When BlackBerry Messenger first came out, it made sense to have a unique BBM PIN that you shared in order to connect with friends. At the time, people were wary of using a phone number as the identification for such a service (and Snapchat has shown that you still should be), so the idea made sense. However, these days the idea is antiquated and frankly just flat out annoying in practice.
Luckily, a new update for BBM is bringing a much needed "Find Friends" feature to Android and iOS. So, rather than sharing a BBM PIN, the app will simply use your local contacts list to find people you know on the service. BlackBerry isn't explicit about how it will work, but we assume your local contacts will be compared to the information held on BlackBerry servers. And, you can easily invite new users to the service via email or SMS.
The update for Android will be rolling out over the next 24 hours, and the update for iPhone is planned for sometime this week. It's a solid update to BBM, but as usual the question remains whether it really matters, or if BlackBerry is once again too late to the game. At this point, it seems that most users who found BBM the most useful have already moved to WhatsApp or even Facebook for their messaging needs. Will anyone out there be using this?
Download: BBM (Android & iOS)
source: BlackBerry
Microsoft is currently preparing a PC-focused "Update 1" to Windows 8.1. While an early version of the update leaked online earlier this week, the software maker is now believed to be preparing a final release in April. Initial reports suggested Microsoft would aim to deliver Windows 8.1 Update 1 in March, but ZDNet now claims this has shifted a month to April 8th. That date aligns with Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday round of fixes, and it’s rumored that the company will distribute the update through Windows Update rather than the Windows Store. It also aligns with Microsoft's Build conference, which will be held between April 2nd and 4th. Microsoft is expected to announce and detail the update at Build, before releasing it days later.
AN UPDATE FOR KEYBOARD AND MOUSE USERS
Windows 8.1 Update 1 is largely focused on improving the experience for traditional desktop PC owners who use the latest OS with a mouse and keyboard. Microsoft is adding a new title bar for its Windows 8-style ("Metro") apps that allows you to close, minimize, and snap apps to appear side by side with a mouse. It’s visible when you mouse over a small area at the top of apps, and is part of of a number of other mouse-focused changes. Right-clicking on Live Tiles produces context menus in early test versions of Windows 8.1 Update 1, and there’s even a search button and shutdown option straight on the Start Screen.
Other changes include a new option to allow Metro apps to be displayed in the desktop taskbar, and the ability to show the taskbar within Metro apps when you mouse over a small area at the bottom of apps. Microsoft is also introducing a new Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer with Update 1, and the company is focused on reducing the amount of space the entire OS takes up. A disk space management tool can also be found in the leaked Windows 8.1 Update 1 build.
One of the more puzzling aspects to Windows 8.1 Update 1 is Microsoft’s testing of a boot-to-desktop change. While some early builds have enabled this by default, possibly due to an upgrade bug during testing, The Verge understands that Microsoft is planning to make an OEM policy change regardless. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s Windows work have revealed that the software giant will soon allow PC makers to enable boot-to-desktop by default on machines without a touchscreen. Previously, PC makers have had to keep the feature disabled despite its introduction in Windows 8.1.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone should be unveiled at Mobile World Congress during Samsung Unpacked on 24 February. According to industry insiders it will feature a swipe fingerprint sensor that's built in-house at Samsung.
Korean news website ETNews claims industry sources have revealed the fingerprint sensor is coming on the Samsung Galaxy S5. Unlike Apple's Touch ID scanner, this won't be a touch-and-hold affair but rather a swipe recognition system - which sounds similar to the LG G2 unlock button, but with recognition.
The source claims Samsung is able to manufacture this easily at its Vietnamese plant which is currently responsible for camera module production. This, it claims, will allow Samsung to more effectively control its output to avoid any shortages.
The Korean translation isn't clear but it sounds like the module will fit behind glass allowing it to be built into the screen across a range of Samsung devices.
Expect to see Samsung unveil the Galaxy S5 on 24 February in Barcelona where Pocket-lint will be on hand to cover everything live.
It's been a while since we've had a good iPhone 6 rumour. There have been plenty of hooky ones, but the latest has our mouths watering at the prospect. The iPhone 6 is said to be coming with an improved camera.
Chinese website IT168 reports that sources within the supply chain in Taiwan claim that the "next generation iPhone" will come with a 10-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/1.8. It will also have an improved filter, they say.
Japanese resin manufacturer JSR will make a new filter from transparent resin. The company's Arton resin, which is already used on digital and video cameras with CMOS sensors, is used to make filters lighter and thinner than IR filters.
This has the potential to take clearer images thanks to the resin's ability to minimise colour shifts of CMOS image sensors.
Previous reports had suggested that Apple would stick with the 8-megapixel snapper as used on the iPhone 5S, but with rivals adopting better camera technologies, it would be foolish for the company to stand still with its next flagship phone.
Via: MacRumors
Source: IT168
Image Credit: Martin Hajek & Steve Hemmerstoffer
LG India has answered a question on Twitter about the company's plans for a KitKat update for theOptimus G Pro. Even though there is no official press statement so far, according to the message sent the update is indeed in the works.
It seems LG is prepping to release Android 4.4 KitKat, probably sweetened by the latest Optimus UI, in Q2 this year. This means, if everything goes right, the update should be hitting the Optimus G Pro phablets by the end of June.
LG, will reportedly skip Android 4.3 in favor of 4.4 KitKat for quite a few devices - LG Optimus F3, LG Optimus F6, LG G Pad 8.3, LG G Pro Lite, LG Optimus F7, LG Optimus L9 II, LG Optimus Vu II. Meanwhile LG has already confirmed the G2 will be getting the official KitKat ROM in March.
Thank you, Prabhjit Singh Walia, for a great tip!
Jim Merithew
When you install an app on your phone, you don't always install it on the phone itself. You often store new apps and new data on the tiny SD cards that slide in and out of your phone, letting you add more storage space as needed.
And that can be a problem.
Typically, an app that has permission to read and write data from an SD card has the power to read alldata on the card -- including information written by other apps. This means that if you install a malicious application by mistake, it can easily tap into a wide range of sensitive data inside your phone.
The good news is that engineers at Facebook have developed a way of protecting the company's rather popular Android apps when they're stored on SD cards, and they're now sharing this security tool with the world at large, letting other software developers protect their apps in similar ways. That bodes well not only for developers, but for you, the person who will ultimately use these apps on phones.
This comes as more and more large tech companies are sharing important parts of their engineering know-how with other developers and companies across the globe. Together with Twitter and, in some ways, Google, Facebook is leading this trend. Companies like this were built on open source software, and in feeding new tools back to the open source community, these tech giants believe they will not only return the favour, but drive still more innovation that will ultimately feed back into their online opera.
Facebook calls its Android security tool Conceal, and in short, it's a programming code library for safely encrypting and decrypting data stored on SD cards. The company is already using the tool with the primary Facebook app that runs on Android. According to Facebook software engineer Subodh Iyengar, the company started building the tool about six months ago, but it only recently decided to open source it. "We had conversations with other developers who were interested," he tells Wired.
The tool is based on algorithms from OpenSSL, a common open source encryption system for the web, but it's designed specifically for mobile phones running Android -- including low-end phones. The whole library takes up only about 85KB of space. "Unlike other libraries, which provide a wide range of encryption algorithms and options, Conceal prefers to abstract this choice and include sensible defaults," Iyengar wrote in a blog post introducing the project. "We think this makes sense because encryption can be very tricky to get right."
There's a certain irony in Facebook releasing software to help developers protect user data from other applications. Just last week, it was revealed that the new version of the company's Android app asks for permission to read text messages on your phone. Facebook explained that this lets it handle two factor authentication more easily, but some have suggested the move may provide the company with an unneccesary level of access to personal information. That may make some privacy advocates think twice about using open source code from Facebook to build security features into apps.
But the beauty of open source software is that the whole world can see how the code works, and determine whether it's legit or not. Facebook has a long history of open sourcing code that has go on to significantly change the way both software and hardware is built. This includes everything from small software tools like Conceal to massive data analysis software, computer server designs, and even data centre blueprints.
This story originally appeared on Wired.com
Most of the specs for the upcoming Galaxy S5 have been tipped andrehashed over and over again, including yesterday, so we pretty much know what to expect from the silicon and screen, but what about design?
Samsung India insiders have tipped some fellow tech reporters that the S5 will feature on-screen buttons, as a radical departure from the typical Samsung physical keys on its flagships. Samsung was said to be seriously considering this same move last year with the Galaxy S4, but the more orthodox designer wing ultimately prevailed. Not this year, though, if this speculation is to be believed.
Samsung will apparently also be capitalizing on the improved super-sensitive Synaptics touchscreen tech it will plant in the S5 this year, and for a fingerprint sensor at that. That's right, those Samsung India sources are claiming that the fingerprint scanner coming to the Galaxy S5, will be integrated right into the panel, using the electromagnetic field, looking like some of those fingerprint prank apps you've seen in the Play Store.
On the other hand, Korean media is reporting today that Samsung will indeed include a swipe fingerprint scanner, but will produce its own one as a separate part, in order to secure enough yield. We aren't exactly sure how Samsung would pull the on-screen stuff, even with Synaptics new tech that can recognize numerous hover points over the display. It's nice to imagine it at least, though our money would be on a separate swipe sensor somewhere on the chassis itself.
The insiders also rehashed the specs for the Galaxy S5, and they seem to jibe with everything we've heard so far - 5.25" QHD (2,560×1,440) Super AMOLED display panel, a new Exynos chipset (India, International), and Snapdragon ( for US versions) processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32/64 GB storage, a 16 MP rear camera, and a large 3200 mAh battery.
This new Exynos, however, might still be a 32-bit endeavor, say analysts, and not the 64-bit one Samsung was working on, as the company deduced a 64-bit processor is not needed at the current software state of affairs in Androidland. In any case, 32-bit or 64-bit won't matter for the average user as much as the design of the chassis, and the on-screen shenanigans listed above, so we can't wait for the announcement in three weeks, or the leaks beforehand.
source: iTechAddict, ETNews via G4Games & MobileWorldLive
Sony has announced that it has updated its interesting QX line of lens-style cameras. The two updated cameras include the QX 100 and the QX 10. These cameras look like a lens and can be attached to the back of a smartphone. The updated features will make the cameras more usable for a variety of photography and video recording tasks.
The QX 100 has been updated with new shooting modes like Shutter Priority mode giving control over shutter speed. The camera also has an extended ISO range covering ISO 160-12800. The biggest improvement to the QX 100 comes in a new video recording resolution.
The QX 100 can now record in full HD resolution at 30p when using MP4 format. The QX 10 has received similar improvements with an extended ISO range of 100-3200. The ISO adjustability comes in the new Program Auto mode.
The MP4 video recording capability has been improved to support 1920 x 1080 30p video recording. The good news is that owners of the cameras will get these new features via a firmware update. The update can be downloaded right now on the Sony UK website. A new tablet attachment that lets the camera attach to various tablets will ship in March. Both of these cameras went up for pre-order back in September 2013.
SOURCE: Sony
There are plenty of keyboard apps out there for users of Android smartphones. Most of the keyboards are serious bits of software that aim to make typing better than it is on the standard Android keyboard. A new keyboard app has entered beta for Android users that is not so serious.
The keyboard is called the Wink it Keyboard. The keyboard allows you to swap little pictures for words. The keyboard will make emoticon, emoji, and digital sticker suggestions to create your messages using words and images.
The keyboard will guess what word is coming next as you type and offer the digital stickers and other content to let you add them with a touch to your message. The keyboard also works with voice commands and continuous input capability like the KeyPoint Glide feature.
The keyboard is a free download and is available now. The only catch is that since it is a beta product the license is good for only 90 days. The app also supports autocorrect, shortcut creation, and more. The app is on Google Play right now.
SOURCE: Google
The LG G Pro 2 has leaked in full bloom already, including its specs and design pictures, but now LG itself has spilled some beans on the nitty-gritty of the chassis build.
Turns out that the screen-to-phone-size ratio is the whopping 77.2%, thanks to the almost non-existent 0.4mm thin side bezel, which basically means that at the front this device would likely be all screen. Given that the volume buttons and power/lock key are at the back, the G Pro 2 might turn out to be rather compact for a 5.9-incher.
The second edition of the G Pro phablet is expected to feature a Full HD display, Snapdragon 800 processor, and 3 GB of RAM, plus a 13 MP rear camera with OIS Plus tech that will minimize video shake and picture blur. The only unknown so far seems to be the battery capacity, which, given LG's recent track record with capacity in their flagships, might turn out to be humongous, utilizing fully the stacked technology that is present in the G Flex.
source: FN via RBMen
Verizon Wireless has announced how much data that fans at the stadium during the Super Bowl last weekend used. The grand total for data usage by Verizon customers during the Super Bowl in MetLife Stadium was 1.9TB. The data was consumed by fans tweeting, texting, and talking during the game.
Verizon says that at its busiest hour, the network near the stadium handled 800% more in-stadium data volume than it handed during the Super Bowl last year. That busiest hour of data use came during the Super Bowl half time show.
Verizon had free charging station located around the stadium to help fans keep their devices charged and burning through those data allotments. Verizon updated the Distributed Antenna system inside MetLife Stadium ahead of the Super Bowl to handle the crush of data use.
The antenna upgrade quadrupled the 4G LTE data capacity inside the stadium. Verizon Wireless is the official mobile provider for the NFL. The company also provided wireless services to events held in preparation for the Super Bowl around the country, including Times Square.
SOURCE: Verizon Wireless
In the wake of Edward Snowden's NSA revelations, finding ways to browse the internet more securely has become of paramount importance. In its mission to help netizens feel that little bit safer, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has long offered its HTTPS Everywhere add-on for desktop browsers, and it's now looking to do the same on mobile. As of yesterday, you can install the HTTPS Everywhere on Firefox for Android, which automatically seeks out HTTPS connections on supported websites. Webpages will be loaded over an encrypted connection, letting you to check your email, shop online and browse the web without fear of a third-party, or surveillance agency like the NSA or GCHQ, intercepting your traffic. To install the add-on, make sure you have the latest version of Firefox for Android on your phone, then install the plugin via the EFF website. Once loaded, the app will display an icon in the address bar, ensuring your browser won't suffer the same fate as Angry Birds and other mobile apps.
Over 10,000 developers signed up to create apps for the Razer Nabu smartband in the 24 hours after it was unveiled at CES 2014.
The Nabu is one of approximately ten squillion wrist-bound pieces of wearable tech that we've seen in recent times, but one which stuck in people's minds, nabbing the Engadget People's Choice award at CES.
Razer is traditionally a gaming brand, although the smartband feels more like a lifestyle product and offers things like fitness tracking, smartphone notifications and social networking opportunities.
There are hints of the company's gaming background both in the fact that there's an element of gamification in the data tracking the band offers and also vague mentions of gaming in some of the marketing -- one of the scenarios given talks about scheduling gaming nights, or keeping you connected to friends and family as you play.
That seems to be as far as it goes at the moment but the interest from developers as well as Razer's association with the gaming community may well lead to more interesting uses of gaming or game-like concepts for the device, particularly as it contains a Street Pass type element where wearers passing one another can communicate data between the wristbands.
"This outpouring of support is even more gratifying, considering it comes on the heels of launching a project we've been researching for the past three-and-a-half years," said Razer cofounder Min-Liang Tan. "With all the applications pouring in, we can't wait to see just how developers will take advantage of the open platform of the Nabu to enrich user experiences."
