Author: Shivaank Rana

Lawyer To Sue Microsoft Over Storage Capacity Of Surface

A lawyer in California is suing Microsoft over his 32GB Surface, which he realized only had 16GB of free space. Andrew Sokolowski, the lawyer, is suing Microsoft for false advertising and unfair business practices, claiming that Microsoft should have told consumers that the 32GB Surface doesn’t actually have 32GB of free space.

The suit aims to change how Microsoft advertises its device and hopes to force the company to give back revenue and profits that resulted from its alleged wrongful conduct.

Microsoft said in a statement that it believes the suit is without merit.

“Customers understand the operating system and pre-installed applications reside on the device’s internal storage thereby reducing the total free space,” the company said. It noted that people can add storage via the microSD slot and USB port.

Microsoft confirmed on November 5 exactly how much usable storage space its Surface tablets come with out of the box. It says on its website that the 32GB Surface has 16GB of free space while the 64GB version has 45GB free. The Surface started selling October 26 and Sokolowski bought his device on November 7.

Sokolowski’s lawyer, Rhett Francisco, said on Wednesday that his client never saw Microsoft’s responses and said the details on its website are “buried.”

“They make you search and dig for it specifically, or you would never find it,” he said.

It’s common for mobile devices to have less usable storage space than advertised.

November 15, 2012
Finally! Facebook Rolling Out Share Button For Mobile Site

Facebook has turned on one of its most requested features, and it will make link hounds on the social network very happy.

A “Share” button has finally been added to mobile — first the mobile web, then Android and iOS apps — allowing users to take an existing post and duplicate it on their timelines with a comment or snarky remark.

While it’s possible that this will add a lot of unwanted content to users’ feeds, it may begin to replace the “Like” button as people choose to quickly action a post instead of liking it, which appears more passive.

Facebook has been iterating its feature set to compete with fast-moving Twitter, and a mobile “share” button is more akin to a retweet than a like, which endorses but does not move a post past its original location. Zuckerberg and Co. have likely been testing out the feature for some time, and are going to be cognizant of how it affect users’ experiences. It already consolidates posts that have been shared by multiple people, and companies are going to be very happy about this addition.

There’s no word when the feature is coming to the Android and iOS apps, but we’d expect it to roll out in the coming days.

November 15, 2012
Google Nexus 4 Sold Out Within An Hour At US Google Play Store

Google’s newest smartphone, the Nexus 4 from LG, sold out within its first hour in the U.S. The unlocked phone was only available through Google’s online Play store.

The Nexus 4 costs $299 for the 8 GB model and $349 for the 16 GB model. Google now prompts you to input your email address in order to get updates on when the phone will be available again.

The price is right too. At $299, the Nexus 4 costs about half as much as an unlocked iPhone.

It’s unclear how many phones Google had to sell, but it surely didn’t expect this kind of demand.

[quote]”There’s been so much interest for the Nexus lineup that we’ve sold out of some of our initial stock in a few countries,” the Nexus team said in a post at Google+ social network.[/quote]

“We are working hard to add more Nexus devices to Google Play in the coming weeks to keep up with the high demand.” At a starting price of $299 for smartphones not bound to particular carriers, and therefore unsubsidized by telecom companies, Nexus 4 models were deemed a bargain at half the price of similarly “unlocked” iPhones from Apple.

“Nexus 4 is the new smartphone from Google,” the Play store page said. “With cutting edge hardware, the latest version of Android, and the best Google apps – Nexus 4 puts the world’s information at your fingertips.”

November 14, 2012
Indian Teenager Creates Windows Phone 8 Malware, To Present it At MalCon

A 16-year-old security researcher from India plans to present a malware application for Windows Phone 8 at the upcoming MalCon security conference in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 24.

The Trojan, created by 16-year-old Shantanu Gawde, is said to work by posing as a legitimate app which can access a user’s data once activated.

Fortunately for Microsoft and Windows Phone 8 users alike, Gawde is an ‘ethical hacker’ from India’s National Security Database program.

It is not yet clear whether the malware is able to affect Windows Phone 8 handsets by targeting a specific weakspot in the system, or by duping careless users into installing something dodgy.

Nevertheless, it poses serious questions over the security of the Windows Phone 8 OS – particularly as it shares several similarities with its PC counterpart.

Microsoft has yet to see Gawde’s findings and has therefore been unable to comment specifically on the nature of the risk.

However, Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Director Dave Fornstrum has said the company would “investigate any issues disclose” in the MalCon talk and “take appropriate action to help protect [its] customers”.

Although finding vulnerabilities could be potentially damaging to the Windows Phone image, it could also be seen as a blessing in disguise by allowing Microsoft to discover and amend such security issues before hackers have the chance to develop more advanced malware.

November 14, 2012
RIM Introduces BBM Voice, Free Voice Calling Over Wi-Fi For BBM Users
With RIM’s BlackBerry 10 announcement earlier this week – now officially launching on January 30th, 2013 – there seems to be some much needed enthusiasm running through their veins. Today the company has declared that their popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service will be updated to version 7.0 and brings a bunch of new features.

BBM 7.0 will move away from just text with the addition of BBM Voice — free Wi-Fi calling between all BlackBerry Messenger users. If you’re interested in trying it out, the open beta starts today. Much as BBM initially led the move towards platform-specific messaging as a way to save on text message costs, RIM’s new integrated Wi-Fi calling solution could provide a simple way for users to save on voice minutes — so long as they have Wi-Fi available. It’s a big addition to the BBM real-time chat app, a service that T.A. McCann, RIM’s VP of BBM and Social Communities says “we pioneered and is now being copied by many.”

From the looks of things, initiating a call through BBM Voice is quite simple and cleanly integrated into the service. Users will see an icon that represents the voice availability of their BBM contacts, and a simple press of the “dial” key (or the dial icon on a touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry) will request that the receiver join a voice call. Once the call is started, users can jump back into chat to send images or other content, will full multitasking available in other apps and full compatibility with speakerphone or Bluetooth headsets.

BBM 7 will also see 16 new emoticons, including a “hang loose” sign, mad, camera icon, lightbulb, sun, rain, thunderstorm, snow, tired and what looks to be dizzy. Also coming in the upgrade is an In App Upgrade Notification that will do just that, notify you when an BBM update is available (works for OS 5, 6, 7 devices). Finally, RIM has also linked your BBM info (display name, picture, contacts, groups) directly to your BBID, thus making it eventually easier to switch/upgrade to BlackBerry 10 without any frustration.

BBM 7 will be available to the masses “before the end of the year,” but if you’re interested to give it a go now you can head on over to the Beta Zone and download BBM version 7 and BBM Voice.

Check out the Press Release below :

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

For the times when you want to hear a friend’s laughter instead of reading LOL, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) is taking the social networking experience to a whole new level with an exciting new feature called BBM Voice. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced BBM version 7, a free update for the globally popular mobile social network, which will allow customers to make free voice calls to other BBM customers around the world over a Wi-Fi® connection*.

BBM is a fast, convenient and inexpensive service for BlackBerry® customers that gives them the ability to instantly chat with a friend, family member or colleague, and know when their message has been delivered, and read. With the new version of BBM, customers have a new option – they can talk with their BBM contact across the globe for free over a Wi-Fi connection. In an instant, customers can switch between texting and talking, or talk and text at the same time. For consumers, especially in developing markets, the BBM Voice feature offers an attractive way to talk with friends and family near and far, and staying in contact will be easier than ever as the holiday season approaches. For business customers, BBM Voice allows for enriched collaboration.

“BBM is the quick, easy way to stay connected to the people that matter to you, and with today’s announcement we’re expanding the capabilities of the service for deeper social engagement and even greater collaboration, beginning with voice functionality,” said T.A. McCann, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at RIM. “The new BBM Voice feature is for when you’re travelling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges. It’s for when you have news you can’t wait to share, for quickly explaining complicated details, and collaborating with colleagues. Whenever your ideas are too big for text, there’s BBM Voice.”

BBM Voice includes a number of convenient features.
- Customers can initiate a BBM Voice call directly, or instantly switch from a BBM text chat to talk, and back again.
- The split-screen feature allows customers to talk and text at the same time, so for example, they can send a picture to their contact while talking with them. They can also check other BBM text chats, check email, or navigate to other apps while engaged on a BBM Voice call.
- BBM provides a visual indicator that shows when contacts are available for a voice call.
- BBM Voice is compatible with any accessories a customer has now for making voice calls on their BlackBerry smartphone, such as a Bluetooth® or wired headset. Customers can also use BBM Voice over their BlackBerry smartphone’s speakerphone.
- If it’s not an ideal time to talk, customers can simply choose to respond by texting back.
Another important feature of BBM version 7 is its integration with a customer’s BlackBerry ID, which is designed to back up their BBM profile, groups and contacts so they can automatically be restored in the event they switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone, including to a BlackBerry® 10 device.

BBM version 7 with the new BBM Voice feature is currently available in Beta for BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry® 6 OS or higher with support planned for smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS at a future date. The Beta can be downloaded for free from BlackBerry Beta Zone**. Customers can sign up to BlackBerry Beta Zone for free at www.BlackBerry.com/betazone.

For more information about BBM, please visit www.blackberry.com/bbm.

* BBM requires a BlackBerry service plan. The BBM Voice feature requires a Wi-Fi connection with access to the Internet and may not be available in all markets.

** BlackBerry Beta Zone is not available in all markets.

[/toggle_box]
November 14, 2012
Blackberry 10 Devices To Be In Stores Soon After Launch

Research In Motion is confident its new BlackBerry 10 devices will be 100 percent ready for the January 30 launch and available in stores “not too long after” that, Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said on Tuesday.

[quote]”We’re working hard right now to make sure all the bits and pieces and all the details are in place for the date, when the devices will be available for consumers and enterprises,” Tear told Reuters in an interview.[/quote]

RIM, which virtually invented the concept of mobile email with its first line of BlackBerry devices more than a decade ago, was roundly criticized for the botched 2011 launch of its PlayBook tablet computer, which RIM had hoped would compete with Apple’s blockbuster iPad.

The PlayBook looked pretty and had top-of-the-line hardware. But its software was far from complete at the launch and needed multiple updates. The device also lacked the library of apps available on the iPad and on devices that run on Google Inc’s competing Android operating system.

RIM says its the new Blackberry 10 devices will be faster and smoother than its existing phones and have a large catalog of applications that are crucial to the success of any smartphone.

The company hopes the new devices will allow it to claw back some of the market share it has lost to Android and Apple phones.

Tear said RIM has used input from current BlackBerry users to influence the design of the new devices, The new phones both build on the strengths of RIM’s existing operating system and improve on its weak points, he said.

RIM last month began carrier testing on the new Blackberry 10 devices, with an initial rollout to more than 50 carriers. Tear, who joined RIM a few months ago from Sony Mobile Communications, said RIM was expanding that to a wider group of carriers across the globe.

January 30th is about 2.5 months away. The countdown begins.

[Reuters]

November 14, 2012
HTC Could Pay Up To $8 Per Handset Sold To Apple in New Agreement

Over the weekend, HTC announced that it has licensed several Apple patents for 10 years, and will pay the company an undisclosed amount per phone sold to use several features in its Android devices. The agreement came after a several year patent battle between the two companies, in which Apple accused HTC of patent infringement and even managed to delay the release of its One series devices in the U.S. through an import ban. While the statement also referred to “cross-licensing” of a select number of HTC patents, likely pertaining to LTE technologies, Apple is expected to be the ultimate winner in this deal.

With the licensing settlement announced, it could set the bar for other Android OEMs, many of whom do not have the deep pockets of Samsung. So just how high is that bar? HTC is likely paying Apple between $6 and $8 per phone sold, which could account for nearly $200 million in revenue for Cupertino if HTC’s projection of 30 million devices sold next year is accurate. The Taiwanese company is already paying Microsoft some $5 per handset sold, but HTC says neither deal will have a material impact on its finances. HTC’s revenue for 2012 is expected to be roughly $10 billion CDN, though its last few quarters have seen a precipitous drop in net profit.

Whether other companies will follow suit remains to be seen, but this is unlikely to be the last time we hear about Apple’s renewed, albeit less frantic, war on Android.

November 13, 2012
Microsoft Surface Tablet Gets Run Over by Car, Survives

What is worse than forgetting that you left your brand new Microsoft Surface on the top of your car before driving away? How about watching a car drive over your tablet as you helplessly stand by. And for the record, this was the 64GB model with an included Touch Cover that cost $699. That’s exactly what happened after a WPCentral forum member left his Microsoft Surface tablet on the roof of his car and proceeded to drive over it before recalling what he’d done.

[quote]He writes, “Each car passed by with the tires on each side of the Surface until the very last car. The tire of the car ran completely over the Surface and next thing I saw was my brand new $700 tablet and touch cover flying through the air in separate directions! My heart jumped, and so did I! I jumped out of my car and ran across the street to first grab the tablet, then the Surface, and then my phone which of course fell out of my lap during all this. I jumped back in my car just before 60 mph traffic made its way to me!”[/quote]

Pretty remarkable stuff, especially considering the Touch Cover prevented any screen damage whatsoever. During the Surface announcement, head of the tablet team Panos Panay dropped a Surface on stage in front of a ravenous and highly-skeptical tech media. To our surprise not only was the Surface unharmed, but he offered to do it again just to prove it wasn’t a fluke. In other words, Microsoft knows that the Surface is an incredibly well-built piece of technology.

November 13, 2012
HTC Bringing Jelly Bean To 2012 Devices First, Says Sorry to Devices With 512MB of RAM

HTC is bringing Jelly Bean to its 2012 suite of devices fairly soon. This is known, but the company outlined its plans for these, and earlier devices, today in a FAQ on its support site.

According to the Taiwanese company, the One X and One S will receive Android 4.1 with Sense 4+ first, likely by the end of this year, with other devices such as the Amaze, Sensation and Raider coming later. Devices with 512MB of RAM, which include the recently-released One V and Desire C, will not be upgraded to Jelly Bean, as they want to ”ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience.” Jelly Bean, with its Project Butter additions, requires more powerful graphics processing abilities than those two devices can offer.

[quote]We work hard to ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience and therefore some products will remain at their current version of Android. In general, devices with 512MB RAM or less will not be upgraded to Android 4.1. As we identify other devices that will not be upgraded, we’ll provide updated information.[/quote]

As for which devices will definitely get JB, HTC says they are prioritizing the update for the devices that were launched in 2012, then working their way back. The company has quite the portfolio to work through, and as you most likely already guessed, it could take quite some time before we see updates go live for the Rezound, EVO 3D, and other once-flagship devices.

[Droid Life]

November 13, 2012
Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft’s Windows Chief, Set To Leave

Microsoft Corp said the head of its flagship Windows division and the driving force behind Windows 8, Steven Sinofsky, will be leaving the company with immediate effect, days after the software giant launched the Surface tablet.

Just weeks earlier, Microsoft released Windows 8, the company’s biggest overhaul to its flagship software product in years. The departure raises questions about how Microsoft, one of the giants in the technology business, will prepare itself for a new generation of leadership.

In an e-mail sent to all employees Monday evening, Mr. Ballmer said that Mr. Sinofsky’s decision to leave Microsoft comes at the start of a “new era” for the company, with the release of a wave of new products like Windows 8.

“I am grateful for the work that Steven has delivered in his time at our company,” Mr. Ballmer said in the e-mail. Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, said Mr. Sinofsky was not available for an interview.

[quote]In a statement announcing his departure, Mr. Sinofsky, 47, said, “I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company.”[/quote]

Mr. Sinofsky was viewed as one of the most competent managers within Microsoft, and he earned high marks for helping to improve the quality of its software after the company released Windows Vista, a widely criticized version of the operating system. A former technical assistant to Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder, he was known to be a big admirer of Apple’s attention to detail in its products.

His name was often floated by people speculating about a possible successor to Mr. Ballmer, who has not announced any plans to retire from the company.

November 13, 2012
“Notification Center” For WP8 : We Ran Out Of Time Says Microsoft, May Come In Next Update

There is no doubt that Windows Phone 8 is beautiful, fast and, most importantly, a huge upgrade over its predecessor.

But one thing that Microsoft didn’t change, to the chagrin of almost every WP7 user, was the way the OS deals with notifications. When WP7 debuted in late 2010, neither iOS nor Android had what could be called great notification systems. Yes, Android has, from the beginning, had its drop-down shade, but one couldn’t dismiss individual notifications until Android 4.0. iOS, until its fifth iteration, had arguably the worst and most disruptive way of dealing with notifications in the industry.

Windows Phone, on the other hand, used toast notifications that were immediately intriguing. Combined with live tiles, they provided a simple way to view what was happening — emails, tweets, messages — without disrupting the overall user experience. Very soon, however, it became obvious that without a live tile consolidating these notices, it was possible to miss a notification and have no idea where it came from. Users were understandable frustrated by this, and expected something a little more robust in Windows Phone 8.

Alas, when WP8 was revealed in its entirety, not a mention was made to the notification system. Microsoft, however, is sensitive to the matter, and commented on it during BUILD. Microsoft’s Michael Fennel told an audience during a session on notifications, “We ran out of time. It’s very, very important to m. We get tons of feedback from developers that they want something like that as well. I promise we’re thinking very, very hard on that one.” While the statement is nothing more than a, “we’ll see,” and may not be implemented until WP8.5 or its equivalent, it’s good news to hear that Microsoft is giving it some serious thought.

November 12, 2012
BlackBerry 10 to be Launched On January 30th, 2013

Research In Motion has announced that it will officially launch BlackBerry 10 at an event on January 30th, 2013, which will take place in multiple countries around the world. It will also unveil the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones at the same event. Details on the smartphones and their availability will be announced on the same day.

[quote]”In building BlackBerry 10, we set out to create a truly unique mobile computing experience that constantly adapts to your needs. Our team has been working tirelessly to bring our customers innovative features combined with a best in class browser, a rich application ecosystem, and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities. All of this will be integrated into a user experience – the BlackBerry Flow – that is unlike any smartphone on the market today,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of Research In Motion. “Thanks to our strong partnerships with global carriers and a growing ecosystem of developers, we believe our customers will have the best experience possible with BlackBerry 10. We are looking forward to getting BlackBerry 10 in the hands of our customers around the world.”[/quote]

As reported earlier, the BlackBerry 10 platform has recently achieved FIPS 140-2 certification, which means that government agencies will be able to deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 as soon as it is available.

Exciting!

[Market Wire]

November 12, 2012
Nexus 7 Explodes In China, Lands Owner A Replacement and A Pair Of Google Glass From Asus

Apparently, an Asus Google Nexus 7 spontaneously combusted as a result of being plugged in to a standard wall charger.

The owner, who posted the set of images in a Chinese forum, claims she left the device to charge for a total of 3 hours using the factory OEM charger before the tablet went up in flames. As we’ve seen before, these types of incidents leave plenty of room for controversy, though it seems as though this particular case is legitimate. In fact, ASUS has already acknowledged the problem and has sent out a fresh replacement free of charge.

According to CNET, the owner will also be getting a free pair of Google Glass upon release, but it seems pretty unlike that Asus is going around promising people Google hardware, and there’s no evidence that Google itself has addressed the incident. Google Glass or no, it looks like Asus is fairly willing to bet this is going to be a one time event by providing a free replacement.

Until we hear something official from ASUS, you may want to make sure your device isn’t sitting next to anything valuable or flammable.

November 12, 2012
Apple’s Passbook Enabled Gift Cards Now Featured In App Store

Apple has made a couple of small-but-useful changes to its Apple Store app aimed at making shopping more efficient in its retail stores. Version 2.4 of the app lets users ask Siri for help in finding prices on Apple products. It also allows users to buy Apple gift cards (to be sent via e-mail) directly from within the app. The gift cards are now Passbook compatible, to boot.

Any Apple gift card that is purchased online and sent via e-mail—whether via the Web-based Apple Store or the iOS app—can now be loaded up via Passbook, which was launched along with iOS 6 in September. When the recipient clicks a link in the e-mail, Passbook will open to load up the details of the gift card. Then, whenever the recipient walks into an Apple Store with an iOS device, the app should bring up the gift card automatically on the user’s lock screen so it can be used to make purchases.

Unfortunately, Apple gift cards that are loaded into Passbook can’t be used in conjunction with the self-checkout system (EasyPay) built into the Apple Store app, so you’ll have to check out with a real human if you want to use the gift card balance.

Still a long way before this feature makes its way into India? Definitely.

November 12, 2012
Aakash 2 Tablet Launched In India At Rs 1,130

India’s low cost tablet Aakash 2 was officially launched here on Sunday at a subsidised rate of Rs 1130 for Indian students.

The new and improved Aakash 2 tablet was unveiled by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Thousands of teachers are attending the event to virtually participate in the launch event through online video conferencing.

The new version ‘Aakash 2?, which will be made available to students of engineering colleges and universities to begin with, is now powered by a processor running at 1 GHz, has 512 MB RAM, a 7 inch capacitive touch screen and battery life of three hours on Wi-Fi.

The screen resolution is 800×480 pixels. The previous version of Aakash had a 7-inch resistive touch screen. Akash 2 runs Android 4.0 aka Ice-Cream Sandwich and has front facing VGA camera along with Wi-fi support. It has 4GB (internal) flash memory, which is expandable up to 32GB using a micro SD card.

The commercial version of the Aakash 2 unit is branded as UbiSlate 7Ci, and is available for purchase on DataWind’s website at Rs 3,500.

The tablet ‘Aakash’ was launched in October last year by the government to make available computing devices to students at subsidised rates. However, the project ran into controversy following IIT Rajasthan rejecting the devices manufactured by Datawind. Datawind had won the tender for making and supplying one lakh Aakash tablets for price of around $49 per unit.

November 11, 2012