FAVI SmartStick can turn any HDTV into an Android-powered smart TV for $50

If you thought smart TVs were only for the privileged few, think again — a technology that once cost hundreds of dollars can now be had for the low price of $50. The FAVI SmartStick is a small dongle that can be plugged into any HDTV, instantly transforming the device into a full-blown Android-powered smart TV with the ability to stream music and movies or browse the Web. The stick runsAndroid 4.1 Jelly Bean and is equipped with 4GB of storage, Wi-Fi connectivity, DLNA support for media sharing and access to theGoogle Play Store. “We are thrilled to introduce this easy to use device for both work and play,” said Jeremy Yakel, founder of FAVI Entertainment “SmartStick allows for much more than a streaming video box, it’s your SmartTV, Home Theater and PC all rolled into one.” The SmartStick will be available on October 30th through various retail outlets in both 4GB and 8GB flavors for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Mother of missing Missouri baby has not given needed answers: police

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The mother of missing Missouri baby Lisa Irwin has still not provided answers needed in the investigation into her daughter's disappearance from her home nearly a year ago in a high-profile case that drew national attention, police said on Friday.

Baby Lisa was last seen the night of October 3, 2011, when her mother, Deborah Bradley, says she put the then 10-month-old in her crib. The baby's father, Jeremy Irwin, discovered she was missing when he got home from work before dawn the next day, he has said.

Kansas City police said in a statement on Friday that the family was in touch with investigators but has still not given them the "opportunity to sit down one-on-one" with Bradley.

"As the only adult in the home at the time of the baby's disappearance, police continue to have questions to which only she can provide answers," police said.

Bradley has admitted to getting drunk the night Lisa disappeared.

But John Picerno, a Kansas City lawyer representing Bradley and Irwin, described as "completely false" the police assertion that Bradley has not been willing to be interviewed. He said she gave a videotaped interview to the FBI and a Kansas City police officer several months after Lisa disappeared and provided 100 pages of hand-written notes.

She remains willing to talk to police, he said.

"My door is always open, they know my phone number," Picerno said.

In a brief interview with Reuters outside her home on Thursday, Bradley said she was focused on helping with the investigation and that she "absolutely" believes Lisa is alive. Bradley said she is convinced the girl was kidnapped.

Police and the FBI have followed up on 1,667 tips on the child's disappearance, including some 500 reported sightings of the girl, the police statement said. They are checking into about a dozen active tips now, police said.

"Police have exhausted leads provided by Lisa Irwin's family and their attorneys and the leads were of no benefit to the investigation," police said.

Picerno said he will continue to provide tips to police but cannot control whether they lead anywhere.

CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard Exposes the Mirage of Kickstarter [REVIEW]

CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard

The CruxSkunk is a Kickstarter project that's finally coming to fruition. Priced at $229, it's an iPad keyboard that aims to mirror the Apple design aesthetic.

Click here to view this gallery.

[More from Mashable: Could Your Office Use This Lower Cost 3D Printer? [VIDEO]]

Microsoft's Surface tablet has yet to prove itself, but it won a lot of goodwill with its novel keyboard cover, betraying a weakness in the iPad camp: Although there are many keyboard accessories for Apple's tablet, none has really emerged as the one that rises above the pack.

That's exactly what the CruxSkunk wants to be. A Kickstarter project, the keyboard aims to be none other than the perfect complement for your iPad. It's just 0.74 of an inch thin, made of solid aluminum and has a design that's tailored to match the Apple aesthetic. It also mirrors Apple pricing -- at $229, it's damn expensive as keyboard accessories go.

[More from Mashable: iExpander Gives Your iPhone Extra Features]

That said, Kickstarter's founders recently posted a note reminding its users that the site -- filled with beautiful, ambitious projects -- is not a store. It was a necessary reality check, and I can see what they were getting at with the CruxSkunk now that I've been using one for the past few days. While it has a lot going for it, if you buy it thinking you'll turn your iPad into a MacBook Air, you'll be disappointed.

Skunking the iPad

The CruxSkunk got a lot of positive press, including from Mashable, when the Kickstarter campaign began, and why not? It's a gorgeous design idea, taking the aesthetic of Apple's MacBook laptops, mainly the aluminum material and chiclet-style keys, and fusing them into an iPad keyboard. It even has Mac-centric buttons, labeled Command and Option. No backlight, though, and no extra battery power for your iPad, since it connects via Bluetooth.

The iPad fits into an open frame attached to the keyboard. Don't forget to slip the plastic holders over the iPad in the lower corners -- like I was doing for the first day after I got the CruxSkunk -- or your iPad will fall out. With the holders in place, your iPad is secure, and you can even rotate the keyboard almost 360 degrees to use it as a simple stand -- handy in a plane seat.

SEE ALSO: Check Out Microsoft’s Brilliant Keyboard for Windows 8 Tablets [VIDEO]

After putting my iPad in place, I started the pairing process. It's a little annoying that the CruxSkunk uses a code for Bluetooth pairing, but I can forgive that. I can even overlook that it took about a half-dozen attempts before I was able to pair the Skunk with my iPad successfully.

What I can't abide is the poor quality of the keys. For starters, a few keys on my review unit occasionally got stuck in the frame when I depressed them, continuously entering data until they were unjammed. On top of that, at least one of the keys on my sample ("2/@") didn't work properly -- a flaw that would necessitate a return.

Mystery Keys

There are function keys along the top, but my unit didn't come with any instructions, so I had to discern for myself what they did. The home button is easy enough, but I still don't know what some of the other keys do -- mainly because when I pressed them, they didn't do anything.

Some did work, including home, photo frame, screen off and screen on. But that button with the globe icon that looks like it should launch Safari or network settings? No idea. Search? Forget it. At least the music volume controls did what they were supposed to.

Overall, though, the whole thing just feels unfinished, like someone grabbed the CruxSkunk when it was about 75% through the production process before it got some polishing and quality assurance. With a MacBook keyboard you get smoothed-out edges and key displacement that's clearly tuned to tenths of a millimeter, but the CruxSkunk has uncomfortably sharp cuts in the metal and keys that just feel ... cheap.

The Mirage of Kickstarter

This betrays the weakness of Kickstarter, which I also encountered to a certain extent with theHiddenRadio: There's a world of difference between a great idea and the successful execution of that idea. And the idea of the CruxSkunk is certainly great. Of course it would be fantastic to build a MacBook-style keyboard for an iPad.

But think about how much design and engineering went into MacBook keyboards. They're made by a company that's been building computers for well over 30 years and has billions of dollars in the bank. The brand is iconic, has millions of customers and employs some of the best industrial designers and engineers in the world.

Am I being too hard on the CruxSkunk, made by a few guys on Kickstarter? I don't think so -- especially since it promises right on the campaign page that it's made "in the exact same process that Apple machines its MacBooks and iPads. The aluminum parts are then sandblasted and anodized to give them the same finish as your iPad."

Not quite. And this is where the warning from Kickstarter's founders hits home: Although the CruxSkunk sells the idea of pairing a MacBook-like keyboard with your iPad, in reality it's not even that close. Yes, Kickstarter is most definitely not a store -- it's an idea for a product that might, if you're lucky, end up creating an object that's somewhere in the ballpark of what was originally promised.

So if you can approach the CruxSkunk with those realistic expectations, you might like it, and the idea still has merit. But judging from the perch where that idea resides, it falls short.

Will you be buying or skipping the CruxSkunk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

U.S. regional carriers undercut major carries with iPhone 5 discounts

There’s just no getting around it: iPhone 5′s aren’t cheap. For most people, it’ll cost at least $199 with a two-year contract for a 16GB model. But U.S. regional carriers are sweetening the deal on the iPhone 5 with $50 discounts on all three iPhone models. Instead of $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB), customers who sign two-year contracts with Appalachian Wireless, Cellcom or nTelos can pick them up for $50 less than what Apple (AAPL) and the three major U.S. carriers are selling them for. The same regional carriers are also selling the 16GB  iPhone 4S for $49.99 with a two-year contract, or $50 less than Apple, AT&T (T), Sprint (S) andVerizon Wireless (VZ).

Burberry Tops Fashion Brands In Social Media This Week [CHART]

Our social media engagement chart for this week turns to the world of fashion, where Burberry rules the social media roost, according to data aggregator Starcount.

To some, the Burberry brand conjures up images of trenchcoats silhouetted by the foggy London skyscape, but to younger fans, Burberry is synonymous with social media.

[More from Mashable: Here’s the Wackiest Detergent Ad You’ve Ever Seen]

The brand works hard at building its social media following. In June, it celebrated reaching 1 million Twitter followers by sending 3,000 fans personalized GIFs thanking them for their support. Burberry also takes an outside-in approach to retail in which it incorporates social media into its brick-and-mortar stores rather than trying to simulate the retail experience online.

SEE MORE: Top 10 Brands With Highest Social Media Engagement

[More from Mashable: Inside Adidas and Derrick Rose’s Digital ‘Return’]

Burberry was rewarded for its efforts by hitting number one on Starcount's list of the fashion brands with the highest social media engagement over the past week. In addition to to the top 10, Starcount also picked some up-and-comers including bench/, a Philippines-based brand and celebrity favorite Diamond Supply.

What do you think? Did your favorite brands make the cut?

What 4G means for smartphone and tablet apps

While a thinner, lighter iPhone 5 with a bigger screen is impressive, its most significant enhancement is the ultrafast 4G connection. In fact, all 4G-enabled smartphones and tablets will benefit now that theiPhone has finally embraced the speedier and more durable wireless standard. 

Consumers who own 4G devices that run on the Android, Windows Phone 8, and BlackBerry operating systems are already enjoying fewer dropped calls, as well as faster video streaming, gaming, and Internet connectivity, among other improvements. With tens of millions of new iPhone 5 owners joining the party, 4G is now -- to use a "Star Wars" reference -- fully operational.

Beyond maintaining more reliable connections, faster networks will bring massive innovation tomobile apps. Once everyone gets a taste of features like augmented reality navigation, "mobile wallets," and 3D simulated board games, high-tech tricks once restricted to science-fiction movies will become commonplace.

Here is how a new generation of apps on 4G devices will impact our daily lives.

Getting around
Mapping technologies continue to improve how we get from point A to point B. In the immediate term, voice-enabled apps like Waze -- available for iOS and Android devices -- that help us to identify traffic jams (and offer turn-by-turn directions to avoid them) will only get more reliable with faster connections. Yet these kinds of conveniences are just scratching the surface. 

Augmented reality technology lets you view computer-generated graphics within the context of the real world. So if you're walking or in (the passenger seat of!) a car, driving around and trying to find a new pizza place or yoga studio, augmented reality-enabled apps will literally allow you to visualize depictions of where you ultimately want to end up. The same technology will also help you to locate a low-calorie-foods section at the grocery store or the Banana Republic in the shopping mall. 

There are already augmented reality apps like Layar Reality Browser (available for iOS and Androiddevices) and Wikitude (also for iOS and Android) that let you see superimposed images and descriptions of locations while holding your device in front of your eyes. Prior to 4G connectivity, however, this technology was hit and miss. As well, many augmented reality-enabled apps rely on businesses and municipalities to create and update information that can be surfaced by the app. This does not always happen. As more people own 4G devices that take advantage of the state-of-the-art technology, third-party businesses and organizations will be more encouraged to create content to accommodate them. 

Buying Things
For years, mobile apps have made it relatively easy to do things like make credit card purchases on the go or take advantage of Groupons and other daily deals in your proximity. The next generation of 4G-enabled mobile applications will make it simple and seamless to pay for a virtual movie ticket or real bag of groceries with just a tap of your device. Your smartphone or tablet, in essence, will transform into a mobile wallet. 

Apple's brand-new Passbook app, which requires the most recent iOS 6 operating system in order to work, stores things like coupons, boarding passes, and loyalty cards all in one place. While the iPhone 5 does not include the Near Field Technology (NFC) chip that most easily enables point-of-contact transactions, the company is betting that Passbook will be an interim mobile wallet solution as more consumers get comfortable doing these things with their phones. 

Consumers with 4G Android smartphones and tablets already can take advantage of NFC technology by downloading the Google Wallet application. This app lets you make payments from your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover account just by putting your phone in close proximity to point-of-sale terminals at participating retailers. 

NFC-enabled phones, however, are far from perfect. Earlier this year, a security bug in Google Walletexposed some of the warts in what is still an adolescent technology. That issue was resolved.

Expect the next wave of mobile applications not only to point us to merchandise, groceries, and drink specials that are most relevant for us but also to allow us to pay for and receive loyalty points from anything we end up purchasing. 
 
Playing games
Many of us enjoy passing the time by playing simulation games like SimCity and Pocket God on our smartphones and tablets. With 4G and augmented reality technology, these games will soon be able to incorporate elements from the real world. Why create a bank or house from scratch when you can take a picture of one instead? Any physical object in the real world can serve as a starting point or enhancement to what you create and manage virtually. 

Many classic board games, including Monopoly, The Game of Life, and Trivial Pursuit, are also popular mobile applications. But although most board games are fun to play on smartphones and tablets, they don't really replicate the experience of sitting around the coffee table with friends and rolling the dice. Augmented reality will eventually create virtual holograms for games that have been around for many generations. While you won't need a 4G connection in the home or anywhere else you have wireless Internet service, it will help when you are sitting around a campfire or in the back seat of the car. Even better, cleaning everything up will be a snap! 

Consuming and creating entertainment 
It's one thing to watch a movie like "Alien" anywhere we travel on our smartphones and tablets. It's another thing to be able to use augmented reality technology to re-create the classic scene in which the alien pops out of a human chest. That is the purpose of Chest Burster, an iPhone and iPad application that as much as anything illustrates how mobile apps can use augmented reality technology to create new (and sometimes disgusting) forms of homemade entertainment. See for yourself if you dare. 

More practically, expect video-sharing applications like Viddy, Klip Video Sharing, or something not yet imagined to take off the way Instagram (available for iOS and Android) did for photo sharing during the 3G era. Smartphones and, to a lesser extent, tablets connected to 4G networks will be able to store and remotely share longer video clips and will also more reliably share video as it's recorded in real time.

Working from wherever
There is nothing particularly revolutionary about keeping connected to the office while on the road with the aid of a smartphone, iPad, or other type of tablet computer. What will be a minor miracle for road warriors is the ability to tap into an HD videoconference call or share and access rich-media documents undisrupted without a wireless Internet connection. Apps like GoToMeeting (available foriOS and Android devices) have features like HD faces that -- for better and worse -- make you feel as if you are sitting next to colleagues in the office conference room. 

The "cloud" we keep hearing about that can store our business and personal documents in one place is great. But it's useless if you can't connect to it all the time. With 4G connections , there will be less of a need to find that mobile hotspot at a Starbucks or airport so that you can upload that new video or PowerPoint presentation you produced to Dropbox. 

You pay for what you get
Not everything having to do with 4G will lead to nirvana. For starters, you will pay more for both your device and your monthly cell phone plan. As well, most 4G-connected smartphones and tablets consume battery power considerably more quickly than their ancestors. Finally, just because you own a 4G device on a 4G plan, you won't necessarily connect at blazing speeds wherever you travel. 

Check with your carrier for coverage maps and pricing information. The future is now. 

New iPhone 5 to be released Friday