Showing posts with label to. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to. Show all posts

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Apple Releases New Update iOS 8 0 1 To Bugs Fixes in HealthKit Keyboards and More The Update Causing Issues Updated


After a week of the release of iOS 8 to the public, Apple today released a new update iOS 8.0.1, which brings several bug fixes to this new operating system. The update arrives as built 12A402. 

iOS 8.0.1 can be downloaded over the air, or though iTunes. The update contains a number of fixes for bugs found in the initial release of iOS 8. Fixes have been made to HealthKit, which prevented apps that support HealthKit from being allowed in the App Store, this probleme came to light shortly before the public launch of iOS 8.

Addition to problems with Photo Library, data usage for SMS/MMS messages, issues with 3rd party keyboards have also been addressed, along with problems with uploading photos, videos to Safari and more.

- Fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store
- Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode
- Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library
- Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages
- Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases
- Fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups
- Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari
Apple promised customers to enable its mobile payment service Apple Pay in October, that through an update to iOS 8, that mean the second update will be likely in the coming weeks.

Note: Many early installers have complained of this update which caused to cellular service to be disabled, so "No Service" messages after updating. There are also reports of problems with Touch ID.


Update: it seems these issues limited to users who have an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6 Plus. Apple has pulled iOS 8.0.1 from the Developer Center, it is also no longer available via over the air, Apple said that it was investigating the issue. Later it released a support document confirming that an iOS 8.0.2 update is in the works with a fix. 

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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Apple Releases the Fifth iOS 8 to Developers


Apple today released the fifth beta of iOS 8 to developers, this version comes two week after the fourth beta, while the first unveiling of iOS 8 was at Worldwide Developers Conference, since two months, which contains a range of new features and improvement.

iOS 8 beta 5 build 12A4345d is available via Apples over-the-air on iOS devices, the download can also be through the iOS Developer Center wedsite. Apple has also released a new beta software update to Apple TV, which includes a redesigned UI.

Despite the iOS 8s style no differ a lot of iOS 7, but has come with a set of new features and apps like the integration with OS X, Family Sharing features, QuickType, interactive notifications, a Health app, and improvements to several apps like Messages, and Safari.

As its predecessors, iOS 8 beta 5 also contains new features and refinements like new options for SMS Relay and new features in Health, well come to all of these changes in the next post.

So far, iOS 8 is only available to registered developers, the public release expected to be this fall, likely alongside announcement of new iPhone versions, while there is a conflict in news, if iOS 8 beta 5 is the latest beta before the iOS 8 golden version, or well see another beta.


Read also:
  • A Comprehensive List of Changes in iOS 8 Beta 4
  • A List of User Interface Changes in iOS 8 Beta 3
  • Interesting Features and Changes in Both iOS 8 Beta Updates 
  • Photos App in iOS 8
  • iOS 8 Features
  • iOS 8 Brings New Option "Send Last Location" To Find My iPhone or iPad
Read more »

Sunday, May 17, 2015

New Tests Point to Multiple Issues With iPhone 5s Sensors


Reports of inaccurate motion sensors in the iPhone 5s continue to grow. As reported last week on Cult of Mac, there appear to be widespread problems with the 5s’ compass, gyroscope and accelerometer.


The original forum thread at MacRumors is now at a whopping 19 pages of user reports, and Apple has yet to respond to Cult of Mac’s repeated requests for information.

This morning, Gizmodo conducted its own tests and found the iPhone 5s motion sensors to be “totally screwed up.”

Looks like the problem is far more widespread than the naysayers on our original post, and on the MacRumors thread, are willing to admit.

While our unscientific tests last week showed that something was up with the compass component of the Cult of Mac iPhone 5s, the fine folks over at Gizmodo have put their iPhone 5s through a few more rigorous paces, posting pictures and video of just how inaccurate their iPhone’s results are across all the device’s motion sensors.

They tested the level, comparing it to a real world bubble level, and using both Apple’s Level app as well as highly-regarded HandyLevel. They then tested the gyroscope with a racing game, finding that their in-game car drifted off to the left when the iPhone 5s was held level.

The team then checked out the compass, comparing it to a real compass as well as that of the Compass app on an iPhone 4S, finding that readings tended to be off by as much as eight to ten degrees. “It’s also worth noting that on the iPhone 5S,” they wrote, “the compass application was prone to either freezing up or giving wonky readings that could only be fixed by killing and restarting the app.”

This all points to the same potential cause, as pointed out in the MacRumors forum thread. The inconsistency of the problem, coupled with the fact that iPhone 5 devices with iOS 7 do not have the same problem, points to a hardware calibration issue.

If Apple deals with this issue the same way it appears to be dealing with iPhone 5 “dust in the lens” issues, chances are that if you have a calibration issue, you’ll need to take it into an Apple Store and get a new iPhone 5s without the issue. It’s not likely that Apple will issue any sort of recall, as of yet.

We’ll continue to follow the news around this motion sensor problem, and continue to try and get a response from Apple as well. Stay tuned.


Data source: via CultofMac (By Rob LeFebvre ) [Gizmodo]

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Saturday, May 9, 2015

Leaked Screenshots of iOS in the Car that Expected to Be Bundled into iOS 7 1


The iOS in the Car First introduced alongside iOS 7, is an upcoming iOS feature, which lets you access your Maps, messages, make phone calls, and other services on your car’s touchscreen console, and also with Siri integration, so that you won’t have to take your eyes off the wheel.

The new that developer Steven Troughton-Smith, has posted a number of images on Twitter of what appears to be Apples upcoming iOS in the Car interface. but He hasnt responded to any follower inquiries about the origin of the images. Steven Troughton-Smith is the developer behind the Speed 3 app. 

Its thought that the images may have been gleaned from the fourth beta of iOS 7.1. The second beta of iOS 7.1 brought a new Car Display toggle, leading some to believe that iOS in the Car support could be a feature bundled into iOS 7.1

The design shown in the images appear a user-interface that is quite different to the one shown at Apple’s WWDC in 2013 and on Apple’s website.

home screen

A safety warning shows before using Maps

The actual mapping

iOS in the Care WWDC

Many car makers from Honda, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, and more, are expected to support the feature by this year. Tim Cook had said that the feature will be an important part of Apple’s ecosystem.

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Friday, May 8, 2015

Valentine One Radar Detector Connects to iPhone Via New Bluetooth LE Adapter


The Valentine One, considered by many to be the best radar detector on the market, can now connect to the iPhone via a new Bluetooth adapter called the V1connection LE.

The $50 Bluetooth adapter connects to the accessory jack on the Valentine One radar detector and then allows the app, a free download on the App Store, to connect to the detector and control and display alerts in real-time.
V1connection LE is a Bluetooth®-enabled module about the size of your thumb that wirelessly links V1 to your compatible iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. Choose among three information screens at any time: one reproduces V1 front-panel warnings in real time, plus frequency and direction of the Priority Alert; another shows the continuously-updated Threat Picture featuring our new Arrow-in-the-Box concept, a revolutionary way of analyzing radar threats; yet another screen lists all threats within range, with direction, band ID and frequency for each, arranged by length of tracking time. A yellow "Box" symbol appears for each threat "in the Box."

V1connection LE also acts as the Master Controller for your V1 system, allowing you to revise programming, adjust SAVVY settings, change muting and computer modes, activate dark mode, save custom programming profiles for different trips, and more, all from your compatible iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.


The app uses three modes to help determine "threats" -- one is a standard readout that mirrors the forward/side/rearward arrow display and the number of alerts detected of the Valentine Ones display. The second is a "arrow in the box" display that shows what the frequency of each alert is, and whether it is in the known range for police radar; and the third mode lists all detected radar and the frequencies of each.

It also allows users to manually darken the detector for better night vision, and change detecting modes right from the iPhone. There is a demo mode for users to try before actually purchasing the detector and Bluetooth adapter. The adapter only works with newer iOS devices that support Bluetooth 4.0.


Both the Valentine One detector and the V1connection LE are available direct from Valentines website for $400 and $50 respectively. 

To review and download V1connection on the App Store click here.

Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Free Apps
Category: Travel
Updated: Sep 19, 2013
Version: 1.34
Size: 14.0 MB

Data source: via MacRumors (By Jordan Golson)

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Thursday, May 7, 2015

How to Set Up Apple Pay and How To Use it

 

Apple at its September 9, 2014 media event, that through it is announced iPhone 6, 6 Plus, Apple Watch, and Apple Pay. Apple was promised that Apple Pay will be available to customers on October, through an iOS 8 update, and that is achieved last week with the major iOS 8.1 update.

What is Apple Pay


Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service that lets users make payments at retail and online checkout, the process done just by a simple touch on iPhones Touch ID sensor after you held your device up near a contactless reader. Apple Pay is depending on NFC antenna (Near Field Communication), which is existing in iPhone 6, 6 Plus and upcoming Apple Watch, but the feature will also compatible with iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c, those can exploit the feature through an Apple Watch. In this case a users skin beneath Apple Watch and a PIN code entered when the watch is first put on will be replace the iPhones Touch ID.

How to set up Apple Pay


Once you have installed iOS 8.1, so you can pay with your iPhone, you have to add your credit or debit card to Passbook, that by adding your cards from iTunes account to Passbook by simply entering the card security code, as you can also add new cards by using camera to enter your card information, or type it in manually.



After that, a verification process will begin which usually takes just few seconds for most cards that currently working with Apple Pay, then immediately you can pay with your iPhone. While some cards require other verification steps like phone calls and emails.



By default the first card you add becomes your default payment card, but you can select any other card to be the default from Passbook and Apple Pay Settings, as you can pay with a different card whenever you want through Passbook.


Passbook & Apple Pay section which can be joined from Settings app contains all cards that you have added to Passbook, along with Transaction Defaults like billing address, shipping address, email, and phone number.



When you tap on one of the cards you will get specific information on the card, allowing you to see the last digits of the card number, the last digits of the Device Account Number that replaces the card number in transactions, and contact information for the bank behind the card.


As you can also see a list of recent transactions that you have made with Apple Pay, and with some cards you will also see the transactions made in stores that dont support Apple Pay feature alongside Apple Pay list. You can also from this settings area remove a card from Apple Pay.



How Apple Pay it work


After Apple Pay being set up, now your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is ready to pay with it within stores without open any app or even to wake display, just hold it near the contactless reader with your finger on Touch ID. You dont need to look at the iPhones screen to know your payment information was successfully sent, you will know that by a subtle vibration and beep.


You can also use Apple Pay on your iPhone to pay with a simple touch within participating apps. Checking out will be done by selecting Apple Pay and placing your finger on Touch ID.



How Apple Pay is secure


One other strong point in Apple Pay in addition to its simplicity, is its security, so your credit card that you add in Passbook will store in the Secure Element, with other generated and encrypted codes.

Every time you hand over your credit or debit card to pay, your card number and identity are visible. With Apple Pay, instead of using your actual credit and debit card numbers when you add your card to Passbook, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element, a dedicated chip in iPhone. These numbers are never stored on Apple servers. And when you make a purchase, the Device Account Number, along with a transaction-specific dynamic security code, is used to process your payment. So your actual credit or debit card numbers are never shared by Apple with merchants or transmitted with payment.
Once your iPhone is ever lost or stolen, in this case you can use Find My iPhone feature to suspend Apple Pay, that through put it in Lost Mode or wipe your iPhone clean completely, without needing to cancel your credit cards.

Up to now Apple Pay only work in the United States, though Apple plans to expand to other countries. According to Apple, Apple Pay initially will work with more than 220,000 participating vendors that support contactless payments, including department stores Macys and Bloomingdales, restaurants Subway and McDonalds, drugstores Walgreens and Duane Reade, and other retailers including Target and Whole Foods. Apple Pay also works for purchases made in participating apps like Uber, Groupon, Panera Bread, and Apples own Apple Store app.



Sources: Wikipedia, Apple, MacRumors



Read also:

  • A Comprehensive List of iOS 8 Hidden Features and Changes and how Can Be Accessed
  • How to Use Find My iPhone Pre and After the Losing of Your iPhone or iPad
  • Take a Look of New Features in New Apple Products; iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch
  • Photos App in iOS 8
  • iOS 8 Brings New Option "Send Last Location" To Find My iPhone or iPad












Read more »

Friday, April 3, 2015

DIY Building the Cheapest Gaming PC Youll Actually Want to Buy


A gaming PC can be a lot cheaper than a console, and you also have a lot more flexibility about your budget - you can skimp now, and upgrade to the monster rig of your dreams later if you choose.
Theres an intimidating number of choices available but we can help you to build up a budget rig on your own. Our focus is on building the cheapest gaming rig that still delivers an acceptable experience. Clearly, this machine well build will not be for the purists - well do that at a later stage - but something that you can use as a reference point if you are looking to take your gaming a little bit more seriously.
You can then choose to step up from there depending on how much youre able to spend and what level of graphical quality youre looking for.


What you need
The basic considerations you need to keep in mind are a CPU, which youll typically buy from Intel or AMD, a GPU, which would usually come from Nvidia or AMD, a hard drive, and RAM. First, lets talk about some of the different choices, and then well move on to our sample configuration.

On the CPU front, AMD does not have anything compelling to offer at the moment, but the excellent Intel Pentium Anniversary Edition (the G3258), is a low-priced monster that runs beautifully on its own, and can easily exceed speeds of 4GHz when pushed beyond its official specifications.
intel_g3258.jpg
The GPU market is constantly in flux. Prices are not stable, as Nvidia and AMD keep trying new tricks to outdo each other. Nvidias recently launched GTX 750 and 750 Ti are based on the new Maxwell core which performs well and consumes very little power.
For AMD, its less clear, but repeated price drops and some pretty interesting deals on free bundled games are promising.
RAM prices have doubled since the start of 2013, and will likely stay this way for a while. As a result, we have to allocate more of our budget to memory or change our expectations.
Hard drive prices are fairly reasonable now, but SSDs are becoming more and more tempting. An affordable SSD thats only enough for the OS and applications will still make a huge difference, but it might not fit in our entry-level builds budget.
Weve given ourselves a budget of Rs. 40,000 all inclusive. This will give us modest but consistent performance, and leave the doors open to multiple upgrades over time. Heres the best we managed to do, considering high import duties and a weak exchange rate. Note that prices fluctuate every day and vary from area to area, so you might need to tweak this a little.
The build
If youre looking for a simple list of things to buy, then the table below has you covered. But we also talk about what you can change and tweak in this list, so read on to know more.

gaming_PC_build.jpg
This basic build is a little above what wed budgeted, but you should be able to save some money by using the mouse, keyboard, monitor and PSU if you have an existing PC. Your old HDD and RAM should also be used, if possible, to get the costs even lower.
With this basic setup, you should be able to get 40-60 fps with high detail settings in most current games at the monitors native resolution. If you want to step up to HD 1080p, youll need a better GPU and monitor, which would add at least Rs. 10,000 to the budget.
Intels Core i3s are fast and dont consume a lot of power - they dont quite have the muscle of a quad-core i5 but do a decent job as far as games are concerned. Disappointingly though, the i3s cant be overclocked.
The most affordable motherboard option we were comfortable with were was MSIs H87M-E35. Youll get all the important features such as multiple USB 3.0 ports and a PS/2 port as compared to the MSI board. It also has two more RAM slots, SATA 6GBps, HDMI, and PCIe 3.0.
A year ago, you would have would have been able to fit 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM into this budget, but we have to step down to 4GB due to market forces. The same budget considerations lead us to suggest Sapphires Radeon HD 7770. It is a potent GPU for the price, and should handle gaming at 1366x768 quite well.
As expected, we cant include a solid state storagedrive, but if you already have a hard drive, you could get a small SSD to install Windows to, for quick booting.
Corsairs VS450 is a nice, affordable and stable power supply, with ample enough PCIe, SATA and Molex cables for a budget build.
If you dont have an LCD monitor already, the AOC unit weve listed is a good place to start. A 1080p monitor like Dells S2240L is a nice option for Rs.9,000 but it requires a more powerful graphics card as well.
The rest of the parts are pretty standard, and even if you choose another DVD drive or cabinet in the same budget, it should make a difference.
Upgrade options
As far as the motherboard is concerned, you may want to step up to a more feature complete board like the Gigabyte H87M-DH3. Overclockers should consider something with the Z prefix, like MSIs Z97 PC Mate, which appears to be the cheapest 9-series chipset available. Again, this depends on what savings you can make from using parts from your older desktop, unless youre ready to expand the budget.

gigabyte_h87m.jpg
RAM is simple, get DDR3-1600 with timings of 9-9-9-24 or tighter, but dont pay extra for anything beyond this, because its usually not going to be worth it as far as games are concerned. G.Skill, Corsair and Kingston are good choices.
It boils down to how much RAM you want to add and how much you want to pay for it. Wed recommend 8GB at the minimum, if you can afford it. Try and buy RAM sticks in identical pairs to ensure a stable dual channel configuration.
Graphics is a highly scalable market. The more you pay, the more performance you usually get, so it comes down to how smooth you want your gaming to be and at what resolution.
While the 7770 is good till 720p resolutions, wed recommend getting at least a GTX 750 Ti for higher ones (900p or 1080p). It is priced between Rs.10,500 and 11,500 online, and we certainly wouldnt pay more.
The next step up would be an AMD R9 270X at around Rs.14k, and its a solid deal considering its basically a higher clocked Radeon HD 7870.Note that you still wont always get 60 fps at 1080p. The GTX 760 is a good way to mostly achieve that; prices start from 17k.
Finally, the R9 280X and GTX 770 are the highest wed mention in this article; both cost around 25k and provide a solid 1080p gaming experience.
As far as HDDs are concerned, Western Digital and Hitachi are known to be reliable, so just pick any, really, if you simply want a secondary storage drive. For the boot drive, pick an SSD from Intel, Samsung or Corsair, and you should be good to go.
Cabinets are 80% functionality and 20% personal taste and aesthetics. A decent cabinet can make the difference between bruised fingers and awkwardly crammed components, and a nice, clean, easily serviceable system.
While the Elite 311 will get the job done, look towards cases from Fractal Design, Antec, NZXT, Corsair or higher end cases from Cooler Master itself, like the HAF 912 Advanced.
cooler_master_haf_912.jpg
Easily removable filters, good airflow and fan/water cooler mounts, relevant front panel ports (e-SATA will go waste, as will FireWire), a bottom PSU mount and space for cable management are all things to look out for. The case should be tall enough to accommodate the CPU cooler you want to use, and long enough for the graphics card of your choice. Removable drive bays and a CPU cut out are good ideas too.
CPU Coolers are fairly simple: From a pure functionality standpoint, the Hyper 212 EVO from Cooler Master sells for around Rs. 2,000 and is quite excellent. Noctuas Noctua NH-D14 is probably the only other air cooler you should consider; its one of the best there is (but over twice the price of the Hyper 212). Of course, smaller cases may need smaller coolers like Noctuas NH-L9i 95mm SSO2, or you may want something fancy looking like the Cooler Master V8 GTS.
Note that if youre not overclocking, the boxed cooler is usually sufficient, but if it spins up too often and is too noisy, or the CPU starts hitting temperatures above 80*C, you may want to consider getting a third party one.
Power supplies are mostly simple too. Antec, Seasonic, Corsair, and certain Cooler Master PSUs are good choices, usually. You wont usually need more than 550W for a single GPU build, unless youre using a GTX 780 Ti and Ivy Bridge-E CPU together, where it would be on the safer side to consider a 600W PSU.
Otherwise, just make sure you have the appropriate connectors (especially PCI-e for the graphics card) and that theyre long enough to route behind the motherboard tray. 80%+ efficiency is also a good thing.
With that in mind, consider the Corsair VS 550, Seasonic ECO 500 or Antec VP 550, among others. You may want a modular PSU, to reduce wire clutter and increase airflow inside the case, or for Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX enclosures. Such PSUs are appropriately marked (usually with an M somewhere in the name, like CX430M or M12II 520) and usually more expensive. Try and avoid fully modular PSUs (in which all wires can be removed), as some undesirable electrical characteristics can be more pronounced on the higher power rails with such designs.
Last point to consider
If youre considering sinking 20k into a GPU today, we say save another 10 till the end of September and go for the GTX 880 when it launches. Itll be well worth it.Of course, it means that your budget gets a little bigger, but the difference in performance will be equally noticeable.
We hope this guide serves as a guide for inexperienced DIY gamer and also serves as a refresher and template for more advanced users returning to the field after a long time. If you have some suggestions about different components, tell us via the comments.

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Eizo is preparing to release a professional 31 inch 4K monitor ColorEdge CG318 4K

ColorEdge


The Japanese company Eizo Nanao Corporation, a well-known professional manufacturer of computer displays, plans to start retail sales from April next year, its new 31-inch model ColorEdge CG318-4K.


The novelty is addressed to professionals working in the areas where increased requirements to the highest color accuracy (processing photos and video, graphic design, etc.), has built a calibrator which automatically calibrates Scheduled screen.


ColorEdge


Monitor allows you to display a color palette of 99% Adobe RGB, based on IPS-matrix supported resolution is 4096 x 2160 pixels (size 4K), static contrast ratio is 1500: 1, the maximum brightness – 350 cd / m2, response time – 7.7 ms, the viewing angles are vertical and horizontal – 178 ° / 178 °. ColorEdge CG318-4K is equipped with the following video outputs: DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI, as well as two incoming and two outgoing ports USB 2.0.


ColorEdge


Stand new monitor provides a change in the angle range of 30 ° (5 to 30 °), the rotation – in the range 344 °, the height adjustment within 149 mm screen and transfer into a vertical orientation.


On the rear panel of the monitor to place three USB ports and one port USB Upstream, two HDMI ports and two DisplayPort. The latter can support the resolution 4096 x 2160 pixels, while keeping the frequency of 60 Hz, and HDMI only at 30 Hz. It is also worth noting that the buttons, handles for carrying the rear wall, cable holders have stylish lighting.


ColorEdge


About EIZO ColorEdge CG318-4K value is not reported. ColorEdge CG318-4K monitor has a five year warranty from the manufacturer.



Eizo is preparing to release a professional 31-inch 4K-monitor ColorEdge CG318-4K
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Asus turns to negative ad campaign to sell devices expects to ship 1 million ZenFone units in Q2

 
In a crowded Chinese smartphone market, Asus plans on using a negative ad campaign in order to grab sales from a smartphone hungry population. This means that instead of focusing on the great features and capabilities of its own products, Asus ads will show you how the competition screwed up. Along these lines, Asus has already referred to its rivals as idiots, saying that it wont hold back production of its ZenFone to create an artificial demand.
This so-called "Hunger Marketing" is all the rage in China and is relied on by companies like Xiaomi. With this marketing ploy, a small number of units is made available for a particular model. This artificially drives up demand as buyers worry about the phone getting sold out. While Xiaomi used this technique to sell such models as its Xiaomi Hongmi, ZTE recently used it on a high end model, the ZTE Grand S II. In 58 seconds, the Chinese manufacturer sold out 50,000 units of the phone. That is a drop in a bucket compared to the 400 million smartphones expected to be sold in China this year.
Speaking of forecasts, Asus expects to ship 1 million units of its ZenFone this year. Now shipping pre-orders in China, Taiwan and Indonesia, the manufacturer believes it will ship 200,000 to 300,000 units in April, 400,000 next month, and 500,000 in June. These estimates come directly from the companys CEO, Jerry Shen. The executive says Asus is confident of shipping 5 million ZenFone handsets this year, and doubling that number in 2015.
The Asus ZenFone 6 features a 6 inch LCD screen with a 720 x 1280 resolution, powered by a dual-core 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 CPU with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of native storage, and a 64GB microSD slot. Back and front-facing cameras weigh in at 13MP and 2MP respectively, with a 3300mAh cell providing the power. Android 4.3 is pre-installed.
The Asus ZenFone 5 has similar specs, except for the 5 inch LCD screen and the lower capacity 2110mAh battery. The Asus ZenFone 4 features a 4 inch LCD screen with similar specs as the ZenFone 5 except for the smaller screen, the dual-core 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2520 CPU, 4GB of native storage, the 5MP rear-facing camera and .3MP front-facing snapper, and the 1200mAh battery.

source: DigiTimes
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Thursday, April 2, 2015

Samsung Galaxy S5 Active coming soon to Europe to cost €629

Samsung Galaxy S5 Active was launched exclusively on AT&T in May and it has only been available through the US carrier retail stores since. It seems the AT&T exclusivity is going to expire soon and the Galaxy S5 Active will be heading to Europe.


According to inside sources, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active will soon launch in European markets with an asking price of €629. If AT&Ts exclusivity was for a 6-month period, then probably the Galaxy S5 Active will be hitting the shelves throughout the old continent in October.


Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is a rugged flavor of the Galaxy S5 flagship. It has the same specs, but in addition to its IP67-rating, it also comes with military-grade MIL-STD-810G certification for endurance against salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock.
The European model should be available in cameo green and silver colors, while the red flavor will probably remain exclusive for AT&T.
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XiaoMi Device Kernel soon to be Open Sourced

This was an all time request by the XiaoMis community and finally the Chinese firm is eager to share the kernel codes to their devices to developers, especially ROMs makers.

The trend is changing, while every Chinese manufacturer benefit from GPL agreements to obtain and modify kernel to their own advantage. But those same companies almost never give back to the community code wise.
OPPO has been the first to come back to the community and share their kernel code. Now XiaoMi, which is arguably, the most media buzz brand, is going this way too. Hopefully, others will join the movement and put pressure on the rest of the industry like MediaTek.

The chip maker has a key role in the Chinese smartphones industry and is one the of the biggest responsible for the rise of Chinese phone manufacturers. But MediaTek is not somewhat inclined to facilitate open source work on phones based on their SoC.

First, XiaoMi will release kernel codes of the Mi 2 series : Mi 2, Mi 2S, Mi 2A followed by the Mi 1 series, finally the HongMi and the Mi 3.

Whats next ?

3rd party ROMs developers will be able to adapt Mi 2 series kernels to their own use and optimize the devices performance.

For more informations, head to MiuiAndroid forums which broke the news first on the web.


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Best ebook readers for Android – Top Free Apps to Read ePub and PDF

Printed books are loosing popularity as electronics readers gaining popularity. People now love to read on their smartphones and Tablet as they can take their favorite books on the go. Specially tablet devices offers a great experience for reading books as they are light-weight, very compact and capable of storing thousands of books.


Our goal is to find Some of the BEST ANDROID apps for reading ebooks which you can download for free! Let’s have a look at the list of Best free android reading apps.

By the way, there are many of us who loves to Download Ebooks, ePub books and PDF books over the internet and certainly look for some great apps to put them on to read on our Android. First we will discuss about the best Android reading apps with content support and great user experience.

Google Play Books


Google’s own Play Books app is the most fancy and best ebook reader android app. As you can guess from the title, google has to offer a wide range of books from its own play store where you can download free ebooks and purchase the premium books. Over 3 million titles available on google’s library for you to browse and download. On the feature side, the app comes with all the functions you would expect from a good android reader app. Another great thing is that it sync across all your devices means you can start reading a books on your tablets then resume reading where you left from your phone or in the computer. It supports the most popular  ebook formats.

Kindle


Most of us know how popular Amazon Kindle fire tablet among the readers for its content and great reading experience. Well, you can get the same experience on your phone or tablet with their Kindle app for Android. Similar to play books, users can download and Read Free Books—Choose from thousands of free ebooks and Easily shop for ebooks, including new releases and New York Times Best Sellers. Consider Kindle app as the one of the best ebook reader for android.

NOOK for Android by B&N


Following Amazon’s move on Android App, Barnes and Noble also brings their  NOOK for Android app. The company is already famous for its Nook Tablet and a wide range content on their online store allowing users to get access of million of books and magazine. The app allows you to subscribe a great list of magazine such as US Weekly, National Geographic, and The Oprah Magazine — starting with free for a 14-day trial period.

Aldiko Book Reader


A great alternative ebook reader and one of the best Pdf book read for Android. The app lets you buy ebooks at lowest price. EPUB or Adobe PDF books can be easily imported from your SD card and you can even also download directly ebook of your choice on Android device without using a computer to transfer files.

Moon+ Reader


Yet another great android app for reading books. Thousand of ebooks are free to download through online libraries. Comes with a nice day & night reading options for great reading experience without hurting your eyes. Real page turning effect seems very cool. The app also got gesture based controls to do many things such as zooming, lock the page, adjust brightness level and many more. Download an ebook or pdf book on your device and instantly find it on Moon Reader library.

Mantano Ebook Reader Lite


Recently released on google play store Mantano Ebook Reader is a great choice. Read, annotate to any EPUB or PDF ebook with the most powerful Android ebook reader compatible with the Adobe DRM.  With its advanced UI the app let’s you organized books in collection. Allows to  create annotations, highlights and bookmarks and Quickly access them. The integrated file explorer allows to browse through SD card and import books manually.
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Give Radiant Touch to your Clicks with Windows Phone 8 apps

Thanks to smartphones that have made every one an amateur photographer. Capturing small moments and then creating the desired effect is so much fun. To make it more interesting, there are many superb photo editing apps available for Windows 8 users.

 

Here are some of the best photo editing Windows Phone 8 application for you.



Photosynth

 

 

It enables capturing interactive panorama of places, people and events. The app pops up as a lens within the camera app. The user needs to tap the screen to select his first frame, move the phone up, down or around, and tap again to end. The app will stitch all the shots together into a seamless panorama. The user can geo-tag the results and upload them as interactive images to Bing maps. The images once created can also be easily shared as an interactive panoramic experience on Facebook and Twitter using the Photosynth.net service. 
Free | Download from Windows App Store


Phototastic

 


This app lets the user to add various types of effects to the photos (colors, vignettes, brightness, vintage appearances, etc). However the most interesting feature of the app is its ability to create collages from numerous pics. There are numerous handy templates to help to arrange the shots. There are over 30 different image effects and over 50 frame collages to choose from. The result of the pictures can also be uploaded to the social media networks.
Free | Download from Windows App Store


Fhotoroom

 


Basically, this is a photo sharing network that provides a basic image editor along with some custom manual controls for the camera. The users can manipulate the exposure, ISO levels and exposure timing to get the desired effects. There is a variety of styles, brushes, filters, and many other effects to edit the photos. Meant for the manual control over the camera, this app also includes more than 50 different image filters and custom designed frames to be added to the resultant photos. The images can also be shared over the social networks.
Free | Download from Windows App Store


Fotor

It allows editing photos that are already there in the Pictures Hub and those that have just been captured. Editing tools include a one-tap enhance to automatically adjust exposure, contrast saturation, etc. The cropping tool comes with preset proportions or free-hand cropping. The special effects include analog, lomo, neon, retro, art, vintage, black & white, scratch and old picture filters (around 76 filters), picture borders, tilt shift controls, and manual edit controls (brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness). Edited images can be shared through Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Messaging, etc. Most interestingly, all the images are saved at their original resolution (no resizing).
Free | Download from Windows App Store

Check-out the Best Photo Editing Apps for Windows Phone




So, what are you waiting for? The App stores for iOS, Android and Windows have recorded more than 100 billion downloads in 2013 and more to come this year. Download these apps now and flaunt your photography skills. All these apps are available at the Windows app store.

Get more such amazing Windows Phone 8 apps developed at HBMobileLabs, one of the best Windows mobile apps development company rendering mobile web solutions across the world.

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Apple is hiring fashion experts to sell the Apple Watch

Apple


The Apple Watch was introduced last September, but it was only that, a presentation, the team does not hit stores until early 2015. Everything points to a release in late February and Apple are preparing everything to make sale its new and awaited clock. The Cupertino has approached the idea of wearable or smart watch a different way to other brands. The Apple brand is clear that a watch, for more advanced or intelligent, does not cease to be a fashion. Under this idea have created a device that combines technology and design, maximum found in any Apple product, but it takes on new meaning with Apple Watch. We saw the approach to the fashion industry when Apple specialized media invited to the presentation and now 9to5mac says the company is planning to hire experts in luxury and fashion products to sell Apple Watch in Apple stores.


Apple


The Apple Watch is the most personal Apple product, the advice of your slogan. The US Company would be finalizing preparations for the arrival of your new watch stores worldwide. According to some internal documents procurement, Apple seek employees with knowledge of fashion and luxury products that advise customers to choose the model that best suits your style and needs. In addition, it is expected that much of the stores dedicated to expose the Apple Watch, with special windows to expose the product in different combinations. There is also talk that there would be some watches test subjects for a security cable, while the rest of combinations would be displayed in a special showcase. Lots of variety in the Apple Watch, but the choice of the windows would have more to do with wanting to prevent theft. There is talk that Apple Watch Edition will cost $ 5,000, a high price for a small product that we can hide in a pocket, hence place to be protected behind glass.


Apple


 Within a few months we will see the changes brought the Apple Watch store network in the company on the block, but what is clear is that the product will be closely linked to the fashion industry. Watch Apple already cast on the cover of the Chinese edition of Vogue and released in the fashion week in Paris. Apple offers the device in two sizes and three different materials. In turn, each material has two finishes and there are a variety of belts. In total, you can create up to 64 combinations without straps Watch Apple Sport colors. The device features a special interface that can be operated via touch screen and digital lateral crown, a piece reminiscent of traditional clocks and allow us to move more freely through the menus.



Apple is hiring fashion experts to sell the Apple Watch
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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

HP ZVR Virtual Reality HP brings virtual reality to monitor

HP


If you include you among those who, like us, they dreamed interact with the computer as did Tom Cruise in Minority Report, you’re in luck. HP has left us candy than they can be future computers through HP ZVR Virtual Reality. It is a 23.6-inch monitor that includes a pair of 3D glasses and a stylus. Both glasses the stylus have a number of sensors that allow us to interact with objects on the screen and experience a way to use that until now seemed restricted to the world of film and fiction. This model will hit the market during spring 2015 at a price that has not yet been disclosed. We tell you the details.


HP is continuing in the field of virtual reality. Following the launch of HP Sprout, now it is the turn to HP ZVR Virtual Reality monitor. A team oriented professional field, both graphic designers and presenters who want to interact with images and content in three dimensions. This team has a size of 23.6 inches and a Full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. But of course, its great attraction comes when we put the 3D glasses and started working with the screen. The glasses have five different sensors that interact with four infrared cameras placed in the frames of the monitor.


HP


This combination allows us to play with the contents as if from the panel. And is that when you move your head image “moves” with us . With a response time of just 5 milliseconds, this operation occurs almost instantaneously and should not notice any lag when we move around the image. Furthermore, the monitor also includes a stylus that binds to the monitor via a cable. This pen also has its own sensors so we can work with objects on the screen and do things like move or rotate.


There is such an awesome tool like Minority Report gloves to play with objects, but still can be an important step in this field that seems destined to become the new frontier in the world of technology. Other features that will wear the HP ZVR Virtual Reality include a DVI port to connect the monitor to a computer or DisplayPort port. In addition, shall establish a hub with three USB 2.0 ports so we can plug different type devices mice or USB sticks.


HP


Applications of this machine, besides the graphic design also can become an interesting tool for the educational field. It is thanks to the ability to interact in three dimensions the ZVR becomes an alternative to discover, for example, the universe of biology or chemistry. At the moment we have no official data on the price to have this monitor, but are expected to hit the market along this spring.



HP ZVR Virtual Reality, HP brings virtual reality to monitor
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How to Root the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Earlier there was a way to root the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but method was limited to only some models.

Now with the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3, there comes a way to allow you to easily root the device. Though there isnt way yet to install a custom recovery, such as TWRP or CWM yet, though were sure this is in the works.


Youll first need to install the newest Samsung Drivers (1.5.27.0) for your PC, which you can get from here.
Once the drivers are installed, reboot your PC.

The following instructions for rooting the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are provided by "designgears" from XDA Forums.
You need to follow the instructions exactly, and remember, use at your own risk!
This process will also wipe your phone, so any apps and settings will have to be reinstalled after the process is finished.



How To Enter Download Mode

Pull the battery out, unplug the usb cable, reinsert the battery. Hold Volume Down + Home + Power. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Rooting Instructions

 

- Remove the external sdcard (if you have one)
- Boot into bootloader mode (see method above)
- Flash Root_de_la_Vega.tar.md5 with Odin v3.09 (put in AP slot, dont change any other settings, click start)
- Let your device fully boot after flashing has completed
- Copy the contents of Root_de_la_Vega.zip to the root of the internal sdcard

  • /sdcard/
    • root_de_la_vega.sh
    • root_files (folder)

- Reboot (very important!)
After fully booting delete the files from the internal sdcard that were added previously

  • /sdcard/
    • root_de_la_vega.sh
    • root_files (folder)

- Reboot (extremely important!)
Reinsert the external sdcard (if you have one)

Thats all! Enjoy Root!

Required Files

FILENAME: Root_de_la_Vega-SM-N900V.7z (Mega)
SIZE: ~1.24 GB
MD5: 4EFE88F8181776372EBE0185F3BC2A94

Mirrors

Torrent
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