Wednesday 26 February 2014

Google Nexus 8 and Android 4.5 to be announced in July

  
Google is hosting its annual I/O Developers Conference on June 25 and June 26 where it is expected to make some major announcements. However, the event might not see unveiling of Google's next tablet Nexus 8 and Android iteration v4.5. 
According to new reports, the Nexus 8 and Android v4.5 will be officially announced in July this year.Citing a Google Dublin employee, website Android Geeks claims Google will not introduce Android 4.5 and new Nexus tablet during the I/O event. 
The Google employee also revealed the I/O conference will rather focus on news service, which the company has been aiming at for a long time.Moreover, Google will no longer develop 7-inch Nexus tablet, mainly because of growing competition in that segment. Google will now focus on the 8-inch segment, which has lesser number of competition. Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and LG’s G Pad 8.3 are some popular 8-inch tablets.
The Google employee did not reveal more information about the Nexus 8 except that it would run Android v4.5 (name not yet finalised). It's notable Apple is expected to unveil its new flagship tablet around the same time.

Project Outernet to provide free Internet across the globe

  
A New York based non-profit organization called Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) has announced the "Outernet" project which will provide free Internet access to all, regardless of their location on earth.MDIF proposes that hundreds of cube satellites be built and launched to create a constellation in the sky, that will allow anyone with a phone or a computer to access Internet via satellites and ground stations. The organization adds that 40 percent of the world's population is still not able to connect to the Internet because of high cost. 
The Project Outernet will allow people from across the globe, whether from Siberia or remote villages of Africa, to get the same information as those in New York. The Outernet will allow data to flow from feeders to the satellites and broadcast to everyone on earth.
 MDIF also plans to add the ability to transmit data from anywhere as well, as soon as the funds become available.MDIF acknowledged that building such a network would not be cheap. Such satellites typically require $100,000 to $300,000 to build and launch. The project timeline calls for deploying the initial 'CubeSats' as early as next summer. 
The organisation aims to send a constellation of satellites in space that would broadcast data, received in a continuous loop until new fresh data turns up. Broadcasting of the data will be done using already accepted international standards such as UDP-based WiFi multicasting, DVB, and Digital Radio Mondiale. To know more about the project, can check out the Outernet's official website.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

The Nokia X Android phones are the X, the X+ and the XL

  
The Nokia X Android phone is finally official. Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop revealed three ‘X’ phones- the Nokia X, the Nokia X+ (4-in touchscreen with more RAM and storage on the X+) and the Nokia XL (5-in touchscreen, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera). However, these aren’t exactly Android phones, at least not like the ones we’ve gotten used to. 
Instead, the Nokia X phones will rely on the open-source nature of Android and will be able to run Android apps. This means that Android developers will be able to port their apps to these Nokia phones with ‘little effort’ (as Nokia claims). This also means that the phones will rely on Microsoft’s cloud apps and services instead of Google’s (so no Gmail, Chrome or Google Maps unless they’re specifically ported over). The phones will also support sideloading of apps and will come with Nokia’s own app store.
Nokia also announced the pricing of the three X-phones in Euros. The Nokia X will cost 89 Euros (Rs. 7,600 approx.), Nokia X+ will cost 99 Euros (Rs. 8,500 approx.) and Nokia XL will cost 109 Euros (Rs. 9,300 approx.). Nokia stated that the X phones will be launched in ‘growth’ countries which means that India (and other Asian countries), East Europe and South America will definitely see the phones while there are no launch plans for Western Europe or the U.S.
Nokia said that the X will be launched immediately, so expect it come to India this or the next week. The X+ and the XL will be launched “early Q2” which means you can expect it in April.

Samsung Galaxy S5 unveiled with fingerprint, heart rate sensors

  
Samsung has officially showcased its new flagship Galaxy S smartphone at the MWC 2014, Barcelona. The new Samsung phone, predictably called the Galaxy S5, comes with a slew of software and hardware improvements over its predecessor.The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) screen, slightly larger than the Galaxy S4. 
The smartphone runs Android 4.4.2 KiKat with TouchWiz skin layered on the top. It is powered by a quad-core 2.5GHz processor along with 2GB of RAM.The S5 camera has been upgraded to 16MP, while it has a 2.0 MP front snapper. 
Samsung claims the Galaxy S5 delivers world's fastest autofocus speed up to 0.3 seconds. It has an advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) along with a Selective Focus feature, which allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while simultaneously blurring out the background.The smartphone is powered by a 2,800mAh battery and either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. The S5 is backed up with a microSD card slot for up to 64GB of additional storage.
the S5 supports the fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MIMO, and supporting the large number of LTE frequency with LTE Category 4 standard. The Galaxy S5 also features Download Booster. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, NFC and IR Remote
The S5 has a built-in heart-rate sensor that can used before and after exercise to measure fitness activities.The Galaxy S5 is IP67 dust and water resistant. It also offers a Finger Scanner, which is supposed to provide a more secure, biometric screen locking feature and make payments (through PayPal).

BBM coming to Windows Phone soon, confirms Nokia

  
Nokia has announced the popular cross-platform messaging app 'BlackBerry Messenger' (BBM) will soon be available on the Windows Phone mobile operating system.Addressing the press conference at the MWC,Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said Windows Phone will soon add BBM, which recently on iOS and Android. “We've added some fantastic apps to the Windows Phone ecyosytem, including Vine and Instagram, and we're pleased to announce that BBM will be coming to the operating system,” he is quoted as saying.
Arrival of BBM on Windows Phone is definitely a good news for Microsoft as well as WP users, who have face dearth of popular apps on the platform. Back in January, BlackBerry had said it had no intentions to launch BBM for Windows Phone.At the MWC, Elop pointed out Windows Phone had emerged as the fastest growing OS in the world. "We saw Windows Phone become the fastest growing operating system in the world - led by the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 1020. 
.In fact, the Nokia Lumia 520 is the fastest selling smartphone in the world in the €150-€200 price bracket,” he is quoted as saying.Besides BBM on WP, Nokia has made some major announcements at the MWC. The company unveiled X-series of phones, which can run Android apps. Nokia also showed off the Asha 230 and Nokia 220 feature phones.

WhatsApp to add free voice calls after Facebook acquisition

  
Messaging giant Whatsapp will soon be adding free voice calls for its 465 million users. The update comes shortly after the app was acquired by Facebook in a $19 billion deal.The new service is likely to be available in the second quarter of this year. 
WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that they want to hit 1 billion users with the new feature.“We are driven by the mission that people should be able to stay in touch anywhere and affordably,” Koum said at the Mobile World Congress industry fair in Barcelona on Monday.The company's move will not sit well with telecom operators. Adding free calls threatens telecom revenue source which has been declining anyway as carriers' tweak tariffs to focus on mobile data instead of calls. Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat have won over telecom operators' customers in recent years by offering a free option to text messaging.
Facebook acquired the messaging app in a $19 billion deal. Koum stated that WhatsApp now has 465 million monthly active users and 330 million daily users, an increase of nearly 15 million users post the Facebook acquisition last week.

Monday 24 February 2014

Google working on a WiFi app for Android and iOS

  

Google is reportedly working on a WiFi app for Android and iOS devices that automatically authenticates and connects to free hotspots inside Starbucks stores as well as private hotspots.According to sources, Google has internally discussed linking the app to its rollout of faster WiFi connections to all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US.

Currently, Starbucks customers need to find the access point open their browser and agree to the terms and conditions. The new WiFi 'Google Starbucks' hotspots will allow users to connect automatically. Google has said it will provide Starbucks stores with a 100x speed boost in Fiber cities like Austin, KC and Provo and is now exploring the feasibility of deploying fiber connections in 34 more US cities.
Google, Microsoft, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and a number of other companies have joined together to form WifiForward, a collaboration aimed at improving and expanding Wi-Fi networks. Google is one of the first companies to offer free city wide WiFi network. The internet giant rolled out over 500 streetlight hotspots across Mountain View, California and is now planning to roll out Google WiFi to more locations across the US and Canada. Google has donated nearly $600,000 to equip 31 of San Francisco's public parks with free WiFi for at least two years.
Google is working on a new research project called Project Tango, which aims to bring 3D technology to smartphones. Google has developed a prototype smartphone which has inbuilt cameras, sensors and chips that create a three-dimensional map of user's surroundings. The internet giant aims to help the blind in indoor navigation and also build more immersive video games.

WhatsApp for Android lets users turn off 'last seen' timestamp

  

WhatsApp has rolled out new update v2.11.169, which allows users to disable the 'Last Seen' time stamp for Android smartphones. The much requested feature was already available for iPhone users, has now be launched for the Android OS as well.Users can see the option in the Privacy menu. There's an option to either limit users who can see the timestamp or disable it completely. However, once you select the option you will not be able to see the timestamp for other users as well. Android users can change the settings any number of times a day, while iPhone users will be able to change the setting only once in 24 hours.
The new update also brings the ability to limit visibility of profile photos and status. Users can choose between three options including show it to everyone which is default or limit it to their contacts or no one. The same choices are also given in visibility options as well. The new update is not available on the Google Play store but can be downloaded for Whatspp website directly.
WhatsApp which has more than 450 million users world wide was acquired by Facebook in a massive $19 Billion deal last week. The app recently suffered a major outage that lasted more than three hours just three days after the deal was announced. Frustrated Whatsapp users turned to Twitter, Facebook and other platforms to complain about the break down, with many speculating it was Facebook's way of getting people to communicate though Facebook Messenger instead.

Windows Phone 8.1 update looks to challenge Android

  
Microsoft has given a few more details about the update that Windows Phones will be receiving later this year, and it is clear that the Redmond giant now wants to target the affordable price points and take on Android. While Microsoft has not said anything about the name for the update, keeping the recent trend in mind, we believe it will be Windows Phone 8.1, and is supposed to release sometime in spring.The biggest change is in the philosophy, with Microsoft now apparently allowing smartphone makers to move away from rigid design and hardware requirements. First up, Windows Phone 8.1 will allow the use of lower end Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. This will be a critical aspect, for smartphone makers to consider making phones to take on the lower end and mid-range Android smartphones.

Microsoft had demanded that all phones have three standard keys on the front, plus a camera shutter button too, on the side. However, Microsoft is now letting smartphone makers do away with these physical keys, if they wish to. Information streaming out also suggests that Microsoft may allow smartphone makers to reuse the Android smartphone designs, but like we said, there is no confirmation on that.

Windows Phone 8.1 will also bring in the compatibility for dual-SIM hardware, which will give smartphone makers additional leverage on the spec sheet of the affordable Windows phones.Windows Phone 8.1 update will technically be compatible with existing Windows Phone 8 devices, but we still do not have clarity on the status of particular devices.

Friday 21 February 2014

Microsoft renames Office Web Apps as 'Office Online'

  

Microsoft has rebranded Office Web Apps, as Office Online. The change was spotted by a Chinese website which discovered several pages on Microsoft's website with reference to the new name.The internet giant admitted that the old name was confusing for the customers.
Microsoft's Office Web Apps has received some enhancements along with the rebranding, including a large library of ready-to-use templates and an app switcher. Microsoft Office 2010 or Office 2013 users can click on a button to open an online document in the pertinent desktop application."We heard from customers that the inclusion of Apps in our name was confusing," wrote Amanda Lefebvre, a senior product marketing manager with Microsoft, in a Thursday post. "Are they something I install? Do I go to an app store to get them? No, to use them all you need is a web browser. Ah! You say. So it’s like Office, online. Yes, exactly. Office Online.”
Microsoft Online Office apps were earlier accessible only from SkyDrive, which the company recently renamed OneDrive. The internet giant has launched a promotion campaign and is giving away 100GB of online storage free post re-branding to the first 100,000 users.

Google's 3D smartphone technology project

  

Google has announced a new research project which aims to bring 3D technology to smartphones. The project is called Project Tango.The company has developed a prototype smartphone which is equipped with a collection of cameras, sensors and chips that create a three-dimensional map of user's surroundings. Google hopes that it will make way for applications that might include indoor navigation for the blind and more immersive videogames.The search giant has said that it would provide the prototype to outside developers so that they are encouraged into writing new applications.
According to project leader Johnny Lee, the goal of the project is to incorporate robotics and vision-processing technology and give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion."What if you could capture the dimensions of your home simply by walking around with your phone before you went furniture shopping?" Google said on its Project Tango web page.
When it comes to games, the technology could be used for "playing hide-and-seek in your house with your favourite game character.The smartphones are equipped with sensors which make over 1.4 million measurements per seconds, updating the position and rotation of the phone. Google has partnered with researchers from the University of Minnesota, George Washington University, German tech firm Bosch and the Open Source Robotics Foundation, among others.

Samsung starts rolling out Android 4.4.2 KitKat update to the Galaxy S4

  

Samsung has started rolling out Android v4.4.2 KitKat update to its Galaxy S4 smartphone. According to reports, the Exynos-based GT-I9500 will first receive the update, while the Snapdragon 600-based I9505 version will follow shortly after.The latest Android updates brings a lot of new features including minor UI changes, performance boost and better lock screen. The new UI shows KitKat style white status bar icons instead of the multi-colour icons, which we have seen on other Samsung devices. 

The keyboard layout has also been improved for use in landscape mode. This is supposed to make gesture typing easier and faster.The update also brings support for full-screen music album art and a dedicated camera shortcut.

Other notable features include wireless printing, new emojis support, Hangouts for SMS/MMS, option to customise launchers under settings and more.

Sony launches Xperia Z1 Compact at Rs.36,990

  
Sony has launched the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact in India today. The company had announced the phone at CES 2014 last month.The smartphone is priced at Rs.36,990. It is powered by a 2.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with an Adreno 330 GPU. The phone comes with Android 4.3 out of the box and has 2GB of RAM. Some special features of the phone include a 4.3 inch HD TFT display with Triluminous and X-Reality technology, a 20.7MP auto-focus camera powered by an Exmor RS image sensor capable of taking full HD videos, and water and dust resistance.
The phone is available in Lime, Pink, White and Black colours. It comes with 16GB of internal storage expandable upto 64GB through the provided memory card slot. The phone has a 2300mAh battery and has a 2MP front facing camera. The dimensions of the phone are 127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm and weighs 137 grams.Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is Sony's answer to other manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, which also launched mini versions of their flagship smartphones of 2013. Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and HTC launched the HTC One mini. Now with the release of Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony clearly seems to have an upper hand when it comes to mini versions of flagship smartphones.

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