Author: Shivaank Rana

Leaked : HTC One In Black

There are but a few days left before HTC officially announces the flagship Android device, the HTC One, so that means there’s time for last minutes leaks and rumors. The latest, as you can tell from the headline, is that a render of the black version of the smartphone is now online.

Here’s another look at the much-rumoured HTC One, this time in a black casing. The leak comes at the same time as a source says the handset will go on sale on March 22 in the US.

The press shot seems to confirm what we’ve already seen – including two buttons below the screen instead of the regular three – but in a black finish instead of the silver one already spied.

The phone’s display shows a location of New York and a date of February 19th. The leaked render of the white variant was localized to London. Both cities will host a duel event that is all but confirmed to be the HTC One’s coming out party.

The HTC One will come with the a couple stereo speakers, plus rumoured to have a 4.7-inch display, a 13MP camera and a 2MP front-facing camera, 1.7Ghz quad-core processor and a massive 2300mAh battery.

We get a small glimpse of HTC Sense 5.0, which looks nothing like the iPhone’s iOS, but not much else. Anybody curious to see what HTC did around the back of this device in terms of design?

[Via HTC Source]

February 15, 2013
New WhatsApp Messenger Beta Released For Android, Updated With Holo-Based Interface

We’re sure that many of you guys use the WhatsApp messenger on your Android device, but if you have felt that WhatsApp’s interface on your Android device is starting to get a bit stale, you might be pleased to learn that an update could be heading your way soon.

A new beta has been released of WhatsApp Messenger for Android featuring, among other things, a new, Holo-style theme much better suited to the general look and feel of Android in general. The app has, hitherto, looked like a straight port of its iOS cousin, but with the security issues of yesteryear now having been resolved with WhatsApp Messenger for Android, the developers behind the popular app can now focus on aesthetics and features.

As well as the beautiful Holo theme, it also looks as though the beta also contains new expandable notifications, making the general functionality of the app in general just that little bit more streamlined. Expandable notifications make everything seem tidier and more natural, and with WhatsApp always seeming a prime candidate for the feature, it’s good to see the WhatsApp team finally implement it.

The update should be rolling out to the Play Store in the coming days or weeks (WhatsApp has not publicized the update yet) but it’s available to download from the company’s website.

As ever, the trial period for WhatsApp Messenger lasts for a year, with an annual service charge of $0.99 thereafter. If you have already paid, you will not be charged again to use the beta.

You can grab the update by heading over toWhatsApp.com/Android

[Redmond Pie]

February 15, 2013
Nvidia Tegra 4 To Ship In May, Project Shield By July

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huan recently said during the company’s quarterly and yearly earnings call that they did the best work in the company’s history in 2012. The proof is in the revenue which shot up 7.1 percent year over year to a record $4.28 billion.

Quarterly revenue was down 8.1 percent sequentially to $1.11 billion but compared to the same time last year, it was up 16.1 percent. Nvidia also pointed out the fact that they repurchased $100 million in stock and paid a total dividend to shareholders of $46.9 million during the fiscal quarter.

Most important to the company’s growth was the continued success of its Tegra 3 chip, which powered nearly every Android-based tablet in 2012 in addition to Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet.

The company expects its next-generation Nvidia Tegra 4 chip, which is based on ARM’s Cortex-A15 design and has a GPU six times faster than its predecessor, to begin shipping in July. This puts it in consumers’ hands in late July or early August. While this will affects profits for the next two quarters, Nvidia’s CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, said that he wants to ensure his team can push sufficient volumes upon release.

Nvidia Tegra 4 offers manufacturers plenty of reasons to go with Nvidia for future smartphone and tablet designs, but it faces some stuff competition. Recently, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 has become the standard for most high-end releases, while Samsung will challenge with their Exynos 5 Octa chipset to debut later this year. Any delays in getting Tegra 4 to consumers could hurt Nvidia’s chances of gaining a bigger stake in the mobile industry.

The Nvidia Tegra 4 SoC and Project Shield, a gaming device that will launch “in the latter part of Q2,” likely July or August, aims to challenge Qualcomm and Samsung in the mobile processing business. This may pose a huge challenge as Qualcomm already has a more mature architecture in Krait and has integrated a 28nm LTE baseband in its Snapdragon processors.

Due to a lack of integrated LTE, which Huang acknowledges Nvidia will need “to be successful [in the smartphone business],” 2013 will likely focus on pushing Tegra to the tablet market. “We’ll have some phone success this year, but we don’t expect to have a whole lot of phone design wins until we engage the market with LTE.”

The long time to market may hurt Nvidia in 2013 (Tegra 4 was launched at CES in January), but it’s certainly finding success in the mobile business, and that bodes well for the company’s future in light of a declining PC business where high-end GPUs are becoming more of a niche product. Whether it will be able to compete with Qualcomm in the highly-lucrative smartphone market remains to be seen.

Source: Xbit, The Verge, Mobile Syrup

February 15, 2013
Samsung Galaxy S4 Set For March Release, Will Feature “Contactless Gestures”

According to DDaily, a Korean journal with what seems like the scoop on all things Samsung, the Korean giant will be releasing the Galaxy S4 in the middle of next month, likely at a launch event on March 15th. It may be launched with similar design that of Galaxy S3, but it will be packed with amazing specs and features.

The report says that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will have the same “human-centric,” “organic” look along with the three button-setup. It is initially reported that Samsung experimented with a buttonless arrangement but in the end decided to stick with the familiar home, back and menu layout.

The newspaper says reports of the Galaxy S4 featuring a Wacom-based “S Pen” stylus like the Galaxy Note series are incorrect, but claims that the device will support “contactless” gestures. There’s not much detail about what this might entail, but it’s possible technology similar to that of the Sony Xperia Sola, which can detect fingers at a distance, might be used. Other reported hardware details include a 4.99-inch 1080p SuperAMOLED screen — a long-rumored component, and probably a safe bet at this point.

If Samsung chooses to use its in-house Exynos 5 Octa chipset to power the Galaxy S4 — and we’re almost certain the company will use an Exynos chip this time around — it stands to reason that there will be a fairly large battery cell included with the phone to accommodate all that extra horsepower.

The Galaxy S4 should be publicly unveiled in mid-March, ahead of a late March or early April release. Again, that timing makes sense if Samsung wants to deny Android competitors like HTC and Sony the chance to gain too much traction in the weeks following Mobile World Congress. And it’s not the first time we’ve heard rumors of an early April launch either.

February 14, 2013
American Express Launches Twitter Shopping, Buy Through Hashtags!

Have you ever skimmed your Twitter feed and thought, wow, if only I could buy an Amazon Kindle just by replying to a Tweet? No? Me, neither. But American Express is making it happen anyway.

Starting Monday, AmEx customers who sync their cards can buy items if they use the right hashtag. The first such item is a $25 AmEx gift card, which will go for $15 if you tweet #BuyAmexGiftCard25. Other offers will be rolled out on Wednesday Feb. 13 at noon EST including an Amazon Kindle Fire HD for $149.99 (a $50 discount), an Xbox Controller for $29.99 (a discount of about $10) and an Xbox 360 4GB console with a three-month Xbox LIVE Subscription and two game tokens for $179.99 (which is the price of the console without those extras.)

If consumers opt for those items and use the correct hashtags, then they will get a verification from @AmexSync, which will contain a confirmation hashtag. Cardholders then have 15 minutes to tweet the confirmation hashtag to confirm their purchase. If they do so, the item will be shipped to their home within two days for free.

That could generate a chunk of payments for Twitter if it takes a slice of those purchases. But the service, with more than 200 million users worldwide, is also beginning to ratchet up prices for reaching users: last week it raised the price of a “promoted trend” – visible to many users as they look to see what topics are generating the most interest – to$200,000 per day.

Twitter generated an estimated $350m in revenues in 2012, and its growth and increasing interest among advertisers seeking to place promoted tweets and trends could double that in 2013.

February 13, 2013
Real Racing 3 To Be Free-to-Play, Releasing On February 28th For iOS And Android

Electronic Arts has announced that the third release from its popular Real Racing series will be landing at the Google Play Store for Android, and the App Store for iOS, as of the 28th February. The iPhone 5 launch gave us a glimpse of things to come from Real Racing 3, but while the snippets appeared remnant of Gran Turismo, fans have had to wait quite a while for a solid release date.

Now, the wait appears to be almost over, and by the end of the month – provided no unforeseen delays crop up – the mobile arena’s favorite racer will be back for a third lap.

The title promises “46 licensed vehicles covering 3 classes, a 22 car grid, real world tracks, 8 varied event types and 900+ events.”

As you might expect, not all of that content will be free right away. Though players will be able to unlock all content for free over time, they can also skip the rigmarole by simply purchasing cars and tracks with real cash, according to CNET.

The freemium model has worked wonders for many other developers, as it entices gamers to try out a game in the first place. At $9.99/INR 550, one is only likely to spend money having played before, but if a gamer can try – and enjoy – a title for free having just found it while browsing the App or Google Play Stores, the inclination to spend further money is certainly higher.

Much like other racing games, Real Racing revolves around racing around in cars. The first game was critically acclaimed with an average review score of 94 percent on Metacritic. The series is praised for its visuals and intelligent AI.

The second game was released in December 2010. It features a number of real cars, including the 2006 BMW Z4 M Coupe, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, and the 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500, among others. As with the first game, it features an extensive career mode, time trials, and online play.

[CNET, Redmond Pie]

February 13, 2013
Microsoft Pushes Windows Update For Surface RT To Fix WiFi Issues

Microsoft will finally try to repair the Surface RT Wi-Fi bug today as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday updates that will also comprise several fixes for Windows RT platforms.

The update addresses “limited Wi-Fi connection issues and contains driver updates to improve performance with Windows as well as the volume and power buttons”.

The Surface team confirmed in an AMA session on Reddit a few days ago that Microsoft would release two different patches for the bug, one expected to be released on February 12 and another one due in March.

“Wifi connection robustness has been improved with the Feb 12 Windows Update. Another version is in the works and will release Mar 12,” the team said on Reddit.

To see if you received the update, you can click on the upper right portion of the screen or swipe in from the right edge. Click on Settings, and tap onChange PC settings. Then, tap on Windows Update and Check for Updates.

Unlike Apple or Google, Microsoft doesn’t provide a very clear numbering system for its Windows RT updates. Apple, for example, uses nomenclature like “iOS 6.1.1”, while that seems to be nonexistent on the Microsoft side. This update is simply being called the “February update.”

At any rate, it’s good to see Microsoft addressing issues that users may be seeing, relatively quickly.

February 13, 2013
Apple Paid A Record US $ 8 Billion To iOS Mobile Developers

Apple has announced it has paid out a total of $8 billion to developers since the inauguration of the App Store in 2009.

This is an increase of $1b since January 13th, when Apple last reported the numbers, and a milestone for an industry that increasingly relies on developer interest to beckon customers to a particular platform. While Android has proven successful for developers in usage numbers, recent statistics cite iOS developers as earning four times the amount, on average, for paid apps.

The App Store reached 775,000 apps back in September, with some apps becoming multi-billion dollar businesses. Cook couldn’t resist pointing out the lack of tablet-optimised apps in rival’s stores, saying: “We have over 300,000 apps custom designed for the tablet. The other guys have a few hundred.” This taunt is not dissimilar to one that Steve Jobs used during one of his WWDC keynotes a few years ago.

With iTunes bringing in a sizeable amount of money, too, Apple’s online services are definitely paying off.

Speaking also about what Apple would and would not do to earn cash, specifically with “affordable” products, Cook let it be known that the company’s “North Star” is “a great product.” Cook continued speaking about how they’d actually tried to make cheaper products, but found that instead of creating a Mac for under $500, it made more sense to make the iPad. Thus that product ecosystem was born.

February 13, 2013
Whoops! BlackBerry Creative Director Alicia Keys Tweets From iPhone!

After being announced as BlackBerry’s Global Creative Director less than two weeks ago, pop diva Alicia Keys claims her Twitter account was hacked after a specious tweet from an iPhone was sent under her name.

[quote]”What the h*ll?!!!! Looks like I’ve been hacked… I like@Drake but that wasn’t my tweet :-(” she posted shortly after the offending missive.[/quote]

As the Verge reports, Alicia Keys today offered the profound thought: “Started from the bottom now were here,” to all of her Twitter followers. This obvious spontaneity seems to have been sent from a Twitter for iPhone app.

It was removed shortly afterward.

Keys is the latest celebrity to experience problems with social media as tech companies look to cultural icons to push their products in mainstream markets. In 2012, Oprah used an iPad to send out a number of tweets endorsing Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet. However, this particular situation is a bit more interesting considering Keys has a paid position on the actual BlackBerry team; not just a promoter.

Pocket-Lint offers a tantalizing glimpse of her dressing room at the Grammys. There, not one, but two iPhones are to be seen on her dressing table.

An iPhone 4S is positioned so close to Keys’ fingers that all she would have to do is lift her arm up and her extremities would naturally meet its keyboard and want to communicate.

[TechRadar, CNET]

February 12, 2013
Report : Google To Pay Apple $1 Billion To Be Default Search Engine

Despite their continuing legal battles, new reports have suggested search giant Google will pay bitter rival Apple as much as $1 billion (£638.24 million) to be the default search browser on the company’s market dominating hardware ranges. In 2009, the search giants paid only $82 million for the privilege.

It seemed like an impressive win for Mozilla when the new three-year, $900 million deal with Googlewas announced. The Foundation derives the bulk of its funding from that search deal and in return Google gets billions of search hits. But that deal may pale in comparison to what it pays Apple.

Business Insider brings a little hyperbole into the equation, saying that if the iPad continues to grow that it’ll surpass PCs in 5 years — at which point an Apple switch to another search provider could be devastating for Google. They base this speculation on the recent news that iPhoto has dropped Google Maps as a location provider, which some feel is an indication that Apple no longer needs Google at all.

For every dollar of revenue Google makes on iOS thanks to advertising and data collection, Apple gets 75 cents from Google. The number is only going to increase in the coming years if iOS sales keep growing.

Are you an Apple iDevice or Mac user? Do you stick strictly to the Google search options of your device or make use of alternatives such as Bing?

[Business Insider]

February 12, 2013
Android 4.2.2 Rolling Out For Nexus Devices

Nexus owners may have a reason to stay up tonight, as a couple of Reddit users report that Android 4.2.2 has begun rolling out to the GSM Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 7. This is a release Google was rumoured to start shipping in Brazilian Nexus 4?s over a month ago, but nothing ever came of that assertion.

The report mentions that the update is being rolled out to select devices, carrying the JDQ39 build number.

We had earlier reported that the update is expected to roll out by the mid of February, so it doesn’t really come as a surprise that Google has started seeding it out.

The update comes in at little over 46MB and considering the fairly significant size may feature plenty more under-the-hood changes. Android 4.2.2 is currently rolling out in waves and will likely hit the Nexus 4 in the following days if previous deployments are of any indication. For Galaxy Nexus owners there is an OTA Android 4.2.2 update file that can be manually downloaded and installed afterwards using ADB Sideload in the recovery.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing too exciting to report, as the update provides mainly performance and stability fixes, and allegedly fixes a bug related to streaming music over a Bluetooth connection.

It’s not surprising that the update doesn’t deliver many new features, as Google is widely expected to announce the next major release of its Android mobile operating system, which is likely to be named Android 5.0, at its Google I/O conference in May.

Via: Reddit

February 12, 2013
Blackberry Z10 Teardown Reveals Similarities To Samsung Galaxy S III
The BlackBerry Z10 has already arrived in a few markets and while we are still waiting for it to arrive in the India bringing the new BlackBerry 10 platform in March, UBM Tech Insights has torn the whole device down revealing its hardware. Somewhat surprisingly, it is very similar to the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S III in that it runs on an identical Qualcomm chip. BlackBerry has obviously ditched its previous partner Texas Instruments and opted for Qualcomm’s chips.

Other interesting additions to the Blackberry Z10 include 2GB of low-power Samsung DDR2 memory, and 16GB of Samsung NAND flash memory, also similar to the Galaxy S III. The 1280×768 pixel screen relies on a Synaptics touchscreen controller, which brings the four-point multitouch capabilities to the device.

Scroll down for the full specs breakdown. Looks like a win for both Qualcomm and Samsung, especially if the BlackBerry Z10 continues to sell well.
- Samsung K3PE0E000A – Multichip Memory – 2 GB Mobile DDR2 SDRAM
- Samsung KLMAG2GE4A – Multichip Memory – 16 GB MLC NAND Flash, Controller
- Qualcomm MSM8960 – Snapdragon S4 Baseband / Applications Processor
- Qualcomm WCD9310 – Audio Codec
- Qualcomm PM8921 – Power Management IC
- Qualcomm RTR8600 – GSM / CDMA / W-CDMA / LTE RxD Transceiver + GPS
- Texas Instruments WL1273L – Single-Chip 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, and FM
- TriQuint TQP6M9017 – Dual-Band WLAN Module
- RF Micro Devices RF7252 – CDMA/WCDMA BAND 2 Linear Power Amplifier Module
- RF Micro Devices RF7303 – LTE/UMTS/CDMA BAND 3 Linear Power Amplifier Module
- Inside Secure SECUREAD IC5C633I4- NFC Solution Module
- Avago ACPM-5017 – LTE Band XVII Power Amplifier
- Avago ACPM-7051 – Quad-Band GSM / W-CDMA Bands I & V Power Amplifier
- Sony CXM3582UR – SP10T Antenna Switch
- ST Microelectronics LIS3DH – MEMS Accelerometer
- STMicroelectronics LSM330DLC – 3D Accelerometer & 3D Gyroscope
- Synaptics Clearpad 3203 – Capacitive Touchscreen Controller
Source: TechInsights
February 12, 2013
This Is What The HTC One / HTC M7 Will Look Like According To Latest Leak!

On Twitter this today reputable device leaker EVLeaks posted an image that is said to be the HTC One. This looks similar in design to previous HTC devices (Legend, Hero, One X) and clearly has a couple speakers. HTC also declared that 2013 will see a “new sound and camera experience” embedded into their devices. If the leaked image is legit, the HTC One does look a lot similar to the recently released Blackberry Z10.

Earlier @evleaks, which has been spot on about every product it has spoken about, the upcoming HTC M7 will be coming to market merely as the HTC One.

The HTC One /M7 is expected to bring a 4.7-inch, full HD 1080p display as well as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and a new version of HTC’s Sense UI.

It’s likely that a Qualcomm 1.7GHz quad-core processor will be powering the device, with 2GB of RAM to keep everything speedy. It is also rumoured to have 16-64GB of internal storage and a 2300mAh battery.

We’re looking forward to seeing what the HTC One has in store for us, including a new “ultrapixel” camera system

HTC is almost certain to unveil the device at special events in London and New York on February 19 so we’ll know for sure whether it truly is The One.

Last week, The HTC One price leaked in France, revealing the much-talked-about flagship handset will sport a decidedly high-end price tag.

French site FrAndroid got hold of a snap showing the HTC M7 listed in a brochure for retailer Phone House, complete with a price of €649.99 (around £560/$880/AU$855/INR 48,000).

[EVLeaks, Mobile Syrup]

February 11, 2013
Australia Orders Apple, Microsoft, Adobe To Pricing Inquiry

Apple Inc has been ordered to appear before Australia’s parliament with fellow technology giants Microsoft Inc and Adobe Systems Inc to explain why local consumers pay so much for their products, despite the strong Aussie dollar.

The House of Representatives launched a probe in July last year to see if some goods were more expensive in Australia than in other parts of the world.

Consumer bodies have often complained that Australians are overcharged.

The firms have previously made written submissions to the committee but have so far declined to appear in person. They are now scheduled to appear before the committee on 22 March.

Ed Husic, a member of the Australian House of Representatives, says that some estimates suggest Australian prices on some products are up to 60 percent higher than in the U.S. Husic told Kotaku Australia that “in what’s probably the first time anywhere in the world, these IT firms are now being summonsed by the Australian Parliament to explain why they price their products so much higher in Australia compared to in the U.S. Adobe, Apple and Microsoft are just a few firms that have continually defied the public’s call for answers and refused to appear before the IT Pricing Inquiry.

Husic took aim at Apple last week over local taxes paid by the company, telling parliament that Apple generated A$6 billion in revenue in Australia in 2011, but paid only A$40 million in tax – less than one percent of turnover.

Good move!

February 11, 2013
Box Offering 50GB Of Free Storage For New Users

As more and more of us start to truly embrace our mobile devices, it’s only natural that we begin to really take advantage different means to save the different pieces of content on our devices. That’s why online storage solution Box.com is offering a sweet deal for new users.

New users can sign up for an account and receive 50GB of space for free. This seems to be a “Dell Exclusive Offer,” but we’re seeing no restrictions here, meaning that it doesn’t look like you have to own a Dell computer in order to take advantage of the free space.

[quote]”Get 50GB of Box FREE for Life & 50GB for Coworkers or Friends,” the signup page reads. “Signup now for 50GB to securely access and share your content from anywhere.”[/quote]

If you’re not already signed up for a Box account, this is your chance to get 50GB of cloud storage space for free. They’ve given away 50GB free before, but that’s the highest that the company has gone with its promotions.

Interestingly, Box earlier this week was giving away 25GB of free storage to new users. The deal was available to anyone with an email address; users did not need to download a mobile app to take advantage of the offer.

Box only allows, at the most, 250MB files, so you might as well forget about backing up home videos. However, Box offers paid accounts that get rid a lot of the limitations that you’ll come across. Plus, 50GB for free may not seem useful now, but who knows when you’ll need it. Either way, it’s handy to have just in case.

[Slash Gear]

February 11, 2013