Jolla’s iPad Alternative Returns To Indiegogo With 64GB Version

The iPad alternative, which runs Jolla’s open source Sailfish OS, is now being offered in a 64GB version, along with a few other updated specs. These include a bigger battery (4450mAh, up from 4300mAh) and limited support for microSD cards up to 128GB.

The latter means that you’ll be able to use microSD cards for back-ups and extra storage, but, due to Microsoft’s licensing limitations and to keep with Jolla’s ‘open’ ethos, cards that are over 32GB and formatted for use in the Jolla Tablet will not be readable by Windows computers or other devices, such as cameras, phones or tablets, that sport microSDXC support.

“We feel that this suits best with our community’s wishes and Jolla’s values,” says the company.

A couple of other changes see the tablet’s display now being fully laminated, and the addition of gyroscope and compass sensors. However, the proximity sensor that was previously touted will not be included.

Otherwise, on the hardware front, the Jolla Tablet is aiming to square up to the iPad Mini 2, with a 7.9-inch screen, sporting a resolution of 2048 x 1563. Inside, it’s powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, has 2GB of RAM and includes a 5MP rear camera.

Meanwhile, this time around, you have until the end of February to back the iPad alternative built by the same team of (largely) ex-Nokians who are also behind the Jolla phone.

Talking of which, the company is offering a special phone+tablet bundle(combo) as one of the available perks on its Indiegogo campaign, should you want to go all in on Sailfish OS. That’s the operating system that rose from the ashes of Nokia’s Meego OS, the company’s intended successor to Symbian before it jumped off a burning platform and into Microsoft’s arms.

Of note to previous backers of the Jolla Tablet, for a new perk of $25 you can upgrade to the new 64GB version.

Here is a full list of Jolla Tablet ‘perks’ on Indiegogo:

    Jolla Tablet 32GB: $219
    Jolla Tablet 64GB: $249
    64GB upgrade for early birds: $25
    Shipping: $20
    The Combo: Tablet 32GB & Phone: $419
    The Combo: Tablet 64GB & Phone: $449
references:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/29/jolla-tablet-64gb/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1730_-913292007294782856

Win 10 latest buzz-A Quick Peep

Microsoft unveils lots more about Windows 10, the next generation of its operating system, including how it will work across mobile, tablet, desktop and other platforms at a special windows 10 event.lets make a peek emerging things in point form.

• Windows 10 Has 1.7 Million Beta Testers

Windows 10 has been available as a technical preview since September 2014 and already Microsoft has signed up a sizeable testing contingent from the general public. The company revealed that over 1.7 million users are participating in the Insider program that provides access to early builds of Windows 10 ahead of its general release from over 1 billion Windows users worldwide.

• Windows 10 Is A Free Update for the first Year

Windows 10 will be a free update, for users running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on PCs or notebooks, and for Windows Phone 8.1 users on mobile.

• Windows 10 Mobile Integrates Skype For Calls And Messages

The best thing about Windows 10 on mobile might be that it integrates Skype right into both the phone app and messages

• Windows 10 Mobile Gets Free Office Suite Apps

MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint are all going to arrive on Windows Phone for smartphones and small tablets, which are optimized for touch.

• Xbox App For Windows 10 causes Gamers More Social

Microsoft is trying to build a true, cross-service social network from Xbox on Windows 10 that spans services including Steam.

• Spartan Is A Brand New Browser For Windows 10

Spartan, a new browser built from the ground up for speed, collaboration and simplicity with Reading And PDF Markup Modes

• Microsoft Made Windows Holographic, An Augmented Reality Extension Of Windows 10

it lets you see the real world with virtual objects laid overtop. Just work on a virtual engine in your actual garage with your mechanic friend across the country.

• Microsoft HoloLens

MS is taking matters into its own hands with a headset to support Windows Holographic.It has transparent lenses so you can see the world around you, but overlays a digital image that places virtual objects in your surroundings.

references:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/windows-10-event-summary/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1730_-9061766176415544194

Facebook Acquires QuickFire Networks

Facebook has a acquired QuickFire Networks who built a custom hardware and software platform for reducing video file sizes and upload times. The Wall Street Journal got the news earlier today, with confirmation later arriving on QuickFire’s site.

QuickFire’s tech speeds up encoding videos with different profiles for frame rate, resolution, color and audio settings for different platforms. QuickFire’s solution relied on custom motherboards built to accommodate 11 high-end Intel Core i7 processors. Custom software let these processors work in unison, and a layer on top of that let the startup massively scale up by distributing work among multiple motherboards.

For users, the end result of Facebook integrating QuickFire’s tech would be reduced buffering of videos without degradation in quality.

According to a letter announcing the acquisition on QuickFire’s site from CEO Craig Lee, the company will wind down its prior business operations as the team transitions over to Facebook.

sources:
http://www.techcrunch.com

Virtual Reality(VR) approaches to the Web

An immersive three-dimensional virtual world has always required expensive stereoscopic head-mounted displays and other specialized equipment to step into the 3D-world.

A new, more accessible form of virtual reality delivered via the Web promises to let people experience digital worlds in 3-D using head-mounted displays connected to a variety of browser-enabled devices. Web VR is expected to offer the ability to move you from one immersive experience to another with a click of the mouse, touch of the screen or nod of the head. Web VR will let software developers port their virtual worlds to the Web, making them available for most VR hardware.

 

Google and Mozilla are setting these wheels in motion within the next month or so when they deliver updated Chrome and Firefox browsers that support Web VR. Facebook’s $2-billion acquisition of VR headset maker Oculus VR earlier this year and the release of relatively inexpensive headsets from Samsung and Google provide further evidence that Web VR could be ready for wider use.

 

VR for the masses

Web VR has been around since the early 1990s, when virtual reality modeling language, or VRML, aimed to allow the creation of virtual worlds—such as Second Life—linked together via the Web. But VRML could only be rendered using heavy-duty graphics workstations more likely found in a computer science lab or a data center than in one’s home. Although work on VRML continues, this first attempt was way ahead of the hardware.

 

The availability of content will largely define Web VR’s success. Businesses have already begun buying into the concept of immersive advertising, thanks in large part to Facebook’s investment in Oculus. Beer brewery Dos Equis created a promo that places you at a fancy party with “The most interesting man in the world.” To promote its new XC90 SUV Volvo created Volvo Reality, a virtual test drive and look at the car. Meanwhile the Sundance Film Festival's 2015 New Frontiers program, which showcases nontraditional and multimedia storytelling, will offer nine virtual reality works employing a variety of technologies. And Jaunt's virtual Paul McCartney app lets you walk around McCartney's piano, peering over his shoulder or looking into his eyes as he sings "Live and Let Die."

 

All of these projects are app-based: Just like a smartphone app, you have to find them and download them individually to your computer or phone—and most of them will run on only one kind of headset. Available gadgets include the still-in-beta Oculus Rift (targeted more at programmers than the average user) and Samsung Gear VR. Google's DIY Cardboard is an odd entry; the company offers directions to help you make a cardboard headset with lenses that you put over a smartphone to see VR content.

 

Look for headsets to become more common as prices fall. "As we continue to see economies of scale, virtual reality gets smaller, faster and cheaper," says Josh Carpenter, lead experience designer on the Mozilla project.

 

Immersive education and research

Educators see value in Web VR. Josh Maldonado, a student at Toronto’s Ryerson University, is developing Vessels, a digital tour of the human circulatory system using the Oculus Rift platform. Maldonado, the project’s leader, says he sees huge potential for Web distribution of this and other VR experiences.

 

Online accessibility could also make Web VR appealing to psychology researchers, according to Jim Blascovich, director of the Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He regularly uses virtual environments to perform experiments because they eliminate the inescapable variations of interpersonal interactions. "With virtual reality you can create an experiment that runs the same for every subject," he says. But there's still the problem of recruiting a wide sample of subjects. "We don't often use representative samples—we know a lot about sophomores in college." If VR gear becomes cheap and widely accessible, experimenters could recruit more diverse sample groups using IP addresses, he adds.

 

Virtual reality, actual software

In addition to interesting content Web VR’s success depends on widespread browser support and the ability to find this content. Mozilla is taking on the latter with its recently launched MozVR.com, a simple directory of virtual reality Web sites.

 

Browser support is a work in progress. Brandon Jones, an engineer on Google's Chrome browser team, is working to add Web VR interfaces to Chrome, coordinating with Mozilla to make sure that VR content will run consistently in both browsers. "If only one browser supports this or different browsers support it in divergent ways, it won't be as compelling," he says. When contacted, Microsoft would not say whether it plans to enable Web VR in its Internet Explorer browser.

 

New authoring tools in Chrome and Firefox should make it easier for Web developers to enable Web VR on their sites for those browsers. Glam, an open-source project led by VRML pioneer Tony Parisi, will let you use HTML-like tags and cascading style sheets, the basic tools of Web design, to create virtual worlds. And Unity, a popular 2-D and 3-D game-authoring tool, will support Web VR in an upcoming release. "We really believe that the Web could be the killer platform for virtual reality," Mozilla’s Carpenter says. "It is open, wild and creative."

references

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/virtual-reality-comes-to-the-web-maybe-for-real-this-time/?WT.mc_id=SA_TECH_20150106

Facebook New Changes

If you are one of the many people confused by Facebook and its ever-changing algorithms, you’ll be pleased to know they've recently made some favorable changes to their operating system.

Bloggers desperately trying to reach their Facebook audience, and being blocked at every turn. Facebook has been experimenting a lot this year with delivering the best, most tailored news feed to its users, but at the cost of the readers seeing posts.

With the recent changes to targeting and tools, it is easier than ever to only show your posts to those who are interested, and to save different types of posts for different kinds of audiences.

New Facebook Tools Changes

Facebook has introduced very selective targeting options for you to really drill down and capture the right readership for your blog (or even specific posts or pages on your blog) every time you post.

Available to those who have enabled the Targeting and Privacy setting, you can now use it to provide posts to a subset of your audience.

Have a recipe post? You can now choose to show it to the part of your readership who have indicated to Facebook they like food or cooking. People who aren't interested in that won’t see the post. But they will see a post they are interested in, based on their likes and dislikes.

Post End Date

Have a time-sensitive post? You can choose a particular date it will stop showing up in news feeds… but it will still be visible on your page. Again, only available to those who have enabled Targeting and Privacy, and it’s only available on desktop at the moment.

Smart Publishing

Take the guesswork out of what your audience will resonate with. Can be hard to predict, so Facebook have rolled out to a select few media organizations (for now) the ability to identify and publish stories that are already popular with the folk on Facebook.

Frequently-shared links to your website will appear in the news feed of people who like your page. They won’t appear on your page, but you’ll get a whole new dashboard of insights and ability to moderate comments.

Page admins can opt in from the Publisher Tools section within Page Settings.

Insights

While reasonably in-depth, your current insights will now be even more descriptive. With a better overview, you can even more effectively understand and optimize your content for success.

It’s even easier now to see where your content is going with the addition of information about people and pages that share your links.

There are also changes made to the type of insights you have access to, and how your page and plugins drive traffic to sites.

You can find out more information, and keep up with further Facebook announcements here.

sources:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/12/13/new-facebook-changes-target-your-audience-effectively/

Finally,Sony cancels release of 'The Interview'

Major U.S. theater chains said they would not screen the film following terrorists threats, Sony has canceled the release of 'The Interview,' a comedy in which Seth Rogen and James Franco are sent to North Korea to assassinate Kim Jong Un.
The movie had been scheduled for release on December 25th.

Famous movie theaters including Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment all blocked showings of the new film, which would have accounted for 23,000 screens in North America.

Reads Sony's statement: "In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners' decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.

Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."

The hackers behind the cyberattack that has paralyzed Sony Pictures posted a threat telling any viewer of the film to "remember the 11th of September 2001" and that movie theaters would be the targets.

'The Interview' is not the first victim of the North Korean-led attack on Sony Pictures. Over 100 terabytes of data was stolen including social security numbers, contracts, pre-release films, and hundreds of thousands of emails.

sources-http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2014/12/18/the-hackers-win-sony-cancels-release-of-the-interview-as-movie-theaters-bail

Huddle extendes Cloud-based Enterprise Startups

The clouds appear to be clearing for cloud-based enterprise startups. Huddle, the enterprise cloud collaboration company co-headquartered in London and San Francisco, is today announcing that it has raised another $51 million in funding.It decides to double down on growing its business in the U.S. and Europe. Specifically, co-founder Andy McLoughlin tells me that Huddle plans to hone in on sectors like government that have been some of the most successful for the company, building more features that cater to them.

This latest round which brings the total raised by Huddle to date to just over $83 million was made at a valuation of between $250 million and $300 million,this is what techcrunch reports.

That valuation and the funding event both speak to the how the clouds appear to be clearing for cloud-based enterprise startups. Earlier this year, Box  a competitor to Huddle filed for and then stalled on an IPO; but just yesterday it updated its S-1 with improving revenue figures. Another cloud company, New Relic, is expected to go public soon, too.

This latest round was led by Zouk Capital, with participation from the Hermes GPE Environmental Innovation Fund; and it also included Huddle’s previous: Matrix Partners, Jafco Ventures, DAG Ventures, and Eden Ventures. As part of this round, Nathan Medlock, Partner at Zouk Capital, led the deal and will join the Huddle board.
sources:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/11/enterprise-cloud-collaboration-service-huddle-raises-a-51m-growth-round-at-250m-300m-valuation/?ncid=rss

UK Intelligence blamed over US Tech Firms.

Social media which controlled by large tech firms in US are blamed for supporting terrorist activities by the UK Intelligence.detailed news is follows.

Citing a number of popular social media sites, Robert Hannigan( the director of UK intelligence and security organisation GCHQ) says that ISIS is the first terrorist group to grow up on the Internet, and they're "exploiting the power of the web".

"The extremists of ISIS use messaging and social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, and a language their peers understand," "The extremists of ISIS use messaging and social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, and a language their peers understand," he says. "The videos they post of themselves attacking towns, firing weapons or detonating explosives have a self-conscious online gaming quality."

"Their use of the World Cup and Ebola hashtags to insert the ISIS message into a wider news feed, and their ability to send 40,000 tweets a day during the advance on Mosul without triggering spam controls, illustrates their ease with new media."

Hannigan insists that GCHQ, along with MI5 and the Secret Intelligence Service, can't tackle terror without support from the dominant US technology companies.

"They aspire to be neutral conduits of data and to sit outside or above politics," he said. "But increasingly their services not only host the material of violent extremism or child exploitation, but are the routes for the facilitation of crime and terrorism."

"However much they may dislike it, they have become the command-and-control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals, who find their services as transformational as the rest of us."

Hannigan also noted a shift in attitudes to online media from terrorist organisations.

"Where al-Qaeda and its affiliates saw the Internet as a place to disseminate material anonymously or meet in “dark spaces”, ISIS has embraced the web as a noisy channel in which to promote itself, intimidate people, and radicalise new recruits," he wrote.

His comments were met with dismay in some quarters. Eric King, deputy director of Privacy International, said: “It’s disappointing to see GCHQ’s new director refer to the Internet – the greatest tool for innovation, access to education and communication humankind has ever known – as a command-and-control network for terrorists.”

Labour Party MP Tom Watson was cautiously optimistic, saying that Hannigan's comments could help draw a line on privacy. However he insisted: “I hope they do not confuse the use of public propaganda through social media by extremists with the use of the covert communications. It is illogical to say that because ISIS use Twitter, all our metadata should be collected without warrant It is illogical to say that because ISIS use Twitter, all our metadata should be collected without warrant.”

Efforts are already underway in the UK to tackle online extremism.

Security minister James Brokenshire met recently with representatives from technology companies - including Google, Microsoft and Facebook - in Luxembourg, the BBC reports.

The government's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), meanwhile, has removed more than 49,000 pieces of content that "encourages or glorifies acts of terrorism".

Hannigan formally took over the role of director of GCHQ at the end of October.

references:

http://mashable.com/2014/11/04/gchq-head-terrorist-warning/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss

Facebook is Planning App for Anonymous Communication

Facebook is working on an independent mobile application that will allow their users to communicate with each other without real names. The publication of this app is provided within the next few weeks, as the NewYork Times reports. The newspaper refers to people who are informed about Facebook's plans.

Facebook is Planning App for Anonymous Communication

While Facebook itself upholds the principle of true identity and only in exceptional cases softens the real name of duty, the planned app users of social networks will also allow the use of pseudonyms. Even with several pseudonyms they should be able to discuss openly online about issues that they do not want to be particularly associated.

The development team for a year preparing the application before this. The project is managed by Product Manager Josh Miller, who came to Facebook through the acquisition of specialized discussion forums startups Branch. Miller was CEO of Branch, the product of which represented a modern, user-friendly version of a classic online forum. Branching could invest in it to further discuss topics that belong to the original question a discussion only marginally or not at all. The Branch team had also developed an iOS app called Potluck, users of social networks should bring outside their circles in contact with people. She presented to news bites, could then be discussed together on.

The Social Network declined to comment to the Times report. A direct request to Josh Miller remained unanswered. According to the newspaper is still unclear how the proposed app with Facebook cooperates as social issues network - or whether it is at all connected to it. Furthermore, is not certain whether the application will also allow the anonymous sharing of photos, and could as a communication with existing friendships look.

Facebook reacts with this app apparently to the increasing success of sites that do not force them to surrender one's own identity. These include the social news site Reddit and the Secret and Whisper Apps. Apparently the development of the new application follows the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in April app strategy. It provides an app-hierarchy; the profitable mobile app of Facebook is at its highest point. The apps in the lower levels, however, according to Zuckerberg first attract people and then only seriously contribute to the revenue.

references:

http://referhowto.blogspot.com/2014/10/facebook-is-planning-app-for-anonymous.html

AAA named Siri as a Dangerous Driving Distraction

Siri may not be the hands-free savior Apple intended her to be. A new study by the AAA(American Automobile Association) Foundation for Traffic Safety ranks iOS 7 Siri as one of drivers’ worst distractions!

AAA noted that even though three out of four drivers think hands-free technology is safe to use on the road, it can be deceptively distracting, with potentially dangerous results

"Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety," AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's president and CEO Peter Kissinger said in a statement. "The level of distraction and the impact on safety can vary tremendously based on the task or the system the driver is using."

The study measured drivers’ reaction time with equipment such as instrumented test vehicles and heart-rate monitors. Although Siri is hands-free and eyes-free, drivers using the Apple function to perform a number of tasks experienced some of the most elevated levels of distraction.

"It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today's imperfect systems can lead to driver distraction," said AAA CEO Bob Darbelnet. "AAA is confident that it will be possible to make safer systems in the future."

references:

http://readwrite.com/2014/10/08/siri-dangerous-driving-distraction

Micro-Investment Platform Acorns launches their Android App

Acorns, the micro-investment platform that lets users save for their future, has today launched on Android.

Acorns simply connects to your credit and debit cards and invests the change from each purchase (rounding up to the next dollar) into an investment portfolio. You can choose between five different risk options, from aggressive to conservative, and watch how your investments are performing over time.

Users can make special deposits or withdrawals (beyond the automatic ones) at any time, or change their risk profile.

In this way, Acorns promises to help you save and make money without leaving you without access to your cash.

Since launching on iOS in August, the app has grown to 60k active users and has thusly decided to capture the Android market on the heels of that momentum. According to the release, a third of all new users are under 23 and a quarter of them make less than $25,000 annually.

Acorns makes money by charging a monthly $1 fee for every active investment month, as well as a management fee that ranges from .5 percent to .25 percent, depending on how much you’re investing.

references:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/micro-investment-platform-acorns-lands-on-android/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

Few Thoughts of Windows 10

The first Windows 10 preview is, as the company has stressed repeatedly, is a small, and tailored set of new code. There is more coming. What we have in this release are desktop-focused features for business customers. A consumer preview will launch in January.

The preview isn't final code, so let’s not be unkind, but it does currently have a mixed set of user interface elements.There is plenty that works, like metro apps and desktop apps sharing space in the zoomed out modes There are two: Traditional Alt Tabbing, and Task view.

If you click on the Task view button, you see icons for open apps, similar to Alt Tab, and, below, your multiple desktops. And if you hit Windows Tab, you get the same thing. But if you hit Alt Tab, you get just the icons, and no virtual desktops.Here it is somewhat confusing ,isn't it?

It’s going to be a very busy 250 to 300 days in the Windows world.Lets wait and see how Microsoft will going to plan!

references:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/04/a-few-thoughts-on-windows-10/?ncid=rss

Windows 9- Goodbye, Charms bar, hello virtual desktops.

Reports about the next major Windows release keep getting better and better. It looks like Microsoft has finally come to its senses and will dump the Charms bar in Windows 9 (also known as Threshold) slated for release next spring. Even better, Microsoft is planning a surprise for multi-taskers with the addition of multiple virtual desktops.

Microsoft hasn't released any official details, but multiple news sites report these changes are for real. That's good news for desktop users.On Wednesday, WinBeta reported that the Charms bar was on its way out in Windows 9, at least for desktop users.The Charms bar is the pop-out side bar on the right-hand side of Windows 8 and 8.1 that contains options such as search, share, and settings.The Charms bar was always problematic since there were no visual cues within the UI to hint at its existence. For desktop users, it was a huge pain to use because it required an awkward mouse gesture.

multiple desktops in Ubuntu

Mac OS X and Ubuntu Linux users have had virtual desktops for years, and the feature is finally coming to Windows.The reports also said that virtual desktops were on the docket for Windows 9.Virtual desktops are just multiple versions of the same desktop you work with every day. The only difference is you can switch between them quickly, allowing you to have different set-ups on each. You could, for example, have one desktop dedicated to Web browsing, one for writing in a distraction-free environment, or basic work and play set-ups.

sources:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2462641/windows-9-goodbye-charms-bar-hello-virtual-desktops.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

Apple acquires Beats completely-Exclusive News

Here is a expeditious news for Apple lovers.Apple has confirmed  that it has received US regulatory approval for its acquisition of Beats. The news comes as the company posted a page on its website to “officially welcome Beats Music and Beats Electronics to the Apple family.” The $3 billion deal was first announced in May.

The page says “Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have created beautiful products that have helped millions of people deepen their connection to music. We’re delighted to be working with the team to elevate that experience even further.”

With redundancies taking place at Beats where there are job overlaps between the two companies, not all of the team is invited, of course.
sources:
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2014/08/01/apple-beats-official/

OnePlus One will challenges to Samsung Galaxy 5

OnePlus debuted its first smartphone called the One, combining a sleek and customizable appearance with some really powerful specifications.

Inside, you'll find a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor the same speed as on the Galaxy S5.That processing power is coupled with a generous 3GB of RAM, which is more than you'll get on the Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 or iPhone 5S. And indeed, the phone performed admirably.OnePlus was truly intent on making a good first impression here. Accordingly, everything looks spiffy, right down to the red and white box the device ships in to the red ribbony USB cord and square wall adapter with rounded corners.

Shockingly, with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 4K video-recording capabilities, the phone actually has the specs to back it up.The One is a thin 0.35 inch and weighs in at 5.7 ounces.pretty light for a 5.5-inch phone. That large Gorilla Glass display is nestled against a thin metal lip. At 1,920 x 1,080, the display is no slouch, either. On the 5.5-inch display, that translates to 401 pixels per inch (ppi), less dense than both the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5 (441 and 432, respectively), but still well ahead of the iPhone 5S (326). In any case, it makes for a rich viewing experience usually associated with far pricier handsets.

The OnePlus One is an extremely solid phone by most measures. There are some shortcomings here and there the camera could use some work, ditto the speakers. Also, expandable storage and a removable battery would be nice. But even with those quibbles taken into account, the One is more than just a good phone; it's a statement on the state of the industry and a window of insight into a future where a brand-new phone manufacturer can take on the big guns less than a year into its existence. For under $400 no less.

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2014/07/08/oneplus-one-review/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss

New Software Concept for 3D printing

If you've ever had to wear a splint on any part of your body, you'll know that not only are they uncomfortable, but they can be chunky and ugly too. That may not be the case for much longer.

A researcher from the University of Loughborough has developed a new computer software concept that will allow doctors to customize and 3D print breathable, stylish, slimline splints even if they have no experience using computer aided design software (CAD). The aim of the software is to allow those with no real knowledge of design to create wrist splints for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Using an Objet Connex machine, the splint can be printed as an integrated object made up of many different materials. This allows for features such as rubber hinges and padding. Not only are the splints lighter and more attractive, but they are also cheaper to produce since the design and manufacture process, which used to have been done together, can be separated out. As the splints are so customizable in terms of color, fit, fastenings and latticework, it's also likely that people would wear them more—in which case, they would be more cost-effective for organizations like the NHS.

Around 400,000 people in the UK suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and the splints provide pain relief, rest, and joint protection. The reaction from medical professionals who deal with the condition has been positive according to Paterson.

sources:

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/07/3d-printed-splints-may-make-life-better-for-arthritis-sufferers/

Keep your Smart Phone charged with Solar Dress.

Here’s an extra-ordinary way to keep your smartphone charged with a solar-powered dress. renowned fashion designer-Van Dongen designed this and she had two main inspirations.Lets listen to her own words clarifying the two points,

One of them is the fact that we highly depend on connectivity. We’re all addicted to our smartphones and we want them constantly powered, and the better our batteries get, the more we’ll use them. And at the same time, working as a werable tech designer, I know the difficulties when integrating these kind of bulky batteries that don’t allow for any comfort or wearability. So that’s why I thought, why not power your phone through your clothes? And eventually power other interactive qualities that our garments are becoming a platform for.

sources:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/06/wearable-solar-dress/?ncid=rss

Apple and Google move forward likely in same way.

Both Apple and Google companies talked about design and consistency in their Developer conferences last month. Both companies talked about improving back-end services. And both companies talked about new initiatives to make stuff on your phone appear seamlessly on your tablet or laptop. Android L release comes out this fall, this means your phone and your Chromebook are going to be able to share even more stuff than they already do.If you have your phone with you, it can unlock your Chromebook (and if you have your smartwatch with you, it can unlock your phone). If you get a call or a text or your battery is running low, you'll be told about it on your Chromebook.

On the other side Apple aims to implement same like facilities.For eample AirDrop will be able to move files between iOS devices and Macs. "Handoff" can send e-mails, webpages, and even files from iCloud-enabled applications on iOS to their counterparts in OS X (or vice-versa). You can receive texts alongside iMessages in the Messages app, and you can make and receive phone calls from your Mac even if your phone is in another room.

This isn't about which company is copying from which.This kind of integration is a logical next step for both Apple and Google after years of moving various operating systems and services closer and closer together.All of these features sound like great, logical ways to extend both companies' platforms, since you can often assume that someone using an Apple phone will be using an Apple computer. They're also going to make it harder than ever to extricate yourself from a given company's ecosystem once you've become embedded in it.

sources:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/apple-and-google-move-computing-forward-in-identical-yet-incompatible-ways/

FIFA cracks down on Twitter users using its logos.

Hey my social friends!This is immediate announcement for you.FIFA has been issuing DMCA complaints to Twitter about the offending avatars. For the offending accounts, their profile image reverts to the Twitter egg until the user replaces it with something else.FA is in charge of the biggest sporting event outside of the Olympics.So if you’re thinking of using the FIFA logo, World Cup trophy, or that weird armadillo mascot as your avatar, don’t be surprised when it suddenly disappears.

sources:

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/04/fifa-goes-twitter-avatars-soccer-fans-use-logo/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=profeed

Google Now will suits best for Android Wear

While there is plenty of Android in Google’s smart watch operating system and while developers will be able to develop apps specifically for it, Wear in its current form is fundamentally about bringing Google Now notifications to your wrist.

Android Wear, of course, also shows you all of your notifications from your phone.You could push all of your phone notifications to your watch, but that would be overkill. Thankfully, Google lets you choose which applications can push to Wear. But its most useful feature and maybe its killer feature overall is definitely easy access to Google Now.

Everybody is pretty much familiar with Google Now, but there is something fundamentally different between using it on your phone and on your wrist. Sure, the mission is the same on both platforms.Google wants to give you the right information at the right time.Just like Google Now brings together a number of Google’s services into one product, Wear has a similar feel to it. It’s a mix of what it has learned from Android and its ecosystem, its advances in voice recognition and its newly found design chops.In the next few months, Google will get some competition from Microsoft, Apple and a few startups in this space. For better or worse, none of them know as much about you as Google does, so it’ll be hard for them to replicate the Google Now experience.

sources:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/05/google-now-is-the-killer-app-for-android-wear/?ncid=rss