Author: Shivaank Rana

Galaxy Note 2 To Come In 3 New Colours Next Year

At the moment the Galaxy III comes in 6 colors. (Pebble Blue, Marble White, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, Sapphire Black and Titanium Grey). But according to a post on SamMobile we’ll see the 5.5-inch Android be splashed with Amber Brown, Garnet Red and Sapphire Black. Samsung will take the opportunity and show off the new colours at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona.

The Galaxy Note II, with its 5.5-inch HD SuperAMOLED display, is slightly bigger than the original Galaxy Note, which had a 5.3-inch touchscreen. This device runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, layered with the company’s TouchWiz UI. The phablet has a quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex A-9 processor with 2GB of RAM and will come in 16, 32 and 64GB variants, with support for microSD card having capacity of up to 64GB.

If the info is spot on, will any of our readers be hoping to snap up one of the new colours if or when they hit the mobile space?

November 19, 2012
Messages Beta For OS X Lion to End December 14th

Messages beta for Mac OSX Lion will no longer be operational next month. In an email to users on Friday, Apple reminded Messages beta program participants that the preview period will end on Friday, Dec. 14, noting that the service will then only be available on OS X Mountain Lion.

AppleInsider was first to note the upcoming closure, which brings the OS X 10.7 Lion preview service to an end. Apple introduced a beta of Messages for Lion in February alongside the surprise release of a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion. The latter went on sale in July for $19.99, a third less than its two predecessors.

Mountain Lion includes Messages, as well as several other features and services that debuted on iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad.

Apple pulled the download of the Messages beta for Lion in mid-June, when at its annual developers conference company executives revealed more information about Mountain Lion, including its price and a July ship date. Lion users, however, could still run Messages if they had already installed the beta.

If you’re still on Lion, you’ll have until December 14th to update to Mountain Lion, when Messages will expire. At only $19, it’s really a no-brainer if you haven’t updated yet.

November 18, 2012
Xbox World To Unveil Info On The Next Xbox In Its Second Last Issue

UK gaming magazine Xbox World may be shutting down soon (alongside Nintendo Power, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, and PSM3), but with news like this, it seems they’re making sure they go out with a bang.Their second to last issue will reportedly unveil tons of information on Microsoft’s highly anticipated follow-up to the Xbox 360.

For starters, it will be known officially as simply “Xbox,” and will introduce Kinect 2.0 to the world, which will be capable of tracking as many as four players at once, with enough detail for all of their fingers to be tracked too.

Blu Ray discs will be used for games, as a stop gap for full digital download releases, as well as directional audio for a more 3D sound. There will also be a TV input along with the usual outputs, which could potentially mean video editing on the platform. It will also mean that you’ll be able to record live TV on your Xbox. Also the inclusion of Augmented Reality is mentioned.

In terms of internal hardware, the CPU apparently features four hardware cores, with four logical cores in each of those. Memory wise, you’re looking at 8GB, which is a massive increase over the current Xbox 360’s 512mb. It’s also thought that Microsoft will be introducing a new “innovative controller,” as part of the release, which would suggest something other than Nintendo’s Gamepad, since Smartglass will cater to touch screen controller schemes.

With Microsoft’s next Xbox console expected to release towards the end of 2013, are you now starting to get excited that these are indeed the main features of the next-gen console? It’s the second time we’ve heard about the possibility of augmented reality and glasses on the next Xbox, so would you support Microsoft’s decision to go down this route?

November 18, 2012
Scam! Fake Apple Apps Show Up On Google Play Store

In case you were browsing the Google Play Store and found supposedly Apple-made mobile apps inside, apps that would be usually found in its own App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch use, then you should probably stay away from them.

A said “Apple Inc” developer has uploaded a series of popular iLife and iWork applications in our beloved Google Play Store. These include Garage Band, iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers and Pages. The “apps” were just released in the Play Store with no announcement from Apple, making it seem like a very well-elaborated scam.

Not only does the developer’s name take Apple’s identity, but the developer’s website directs you to Apple’s homepage, the email is [email protected] and the descriptions seem rather convincing. To the unexperienced Android user, this may very well seem legit. But do you really think Apple would release such apps in their largest competitor’s app store? No way.

It seems some users have already paid for and downloaded these apps, so please beware.

Somebody at Google must have been tipped off because all of the fake apps have been removed. But the real question is, how did they get into the Google Play Store in the first place?

This is where Apple strict monitoring of the Apps they put up in the App Store is appreciated.

November 18, 2012
Google Play Store 3.10.9 Released With Post Launch Suggestions, Translate and More

It was only a month ago that Google updated its Google Play Store app to version 3.9.16, which brought along new features like improved notifications and a wish list function. Now, a new version of the app, 3.10.9, is being pushed out to select users.

There is a new screen that pops up after you start installing a new app. The screen is different than the one we are all used to seeing during app installation and it also displays a “Users Also Installed” list of apps that is handy for discovery. When the installation is complete a “Keep shopping” button pops up.

Also, there is now a “Remove” icon displayed in the Wish list that came in the 3.9.16 update of the Google Play. That is certainly a welcome update.

Finally, there is now a “Translate” button next to apps that include a description that isn’t in your native language. This is much the same as the translate option that appears under the menu bar when using Chrome to visit a foreign site.

APKs are available online which are signed by Google and install right on top of any other Google Play Store version. It is safe to install it if you don’t wish to wait for an automatic update to be pushed to your device on a schedule you don’t control.

November 18, 2012
FTC’s $22.5 Million Fine Of Google Approved

A federal judge on Friday approved a legal settlement in which Google agreed to pay a record fine of $22.5 million to resolve federal allegations of privacy violations, despite objections from a consumer group that argues the penalty is too weak.

Hours after holding a brief hearing in San Francisco’s federal court, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the negotiated agreement is “fair, adequate and reasonable.”

The Federal Trade Commission had touted the penalty, negotiated last summer, as the largest fine it has ever assessed in a case of this kind. The settlement stems from an FTC investigation which found that Google’s advertising service used software “cookies” to track the Web pages visited by people who used Apple’s Safari Web browser, after promising that it would not do so.

Google, which has maintained that the tracking was inadvertent, did not admit to any legal violation but agreed to disable the cookies. Attorneys for both Google and the FTC spoke in favor of the settlement in court, while an attorney for the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog group opposed the agreement as ineffective.

The fine, although large by the federal government’s standards, is a drop in the bucket for Google, which made nearly $38 billion in revenue last year.

“We were disappointed, but think we made important points that will have an impact on how similar cases are dealt with in the future,” said John Simpson, director of the Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project.

November 17, 2012
Windows Phone 7.8 Set For Early 2013 Release

For all the fuss made around the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 it didn’t take the more level-headed among us too long to notice the ongoing lack of any news on Windows Phone 7.8.

Windows Phone 7.8 is set to launch in early 2013, Chinese blog winp.cn has been handed a slide said to be from a Nokia presentation kit, which reveals a few more potential features of Windows Phone 7.8.

The update for existing Windows Phone 7 users will bring no notable features other than a new home screen, with support for three tile sizes.

According to the sheet, Internet Explorer 9 will be patched with security updates, and users will be able to create ringtones out of MP3 files on the device. In addition, Bing photos will be a new repository for lockscreen images, which is a nice, small feature of Windows Phone 8.

There will also be 20 colour themes altogether, matching the count of WP8. While we’re hoping that Microsoft will include a few more tangible features than these in the production release, we fear that Windows Phone 7.8 is little more than a pity update for those running legacy hardware. We’ll see in early 2013.

November 17, 2012
Leaked : Huawei W2 Expected To Be The Next Windows 8 Operated High End Phone

The Huawei Ascend W2 has just leaked out and it follows in the footsteps of HTC and Nokia who each have one lower and one higher end Windows Phone 8 device. We have already seen the Huawei Ascend W1, the company’s affordable device, and this here Ascend W2 will hit the high-end market.

It looks to have a screen 4.5 to 4.8 inches in size, with an 8MP rear camera and dual-LED flashes, along with a front-facing camera for Skype calls. We’d venture a guess that the insides will be packed with a dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM and a non-removable battery somewhere in the vicinity of 2000 mAh, but these are mere rumours.

Huawei, Microsoft’s fourth launch partner, is expected to launch the device at CES next year, early in 2013.

November 17, 2012
Google Maps For iOS Nearing Release : WSJ

Google Maps for iOS is almost ready for release to Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The WSJ report uses information from someone knowledgeable about Google Maps software development. The source reveals that Google handed out a test version of a new Google Maps for iOS app to put final changes before submitting it to the Apple App Store.

While it’s expected that Google’s iOS Maps will include walking and transit directions, the WSJ’s source claims that Google will also bundle its turn-by-turn navigation feature, available free on all Android devices, in the app. This would bring the functionality to par with Apple Maps, which is why some pundits still think Apple will not approve the app when it is submitted.

Google Maps for iOS could see the company derive a huge amount of revenue from sponsored business listings and other product tie-ins. But while it’s possible to change default apps in Android, Apple Maps will continue to be the default service used within third-party apps.

Google apps such as YouTube, Google+ and Search are available on iOS, and are very popular despite not being integrated directly into the operating system. Apple would not comment on the matter, but it would seem likely that they view Google’s services as a thorn in its proverbial side.

November 17, 2012
$1.5 Million Worth Of Apple iPad Minis Stolen In Heist At JFK Airport

Apple’s latest product release is always a hot commodity— a fact that certainly isn’t lost on the bandits and black marketeers of the world. The company was the victim of a large scale heist at JFK Airport in New York this week, where two men absconded with multiple crates containing approximately $1.5 million worth of iPad Minis.

In what has been described as a “Goodfellas”-style heist, two thieves reportedly stole about 3,600 of the Apple devices from a cargo building at John F. Kennedy Airport earlier this week. The New York Post, which had the exclusive on this story, writes:

[quote]The crooks struck shortly before midnight on Monday and used one of the airport’s own forklifts to load two pallets of the tablet computers into a truck, according to law-enforcement sources.

They might have gotten more, but the thieves drove off leaving three more pallets of the Apple tablets behind after they were challenged by an airport worker returning from dinner.[/quote]

The million-dollar iPad mini caper has reminded some of the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist, which was immortalized in the 1990 film “Goodfellas.” The Lufthansa heist thieves reportedly stole $5 million in cash and nearly $900,000 in jewelry from the very same JFK cargo building from which the iPads were snagged, the New York Post notes.

There were three pallets remaining in the building when an airport employee confronted the pair and they drove off.

“So, as a caper goes, it was probably unsuccessful,” a source told the New York Post.

Airport workers are being questioned by the New York gumshoes and given polygraph tests, with the thieves still at large.

The sought-after devices had just arrived from China and were set to be distributed to Apple Stores all over the country. Now they’re headed straight for back alley retailers who won’t treat them nearly as nicely!

November 16, 2012
BlackBerry 10 SDK Gold Versions On December 11 : RIM

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has already provided developers with the possibility to start building applications for its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, and it is now promising a final flavor of its development tools for early December.

According to the handset vendor, developers will be provided with a new flavor of the BlackBerry 10 SDK on November 29, while the Gold version of the kit will arrive on December 11.

The company is focusing on bringing developers into the fold, offering a wide variety of tools such as HTML5, native C++, and even Java, to fill up the BlackBerry App World with high-quality apps and games.

RIM clearly understands that apps can make or break an ecosystem — just ask webOS — and it’s working hard to woo developers back from Android and Apple.

The company apparently learned from the recent release of Windows Phone 8 as well. With WP8, Microsoft angered legions of would-be developers when it didn’t bother to release a final SDK until the day after the official launch of the mobile operating system.

RIM will officially launch Blackberry 10 on 30th January.

November 16, 2012
Nexus 10 Tablet Now Sold Out on Google Play Store

November 13th saw the official release of the Samsung Nexus 10, at least for those lucky enough to actually order one before stock dried up. Within hours, almost every market was sold out of the Nexus 10, but the United States still managed to keep enough 16GB models in stock it seems. Until today, that is. The 16GB and the 32GB version of the Samsung Nexus 10 are now “sold out” in the Play Store.

The last things you can buy now are the 16 and 32GB Nexus 7, and the new $199 Acer Chromebook. Everything else in the Google hardware department is sold out. Hopefully Google can get things back in order and get devices shipping again soon.

Earlier this week, the Nexus 4 smartphone was sol out and some of those who ordered the smartphone received an email on Thursday, telling them that the device is on backorder and could ship sometime in the next 3 weeks.

Good times for Google!

November 16, 2012
Sony To Release a Flagship Device To “Compete with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S III”

Japanese handset vendor Sony Mobile is confident that its future devices will get it to the top of the smartphone market, offering users viable options when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S III or the Apple iPhone.

In fact, the company has already confirmed plans to release a new flagship Xperia model, possibly the rumoured quad-core 5-inch 1080p Jelly Bean “Yuga” that’s leaked online, next year that will help it consolidate its position on the mobile segment.

[quote]“We will create in the near future a flagship model that can compete with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S III,” Dennis van Schie, CVP Sales & Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, told Financial Times Deutschland.
In fact, the company has already confirmed plans to release a new flagship Xperia model next year that will help it consolidate its position on the mobile segment. [/quote]

The report goes on to say that this flagship model will be revealed in early 2013 at CES in Las Vegas in January and/or Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February. Stronger content integration will be a key theme during 2013. By the end of the year, van Schie says that all Sony music and video content will be available with cross-device support.

Sony’s current flagship device is the phone that James Bond uses, the Xperia T. It’s a solid device and comes stacked with a 4.6-inch HD display (1280 x 720), 1.5GHz dual core processor and a 13MP camera that shoots 1080p HD videos.

Moving onto tablets, Dennis van Schie says that it is very difficult to make money on tablets given the fierce competition. However, Sony does plan on releasing more models going forward. “We will bring in addition to the existing Xperia Tablet other Android tablets to the market, but not many,” said Van Schie.

Dennis van Schie also confirmed that they are keeping an eye on Windows Phone, although the main focus is on Android right now. “We have a good relationship with Microsoft and we are watching the development of Windows Phone closely. If it succeeds, we will not be caught off guard”.

November 16, 2012
Acer Introduces C7 Chromebook for $199 with Intel Celeron Inside

Acer has launched the latest version of Chromebook laptops- Acer C7 at USD 199.

The newest Chromebook features a 320GB hard-drive, an 11.6-inch display, Intel processor with 2GB of RAM, USB 3 and HDMI ports, 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, and it weighs in at about 1kg. But what needs to be pointed out primarily is the price. The Acer C7 Chromebook priced at just $199, is $50 cheaper than the Samsung Chromebook launched less than a month ago.

It comes with dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Ethernet connectivity, HDMI and VGA ports, HD camera and 3 USB 2.0 ports. It will give 3.5 hours of battery backup with normal usage.

The laptop is being promoted by Google and there is no mention of the Chromebook on Acer’s website. This is the sixth laptop to be launched in the market with a Google Chrome OS.

The Acer C7 Chromebook will be available from November 14 on the Google Play store, Amazon and Best Buy in the US and from selected retailers in the UK. And as with all previous Chromebook releases, this model shows Google’s focus on making technology and internet access easily available to everyone and once again directs its users toward the cloud.

November 15, 2012
KTM Duke 390 Launching Next Week

The Indian bike scenario got ecstatic with the entry of KTM in the market. With the launch of Duke 200, KTM’s entry in Indian market with the partners Bajaj escalated the Indian bike scenario pretty quickly and now, the Austrian brand is ready with their next offering for India, the Duke 390.

The KTM Duke 390 is the bigger single-cylinder model that was expected from the Austrian manufacturer’s Bajaj tie-up. The engine, says KTM, is all-new, displacing 375cc with an over square 89mm bore on a 60mm stroke. Visually, the motorcycle looks identical to the Duke 200 and this isn’t an illusion. The frame is exactly the same, from the 43mm upside-down forks up front to the 150-section tyre at the back. Will the tyre compound be softer for more grip? The details will become clearer once the motorcycle becomes commercially available. KTM claims the fuel-injected motorcycle makes 43PS at 9500rpm and 36Nm at 7250rpm, which are extremely robust figures. When you add in the fact that the motorcycle only weighs 13kg more than 200 Duke , the 390 promises to be a proper, no-hold barred hooligan that will set the tone for affordable performance in the country when it launches.

It likely to fall in the Rs 1.8-2.1 lakh on-road price bracket. Good times!

November 15, 2012