Windows Phone 8.1 update could be released as soon as April 14

Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8.1 yesterday at its Build Developer Conference, at the same time mentioning that current WP 8 devices will be updated to the new version of the OS “in a few months.” Well, it looks like that might mean this month after all.
The Verge can reportedly “confirm” that Microsoft is planning to launch a Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview on April 14 - although this date “could slip” eventually. While the WP 8.1 developer preview is, as its name suggests, aimed at developers, anyone owning a Windows Phone 8 handset will be able to use it and get the new WP 8.1 OS on their device. The Verge’s story corroborates with an email received by Neowin, which was allegedly sent by Microsoft to one of its Windows Phone partners. The email seems to further confirm that Microsoft does indeed want to roll out the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview this month. Windows Phone 8.1 is shaping up to be the most important update for the WP platform since its initial release. It will bring lots of new features, including Microsoft’s own digital assistant called Cortana, a more personalized UI, Action Center, Internet Explorer 11, and so on.


sources: The Verge, Neowin

Thieves can disable Find My iPhone and delete your iCloud account thanks to security glitch in iOS 7

With iOS 7, the only way to delete an iCloud account or restore a wiped device, is to disable Find My iPhone. And the only way to disable Find My iPhone is to enter your Apple ID password. Apple did this to prevent thieves from avoiding detection from the Find My iPhone application. But it seems that there is a way for the bad guys to bypass this security set-up. Going to the iCloud settings panel, you need to press "delete account" at the same time you click on the switch to disable Find My iPhone. That combination, done at the same time, requires a bit of dexterity, but it can be done.
You then will be prompted to enter a password at which time you hold down the power button and turn off your handset. When you reboot the iPhone, you can then go into the iCloud setting panel and remove the account without being asked for a password. It will then allow anyone to plug the phone into iTunes and restore it with no questions asked. And with Find My iPhone disabled, the Activation Lock will not save you.We would expect to see Apple working feverishly on a fix for this problem. The last thing you want to happen if your iPhone is stolen is for the thieves to remove your iCloud account, making it much easier for them to find a buyer for the device.

source: MiguelAlvarado, 9to5Mac via Gizmodo

Report: Google considers becoming a wireless carrier

A report published on Thursday has brought back a rumor that has been making the rounds over the last few years. According to "unnamed sources" who allegedly had discussions with Google, the Mountain View based tech titan is entertaining the idea of becoming a mobile carrier. The report says that Google could roll out the service in the same areas where it offers Google Fiber. Google had apparently toyed with the idea of offering wireless service in 2012, but by December of that year it had decided that there was too much red tape involved.
There was also some talk last year that Google would work out a deal to become a Sprint MVNO. Now, Google is said to be interested in working out an MVNO deal with Verizon or T-Mobile. Verizon is the largest carrier in the U.S., while T-Mobile is considered the most innovative operator in the industry. There is speculation that Google would offer a hybrid service similar to Republic Wireless and Freedom Pop. These carriers offer their customers low cost  plans by using Wi-Fi connectivity to carry calls, texts and data. Once outside the range of a Wi-Fi signal, the carriers connect using a 3G or 4G signal from Sprint. Google's hybrid service could use Wi-Fi from Google Fiber and a regular cell signal from whichever carrier it partners up with.

 source: TheInformation via AndroidAuthority

Nokia Lumia 930 will be equipped with 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording

The Nokia Lumia 930 was introduced just yesterday. The new Windows Phone flagship model is similar to the Nokia Lumia Icon, which is an exclusive to Verizon. There are a few differences of note between the two models. One is the various color options that buyers of the Lumia 930 will have. The second is that the Lumia 930 will feature 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording. Nokia says that the Lumia 930 will be the first smartphone to offer this feature.
The same HAAC (high-amplitude audio recording) microphones found on the Nokia Lumia 1520 and the Nokia Lumia Icon, are found on the Nokia Lumia 930. The difference is in the firmware and Nokia has hinted that a future update to the Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon will add the 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus technology to those two models.Currently, the 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio recording feature is still in development, and can only be found on a few units of the Lumia 930 kept internally by Nokia. The Finnish manufacturer hopes to finish off the feature in the weeks before the phone is launched in June. The option will be found in the Camera settings under Video. Nokia already prides itself on the quality of the sound reproduction on video captured by the rear camera on its high-end models. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus technology on the Nokia Lumia 930 takes the audio to another level.

"Combining Dolby Surround Sound Capturing with Nokia Rich Recording, all of your videos will document exactly what you hear. Play it back and you’ll experience true surround sound in 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus format."-Nokia 

 

 

source: WPCentral

Google Opinion Rewards now available in Canada, UK, and Australia

Google Opinion Rewards are pretty awesome. All you have to do is answer a few questions, and suddenly, you've got a bit of extra credit in your Google Play account. One of the bigger issues with the app so far has been that it was only available to users in the U.S., but that changed today with the app expanding to users in Canada, the U.K., and Australia.

That's a nice expansion, but of course, it doesn't really fix the other major issue with the app, which is that there simply aren't enough surveys to be done. When the app first launched, there were surveys on a regular basis, and some of them were worth up to $1. Recently, surveys have been few and far between, with some offering just 10 cents to answer a few questions.

It all adds up though, and it is nice to go to purchase an app and find that you already have enough credit to get it. And, it's always good to see an app like this expanded beyond the U.S.. No word on if the app will ever go beyond English though.  

Download: Google Opinion Rewards

Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo to be launched in India soon

Samsung is now listing the Galaxy S3 Neo on its official Indian website, which means that the handset should be released there in the near future (and it might also be introduced in other markets).
As you’ve probably guessed, the S3 Neo (model number I9300i) is a refreshed Galaxy S III. It doesn’t look different from the 2012 model, though, and most of its features have remained unchanged. What seems to be different is the processor: the S3 Neo has a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU of unknown provenience, while the original S III uses a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos 4412, or a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus. The S3 Neo also offers 1.5GB of RAM - not 1GB, like the international S III from 2012, and neither 2GB, like the US variant of the older handset.The Galaxy S3 Neo is presented by Samsung India as “the most premium dual SIM smartphone” - thus, it supports two SIM cards. Samsung doesn’t mention what version of Android the S3 Neo is running, but it’s probably Jelly Bean, not KitKat. Samsung suggests that the Galaxy S3 Neo will be available in India in seven color versions: black, white, blue, red, brown, pink, and silver. The handset’s price is not known at the moment. All in all, it’s clear that Samsung just loves the Neo name, as it introduced quite a few devices that are using it this year, including the Galaxy Note 3 Neo, and the Gear 2 Neo smartwatch.


source: Samsung India via FoneArena

Apple hopes firm it acquired last year will take Siri to the next level

Microsoft's unveiling of its own virtual personal assistant apparently has Apple working on ways to bring Siri to the next level. To help them with this task, Apple has turned to speech recognition firm Novauris Technologies. The latter was formed from the U.K. research arm of Dragon Systems, and Apple purchased the firm last year, although it never was announced.
Apple has turned to its acquisition to improve Siri's speech recognition. Novauris has been working on large vocabulary automatic speech recognition, to help snag information stored in a mobile device. Novauris Technology's products can search a phone's contacts list, apps, music, and navigation. It can also search inside the App Store for a specific app.There already is a connection between Novauris and Siri. When Siri launched with the Apple iPhone 4s in 2011, it was powered by Nuance, which purchased Dragon. And as we said earlier, Novauris' staff came from Dragon's U.K. research arm. Now, Apple is hoping that Siri can be re-energized to not only take on Google Now, but also Cortana.


source: TechCrunch

Groups and voice calling in Facebook Messenger 4.0 Android version

Last week, Facebook Messenger version 4.0 hit iOS, but the only thing it really brought to the platform was the ability to create groups from your contacts. Today, Facebook Messenger for Android has gotten an update to the same version number, but this is a much bigger update for Android than it was for iOS, bringing groups and much more.

Version 4.0 for Android does include the option to create groups for your contacts, and it also offers a new option to forward a message to another contact. Taking advantage of Android-specific features, there is also a new option which allows you to place a shortcut on your homescreen that will take you directly to a specific conversation, which is pretty cool.

However, the big addition for Android users is voice calling. This is a feature that started on iOS, testing first in Canada and expanding to U.S. users back in January. Now, Android users can also get into the fun. It allows for free calls over Wi-Fi, and calls are also available over mobile data, but of course data charges could apply there.  

     

 

Download: Facebook Messenger

White House upset with Samsung

You might be aware about the selfie that Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz took with the president. While the President of the United States is not supposed to be involved in promoting  products, the selfie with Ortiz and Obama was later retweeted around the world by Samsung, making it appear as though the president was promoting the Korean manufacturer. "As a rule the White House objects to attempts to use the president's likeness for commercial purposes," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. "And we certainly object in this case."
What the president and his handlers did not know, was that the very day before Ortiz snapped the picture, the slugger had signed a deal with Samsung to endorse its phones. Like Ellen Degeneres before him, Ortiz was handed a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and was given a quick tutorial on how to take selfies with the phablet. For its part, Samsung clammed up on Thursday. Press Secretary Carney did not mention whether White House attorneys have been in touch with Samsung about ceasing its use of the picture.

"As a rule the White House objects to attempts to use the president's likeness for commercial purposes. And we certainly object in this case."-Jay Carney, press secretary, White House 

Unlike Ellen's selfie, which became a huge media event, and gave Samsung more promotion for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 than it could have ever dreamed of receiving, Ortiz' selfie has not received the same attention. In fact, Ted Marzilli, CEO of YouGov's BrandIndex, says that 24 hours after the event, there has been no movement in the perception of Samsung's brand. 

source: WSJ

Samsung details its new Galaxy S5 display: the brightest

Samsung Display decided to elaborate on its claims that the 5.1" panel of the Galaxy S5 is the best Super AMOLED display it's put in flagships so far. Hot on the heels of the pros at Displaymate concurring with that assessment, Samsung Display issued a blog post explaining the main reasons why.

First off, they confirm the so-called "Diamond" structure for the arrangement of the subpixels, an alternative to the standard RGB matrix arrangement. This structure seems is an offshoot of the PenTile matrix arrangement, but its advantage is an improved fill factor, which correlates better to the efficiency of the different OLED materials used to achieve the basic colors. Samsung says that the Diamond Pixel arrangement in its AMOLED panels is actually better than the PenTile of yesteryear, as it reduces aliasing and artifacts. Still, the number of green subpixels in the diamond matrix is as high as it would be in a regular RGB stripe configuration, for instance, while the red and blue subpixels are 50% less. They are much larger, though, and with a diamond shape, while the numerous small green subpixels are oval.

This rendering scheme has allowed Samsung to achieve the same 1080p resolution as displays with a normal RGB stripe matrix, but with two thirds of the subpixel count. The overwhelming number of green subpixels is due to the fact that green is the longest-lasting and most efficient OLED emitter, while the red, and especially blue, are more taxing on the battery, and have a shorter lifespan. Now you know why even in the Cinema mode, which has been measured to be the closest to the standard sRGB color gamut, the green pulls towards oversaturation - there are just too many green subpixels in the Full HD Super AMOLED panels. Long story short, in terms of color representation we can't expect the screen on the Galaxy S5 to differ much from the one on the Note 3 and the S4, which share the same Diamond Pixel arrangement.

The big improvements are in brightness and power efficiency, though, reiterates Samsung. OLED displays don't have backlighting, as LCDs do, and only count on the light emitted by the organic LEDs in their structure. Thus, their maximum brightness levels are usually lower than those of the best LCDs out there. As you can see in the chart below, however, the 5.1" Galaxy S5 display is 22% brighter than the panel on the Galaxy S4, and 13% brighter than the Note 3. Those 351 nits might not sound much compared to, say, the 500+ nits of the iPhone 5s screen, but here Samsung is giving an example for the typical ambient lighting levels in your home or office, for instance, where LCDs hit similar values.

During the Galaxy S5 announcement, Samsung bragged that it can easily hit 500 nits, which is a remarkable feat for a Super AMOLED screen. Today it clarified the peak brightness levels further, saying that in  further in certain high ambient lighting situations - for example, when the summer sun outside is shining directly on the display - they've measured burst levels of 698 nits, while the S5 hits 475 nits on the regular outside. This is the highest brightness level achieved by a mobile OLED panel so far, as only some Nokia Lumias manage to hit 600 nits in those circumstances, so kudos to Samsung here.

Moreover, the good OLED panels are covered with elaborate low-reflectivity coatings, which serves to minimize those pesky mirror reflections, so their visibility outdoor is on par with much brighter screens. Samsung touts 4.5% reflectivity ratio for the S5, which is amongst the lowest measured on a mobile screen so far, making the Galaxy S5 panel an excellent screen for outdoor usage. Last but not least in the brightness department, the minimum luminance levels are just 2 nits now, which makes the phone more comfortable to use when you are lying in bed in complete darkness, and get a message, for instance. The human eye starts perceiving glare and discomfort in those situations at levels as low as 3-5 nits, says Samsung, so it tried to go even below that with the minimum brightness level on the S5.

In addition, the improved organic materials used by the company to make the new S5 panel led to 27% reduction in its power consumption rates, compared to previous Super AMOLED editions, like the one on the S4, as well as measured up to 1080p LCD screens. This allowed Samsung to eke out about a third longer battery life from the S4 to the S5, while bumping the battery capacity only slightly.

When we combine that power-sipping display with the new Ultra Power Saving mode on the S5, it should be ranking among the best, but we'll save the verdict for when we do our own battery test. For now, it seems that with the Galaxy S5, Samsung has indeed managed to make its best mobile screen with OLED technology to date. 

 

 

source: SamsungDisplay

Star Walk stargazing app reaches microsoft

Windows Phone stargazers, rejoice! Star Walk, one of the most popular cosmos apps on iOS and Android, has reached planet Microsoft. The app has over nine million users currently, and Windows Phone 8 is its next frontier of expansion. 

According to its makers, Star Walk "covers literally all man-made satellites and anything you may want to find in the night sky". It also lets you point your smartphone camera at the sky and get augmented data on its display, calculate positions of celestial bodies at any chosen moment, check information on moon phases and planets' set and rise times, and more. Windows Phone astronomers will certainly be pleased. Using the app goes as follows:

- Launch the app and point your device at the night sky, you'll see the stars, planets, satellites, and constellations in their proper place for your location. As you move your device, the star map updates in real time. The Moon is the easiest first target.

- Tap Augmented Reality icon in the upper right corner to add the image from your camera to your sky view.

- Use Night Mode to go easy on your eyes and preserve night vision when exploring the Universe.

Star Walk is available for $2.49 from the Windows Phone store. 

Download Star Walk: Windows Phone