Ouch! Anyone driving a motor vehicle in the United States has experienced pain at the pump lately. Luckily, help is just a click away on your smartphone thanks to some great applications designed to steer you to some serious savings.

According to the American Automobile Association, gas prices are rising at an average of two cents a day. With Americans driving three trillion annual miles in their cars, those with smartphones like the DROID 4 by Motorola or tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 7.7 are poised to save the most on the price of fuel.

You find a number of highly-rated apps for your iOS or Android™ device (data rates may apply for download/use). Here are a few that can help get you back on the road and give your wallet a break.

Read more here http://dcom.me/aM8gf

For you Verizon Wireless customers out there. This may be some insightful news for you. They will now be charging $30 for an upgrade fee. More details can be found here http://dcom.me/vU7do

Okay, so maybe it isn’t a smartphone, but who says technology must fit into your pocket.  The 80lbs brains over at Boston Dynamics have created something pretty darn awesome, a robot that can run faster than a cheetah! 

The applications for such a technology is huge.  Me personally, to have my HTC Rezound transform into this super-fast beast and chase down the person who stole my ice cream sandwich, I’d be happy.  But on a serious note, this technology can lead in medical advancements for prosthetics.

Enough of my jabbering and head over to the link to watch the video.  It’s pretty darn impressive!

http://defensetech.org/2012/03/06/cheetah-breaks-robot-speed-record/

What would you do with a running robot? 

Thanks to Boston Dynamics for the use of their pictures

Being quite familiar with the use of “Eyes In The Sky”, the US Congress feels it’s time for you too to be familiar with drones.  With the US Border Patrol having MQ-1 Predators survealing the skies above the borders, other entities are looking to get in on the action.

Seattle Police Department will soon be deploying a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) to provide oversight for police officer.  From a safety prespective, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  But what happens if you decided to adjust your nose hairs while this UAV is scoping out the car in front of you?  You just made Seattle’s news video clip of the week.  Haha.
With all that said, check out this article to get the skinny on this drone.

http://defensetech.org/2012/03/08/police-drones-are-already-here/

What do you think about the whole thing?

ADW EX, LaucherPro Plus, Go Launcher EX, TSF Shell, SPB Shell 3D, just to name a few, are Android replacement launchers.  Replacement launchers provide a mulititude of different features.  From full customization to pure speed and smoothness, each launcher has its benefits.  Here we have a launcher that brings light and airy to the Android scene.

Lightning Launcher is not only fast, but its light.  I mean light as in footprint in device memory.  With a package size of 54kb, it’s very small.  This has been possible by making certain capabilities modular to the launcher.  Look at it from this perspective, buying a car and adding different options to it. Options like, preminum radio, leather seats, launcher settings, adding widgets, and so on.  Install what you need and that’s it!

Here are some of screenshots:



Some of the things I love about this launcher is that it’s simple yet customizable.  Now, it’s no Go Launcher EX, but it does allow you to change the feel of your App Drawer and even your Homescreen.  As of right now, you only have one homescreen, but the next version will allow multiple ...

My first thought when pulling this DROID 4 out of the box was "WOW." This is a good looking device.  Good clean lines, smooth sliding action and a pretty crisp screen. With its size of 2.8"(w) x 5.0"(h) x 0.5"(d) and weighing in at 6.31 oz, it is a bit beefier than my Bold 9930 I tote around on a daily basis. As with all devices, this one arrived with a half charged battery so I couldn't wait to slap in the 4G LTE SIM card and power it up.  It was a bit odd to me that the battery isn't removable though. Silly.



Networks

CDMA 800, 1900 EVDO REV A/LTE B13 700
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

Size

Dimensions: 2.8 (w) x 5.0 (h) x 0.5 (d) inches
Weight: 6.31oz

OS

Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread) with Motorola Application Platform

Display

4” qHD (960x540) Display (Scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass)

Cameras

8.0MP camera with launch from lock screen
Front Facing HD Webcam (1.3 MP, 720p HD video recording)

Keyboard

5–row, LED Edge–lit QWERTY keyboard

Battery

1785 mAH Li–Ion
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