Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo vs Note II: first look

Samsung's first mid-range phablet, the Galaxy Note 3 Neo, comes as a direct competitor to the Note II, which still sells globally, as they share very similar specs. Both sport 5.5” HD 720p displays, have 2 GB of RAM and 8 MP cameras on the back. Let's take a first look whether Samsung has managed to differentiate the smaller Note 3 enough to make people grab it before the also-affordable Note II.















Design
Despite the same display size, the Note 3 Neo is much shorter, less wide, and lighter than the Note II, so it is way more pocket-friendly, and easier to operate with one hand. It still sports a removable back cover with the new faux leather design, so you can quickly swap the battery or add more storage, just like on the Note II. The S Pen stylus is tucked the same way you'd find it on the Note 2, but it is side-agnostic, so you can insert it back in any position, and seems to pop in and out easier.

Display
Both phablets have 5.5” Super AMOLED displays with 720x1280 pixels of resolution, which works out to a 267ppi pixel density of the panels. This HD resolution means that detail and small text won't be as defined as on Full HD displays, but the density is enough for most everyday purposes, including doodling with the S Pen stylus. Because of the Super AMOLED tech, you can expect oversaturated, somewhat cold colors, deep blacks, and excellent viewing angles from both Notes.


Interface
The phablets sports Samsung's TouchWiz on top of Android Jelly Bean, but our prototype Note 3 Neo flaunts a newer version of both Android, and TouchWiz , plus we hope to see KitKat on it shortly, while the Note 2 is stuck on TouchWiz 4.0, and Android 4.1.

The smaller Note 3 also carries all the bells and whistles that come with Samsung's homemade interface overlay, like Smart Stay, which keeps the screen on while you are looking at it, and the multi-window mode that can run two different apps on a split screen.

The display size of the two Notes is very conducive to multitasking, which is enhanced by the stylus-specific apps like S Note, various drawing and annotating functions in the Gallery or Calendar, as well as the Air View and Air Gestures that let you hover above the display with the stylus or a finger and call pop-up info.


Processor and memory
There's a new hexacore Exynos in the Note 3 Neo, with two Cortex-A15 cores, clocked at 1.7 GHz maximum, and four Cortex-A7 ones, clocked at 1.3 GHz. There is also a 3G version of the phablet with 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, likely the same one that's in the note II. The hexacore Exynos is paired with a decent graphics processor, too, ARM's Mali-T624, so it's unlikely you'll have interface or app lag and hiccups.

It is clocked a tad higher than the 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 in the Note II, but has only two cores capable of the full speed, so the difference in benchmarks is unlikely to be significant. The GPU, however, comes faster than Mali-400 in the Note II.

Samsung has put 2 GB of RAM in both phablets, as well as16 GB of internal memory, plus a microSD slot for storage expansion.


Camera
The handsets sport 8 MP camera on the back with LED flash, as well as a 1.9 MP front-facing shooters for video chat. Samsung's interface offers an abundance of shooting modes like HDR or Panorama, which on the Note 3 Neo are arranged in an easy to flip through carousel, while on the Note II they are in a grid-like thumbnail format. We did some samples with the Neo, but will comment when the retail version lands, with the camera expected to be at least as good, if not better than the one on the Note II. Both phones are able to capture 1080p video footage with 30fps.











Expectations
Note 3 Neo is actually the better alternative to a Note II, even though they are likely to be close in terms of price range. It is way more compact, despite sporting the same screen size, has newer software, and the next generation of the S Pen. The design and overall appearance are also more alluring, which would make the mid-range Note 3 Neo preferable to 2012's Note II.

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3D print your own car, as long as it's a Honda concept

If you own a 3D printer and have always dreamed of printing a car, your time has come. Honda has released the 3D design data for five of its concept cars.

From the Puyo to the NSX Concept you can print off any of the five concepts from Honda. The catch? It'll only be a small model version, it'll be printed in ABS plastic and, of course it won't drive.

Not only can you download the cars from Honda but since the files are open you can mod it as much as you like before hitting print. Want to ruin the NSX with a silly spoiler or some garish racing strips? That's a freedom you can download.

Think you're ready to start printing what could be a small version of a future car you can actually print in real size? Head over to the Honda-3D.com.


Source: Honda 3D
Via: Stuff

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Sony upgrades smartphone-pairing QX10 and QX100 lens cameras with higher ISO and 1080p video capture

Shutterbugs who shunned traditional point-and-shoots in favor of Sony's QX10and QX100 lens cameras can now take even better images and videos. Thanks to a firmware upgrade, both smartphone lens attachments are now capable of recording clips with a higher resolution (1,920 x 1,080) than before (1,440 x 1,080). It also cranks up the clip-ons' max ISO settings from 1,600 to 3,200 on the QX10 and from 3,200 to 12,800 on the QX100, which is bound to please those especially fond of nighttime photography. Other than these two feature boosts, folks with the more expensive QX100 get an extra shutter speed mode for their devices. Unfortunately, users can't upgrade over their phones and will have to download the firmware on a Windows (XP/Vista/7/8) or a Mac computer.

SOURCE: Sony (for Mac), Sony (for Win XP/Vista/7/8)

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Motorola Moto X review (UK edition)

Great design, nice features over the standard Google offering, fantastic battery life

Against
More expensive than the Nexus 5 and a lower spec, camera isn't amazing, no Moto Maker customisation (yet)

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is the second time we've reviewed the Motorola Moto X. This is not something we're going to make a habit of, but in this case we think there's a real need to look at the device as it launches in the UK.

Not because the hardware is different from the original US model that launched in 2013, but because it's taken Motorola a long time to bring the device to UK shores, and a lot has happened in that time. Including the announcement that Google is to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. Even so, whichever company handles the brand, the X is ready for its new audience.

We won't bore you like a stuck record detailing the design and feel of the phone in deep-dive detail, because we've already sung the X's praises. We think it's ace and the ability to choose your own design touches via Moto Maker - although not yet in the UK, more on that later - makes it a standout product.

We've also interviewed Motorola about the Moto X, where it sees this device fitting into the UK market, and are better placed to answer some of the questions that arise from what we have learned since using the device in Blighty. Is the time right for it to launch and do we remain as impressed with the device?
Moto X or Nexus 5?

Motorola is, at least for now, a Google owned company. And it doesn't want you to battle out in your brain whether the Google Nexus 5 or Moto X is the device for you to buy. But it's an obvious question. Motorola doesn't really see this as a choice at all: we were told that the Nexus is really an enthusiasts' brand, that some would want to buy in to, but that most people wanted devices that offered more.

READ: Moto X is not competing with the nexus 5 (video)

Motorola can offer more, because it is inclined to spend money on local variants, which means the Moto X can understand English accents from the whole country, rather than just those that the American software deems intelligible enough. The Nexus doesn't have this customisation, indeed the "Ok Google" keyword activation isn't supported on non-US language devices.



Given that Google owns Motorola Mobility (for now), it's all a bit odd that one part of the company is able to achieve one thing, while the other doesn't. All of this does count against Nexus devices being sold outside of the US.

Also a major selling point has to be that Motorola's voice system doesn't require that you unlock the phone to use it. This makes all sorts of sense when you think about using it in your car, while driving, or even just to ask it about the weather. We're actually surprised that the Nexus 5 doesn't offer the same. Motorola tells us this is about battery life though, which makes sense.

Unlike the Nexus 5, the Moto X can actually understand a broad range of British accents. Not that we've been putting on our best Scottish or Welsh accents or anything. Well, maybe just a bit.

This is because Motorola has done some work behind the scenes to get voice recognition working smoothly. We're told this is separate to what Google has done with its voice recognition, and we wonder why it's taking Google so long to add non-US support into devices.



We found it very good. Toucheless control is great, and we love being able to say "Ok Google Now" to wake up the phone so it can listen to what we were saying. You can have it do loads of stuff, from navigation, to setting up alarms, or you can just ask it questions. The reply comes with a British, not American, accent - so it makes you feel like some love has gone in to this UK edition.

We still don't know how much use we'll get out of it, and some might see it as gimmicky, but as a concept we think it's nifty.
Powerful enough for most

One of the big things about the Moto X is that it's not as high-end a smartphone as some of the competition. It sits proudly in the mid-range, with a dual core processor, 4.7-inch 720 x 1280 resolution screen and 2GB of RAM. There is nothing wrong with these specs, but some people will look, expecting to see quad core and 3GB of RAM and a 1080p screen and be disappointed.

Again, this comes down to phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Nexus 5, which offer more theoretical power. The Nexus 5 comes out well because it also runs stock Android KitKat (v4.4), with no bloatware to slow the device down. It's a very slick, very powerful competitor device.



As a counter, though, the Moto X feels amazing in use. It's speedy and fluid and in practice it never felt much slower than our Nexus 5 did. We've been running the two phones side by side just to get a better feel of the X's placement.

While the Moto X is as simple as any Android device to get up-and-running, Motorola's enhancements do nag a little. You'll be prompted with notifications to remind you to setup backups, protect the phone from theft and even turn on an unlock code. This is something that annoys us on Samsung devices too, the constant battle against setting things up. Apple has this mostly right, but then it runs the whole show with iOS, so that's not surprising.

There are also a lot of tutorials. These are mostly very good, but we found they popped up when we really just wanted to get the phone set up, and really we wanted to look at them a bit later, when we had finished with the exciting "new phone" phase. Then again, that's common for first uses of plenty of phones, including the Nokia Lumia and Android devices of this world.
Now with KitKat

Google's latest version of Android - known by its chocolately KitKat name - has been fairly slow at rolling out to other devices. We think this might be a sign of things to come, because Google is now pushing updates out via "Google Play Services" which takes control of Android back from third-parties, and allows the firm to make updates without rolling out a new version of Android. This is exciting, but it must also worry some hardware manufacturers.

It's still nice to see the UK version of the Moto X ship with the latest OS though. KitKat does offer some advantages over the last version of Jelly Bean. For us, head of this list is Google's new "caller ID" which searches online to find out who is calling you. This is really handy if you want to screen calls. Of course, the number has to be registered with Google for this to work, so most businesses are, but most individuals are not. We don't know if Google is using its own number database to provide names for customers, but we suspect not at the moment.



Google also includes cloud printing too, which is fine we suppose, but we tend to steer clear of printing at all costs. If you need or want remote printing, it's handy to have a simple system built in.

KitKat also brings with it some important security updates in the form of Android Device Manager, which allows you to remote wipe a lost handset over the internet. This is a feature that iOS has had for ages, but doing it on Android required special software to be included by the handset manufacturer, now, Google provides it, but Motorola has its own version too, called Motorola Device ID. On our device, we weren't able to find our phone on the Motorola portal, the Google one works fine though.
Active display

We said we wouldn't bore you with repeating too much from our first review. But some features are just too good to not shine a light on for a second time.

One such super Moto X feature is the standby screen information. Notifications will appear when the screen is off for new email, voicemail and many other things. You can customise what appears here, and you can select almost any app, but many won't be properly supported. Even so, the important stuff is covered.

For email, it's very handy, because you can get a preview of the message by holding the unlock button. This means you don't need to turn the screen on unless the email is important. Clever.



Then there's Motorola Assist, a feature similar to a system that has been found on Motorola's phones for some time now. It allows you to tell the phone to behave in certain ways when you're in certain situations. If you set it to car mode, you can have it read text messages to you, whereas sleep mode will allow you to reject calls automatically - unless someone calls you twice within five minutes, which allows emergency calls to reach you.

The only real problem with Assist is that it doesn't really have customisable options, and so you're kind of stuck with the actions and settings Motorola thinks you'll want. It's good enough, but we think it could be more powerful still.
Default design

One of the huge points that Motorola made a song and dance about when the Moto X was announced was the Moto Maker facility. This allows you to choose from various design options, colours, customised backs, and various materials to get a truly individual phone. Or at least that's what happens in the US.



At launch in the UK there's no distinct info regarding when - and we do hope it's not "if" - Moto Maker will arrive. We interviewed Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside earlier this year who made it clear that Maker was an important attribute to the phone. Some have even called it a "fashion phone" reaching for a different, non-techie audience.

Therefore options are limited to black or white models, the latter a Phones4u exclusive at launch. We do like the design a lot though, as even with this limited mono palette it looks smart.


The Moto X handset also includes a nano SIM slot. Since Apple started using nano we've been waiting for other companies to catch this miserable disease. It seems that Motorola has, and the X uses that tiny little card. Obviously, the nano SIM will be the system of choice in coming years, but right now it's a pain because, unless you have an up to date iPhone, you won't have such a SIM. It's a small irritation, but if you're buying this phone SIM-free, with a view to using your existing contract, make sure you request a new SIM from your provider.
Camera

Flip the phone over and on the back there's a 10-megapixel camera and LED flash. Honestly, though, we don't think much of the camera's capabilities as the results aren't anything to shout about. Photo quality is okay for sharing on Twitter and other social sites where small scale is a given, but we don't think the photos are up to much more than casual use.



But the software is well thought out, just like with the rest of the phone's functionality. For one thing, you can make a twisting motion with the phone in your hand, and it will go from standby into the camera app. From there, you just touch the screen to snap.

The problem with this approach is that if you touch the screen before the autofocus gets a lock on the subject, then your photo will be out of focus. This is solvable, because the app allows you to use a draggable box to focus too, so all is not lost.
Brilliant battery life

We have to say, Motorola told us that it had optimised the Moto X for battery life, and we were initially sceptical because it's something we hear so often from so many.

We should have banished such doubts from out minds as the battery life is very good. We didn't have any real problems getting a full day out of a charge. Motorola thinks you could manage more, but we're happy with a working day, given the amount of use we tend to throw at our handsets it performs well.

Those of you playing games, or watching a lot of video might find it can drain the power more quickly, but that's always the way with these things.
Verdict

In one sense, nothing has changed since our initial Moto X review based on our US experience of this phone. But that was six months ago and pre-Nexus 5. Times have changed, but our soft spot for this phone hasn't.

We still do wholeheartedly recommend the Moto X. Sure, it lacks the power of the higher-end competition, and it's more expensive than the Nexus 5, but there's more to a phone than raw power. We think, what the Motorola does is worth a price premium over the Nexus 5.

Some will not consider it an option based on the processing power, but for everyone who doesn't there will probably be another two who think the longer battery life from the Moto is more valuable than anything else. We agree, the X lasts longer than the Nexus 5, and that's far more useful on a phone that big specs that you can use for half a day before the phone needs recharging.

While we still think the touchless control is something of a minority interest, the Motorola implementation of Google Now is far slicker than the Nexus 5's, and the fact the phone doesn't need to be unlocked and on a home screen for voice control to work is a massive leap forward, especially as it doesn't actually seem to have a negative impact on the battery life.

Then there's a whole other potential audience: the customisers. Moto Maker, the customised design service, is a great option. Or it would be, because it's not launched in the UK alongside the default design - and we think that's a mistake. Those looking for a tailored fashion phone will have to wait yet longer, by which point Mobile World Congress - it's a big smartphone conference in Barcelona at the end of February - will have announced a variety of newer, brighter and more powerful handsets. That's enough to make some hang on a little longer and possibly miss the Moto X out altogether.

We are content with the default look because the Moto X's styling, build quality and ease-of-use are quite simply fantastic. For that reason it remains on the list as one of our favourite Android phones, and on contract - Tesco Mobile is offering £24 per month - it's sure to be attractive from a price perspective too.

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Samsung announces new 'Black Edition' of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini with faux-leather backs

Ever true to tradition, South Korean Samsung has gone ahead and released yet another new version of its existing Galaxy S4, but also the smaller Galaxy S4 mini. Dubbed 'Black Edition', the very name leave little to the imagination -- these are two onyx-black handsets.


Despite Samsung's insistence of flooding the market with numerous combinations of its products, we're truly not complaining this time around, as the duo looks pretty sleek, and the company has actually thrown in a little surprise. Late adopters of its two handsets can now sample Sammy's new 'big thing' in design -- faux-leather backs. First seen in the Galaxy Note 3, these shells are obviously plastic, but they're a rather convincing copy -- there's a good imitation of stitching on the sides, and the texture looks quite believable. That is, until you touch it, of course. We know that the community is mostly split on Samsung's new ornamentation of choice, but it actually feels like an improvement over the fingerprint-happy glossy plastic of old.


But on the inside, there are no surprises. The two devices, put simply, are the exact equivalent to your regular Galaxy S4/Galaxy S4 mini, meaning a 5-inch, 1080p screen, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, and a 13-megapixel camera in the case of the former, and a 4.3-inch, qHD (540x960) screen, a dual-core Snapdragon 400, and an 8-megapixel rear shooter for the latter.


For the time being, it appears that the new editions will only hit Russia next month for $660 (Galaxy S4) and $460 (Galaxy S4 mini). There's no word on international availability, but given Samsung's track-record, we'd expect those to make an entry in other markets sooner rather than later.

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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.

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UK government will unblock websites after adult filter blunder

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.

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The XYZBot Rubber Band Machine Gun Will Defend Your Cubicle

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.

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NSA reportedly helped Canada spy on airport passengers using free Wi-Fi

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.

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The Moto G goes through a 30-minute underwater session, lives to see another day

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.

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NSA reportedly helped Canada spy on airport passengers using free Wi-Fi

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.

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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.

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10 years from now it’s Google’s world: we’ll just be living in it

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.

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The Motorola gambit: what Google really got by selling an American icon

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.

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Google has another privacy snafu, is fined in South Korea

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

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Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for Sony Xperia M to arrive soon?

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

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Lenovo CEO Yang certain that Motorola can turn a profit

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

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Tesco Mobile introduces free 4G for new and existing customers

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.

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IDC warns of US tablet market saturation as Kindle Fire shipments fall

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.

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Android app will warn you when your other apps snoop on your location

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

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