Google Maps

Google maps won’t the award for the best travel application. Both the iPhone and Android can use this application. This application is the most accurate and user friendly application – it has “put an end to asking for directions for many.” This application has street views, aerial views, and turn by turn directions that will get you anywhere you want to go.I personally love this app and use it all of the time.

Facebook

Facebook won the award of the best social and messaging application. Unsurprisingly this app had more downloads than any other app last year. This is most likely due to the fact that over half of the 900 million users are logged into mobile accounts. With this app, you can always be connected to Facebook with notifications, picture uploading abilities, and location based posts.

YouTube

YouTube won honors for being the best celebrity and entertainment and best music app. YouTube allows you to have access to over 100 million videos with just a touch of a button. The most popular videos on YouTube are music videos and homemade videos and clips. With YouTube, you can stay on top of the entertainment news.

Angry Birds

This is probably the most talked about and most played game out there; it is literally a worldwide phenomenon with over 700 million downloads. This is the best-selling app of all time. It is a game where you have to free birds that have been captured by angry pigs and each level takes less than a minute to complete. This app is soon going to become the basis of a cartoon show and a theme park.

There’s More

There were more winners, but these were the top applications that won honors. You can find out who else won on the Appy awards website. This was the first Appy awards; it will be interesting to see who wins honors next year.

Only in my dreams would there ever be a way to travel that would allow me a stress free environment in the comfort of my own car. I’m talking about self-driving cars. This was only a part of my dreams and the movies until recently when Google announced that they had made their first self-driving car.

The First Drive

California resident Morgan Hill was the first lucky man to be taken for a ride in Google’s car. Morgan Hill is over 95% blind (well past being legally blind) and has not had the joys of independent driving for a very long time.

Google arranged their car’s first drive outside of its core research efforts to drive along a specially planned route. The car took Mr. Hill through the drive through at Taco Bell and then to the dry cleaners.

The car uses a series of lasers and sensors to be sure that the road is clear while the passenger sits in the driver’s seat.

Don’t Get Too Excited

Unfortunately, the technology of a completely self-controlled car is a ways off. There is still a lot of testing and software perfecting before this can be widely produced and used. Until then, its back to the old way of getting around – the old way of driving you own car around.

I hate exercising indoors because it is so boring and you never get anywhere on a treadmill or stationary bike. So I decided to start mountain biking, road cycling, and occasionally running outside.

I knew the only way that I would keep up this new routine is if I could keep track of previous workouts and challenge myself. I found the perfect application on my phone to keep track for me. It is called My Tracks.

Features

The great thing about this app, besides the fact that it is free, is that it is supported on a number of different phone types – the iPhone, Nokia, and Blackberry to only name a few.

My Tracks is very accurate because it uses the GPS sensor in your phone. This app will keep track of the path you took and you can check this information out live, or at a later point.

My tracks can record your workouts in metric or imperial units, whichever one you prefer.

Not only does this application record how far I went on my route, it also records time, speed, and elevation. So now I can compare runs with similar distance and elevation climbs not just time spent out on the road/trail.

One feature that helps motivate me to keep going is the fact that I can get verbal announcements of my progress. I always seem to think I have gone farther than I really have, and this helps keep me on track.

Try It

This is really a great app if you are looking to record your workouts and get in shape. With summer still fast approaching, you could really get some great use out of My Tracks. Don’t just take my word for it though, try it yourself!

Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0 is the newest and latest operating system for Android phones. It is supposed to be released in the United States sometime at the beginning of 2012.

If you are an Android user, you may be thinking isn’t it already the beginning of 2012? Unfortunately, there isn’t an official release date yet. That doesn’t mean that we can tell you about some of the expected features.

Resizable Widgets

If you are like most people, you can’t seem to find enough room on your home screen for all of the widgets you want. I’m sure you have said to yourself at least once, “if only you could make some of the ridiculously large widgets smaller” or “I wish this widget was bigger.”

Your wish has come true. Android 4.0 has the capability to resize widgets, without charging you an arm and a leg for the feature.

Improved Text Input and Spell Checking

We have all done it. Sent out a text message without proofreading it first. These embarrassing situations may be less common due to this new feature. With improves text input and spell checking, we will be better able to communicate.

Powerful Voice Input Engine

This enhanced feature will let you talk for longer periods of time, allow you to take pauses, and dictate punctuation. This feature might actually be more useful that the ok voice input feature that Android has now.

These are only three of the features that Android 4.0 promises. You can search the internet for a more complete list.

Made for Multiple Devices

With the way technology is going, non-touch screens will be unheard of soon. Windows 8 is made specifically with touch screens in mind. However Windows 8 is supposed to work well with a mouse and keyboard as well.

Start Screen

Microsoft has replaced the windows start menu with a start screen. This screen is tile based and totally customizable. There are tiles for websites, programs, people, apps and more. These tiles are always refreshed so that you always know what is going on. The live tiles have notifications so you never miss an update from your friends or applications.

The Lock Screen

The lock screen has notifications that can tell you what you missed since you last opened your computed without even having to log in. You will see how many messages and emails you have waiting for you. You can also see your next appointment you have entered into your calendar.

It’s Faster

Microsoft brags that web-connected and web-powered apps have full access to the power of your PC. Also, Windows 8 has fully touch-optimized browsing with hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10. The running apps can be browsed between fluidly and naturally without delay.

There is an App for Everyone

Whether you like to play new video games, check status updates, or read the news, there is an app for you. Apps are the biggest thing that Windows 8 has added to their operating system.

LG Smart Fridge

In addition to performing the usual duties of a refrigerator appliance, this smart fridge has the ability to suggest recipes based on what’s inside it at the time. It also has the “Blast Chiller” which can cool a can or bottle of soda or beer in as little as five minutes.

Super OLED Television

This 55 inch T.V. is one of the biggest OLED screens ever made. This means a bright picture with less energy consumption. In addition to being a beautiful picture, two people can watch different shows at the same time on the same set without interrupting each other or seeing ghost images. All you have to do it put on special glasses. This gadget and its price point will be released later this year.

The Nest

Imagine a thermostat that can read your mind. The Nest will adjust the temperature in your home based on your preferences. It keeps track of your habits and adjusts accordingly. Additionally, it has a motion sensor which can determine if there is activity in the house and turn the temperature down to save you money.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

This Ultrabook is ultra stylish and can morph into four different forms. It takes the shape of a standard laptop, a tablet, a tent-style, and an easel to make presentations across the room while a user controls it via remote keyboard. It is set to be released by the second half of 2012.

These are just some of the favorite gadgets that were on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January 2012.

The textbook companies are all for it, because it seems as though every time Apple puts their name on something, it gains nationwide attention. Companies say that with this release and an ipod application possibilities for both students and non-students could become endless.

Digital enhancements could include interactivity, multimedia, and personalized content.

Even though e-textbooks already exist, this type of production from ibooks could allow for updates to take place, making e-textbooks user friendly and more compatible with the existing and new applications.

Existing e-textbook companies such as Chegg, Kno, or Inkling don’t seem to be letting on any possible worry of competition. It may be because these already existing companies target higher-education while Apple’s first e-textbooks would likely be marketed to K-12 students.

Unfortunately for Apple, the snag that is currently causing the biggest issues is the fight to get ipods and ipads into the classrooms, which would come at a significant cost for school systems.

Content publishers are also concerned with making their books available on a number of platforms which ibooks would not allow.

E-textbook supplier Chugg comments that “his company uses HTML5 for its e-textbooks, which allows it to use a variety of authoring tools. HTML5 also supports a range of multimedia features, which are then viewable on a variety of devices. You can’t say the same thing about the iBooks format introduced Thursday, which is limited to the iPad.”

Acceptance on a wide range of platforms in necessary to make e-textbooks a success says Chugg CEO Rosenweig.

It will be interesting to see how ipod users and Apple themselves react to this idea of sharing.

There are foods from all types of games from The Sims and Grand Theft Auto to Golden Axe and Paper Mario.

The following are top five most delectable foods found on the list:

1. From the game Portal – THE CAKE- Fans of portal find that this cake always remains slightly out of reach. Now you can thwart the GLaDos by making a cake of your own and enjoying it completely.

2. Second is from the game Golden Axe- THE MEAT- Finding this meat in the video game will restore your health, but the meat roll in real life is made from chicken, beef and sausage for good measure. Will it bring you good health in real life or wishing you had stuck to the game?

3. Chunk-o-Honey Candy Bar- from Deus-Ex is third on the list of top gaming foods. Many people quite enjoy stealing everything on Deus-Ex including the Chunko-Honey Candy bar. Even though we never see it unwrapped, gourmetgaming.co.uk has quite the gut busting rendition of this delicious treat.

4. Serving as another health booster is the Sandvich from Team Fortress 2 made from ham, swiss, white bread, cheese, lettuce and mayo.

5. Dead Rising dares you to ignore the Golden Brown Pizza made with pepperoni, olives, pineapple and delicious mozzarella cheese. This pizza however comes with a warning: Beware of the Zombies.

These are just a few of the most popular video gaming foods that have been recreated for your eating pleasure. Also included in the top ten list are: Starkos (Good and Evil), Cake (MineCraft), Pizza Sundae(Costume Quest), Sweet Roll (Sky Rim) and Koopasta (Paper Mario).

1. The Fling ($19.95)- The fling is a suction cup mini-joystick that can be added to the screen of your iPad for easier gaming. It does not work with all iPad games, (200 are included in the list as of right now) however, for the ones it is compatible with, it can propel you through the levels quicker and make for much easier and successful gaming time. There are also fling minis available for the iPhone.

2.iDVM ($485)- This gadget is quite a bit more expensive, but still a very handy tool. The iDVM is an iPad-enabled digital multimeter which can help you to troubleshoot various types of electronics by allowing you to probe voltage, current and resistance.

3. Mixed Signal Oscilloscope iMSO-104 ($297.99) – Another expensive but useful gadget is the Oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is used to probe the inner workings of and electronic circuit. This device is useful for troubleshooting many modern electronic devices.

4. Orion StarSeeker 130mm GoTo Reflector Telescope($399.99) – This one is probably my favorite of the tech gadgets we are talking about today. Perfect for beginners or experienced star gazers, the StarSeeker Telescope works by matching information entered on your iPad to the location of the stars in the sky.

Once you have entered in or selected what you would like to see, the telescope will automatically find the constellation or star in the night sky, all you have to do is focus in on it. The initial set-up is quite complicated but the results are well worth the effort.

5.Sphero ($129.99)- The robotic ball. Sphero is the ultimate geek robotic tool. Controlled by an on-screen app, this ball is about the size of a lacrosse ball. Games are currently being developed for the Sphero but have not yet hit the market. Some of these games include tennis, Pong and freeze-tag.

These are just a few of the most exciting new iPad gadgets on the market. Keep your eyes open for others that may be more cost effective or cater more to your likes and interests.

Earlier this week photographs were leaked on a Spanish tech site, fueling the already over-hyped media frenzy. These screen shots show that Google does appear ready to launch and are planning on doing so soon if they can get the rights. In earlier months, Google had discussed incorporating Google Music into their ever growing social network Google+.

By making it available on Google+ software engineers said friends could share music and listen for free, then later when friends are offline, these users who have had a taste of the music would have to go purchase it for themselves.

Google, already a technology giant would be smart to expand its reach by take a little bite out of the music industry, and with their already extensive network of applications and programs available for use, we believe Google could quickly and efficiently incorporate Google Music nearly every other part of their Google services.

In addition to a Google Music store, Google could expand, as mentioned before to Google+, Gmail, and even while Googling the latest celebrity or political news. You can listen while you surf, while you chat, video conference, during your social networking time. Share songs with friends and family using the Google Music platform.

Let the countdown begin! Watch your clocks and the news for the chance to be on top of the technology news tonight!