The tablet Wars (as I like to call them) continue...Today Barnes & Noble announced the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. Simply put, a Galaxy Tablet built for Barnes & Noble Nook enthusiasts. The tablet measures 7 inches and comes in black and white. But lets look at some of the more detailed specs... The tablet boasts 1280x800 pixel screen resolution, a 3 megapixel rear camera, and 8GB of memory. Now before you write that off, it does have an microSD slot for expanding memory. The Android OS has been customized with Nook features, so there is a familiarity to it for Nook users. So of course you have access to Barnes and Nobles vast library of books, magazines and video. The new tablet is on sale now for $179 in Barnes and Noble stores and online. Oh and did I mention that you get $200 of free content, from bestselling books to magazines, not bad for the price, all you have to do is register your Nook once you purchase it. So do you think this new tablet will be able to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire, Apple's iPad, Microsoft Surface or Samsung's line of tablets? Only time will tell. I think it is more a beefed up Nook and gives people who are avid readers a little more than just the ability to tote around a e-book reader. Check it out here: Barnes&Noble Nook Tablet ~ChicDivaGeek

XL4D sent me their another of their newest products the ToneStand 5, and let me say that I wasn't disappointed. The thing that drew me to this company is their appreciation of quality sound and the fact that they are making their products via 3D printing. I think that the 3D technology is really cool, and these products are a real showcase of it. The product is exactly what the name implies, it's a stand. Allowing you to sit your phone down and hear your music as it was acoustically meant to sound, not limited by the capabilities of your built in speakers on your smartphone. That's not a shot at any one, but I like my music loud and enjoy hearing it clearly. Check out my video of me using the ToneStand 5 above and make sure you go and browse XL4D's store and check out their other awesome products! http://www.xl4d.com/ ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo credit: Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile has been known for their prepaid wireless phone contracts but last week they announced Virgin Mobile Custom. Great prepaid value and it's customizable on a whim, let's take a look at the details. There are many that use prepaid plans, for variety of reasons, savings, control of your budget, not locking yourself into a contract, etc. But how often if ever are you allowed to only pay for what you use? Virgin Mobile Custom, allows you get a cell phone plan starting as low as $6.98 per month (that includes 20 talk minutes, 250 texts, and 250MB of data) but you can adjust these are needed. You can do special add-ons for just an additional $5.00/month; such as unlimited Facebook, unlimited Twitter, unlimited Instagram, and even unlimited music. This doesn't count against your monthly plan allowance. They even have add-ons for international calls as well. If you know you do more talking than texting, or more data usage you can adjust those to fit how you use your cell phone. Check it out here, http://www.virginmobileusa.com/custom the service is only available at Walmart. ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo: Screenshot of Firefox browser Last week Firefox quietly rolled out Firefox Hello. The new add on allows you to start video chats right from your browser without having to sign in, just send the person you want to connect with the link. You do need to have the latest version of Firefox installed to take advantage of this feature. The person you are chatting with doesn't have to be using Firefox but they do need to be using Google Chrome, Opera, or of course Firefox. The reason with those specific browsers is that they support WebRTC (the technology that Firefox Hello uses). It's always a good idea to have more than one browser installed anyway. This is a pretty good way to start a video chat up on the fly without having to log in, check to make sure the other person has Skype or Google accounts. So next time you open your Firefox browser look in the upper right hand corner for the smiley face icon and check it out! ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo credit: Ikea Currently in Barcelona, Spain the WPC is happening (Wireless Power Consortium) and of course like all major technology conferences or events some pretty exciting new things are coming out of it. Swedish furniture maker Ikea is teaming up with Samsung to launch a new collection of furniture that will charge your devices, no wires needed! The collection, which is set to launch in North America and Europe in April 2015, will include nightstands (beside tables), lamps, and desks that have wireless charging pads in them. We are very much a mobile device society now, there are apps for everything, so that is pretty draining on the battery. So to be able to just sit my phone down and know it's charging is nice and for the OCD crowd that cringe at the sight of cords and cables this makes it look cleaner. Nothing worse than needing to charge your phone and can't find an outlet or needing to borrow someone's charger this move to wireless charging needs to become a standard across the board. With all the fancy new tech involved, will the furniture be any easier to assemble? This partnership makes sense, seeing as the Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge features embedded wireless charging technology. Stay close for my post about all the new features of the new Galaxy devices from Samsung. ~ChicDivaGeek

photo credit: Facebook Last week Facebook unveiled that they will be launching better tools to help combat suicide. They've worked with organizations such as Save.org, Now Matters Now, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and many more to make sure these tools are resources for someone who is troubled or even their family members. The new feature will allow more support for those who are troubled, but also allow for friends and family members to report a post they think is troubling, it's then reviewed by 24/7 support. The next time the person logs into Facebook they will see options like the one in the picture. Mental health is a huge issue, so I think this is a step in the right direction of social responsibility on Facebook's part. ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo Credit: Google Last week Google held it's annual I/O conference and unveiled what the company has coming down the pipeline. From updates to Android OS, to more wearable tech, and updates to it's Chrome OS. Let's take a look at some of the highlights! I'm sure if most of you don't have an iOS device then you probably have a phone that runs Android OS of some kind. Well there is a new Android OS in the works, it's named (for right now) Android L. Promising better battery power, even a feature called Battery Historian which will help you see which apps are using most of your battery. It also touts owner detection, so no more spirit fingers to unlock your Android device. And like iOS it will be bringing notifications to the lock screen. Another big announcement, is Android Auto. Your phone connects to the LCD inside the car, you control it from the car. You can then take advantage of voice control to your music, and it appears that the use of Google Maps will be easier, I mean that makes sense right? What good would incorporating any device into your car if you can't use navigation apps? Chromecast, which is Google's streaming device, also has some updates, including more app support and the ability to screencast photos to the device and showing off that trip to Hawaii to a room full of people without having to pass your phone around the room. Chrome OS is seemingly being made to work better with Android OS, so you will be able to get call notifications on your Chromebook. Oh and did I mention that GoogleFit is coming? This will of course tie into all of the devices, including Android Wear, which will be Android on your wrist. Looks like all the major tech companies are throwing their hats into the wearable tech ring. The bottom line is, they are definitely keeping up with the latest trends, and not all the details were shared, so as soon as I know more you will! ~ ChicDivaGeek

Photo Credit: Google If you work in the technology field you are already aware that women are not that common in this field. Google announced that it will pay for coding lessons for women. The tech giant will pay for 3 months of classes at The Code School. This is shining a flashlight on the common issue of the lack of women in the IT field, so kudos to Google. To throw your name in the bucket fill out the form here ~ChicDivaGeek

I love a good tech accessory so when I was given the opportunity to review the WaveShell 5 by XL4D, I jumped! This little device enhances the audio on your iPhone. I don't know anyone who doesn't play music on their phone, and more often than not, it's never quite loud enough for a small group to listen to without hovering around the phone. I know some of you may not have heard of XL4D, but the thing that really stands out about this company is that their products are 3D printed! But back to the WaveShell 5, it's a clip-on multi-resonant amp attachment, which simply put enhances the audio on the device it's attached to. The WaveShell 5 can fit in my purse, my pocket and makes my phones speakers sound great! Did I mention it's only $9.99? That's a pretty good deal, make sure you head on over to www.xl4d.com and check out their other devices that they have available for the iPhone 4, 4s, 5, and 5s. Check out my Vimeo above to see the difference! ~ChicDivaGeek

Undercover Colors Facebook page What girl doesn't love a good polish? But what if your polish didn't only serve the purpose of making your manicure look great but as a form of protection? Enter Undercover Colors, a nail polish that will help detect the "date rape" drug Undercover Colors was developed by four undergrad students at North Carolina State University, with the goal of helping prevent sexual assaults. The team won the Lulu eGames student competition at the University, the competition gives students the chance to present a solution to real world issues. This is definitely one; As much as it isn't talked about or for as much as we see it on crime themed shows it is still a prevalent issue and needs to be addressed. Women should always feel safe when they are out. The polish is designed to change colors when it comes into contact with the drugs, so you could stick your finger into your drink to see if it was present or not, if the polish changes color then the drugs are present. They are currently still in development, so not ready to purchase in stores but this is one thing I think should and will be on the shelves. They are currently accepting donations to further their efforts here: https://undercovercolors.cloverdonations.com/uc-donations-page/ Can't wait to see this product out there. Make sure to check them out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/undercovercolors ~ChicDivaGeek

If you are into PC simulation games, then chances are you are familiar with The Sims franchise. Well in a couple of weeks, the lastest installment, The Sims 4 will be released! Not only do the graphics look better but as usual they've improved gameplay as well. Let's look at some of the new features: The Create-A-Sim mode allows for way more customization of your Sim down to personality traits. The build mode is easier to use now as well, making the creation process more fun and less cumbersome for users who aren't architects in their spare time. You can now also share your creations within the game and download content within the Sims 4 via the Gallery. The Sims 4 will be released for PC on September 2, there currently is no Mac version available. It will be available as a Digital download, with the limited edition costing $59.99 and the Digital Deluxe version priced at $69.99. As with previous versions of the game, you will need an Origin account. Check out more videos and order yours here: http://www.thesims.com/ ~ChicDivaGeek

On Saturday February 28th, 2015, The NOBEL Women (National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women) are holding a 1 day technology workshop for girls ages 8-18. This workshop focuses on technology and the internet and engaging our young women early on so that they can be prepared to work in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. This is so needed as young girls of color are a minority in this field and it's important that we invest in our youth. Most girls aren't even aware of the vast opportunities in the STEM fields but hopefully with organizations like this and events such as these, we can show them and engage them. Where were these events when I was younger? The event is free but you must registerby February 23rd!