Facebook is giving you control over your news feed

Facebook takes a pretty heavy hand in deciding what
posts rise to the top of your News Feed and which
ones never show up at all, but a new update from the
social network promises to give users a bit more
control. The company just rolled out extra options for
muting your friends, along with a new settings menu
for managing your News Feed.
The next time you decide to banish a status update
from your News Feed you’ll be presented with a new
option to “See less” from that particular person or
page, which is great for those friends who can’t go
five minutes without posting something new to
Facebook. You’ll also have the option to unfollow
someone entirely, though you’ll still be “friends” on
the site.
Even better is Facebook’s new News Feed Settings
menu, which offers a rundown of which friends’ status
updates you’ve seen most in the past week. From there
you can quickly unfollow or choose to see less from
any person or page. You’ll also see a list of people
you’ve unfollowed, with the option to reverse each
decision with a single tap.
Facebook says the News Feed Settings menu is hitting
its mobile app and desktop site starting today.
Meanwhile the ability to give more feedback right from
your News Feed should arrive on the main site today
and roll out to smartphones and tablets in the next few
weeks.
SOURCE FACEBOOK

Lenovo borrows from Apple in new S90 smartphone

Apple has some of the best marketing in the world, so
it should not come as any surprise that other
companies might want to emulate that to the best of
their abilities. Lenovo can now be added to that list.
The marketing initiative for Lenovo’s newest Android
powered smartphone, the S90, shares many influences
from Apple’s own marketing of the iPhone 6, as
revealed by a pair of images surfaced by Gizmobic . As
is more than evident, these marketing materials don’t
simply pull from Apple’s marketing mindset, but
blatantly copies them. Of course, the similarities don’t
end with just the marketing materials.
As one can see from the image above, as well as
below, the S90 “Sisley” smartphone also looks like an
iPhone 6 (and iPhone 6 Plus). More than that, though,
both devices — from Apple and Lenovo — feature a
metal, rounded casing, as well as a device that
measures only 6.9mm thin, and even weighs 129g.
For its part, Lenovo commented on allegations of
mimicking Apple’s products, noting that while there
are indeed similarities in the external design, it would
not have been possible for Lenovo to emulate Apple’s
hardware so soon after the iPhone 6’s launch:
“Lenovo has responded by admitting that while there
are “external similarities [...] Considering the product
design lifecycle of any smartphone – at least a year
in planning and prototyping – it’s not possible to
copy a design so quickly. “

How to check whether your jailbroken iOS devices is infected by WireLurker malware

Yesterday, a research paper brought to light a new
malware called ‘WireLurker’ that is infecting iOS
devices and Macs in China. The malware can infect
both jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices when
connected to an infected Mac through USB.
If you’re jailbroken, you can easily check if you’ve
been infected with WireLurker by following these
steps:
Open iFile or SSH into your iOS device.
Navigate to /Library/MobileSubstrate/
DynamicLibraries
If you see a file called sfbase.dylib then you likely
are infected. If not, then you’re safe.
Apple issued a statement on WireLurker this morning
saying that it is blocking apps that are identified to be
the source of this malware, and added that users
should only install Mac and iOS apps from trusted
sources.
While the intentions of this malware are not yet known,
it could siphon off your personal and private data to
third-party servers for malicious use.

Microsoft releases new Word, Excel ana PowerPoint apps for iPhones and iPad completely free

Just a day after Microsoft added Dropbox syncing to
the Office apps for iPhone and iPad, it has made the
apps completely free to download across all
platforms.
Starting from today, iPhone and iPad owners will be
able to create and edit Office documents and files for
free without subscribing to Office 365. Besides this,
the company has ditched its subpar Office Mobile app
for the iPhone and has instead released three new
standalone apps for the iPhone: Word, Excel and
PowerPoint. The apps are similar to their iPad version
except that they have been optimized for the smaller
real screen estate offered by the iPhone.
The apps have the same UI and features as their iPad
version, which means you will get access to new
features like the ability to create new files, view
recently opened documents, link the apps to your
various online storage services including Dropbox for
storing new files and editing existing ones.
Microsoft has made some changes to the UI of the
apps to optimize it better for the smaller screen. The
Ribbon, which is located at the top on the iPad, has
been moved to the bottom to better aid usability. The
Redmond based company has also added two new
viewing modes to Excel and Word to make it easier to
read through documents. The first is a full-screen
mode, which is pretty much self-explanatory, and a
“Reflow” mode that works like reflow feature in mobile
browsers making it extremely easy and convenient to
go through large documents. The PowerPoint app
lacks the new video modes because it largely works in
landscape mode.
Microsoft has also rolled out an update for Word, Excel
and PowerPoint for the iPad with certain new features
including the ability to customize charts by adding or
removing elements from them.
The new Word, Excel and Powerpoint apps for the
iPhone and iPad has now been merged app that can
be download for free from the App Store.

Microsoft is launching it's first Lumia smartphone on Tuesday

Microsoft is planning to launch its very first Lumia
smartphone on Tuesday. The software giant has started
teasing an unveiling for November 11th, with the tagline
of "Microsoft is delivering the power of everyday mobile
technology to everyone." Microsoft's teaser also
includes an orange curved Lumia device. Microsoft
officially unveiled its new branding for upcoming Lumia
handsets, and Tuesday’s launch will mark the first time
the company drops the Nokia name on its smartphones.
While many are hoping for a flagship phone, sources
familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the
company will launch a budget Lumia handset next week.
Recently leaked images revealed Microsoft’s first Lumia,
and the specifications indicate it will be a low-end
device targeted at the masses. It’s not clear how
Microsoft will name its first Lumia, and the company
could opt to ditch the number scheme that Nokia has
used in the past. Microsoft’s first Lumia will include a 5-
inch display with 1GB RAM, a 5-megapixel camera, and
1.2GHz Snapdragon processor. Surprisingly, Microsoft is
adding a forward-facing camera to this particular model,
something Nokia chose to cut from the recent low-end
Lumia handsets.
Via : The Verge

Android 5.0 Lollipop comes early on Sony Xperia Z1,Z2 ,Z3

Sony is hard at work getting Android 5.0 Lollipop onto
their flagship devices, and thanks to the recent release
of the code from Google, they're sharing builds for the
Xperia Z1, Xperia Z2, and Xperia Z3. The public rollout is
due early next year, but for now developers and eager
early adopters can load it up, give it a shot, and provide
feedback to improve the final release.
Via : Android Central

Microsoft is adding Dropbox syncing to office for iPad and Macs

Dropbox and Microsoft are working together to bring
more support and functionality to each company’s
important apps. For Microsoft, it’s about adding
Dropbox syncing and integration for Office apps,
including the Office apps for iOS. With this new
support, users will be able to share their Dropbox links
right from within Office, thanks to a specific Dropbox
link that is created to share the document.
Users will also be able to access files stored within
Dropbox, and save files made with Office directly to
Dropbox when they’re finished. The Dropbox mobile
app will also now let users edit Office documents from
anywhere, and changes will be synced automatically
from the mobile app to the desktop client, and vice
versa.
“We know that much of the world relies on a
combination of Dropbox and Microsoft Office to get
work done. In fact, Dropbox is home to over 35
billion Office documents, spreadsheets, and
presentations. That’s why we’re partnering with
Microsoft to help you do more on your phones,
tablets, and the web. Soon you’ll be able to access
your Dropbox directly from Office apps, and edit
Office files from the Dropbox app. “
The changes will be made soon, and Dropbox says the
updated Office and Dropbox apps will be available to
downloaded (or updated) in the next few weeks.
[via Dropbox]

New malware targeted at Apple devices uncovered

The “WireLurker” malware can install third-party
applications on regular, non-jailbroken iOS
devices and hop from infected Macs onto iPhones
through USB connector-cables, said Ryan Olson,
intelligence director for the company’s Unit 42
division.
Palo Alto Networks said on Wednesday it had seen
indications that the attackers were Chinese. The
malware originated from a Chinese third-party
apps store and appeared to have mostly affected
users within the country.
The malware spread through infected apps
uploaded to the apps store, that were in turn
downloaded onto Mac computers. According to
the company, more than 400 such infected apps
had been downloaded over 350,000 times so far.
It’s unclear what the objective of the attacks was.
There is no evidence that the attackers had made
off with anything more sensitive than messaging
IDs and contacts from users’ address books, Olson
added.
But “they could just as easily take your Apple ID
or do something else that’s bad news,” he said in
an interview.
Apple, which Olson said was notified a couple
weeks ago, did not respond to requests for
comment on Wednesday.
Once WireLurker gets on an iPhone, it can go on
to infect existing apps on the device, somewhat
akin to how a traditional virus infects computer
software programs. Olson said it was the first time
he had seen it in action. “It’s the first time we’ve
seen anyone doing it in the wild,” he added-
Reuters

HTC apologizes for poor Nexus 9 sales experience

HTC kicked off the HTC Hot
Deals weekly promotion with a bang, offering a
brand new Nexus 9 for just $199. Of course,
supplies for the promo were extremely limited and
traffic was very high on the servers, which
hindered people’s experiences when they
attempted to buy one. And we all know what
happens when things on the Internet don’t go as
expected – infinite Twitter rage.
To clear up the situation, HTC America’s
president Jason Mackenzie, took to the deals site
with a letter to everyone who experienced
frustration due to yesterday’s situation. To sum it
up, Jason states that only a few hundred units
were allotted to the promotion (editor note: not
nearly enough to satisfy even the smallest
percentage of people attempting to purchase
one), and that the HTC team is rectifying the
systems issues that people experienced.
Read the full letter below, then set your clock for
the same time next week, as another Hot Deal is
on its way.
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to personally apologize for
the frustration some of you
experienced with our first “flash”
sale yesterday. The sale was
intended to introduce a weekly
promotion that HTC will run weekly
through the holidays. In celebration
of the launch of our Nexus 9 tablet,
we decided to kick off “HTC Hot
Deals” in a BIG way with a screaming
hot deal on a limited quantity of
these tablets. Simply put, the offer
was very well received and the
several hundred units that were
allocated to this promotion sold out
quickly.
I understand that our site did not
function properly and caused
frustration – and for that I apologize.
With such a hot deal and short time
to take advantage, the experience
needs to be seamless. Our team is
rectifying the systems issues that
some experienced and we remain
committed to bring you an exciting
cadence of offers throughout
holidays. We hope you were one of
the many who got to enjoy the
savings this time, but if not please
do check back weekly.
All the best,
Jason Mackenzie
President, HTC America
@JasonmacHTC
Via : Droid Life

Lenovo, the third largest smartphone maker

Lenovo has announced its financial results for its
second fiscal quarter, which ended September 30, 2014.
Everything is looking good for the world’s largest PC
vendor, not only does it now own Motorola, but as a
result it became the world’s third largest smartphone
maker.
Lenovo managed to increase its smartphone
shipments by 38 percent year-over-year. Without
Motorola the company is the 4th larges smartphone
maker in the world, but since it acquired Motorola
Mobilty, it is now the third largest with only Samsung
and Apple ahead of it in terms of the number of
devices sold.
But that isn’t all. Lenovo
also became the number
one PC+Tablet vendor for
the first time ever. Back in
May, Lenovo set itself the
task of becoming the
number one vendor in the
combined PC+Tablet market. The execs thought they
could achieve that goal by 2016, but the company
managed to become the number one six quarters
ahead of target. At the moment Lenovo has a 14.1
percent market share, up 1.2 percent year over year.
In total the company shipped 3 million tablets, up 30.6
percent. And these weren’t just tablet shipped to its
home market, according to Lenovo the growth in
tablet shipments was driven by sales outside of China.
During Q2 Lenovo shipped 35.6 million
smartphones, PCs and tablets shipped globally.
“Not only did we reach nearly 20 percent share in PCs,
but we became #1 in the broader PC+ tablet market for
the first time,” said Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO
of Lenovo.
During Q2 Lenovo shipped 35.6 million smartphones,
PCs and tablets shipped globally. The result was a
quarterly revenue of $10.5 billion, a 7 percent increase
year-over-year. This translated into $262 million of
earnings, up from $219.7 million a year earlier.
Lenovo does just over one third of its business in
China and about 15 percent in the rest of Asia. Just
under a third of its revenue comes from Europe/
Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and the rest of its sales
(some 20 percent) are in the Americas. The purchase
of Motorola should allow Lenovo to further boost its
market share in the USA.
Via : Android Central

Google and LG sign patent cross license agreement

Patent disputes have been a constant cause of
headaches in the smartphone industry, but at least we
know that Google and LG Electronics won’t be hauling
each other down to the local courthouse anytime soon.
The two technology giants have just announced a long-
term global patent cross-licensing agreement.
The agreement doesn’t only cover smartphone patents,
it includes a whole range of products and technologies.
Given that Google now has its home automation and
TV products and that LG has a long history in
consumer electronics and is an influential Android
partner, it seems like a rather fair deal.
By working together on cross-licenses like
this, companies can focus on bringing
great products and services to consumers
around the world.
The deal includes all existing patents held by each
company and extends to cover all patents filed within
the next 10 years as well. Google and Samsung signed
a similar decade long deal back at the start of 2014 ,
with the aim of proving that cooperation is more
beneficial than squabbling.
The two companies have seemingly been on quite good
terms since hashing out a deal for LG’s well received
Nexus smartphones. This patent agreement indicates
that the two giants are happy to continue a mutually
beneficial arrangement over the coming years.

Android 5.0 Lollipop changes the way your SD card works

Google has brought a new set of tools for developers to
leverage the SD card on your phone or tablet with
Android 5.0 Lollipop . Using a new intent, applications
can now have read and write access to directories on
removable storage — even directories they do not own.
Google at its developer conference this summer
announced it would be addressing this issue, and today
things were made more official with an announcement
on the Android-platform Google group.
Here's what you need to know.
Hey all, in KitKat we introduced APIs that let apps read/
write file in app-specific directories on secondary
storage devices, such as SD cards.
We heard loud and clear that developers wanted richer
access beyond these directories, so in Lollipop we
added the new ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE intent.
Apps can launch this intent to pick and return a
directory from any supported DocumentProvider,
including any of the shared storage supported by the
device. Apps can then create, update, and delete files
and directories anywhere under the picked tree without
any additional user interaction. Just like the other
document intents, apps can persist this access across
reboots.
This gives apps broad, powerful access to manage files
while still involving the user in the initial selection
process. Users may choose to give your app access to a
narrow directory like "My Vacation Photos," or they
could pick the top-level of an entire SD card; the choice
is theirs.
OK. If you're not an Android application developer, that
looks pretty complicated. In fact, it is pretty
complicated, so it's a good thing that Google did most
of the work. But we can try and simplify things a bit.
Using this new method, a developer can now declare a
permission on installation (that's part of that list of
items we usually gloss over) to do "things" on device
storage — including removable (read: SD cards) storage.
One of the things they can do is allow you to choose
what folder(s) on the SD card you want the application
to be able to change. This could be one folder — like
"Music" — or the top level folder. Anything inside this
directory can be read, written, and possibly deleted.
Simply put, this means that an app like Poweramp can
now edit tags on the songs you have in the Music
folder. Or a photo editor can save to the Pictures folder,
and not just its own folder. Or a file manager can move
files around on the SD card. All the developer needs to
do is update the app with the new methods.
There will be issues with some apps. We can count on
that. And you'll need to allow for a new permission that
gives an app almost unfettered access to your device
storage — both internal and external. But this is a
(mostly) safe way to allow applications to have access
to the storage on your device that bypasses standard
filesystem commands in favor of a document model.

Via : Android Central

Boot loops and crashes cried some iphone 6 and 6 Plus owners

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been out for
more than a month now, and while the launch went
well for the Cupertino-based company, it would seem
some owners are experiencing less-than-stellar issues
with their handsets.
Within the Apple Support community, many owners of
128GB variants of both the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6
are reporting issues with repeated crashes of their
handsets. Some owners are even experiencing boot
loops after their device crashes and tries to restart.
According to a report published by MacRumors, the
issue seems to be plaguing owners of the
aforementioned variants that also have a large app
library on their handset.
It is believed that it could be a hardware issue with the
128GB models, but the exact cause of the issue is still
unknown at this point.
However, BusinessKorea is reporting that “industry
contacts” speaking to the publication suggest the
problem could lie with the triple-level cell (TLC) NAND
flash included in these particular models. Previous,
Apple utilized a multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash:
“Some in the industry point out that considering that
technical defects mainly occur in the 128GB version
of the iPhone 6 Plus, there might be a problem in the
controller IC of triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash.
[...]
As numerous reports of low read performance of the
Samsung SSD 840 and 840 EVO using TLC NAND
flash have surfaced on the Internet, a problem in the
controller IC is considered to be the more likely
cause of the defects.“
As noted, the only way to fix the issue is to bring the
plagued iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus back to Apple and
have it replaced.
Have you experienced any of these issues with your
own 128GB iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus?
Via : MacRumors

Samsung looks set to continue with Galaxy S6

SamMobile states that the hardware
manufacturer is in early stages of development of the
handset, which is allegedly codenamed Project Zero
internally. Citing anonymous sources, the website also
revealed preliminary specs of the handset, which include
a QHD display, 16 or 20 MP camera, 64-bit CPU and
more.
Although there wasn't any mention of a screen size,
SamMobile mentions that the Galaxy S5 would feature a
QHD display, which is unsurprising considering the
trend in screen resolution we've been witnessing over
the last few years. Samsung is said to be debating
whether to use the same 16 MP sensor with OIS that was
introduced with the Galaxy Note 4, or shift to a 20 MP
sensor. At the front, hit looks like the vendor has locked
in on a 5 MP camera.
As for the innards, the Galaxy S6 is reported to feature
the 64-bit Exynos 7420 SoC Samsung launched last
month. Featuring four Cortex A57 cores and four Cortex
A53 cores, the SoC is said to include Samsung's first in-
house modem, the Exynos Modem 333, which offers LTE
connectivity. The manufacturer will still offer a
Qualcomm version, which is said to feature the
Snapdragon 810.
The internal storage gets a mention as well, with
Samsung allegedly looking to offer the device in
32/64/128 GB variants. In terms of connectivity, the
Galaxy S6 is said to include a Broadcom BCM4773 chip
that integrates GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity on
a single chip, which serves to decrease battery drain.
As is always with unconfirmed rumors, we advise you
take the news with the obligatory grain of salt. Seeing
as how there's a lot of time before the Galaxy S6 gets
any sort of official announcement, there is the very real
possibility that the hardware details mentioned above
may turn out to be entirely different from what is actually
included inside the device. That being said, what would
you guys like to see in the Galaxy S6?
Source: SamMobile

Apple shifts it's A9 chip production from Samsung to TSMC

Up until last year, Samsung had been the sole
manufacturer of Apple’s in-house chips used inside
the iPhone and the iPad. In a bid to diversify its
supply-chain this year, Apple shifted the majority of
the production of its A8 chips found inside the iPhone
6 and iPhone 6 Plus to TSMC.
In a bid to become the primary producer of the A9 chip
that will be used in the iPhone 7 and other iOS devices
next year, Samsung has now offered quotes lower than
TSMC to secure the order from Apple. To further
sweeten the deal, Samsung is also ready to
manufacture other flash based chips for Apple like
flash memory and perform other optimisation services.
According to industry sources close to
DigiTimes, Apple will finalise its primary supplier for
the A9 chip by the end of this quarter.
Apple shifting to TSMC for the production of its A8
chips had an adverse effect on Samsung’s logic chip
business as it profit fell sharply to $848 million in the
last quarter.
Apple’s upcoming A9 chip is expected to be based on
the 1X FinFET process. Its current A8 and A8X chip are
based on the 20nm fabrication process.

Royalties disagreement between Microsoft and Samsung

Samsung and Microsoft
reached an agreement on a cross-licensing deal
for Android phones and tablets, which
included Samsung agreeing to pay Microsoft a set
amount of royalties for specific patents used. Fast-
forward to the end of 2013, which is when Microsoft
announced that they would be purchasing Nokia’s
mobile division for 7.2 billion dollars. Interestingly
enough, Nokia went with Microsoft instead of Android
because they feared Samsung would dominate the
market if Nokia also ran under the Android name.
Samsung did however did go on to dominate the
market, Nokia didn’t do so well, and here we are now.
So why exactly is Samsung refusing to pay previously
agreed upon royalty fees?
To understand the reason behind this, you have to
keep in mind that back in 2011 when a cross-licensing
deal was reached, the two companies also reached an
agreement on something else: To cooperate in the
marketing and development of Windows Phone. That
naturally would involve Samsung sharing some
sensitive information with Microsoft. The deal also
stated that royalty fees for Android would be reduced,
provided that Samsung could reach specific sales
targets for Windows phones.
Crying foul
Samsung is now crying foul, stating that the purchase
of Nokia has now made Microsoft a direct hardware
competitor. Because of this, Samsung feels that
cooperating with Microsoft and openly sharing
sensitive information is no longer possible, and that it
directly violates the terms of the original 2011
agreement. Samsung also stated that it could create US
antitrust issues, and filed that “The agreements, now
between competitors, invite charges of collusion”.
Microsoft is so far very
confident that the original
agreement will stick, and
stated that they feel they
have a very strong case.
The Redmond company is
also seeking around 7
million dollars in damages as punishment for
Samsung’s late payment of the billion dollar royalty
fee from last year.
I can certainly understand both sides in this issue.
Microsoft is entitled to royalties, as there are Microsoft
patents in use with most Android devices. But did the
original agreement reached in 2011 stipulate that
Microsoft becoming directly involved in mobile
hardware would be grounds for voiding the deal
entirely? Samsung, who currently has their fair share
of problems , also has a point. How can Samsung, the
most dominant Android manufacturer in the world,
share hardware secrets with a partner/now competitor
company that develops their own hardware and
software within the mobile sector?
Via : Engadget

First Microsoft branding on Lumia

Microsoft revealed its plans to drop the Nokia moniker
on its Lumia smartphones last month, and it appears
that a new device with the new Microsoft Lumia
branding is on the way soon. Images from Chinese
regulator TENAA show a new Lumia handset with
Microsoft branding at the front and rear in what appears
to be a bigger version of the Lumia 530. The new device
is simply labelled RM-1090 for now, but it offers dual-
SIM support with what will likely be low-end
specifications.
As part of Microsoft’s official announcement, the
company did hint that a new Lumia would be launching
soon. This new handset appears to be the latest low-
end Windows Phone from Microsoft, an approach that
the company is using to try and push the overall
operating system market share as it struggles to
compete with Android on cost and features. Microsoft
has launched the Lumia 530, 630, 730 , and 830 over the
past few months, all with a focus on price and
availability. Little else is known about this newly leaked
handset, but an official unveiling before the holidays is
highly likely.
Via : The Verge