5 mid-summer gadgets you want

It has always been a goal of ours to try to find cool and awesome stuff for you, so you don't have to go through the drudgery of finding them for yourself. Today we'd like to present you with our top 5 gadget selection for the mid-summer. We've scoured the web and consulted with the tech gods to get this info, so we hope you enjoy and make good use of it.

The rational behind our selection is that (most) people need no more than one of each item in each category of items listed below. We researched the top 5 of each item in each category to see what the general internet sentiment was, and here are our results:

1. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Photo credit: www.thenewstribe.com

From the photo you can see that the Galaxy S4 mini is significantly smaller than its predecessor. It offers the same experience as the Galaxy S4, with the added value of being able to fit comfortably in your palm and in your pocket. It's a little slower though (1.7GHz dualcore processor), with less RAM, and one rear facing camera. BUT it does have a microSD slot to add 64GB.

This is great if you want a good phone at a bargain price...and if you're not planning to turn your next phone into a gaming machine. GET IT HERE

2. Razer Blade 14" and Razer Blade 17.3"

Photo credit: www.endgadget.com

Quick Specs:

• Quadcore 2.2GHz Core i7 processor
• 8GB DDR3L Ram
• GeForce GTX 765M graphics card

This is the worlds thinnest gaming laptop (see here for full specs specs), and looks nothing like a gaming laptop. Its matted, black aluminum body makes it look at first glance like an ultra book, which I understand is what several people use if for anyway.

Bottom line, if you need an A-rate ultra-book, consider the Razer Blade 14". And if you need sensibly sized gaming machine, well, consider the Razer Blade 17". GET TEHM HERE

Here's some additional reading on the Razer Blade.

3. Apple ipad

Photo credit: www.apple.com

Everybody knows the ipad so we choose not to talk too much about it. It's a beautiful, well built machine and we don't believe there is yet a tablet out there that offers it any real competition. We don't believe size matters, so get what feels good in your purse or backpack! GET IT HERE

4. Xbox One

Photo credit: news.xbox.com

Earlier this year Xbox revealed its new console, Xbox One, to much fan fare. Since then millions of people have been waiting with bated breath for a clue as to when the new box will go on sale.

Amazon.com claims the new boxes go on sale on November 27th, so you can mark your calenders for the day you go sit outside the store only to be told Xbox One sold out. Or you could just pre-order it here now and be playing COD: Ghosts on November 27th! GET IT HERE

5. Philips HTL 5120 Sound Bar

Photo credit: www.gdgt.com

Now, what would a good movie or game be without good sound quality? Crap, that's what. And that's why we figured we'd make this sleek little sound bar our last item for our gadgets-you-want list.

This Bluetooth connected Sound Bar contains Philips' Double Bass technology. It has been engineered to optimize sound performance depending on its position in a room. It would make an amazing addition to any living room.  GET IT HERE

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Replacing iPhone 4 screen

Disclaimer: You attempt the following at your own risk. I am not a licensed technician of any sort, just an individual who researched this problem.

A friend of mine recently managed to crack his iphone screen by dropping it face-down on a rock while we were biking. Needless to say, he was pretty upset. He had jail broken the iphone and voided the warranty, so he couldn't go to the apple store, and professional repair services cost a fortune... well, much more than it would cost to repair it yourself. 

So we begun the fun process of finding resources to help us fix his phone. It was a long and tedious process, but in the end we succeeded in replacing his screen successfully. Here are the resources we used, and I hope you find them useful. I would suggest you watch each video completely before beginning the disassembly.

PARTS AND TOOLS

• set of tools for removing screws and prying off the screen: 

•  Replacement screen and digitizer:

VIDEO GUIDES

Thanks to ThatSnazzyiphoneGuy and imore.com for their help.

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Google eying Hulu

Hulu's apparently accepting initial acquisition bids starting Wednesday, and wouldn't you know it, Google's sniffing all around it. To be fair, Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon (amongst a few others) are also interested, but it's always more fun to lead with Google since they seem to be getting their rather big hands into everything these days. According to the WSJ, bids could range from $500 million to $2 billion....but what do they know, right? They obviously haven't heard about this looming double dip recession thing.

So, someone wants to buy Hulu. But why? The owners of Hulu (Fox, NBC, ABC etc.) are busily trying to restrict their content as much as possible in order to make money off subscriptions, instead of charging more for advertising. Honestly, I can't see many people deciding to pay for Hulu, since we all got used to watching it for free.Then there's the issue of Netflix as a competitor. IF Hulu were free, it would be easier to undermine Netflix, but I'm really not sure how any potential buyer of Hulu hopes to handle Netflix. Yes, anyone reading this might have a different opinion, so please share your point of view in the comments section below.

Now, IF Google ends up scoring Hulu, it's my hope that they get rid of Hulu Plus, and increase whatever they charge for advertising. Maybe they can also come up with some kind of advertising profit sharing deal with the networks too, thus allowing them to release their programing for viewing on Hulu sooner than the current 8-10 day period. OR maybe they could just replace their current content providers; I wouldn't mind watching some HBO and Showtime on Hulu :).

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Stargate Baby!

Who brought you the internets? DARPA! Who brought you GPS? DARPA! Who brought you chicken and waffles?... Um, I'm not sure; but who now wants to bring you Prometheus? DARPA! Well, not really Prometheus, but that's where it's headed.

DARPA, the agency that develops ground breaking technology for use by the US military is looking to award a $500,000 grant to some lucky organization this November. Their charge? Take the lead in research into interstellar travel.

Honestly, I think they're already way ahead into this "Starship" program than they're letting on; the government is pretty good at keeping awesome secrets. But we'll see. Read more on this DARPA initiative here ... .

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