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Samsung To Buy OLED Maker Novaled For $347 Million

Samsung is spending a few hundred million on a new acquisition to help it meet the growing need for OLED displays.

According to Cnet, Samsung Electronics and its affiliate Cheil Industries will together buy Novaled for $347 million. Chiel, which makes electronic materials for OLED screens, will purchase a 50 percent chunk of Novaled, while Samsung will acquire 40 percent. The remaining 10 percent is already owned by Samsung’s venture capital unit.

Germany-based Novaled develops OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) that are used in the displays of smartphones and increasingly those of TV sets. OLED screens are thinner, lighter, and brighter than conventional LED screens, but are more difficult to manufacture.

Samsung has faced technical challenges trying to ramp up production of OLED display panels, especially ones large enough to handle large-screen TVs. Samsung’s success rate at producing a reliable 55-inch OLED screen has been only around 50 percent, according to analysts cited by The Wall Street Journal. That’s one reason why the cost of the the company’s new 55-inch OLED TV is still exorbitantly high, starting at $13,000.

Through the acquisition of Novaled, Cheil Industries strengthens its leading position in the field of electronic materials, and we are able to achieve significant synergies in research and development of OLED material of the next generation,” Cheil Industries CEO Jong-Woo Park said in a statement.

This step by Samsung can be of great help to them and possibly to the buyers as now the screens can be manufactured according to the demand and may be Samsung keeps a reasonable amount for its buyers.

[via]

August 12, 2013
Apple’s Next iPhone event slated for September 10th

Apple’s next big game changing event is slated for 10th of September if AllThingsD are to be believed. The next editions of the iPhone are slated to have 4.7 and 5.7 inch display and a cheaper variant popularly known as the plastic clad – iPhone 5C.

It is also easy to assume that iOS7 will be pushed out to all the remaining iPhones officially around that very time. iPod Lovers can expect an iPod refresh ranging from a new iPod Shuffle all the way over to a iPod touch to match the dimensions of the next iPhone.

If the event is anything like last years, then an iPad refresh might be on the table, with a new iPad mini with retina display and a new iPad 5.

[AllThingsD]

August 11, 2013
Asus Pulls Out Of Windows RT Devices

Asus says it will no longer make systems that run the Windows RT operating system, while Nvidia implies the OS’ problems hurt Tegra sales.

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen spoke with the WSJ citing the reason for the company’s dropping of Windows RT is due to “weak sales” as well as “industry sentiment… that Windows RT has not been successful.” Windows RT getting the boot means ASUS is now able to focus solely on creating Windows 8 devices that will run on Intel chips due to the backwards compatibility that Windows RT lacks.

Shen told the WSJ that Asus is not the only device-maker to have been disappointed with the not-too-heartening response to Windows RT; and added that “the industry sentiment is also that Windows RT has not been successful.”

Windows RT, launched at the same time as Windows 8, is designed to work on ARM-based devices from the likes of Qualcomm and Nvidia and is a pared-down version of Windows 8. Stripping out the desktop and designed for tablets, its biggest problem is that in switching to ARM it had to drop support for many of the software apps people have come to expect from a Microsoft PC.

Microsoft slashed prices for the Surface RT last month due to an inability to move units and wound up taking a $900 million “inventory adjustment” charge associated with the Surface RT in its last fiscal quarter.

As far as Nvidia’s decision is concerned, the chip-maker’s executives have indirectly blamed the lower-than-anticipated sales of Windows RT devices for the precipitous plunge in the company’s revenue from its Tegra chip business.

[Via]

August 10, 2013
Ex-Microsoft Executive Bill Henningsgaard, Son Killed In Plane Crash

Bill Henningsgaard, an ex-Microsoft vice president and the co-founder of education group Eastside Pathways, and his son were killed in a small plane Friday morning that crashed into two homes in East Haven, CT.

According to CBS New York, National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Robert Gretz said there were casualty reports of two or three people in the plane and two or three on the ground.

The father and son duo left the West Coast on Monday to tour colleges on the East Coast and New Haven was on itinerary. He was flying out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and tried to land at Tweed-New Haven Airport but was unable to for unknown reasons, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane was attempting a second landing when it crashed into two homes in East Haven at 11:25 a.m., engulfing both houses in fire.

Bill Henningsgaard was the son of former Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgaard-Miller and brother of City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.

Blair Henningsgaard, the victim’s brother, said the 54-year-old retired from Microsoft years ago and dedicated his life to helping underprivileged youth through Eastside Pathways, a non-for-profit organization he had set up.

Seattle-based non-profit organization Social Venture Partners confirmed the death of board member Mr Bill Henningsgaard in a tribute on its website.

‘There are hundreds of people that have a story about Bill Henningsgaard- when he went the extra mile, when he knew just the right thing to say, how he would never give up,’ SVP said in a statement. ‘He was truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul.’

August 10, 2013
Pirate Bay Survives Legal Hassles And Threats: Turns 10 Today

Ten years ago, the controversial filesharing website The Pirate Bay hit the web. In those early days the site ran on four Linux servers and has transformed over the years in the technology they have used, all in a defiant and often legally challenged cause.

In a blog post, the site’s administrators greeted the site a “Happy X” following a decade of “aggression, repression and lulz.””We really didn’t think we’d make it this far. Not because of cops, mafia or corrupt politicians. But because we thought that we’d eventually be to old for this s***. But hey, running this ship makes us feel young,” it said. “And we’re gonna stay young ’til we die,” it added.

At times, it said it has had to move its servers all over the world as Internet service providers were ordered by various governments to block access to The Pirate Bay.

As The Next Web reports, in January 2008, Swedish prosecutors filed charges against the four founders for facilitating illegal downloading of copyrighted material. In February 2009, they were put on trial and in April 2009, Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm, and Carl Lundströmwere were found guilty by the court, which sentenced them to a year in prison with a fine of 30 million SEK (approximately $3.5 million that year).

All four appealed the verdict, and in November 2010 the court shortened the prison sentences, but increased damages. In February 2012, the Supreme Court of Sweden refused to hear an appeal in the case.

The Pirate Bay plans to throw a party in Stockholm to celebrate its decade-long existence.

August 10, 2013
Microsoft Points System Will Be Removed With The Next Xbox 360 Update

Earlier, Microsoft announced it would be retiring its Microsoft Point system for purchasing games and other virtual items on the Xbox One when it launches in favor of using real money from a user’s local currency. Today, there’s an update on the Microsoft Points shutdown which concerns current Xbox 360 owners.

“Our goal is to make this transition as easy as possible for you,” Whitten wrote on the Xbox blog. “After the next Xbox 360 system update, when you go to buy something or redeem a Microsoft Points card or code on your console with your Microsoft account, we’ll add to your account an amount of currency equal to or greater than the Xbox Marketplace value of your Microsoft Points, which will be retired.”

Some of the added benefits of the change include faster and easier purchases with no need to calculate the conversion of your local currency to Microsoft Points. Whitten assures that you’ll still be able to purchase content directly from Xbox stores using any form of payment in your region. Furthermore, in late 2013 you’ll be able to buy new Xbox Gift Cards through Microsoft’s online retailers and local retail stores.

Whitten said that any Microsoft Points earned by people as part of their now shut down Xbox Live Rewards program will remain in their account and will also be converted to real money with the Xbox 360 update. A new rewards program will be announced on September 1st.

[Via]

August 10, 2013
All Apple Developer Services Back Online With Free One Month Extension

Apple today restored the Developer Center – the place where it stores all of its resources and information for third-party app creators. A message on the website read :

We are pleased to let you know that all our developer program services are now online. Your patience during this time was sincerely appreciated.

We understand that the downtime was significant and apologize for any issues it may have caused in your app development. To help offset this disruption, we are extending the membership of all developer teams by one month. If you need any further assistance, please contact us.

The short update to developers, which apologizes for the service outage that lasted just over three weeks, comes five days after Apple announced plans to have the portal at full capacity by the end of this week.

As promised, Apple has extended developer memberships to make up for all of the down time. Devs will be pleased to see that 1 month has been added to their remaining membership time, meaning if you were set to expire next May, it’s now next June.

A Turkish security researcher by the name of Ibrahim Balic came forward shortly after the outage and claimed responsibility as the intruder that breached the Dev Center’s database. No personal data was stolen from users, but Apple decided the breach warranted a complete rebuild of the backend.

August 10, 2013
Exclusive : Google and Asus Planning to Launch the new Nexus 7 in India by September

Happy news for everyone waiting for the new Nexus 7 2013 to officially launch in India. Google and Asus are working closely to bring the device to India through official Google means and should be available for sale as early as End of September.

Our source at ASUS points out :

The Google Nexus 7 did really well in India, despite the delayed launch and Asus has received overwhelming response for the new Nexus 7, despite it not being officially announced for India.

The early launch of the new Nexus 7 will make sense for the computer manufacturer in India, especially considering that Asus is the company working on the 10 inch variant.

The new Nexus 7 is expected to launch at a price of Rs. 18999 for the 16 GB and Rs. 20999 AND 23999 for the 32GB and LTE variants respectively. While we gather more information on the device from the companies, watch our initial set of videos below.

[youtube id=”Dq6MCDLmKXI” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[youtube id=”8FAzR1TjrxM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

August 10, 2013
Luxury Car price hike inevitable, thanks to Rupee devaluation

Luxury cars have always been something we love thanks to the comfort, quality and class they provide. But soon, one would have to pay more than before in order to own any luxury machine in Indian market.

Even after seeing a robust increase in sales on the back of new product launches, Mercedes is all set to increase prices on its models to offset the impact of rupee depreciation.

Price hike is inevitable. We can’t cover (rupee depreciation) and part of it (increase) would have to be passed on to customers,” said Eberhard Kern, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

The company would take a call on the hike and the quantum within the next few weeks. This comes close on the heels of other German luxury carmakers BMW and Audi announcing 4%-5% increase in prices.The rupee has tumbled by about 12% since the beginning of May.

“We are getting future-ready. India is on our strategic roadmap and is one of the strategic markets,” Kern said. Bookings for the newly-launched GL class luxury SUV (sports utility vehicle) has been good and the diesel version of the B-class has a two-month waiting list, he said.

Mercedes GL Class

While sedans will continue to be an important part of Mercedes-Benz’s product portfolio, SUVs and compact cars will grow and expand, he said. The luxury car segment, which accounted for just 1.2% of the overall market for cars in 2012, would grow to 4% by 2020 when the Indian market is expected to produce 7 million cars, Kern said.

Not only Mercedes other manufactures like Audi, which has increased price last month by 4% across its model range available in India. It led to an increase of 1.52 lakh on the Q5 price and the price of Audi A6 sedan increasing by 1.80 lakh. While the top-end Audi R8 price increased by about 4.42 lakh.

Market conditions are challenging, but luxury segment has seen some propelled demand due to fresh launches. A depreciating rupee and the rise in input costs have made increase the prices of the entire range, though we are offering customised and innovative finance options from Audi Finance to make the purchase more attractive for our customers,” said Michael Perschke, head, Audi India.

While, BMW India has not decided the quantum of the hike. “Following a path of sustainable growth, BMW Group India has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. We are making price decisions with all due care and consideration ensuring that they pay off in the long-run and the real quantum would be announced in next few days,” Philipp von Sahr, president, BMW Group India, said.

BMW

We will have to see if price hike can be something that decreases sales for these giant manufacturers. However, considering the new launches and the increase of luxury cars on Indian roads we don’t think that 4-5% of price hike would stop anyone to buy the car they admire.

August 10, 2013
Sony Xperia i1 Teaser Image Shows A Razor Thin Phone

A picture that appeared on Chinese site Digi-wo and XperiaBlog, shows a splash of purple across a black background,but if you look closely, that’s actually a phone. This can be, Sony’s rumoured next addition to the Xperia line, previously going under the codename of Honami – and now referred to as the Sony Xperia i1.

As we can see, the image teases a September 4 date on the bottom with “Berlin” written below it. This means that Sony might have this device ready for us this year at IFA 2013 (Berlin).

The picture shows a teasing glimpse of the right side of the phone where you can see the power button, a flap and volume rocker. This purple-coloured Honami seems to show that the frame will be of a different material – perhaps aluminium ?

As per the rumors this device supports a 20 MP camera capable of shooting a 4K video, and phone is supposed to be powered by a quad-core processor.

Just for your reference here is an closer look for the device:

A closer look showing the power button of the device.

A closer look that shows the volume rockers.

We can’t take this rumor as legit until Sony declares the handset globally and officially, hopefully at IFA 2013 next month.

[via]

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[via]

August 10, 2013
Asus to manufacture the Nexus 10 Refresh

Following the success of the Nexus 7 2nd edition, Google has decided to hand over the reigns of the Nexus 10 to Asus aswell. The largest of the three Nexus devices from Google is due for a refresh and is expected to hit the market soon. Every year Multiple companies submit designs to Google, who then evaluates which device they want to carry the Nexus branding for the next year. Last year both Nexus tablets were appreciated by the masses the 7 inch manufactured by Asus and the 10 inch by Samsung.

Courtesy : Geek.com

Although the 10 inch Nexus Tablet last year, was almost as popular as the 7 inch variant , it seems that Samsung has been dropped out of the race this year and Asus is the manufacturer of choice. The new Nexus 10 tablet is expected to have a 2560×1600 display and will be powered by the latest generation Snapdragon Chipset by Qualcomm. A retail leak also shows the Brand Asus and the description as Google Nexus 10, which further confirms the story.

If you have not already checked out our videos on the New Nexus 7, do it below.

[youtube id=”Dq6MCDLmKXI” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[youtube id=”8FAzR1TjrxM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[via]

August 10, 2013
New Nexus 7 Reportedly Suffering From Dodgy GPS

Google recently launched their new Nexus 7 tablet, and now a number of owners of the tablet have reported issues with GPS.

It seems that some owners of the NExus 7 have been having issues with the GPS system on the device, with the feature working ok for a short time before suddenly stopping. The device then reverts to the searching mode with the GPS icon continually flashing, and some owners have stated that a hard reboot sometimes does the trick but not always.

Some have changed the device for another one for the problem still to occur so it seems the bug is being caused by an issue with the Android 4.3 firmware, and we have already heard of issues with the software affecting other Nexus devices.

If it’s an issue with the Android code, a simple firmware update could squash the bug. If the problem lies with the GPS hardware, the only solution could be to send off for a replacement Nexus 7.

Apparently, Google has acknowledged this and are currently is working on a fix, but we are unsure when this come about. Comments on this situation can be seen over on the Google Product Forums, along with other problems encountered with the GPS signal, while others have said that rebooting the system can sometimes sort this issue out as reported above.

[Via]

August 9, 2013
HTC One X+ Receives Android 4.2.2 Update With Sense 5.0 And BlinkFeed

HTC One X+ users can look forward to pretty significant feature and performance improvements in the next few weeks as the Taiwanese OEM rolls out an update to Android 4.2.2 that brings Sense 5 and BlinkFeed.

The update adds to the HTC One X+ many of the features first experienced on the this year’s HTC One, including the homescreen news aggregation widget BlinkFeed, automatic video highlights, a new and improved lockscreen, a new music app, autofocus lock in the camera app and more.

All this is part of HTC Sense 5, the company’s relatively new and vastly improved user interface that has gained so much praise since the launch of the HTC One.

Battery endurance on the HTC One X+ is reportedly also improved thanks to a new sleep mode switch. Users can track the status of the battery easily by turning on the percentage battery meter in the status bar. Since this is Android 4.2.2, the Quick settings panel is also presents and can be accessed by a two-finger swipe down.

HTC is yet to reveal any more information regarding the HTC One S, which it previously said would be updated to Android 4.2 but has since cancelled its plans for the handset. The news that the HTC One S would not be updated was met with dissatisfaction by device owners and a petition is still underway to pressure HTC into changing its mind.

August 9, 2013
Report : Blackberry Set To Follow Dell And Go Private

The latest rumour to circle about BlackBerry is not a new smartphone, but that the company is entertaining the idea of going private. Reuters “several sources familiar with the situation” revealed that the board is favouring this route and believe being a private company “would give them breathing room to fix its problems out of the public eye.” The company noted in the report is private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, same company who’s behind Dell’s current private dealings, but they make it clear that “no deal is imminent” and “BlackBerry has not launched any kind of a sale process.”

The message from BlackBerry’s communications department has been pretty consistent regarding its recent quarterly performance, as well as issues like layoffs and executive departures – the company is still in turnaround mode, and needs to make more changes to get the organization ship-shape before it can return to growth. But that’s not a refrain that investors enjoy hearing – especially not when the track’s on repeat.

Ever since Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry’s CEO, took over the reins he stated that the company was not for sale, but could potentially look at licensing BlackBerry 10 to other manufactures. In an interview last year Heins stated “We don’t have the economy of scale to compete against the guys who crank out 60 handsets a year. We have to differentiate and have a focused platform. To deliver BB10 we may need to look at licensing it to someone who can do this at a way better cost proposition than I can do it. There’s different options we could do that we’re currently investigating.”

BlackBerry’s openness to consider a deal marks a radical shift in thinking at the once high-flying smartphone maker. Until recently, BlackBerry, formerly known as Research in Motion and a pioneer in providing secured emails on handheld devices, had been bent on staying independent, betting its turnaround on its latest smartphones.

BlackBerry reported 6.8 million smartphone shipments last quarter and revenues of $3.1 billion, but also recorded an operating loss of $84 million.

[Via]

August 9, 2013
Nokia Lumia 925 Available for Pre-Order for 33,999 INR

Nokia has still not officially announced the Nokia Lumia 925 in India but this device is surprisingly available for pre-order on Flipkart.com. Estimated availability is said to be last week of this month.

Lumia 925 comes with a polycarbonate body. As far as the specification on the device go, it comes with a 4.5-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with 768×1280 resolution and Gorilla 2 Glass. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor alongside 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It has an 8.7-megapixel PureView rear camera and 1.2-megapixel wide-angle front camera. The company claims that the Lumia 925’s camera is better than the one in Lumia 920.

With the launch of Nokia Lumia 925 in India the company claims that the low light images would never be this good with the award-winning PureView technology, Carl Zeiss optics and six physical lenses. The Nokia Lumia 925 lets you capture the great moments, day or night. And the beautifully crafted design will turn heads wherever you go. Nokia says one can capture more of the action than our eyes can see. The Action Shot feature in Nokia Smart Camera lets you snap once to get a sequence of movements in a single high-quality image. That means Nokia has come up with all new camera features this time. But, will this work for Nokia ? This is something that we have to wait and see. What’s your take, how many are planning to pre-book ? Let us know in the comment section below.

August 9, 2013