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I had been thinking about purchasing a smartwatch for a while and had decided on the Apple Watch to match up with my up other Apple devices. The Pebble, Samsung, Sony and other brands didn’t appeal to me,so my shopping list was short. Then I discovered the Martian Notifier and that’s what I’m wearing on my wrist. I’ve had this smartwatch for about a month and I’m liking the features more and more each day. It was easy to get the Martian smartwatch paired with my iPhone using Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. But the company does recommend a battery level of at least 50% before pairing for the first time. You’ll use a Micro USB Cable for connecting to the Martian and to a computer or a USB wall adapter. According to Martian, a full charge can be reached in 2-3 hours from a power outlet and 3-4 hours when charging from a computer. One tip is that the watch crown on the right side is shipped with it pulled out to “save the battery while shipping.” You’ll need to set the tim...

The 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show is history now and probably all that's left behind are discarded name tags and freebies that nobody wanted. But Engadet, a popular technology website, has released its "Best of CES 2014 Awards" winners with some real goodies on the list. These are the gadgets that we'll likely be hearing more about this year. The finalist come from different categories, such as Best Startup, Best Digital Health & Fitness Product and Best Automotive Electronics Product. Some were prototypes, some were in the funding stage and some are expected on the shelves soon. Some of the previous stars of technology didn't make the list, such as desktops, laptops and not even a tablet. The emerging smart watches were also absent and smartphones were not all the rage this year, except for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact . According to Engadget, the Xperia Z1, a smaller version of the larger Xperia, features some of the same powerful co...

Update: The Samsung Galaxy S IV is coming to AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and possibly Verizon Wireless soon. T-Mobile is offering an early-bird "sign up now" option to be notified for updates about the Galaxy S IV. The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S IV finally took the stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. While the BlackBerry 10 platform had the spotlight for a while, The S IV will now bask in the limelight with a long list of innovative features. It did not disappoint us. Right off the bat at the Radio City Music Hall event, Samsung President of Mobile Communications J.K. Shin took the stage and pitched the innovative feature of automatic scrolling and Smart Scroll/Pause using eye tracking, a unique feature among smartphones currently on the market. For example, a video you're watching will pause when you look away. According to Shin, the Galaxy S IV is slim at 0.31 inches, or 7.9mm, and he refers to it as a "life compan...

The winners of the first annual TechRadar Best of CES Awards 2013 were announced today. TechRadar editors touched, played, used and reviewed the hottest and newest items the Consumer Electronics Show has to offer and named their top choices direct from the show floor at the convention center in Las Vegas. Winners of the TechRadar Best of CES Awards 2013 include: Best in Show: Sony Bravia 4K 65-inch Television Peoples' Choice Award: Steam Console Concept – Valve Best Cell Phone: Sony Xperia Z Best Tablet: Razer Edge Best Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad Helix Best GPS Device: Bad Elf GPS Pro Best Digital Camera: Fuji X20 Best Audio Accessory: MUNITIO PRO40 High Performance Headphones Best All-in-One Computer: Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC Most Unique Product: Panasonic 20-inch 4K Windows 8 Tablet Best Car Tech: Lexus Self-Driving Car Best Home Theater Product: Sony Bravia 4K Television 65-inch TechRadar, owned by Future U.S. media group, is the United Kingdom...

I have been feeling a little like Dick Tracy lately, as I walked around with a Sony SmartWatch on my arm. There is a certain cool factor about this device, which was on loan from Verizon Wireless. The SmartWatch functions as an extension of your Andriod smartphone or tablet and will allow you to read text messages and view social network updates, as well as check the time and date. The latter should be a "duh" moment; of course it'll give you the time and date. I was up and running in no time, which allowed me to leave the Android smartphone in my pocket for most tasks. The SmartWatch makes a Bluetooth connection to Android devices. After downloading a SmartWatch Liveware manager app from the Google play store, you're off and running with Facebook and Twitter updates, the weather, text messages and other features that have smart watch apps available. After digging around in the Android app store, I discovered SmartWatch apps for eBay, Web Cams, games, and get t...

Windows 8 will be available for sale on Oct. 26 and can be pre-ordered now. So it’s time to start thinking about your game plan for upgrading your existing computers or pondering what kind of device you’ll want in a new purchase. But there is some confusion about which version of Windows 8 will work for you and the price you’ll pay, along with a long list of choices for new Windows 8 hardware coming down the pikes. Windows 8 will be available in several versions — one for tablet devices running ARM processors, which will be called Windows RT, and another for desktop PCs that’ll be known as Windows 8 Pro. A consumer version is also in the works and will just be called Windows 8. As for the price, it’ll depend on whether you per-order the Windows 8 Pro DVD package now and pay $69.99, or wait until the release date on Oct. 26 and pay $39.99 using the Windows 8 upgrade Assistant online. If you have purchased a new PC after June 2, the upgrade price from say Windows 7 will be arou...

I usually carry my regular smartphone in my right pocket and whatever phone I'm reviewing for this column in my left pocket. Then it's a matter of how often I reach in my left pocket for the review phone to read email, run an app, check social networks, surf the Web, take a photo or shoot video. I've been carrying the HTC One V from C Spire Wireless for a couple of weeks and I've been reaching in my left pocket quite often. I like this phone for a lot of reasons. The HTC One V is one of the latest Android devices running OS 4.0, also know as Ice Cream Sandwich, with the HTC Sense interface running in the background. This combination gives a smooth experience with easy to navigate features. One of first things I think anyone would like about the One V is the Beats Audio feature that HTC has deployed in several of their smartphones after announcing a "strategic partnership" with Beats Electronics in August 2011. You might be familiar with Beats Audio fro...

As the International CTIA Wireless show was winding down, I left New Orleans with a feeling that I experienced the future of technology. It was happening all over the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and let me tell you, that is one big place. I didn't take long to run into bumper-to-bumper traffic as I tried to make my way home and I had plenty of time to think about all the cool gadgets and software applications as I snaked along the interstate past the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This was an international show and the guys from Japan, China, Germany, South America and other locations certainly had good technology to show off. I think their 20-hour-plus flights were worth the time and effort to share their innovative ideas with us. I didn't know much about them before, but I am now a fan of international tech companies like NTT Docomo and Huawei . I have an avatar coming via email, which was created by a couple of sharp guys with Docomo, whose 3D modeling applica...