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Friday, 31 January 2014

Good Deal: $499 Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, $400 off original price

Microsoft’s original Surface Pro isn’t even a year old yet, but it has been superseded by the Surface Pro 2. It appears that Best Buy still has some stock of the original model that it wants to move this weekend. We've seen some price reductions on the Surface Pro before — including cuts following the Surface Pro 2 release — but Best Buy is offering a massive $400 discount on the original retail price, bringing the Surface Pro down to just $499.99. While the old model doesn’t have an adjustable kickstand and the improved battery life with Intel’s Haswell chip, it’s still largely the same otherwise. You get a 10.6-inch 1920 x 1080p display with a Wacom digitizer and stylus, along with 128GB of storage. Best Buy’s Surface Pro deal is only available today and tomorrow online and in stores, and if Windows isn’t your thing then there’s also $100 off all Apple MacBooks.

Shortly after the UK government implemented a nationwide adult content filter, it transpired that it wasn't just naughty sites you couldn't access. Copyright blogs, relationship education sites and even women's crisis centers were all marked as being dangerous for family viewing. After much hand-wringing, the government has admitted the error, and is now working on a whitelist of sites that shouldn't be censored. At the same time, there are plans to develop an appeals system -- so that we can all go back to reading about James Earl Miles Jr. without fear.

Sometimes, in the course of human events, it is necessary to go to war with your co-workers. And that requires rubber band guns. But some of us don’t believe in just one lone rubber band to defend us. We believe in weapons supremacy. We believe in electric motors! We will not tolerate a rubber band gap!

Needless to say, this isn’t your typical rubber band gun. And, you’ll have to be handy to get this; it doesn’t come pre-assembled and you’ll need to put it together yourself. But, however, it’s well worth it. It’s got a revolving barrel, first of all, although it’s not the only one with that advantage on the market. It uses an electric motor and batteries to spin the barrel and unload at 800 rounds per minute.
Band Of Rubber

Another nice touch is that it’s laser-cut entirely from wood and engraved with decoration as well. A handy front end handle allows you to steady it, although it’s light enough that you can go one-handed if you’re strong enough. Or, if you’re particularly bad-ass, you can get two and go guns akimbo to take out co-workers, small children, pets, and probably any hope of a career at your current place of work.
Guns Akimbo

Wooden weapons are, of course, all the rage in coworker warfare, and you probably can’t stand to have any sort of disadvantage when Bob from Accounting inevitably attempts to invade from his beachhead on the eighth floor. So, arm yourself now, and collect ammunition from the supply closet. Stand with your fellow coworkers nobly, and fill the air with whizzing rubber injury! The honor of your department demands it! Also, come on, Bob’s annoying and you totally want to bounce one off his glasses.

Canada’s electronic spy agency has allegedly been using airport Wi-Fi to spy on its citizens. CBC News reports that the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) collected data over a two-week period from free Wi-Fi hotspots at what it describes as a “major Canadian airport.” While it’s unclear what data was obtained, CBC News claims it could be used to “track the wireless devices of thousands of ordinary airline passengers for days after they left the terminal.”

METADATA COLLECTED FROM AIRPORT WI-FI SYSTEMS OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD

The bold claim isn’t backed up with any technical details on the work of the CSEC, but it appears that the spy agency collected metadata from the free Wi-Fi hotspots. CBC News notes that a “special source” may have voluntarily provided access to wireless data from airport Wi-Fi systems. CSEC chief John Forster previously claimed that the agency doesn’t “target Canadians at home or abroad in our foreign intelligence activities, nor do we target anyone in Canada.” However, it’s clear that any metadata collection from an airport on Canadian soil would likely target Canadians. CSEC has confirmed to CBC News that it’s “legally authorized to collect and analyze metadata," but it claims "no Canadian or foreign travellers' movements were 'tracked.'"

How CSEC allegedly tracks wireless devices days after passengers leave Canadian airport terminals is unclear. While metadata collection would likely provide the unique mac address identifier for any electronics connecting to Wi-Fi access points, it’s unlikely that CSEC could track devices like laptops and notebooks for days unless they were connected to additional cellular or Wi-Fi networks during that time. The agency would also need access to those networks outside of the airport Wi-Fi to obtain the necessary metadata for tracking purposes.

CBC News also reports that the two-week data collection was a trial run for new software that the CSEC was developing with assistance from the NSA. The software is reportedly fully operational now, following the trial back in 2012. Although the trial airport in question is not named, the two largest Canadian airports, Toronto and Vancouver, both deny authorizing the spy operation. “It is really unbelievable that CSEC would engage in that kind of surveillance of Canadians,” says Ontario's privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian. "I mean that could have been me at the airport walking around… this resembles the activities of a totalitarian state, not a free and open society.

Motorola's Moto G is many things -- well-crafted, shockingly cheap, and a well-looked after device in terms of its software. But being waterproof is one quality we don't actually grant the device. As it turns out, perhaps we should.

When the Moto G was first introduced, we were made aware that at least some parts under the hood were treated to a nano-coating, which is known to exhibit waterproof qualities. But the Moto G was never marketed as a waterproof smartphone -- a selling point for an increasing amount of people, go figure. But perhaps it should have been, since it turns out that the affordable handset is quite the diver. Smartphone reviewer, Erica Griffin, put a unit of the Moto G through what should have been a world of pain, by first submerging the phone for 15 seconds, then 30 seconds, and, finally, 30 long minutes. As you gleaned already, this story has a happy ending -- the Moto G (dubbed 'WALL-E' by Griffin for its unyielding character) made it through and was pretty much fully operational, despite its body being soaked with water to twice its weight. Griffin demonstrated that all the major components worked just fine -- the camera, the spaker and receiver, Wi-Fi and 3G radios, and the display/touch screen, were all unaffected from the experience once they had a few hours to recuperate.

Of course, we have some personal experience with smartphones and water ourselves, so we are curious to see if 'WALL-E' will continue to function properly in the coming weeks, but for now, it suffices to say that the Motorola Moto G is one heck of a smartphone for its price point.

Apple, the biggest loser in the Google-Motorola-Lenovo deal

Things are about to get tougher for Apple. Google late Wednesday made an unexpected announcement that it's selling Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion, or less than a quarter of what it paid for the handset vendor just a couple of years ago. During the years Google owned it, Motorola lost money and market share, and the relationship caused tension between Google and the other Android vendors, particularly Samsung. It also led those other phone makers to develop their own software and services, rather than push those from Google. That amplified Android's fragmentation in the market. Overall, Google's purchase of Motorola turned out much better for iPhone maker Apple than for Google. That's now going to change. Related stories: Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for $2.9B With Motorola out, can Samsung, Google be BFFs again? Apple's higher standard: How 51M iPhones is somehow disappointing Apple's iPhone 5C misses the low-cost mark By ditching Motorola, Google frees Android from distractions Behind Samsung's push to rule the world Google, sans Motorola, can go back to focusing on what it does best -- making a really great operating system and apps. It can mend its relationship with Android leader Samsung and the other vendors. And it can concentrate on unifying and streamlining the Android experience, rather than worry about bolstering its own hardware operations. All of those factors mean that Apple may not be able to win over customers as easily as it has in the past. "Getting rid of Motorola helps Google, and anything that Google can do to create a more cohesive user experience across vendors is competitive to Apple," Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said. But Google isn't all Apple should be worried about. Up to this point, only Samsung has posed a real threat to Apple in smartphones. A combined Lenovo and Motorola, however, has the potential to take a large chunk of the market. It won't be easy or quick, but Lenovo has a strong track record for dominating markets it enters. Less than a decade after buying IBM's PC operations, Lenovo became the world's biggest PC maker . Already, Lenovo is one of the fastest-growing smartphone makers in China, a market that's also getting a lot of attention from Apple. Last year, Lenovo was the second largest smartphone vendor in mainland China by volume, up from eighth place in 2011, according to Strategy Analytics. That boosted its position in the global market in 2013 to fifth place behind Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and LG. At the same time Lenovo's market share has risen in China, Apple's has fallen. In 2011, Apple was the third largest smartphone vendor in the country. By last year, it had dropped to sixth place, according to Strategy Analytics. "Apple's lack of presence in the lower end of the smartphone market has cost it sizable volumes in China in recent years," said Neil Mawston, executive director of Strategy Analytics. Apple, predictably, has offered no public reaction to the Lenovo- Motorola news. We've contacted the company for comment and will update the report when we have more information. The iPhone maker doesn't have device pricing that touches the lower end of the market . So far, it hasn't needed or wanted to, but that will need to change if it doesn't want to be relegated to niche status. Already, the low end of the smartphone market is growing much faster than the high end. Strategy Analytics expects Apple's deal with China Mobile to boost it to fifth place in the Chinese market this year, but that's nowhere near the position of Samsung or Lenovo. And Apple's less expensive, more colorful iPhone 5C has failed to catch on with users. Apple positioned the device as more of a mainstream product, but it's still too pricey for developing countries. And it turns out that most people are buying the higher-end iPhone 5S that includes a fingerprint sensor, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged during the company's earnings conference call earlier this week. Apple won't just face Lenovo in China. The company also will use Motorola to break into the US market. Lenovo gains not only a well-known brand with Motorola but also closer relationships with US carriers and retailers. The company wants to become the world's biggest seller of smart devices -- which includes PCs, tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs -- and it won't be able to do that without addressing the US market. Lenovo won't become Apple's biggest threat overnight. It will take awhile for the Chinese company to figure out its strategy with Motorola, and Lenovo also will have to invest heavily to get Motorola back on its feet. In the meantime, Apple and Samsung won't be slowing down in their efforts to dominate the market. But a few years down the line, it may be Samsung and Lenovo jockeying for the top mobile spot, not Samsung and Apple.

I don't have a crystal ball, so it's hard for me to see into the future like some. But the writing appears to be on the wall in the technology industry: Google, the company that made a name for itself in search, will go on to become the most influential and important company in the world within the next decade. Moreover, the company's efforts will turn us all into citizens of a world we'll call Google.

Yes, I know this sounds a bit extreme, and I can appreciate that some people who don't like what the search giant is doing find that more than a little disconcerting. The truth is, though, Google is the only company that I can point to right now in the industry that is committed to not just sticking to iterative updates to its products. No, Google is in it to innovate. And there's something to be said for that.

Looking beyond the more well-known Google services, one will find an awful lot of reasons to think that, eventually, Google will be dominating the world.

The company has acquired nearly 10 companies in the last year to start a robotics program headed up by Andy Rubin that could very well turn our lives on their heads. Moreover, the search company has invested heavily in green technology, it's funding another rover to go to the Moon, it's trying to bring the Web to areas that have historically not had access to the Internet, and it's even trying to make us live longer.

And with tens of billions of dollars of cash on hand, it's entirely possible that the company's recent spending spree into other areas only continues. After all, why not buy up companies with promising technologies?

I can see a future where we're so overrun with Google products that it'll be hard to view it as anything other than another GE. We'll be wearing Google-branded prescription glasses that can give us directions and surf the Web. We'll be going to space on an elevator that lets us see what looking at Earth from up-top is all about. We'll even be using Google's medical equipment and insight to determine how we can see our great- great- great-grandchildren grow up.

Now, while this might all come off sounding somewhat "fanboy-ish” on my part, I should point out that the idea of a single company playing such a major role in our lives scares me. But, at the same time, it excites me. I'm happy to see that at least one company wants to do something special and above and beyond what we're used to, though I'd prefer to see multiple companies doing the same.

Where has vision gone in the industry? Where has the desire to do great things gone in the industry? Right now, Google is the only major company trying to change our lives in a huge way. And unless someone else comes along to compete on that, Google will soon run the world we're living in.

Google’s romance with Motorola was star-crossed from the start. With the $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola it wasn’t just taking on an ailing manufacturer — challenge enough — but simultaneously competing with Google’s own hardware partners in the Android ecosystem, meaning it had to tread carefully. The payoff for all that heartache? Motorola’s impressive collection of 24,000 patents and patent applications. Unfortunately for Google, the much-ballyhooed war chest of intellectual property didn’t hold up in the courtroom.

Google’s initial motivation for buying Motorola was extremely simple: Motorola’s patent portfolio included core pieces of standard technologies like Wi-Fi and GSM. At the height of the patent battles between Apple and Android phone manufacturers like Samsung,governments around the world were undecided on whether those "standards-essential" patents could be used to completely block products from the market — and Motorola had already filed several lawsuits attempting to block the iPhone from sale in courts across the US.

IF GOOGLE HAD SUCCEEDED IN BLOCKING THE IPHONE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SMARTEST $12.5 BILLION EVER SPENT

If Google had succeeded in using Motorola’s patents to block the iPhone, gain Congressional interest, and force Apple to the negotiating table, it would have been the smartest $12.5 billion ever spent.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work that way. Court after court rejected Motorola’s patent claims — the influential Judge Richard Posner of the 7th Circuit completely threw out the case after deciding neither Apple nor Motorola had even demonstrated any reason to be in court — and trade agencies in the US and Europe took a hard line against using standards patents to block products. In the US, Google settled a Federal Trade Commission investigation into its improper use of standards patents by agreeing that those patents would not be used to block products from market but instead be licensed fairly. And the value of a fair license plummeted: the court in Motorola’s case against Microsoft’s Xbox 360 found that Microsoft owed just $1.7M in royalties per year, far less than the $4 billion Motorola had demanded.

Motorola’s patent portfolio was essentially rendered worthless; an anemic licensing business compared to Google’s other massive revenue streams.

WHILE THE PATENT PLAY BLEW UP, THE HARDWARE SIDE MAY HAVE PAID OFF

But while the patent play blew up spectacularly, the hardware side of the Motorola acquisition may have actually paid off: by building its own phones, Google gained valuable leverage over the Android partners, particularly Samsung.

Motorola actually made some nice phones during its run at Google. The flagship Moto X was well-received by critics, including our own. "The additions to the software that Motorola has made are legitimately useful and really quite impressive," wrote Joshua Topolsky. "They add to the experience of Android without removing what is most vital in Google's software, unlike the competition, which seems intent on obscuring what's already a sophisticated and beautiful operating system." The Moto X never sold well, but it increased the pressure on Google's partners to build great products by showing what was possible.

The problem was that Google’s Motorola lacked the marketing and distribution power needed to actually sell enough phones. Despite a warm welcome from critics, Motorola’s losses widened to $248 million during the first quarter when the Moto X was on sale. "Motorola needs to build tighter relationships with other carriers after a long tie-up with Verizon on the Droid line," said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

Overall, Motorola had burned through $600 million since the acquisition and was on pace to bleed about $1 billion a year. To turn things around Google would have had to pour hundreds of millions into expanding marketing and distribution, upping the competition with its partners. Rather than doubling down on making its own phones, Google used Motorola as leverage to secure the Android ecosystem against a painful and expensive patent battle and to prod its partners into accepting its version of Android.

A FEW DAYS AFTER BRINGING SAMSUNG IN MORE TIGHTLY, GOOGLE LET GO OF MOTOROLA

Earlier this week it reached an interesting détente with Samsung: the two companiesagreed to share patents, helping each other defensively and not litigating against one another. At the same time, Samsung reportedly made concessions about what Androidwill look like on its future devices, agreeing to tone down the extensive customization and duplication of apps and services that characterize its most popular phones and tablets. It’s hardly a coincidence that a few days after bringing Samsung more tightly into the fold, Google let go of Motorola.

How long will this balance hold? The purchase of Nest indicates that Google has rethought its hardware strategy, preferring to avoid competition with its Android partners and instead invest in the wide-open world of connected devices and smart homes instead. Larry Page said as much in an email to staffers about the Motorola sale. "As a side note, this does not signal a larger shift for our other hardware efforts. The dynamics and maturity of the wearable and home markets, for example, are very different from that of the mobile industry. We’re excited by the opportunities to build amazing new products for users within these emerging ecosystems."

Of course, Samsung has plenty of interest in building a smart home of its own. The delicate dance goes on.

Google has been bumping into pockets of privacy violations across the globe recently, the latest of which has taken place in South Korea. This follows a recent issue in Canada, which arose from issues with advertisements and was resolved with an agreement, and abigger issue in France that surfaced last year and culminated in a big (except for Google) fine.

In a writeup on The Korea Herald this week, it was revealed Korea's communications regulator has elected to slap Google with a fine for the collection of personal data from residents while taking pictures for Street View. This is similar to past instances related to privacy and Street View that have arisen, and is followed with a $196,000 fine.

This is the first fine of this sort issued by the Korea Communications Commission against a global company for privacy law violations, said KCC chairman Lee Kyung-jae. He followed this up with a warning for other companies, as well. "This commission will punish those who collect information of the Korean public without exception."

Google is said to have collected information that spans several categories, incluing passwords and usernames, registration numbers for locals, MAC addresses, and what sounds like IP addresses (the KH isn't entirely clear). Google hasn't issued a statement on the matter yet.

VIA: BGR
SOURCE: The Korea Herald
Image via Carlos Luna

According to Vodafone Australia, Sony’s Xperia M smartphone could be updated to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in the (near?) future. The carrier posted a list of upcoming updates for some of the smartphones that it’s selling, saying that the Xperia M should receive Android 4.3, as testing for this OS build has been already "scheduled."

Vodafone Australia’s Xperia M is the C190x model - the single SIM version of the handset, which at the moment runs Android 4.1.2. The dual SIM model, C200x, is already running Android 4.2, and we’re assuming that it, too, will get 4.3 at some point.

Vodafone also seems to confirm that 4.3 Jelly Bean updates for the Sony Xperia SP and TX are coming soon - just as we reported not long ago.

The Xperia M is currently widely available around the world. You can even buy it in the US, via the official Sony Store, where it costs $229.99 (unlocked, available in four color versions: black, white, purple and yellow).

source: Vodafone Australia via Xperia Blog

After the announcement on Wednesday thatLenovo is buying Motorola from Google for $2.91 billion, Lenovo's Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing and Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming answered some questions about the acquisition. Lenovo has yet to enter the U.S. market although it earlier stated its intentions to do so. According to Yang, purchasing Motorola gives Lenovo an instant entry into the states.

The executive calls Motorola a very good brand with plenty of intellectual property and a good relationship with carriers. He adds that his company will keep both the Motorola and Lenovo brands. The latter is strong in China and in emerging markets while Motorola is strong in the U.S. and Latin America. The CEO says that Lenovo might try using the Motorola name in China. He added that the company might go with something like "Motorola by Lenovo".

While Motorola was losing money under Google, Yang says that he believes that Lenovo can help Motorola turn a profit. The year after the deal closes, Lenovo expects to sell 100 million smartphones globally. As far as the deal is concerned, the executive expects no U.S. regulatory issues seeing as the handset business is a consumer business.

source: WSJ

Tesco Mobile has today launched the UK's most competitively priced 4G, which will be free for new and existing customers using its already bargain-basement tariffs.

Starting today, the deal will apply to Tesco Mobile's pay-monthly and SIM-only Tesco Mobile contracts. Customers paying as little as £7.50 per month will be able to get speedier data on a SIM-only contract that includes 250 minutes, 5,000 texts and 500MB of data. That's a rather measly data allowance to pair with super-speedy internet, but it's still pretty much the cheapest way to have 4G at your fingertips.

Tesco Mobile has also said it will be launching 4G data bundles for pay-as-you-go customers and will be adding to the range of 4G-enabled devices it offers with phones such as the magnificent Moto X and the superb Sony Xperia Z1 Compact.

"After giving customers the chance to try 4G at their own pace with our flexible 4G tariffs, we've seen people really benefit from what it has to offer. Customers should be able to expect more from their mobile network, so as we see demand for 4G become more widespread, we wanted to take a different approach, said Simon Groves, Tesco Mobile's chief marketing officer in a statement.

"As a network we hope that this move will challenge others in the market and encourage the industry to follow suit. We want to see 4G with no extra cost become the norm and networks making the very latest technologies accessible for all."

So far Three is the only operator to offer free upgrades to 4G data, although it has been slow to roll it out and has so far only offered a limited number of customers the opportunity to upgrade. EE has led the charge, being nearly a year ahead of all the other operators in launching its 4G network, meaning it has good coverage, but it doesn't come cheap. Vodafone and O2's 4G rollouts have helped to make pricing more competitive across the board and there are decent deals to be found, but 4G still remains an unjustifiable expense for many.

Tesco Mobile is the first one of the cheaper mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to offer 4G. MNVOs use another operator's network infrastructure -- in this case O2's -- to provide their services at a reduced cost.

"Much like its supermarket sibling, Tesco Mobile has carved a niche for itself as offering good value service at rock bottom prices -- so it's not surprising it's the first to drop the cost of 4G. These are entry-level prices -- a win for those mobile customers who, until now, have been priced out of super-fast mobile internet," says Rob Kerr, mobile expert at uSwitch.com.

Indeed, if you've been holding off upgrading to a 4G tariff due to price, now might be the perfect time, although we recommend using Tesco Mobile's coverage checker first to make sure you'll get decent 4G signal in your area.

While Apple shipped 26 million iPads in its latest quarter and Samsung shipped 14.5 million tablets, both up from last year, IDC is warning that the overall tablet market in the US appears to be reaching saturation. "It's becoming increasingly clear that markets such as the US are reaching high levels of consumer saturation and while emerging markets continue to show strong growth this has not been enough to sustain the dramatic worldwide growth rates of years past," warns IDC’s Tom Mainelli.

Worldwide tablet shipments grew to 76.9 million during the all important holiday season quarter according to IDC, 28.2 percent more than the same period last year. However, the growth appears to be slowing. Apple shipped 74.2 million iPads during 2013 compared to 65.7 million iPads during 2012, just a 12 percent increase. That may change throughout 2014 thanks to the new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, but IDC warns of "a more challenging environment for tablets in 2014 and beyond." Those challenges include high penetration rates and increased competition for consumer spending.

AMAZON'S KINDLE FIRE SHIPMENTS DROPPED IN THE HOLIDAY QUARTER

Amazon’s tablet shipments appear to highlight some of the slow down in growth during the recent quarter. IDC says Kindle Fire shipments dropped from 5.9 million in the holiday period in 2012 to 5.8 million in the same period last year. That’s a decrease of 1.7 percent, and the figures come just hours before Amazon is due to report its latest financial results. While iPad growth has slowed and Kindle Fire sales have decreased, Samsung’s 14.5 million shipments during the holiday quarter were almost double the 7.8 million it shipped during the same period in 2012.

Meanwhile, Lenovo may have just acquired Motorola’s phone business from Google, but it’s also starting to ship more tablets worldwide. After shipping just 800,000 during the 2012 holiday quarter, shipments grew to 3.4 million during the latest holiday quarter. Despite the PC market decline, Lenovo has managed to grow its share of PCs and is the top manufacturer worldwide. With tablet saturation in the US, and the PC market declinestarting to stabilize, 2014 could be the year where we start to see less dramatic shifts in PC and tablet sales.

Researchers have found a way to warn users every time when Android applications are tracking their location. A dedicated app is being developed for the Android platform that will warn you when apps snoop on your whereabouts, and it will pop up a warning to let you know that you are being spied on. The new app, said to be coming on Android’s Google Play store within the next two months, has found a novel way to detect app spying without requiring you to root your device.

The new app aims to help ordinary users understand when their location is being accessed by third party applications. It will display a large and easy to understand banner saying “Your location is accessed by [name of app]”. Currently, Android does show a small crosshair icon in the upper taskbar that appears every time an app accesses your location, but researchers have concluded that the meaning of this icon is obscure to the regular user. In fact, a field study led by Rutgers University’s Janne Lindqvist, concluded that users were shocked to learn just how frequently apps use their location data, after dealing with a prototype of the new notification app.

“People were really surprised that some apps were accessing their location, or how often some apps were accessing their location,” Lindqvist said.

The end goal of the upcoming app is first, to raise awareness among people that they are being tracked very often, and second, to put pressure on Google and app developers to be more conservative with location queries.

Interestingly, Google’s has already flip-flopped positions on the location permission issue. First, with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean it allowed users to disable permissions for specific apps, and then, shortly after, removed the newly introduced feature in Android 4.4 KitKat.

It’s also interesting how Lindqvist’s team had to use a function within the Android location application programming interface (API) to get a signal for every access to location. “People have previously done this with platform-level changes—meaning you would need to ‘root’ the phone,” says Lindqvist. “But nobody has used an app to do this.”

source: MIT Technology Review

Apple launches iOS 7.0.5 iPhone update in several regions

Apple has just launched iOS 7.0.5 update for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. It makes some minor bugs go away and fixes network provisioning for Chinese models.

According to user reports the new update is rolling out in China, Croatia, Germany and the UK with the rest of the world seemingly missing on it. It seems the update targets specific model iPhones and won't be available for all iDevices.

Meanwhile Apple is working hard on the upcoming iOS 7.1 update that should hit all compatible iGadgets worldwide very soon.

Source

Late last year, Samsung found itself in trouble over claims it had secretly spied on Apple and Nokia documents to gain a better position in patent deals. It denied any wrongdoing, saying it hadn't done so wilfully, and now US judge Paul S. Grewal has finally drawn the same conclusion. PCWorld reports that the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled Wednesday that the Korean company could not have used confidential information for its patent licensing talks with Nokia, a deal that was extended in November, because it already knew all of the terms ahead of the leak.

The court considered sanctions against Samsung after the company's legal negotiator, Dr. Seungho Ahn, had reportedly told Nokia that its terms with Apple "were known to him," even though they were marked "highly confidential -- attorneys' eyes only." Up to 50 Samsung employees were said to have been given non-redacted copies of Apple documents by its external counsel Quinn Emanuel, which included patent deals with Nokia, but also Ericsson, Sharp and Philips. While Samsung has escaped further action, the court will force its legal representatives to cover both Apple and Nokia's legal fees, effectively making the "junior associate working late one night" pay for underusing that big black marker.

SOURCE: PCWorld

Images of what is claimed to be one of Samsung's upcoming Tizen handsets have emerged when the SM-Z9005 phone appeared for sale on eBay, of all places. Someone jumped the gun prematurely, it seems, as the listing has been taken off, but the two pictures have been scooped up, and the styling jibes with the render of the Z9000 "Zeke" that we saw leaked not long ago.

Frankly, the alleged Tizen handset doesn't differ much from the typical Samsung style of phone-building, but we'll wait for the official unveiling on February 23rd, before we pass any opinions on the design. The important thing on it is the operating system, of course, though seeing how important backers like Intel are hesitant to pour resources in it, Samsung might have an uphill battle to fire up the platform basically on its own.

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source: eBay via G4Games

Lenovo has rolled out some new ThinkPad machines that are aimed at use in schools. Since they are designed to be used by kids in the education environment, they are designed to be rugged. The new machines include the ThinkPad Yoga 11e and the ThinkPad 11e.

Both machines are optimized for K-12 students and are the same device in different form factors. The Yoga is a multimode device that can be used in four positions for comfort including laptop, tablet, tent, and stand. Both machines share the same hardware including an 11.6-inch LED backlit screen.

The screen has an anti-glare coating and the Yoga 11e also has touch capability. Both of the devices are powered by Intel processors and have LEDs to indicate connectivity, power, and sleep. The ThinkPad devices run the Windows operating system.

Lenovo isn't giving up some of the details on the machines. For instance, we don’t know how much RAM or storage space are inside. Since these are to be machines for education use, they likely have modest specs with some level of customization of hardware available. The price also suggests modest specs with the machines starting at $449. There will also be Chromebook versions of both models starting at $349.

SOURCE: Lenovo

Google's partnering with Samsung and others for new educational devices this spring

Google began its play for the education market late last year with a student-oriented version of the Play Store. Since then, partners of the Google for Education program have provided their classes with learning software and tools on select Chromebooks and Android-based tablets. Today, Mountain View announced two new devices headed for that very lineup this spring: Lenovo's ThinkPad 11e series and the Toshiba Chromebook, starting at $349 and $299 (respectively). Samsung's also on board with a classroom-ready edition of its Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 set to launch this April.

And what's the best way to complement that influx of hardware? Google thinks it's by adding thousands of K-12 books to Google Play for Education, including popular titles like Bridge to Terabithia and Lord of the Flies. The plethora of digital reads are available for affordable access periods (60, 180 or 360 days) to a few select schools as early as today, but arrive for the rest in the coming weeks.

Samsung may be planning to cut back on its oft-criticized Android customizations. A new report from Recode claims that the company recently met with Google to begin working out an agreement that could see Samsung's software move closer to Google's vision of Android. Discussions reportedly began after Samsung unveiled its Galaxy TabPro at CES. Google executives were apparently so displeased with the major changes in the tablet's Magazine UX — which has been compared to Flipboard and Windows 8 — that they felt compelled to open a dialogue with the number one Android manufacturer.

It's unclear what the exact outcome of those talks will be, but Recode's sources say Samsung may consider dumping Magazine UX entirely in future hardware. It may also put a greater spotlight on Google's own applications rather than pushing in-house apps like ChatON on its customers.

A source told Recode that the Samsung / Google relationship has gone through "a huge change, a sea change in the last few weeks." On Sunday, the two companies announced a broad patent cross-licensing deal that will see them share key intellectual property — another indication of an improved relationship. We've reached out to Samsung for comment.

According to Asus chairman Jonny Shih, the tech manufacturer is planning on adding its contribution to the smartwatch market, by releasing its own timepiece during the second half of this year. Shih hinted that the timepiece will be full of special features when he said that watches without such content are useless. "We'll try to replace your watch by all means," said the executive.

The Asus smartwatch will reach consumers this year, promised Shih. The company told investors last November that it would be presenting a wearable device at this June's Computex show in Taipei. More intriguing is the story recently leaked by an Asus insider. The anonymous source said that the company would be releasing a "distinctive" wearable device in the second half of 2014 that will be different than anything else produced by the competition, and could be worn as a necklace.

"There are actually many challenges in this area, and I don't think products that lack special features will be useful. We'll try to replace your watch by all means."-Jonny Shih, chairman, Asus
source: FocusTaiwan via Pocketlint

Not only has Olympus unveiled the Stylus SP-100 with a whopping 50x optical zoom lens, it's tackled one of the biggest issues in using such cameras: losing a moving subject. The new model is equipped with what the company calls its "eagle-eye" dot-sight located just above the viewfinder, which projects a target onto a semi-transparent mirror below the flash, as shown in the photo after the break. That way, you can keep a bead on your photographic prey (the tech is also used on gun-sights) without needing to zoom out, which could make the difference between nailing or losing a shot. The rest of the specs include a 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with a TruePic VII processor, 7fps burst speed with a small 6 frame buffer, a 24-1200 (50mm equivalent) f/2.9-6.5 lens, a 3-inch, 460K-dot LCD, 920K-dot EVF and 1080/60p Full HD video. It'll arrive in March for $400 or so and while it might not be the biggest superzoom out there, at least you may actually catch Junior's winning goal.

SOURCE: Olympus

A twitter user was recently extorted into giving up his twitter user name. It would be bad enough giving up your established twitter user name, but this one was worth $50,000. The user claims to have been offered $50,000 for the username in the past. The twitter user name was @N.

People apparently tried to steal the user name all the time, short twitter handles are coveted it seems. The twitter handle was stolen via extortion from the rightful owner thanks to information released by GoDaddy and PayPal. The twitter user says that he received a text from PayPal that someone tried to change his password and then an email from GoDaddy the same day.

He had ignored the PayPal text, but the GoDaddy message was a confirmation of an account change. He was unable to log into his GoDaddy account to change the information back because the last six digits of the credit card on file had already been changed leaving him no way to prove he was the real owner of the account.

Once the stage was set, the hacker contacted @N and told him it was the Twitter account that he wanted. The deal was that the hacker would leave the website data on the GoDaddy servers alone if @N would allow the hacker to take over the twitter account. Oddly, the hacker offered to help the target secure his accounts after the fact.

The hacker say that he was able to get the last four digits of the credit card used for the GoDaddy account by using "very simple engineering tactics" on PayPal to get the last four digits of the card. He then called GoDaddy and told them he lost the card, but remembered the last four digits. The hacker says that GoDaddy allowed him to guess until he got the first two digits of the card correct. Whether or not @N will ever get his coveted twitter name back remains to be seen, but seems unlikely.

SOURCE: Medium.com

Rugged and semi-rugged notebook computers are intended for people that work in environments where a normal notebook wouldn’t last. A company called GammaTech has added a new 15.6-inch semi-rugged notebook computer to its line up called the S15H. The machine has a 15.6-inch full HD display.

The native resolution of the screen is 1920 x 1080 and it is LED backlit. The S15H has a choice of several Intel Core M Haswell processors to choose from. The notebook computer has USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. To make the machine rugged, it replaces a traditional plastic case with magnesium alloy.

That magnesium alloy case promises to be 20 times stronger than normal ABS plastic. The machine has been tested to Military Standard 810G for drop and shock resistance. The keyboard and other buttons on the notebook are spill resistant as well.

To give extra protection to the storage drives, the machine uses a flexible HDD cage that can absorb shock from drops. The screen also has anti-shock mount tech to protect it from damage. The notebook will use the Intel HM86 chipset and up to 16GB of RAM. Other features include WiFi, Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1, and an optional 3G modem. Pricing is unannounced at this time, but the machine will be available in Q1 2014.

SOURCE: Yahoo

The next round of Apple devices isn't expected to hit the market until September, but that means Apple has to finish up designing the chip and sorting out the orders for the companies that will produce and package the chips. A new report makes it sound like Apple may be attempting to bring the upcoming A8 closer to being a true "system-on-a-chip" (SoC).

The A7 SoC included the CPU, GPU, cache, image processor, and "secure enclave" to store TouchID data, and moved the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass processing to the M7 motion coprocessor. Presumably, there will be an M8 motion coprocessor, but word has it that in addition to everything you'd find on the A7, the A8 will also include the DRAM for the device.
The same report from DigiTimes says that Apple has chosen Amkor Technology and STATS ChipPAC to each package 40% of the A8 orders with Advanced Semiconductor Engineering taking the last 20% of the packaging orders. Interestingly, the report closes by saying that "TSMC reportedly will start ramping up production using 20nm process technology for Apple's A8 chip in the second quarter of 2014." The interesting thing there is that the wording doesn't say that the A8 will begin production in Q2, but that TSMC will ramp up production using the same 20nm process. That could just be odd wording from DigiTimes, because it would make sense that the A8 ramps up production in Q2 so the devices can be built in time for a late Q3 release.

source: DigiTimes

Every new console generation brings up questions about backward compatibility with previous, and sometimes more well-loved, games. Tough nothing official has been disclosed, sources close to the matter have revealed that the latest PlayStation 4 will practically support titles from the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 via hardware emulation.

It might surprise some to know that Sony has actually had a history of supporting older games, though that history hasn't exactly been consistent nor desirable. In particular, the PlayStation 3 firmware actually supported hardware emulation for PS1 and PS2 as well as PSP. The PS Vita, on the other, used the same technology for running PS1 games as well.

Unfortunately, Sony has phased out hardware emulation and transitioned over to software emulation, in cases where it didn't actually scrap support for playing older games. The PlayStation 4 has already been reported to soon play PlayStation 3 games, but that will be through the newly unveiled PlayStation Now streaming service.

Sony surprisingly won't be taking the same route for PS1 and PS2 games. Instead, those titles will run locally via hardware emulation once again. There is even talk that Sony is pushing for native HD resolutions without having to go through the process of remastering those games. As mentioned previously, Sony already has the technology and the experience to execute this.

Of course, nothing is official yet. Sony can also very well end up using PlayStation Now to stream all previous gen titles, which might be a better business move to promote its streaming service. There will definitely be benefits to running things locally even via emulation, like less input latency and better HD scaling, but any game that can run on the PS3 can also run on PlayStation Now as well. Sony might try to take the path of least resistance in terms of technology and distribution, but we hope they will make the best decision for gamers.

VIA: Eurogamer

In every large gathering or event today, you'll see crowds of people holding up their smartphones or tablets to snap up the experience and share it with the world. To help make that new behavior as painless as possible, the NFL has decided ahead of time that it will prevent people inside the stadium from watching live video streams during the Super BowlXLVIII match between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.
It might sound strange to hear of people watching a live stream version while physically present at a live event, but audiences at sports matches usually use it to watch replays or catch up on commentaries. But aside from actually taking away some part of the experience and social aspect of watching a game live, such use of the Internet has also produced network congestion that prevents others from, among other things, advertising the game's events.

That is why the NFL will be preventing users from watching such live streams. It won't actually be able to block users from streaming video. Instead, it will simply block them from accessing official video streams from NFL.com and Fox Sports, both on mobile apps as well as from Web browsers. There will be undoubtedly other unofficial live streams and it will be unlikely that the NFL will be able to block these as well.

Streaming was initially allowed at last year's Super Bowl, but the bandwidth usage that it incurred forced the organizers to block it mid-game. Now NFL is taking a proactive stance. The stadium, which can seat around 82,500 people, will be able to accommodate up to 30,000 concurrent Internet users. However, Verizon, who will be providing network coverage, hasn't disclosed download and uplink speeds.

The official Super Bowl app from NFL will still provide fans with stats, event guides, and exclusive content. Attendees, however, will not be able to watch video streams or replays. Internet users are invited to use the freed up bandwidth to post photos and updates on their favorite social networking sites instead.

SOURCE: CNN

Whether you like it or not, tablet photography is here to stay -- it's only fair that slate owners get a fair chance at taking nice pictures. Sony certainly thinks so, since it has unveiled a new mount, the SPA-TA1, that attaches its QX lens camerasto tablets. The peripheral isn't just for small devices, either; it includes six adjustable arms that accommodate larger hardware, like the Xperia Tablet Z andVAIO Tap 11. Sony ships the camera accessory to Japan this April for a suggested price of ¥3,675 ($36). There's no word of a US release, but we wouldn't rule out an eventual stateside launc

BlackBerry targets developing markets with Gingerbread BBM app

BBM for Android has been installed millions of times since its (bumpy) launch, but that's not enough for the folks in Waterloo. Today BlackBerry has confirmed what many already suspected: it's planning to launch a version of BBM for phones still running Android 2.3 in February. Those first versions only ran on Ice Cream Sandwich or later, and BlackBerry has been not-so-quietly scouting forGingerbread beta testers for at least two weeks. It's not hard to see why the company wants to branch out further, especially since it's dealing with pressure from buzzy messaging apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp. And while it might feelancient, Gingerbread still powers over a fifth of active Android devices. Lots of those phones are sold at cut-rate prices across the globe, so BlackBerry has a shot at maintaining its messaging mojo in developing markets... though pumping outcheap Foxconn-made phones should help too.

News broke last month that Google was working on bringing Chrome webapps to mobile devices, with a plan to have something ready in beta form by January. Google has delivered; the company has today released a toolset for developers to port their apps to iOS and Android.

As previously reported, Google has developed a compatibility layer using the open source Apache Cordova toolchain to allow programmers to wrap their apps in a native app shell and distribute the app on the App and Google Play stores. The tool also ports the necessary Chrome APIs the web apps would typically need on mobile, like notifications and access to local storage. The toolchain is currently an early preview, so improvements are surely on the way.

Google announced plans to bring Chrome Apps to the desktop back in September, but only delivered on the promise last month in debuting apps for OS X. Windows users will still have to wait.

Not interested in buying a Steam Machine this year, but still want a tiny gaming PC? Never fear -- CyberPowerPC has just released the Zeus Mini, its latest take on a conventional small computer with full-sized performance. The system is just 4.4 inches thick and 18 inches deep, but it has room for fast video cards like AMD's R9 290 or NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780. You'll also find a high-end AMD Kaveri or Intel Haswell processor inside, and there's space for a large liquid cooling system if you insist on a silent rig. Zeus Mini prices start at $599 for a basic variant with a 3.7GHz AMD A10 chip and integrated graphics, but demanding players can shell out $1,479 for a flagship model with a 3.5GHz Core i7 and GTX 780 video.

Did you know that back in 1995, Apple presented a prototype of a PDA with a built-in digital camera? This conceptual device known as the Apple Videophone was developed to allow video calls to be made over a data connection. Today, some 19 years later, we have the iPhone – a versatile smartphone that can be used for not just FaceTime chats, but for taking high quality photos as well. Its 8MP main snapper is liked by many, including a considerable fraction of our readers, as it turns out. In fact, Apple's iPhone 5s was ranked first in our latest blind camera comparison.

For those who missed it, last week we took a bunch of photos using six of today's most popular high-end smartphones. (You can see all of the original images here.) Then we posted the images side by side without revealing which phones we had used and asked people to vote for the photos that they liked best. The results? Over a third of those who participated in the poll chose the photos taken with the iPhone 5s. With half as many votes, the Sony Xperia Z1 took the silver prize, and the LG G2 came third having collected some 16% of the votes. In fourth and fifth place respectively we have the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Trailing behind all of them, to our surprise, is the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. For some reason, Sony's masterpiece of a smartphone didn't get much of our readers' love even though its 20.7MP cam is actually a very potent shooter.

So how are you, guys, finding the results? Surprised to see the iPhone 5s taking the first spot? And do you think that the Z1 Compact deserved to be last? Tell us down in the comments!

Samsung lead smartphone charge in 2013 with 320M sales

A report by Strategy Analytics has it that global smartphone shipments reached a record 990 million units in 2013. This comes slightly short of the 1 billion estimated by IDC, but that kind of difference is negligible when dealing with estimates.

SA saw annual growth of 41% over 2012. In Q4 alone the increase is the slightly lower 32% - 290.2 million this year over 217 million in Q4 of 2012.

Samsung tops the list of smartphone manufacturers with a record 319.8 million smartphones shipped worldwide. This achievement gives the company a market share of 32%. According to the research company, Samsung's success lies in the company's numerous devices that made a big dent in the market as well as the great performance of its Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3 flagships.

In comparison to Samsung, Apple didn't do as well. The Cupertino based company grew 13% year-over-year having shipped 153.4 million smartphones worldwide. In 2013, the company marks a decline in its market share to 15%, from 19% in 2012.

Still, both companies accounted for nearly half of global smartphone shipments last year. Strategy Analytics notes that enormous marketing budgets as well as the optimized and extensive distribution channels have enabled Samsung and Apple to be leaders in the industry.

However, the research company expects the two leaders to feel increased pressure from "second-tier" brands such as Huawei, LG and Lenovo, which are all growing rapidly. Combined, the trio boasts 14% market share in 2013.

Huawei has expanded in Europe, LG saw its Optimus line do well in Latin America, while Lenovo's Android phones grew in sales across China.

Source | Via

Some new numbers are in that look at the smartphone market in Q4 2013. These numbers are from research firm Kantar and they show that Android had over half of the smartphone market during the quarter in the US. While Android grew, its major competition the iPhone declined.

Kantar reports that the iPhone market share for Q4 2013 dropped to 43.9% from nearly 50% the same quarter of the previous year. Android gained in the US bringing its share of the smartphone market to 50.6%.

That growth for Android is up significantly for the 46.2% of the market it held in Q4 2012. Kantar doesn't offer details on how many smartphones shipped in Q4, but the company says Apple sold more iPhones than the same time last year despite the share decline.

Kantar also notes that the US isn't the strongest market for the iPhone anymore. Japan now has that distinction with the iPhone making up 68.7% of smartphone sales in Japan in Q4. The iPhone market share in Great Britain was 29.9% and the Apple smartphone had 19% of the market in China. Windows Phone also grew its market share during the quarter growing from 2.4% in Q4 2012 to 4.3% in Q4 2013.

SOURCE: Computer World

Nokia is rumored to announce a family of Windows Phone 8.1-running smartphones at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, according to Taiwan’s supply chain insider DigiTimes. The new Nokia Windows Phone 8.1 phones will allegedly target both the high and entry-level.

The Nokia Lumia 1820 is the handset that is said to head the lineup, as it is expected to run on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 system chip, feature a 5.2-inch 1440 x 2560 pixel (QHD) display, and sport a gigantic 3400mAh battery. These are specs that sound like a fantasy for the Windows Phone platform that currently only supports 1080p displays (as of Update 3), but keep in mind that Microsoft is expected to bring the hugely improved Windows Phone 8.1 around April 2nd. Hopes are that the new Windows Phone 8.1 will introduce a unified notification center, a new ‘Cortana’ voice assistant, and more. It should also enable support for QHD displays in order for this rumored Lumia 1820 to materialize.

Nokia is also said to be preparing the Lumia 1520V for an official unveiling at MWC. The Lumia 1520V is a variation of the 1520 model, and it is said to feature a smaller, 4.45” display and a 14-megapixel camera.

The last smartphone Nokia is said to be bringing to MWC is the 6-inch Lumia 1525, according to DigiTimes.

We have also been hearing about the entry-level Android-based Nokia smartphone, the rumored‘Normandy’. It’s still up for debate whether or not it’s real, but if it is, MWC seems like a good place for Nokia to show it as well.

Nokia reached record Lumia Windows Phone smartphone sales in Q3 2013, but in the traditionally busy Holiday quarter, sales disappointed and actually dropped down to 8.2 million units.

source: DigiTimes

Samsung is now officially listing theGalaxy Grand Neo (model number GT-I9060) over at its global website, despite the fact that it didn’t properly announce the handset. But perhaps the company doesn’t consider it to be an important addition to its ever-growing portfolio of Android devices.

Sitting in between the Galaxy Grand 2 and the Galaxy Grand from yesteryear, the Grand Neo GT-I9060 is not exactly a smartphone that can turn heads. Its official features include a 5-inch WVGA display, HSPA+ 21Mbps (900 / 2,100 MHz), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera, quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory. The handset weighs 163 grams, measures 143.7 x 77.1 x 9.6mm, and comes with a 2,100 mAh battery that can provide up to 11 hours of talk time, or up to 430 hours of standby time.

Samsung doesn’t specify what Android version the Grand Neo is running. We heard it would be 4.2 Jelly Bean, and the official photos of the device don’t contradict this.

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Grand Neo will be available in four color versions: white, black, orange and lime green. Hopefully, it won’t cost more than $300 when it hits the market later this quarter.

At its Semiconductor and Display Technology Roadmap workshop, Samsung presenters have apparently indicated that they indeed have a QHD Super AMOLED mobile display panel ready, with 560ppi pixel density, and even more resolute ones are in the works.

QHD is 1440x2560 pixels, and to achieve such pixel density a smartphone screen panel should be about 5.2 or 5.3 inches in diagonal, so that's what the upcoming Galaxy S5 might aim at in terms of screen size. It'd be pretty surprising if Samsung has such a high-res AMOLED screen ready, and doesn't use it in the S5 to gain advantage, especially considering that everyone and their parakeet will be releasing QHD flagships this year.

What is even more interesting is that Samsung hinted it has even higher-resolution smartphone displays in the pipeline, and plans to launch UHD phones in the not so distant future. UHD is the whopping 2160x3480 pixels of 4K resolution, and the pixel density here jumps to the crazy 860ppi count, indicates the source, nestled in a sub-5" display size.

These resolutions, however, are mentioned together with the "diamond pixel" term, which is a fancy way to say a non-standard pixel matrix arrangement, that is closer to PenTile, than the standard RGB stripe matrix. In any case, at 500+ ppi, nobody would notice the individual pixels anyway, so we can't wait to see what Samsung is prepping for us in future phones, just when we thought Full HD panels are more than enough for anyone's purposes.

source: Daum via G4Games

According to a report by the DigiTimes, renowned computer hardware manufacturer Gigabyte has primed its engines to push up to 500,000 smartphones of its own brand on the market this year. The maker will deliver more than ten new Android smartphones, utilizing processors by MediaTek and Qualcomm. Some of them will offer LTE as well. However, the company's handset business targets mainly the Asian and European markets, so most of these smartphones will end up in those parts of the world.

Compared to the millions of devices that most manufacturers target, such a figure is tiny. But the smartphone business is incredibly saturated and difficult to compete in, which makes Taiwan-based Gigabyte's decision seem cautious, but reasonable. As appetite comes with eating, perhaps the now unpretentious maker will eventually discover the ambition to compete on a larger scale. Although they have kinks to be ironed out, so far Gigabyte's GSmart smartphones have provided decent value for the money.

Additionally, the company is preparing new handset accessories and companion wearable devices, including smart-watches and bracelets. According to Gigabyte Communications, as reported by DigiTimes, they will be made to match leading international vendors' smartphones, and will be sold under the company's own brand.

source: DigiTimes

If you own a BlackBerry Z30, Q10 or Q5, then your smartphone can suddenly do a neat little trick. The company's latest software update enables those devices to become an FM radio, letting you stage an impromptu dance party without a data connection. Version 10.2.1 also brings a series of minor, but welcome, tweaks to the platform, including a new screen for answering calls, SMS groups, offline reading mode and picture passwords. The update is making its way to all BlackBerry 10 handsets from today, including the Porsche P'9982, for all you fancy-dans out there.

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