MYO GESTURE CONTROL ARMBAND

Forget camera-based gesture controls — if you want complete control wherever you are, you need something like the Myo Gesture Control Armband  ($150). This innovative new input device communicates with your Mac, PC, phone or tablet over Bluetooth 4.0, and uses proprietary muscle sensors as well as a 6-axis motion sensor to track your movement. The muscle sensors are advanced enough that it can detect changes in gestures down to the individual finger, and because your muscles pick up the signal to move before they actually do, you may see it respond to your movements before you even move. 

ASUS Transformer Book Trio TX201LA

The ASUS Transformer Book Trio is the first 3-in-1, 11.6-inch dual OS Windows 8/Android hybrid laptop with a dock powered by a 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The tablet features an Intel® Atom™ processor and a 1920 x 1080 IPS display.

10 Programming Languages You Should Learn in 2014

The tech sector is booming. If you've used a smartphone or logged on to a computer at least once in the last few years, you've probably noticed this.

As a result, coding skills are in high demand, with programming jobs paying significantly more than the average position. Even beyond the tech world, an understanding of at least one programming language makes an impressive addition to any resumé.

1. Java

What it is: Java is a class-based, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s. It's one of the most in-demand programming languages, a standard for enterprise software, web-based content, games and mobile apps, as well as the Android operating system. Java is designed to work across multiple software platforms, meaning a program written on Mac OS X, for example, could also run on Windows.

2. C Language

What it is: A general-purpose, imperative programming language developed in the early '70s, C is the oldest and most widely used language, providing the building blocks for other popular languages, such as C#, Java, JavaScript and Python. C is mostly used for implementing operating systems and embedded applications.

Because it provides the foundation for many other languages, it is advisable to learn C (and C++) before moving on to others.

 3. C++

What it is: C++ is an intermediate-level language with object-oriented programming features, originally designed to enhance the C language. C++ powers major software like Firefox, Winamp and Adobe programs. It's used to develop systems software, application software, high-performance server and client applications and video games.

4. C#

What it is: Pronounced "C-sharp," C# is a multi-paradigm language developed by Microsoft as part of its .NET initiative. Combining principles from C and C++, C# is a general-purpose language used to develop software for Microsoft and Windows platforms.

5. Objective-C

What it is: Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language used by the Apple operating system. It powers Apple's OS X and iOS, as well as its APIs, and can be used to create iPhone apps, which has generated a huge demand for this once-outmoded programming language.

6. PHP

What it is: PHP (Hypertext Processor) is a free, server-side scripting language designed for dynamic websites and app development. It can be directly embedded into an HTMLsource document rather than an external file, which has made it a popular programming language for web developers. PHP powers more than 200 million websites, including Wordpress, Digg and Facebook.

7. Python

What it is: Python is a high-level, server-side scripting language for websites and mobile apps. It's considered a fairly easy language for beginners due to its readability and compact syntax, meaning developers can use fewer lines of code to express a concept than they would in other languages. It powers the web apps for Instagram, Pinterest and Rdio through its associated web framework, Django, and is used by Google, Yahoo! And NASA.

8. Ruby

What it is: A dynamic, object-oriented scripting language for developing websites and mobile apps, Ruby was designed to be simple and easy to write. It powers the Ruby on Rails (or Rails) framework, which is used on Scribd, GitHub, Groupon and Shopify. Like Python, Ruby is considered a fairly user-friendly language for beginners.

9. JavaScript

What it is: JavaScript is a client and server-side scripting language developed by Netscape that derives much of its syntax from C. It can be used across multiple web browsers and is considered essential for developing interactive or animated web functions. It is also used in game development and writing desktop applications. JavaScript interpreters are embedded in Google's Chrome extensions, Apple's Safari extensions, Adobe Acrobat and Reader, and Adobe's Creative Suite.

Nitrous.IO

With the right tools, Google’s Chromebooks make for cheap Linux development machines, but it takes a bit of work to get there. Nitrous.IO, which offers a fully cloud-based development environment for writing Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, Go, and Python/Django apps, launched its packaged app for Chrome today. This app turns any Chromebook into a full-blown development environment with an IDE, full terminal access and collaboration tools for pair programming.

This packaged app, the Nitrous.IO team tells us, is the “first Packaged App available in the Google Chrome Web Store that offers a full web-based IDE and linux terminal.” It’s worth noting that you can always install the packaged app on Windows or OS X, too (and on those systems, you now get Chrome’s new app launcher to start these apps, too).

Using Google’s packaged apps gives developers API access to native hardware features that are not usually available to regular web apps, including the networking stack, Bluetooth and USB. This means, developers can use it to add things like shells (which Nitrious.IO uses) to their tools. Packaged apps can also run outside of the browser, which makes them also feel quite a bit more like native apps, even though they are built using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. The Nitrous.IO team notes that using a packaged app allows it to offer a “faster and more seamless experience vs. a traditional web browser.”

Nitrous.IO provides developers with a fully cloud-hosted development environment with the ability to provision new “boxes” — that is, virtual machines for development — at will. The service offers a free tier with 384MB of RAM and 750MB of storage for basic apps or developers who just want to dip their toes into the environment (or a new language). Additional memory and storage, of course, costs extra.

Skype to Achieves Video calls with 3D Holographic Avatars this year

The growth in video communication has been exponential. Skype now boasts 300 million users, and a 2012 Ipsos/Reuters poll revealed one in five people worldwide now frequently “telecommuted” to work. But Star Trek fans will be happy to hear that incoming technology will add a further dimension to international conference calls. Known as holographic telepresence, it involves transmitting a three-dimensional moving image of you at each destination – allowing you to converse as if you were in the room. One system from Musion, based in Britain, uses Pepper’s Ghost, an effect popular with illusionists, to beam moving images onto sloped glass. Musion has already digitally resurrected rapper Tupac Shakur at a music festival. But full 3D holographic communication is not far behind – in the shape of the Polish company Leia. Named after the Star Wars princess, its Leia Display XL uses laser projectors to beam images onto a cloud of water vapour. The result is a walk-in holographic room, in which 3D objects can be viewed and manipulated from every angle. An IBM survey of 3,000 researchers recently named holographic video calls as one technology they expected to see in place in the next year or so.

SD Cards Are Tiny, Hackable Computers

An SD card isn't just a dumb chunk of memory; it's a dumb chunk of memory with a built-in brain, a microcontroller. And at this year's Chaos Computer Congress, enterprising hackers showed off exactly what those brains can be used for : cheap hardware for makers or malware machines for malcontents.

The reason SD cards have microcontrollers in the first place is because it's cheaper than producing reliable memory. Instead of testing each card to make sure it's a flawless bit of hardware (it neveris), SD card manufacturers just slap on a cheap microcontroller that can come up with workarounds for dead sectors and other hardware issues on the fly. This all gets set up at the factory, and average users never have to know a thing about it.

But that's where the modification comes in. As hackers bunnie and xobs discovered, some of cards' chip firmware isn't locked down particularly well, leaving it completely open to modification. On the good side, that means relatively cheap microcontrollers for anyone who bothers to hack them. On the dark side, that means SD cards that can perform their own man-in-the-middle attacks and steal data on the sly with built-in malware. Or counterfeit SD cards that look like they're waaaay bigger than they are, like the mythical never-ending hard drive.