartphone and data you will install this NOW [Freeware]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/androidlost3.jpg)
Google is once again boldly going where no-one else would ever dare tread, by setting up a new Google Street View Trekker Project. The idea is simple. If you’re part of a group or organization such as a non-profit, tourist board or research group, you can apply to borrow the famous Google Trekker backpack camera to create amazing Street View journeys in wild, rugged and fascinating locations.
When you play a board game such as chess, you really have to think through every move. Each piece placed, even within the first few moves, will secure your victory or failure, which means you need to be paying attention. This is great for a mental workout, as well as being a lot of fun! Of course, with most things, it’s nice to have a change of pace every now and again, so why not add in some lasers to…
It’s astonishing the amount of impact a book can have on you. Seeing one well-timed sentence can change your life forever. Of course, you want to have that sort of influence over the lives of your children, but sometimes words don’t hold as much value to them. If you really want to be a part of your child’s life, why not give them a secret to uncover that ends with getting a good book?
Regular readers of the Ferret will remember when we first stumbled upon MyBlogLog, a fabulous web publisher service which provided real time and historical stats on visitors and their activities on your web site. We loved the simplicity and the effortless way you could see exactly what was happening to your site second by second through the days and weeks. Unfortunately the company sold out to Yahoo! which then killed it, as big companies tend to do. Sigh.
If product coolness was measured in ice cream, the new Sony Xperia Z 4G Tablet would be a triple choc whipped Sundae, with maraschino cherries, white truffle chunks and lashings of dark Belgian chocolate sprinkles on a bed of silver sugar flecks. Yes it’s that delicious.
![Sony Xperia Z 4G Tablet – is this the best tablet computer in the world right now? Possibly. [Video Review]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sonyxperiaztablet9.jpg)
Wrist watches may be going out of fashion in a general sense, but for some people the idea of strapping on a real ticking or purring timepiece still holds a large amount of fascination. Of course it’s often just to show off with some garish lump of metal, but sometimes you’re lucky enough to see true cool.
You don’t have to live in an earthquake zone to appreciate the benefits of knowing if and when things are going to get a little hot and sticky at any time. And by things, we mean natural disasters. Just ask the European continent when the Icelandic – can’t pronounce or spell the name – volcano flipped out a few years back.
![Earth Alerts – live map of our planet’s natural hazards makes for compulsive viewing (+Freeware]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/earthalerts2.jpg)
Many have tried to create true virtual reality before, but no one has quite gotten it ‘right’ yet. It’s always far too clunky or expensive to validate as a purchase. We saw the Occulus Rift a while back, and while it seems promising, that only takes care of the visual aspect.
The ‘modern version’ of something is always looked upon with skepticism. When you take a tangible thing and make it digital or electronic, some may doubt its validity. The move from an acoustic guitar to electric caused a big hubbub, but it started to be more widely accepted as time moved on. The next big step will be moving to a guitar that has no head, body, and has frets made from light.
What makes old television so compelling…especially the advertising. Is it the innocence? The lack of guile and uber slick psychological manipulation we get nowadays? Or is it the fact that they couldn’t care less about jump cuts and fast talking sales pitches in those days?
Here you are taking a stroll during a light drizzle when a young brute stands in your path and looks to be of a troublesome manner. While you may be able to stand on your on two feet in this debacle, you don’t want to muss up your clothing. With only your umbrella, you manage to toss him off to the side and continue on your merry way. Of course, it would take a good bit of training for it…
For the past couple of weeks I’ve been playing a game called Ingress, developed by Google and currently being played in closed invite-only beta across the world. The game, which draws heavily on a kind of Matrix meets StarCraft science fiction styling, melds augmented reality with smartphones, computers and the kind of backstory that only a Hollywood scriptwriter could dream up.
It’s hard to remain a ‘concerned’ citizen nowadays because you can never tell whether a product you’re buying comes from a company whose ethics are questionable or worse. There are so many different degrees of ownership in the major corporates, that it’s almost impossible to trace who owns what when it comes to consumer products on the shelves.
![Buycott – finally there’s a guilt free way to shop [Freeware]](https://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/buycott3.jpg)
Do you remember when a new portable gaming system came out and you thought it was a little too pricey? The original Nintendo Game Boy came out in 1989, and started off at around $90. While the quality of handheld gaming has vastly improved since then, do you think you could find it in you to put down $350 for one?
