Tag: Android

Rumour : Next Version Of Google Hangouts To Replace Stock Messaging App

The next version of Google Hangouts for Android will likely replace the stock Messaging app with a single, unified Hangouts version that detects whether the respondent is also using Google’s new multi-platform chat-and-conference service, and if so will send the message over data, and if not will send it via SMS.

The revelation was made by Android Police who, after hearing rumours of the service consolidation in Android 4.4 KitKat, received some pretty convincing screenshots showing Hangouts sending messages “via SMS.”

Messages sent via SMS will show “via SMS” next to the timestamp so that you can always figure out the protocol used for each message delivery. You can request delivery reports for sent SMSes – a feature that is part of the SMS protocol that some of you may be using regularly.

The fundamental question is whether this will be an Android 4.4-only thing, and how it will work with previous versions. It’s not like Google can update Play Services and all of a sudden hundreds of millions of Android users have a single, unified SMS app. More likely, Hangouts, like many third-party SMS apps, will ask to become the “default” and take over the role of the stock messaging app. Nexus devices will probably receive an update to remove the legacy Messages app and go forth with just Hangouts.

Guess we’ll have to wait and see!

[Via]

October 9, 2013
Microsoft to Launch Remote Desktop For Android and iOS Devices

Microsoft will launch the Windows Server 2012 R2, and will release its Remote Desktop app on Windows, Windows RT and OS X, but also on iOS and Android, probably by end of this month.

The press release further shows, with Windows Server 2012 R2 Microsoft is introducing the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, available for download in application stores later this month, to provide easy access to PCs and virtual desktops on a variety of devices and platforms, including Windows, Windows RT, iOS, OS X and Android. However, this is the first time Microsoft’s remote desktop is available for rival platforms, but having said that this could be a problem for current apps which perform the same function.

The remote desktop for the iOS version will support iOS 6 and 7, while the Android variant will support everything from Gingerbread upward. No information is available on the date of the release yet.

[toggle title=”Press Release “]Microsoft unleashes fall wave of enterprise cloud solutions
Oct. 07, 2013
New Windows Server, System Center, Visual Studio, Windows Azure, Windows Intune, SQL Server, and Dynamics solutions will accelerate cloud benefits for customers.

REDMOND, Wash. – Oct. 7, 2013 – Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced a wave of new enterprise products and services to help companies seize the opportunities of cloud computing and overcome today’s top IT challenges. Complementing Office 365 and other services, these new offerings deliver on Microsoft’s enterprise cloud strategy.

Satya Nadella, Cloud and Enterprise executive vice president, said, “As enterprises move to the cloud they are going to bet on vendors that have best-in-class software as a service applications, operate a global public cloud that supports a broad ecosystem of third party services, and deliver multi-cloud mobility through true hybrid solutions. If you look across the vendor landscape, you can see that only Microsoft is truly delivering in all of those areas.” More comments from Nadella can be found on The Official Microsoft Blog.

Hybrid infrastructure and modern applications

To help customers build IT infrastructure that delivers continuous services and applications across clouds, on Oct. 18 Microsoft will release Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2. Together, these new products empower companies to create datacenters without boundaries using Hyper-V for high-scale virtualization; high-performance storage at dramatically lower costs; built-in, software-defined networking; and hybrid business continuity. The new Windows Azure Pack runs on top of Windows Server and System Center, enabling enterprises and service providers to deliver self-service infrastructure and platforms from their datacenters.

Building on these hybrid cloud platforms, customers can use Visual Studio 2013 and the new .NET 4.5.1, also available Oct. 18, to create modern applications for devices and services. As software development becomes pervasive within every company, the new Visual Studio 2013 Modern Lifecycle Management solution helps enable development teams, businesspeople and IT managers to build and deliver better applications, faster.

Enabling enterprise cloud adoption

Recognizing that most enterprises will take a hybrid approach to cloud, Microsoft wants to help customers utilize their investments in on-premises software solutions toward the adoption of cloud computing. On Nov. 1, Microsoft will offer Enterprise Agreement (EA) customers access to discounted Windows Azure prices, regardless of upfront commitment, without overuse penalties and with the flexibility of annual payments.

As another part of this effort to reduce cloud adoption barriers, Microsoft on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Equinix Inc. Building on recently announced partnerships with AT&T and others, this alliance will provide customers with even more options for private and fast connections to the cloud. Customers will be able to connect their networks with Windows Azure at Equinix exchange locations for greater throughput, availability and security features.

Governments are among the most demanding enterprise customers. To help U.S. federal, state and local government agencies realize the benefits of public cloud computing, Microsoft is introducing its Windows Azure US Government Cloud. This will offer U.S. government customers a dedicated community cloud for data, applications and infrastructure, hosted in the continental U.S. and managed by U.S. personnel. Windows Azure has been granted FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board Provisional Authority to Operate, making it the first public cloud of its kind to achieve this level of government authorization.

Data platform and insights

As part of its vision to help more people unlock actionable insights from big data, Microsoft next week will release a second preview of SQL Server 2014. The new version offers industry-leading in-memory technologies at no additional cost, giving customers 10 times to 30 times performance improvements without application rewrites or new hardware. SQL Server 2014 also works with Windows Azure to give customers built-in cloud backup and disaster recovery.

For big data analytics, later this month Microsoft will release Windows Azure HDInsight Service, an Apache Hadoop-based service that works with SQL Server and widely used business intelligence tools, such as Microsoft Excel and Power BI for Office 365. With Power BI, people can combine private and public data in the cloud for rich visualizations and fast insights.

People and devices in the cloud

The proliferation of cloud applications, data and consumer devices is moving many enterprises to a bring-your-own-device model. The new release of Windows Intune, also available Oct. 18, combines with System Center Configuration Manager to help IT departments give mobile employees security-enhanced access to the applications and data they need on the Windows, iOS and Android devices of their choice. This unified management environment for PCs and mobile devices complements the new access and information protection capabilities in Windows Server 2012 R2.

Further, with Windows Server 2012 R2 Microsoft is introducing the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, available for download in application stores later this month, to provide easy access to PCs and virtual desktops on a variety of devices and platforms, including Windows, Windows RT, iOS, OS X and Android.

Software as a service business solutions

The next major version of the company’s CRM solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Fall ’13 will be available later this month, helping make customer interactions more personal via contextual information for deeper insights than the previous version, delivered on a variety of devices.* The on-premises version is expected to be available later in the fall for deployment either in-house or hosted by a partner. More information is available here. In addition, Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 is now available, offering small and midsize businesses interoperability with Office 365, full multitenant support, and a range of tools designed to support large-scale hosting of the application on Windows Azure.

More information on Monday’s announcements can be found at the Microsoft News Center.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Devices include Windows 8 tablets and iPad tablets with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013; Windows Phone 8, iPhone and Android phone shortly following the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013.[/toggle]

October 9, 2013
Nexus 5 full details emerge in Leaked LG Service Manual

In a twist of events Google has not been able to keep the upcoming device under wraps. The first images of the Nexus 5 came thanks to Google’s own Android Kit Kat unveil video, post which a barrage of images started to pop over on to the inter webs.

Now a leaked LG service manual with the model number LG D821 has emerged which gives of the complete low down on the new Nexus 5 and its design. According to the leaked resource the handset will have 4.95-inch display, a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, inductive charging and NFC. This particular model’s LTE bands (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 20) are optimized for Asia and Europe.

On the optics front there’s an eight-megapixel camera with OIS on back and a 1.3-megapixel front camera for selfies. Storage is a steady 32GB and is powered by a 2300 mAh juice pack. The LCD IPS display has a 1080p resolution and screen tethering is supported via a Slimport (just like the Nexus 4).

The Hardware will have the usual array of sensors, but one unique one which measures pressure, there is also a notification light and a microSim Slot.

LG D821

[VIA]

October 6, 2013
Microsoft and HTC in Talks to Put Windows on Android Phones

After buying Nokia’s windows devices, the Lumia range and services business, it seems that Microsoft is now planning to grow the windows phone market.

As reported by Bloomberg, Microsoft is talking to HTC about adding its Windows operating system to HTC’s Android-based smartphones at little or no cost, people with knowledge of the matter said, evidence of the software maker’s struggle to gain ground in the mobile market.

The report also claims Microsoft operating systems chief Terry Myerson discussed lowering the license fee or dropping it entirely as an incentive. The sources is not clear on whether the devices might run both operating systems at once, or let users choose just one. Terry Myerson was planning to visit Asia this month and meet with senior executives at Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC to discuss his proposal, as per the source.

October 4, 2013
HTC Desire 500 Dual SIM With 4.3 Inch Screen Now Listed Online

The HTC Desire 500 is listed online in few websites but is still not listed in the company’s website for India. However, the HTC Desire 500 is available for pre-order on Snapdeal, website notes that the device will be released in the first week of October. The HTC Desire 500 has also been listed on Flipkart and shows coming soon.

The HTC Desire 500 has a Quad-Core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor along with a 1 GB of RAM and comes with a 4 GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded to 64 GB via Micro SD. The device features a 4.3 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. HTC Desire 500 sports a 8 MP(BSI Sensor) main camera with LED flash and has a 1.6 MP(BSI Sensor) secondary camera. The device is also capable of 720p video capture.

The dimensions of the phone are 131.8 x 66.9 x9.9 mm and the device weighs 123 grams. The Desire 500 comes with a 1800 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.2 with Sense 5.0 and BlikFeed.

September 30, 2013
HTC One Gets Android 4.3 Update Along With Improved Low-Light Camera Performance

The owners of the HTC One should now have access to an Android 4.3 update, the update is available globally throughout all HTC One phones. Not in India, but if anyone of you have a carrier-issued HTC One (on contract) the Android update will still be available but after 30th of September.

This update for the HTC One not only brought the device to the latest version of Android but also improved the camera performance, according to Android Highlights, improvements include a battery charging percentage indicator, improved low-light camera performance, Sense 5 enhancements and increased stability in the overall device.

You can check the update option to see if your device is eligible yet. However, the Android 4.3 update for Samsung’s S3 and Note 2 is still not in the picture.

September 28, 2013
Facebook Allows Editing Your Typing Errors

Facebook has started to let you edit post’s text after you publish it. The feature comes to the web and Android in an update today, and to iOS soon. Previously you had to delete your post, lose all your Likes and comments, and repost to edit something.

Android users also get emotion and activity sharing, events at a glance, and photo album creation today. Now, you are able to edit all posts and comments from the web. To edit posts, you’ll be able to click the down arrow in the top right of one of your posts and select ‘Edit Post’ to change the text, then click done editing.The revisions and original post will still be viewable if friends check your post’s edit history, though. Editing the comments came into the picture a while ago.

September 27, 2013
Karbonn Smart A51 Android Smartphone Available for 3,402 INR

Karbonn has introduced a new budget Android phone, the Smart A51 is available online for 3,402 INR. The device has not got an official launch yet, but the device is available on soholic.com and also on Snapdeal.

The Karbonn Smart A51 has a 3.2 MP rear camera with LED flash and also includes a front facing VGA camera, the Smart A51 comes with a 1100 mAh battery.

The device has a 3.5 inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels and is is powered by a 1 GHz processor, no details for the chipset is available yet, the device has a 256 MB of RAM. The Karbonn Smart A51 runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device with dual standby time.

The Device has a 512 MB of inbuilt storage which can is expandable up to 32GB via microSD card, this budget device from Karbonn will be available in two colors, Black and White. However, the device will not have 3G support but will have some basic features like WiFi and GPS.

September 25, 2013
Fake iMessage App For Android Surfaces, Raises Security Concerns

There’s something fishy about this iMessage app for Android, and it’s not the fact that it’s using an outdate iOS 6 skin. While that should be a first warning sign, the reality is that the app, which recently appeared in the Google Play Store, is the work of a third-party developer. It by no means provides official cross-platform access to Apple’s popular messaging service.

9to5Mac reports that scrutiny of the .apk file – the form the program takes outside the Play Store ecosystem – suggests that there is a serious potential risk to personal data. The app works by using the developer’s own server as a proxy to spoof messages into appearing to come from an iPad Mini, thus bypassing the strict “Apple Only” nature of the iMessage protocol. However, in doing so, it means that the developer has access to all of your message data.

People that have tried the app reported varying results – some report that they can only message other Android users, while others have only some Apple contacts.

In addition to these security flaws, the iMessage app requires you to sign in with a working Apple ID. As you probably already know if you have one, your Apple ID stores payment information and personal data, and serves as your gateway into a number of Apple services.

The iMessage for Android app is available as a free download in the Google Play Store and is by a developer called Daniel Zweigart.

September 24, 2013
FIFA 14 Now Available for Free on Android and iOS

FIFA 14 comes up with over 16,000 athletes playing for 600 teams within 34 stadiums spread across 33 leagues.

The game will be available on app store and Google play store free of cost, with EA hoping to bring in revenue by way of in-app purchases, which includes Ultimate Team points or even for the unlocking of additional game modes. The game not only includes currency that lets you spend cash to save time, but there are three modes (Manager, Tournament, and Kick Off) that are only available after a paid upgrade.

While the company claims that this game has high quality graphics, the file size of this game in play store is 1.35 GB and in the app store the file size is 1.17 GB. FIFA 14 is playable in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Dutch, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese.

September 24, 2013
BlackBerry : BBM App Won’t Relaunch This Week

BlackBerry has provided an update to the millions of eager BlackBerry Messenger users who are waiting for the app to arrive on both iPhone and Android.

The app was successfully launched on iPhone in several countries on time on Saturday, but the Android version was met with difficulty and never arrived. Many Android users resorted to install leaked and “unreleased, older version” from various file sharing sites that apparently “resulted in volumes of data traffic orders of magnitude higher than normal for each active user and impacted the system in abnormal ways.” BlackBerry then paused the launch on both platforms. The app had been installed over 1.1 million times.

Andrew Bocking, head of BBM at BlackBerry, took to the company blog and informed the masses that “the team is now focused on adjusting the system to completely block this unreleased version of the Android app when we go live with the official BBM for Android app. We are also making sure that the system is reinforced to handle this kind of scenario in the future.”

As for a release of BBM for iPhone and Android? Well, nothing concrete from BlackBerry. Bocking noted that getting BBM to operate as it should is not a “simple task” and “will take some time and I do not anticipate launching this week.”

[Via]

September 24, 2013
LG G2 listed Online at a Price Of 40,499 INR

The LG G2 is said to be launched in India on 30th of September, ahead of its launch in India the device has made an appearance on an online store, LG G2 is priced at 40,499 INR on saholic.com.

The device has a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with an amazingly thin bezel graces the front of the LG G2. Its resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels ensures that everything on it will look nice and sharp, especially knowing that a standard RGB sub-pixel arrangement has been implemented.

Running on Android 4.2 OS, the LG G2 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor coupled with 2GB RAM. It will come in two colours – black and white. This device will be launched on 30th September and you can expect an iGyaan style review.

September 23, 2013
LG Vu 3 Unveiled with 5.2 Inch HD Display & Snapdragon 800 Processor

LG has announced the Vu 3, the company’s latest smartphone, the device comes up with a 5.2-inch (1280 x 960 pixels) HD + IPS display at 4:3 aspect ratio. LG says the phone has 0.2 inches larger display than on its predecessor.

The Vu 3 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on Android 4.2.2. The device sports a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash. The device would include stylus support along with QuickView cases and a couple of LG software titles like guest mode and KnockON.

Most of the features on the device, are similar to the LG G2, the companies latest flagship phone. LG Vu 3 will be available in Korea starting September 27, however, no words on price and availability for India.

[via]

September 23, 2013
Blackberry pauses BBM Android and iOS rollout following Leaked apps

Blackberry has stopped seeding the Blackberry messenger for iOS and Android apps following a leaked Android app that caused server and stability issues with the Blackberry messaging network.There were too many simultaneous users, the company says; with over 1.1 million active clients in the first eight hours of the initial seed.

BlackBerry says that it has tried to address the problems caused by the leaked app throughout the day, but to no avail, requiring it to halt its launch plans. The company says that those that have already downloaded the iOS version of the app will still be able to use it, but it will not be releasing it to any new markets at this time. The leaked version of the Android app will be disabled.

Blackberry now plans a “staggered country roll-out” for Android and will soon restart the rollout for iOS. The company was hesitant in giving a timelinefor this new rollout, only saying

our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM.”

The company’s official statement is below:

Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.

Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.

As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry.

September 22, 2013
BlackBerry BBM For Android, iPhone Released

Most users now will be able to install BlackBerry’s iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app on their Android devices and iOS devices starting today.

It’s been a long wait for the BlackBerry Messenger service to go cross platform, but after months of anticipation BBM for Android and iPhone apps will go live today.

“BBM for Android will be available at 12 pm on Saturday 21,” an official statement from the company confirmed in the run up to the launch. The BBM Android app will be available as a free download and allow users to chat for free with follow BBM users across all platforms. The first time BBM will have been made available to none BlackBerry handset users, the BBM Android app will precede the BBM iOS app by a matter of hours, with the iPhone bound iteration to be rolled out just after midnight.

It’s features include everything you’ve come to expect from the program: traditional instant messaging, group chat for up to 30 people, and user profiles.

In order to use the app, you will need to signup for a BlackBerry ID, which will only take a few minutes. Signup is done through the app once its installed. For those concerned about privacy, you’ll be happy to hear that BlackBerry will assign you a PIN and you will not need to disclose your phone number or email to anyone in order to begin messaging.

For millions, the app will be a matter of nostalgia. There are a large number of Android and iPhone users who have owned a BlackBerry at one time or another.

If you can’t see the app on your App Stores yet, wait for a few hours!

Note : As many of our followers have notified us, there are a lot of fake apks floating around, so be careful while installing the app. BBM for iOS has already been put up on the Australian App Store, so we expect other stores to follow suit soon!

September 21, 2013