Lenovo working on a 4K 50-inch smart TV powered by NVIDIA Tegra K1?

Lenovo may be among the first companies to adopt NVIDIA’s newly announced Tegra K1 chip.
Using his official Weibo account, Lenovo’s Vice President revealed that the company’s upcoming 4K 50-inch smart TV will use the world’s fastest 200-core CPU + GPU. As far we know, aside from the Tegra K1 no other chip comes with so many cores, 192 of which are reserved for graphics. The best part is that the launch date of this smart TV is “just around the corner.”
Now we’re not sure whether this Lenovo TV set will be available in the West and we can only hope that will be the case. Moreover, we’re not sure just how the company plans to use all that processing power. One idea that comes to mind is to bundle some gaming service with every purchase; that could certainly set Lenovo TVs apart from those made by the likes of Samsung, LG and Sharp.

 

[Via: G4Games]

Turn-based RPG Angry Birds Epic test version in few days

The next Angry Birds installment is going to be called Epic, but won’t be another arcade game. Rovio has decided to switch genres and Angry Birds Epic is going to be its first turn-based RPG title.


Angry Birds Epic will be set in Medieval Times according to the announcement trailer.  
A test version of Angry Bird Epic will launch on the Australian and Canadian iTunes Stores later this week. The rest of the world will get the final version sometime later this year.
There is a screenshot from the game as well, here it is:

Russia sees boom in tablet market

According to the research firm, IDC, tablet sales have more than doubled in the region for the year of 2013. 

The total tablet market grew 108%, with market value increasing 66.8%. This brings the total tablet market value to $2.77 Billion for 2013.
The two top tablet players in Russia are, you guessed it, Samsung and Apple. Although Samsung trumps the Cupertino-based tech giant in tablet use (20% of all tablets delivered are Samsung models, whereas 16% are Apple), Apple has earned the most in the region from its tablet sales.
Android tablets are the most widely used models in Russia, with 7” screens being the most popular models as well.
There’s been no word on Vladimir Putin’s tablet of choice.



source:mail.ru

Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom leaks with 19-megapixel camera

If you had doubts that Samsung will be spinning the S5 branding off to various devices, just like it did with the S4, doubt no more. We heard about a Galaxy S5 Zoom sequel to last year's S4 Zoom (SM-C101), and now its full specs sheet leaked out, courtesy of a graphics benchmark database. 

Chilling on the GFXBench website, we find the Samsung SM-C115 device, listed with a 20 MP camera (5184 x 3888 sensor resolution), and a 2 MP front-facing shooter, capable of 1080p video recording. The other mentioned specs are a 4.8" 720p HD display, 1.3 GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa processor with ARM Mali-T624 graphics, 2 GB of RAM, and two reported storage capacities, which likely means that a dedicated memory card slot will be present, too. The latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat is what runs on the device, and we wouldn't expect anything less.

For comparison, last year's bulky S4 Zoom has a 16 MP camera, 4.3" display with qHD 540x960 pixels, dual-core Exynos, 1.5 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of storage, plus a microSD slot. It also has the whopping 10x optical zoom, and a similar feature is very likely to be in the new S5 Zoom, too. Unfortunately, the S4 Zoom is as big as a compact point-and-shoot camera, so shaving off the bulk should be at the top of Samsung's list with the S5 Zoom, if it wants better commercial success. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

source: GFXBench via Webtrek.it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 tipped to run Google’s latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS, the leaks also suggest the handset will benefit from 16GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s5-zoom-leaks-with-19-megapixel-camera#SuWWc8gWwoIbAuVv.99

According to latest reports, the as yet unconfirmed Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom has landed with the GFXBench database, with the phone’s prematurely outed specs sheet pointing to a device cut from a similar cloth as last year’s Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s5-zoom-leaks-with-19-megapixel-camera#SuWWc8gWwoIbAuVv.99

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 set to hit retailers in less than a month, latest leaks have suggested that a spin-off Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom is in the works with a 19-megapixel camera.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s5-zoom-leaks-with-19-megapixel-camera#SuWWc8gWwoIbAuVv.99

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 set to hit retailers in less than a month, latest leaks have suggested that a spin-off Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom is in the works with a 19-megapixel camera.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s5-zoom-leaks-with-19-megapixel-camera#SuWWc8gWwoIbAuVv.99

Nokia 'Martini' tipped to become Lumia 930 as Refocus app made available to all WP8 Lumias

Nokia's got a thing for James Bond. Following leaks that outed upcoming devices with the codenames "Goldfinger" and "Moneypenny," a new report says that Nokia has another Windows Phone device on the way that's named after Mr. Bond's favorite beverage. 

According to @evleaks, Nokia is working on a new product codenamed the "Martini." The device is expected to shake off that name when it comes to market, though, instead going by the name "Nokia Lumia 930." It's also been said that the Lumia 930 will be powered by Windows Phone Blue, aka Windows Phone 8.1. 

While details of the Lumia 930 are still fairly light, its model number suggests that it could be a true follow-up to the Lumia 920. That device debuted way back in late 2012 as the first Windows Phone 8 flagship device, and so we could see the Lumia 930 emerge as one of the Windows Phone 8.1's showcase handsets.
In other Nokia news, the Finnish firm today announced that its Refocus app is now available to all Lumia models running Windows Phone 8. The Refocus app allows a user to snap a photo and then change the focus after snapping and sharing it. When it launched last year, Refocus was only available to Lumia phones with PureView camera tech, but today's update makes it compatible with all Windows Phone 8-equipped Lumias. You can snag Nokia Refocus from the Windows Phone Store right here.  





Via @evleaks (1), (2), Nokia Coversations, Windows Phone Store: Nokia Refocus

Samsung 'Activity Tracker' wearable revealed in leaked sales documents

Samsung showed off a trio of new wearable devices at Mobile World Congress last month that included the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches as well as the Gear Fit fitness tracker. Apparently three wearables aren't enough for ol' Sammy, though, as some newly-leaked documents have shown that it's got another fitness-focused piece of wristwear on the way. 

SamMobile has gotten hold of some internal Samsung slides that detail a new device called the "Activity Tracker." As its name suggests, the wearable is meant to keep track of all of your actions, including counting steps and measuring your sleep efficiency. 

The device doesn't appear to have a full-on display like its Gear siblings, but it can pair with a smartphone using a dedicated Activity Tracker app and Samsung's S Health 3.0 app. Once paired, the Activity Tracker can send sensor data to the device, notify the wearer of incoming calls and messages with a vibration and light up LED and also alert the owner if it gets separated from its paired device by more than 10 meters.
The Activity Tracker can be worn on the wrist or clipped onto a piece of clothing. One of the leaked slides shows that Samsung may offer several differently-colored bands that can house the Activity Tracker.
Wearable devices appear to be the next big thing in mobile. The product segment dominated CES earlier this year, and nearly every major company in the industry either already has a wearable device on the market or is rumored to have one coming soon. That's why it's no surprise to see Samsung prepping several different devices in this product segment. The company is kind of known for creating several different types of a product to see what sticks with consumers and what doesn't, and it appears that that same story is playing out in wearables right now.
There's no word yet on when the Activity Tracker might launch or how much it'll cost when it does, but if the final product is similar to what's shown in these slides, I imagine that it'll end up being cheaper than the Gear Fit. 
  


 
Via SamMobile

iOS 7.1 users reporting faster battery drain

 Just a few days after the release of the much anticipated iOS 7.1 update, reports of devices discharging their batteries significantly faster than before have been coming in from users. Notably, Apple had since November last year issued a total of five iOS 7.1 betas for developers, before finally releasing the update on 10 March 2014. 
While according to reports the iOS 7.1 update has indeed resolved most of the problems with iOS 7.0 (and brought Touch ID improvements, Siri improvements, UI tweaks, amongst other features), iOS 7.1 also seems to have bought along its own battery-gate bug.
Apple fan-site, 9to5mac.com reports that users discussing the new upgrade on Apple forums and on Twitter have been complaining about the battery drainage issue. It further goes on to state that running a clean install of the iOS through iTunes could help to solve this issue.
The iOS 7.1 update, even though not a major one, has been anticipated for months. It has introduced a small but significant change that works towards making iOS devices feel as though speeds have improved. Not so much on the iPhone 5 and later variants, but users of the iPhone 4 and 4S had reported devices becoming slow once they had upgraded them to iOS 7.0. Even that problem seems to have been mitigated by the iOS 7.1 update.
Coming to the battery drain issue, a detailed report by Ars Technica detailed the results of a battery life test on iOS devices running iOS version 7.0.6 and version 7.1. The comparisons showed that almost all the devices had a drop in battery percentages once they had been upgraded to iOS 7.1. The only device to outperform its predecessor was the iPod Touch (fifth generation), that clocked a battery life of 383 minutes on iOS 7.1 against 370 minutes on iOS 7.0.6. The iPad mini with Retina display clocked 632 minutes with iOS 7.1, equalling its figures for iOS 7.0.6.


The vast majority of users however have not reported any significant losses or gains as far as the battery life is concerned. The problem certainly doesn't seem as major as the battery-gate issue that plagued the iPhone 4S launch from 2011.
The iOS 8 is expected to be teased at Apple's WWDC event later this year, and launched soon after. Reports suggest that it will come with Preview and TextEdit apps and iCloud integration.


 
source:ndtv

Rajeev Suri tipped to be named global CEO of Nokia Corporation

After Satya Nadella, it may now be the turn of another Mangalore University graduate to head a Fortune 500 company.

Rajeev Suri, who currently heads Nokia's telecom equipment business, is tipped to become the global chief executive officer of Nokia Corporation.
An announcement elevating Suri may be made by March-end or April, when software giant Microsoft concludes the acquisition of Nokia's handset business, Finnish media reports suggest. After the acquisition, Nokia will be left with the telecom equipment, location-based services and advanced technologies business.
Nokia said its longstanding policy is not to comment on media speculation.
Suri is also an engineering graduate from Mangalore University like Nadella, who took over last month as US-based Microsoft's third CEO after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
If chosen, Suri will join an elite club of Indians heading global firms, which includes PepsiCo Chairman Indra Nooyi, Reckitt Benckiser Chief Executive Rakesh Kapoor, Ajay Banga, President and Chief Executive of MasterCard, and Anshu Jain of Deutsche Bank.
Suri, who has headed Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) since October 2009, has been credited for "presiding over consistently improving results leading to the successful turnaround and restructuring of the company."
According to his official profile, Suri has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from Mangalore University. He is based in Espoo, Finland.
With more than 23 years of international experience, Suri has worked in strategy and mergers & acquisitions, product marketing, sales, major account leadership, regional and business unit leadership and has lived in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and headed the Asia Pacific region for NSN in 2007.
In July last year, Nokia agreed to buy German engineering giant Siemens' 50 per cent stake in their mobile broadband joint venture NSN for EUR 1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) after which the firm was renamed Nokia Solutions and Networks.

 source:ndtv

Premium Samsung Galaxy S5 dreams dashed

In the run up to the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch several rumours suggested the Korean firm would release two variants of the flagship smartphone, one of which would be a premium metal-clad offering. Sadly however, that appears to be false.
Korean site KBench is reporting that Samsung CEO J.K. Shin has told the media that it won't be producing a premium model of the Galaxy S5 - a handset which was referred to as the "Galaxy F Series" in various rumours.
Design is still an area of contention for Samsung's high-end smartphones as it prefers to use plastic over more premium materials such as glass and metal.
This gives the likes of the iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z2 and potentially the upcoming all new HTC One an advantage as they can garner interest from consumers with their sleek looks. 

Via GforGames

Facebook update brings pictures in comments, new photo editing privileges

Folks on the stable release of Facebook are picking up some much-needed app improvements that have been in play on the Facebook beta channel for some time. The updates this time around mostly have to do with photos and photo management, starting off with the ability to post photos in comments on other posts. Further, you can now delete and edit your own photo albums, untag yourself from photos and upload multiple photos at once to a group. Group administrators have new options for pinning and unpinning posts, as well as managing pending and reported posts.

Hit the Play Store link on this post to grab your latest update, we're sure more than a few folks will appreciate the new controls and features over photos.



 source:android central

potential shots from LG G3 emerge

We picked up word earlier today that an LG device, model D850, might very well be the upcoming G3 and it will features a Quad HD resolution of 1440x2560.
Now, a site in the Netherlands claims to have taken possession of two screen shots of the LG flagship, each providing a crisp image at Quad HD resolution. Unfortunately, there is not much else that can be gleaned from the purported shots, but they are undeniably LG. If the LG G3 does come forth with its expected Quad HD panel, it will arguably give the device a one-up on other banner bearing smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S5. Hopefully, we will not have to wait too much longer. It is rumored that the LG G3 will be available starting in May, so hopefully that means we will see a formal introduction in a next few weeks.




source: LGG3KOPEN.nl

Google drops Drive storage costs well below the competition

Google has always prided itself on pushing the idea that cloud storage should be available to everyone. It revolutionized web-based email by offering 1GB of Gmail storage at a time when Hotmail offered 2MB of storage and Yahoo offered 4MB. Now, users get 15GB of free storage; but, if you need more than that for Google Drive, the prices have just dropped quite a bit.

If you want to get 100GB of storage (and you don't want to buy a Chromebook), it will now cost you $1.99 per month which is less than 50% off the old price of $4.99 per month. Jumping up to the 1TB tier is by far the best deal though. It had been $49.99 per month, but now it would cost you only $9.99. Of course, you had better have a really fast web connection if you're planning to make good use of that much space. And, if you need even more storage than that, Google does have you covered there too with plans for 10TB at $99.99 per month and going up even more.

This is a very aggressive move by Google, because these prices are severely undercutting the competition. Dropbox offers 2GB free, $9.99 for 100GB ($99 yearly), and only 500GB for $49.99 ($499 yearly). Microsoft's OneDrive will cost you $7.49 per month ($50 yearly) for 100GB and doesn't list options higher than 200GB. However, we'd expect those options to change fairly quickly in order to compete with Google.  

 

 

 source:Google

Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition launched in the UK

 Last month, Samsung confirmed that its Galaxy S4 Black Edition would be released in select markets, but it didn’t specifically mention which ones. Well, one of those markets is the UK. The problem is that the S4 Black Edition is available in the UK exclusively at Phones4U, which asks quite a lot of money for an unlocked unit: $830 (£499.89).
Since the regular Galaxy S4 can be purchased for around $540 (£325.80) in the UK, paying that much for an S4 Black Edition doesn’t make sense. What’s more, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to cost as low as £500 in the UK when it hits shelves starting April 11, so, again, getting an S4 Black Edition would not be a wise choice. The difference between the Galaxy S4 Black Edition and the original S4 isn’t that important. The new version comes with a faux leather back cover (à la Galaxy Note 3 and Note 3 Neo), black accessories, plus some exclusive ringtones and wallpapers. But that’s it, the rest of its features have remained unchanged.



  source: Phones4U via Android Central

Apple's App Store now has a section dedicated to selfies

Believe it or not, if you’re obsessed with selfies, Apple is now making it easy for you to feed your obsession. The App Store recently added a section that promotes applications which should help you take and share the perfect selfie. Mind you, this is not a new category, but a seemingly temporary section.  
The section includes popular apps like Snapchat or Facetune, but also some that you may have not heard of - like Front Flash, which provides “a simple way to take self-portraits in low-light with the front camera.” Of course, selfies are now a social phenomenon, even the Oscars making some of them hugely popular. So if you have an iDevice and you're constantly taking selfies, head on over to the App Store to see what's available for you. The new section should be visible on the front page of the App Store, both in the desktop iTunes application, and on iOS.




 via: 9to5Mac, Twitter

OneShot camera app for Windows Phone got updated with high-resolution support and voice control

If you are yet to become acquainted with OneShot for Windows Phone, now it might be a good time, because the app just got updated to version 4.0.This is a free camera app that's based on Nokia's tried and true imaging SDK. 

You could say that OneShot is one of those pleasantly overwhelming camera apps with tons of features available in their GUIs. One of the interesting things about it is that it has both real-time photo effects and an inbuilt photo editor. The result of applying filters and adjustments is seen in the viewfinder before taking the photo. Furthermore, filters and adjustments can be added to already existing photos, and pictures taken with OneShot can be modified at any moment. 

• OneShot now supports the full capabilities of the Lumia 1020 and 1520's high-megapixel PureView cameras. 38MP and 20MP photos can be taken in three available aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9, 1:1).
• The JPEG compression level can be set to Low, Medium, and High. The default compression level has been decreased for better photo quality as well.
• The app now supports voice commands, but only in English for the time being. Users can enable voice control from the menu and shoot photos by saying "Take picture!" or "Take photo!" A prerequisite to this feature is checking "Enable Speech Recognition service" in Windows Phone's settings menu.
• Photos can be tagged with the exact location they were taken at, using coordinates from the phone's GPS system. This feature can be turned on or off according to your preference.
• A new "favorite" button has been added. It switches between the current capture mode and macro photo mode. 
• 

  100%-+
  Speaking of the update, the list of changes in v4.0 is impressive:
  
  Download OneShot 4.0: Windows Phone 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  via WMPowerUser
  
  
  
  

Zuckerberg: The U.S. Government Is a Threat to Internet Security

The Facebook CEO took to his public profile page Thursday to express his frustrations about the way the U.S. government has handled Internet security in recent months.
It's a sensitive issue for Facebook, a company under continuous scrutiny regarding privacy issues that most recently came under fire last summer when reports surfaced that Internet companies sent user information to the NSA. Zuckerberg denied the reports at the time and said that the claims were harming Facebook's reputation among its users.
He echoed those sentiments in his post on Thursday, highlighting the company's steps to ensure web security and user privacy remain a major focus. Zuckerberg went as far as to call out the government as a security threat to his engineers' work at Facebook:
This is why I've been so confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government. When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government.
The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.
Zuckerberg wrote that he even called President Barack Obama to express his frustrations. "Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform," he wrote.
The motivation for the post is still unclear, but reports surfaced on Wednesday claiming that the NSA at times posed as Facebook to infect user systems with malware in order to spy on them. A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment further on Zuckerberg's article, saying only that "the post speaks for itself."



source:mashable

Microsoft offers Windows Phone free to device makers -- report

Two phone makers in India will be spared the usual licensing fee for adopting Windows Phone, says The Times of India. 

Microsoft reportedly will dole out Windows Phone for free to a couple of Indian phone makers to spur adoption in the country.
The software giant has been chatting with Indian phone makers about developing more affordable Windows Phone devices, The Times of India said on Thursday, citing "multiple industry sources with knowledge of the negotiations." Two device makers purportedly agreed, but only after Microsoft promised to drop the normal license fee for its mobile OS, according to the sources.
"For our planned Windows Phone handsets, we are not paying Microsoft a licence fee," a source at one device maker told The Times of India. "The company is obviously exploring new models for Windows Phone. It must have realized that the older model where it licenced the OS did not work out well, even with Nokia's support."
Assuming the report is true, Microsoft would be breaking with precedent. The company typically earns its bread-and-butter by charging a licensing fee for each Windows Phone handset. Microsoft even charges key partner Nokia to make Windows Phone devices.
And just how much does Microsoft earn? In January 2012, an executive with ZTE said that Microsoft charges the device maker between 15 and 20 British pounds (currently $25 to $33) to license Windows Phone 7.

Huawei: We like Windows Phone but Android is higher priority

The CMO of the Chinese device maker says Windows Phone is still on the agenda, but the company is more jazzed about its upcoming dual Android-Windows Phone device. 

Huawei is still on friendly terms with Windows Phone, but Android is the true object of its affection.
Speaking with blog site TrustedReviews, Huawei Chief Marketing Officer Shao Yang said the maker of mobile devices remains "committed" to making phones outfitted with Microsoft's mobile OS. Last year, China-based Huawei launched the Ascend W1 and struck a deal with Microsoft to sell Windows Phone devices in Africa.
But that commitment isn't quite a top priority.
"Compared with Android, the priority of Windows Phone is much lower but is still one of our choices of OS," Yang said. "We are definitely using a multi-OS strategy."
Judging from Yang's remarks, a team-up between Windows Phone and Android appears to be at the top of the agenda. He said a dual-OS phone will reach US consumers sometime next quarter. Such a device could appeal to a wider range of customers, Yang said.
"With Windows Phone, one direction for us -- and one that we are now following -- is dual OS. Dual OS as in Android and Windows together," Yang told TrustedReviews. "If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone. If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone."
Though Huawei still isn't exactly a household name, at least not in the US, it has shot past many of its rivals. Last October, research firm Strategy Analytics dubbed Huawei the third-largest smartphone vendor in the world, behind Samsung and Apple but ahead of LG and Lenovo.



source:cnet

LG G3 could one-up Galaxy S5 with QHD display

The LG G3 may be the first major handset with a QuadHD display if the latest leak is to be believed.
Twitter tipster @evleaks has dug up a User Agent profile from one of LG's official websites, detailing a device going by the name LG D850 which sports a resolution of 1440 x 2560 (QuadHD in other words).
Now we don't know for sure that the LG D850 is the LG G3, but with a screen like that it's got to be a top end device and being on an official LG website it's likely to be a real thing.

Is there such a thing as too HD? 

This isn't the first time we've heard rumblings of a QHD screen either, as back in January a Korean industry source made the same claim.
Supposedly the handset will sport a 5.5-inch display, which combined with the rumoured QuadHD resolution would give it a pixel density of 534 pixels per inch.


It's questionable whether the human eye will even benefit from all those extra pixels, but as a bullet point for the box that could certainly make it stand out from the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2.

• The LG G3 might be water and dust proof too.  

 source:techRadar

Groups protest use of hazardous chemicals to make Apple's iPhone

Apple's labour practices are under attack by two activist groups who contend the company makes its iPhones with a hazardous mix of chemicals that threaten the health of factory workers assembling the devices in China.
The campaign began Wednesday with an online petition put together by China Labor Watch, a long-time Apple critic, and Green America, an environmental protection group.
If enough consumers sign the "Bad Apple" petition, the two groups hope to pressure the company into abandoning the use of two chemicals, benzene and n-hexane, in the production of the iPhone, Apple's top-selling product.
Benzene is a carcinogen that can cause leukaemia if not handled properly and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.
In a statement, Apple pointed out that it has already stopped using many hazardous chemicals, including PVC plastic and brominated flame, during the past few years to the acclaim of environmental groups such as Greenpeace. The Cupertino, Calif. company also says it ensures all remaining toxic substances comply with U.S. safety standards.
"Last year, we conducted nearly 200 factory inspections which focused on hazardous chemicals, to make sure those facilities meet our strict standards," Apple said.
The protesting groups believe Apple's factory inspections and publicly released reports about the findings have been whitewashing the real working conditions. They say they suspect many of the estimated 1.5 million workers in overseas factories hired by Apple are still logging gruelling hours and, in some cases, being exposed to dangerous materials without proper training.
"Apple touts itself as a socially responsible leader in the tech industry, but to really be a leader, Apple must put a stop to worker poisoning and ensure sick workers are receiving treatment," said Elizabeth O'Connell, Green America's campaign director.
Coming up with a safer manufacturing recipe for the iPhone would cost less than $1 per device, O'Connell estimated. That's a pittance for a company that earned $37 billion during its last fiscal year.
Neither benzene nor n-hexane is unique to Apple's manufacturing process. They are also used in the production of electronics products sold by other large technology companies who have also been criticized for their practices. For instance, last year a South Korean court raised doubts about Samsung.
Electronics' claims that the benzene levels in its computer chip factories were safe. The court ruled Samsung hadn't fully examined the health risk in its chip factories after a 29-year-old worker died of leukaemia in 2009.
Low levels of benzene are also found in gasoline, cigarettes, paints, glues and detergents.
Apple's size and success make it an inviting target for groups seeking to draw attention to their causes and perhaps spur changes that are eventually adopted by other companies. Apple boasts a market value of about $480 billion, higher than any other publicly traded company. And the iPhone remains a cultural phenomenon with more than 470 million of the devices sold since the release of the first model nearly seven years ago.
China Labor Watch has been especially harsh in its criticism of Apple, maintaining that the conditions in its manufacturing contractors' factories are so oppressive that workers are driven to suicide.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, though, has steadfastly maintained that the company's high standards have led to better treatment of the factory workers and reduced suppliers' reliance on dangerous substances.
"Since Tim Cook took the helm, Apple's increased transparency and accountability back down the supply chain has significantly improved, and is quickly becoming a hallmark of his leadership at the company," Tom Dowdall, a Greenpeace energy campaigner, wrote in a blog post last month.




 source:associated press

Third-party developers discover a 'backdoor' in Samsung Galaxy devices

Developers of Replicant, a project that aims to offer free and open source distribution of Android for popular smartphones and tablets, claim to have discovered a backdoor in some Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

Writing a blog post for the Free Software Foundation, Replicant developer Paul Kocialkowski said that a program that shipped with some Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets "makes it possible for the modem to read, write, and delete files on the phone's storage."
According to information available on the Replicant website, the devices that include this backdoor are Samsung Galaxy S (I9000), Galaxy S II (I9100), Galaxy Note (N7000), Galaxy Nexus (I9250), Nexus S, Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (P31xx), Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (P51xx), Galaxy S III (I9300), and Galaxy Note 2 (N7100).
Kocialkowski says that on several devices the backdoor program "runs with sufficient rights to access and modify the user's personal data." He adds that the "backdoor provides remote access to the phone's data, even in the case where the modem is isolated and cannot access the storage directly."
The developer of course recommends installing Replicant Android images on to your Samsung device as a 'fix' for this backdoor. "If the modem asks to read or write files, Replicant does not cooperate with it," says Kocialkowski. He adds that even that may not be a good-enough fix if the backdoor allows the modem to take control of the main processor and override the instructions - a scenario that Replicant cannot monitor or verify.
Before the conspiracy theorists come out in numbers, it's worth noting that the Replicant website says "it is possible that these were added for legitimate purposes, without the intent of doing harm by providing a back-door. Nevertheless, the result is the same and it allows the modem to access the phone's storage."
Samsung has been silent on the issue so far, though that might change as the story gets picked up by the mainstream news outlets. Technical details of the backdoor are available on the Replicant website.



 
source:ndtv

Lebron James' Samsung Galaxy Note 3 crashes and burns

The Miami Heat have lost four out of their last five games. Analysts can blame this losing spell on a number of things, including fatigue. You might have seen the reigning MVP promoting Samsung's phablet on television, and unlike Ellen, the Miami Heat star actually does use his Samsung phablet wherever he goes.

LeBron James tweets about his phablet and HTC throws its two cents in

So what is it about James' phablet that has him so pre-occupied? According to a tweet sent out by LeBron (his @KingJames Twitter site is widely followed), his phone just rebooted and wiped out all of the memory on the unit. LeBron called it one of the sickest feelings he ever had in his life. Um, LeBron, remember that Game Six loss to Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals? Or even tonight's one point loss to Brooklyn?LeBron pulled the tweet, but it was probably not met with smiles in Korea where Samsung is based. After all, Sammy does pay LeBron handsomely to promote the company's mobile devices. Still, LeBron's phablet did stop working and he is pissed just like any of us would be if our phone just rebooted and did an unwanted memory wipe.Considering Nokia's recent attempt to insinuate itself in situations like this, we would have expected a note to LeBron from the Finnish handset manufacturer along with a new Nokia Lumia 1520. But surprise! It was the marketing challenged HTC that sent a tweet to James telling him that the world's best player needs the world's best smartphone. Well, you can see that HTC still doesn't have this marketing thing down because nowhere does it say the name of the device that is the best smartphone in the world. If we were running HTC's U.S. based marketing, we would have made sure that an HTC One max was on the way to LeBron and his teammates in Miami. 



 
source: @KingJames via RedmondPie

WhatsApp says Android security flaw is "overstated"

On Wednesday, we passed along a story about a security flaw on the Android version of WhatsApp, that could allow a hacker to read previous conversations stored on a microSD card. A spokesman for the messaging app, which is awaiting regulatory approval of its $19 billion purchase by Facebook, said that the stories "have not painted an accurate picture and are overstated." He added that contrary to earlier reports, the update to the app available in the Google Play Store did contain some enhanced security measures (although it did not beef up the security for stored conversations). The security expert who originally revealed the flaw, Bas Bosschert, says that the security hole still exists even after the update.
In a statement, WhatsApp's spokesman stated that anytime malware or a virus is installed on a phone unknowingly, all data stored on a microSD card is at risk, not just conversations stored there by WhatsApp. And while that might be true, unfortunately for WhatsApp, its pending acquisition by Facebook has thrust it into the spotlight where every thing about the app is magnified.

"We are aware of the reports regarding a “security flaw”. Unfortunately, these reports have not painted an accurate picture and are overstated. Under normal circumstances the data on a microSD card is not exposed. However, if a device owner downloads malware or a virus, their phone will be at risk. As always, we recommend WhatsApp users apply all software updates to ensure they have the latest security fixes and we strongly encourage users to only download trusted software from reputable companies. The current version of WhatsApp in Google Play was updated to further protect our users against malicious apps."-Statement from WhatsApp 

 

 

 

 

source: TechCrunch

Lenovo might soon trail only Samsung among Android manufacturers

Thanks to its acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google, Chinese tech firm Lenovo might soon find itself looking up at only Samsung among Android manufacturers. According to those meddling Taiwan supply chain makers, the combination of Lenovo's strength in China and emerging markets, and Motorola Mobility's strong showing in the U.S. and Europe, will allow the company to embark on a strong growth trend globally.
Samsung currently is said to have 65% of the global Android market, followed by LG (7%), HTC (6%), Sony (5%) and Motorola Mobility (4%). On April 11th, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be released. Flagship models are expected to be announced shortly for LG (LG G3) and HTC (The All New HTC One) while Sony (Sony Xperia Z2) has already outed its new flagship at MWC.With all of those new models expected to eventually grace retailers' and carriers' shelves, Lenovo will need to come up with a home run if this forecast is going to come true. Thanks to the relationship Motorola has with Verizon for its DROID range, the Chinese manufacturer now has the ear of the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., which can't hurt.


source: DigiTimes

single charging standard for smartphones and tablets

The European Parliament approved a statutory law that will require all mobile device makers to use a single, interoperable charger. The new legislation is taking Europe's requirement that all mobile phones use the same charge port (microUSB) a step further, expanding it to tablets. Member countries of the European Union will have a two year term to internalize the legislation, while manufacturers will have an additional year to comply. 

According to an estimate, the new law could help European consumers save 300 million Euros annually, as well as to reduce electronic and paper waste. Most manufacturers have already established microUSB as the standard charging and data port for devices, while Apple still refuses to do so. To appease EU authorities, it opted to supply an external adapter with iPhones instead.  

source: ALDE Group via PhoneScoop

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light now available for the BlackBerry Z10 and Z30

In early 2012, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light came to the ill-fated BlackBerry PlayBook. Now, in early 2014, the game is available for the BlackBerry Z10 and Z30 smartphones. The best part is, if you purchased it for the PlayBook tablet back in the day, you will not have to pay $1.99 for the BB10 version.
Unfortunately, the 574MB game isn't playable on BlackBerry's QWERTY-equipped models, but only on the all-touch ones. Still, Guardian of Light is one of the better BB10-native games out there. Presentation-wise, it's on par with its Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions, and the storyline is about Lara saving the world from a new age of darkness. Convinced? Head to the link below and give it a spin if you feel like it.

Download Lara croft and the Guardian of Light: BlackBerry 10 

via CrackBerry

Rumor: iOS 8 to come with improved iCloud integration

We already heard that iOS 8 will most likely come with a greatly revamped Apple Maps app and a completely new health-centric application, called Healthbook, but rumors about the future version of the mobile platform to emerge to the surface. According to a new speculation, iOS 8 will come with a duo of new iCloud-oriented apps. In addition, there will be improved tools for the development of iCloud-based apps.
Apple is rumored to be bringing Preview and TextEdit from the Mac to iOS. These apps will allow users to view PDF documents, which are created on Mac and synced with Apple's cloud storage service. However, rumor has it that editing these documents won't be possible. Apple will most probably still encourage users to edit PDF files via iBooks or Pages. These changes to iOS are a direct result of the close work between the developers of both iOS and OS X. Thus we might expect even greater integration between Apple's platforms.It is also rumored that app developers will benefit from improved tools for the development of iCloud-based apps once iOS 8 gets released. It seems that the Cupertino company might have actually listened to the complaining developers, who claim that the process of creating such an app is quite cumbersome. 



source: 9to5Mac via BGR

WhatsApp for Windows Phone with new features

According to a recently surfaced information, a future update for the Windows Phone version of WhatsApp will bring a whole plethora of new features. Custom backgrounds and notifications for different contacts, enhanced privacy controls, and customizable notification tones for different chats are just a few among the many new features that the WP version of the popular messenger, recently acquired by Facebook, will receive. These are already live in the private beta version of WhatsApp, which is currently not available to the general public.
A notable new perk, recently added to the private version of WhatsApp, is the custom background feature. It allows users to select a different background for the different chats. WhatsApp users on Windows Phone devices will most probably have 41 preinstalled images to choose among should they decide to personalize an individual chat. What's more, they can also take a new picture or browse their gallery for an image and apply it as a custom chat background. Another pretty interesting feature – customizable notification tones – hit the private WhatsApp beta, too. It allows users to choose different alert tones for individual chats and group chats. There is no word if users will be able to apply a custom tone for different contacts.However, there is no word whether or when these beta features and visual improvements will hit the official version of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp beta screenshots 

 

  

 

source: WPCentral 

Metadata provides more sensitive information than thought

By now, most of you know that the information supposedly scooped up by the NSA from cellphone users consists of metadata. Early reports made this information sound non-threatening to all but the most paranoid. Even the president noted that the NSA was not seeing content from your phone. While that might be correct, there is plenty of information that can be used by the NSA to put together a profile that can lead to your identification. 
A study out of Stanford conducted by Jonathan Mayer and Patrick Mutchler called upon 546 volunteers to reveal just what information can be discovered from the metadata collected from your handset. Using an app created by Stanford called MetaPhone, the study shows that the metadata collected by the NSA is much more probing than the public believes it to be and can lead to inferences about medical conditions, firearm ownership and more. By using the information to infer what a person's medical condition is, the NSA can figure out which medications you use and could even take a guess about which Doctors you are seeing. Knowing whether or not someone owns a firearm could hep the agency conclude whether a particular person is a Republican or Democrat.Judge Richard Leon, back in December, ruled in Federal Court that the NSA's actions were unconstitutional. He added that the "metadata from each person’s phone 'reflects a wealth of detail about her familial, political, professional, religious, and sexual associations.’" In other words, in the right hands, metadata can paint an extremely accurate picture of you.

Screenshots from the MetaPhone app




source: WebPolicy, MetaPhone via Gizmodo

Google's LG-made smartwatch

Google is reportedly getting ready to introduce its first smartwatch in June at its I/O conference. It’s said that the manufacturer of this smartwatch is LG, which is also making Google’s Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones.
While Google didn’t confirm anything regarding its alleged smartwatch, @evleaks has some (probably accurate) details about it. Apparently, the device features a 1.65-inch IPS display with 280 x 280 pixels, half a gig of RAM (512MB), and 4GB of internal memory. Now, a 1.65-inch screen with 280 x 280 pixels is certainly not bad for a smartwatch, but we have to note that Samsung’s new Gear 2 has a 1.63-inch display with 320 x 320 pixels, thus offering a higher ppi density (277ppi vs. 234ppi). Sure enough, like its Nexus smartphones and tablets, Google’s smartwatch will probably be affordable, so maybe we shouldn’t complain about the 280 x 280 pixel resolution. Rumor has it that Google may soon introduce a stripped down, smartwatch-centric version of Android, and we’re obviously expecting this to power the LG-made watch. We’ll bring more details as soon as they’re available.




  source: @evleaks

Apple drops iPhone return period to 14 days from 30days

Today Apple slashed its iPhone return period from 30 days to 14 days. The policy change applies to iPhones bought from both Apple’s online and brick and mortar Stores.
Other than the shorter period for returning the product, Apple has made no other changes to the conditions. The iPhone you plan to return in that time frame has to be undamaged and include all of the original accessories. 


The new 14 days return policy will go into effect from tomorrow, March 13 and marks an effort from Apple to offer similar product return conditions as its carrier partners. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have all been selling the iPhone with a 14 days return policy.


 source:9to5mac

If Flappy Bird does come back, this right here is a much needed modification

After a month long hiatus, yesterday we found out that Flappy Bird creator, Dong Ngyuen, is now considering pushing his title back online for the masses to enjoy. Unlike most other outlets, however, we're not as intent on getting Ngyen to break his silence, and we're actually more concerned about the gameplay of the original. 

You see, in the time since the game was pulled off the iTunes and Play app stores, the thousands of clones have been steadily taking away from the appeal of what is otherwise a pretty repetitive game. Sure, it is kind of hard, and it likely is the reason for the demise of many a smartphone, and yet we feel like it can get a little stale, and it's just not hard enough once you reach a certain level. After all, the game is about as challenging ten minutes in as it is five seconds in, and that's just not good enough.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHH2101OFfI

its all about patents,samsung with a 12:9 aspect ratio screen phone

The USPTO recently granted Samsung a patent for the design of a device that looks quite unusual. The patent filing describes the device as being a “mobile phone”, and yet this looks more like an elongated tablet. Or is it a smartphone with a weird aspect ratio? 
We took the new design and combined it with an image that has an aspect ratio of 21:9. As we suspected, the image matched the screen area perfectly. We first tried a 16:9 image, but we knew that it would not match. So it looks like this is indeed the design of a phone sporting a 21:9 aspect ratio display.The 21:9 aspect ratio is usually used on (some) widescreen TVs. Is it any good on a modern smartphone? We can’t really tell for now. But you can take a look at Samsung’s new design in the gallery below and let us know what you think. As always, patenting a design doesn’t necessarily mean that the respective design will see the light of day as a real device. In this case, Samsung probably just wants to make sure that if it ever launches such a phone / tablet with a 21:9 display it will be able to legally protect its design.Update: LG launched a feature phone with a 21:9 screen way back in 2009 - the LG BL40 New Chocolate.

 



 


 source: USPTO

 

Perform your own miracle, turn water into wine with iOS and Android app

Considering that many feel that using their Apple iPhone is a religious experience, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that a product known as the Miracle Machine uses an iOS or Android app to turn water into wine. That is a nice little trick of biblical proportions. The Miracle Machine uses a combo of yeast and grape juice, a little bit of water, and some other ingredients. A bottle of wine that might cost you $20 at the store, will cost you all of $2 to make.
The whole water into wine bit takes a few weeks, so you might want to get a head start if you have a dinner party coming up. The price of the whole kit is $500 which quite frankly, might serve you better at your local spirits store. But we guess that the whole idea might be fun for those over 21. And what smartphone owner wouldn't love to brag that his handset produced the wine on the dinner table on a given evening. The Miracle Machine is going to be funded through a posting on Kickstarter. Now all we need is an app that lets us walk on water.  

Turn water into wine with iOS and Android app 

 

 

 

  

source: themiraclemachine.net via RedmondPie