Companies, both big and small, are now connecting with consumers like never before. By utilizing advancements in technology they have been able to develop more personal relationships which ultimately translate into cold hard cash. Just ask Dell, whose “DellOutlet” Twitter account has generated them an estimated 3+ million dollars. Many of these companies focus most of their technology budgets on the internet but many are starting to allocate funds to support research into using mobile platforms for their benefit. It’s hard to imagine that anything that benefits a large corporation…

Sure, we all like to think we know how to cope in a crisis. We all fondly imagine ourselves the heroes of the moment, the masters of the hour, but how many of us have actually put some time in before crisis cripples us and learned the right things to do when someone needs our help, or even set things up so we can get the help we need? Read on for six iPhone apps we think could maybe save someone’s life. None of these apps are a substitute for proper training, if you really want to be prepared then do take a course, but for a refresher or to boost your skills just a little bit, then tale a look at these. 1. First Aid…

When was the last time you had a lengthy chat with someone on the phone? A few weeks? Months? Years, even? Well, if it’s been a while, you can rest assured that you are not the only one. But it should make us wonder if the the future of one-on-one communication will rest solely on our thumbs. You’ve probably seen teens and adults alike texting away on their phones. It’s seemingly an infectious, zombie-like trend. They text while in school (unproductive, I know). They text while in the movie theaters (annoying, I know). They text while driving (dangerous, I know). They are taking over! Silence!…

The sleek phone is coming out on June 4th of this year from the phone provider Sprint for $200…too cheap for just hitting the market? Well, you guessed it, that’s after a mail-in rebate. The full price of this phone, you ask?..$450. Not too bad when it’s compared to the BlackBerry or Apple’s iPhone 3Gs, which could run you a bill past $699 without a three-year contract. This Android-powered Windows MAX phone runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, it also has a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video-conferencing and so on, an 8 megapixel camera for shooting photos and videos and a large 4.3-inch…

Apple has a host of patents to its name, and rifling through them can offer some fascinating insights into the potential future of technology and the possibilities that are open to the company as it executes its vision for the future convergence culture. We’ve taken a look at some of the most recently published Apple patents and chosen six of the most exciting to tell you all about. 1. iSpecs: an advanced head-mounted display system for the iPhone or iPod This system (above) may even host its own video camera or be able to communicate with the camera that’s already inside the iPod touch or iPhone….

Fresh in from the historical inevitability department comes news of a failed Adobe Flash demo — and an all-new video clip showing what the proprietary multimedia standard can do on an Android phone. Last week’s FlashCamp Seattle saw Flash Platform evangelist Ryan Stewart demo Flash Player 10.1 on a Nexus One phone during his opening keynote. It didn’t go well, wrote blogger, Jeff Croft. Here’s what happened: On his Mac, Ryan pulled up a site called Eco Zoo. It is, seemingly, a pretty intense example of Flash development — full of 3D rendering, rich interactions, and cute little characters….

Next time you sit down for a slap-up meal out keep an eye on the waiter – he (or she) may well take your order with an iPad. This replaces older PDA-based ordering systems, and could mean diners can even take a look at luch full-colour pictures of what they are ordering. It may even help restaurants keep an eye on the stock they have in hand. System developed by 4asoft.com. Perhaps you’ll be paying for your meal using an iPad, too. Square today introduced an iPhone credit card payment system, following last month’s introduction of a similar system for the iPhone. Via: PocketLint. Thumbnail image…

The tragic Kurt Cobain might have left us but this doesn’t mean Nirvana’s record label don’t continue to seek out new opportunities to make money from the artist’s legacy — now it seems Tapulous has inked a deal to bring a dedicated Nirvana game to the iPhone. Nirvana Revenge will feature 13 of the band’s songs in a new variant of the well-recognised Tap Tap Revenge game. Songs will include Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are and Heart Shaped Box plus some live numbers from a UK rock festival. The app should be available later this week for $4.99 via the App Store. There’s a Bluetooth…

Forget preconceived ideas that the techi world’s digital destiny is run by the boys, for the boys – it looks like the girls are driving the digital home, with women downloading twice as much mobile content as men. Surprised? Perhaps, but these are the fresh findings found by US mobile ents firm, Myxer (a peddler of ringtones, wallpapers and video clips). Myxer claims its female users downloaded twice as much content in April as its male users. Women accounted for 67% of its content downloads for the month: 4.5 million in total. Men downloaded just 2.2 million items during the month. Myxer admits…

You need a computer you can take anywhere, a laptop designed for life on the site or the road. You need it to be shock-resistant, but you want it to have power. For you, good news, with Panasonic today updating some of the models in its Toughbook laptop range. The Toughbook CF-52 now runs on the Intel Core i5 (up to 2.53GHz) processor and includes 2GB RAM and up to a 250GB shock-mounted hard drive. It also has a bevy of wireless connectivity options. We like that this machine’s been drop and spill-tested and features a magnesium alloy case (with a weird-looking but sturdy carry handle). There’s even…