HTC One starts getting Android 4.3 globally; rollout only for unlocked versions

After various confirmations via Twitter, HTC has
started rolling out the Android 4.3 update to HTC
One users globally. This update will be available
on units that are unlocked and not tied in with
any specific mobile service provider. The update
weighs a rather hefty 560+ MB, and we would
suggest using a good Wi-Fi connection for
downloading this.
(Read earlier reports here ).
The changelog for this update mentions that the
camera low-light performance will be enhanced,
and system stability will be improved.
Additionally, the HTC One will get a battery
charging percentage indicator, improved gallery,
more Video Highlights options and the ability to
add custom soundtracks to the highlights.
HTC seems to be fairly aggressive with the OS
updates this time around, with this rollout
happening less than two months after the Nexus
devices got this OS. While two months is still a
long time, it is still lesser than what a lot of other
smartphone manufacturers are achieving, even for
their flagship Android devices.
Once the Android 4.3 update is done with, HTC
One owners can then proceed to being
preoccupied with the possible Android Kit-Kat
update
The update for the unlocked HTC One smartphone
is happening region by region, and in case your
phone hasn’t received the update notification just
yet, there is no need to panic.

Ads coming to Gmail for Android soon, reveals APK teardown

Google recently updated its Gmail for Android with
a range of new features as well as a new look.
The update featured a number of design tweaks
such as checkmarks for multiple message
selection. Google, however, did not reveal the
update also brought in support for ads.
Though Gmail hasn't officially activated ads on
mobile yet, an APK teardown by Android
Police reveals a whole new library called 'ads'
has been added in the update. It's not clear what
kind of ads will appear in the Gmail for Android
app, but the references to ads within the APK
suggest users can save ads like messages if they
find them interesting, and delete by dismissing
them.
A "ShowAdPreferenceManager()" function directs
users to the ad settings page for their account.
Google already shows ads within Gmail on web. It
has been long rumoured/speculated ads will be
rolled out to the mobile apps, considering a
gigantic number of Gmail users on the mobile
platform.
codes uncovered by Android Police
The APK teardown also reveals users will now
receive an alert about the unsent messages. When
a user visits Sent items, Gmail will show you a
notification about messages pending in your
Outbox, due to a bug, size, lack of connectivity or
any other problem.

Amazon India adds Home and Kitchen categories

Amazon India has added home and kitchen stores
on its e-store for India. Earlier this month it had
introduced new baby products, watch, jewellery
and other categories on its store as well.
The new Home and Kitchen store on Amazon
offers more than 2 7,000 products from over 150
brands. The company is also offering up to 20
percent of discount on select small appliances.
The product range varies from small appliances,
kitchenware, décor, dining, home furnishings, and
much more. The new categories was introduced
by Amazon ahead of the festival season.
Amazon India offers cash on delivery, free
delivery, free returns pickup, delivery tracking to
the doorstep and no minimum value on all orders
fulfilled by Amazon.
Amit Agarwal, vice president and country
manager, Amazon India said, “We are very excited
to offer a vast selection of home and kitchen
products at significant savings in time for the
festive shopping season. The launch is a
continuing part of our mission to build a place
where customers can come to find and discover
anything they might want to buy online.”
Amazon had earlier this month introduced new
categories like baby products, toys & games,
personal care appliances and health care devices.
The baby products store has more than 3,000
products from 50 popular vendors like Chicco,
Nuby, Medela, etc. The toys & games store offers
a selection of over 8500 products from 80 leading
brands like Lego, Funskool, Hotwheels, Barbie, V-
Tech , etc. The personal care appliances and
health care devices store has more than 1100
products from leading brands like Philips,
Panasonic, Omron, etc. Overall Amazon India has
12 categories and more than 70,000 products on
its online store.

Google Research's Open Project allows smartphone to project apps to an external display

Google Research has unveiled a project for
transferring mobile content to a remote display.
This Open Project makes your smartphone
camera work as a projector to display content.
A blog post from Google Research states that
although mobile devices have an accelerated
growth but their form factors remain slow. The
Open Projects works to address this issue and
leverage nearby IO resources to operate their
mobile devices. Open Project works an end-to end
framework that allows users to project a mobile
app into a display like a PC, or Home Internet TV
or a laptop monitor or even a wall sized display.
The user can easily project or share the
application from their smartphone via an
intuitive, projection-based metaphor onto a target
display.
Yang Li, Research Scientist, Google Research
stated on Google Research blog :
"Open Project is an open, scalable, web-based
framework for enabling mobile sharing and
collaboration. It can turn any computer display
projectable instantaneously and without
deployment. Developers can add support for Open
Project in native mobile apps by simply linking a
library, requiring no additional hardware or
sensors. Our user participants responded highly
positively to Open Project-enabled applications
for mobile sharing and collaboration."
Google Research was earlier working on Deep
Short, a project that lets you capture apps from a
computer screen to your mobile via your
smartphone camera. This is the exact opposite of
the Open Project. The project demonstrated how
a user can easily move web pages and
applications, like Google Maps directions, from a
laptop and an Android phone by using the
smartphone's camera. The user need to simply
click a picture of their monitor with a phone
camera, and the captured content becomes
instantly interactive on their mobile phone.

Racy Noise Isolating Earphones From Ferrari By Logic3

Cavallino T-150 = High-end hands-free?
Now here's a weird unique proposition, what
does one give a fast-car enthusiast with
phonophobia (fear of loud sounds), and a love of
music as a gift? A noise isolating earphone from
Ferrari by Logic3, of course.
Styled after the GT cars, the earphones are made
of lightweight aluminium bound by leather, "to
ensure maximum comfort and durability. The
earphones are fitted with a 10 mm driver,
patented Thin Film Acoustic Technology (TFAT),
that produces a passive dynamic Balance
System, lower bass range and a wider band
frequency range to achieve a high fidelity sound".
The Cavallino T-150 earphones "have special
speakers that filter noise" and come with
interchangeable earphone pads. Without using
fancy words, these earphones are just lifestyle
"hands-free" as they're compatible with mobile
phones (3.5 mm jack) with single button
microphone equipped with anti-tangle cables.
Just a few months back, Ferrari by Logic3
announced availability of Scuderia P200
headphones that looked unmistakably Ferrari.
This time the Cavallino T-150, costing Rs
12,935, looks a lot more tone down (though still
cool) than the fiery red of Ferrari that we are
used to.
If in case you are wondering why the weird name
"Ferrari by Logic3"? Check out their story here.
Specifications:
Type: TFAT Driver Technology
Driver Size: 10mm
Speaker Impedance: 16 Ohms
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Speaker Sensitivity: 97dB ± 3dB at 1KHz 1mW
Cable Material: Woven Fabric
Carry Case: Yes

Apple may need Samsung to make enough chips for iPhone 6

Apple may have to rely on
arch-rival Samsung for a
hefty percentage of
processors to power the next
iPhone.
Samsung has been Apple's
go-to manufacturer for the
past several chip generations,
most recently producing the
A5, the A6, and this year's
A7 . Apple has sought to
reduce that dependence by
reportedly cutting a deal with
Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company
(TSMC) to take on
production of future A series
processors. But Samsung is
far from out of the picture ,
according to a story from
The Korea Economic Daily.
Samsung will manufacture 30
to 40 percent of the A8
processors needed by Apple
next year, leaving TSMC to
kick in the rest, claims the
Korean news site. Apple
reportedly wanted TSMC as
its only A8 supplier. But
creating enough quantity of
the 20-nanometer chip is a
difficult process, forcing
Apple to keep working with
Samsung.
Apple has been looking to cut
ties with Samsung for some
time. Given the high demand
for the iPhone and iPad,
Apple continually needs to
reduce its reliance on a single
supplier. But Apple's quest to
divorce itself from Samsung
is largely due to the legal bad
blood between the two
companies, say analysts.

Government to Ban use of gmail,Facebook & Yahoo for official purposes

Central government officials may soon be asked not to use of Yahoo, Gmail and other servers for official emails.

The Central government has told the Delhi High Court it is working on a comprehensive policy on email use for official communication. Under the new policy, central government officials may soon be banned from using Gmail, Yahoo or any other email services that are based abroad to prevent transfer of data.

A new draft policy was recently submitted by government standing counsel Sumit Pushkarna before the bench of justices B D Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru. Pushkarna. The court has been informed that the new policy would be finalised within four weeks.

The submission was made before the court following a petition filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party leader N. Govindacharya stating that the use of e-mail accounts whose servers were outside India and transfer of nation's official data using this medium was violative of the Public Records Act. According to the petitioner, sensitive data were stored on servers outside of the country and could be accessed by the foreign governments.

Govindacharya's counsel Viraag Gupta stated that government officials were using social networking sites, like Facebook, Gmail, etc for official communications instead of using the government server provided by the National informatics Centre. Gupta also submitted copies of official contact information of various ministries as proof.

The new policy will be formulated according to the provisions of the Public Records Act that lays down guidelines for management, administration and preservation of records of various government agencies.

The new draft policy was submitted before a division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru, said, "It is an important issue, do it fast. We are sure new policy will be in line with the provisions of the Public Records Act."

Sony RX 100 ll

Great picture quality in a compact camera was like El Dorado. Everyone looked for it but no one found it. That was until 2012 when Sony came out with RX 100 digital camera. RX 100, in case you are curious, is a camera that has a big 1-inch image sensor inside it despite its small size. It also packs in a fast F1.8 lens. It promised very good image quality and when put to a test, delivered it. RX 100 II is Sony's take two on arguably its most popular camera. And as it was the case with the original, with RX 100 II Sony is promising class-leading image quality and a thoroughly modern camera that is full of features and yet is compact enough to be slipped in jacket pocket. We will talk about RX 100 II in details but we can tell you upfront that Sony delivers on most of these promises. RX 100 II is the best compact camera you can buy in 2013! To understand why, read on... RX 100 II is a sturdy camera. In terms design, handling and build quality, it is similar to its predecessor. Though it is a compact camera, RX 100 II is not as slim as some other point and shoot (P&S) cameras. Carrying it in a jeans pocket is possible but awkward. A jacket pocket is a better fit. RX 100 II is also heavier compared to normal P&S cameras because of the materials used to build it. The body of the camera has been built using mix of plastic, rubber and aluminum. The finish is top notch and the device has been put together very well. The design is a mix of retro and modern look. For example, the lens, which protrudes out of the body, has an old-fashioned ring around it, giving it a look which hints that this is a camera for enthusiasts. In terms of handling, RX 100 II scores well. Ergonomically, small cameras are not as good as the big DSLRs cameras, which provide better grip, and RX 100 II too suffers from this issue. But due to the weight and careful positioning of buttons, Sony has managed to alleviate the problem. There are many direct controls available to a RX 100 II shooter, largely because of the ring on the lens and the click wheel on back. The lens ring is multifunctional. This means depending on the shooting mode, you will be able to change various settings with it. By default, however, it changes aperture. The click wheel changes the shutter speed as well as allows a shooter to switch the flash mode. Just above the click wheel, there is a function buttons. By default it allows access to five settings. But if you want to control some particular settings with one click, you can map this button to a particular setting. In a change compared to original RX 100, the new camera has a screen that can be tilted. This is a big help when you are trying to shoot tricky scenes. For example, you can hold the camera above your head if you are in a crowd and before shooting can check the scene on the tilted screen. Talking of screen, it is much better than what you get on an average P&S camera. It is bright, shows good colours and is usable even under direct sunlight. First, let's talk about the image quality that RX 100 II offers. There are two components in RX 100 II that largely control the image quality. The F1.8 lens and the 1-inch image sensor. This combination of large image sensor and a sharp lens not only looks good on paper but also provides fantastic images in most conditions. In well-lit conditions, RX 100 II shoots images that are much better than any P&S compact camera can manage. These images have pleasant colours, excellent contrast and balanced dynamic range. In terms of details, images shot with RX 100 II don't match what DSLR can do but easily offer better quality than other compact cameras. The camera particularly excels at close up shots. The F1.8 lens means you can get a blurred background - or bokeh as photographers call it - without much effort. Sony claims that the new image sensor in RX 100 II should allow for better images in low-light conditions and in our tests we found the claim to be true. Whether you are shooting images of food items in a dimly-lit restaurant or trying to click the photo of your friend while taking a late night walk, RX 100 II will give you some of the best results possible from a compact camera. The strong still image performance is repeated in video shooting. The FullHD clips we shot with RX 100 II were clear and had subjects in sharp focus. When it comes to focus and metering, we found RX 100 to be above average. The camera processes images and scenes aptly and we found that the images shot with it had the right balance of light (metering). In good light, we found the focus to be fast and accurate. However in low light, we found RX 100 II to struggle a bit before acquiring the focus. We wouldn't call the focus performance of RX 100 II slow, but it was not as fast as a DSLR. If you don't mind editing your images, you can get even better image quality by shooting in RAW. Similarly, you can use manual mode for more accurate focus. RX 100 II is not a camera with much zoom. The lens is rated for an effective focal length of 28mm-100mm. But this is enough unless you are on a safari in South Africa and plan to shoot wildlife. The rechargeable battery in the device is good for around 250 shots once it is fully charged. RX 100 II is a camera that is in its own league. It is compact and yet offers a performance that is similar to that of entry-level DSLR cameras. If you want to click great photos with minimum fuss and with a small camera, RX 100 II is a great choice. Unfortunately, it has one very strong competitor. And that is RX 100, the original RX that came to the market last year. It offers image quality and performance that is similar to that of RX 100 II. And compared to RX 100 II, which sells for Rs 42,500 (MRP is Rs 42,990), it is available for around Rs 32,000. This is Rs 10,000 less! The newer RX does have some advantages over the older one, though. RX 100 II offers slightly better image quality, especially at higher ISI levels, in low light due to a newer image sensor. It also supports Wi-Fi connectivity, has a slightly better screen with tilt functionality and offers a hot-shoe port, where you can put external flash or a viewfinder (sold separately). But much of this added functionality is useful only to enthusiast users. If you are looking to get a companion camera for your big, bulky and expensive DSLR camera, RX 100 II is the perfect choice for you. But if you are someone who is used to P&S cameras, mostly shoot on auto modes and is looking to get a compact camera that can shoot DSLR-quality pictures, we suggest you pick RX 100. It is better value for money. Great image quality, good build quality, easy to use, F1.8 lens, compact size Expensive *20.2MP*28-100 MM lens (3.6X optical zoom) with F1.8-F4.9 aperture*1-inch Exmor R CMOS image sensor*10FPS continuous shots*3-inch screen with tilt functionality*ISO up to ISO 12,800*FullHD video recording*240 grams

LG Optimus F6

LG
MSRP: $289.99
Price Range: $19.53 - $49.99
Overview
CNET Editors' Rating: 3.5 / 5
The good: The LG Optimus
F6 has clear call quality, a
decent 5-megapixel shooter,
and a bright, responsive
screen.
The bad: 4G LTE data speeds
were erratic at times, and
because the handset's
equipped with Android 4.1.2,
it runs a slightly dated OS.
The bottom line:
Competitively priced and
stocked with respectable
hardware specs, the LG
Optimus F6 is a worthy buy
for T-Mobile customers who
are big on value.
Design, Features &
Performance (out of 10)
Design: 8.0
Features: 7.0
Performance: 7.0
Review
The LG Optimus F6 may not
be a powerhouse of a device
compared with some of T-
Mobile's other handsets, but
it's still a reliable phone that
will satisfy users looking for a
simple device on a budget.
Reasonably priced at
$289.99 (with the option to
pay $49.99 up front and then
$10 a month for 24 months),
the F6 is equipped with a
swift dual-core processor, a
bright 4.5-inch screen, and a
5-megapixel camera that's
sure to make casual
shutterbugs happy. It also
comes with a handful of
software UI features from LG
that are useful and easy to
use.
If you're a T-Mobile customer
looking for a midrange
Android handset, consider the
F6. Just be aware, however,
that it doesn't run the most
recent Android version.
Judging by our data tests,
4G LTE connectivity can also
be inconsistent.
Design
The Optimus F6 is compact,
measuring 5.03 inches tall,
2.59 inches wide, and 0.40
inch thick. It's easily
maneuverable with one hand
and with its sloping edges
and smooth plastic build, it's
comfortable to hold. At 4.44
ounces, it's also fairly
lightweight, and you can
easily throw it in a small bag
or your back jeans pocket.
On the left edge sits a volume
rocker and a shortcut key to
launch QuickMemo (more on
that later). Up top is a
3.5mm headphone jack and
on the right is a sleep/power
button. Finally, the bottom
edge houses a Micro-USB
port for charging.
The battery door is adorned
with a tile pattern that grows
denser near the bottom of the
device. The design is subtle,
and you can only make it out
clearly when the handset is
somewhere well lit, like
outside in the sun. I like this
stylish pattern, and it's a
unique accent that sets the
phone apart from the other
midrange slabs floating
around in the market.
On the back you'll find a 5-
megapixel camera and LED
flash and two small slits for
the speaker. When you
remove the battery door, you
can access the microSD card
slot (it accepts cards of
capacities of up to 32GB),
and the 2,460mAh battery.
The 4.5-inch qHD IPS display
has a 960x540-pixel
resolution. Though it's
important to keep in mind
that the F6 is a midtier
device, compared with a
higher-end phone like the LG
G2 (which has a 1080p
screen), the F6's display
isn't the sharpest. I can see
some slight aliasing around
icons and texts and color
gradients do not transition as
smoothly. However, the
screen is bright, it displays
colors accurately (especially
when viewing a single white
swatch), and it's responsive
to the touch.
Above the display is a 1.3-
megapixel camera and below
is a physical home key that's
flanked by two hot keys (for
back and menu) that light up
in white. If you long-press
the home key, you can call up
recent apps (and quit them
as well), access Google Now,
and open up the Task
Manager in your phone.
Software features
The handset features Android
4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and while
it'd be nice to see it running
a more recent version of the
OS, you'll still get your usual
collection of Google apps:
Chrome, Gmail, Search, Plus,
Maps, access to the Play
store's Books, Magazines,
Movies & TV, and Music
portals, Talk, and YouTube.
T-Mobile loaded a
conservative number of its
apps in as well. You'll get T-
Mobile My Account, which
gives you information about
your phone and data plan; a
trial subscription to the caller
ID service Name ID; and apps
that help set up your visual
voice mail and mobile hot
spot. Lastly, the media
streaming service T-Mobile
TV offers a 30-day trial to
channels like Fox News and
ESPN.
LG's Optimus 3.0 user
interface comes with a few
signature software features.
These include the option to
customize app icons (with
two different themes), and
QSlide, a multitasking
function that enables you to
view and resize apps (like the
browser and calculator) while
using other apps or viewing
the home screen.
VuTalk lets you create
annotations on documents
and photos on your device
while sharing it in real time
with another VuTalk-enabled
handset through either a
network or Wi-Fi connection.
There's also LG's signature
note-taking app, QuickMemo,
which lets you jot down quick
notes or sketches directly
over images onscreen. As
mentioned before, you can
quickly launch this app with
the shortcut button on the
smartphone's left edge.
Basic apps include native
browser and e-mail clients, a
calculator, a calendar, a clock
with alarm functions, a memo
pad, a weather app, a
dictionary, a to-do list, a
voice recorder, a voice dialer,
and voice search.
Other goodies include two
file-sharing apps
(SmartShare and FileShare),
the Polaris Viewer 4 mobile
office suite, a language
translation app, and Lookout
Security, which backs up data
and scans apps and files for
malware.
Additional features include
4GB of internal storage, NFC,
and Bluetooth 4.0.
Camera and video
Photo quality on the 5-
megapixel camera was great.
Especially in amply lit
environments, images were
sharp with well-defined edges
and showed adequate color
accuracy. Of course, with
dimmer lighting comes more
digital noise, but in general,
pictures were in focus and
clear. In addition, the camera
operated fast, with the
shutter refreshing for the next
photo quickly and I didn't see
any lag between my moving
of the camera and the
feedback I saw in the
viewfinder.
Both the 5-megapixel camera
and the front-facing camera
offer five white balance
options, a brightness meter
(from -2 to +2), four color
effects, a timer, geo-tagging,
and a voice shutter function
that lets you operate the
shutter by saying certain
words like "cheese" and
"whiskey" (don't ask me
why). The two cameras also
have a "Portrait+" function
(previously known as Beauty
Shot) that lets you adjust the
brightness and blurriness of
an image.
However, only the 5-
megapixel camera features
digital zoom, three focuses
that include face tracking,
five shooting modes (which
include panoramic and HDR),
and seven scene modes. It
also has five ISO options, the
ability to save photos in
three sizes (ranging from
1,280x960 to 2,560x1,920
pixels), and Time Catch,
which lets you choose and
save the best shot before the
shutter was pressed. The
front-facing camera,
meanwhile, has only two
image sizes (1,280x720 or
1,280x960), two scene modes
(normal and night), and a
mirror-image option that
saves a vertically flipped
version of your photo.
Video quality was similarly
satisfactory. When I recording
in 1080p HD, both still and
moving objects remained
sharp and clear. The camera
would refocus for lighting
quickly, and colors looked
true-to-life. Though nearby
audio picked up well, I could
hear some rustling
background noise when it
came to shooting outside. It
wasn't overly distracting, but
it was noticeable.
Video-recording options
consist of the same digital
zoom, flash, brightness
meter, geotagging, color
effects, and white balances.
You can also choose from
five video sizes (ranging from
MMS to 1080p full HD), take
still photos while recording,
and pause video without
stopping recording
altogether. There's also the
live effect mode, which will
distort your face (for
example, bulge out your eyes,
squeeze your mouth inward)
while the video records.
Recording features for the
front-facing camera are
nearly identical to those of
the rear camera, including the
quirky effects, except there is
no digital zoom or flash, and
there are four video sizes,
ranging from MMS to 720p
HD.
Performance
I tested the Optimus F6
(GSM 850/900/1800/1900) in
our San Francisco offices and
call quality was reliable --
none of my calls dropped,
audio didn't clip in and out,
and during times of absolute
silence I didn't hear any
extraneous noises or
buzzing. Volume range was
also adequate, though on
speaker, I felt that maximum
volume could have been a bit
louder.
LG Optimus F6 (T-Mobile)
call quality sample
T-Mobile's 4G LTE data
connection was good, but not
the fastest we've seen on
other networks like Verizon.
Most notably, there were
times when the phone would
clock in glacially slow data
times only to speed up after
a restart and then show fast
speeds the next. On average,
however, it loaded CNET's,
The New York Times', and
ESPN's mobile sites all
around 6 seconds. Desktop
sites loaded in 13, 16, and 9
seconds, respectively. To
download the 35.01MB game
Temple Run 2, the device
sometimes took as long as
10 minutes and could take as
short as 2 minutes the next
time. After several trials,
however, I calculated that it
took about 6 minutes and 27
seconds on average. The
Ookla speed-test app showed
me an average of 12.42Mbps
down and 9.22Mbps up.
LG Optimus
F6 Performance
Average 4G
LTE
download
speed
12.42Mbps
Average 4G
LTE upload
speed
9.22Mbps
App
download
(Temple
Run 2)
35.01MB in 6
minutes and 27
seconds
CNET
mobile site
load
6 seconds
CNET
desktop site
load
13 seconds
Power-off
and restart
time
35 seconds
Camera
boot time 2.19 seconds
The device runs on a zippy
1.2GHz dual-core processor
from Qualcomm. In general,
simple but necessary tasks
were executed with no
problems. For example,
opening up the app drawer,
quitting back to the home
page, and switching from
landscape to portrait mode
(and vice versa), were all
done smoothly within a
sufficient amount of time.
Furthermore, while playing
the graphics-intensive game
Riptide GP, I experienced no
stalling or unexpected force
quitting with the app. True,
frame rates weren't as high
as you see on higher-end
handsets, but all in all,
gameplay was smooth. On
average, it took 35 seconds
to power off and restart the
phone, and 2.19 seconds to
launch the camera.
Although I have yet to
perform our battery drain
test , the 2,460mAh battery
has a reported talk time of 8
hours and a standby time of
20 days. Anecdotally, I
noticed that with minimal to
medium usage, it could last a
workday without a charge.
Understandably, however,
turning the screen brightness
on max does significantly
drain the battery, and by the
end of the evening, I received
a usage warning that my
battery was down to 15
percent. According to FCC
radiation standards , the
handset has a digital SAR
rating of 0.98W/kg.
Conclusion
With its $289.99 full retail
price, it's hard to beat the LG
Optimus F6 in terms of value.
True, the carrier does have
better phones (like the $336
Galaxy S II , Samsung's
flagship handset from two
years ago), but you have to
be willing to give up more
dough.
And while the F6 doesn't run
the most recent OS on the
Android market, it's a reliable
candidate to consider for
phones under $300. The T-
Mobile myTouch Q, for
example, is $50 cheaper, but
it lacks LTE, has a laggy
processor, and a poor
camera. Likewise, though the
Nokia Lumia 521 is a
fantastic $144 value, you do
"get what you pay for" in
terms of its low-resolution
screen and lack of a camera
flash. Indeed, when it comes
to the F6, users can get
themselves a great Android
smartphone without breaking
the bank.
Basic Specs
OS
provided
Android 4.1.2
(Jelly Bean)
Style Candybar
Weight 4.37 oz
Width 2.59 in
Depth 0.4 in
Height 5.04 in
User Reviews
Average User Rating: 3.5 / 5
User Rating Breakdown
5 Star: 0
4 Star: 0
3 Star: 0
2 Star: 0
1 Star: 0
Rating: / 5
on December 31, 1969
out of users found this review
helpful
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Virgin Mobile to sell iPhone 5S, 5C starting

Apple's popular flagship
handset, the iPhone 5S , and
its less expensive
counterpart, the 5C , will be
available off-contract to
Virgin Mobile customers.
According to the prepaid
carrier's Twitter , it will begin
selling the devices on
October 1.
This is uncommonly fast for
Virgin, since it usually takes a
couple of months after an
iPhone's debut for it to arrive
on the carrier.
Though Virgin's promo site
for the devices does not
outline pricing information,
the company has confirmed
the following contract-free
pricing:
        16GB       32GB    64GB
5S $549.99 $649.99 $749.99
5C $449.99 $549.99 N/A
The iPhone 5S features a 4-
inch screen, an 8-megapixel
camera, and a unique
fingerprint ID scanner on its
home button. The iPhone 5C
has much of the same specs
with a less powerful A6
processor, and comes in
several colors. For more
information on the devices,
be sure to read CNET's
iPhone 5S and 5C reviews.

Google celebrates its 15th birthday with an interactive piñata doodle

As Google turns 15, it is celebrating its birthday
with an interactive piñata doodle. The doodle is
a basic video game that challenges users to
collect as many sweets as possible by whacking
the piñata with a stick. The doodle also gives a
glimpse of how the search engine page looked in
1998.
The company started as a University project in
1996 and then as a garage startup by Larry
Page and Sergey Brin, both PhD students at
Stanford University, has today turned into an
Internet powerhouse and has the most influential
web presence. It was originally named BackRub,
and thankfully, later re-christened Google. The
company has come a long way from being just a
Search engine, from Android mobile operating
system to the latest Google Glass, we’ve seen it
all. Take a look at the 15 Google milestones over
the past 15 years. It is based in Mountain View,
California, which is seven miles away from the
house whose garage and bedroom was rented by
Brin and Page.
To celebrate its 15th birthday, the company has
also silently revamped its search engine
algorithm to cope with increasing complex
questions that are thrown at it by users from
web and mobile devices. The new algorithm is
called “Hummingbird” and was rolled out last
month and reportedly more than 90 percent of
Google’s worldwide searches are now handled
by the new algorithm. It also improves
Knowledge Graph with comparisons and filters,
and adds cards and cross-platform notifications
to mobile.
Though the company was incorporated on
September 4, 1998, it has been celebrating its
birthday on September 27 for the past few years.

Best 4G phones 2013: 10 to choose from

The UK saw its first, belated, 4G network
appear for use late last year thanks to EE,
which managed to wangle approval from
regulator Ofcom to launch an LTE service
before the other main providers.
But now Vodafone and O2 have launched
their new high-speed 4G networks , or, to
put it another way, your mobile may soon
give you quicker uploads, downloads and
ping responses than your home
broadband thanks to these new mobile
networks.
The downside is that you're probably
going to need a new phone to use this
super-super-fast data connection, as
many older mobiles don't have the
necessary radios inside them to hook into
the frequencies used by 4G systems.
Already got a 4G-ready phone? Find
out which is the best 4G network
Luckily for you, though, the mobile
networks are falling over themselves to
stock new 4G-ready phones and updated
versions of popular current models, with
some of the best handsets from the top
makers supporting our new LTE bands.
And we've done the hard work for you, so
sit back, relax and check out the best 4G
phones compared.
IPhone 5S;


The iPhone 5S isn't as tricky as the
iPhone 5 because, along with the iPhone
5C, it supports the most 4G bands of any
smartphone currently on the market. This
means it will happily play with any 4G
network here in the UK.
It's not all plain sailing though, as O2 still
needs to do some work to its 4G service
before the iPhone 5S will work on its
superfast network, although we're told this
will be sorted "soon".
Meanwhile over at Vodafone and EE all is
well with the 5S, and Three tell us Apple's
latest flagship will also play nicely with its
4G when it's launched in December.
As for the phone itself, the iPhone 5S isn't
an enormous update over the previous
models, but Apple has managed to
squeeze a faster A7 processor inside the
chassis, along with an updated camera
module and a nifty fingerprint scanner
hidden under the home button.
HTC One;


This is HTC's best phone yet, and that's
saying something. The HTC One is 4G-
ready from the offset, so can be bought on
any of the networks peddling the super
fast connection.
The HTC One earned rave reviews for its
metallic chassis, superb low-light camera
performance and the general smoothness
of HTC's updated user interface, with the
new HTC Sense social features also going
down a storm.
This phone and a 4G data connection
would make most people very, very
jealous indeed.
Samsung Galaxy S4;

Samsung Galaxy S4 deals
This year's Galaxy S series update was
not without controversy. Its launch event
was a bizarre music hall experience that
some said was rather sexist, the phone's
full of so much bloatware and additional
Samsung software it's been complained
about on TV, but none of these whinges
have stopped the Galaxy S4 shipping in
record numbers and making it the most
popular Android phone around today.
It's not just good marketing either, the
Galaxy S4 is an excellent handset in its
own right and while it may be trumped by
the HTC One it's still worth a look.
The only model sold in the UK comes with
a 4G-friendly radio inside it, so once
you've got it, you've got the 4G power on
EE, Vodafone and O2.
Nokia Lumia 925;

Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 model
isn't to be sniffed at just because it's not
running iOS or Android, it's a decent
handset with some great features and a
premium build which goes hand in hand
with the premium price you'll pay for 4G.
It's main attraction, and you may have
spotted it in the TV adverts, is its 8.7MP
camera which Nokia boasts produces the
best low light pictures around - and we're
inclined to agree.
The Windows Phone interface is slick and
provides something very different from the
Apple and Google offerings, plus support
for all the key UK 4G bands means the
Lumia 925 is future-proofed connectivity
wise.
BlackBerry Z10;

If you want something a little more avant
garde, BlackBerry's new Z10 is also an
early member of the UK's 4G phone club.
The first phone to run the company's new
BB10 mobile OS, the Z10's software is a
little quirky in places, but the powerful,
feature-packed web browser and 4G
connectivity makes it a decent contender
for those after something fast and a little
different.
Plus, with a relatively modest 4.2-inch
display, it's one of the more pocketable
modern smartphones and less of a slab
than other big name models. Don't ignore
it just because it's BlackBerry.
Nokia Lumia 1020;

The camera is the obvious winner here.
While 41MP seems like overkill for a
smartphone, it does have its benefits.
Images are sharper at larger sizes, and
the 5MP photos are crisper than you'd
normally find on any other 5MP or even
8MP smartphone camera.
To top it off, battery life is pretty good on
the Lumia 1020, so that should give you
confidence when leaving home without a
charger or battery pack.
You can pick the Lumia 1020 up from O2,
Three, EE and Vodafone, with 4G
supported on all networks which offer the
superfast connection.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini;

If all these fancy smartphones are just too
big for your dainty little hands then fear
not, for 4G also comes in smaller
packages and one of those is the
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Borrowing the styling from its big brother
the S4 Mini comes in at a cheaper price
point but still packs a decent punch for a
mid-range mobile.
A bright screen and capable camera make
the S4 Mini an attractive proposition and
its broad 4G prowess means its available
from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
BlackBerry Q10;

If you want traditional QWERTY BlackBerry
hardware to accompany your futuristic 4G
data speeds, there's only one choice (well
actually there's two now thanks to the
BlackBerry Q5 ) -- the Q10.
The phone looks like your usual old BB
with its chunky keyboard and landscape
display above, but comes with the updated
BB10 OS for adding a bit more style to
proceedings.
The phone also includes NFC support, for
transferring mobile data rather more
slowly over distances of a couple of
centimetres, should that ever really
become a thing people want to do. Oh and
it'll work on EE, O2 and Vodafone - phew.
iPhone 5C;

Like the 5S, the iPhone 5C provides the
widest range of 4G band support out of
any phone, so you won't have to worry
about compatibility issues - that is unless
you're on O2.
Grab the iPhone 5C on Vodafone and EE
and you'll be enjoying 4G from the word
go, but O2 is yet to get its 4G house in
order for the new iPhones, lumping
customers with a 3G connection for now -
but a fix is "coming soon".
The iPhone 5C is a bit of an odd handset.
It's plastic body, yet slick operation
should see it compete with the likes of the
One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini, but it's
premium price tag means it prices itself
closer to the big brothers - both of which
have more features. It does come in some
bright colours though.
HTC One Mini;

Another "mini" 4G handset to break into
the ranks is the HTC One Mini, arriving on
EE and O2 - but currently shunned by
Vodafone.
Would we recommend the One Mini?
Absolutely. We love the aluminium shell,
the UltraPixel camera and BoomSound
speakers.
You also get to play with the latest version
of Android as well as all the cool apps like
the Music Player, which show lyrics to
songs as they're playing.

Windows 8.1 release date, news and features

All the latest on the Windows 8 update
Microsoft has revealed full details about
the comprehensive update to Windows 8 ,
now known as Windows 8.1 and formerly
known as Windows Blue.
The Windows 8.1 release date is October
17 - it will be available to existing
Windows 8 users for free on Windows
Update. It will be available to buy in retail
from October 18 and has already been
released to manufacturers (this stage is
known as RTM). Volume licencees will be
able to get their hands on it ahead of the
update, too.
We've also had plenty of time with the new
update and are running it every day, so
check out our brand new Hands on:
Windows 8.1 review. To whet everybody's
appetite, Microsoft has released a preview
version, called the Windows 8.1 Release
Preview. It's now available to download .
The first Windows 8.1 laptops and
Windows 8.1 tablets have already been
announced, with numerous devices being
launched already including Toshiba's
Encore tablet , Dell Venue 8 Pro and
Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 . Surface 2 runs
the new version of Windows RT, which is
also known as Windows 8.1 RT .
The official confirmation from Microsoft
came back in the Summer: "Today we are
excited to share that starting at 12am on
October 18 in New Zealand (that's
12:00pm in the UK and 4:00am in
Redmond - October 17th). Windows 8.1
will begin rolling out worldwide as a free
update for consumers on Windows 8
through the Windows Store. Windows 8.1
will also be available at retail and on new
devices starting on October 18 by market."
October will mark a year since Windows 8
was released.
How to download the Windows 8.1
Preview free today
The big headline news is that the Start
button has returned to Windows 8 with
Windows 8.1, although it still goes to the
Start screen rather than the Start menu.
There is also more integration between the
desktop and Start screen to stop the
jarring of the two interfaces.
On stage at the Microsoft Build developer
conference in San Francisco, Steve
Ballmer said that in coffee terms,
Microsoft was "refining the blend" between
the desktop and Modern UI interfaces and
a lot of Windows 8.1 enhancements have
been designed to make the change
between the two interfaces far less jarring.
Ballmer also promised plenty of new,
smaller Windows 8 tabletswould be
released as well as new apps from
Flipboard, Facebook and the NFL - though
we didn't see any screenshots of these in
action.
In our own hands on review, Mary
Branscombe sums the new release up as
a moderate success. "Windows 8.1 isn't a
whole new operating system: it isn't the
same leap as Windows 7 to 8. But it's
more than a service pack as well.
"Performance feels generally faster, even
for simple things like zipping up files. The
interface changes won't please everyone,
especially if you liked the Windows 8 Start
screen and don't feel you need for yet
another Windows key on screen - or if you
were hoping for the Windows 7 Start menu
back.
"Some things, like customising tiles on the
Start screen, feel a little more long-
winded until you get used to them. But
generally the interface feels more
consistent and easier to learn. And the
expanded PC Settings gives the mass of
control panel options a clean, simple
interface that Windows has needed for
years."
Windows 8 review
Windows 8 vs Windows 7: 8 ways it's
different
50 Windows 8 tips, tricks and secrets
Windows 8 tablets: all we've reviewed
Making sense of the Windows 8
versions
All our Windows 8 content
There will also be a boot-to-desktop
feature in the final build - news which
attracted massive applause from the
gathered Microsoft developers and fans
when it was announced at the Build
conference today.
Leblond is Head of Windows Program
Management and references the marked
change of tune that TechRadar detected
earlier this year : "Not only will Windows
8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it
will add new features and functionality
that advance the touch experience and
mobile computing's potential." The
feedback he's talking about is surely the
mellowing of the Start screen dream and
the reintroduction of a Start button of
some sort.
Windows 8.1 security: what's been
improved
"We're only a bit more than seven months
into [a] new, bold approach to computing,"
continues Leblond. "The response to
Windows 8 has been substantial - from
new devices to strong app growth to key
enhancements to the OS and apps. We've
learned from customers in how they are
using the product and have received a lot
of feedback. We've delivered hundreds of
updates to the product and to apps. We're
just getting started, and the potential
ahead is tremendous.
"We've been watching, we've been
listening"
We've picked out the top enhancements in
Windows 8.1 along with some quotes from
Leblond about each one.
1. Lock screen slideshow
"As people started using Windows 8, we
found that people were using their Lock
screens to show pictures of their families,"
Leblond says. So in Windows 8.1, you can
turn your PC or tablet into a picture frame
by making your Lock screen a slide show
of your pictures - either locally on the
device or photos from Microsoft SkyDrive.
You can unlock the camera or answer a
Skype call quickly without needing to
fiddle with a password. If small tablets get
popular, that will be useful.
2. The Start screen evolves
Windows 8.1 offers more colours and
backgrounds for the Start screen -
including some with motion. You can also
choose your desktop background as your
Start screen background.
However, it's still perfectly possible to get
a really garish looking Start screen, like
this - does anybody actually use these
patterns?
3. Different tile sizes
As in Windows Phone 8, the Windows 8.1
Start screen features a variety of tile sizes
including a new large and new small tile.
It's also even easier to name groups and
rearrange tiles, says Leblond: "We found
people were accidentally moving tiles on
their Start screen so in Windows 8.1, you
press and hold (or right click) to move
things around."
You can even have large double-size tiles
(check the weather in the picture above)
but apps need to be written specifically to
take advantage of this.
To select a tile, you now need to press
and hold it. You can now select multiple
apps all at once, resize them, uninstall
them, or rearrange them into a group:
"View all apps just by swiping from the
bottom to view all apps, and we've added
the ability to filter your apps by name,
date installed, most used, or by category.
"You want the Start screen to be about all
the things you love. So when you install a
new app from the Windows Store, we no
longer put that app on your Start screen.
Instead, you'll find these apps under apps
view as mentioned above and marked as
'new' where you can choose to pin the
apps you want to your Start screen."
The Start screen has also been refined to
work with all screen sizes more effectively
- Microsoft believes Windows 8.1 really
can scale from 8-inch tablets to 27-inch
devices.
4. Aggregated search
Instead of having to select an app and
then search when you go to the Search
charm, Bing now powers an aggregated
search system from the web, your files,
SkyDrive and elsewhere. Leblond says:
"We think this will really change the way
you interact with the Web and with
Windows making it quicker and easier to
get things done. It is the modern version of
the command line! Results from local files,
apps, and settings are easily accessed in
the same convenient view by scrolling to
the left."
In the Desktop, the Search charm now
overlays a Search pane on the desktop
rather than chucking you over to the Start
screen. More evidence that Microsoft is
'refining the blend' between desktop and
Modern apps.
5. Enhanced apps
New app enhancements are also coming
to all the built-in apps like Mail and Xbox
Music, while there are new apps for food
and fitness and there is a 'modern'
version of Office that's set to launch.
The Photos app now has some new
editing features that let you quickly edit or
adjust photos when you view them in the
Photos app or open them from other
places like the Mail, SkyDrive, and Camera
apps - you can now create Photosynth
panoramas directly within the app.
Windows 8.1 Photos app loses
Facebook and Flickr support
Mail includes some clever extra options
for filtering mails, while there's also a
Reading List to gather links from Internet
Explorer. The Photos app now has a lot
more editing options.
6. More snap views
If, like us, you use Windows 8 a lot, you'll
have been frustrated by the lack of 50:50
split snap views. This is the game-
changer for Windows 8 apps. "You will
have more ways to see multiple apps on
the screen at the same time," says
Leblond. "You can resize apps to any size
you want, share the screen between two
apps, or have up to three apps on each
screen if you have a multiple displays
connected, you can have different
Windows Store apps running on all the
displays at the same time and the Start
Screen can stay open on one monitor
(yes!).
This is one of the fundamental changes in
Windows 8.1 and makes multi-tasking
and multi-monitor use a lot easier. Also in
Windows 8.1, you can have multiple
windows of the same app snapped
together - such as two Internet Explorer
windows." We're really looking forward to
that.
7. An enhanced Windows Store
The Windows Store gets a new look in
Windows 8.1, designed to make it easier
for you to find new and interesting apps.
Instead of having to guess what the
featured apps at the front of the Store do,
a carousel flips through large images and
descriptions of each of the six featured
apps in turn (swipe down if you don't want
to wait for it to flip).
What's new in the Windows 8.1 Store?
App updates will now install automatically
in the background as they come through
the Store. And search is available in the
upper right hand corner for finding the
apps you want. Leblond elaborates: "The
improved Windows Store is designed to
show more info than before in Windows 8
with detailed lists of top free apps, new
releases, and picks for you on the
homepage. The app listing is more
descriptive and informative and includes
an area for related apps to help with app
discovery."
8. Save direct to SkyDrive, plus offline
files
In Windows 8.1 your files can be saved
directly to SkyDrive - it's completely
integrated into the OS. The SkyDrive app
has also got a new update so that files are
available even when offline - as in the
desktop version.
There's no longer a separate desktop
interface for picking folders to sync.
9. You no longer need the desktop Control
Panel
The updated PC Settings in Windows 8.1
gives you access to all your settings on
your device without having to go to the
Control Panel on the desktop. "You can do
things like change your display resolution,
set power options, see the make and
model of my PC, change the product key,
let me do Windows Update, and even join
a domain – all from PC Settings," says
Leblond. You can also manage SkyDrive
from PC Settings as well.
10. A new Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 11 will ship with
Windows 8.1. "IE11 will offer even better
touch performance, faster page load times
and several other new features we think
you will enjoy," says Leblond. "For
example, you can now adjust the
appearance of modern IE11 to always
show the address bar and you can have
as many open tabs as you like. And you
can access your open tabs in sync across
your other Windows 8.1 devices."
11. Better with a mouse and keyboard
For devices without touch, Windows 8.1
features a number of improvements for
easier navigation using a mouse and
keyboard. "PCs today are evolving for a
world of mobile computing where people
interact with their devices through touch,
and we designed Windows 8 for this,"
explains Leblond. "But we also recognize
there are many non-touch devices in use
today - especially in the commercial
setting."
12. A change to the Start 'tip' and the
Start button
You've already heard about this one, right?
Leblond adds that there are also options
to change what the corners do, and
options to boot into alternate screens: "For
example, if you prefer to see the Apps
view versus all the tiles, you can choose
to have the Start screen go directly to
Apps view."
Here's a picture of the new Start button on
the desktop.
13. Improvements to the Desktop and All
programs
Your tiles will overlay over your desktop
background when you access the Start
screen from the desktop, while you can
now swipe up from the Start screen to
access your All programs view. This really
is a game changer.
14. Changing app switching
You can now also change the settings for
the hot corners and App switching, so you
can prevent the Charm bar or app
switching bar from appearing if you don't
want them to.
15. Changes to Windows Explorer
File libraries no longer show up in
Explorer automatically, even though
they're still the way you put media into the
Xbox Music and Video apps and the first
place Mail looks when you add
attachments.
To avoid filling all the storage on a tablet
with a small drive, all you get by default is
the Documents and Pictures folders from
your SkyDrive.
You can see your other folders and the
names of all the files in them and when
you click on a file Windows 8.1
automatically pulls it down from SkyDrive
and caches it offline and syncs changes
to it.
When you right-click on folders in Explorer
the option to add them to a library is still
on the context menu, but if you want to
find and work with them in Explorer you
have to turn them back on in the
navigation pane. Instead you see This PC
where you're used to seeing Computer,
along with SkyDrive which is installed as
part of Windows (in both 8.1 and Windows
RT 8.1) and syncs some of your files
automatically.
16. Native 3D printing support
Windows 8.1 also includes baked-in
support for 3D printing . It's still niche, of
course, but it's an interesting
development.
Here are our earlier Windows 8.1 rumors
Windows 8.1 release date
The final Windows Blue release date is
late 2013, while there will also be some
new Windows Blue hardware.
In a post on the official Windows blog
early in May, Tamy Reller, Microsoft's
chief marketing office and chief financial
officer, confirmed what we already knew -
the update will be available "later this
year", and certainly by Christmas.
Reller went on to say that the update will
provide "more options for businesses, and
give consumers more options for work
and play". Microsoft now has more than
70,000 Metro/Windows 8-style apps in the
Windows Store.
Reller later confirmed the Windows 8.1
name during a conference call with J.P.
Morgan, where plans for the operating
system were discussed.
Quite how the upcoming preview release
will work in practice remains to be seen,
but you might not be able to install it
straight into an existing Windows 8 install.
If you happen to be one of the small
number of users who have a Windows RT
device like Surface RT, we're sure you'll
be thrilled to know that the Windows 8.1
update will also be coming to your device.
Microsoft: emphasis on Start Screen
shackled Windows 8
There aren't likely to be too many massive
surprises from Blue, which our writer Kate
Solomon says "we feel a bit guilty for
passing off as a minor Windows update"
now that we've seen plenty of Windows
Blue screenshots .
Windows Blue is actually Windows 8.1
Windows Blue, we now know for sure that
Windows Blue will not be the software's
official name . Shame. Instead Windows
Blue is just the internal name for the
software.
Windows Blue will officially be deemed
Windows 8.1, first revealed in early April.
Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet's All About
Microsoft blog said the original Windows
8.1 tip came from a reliable source and
screenshots of the About Windows screen
also appeared on Twitter - see below.
In stores, the update will still be called
simply Windows 8 - that means Microsoft
isn't about to start naming its incremental
OS refreshes like Apple does (like OS X
10.8 Mountain Lion ). But it does indicate
a new attitude to the type of software
updates that it has previously called
Service Packs.
One thing we definitely would say, it's
unlikely that Windows Blue will mean the
merging of Windows 8 and with Windows
Phone 8 into a single product .
Windows 8.1 Start menu
There has been a lot of speculation over
whether Windows 8.1 will actually
introduce a Start Button and on May 30
we saw a preview of what the brand new
button will look like, thanks to Paul
Thurrott at Windows SuperSite.
However, we'd like to point out a big
caveat with this screenshot - the new
button shown by Thurrott looks awfully
like Stardock's Start button replacement
tool Start8 . Will we actually get a Start
button in Windows 8.1?
Credit: Windows SuperSite
New Windows 8 apps
As well as the operating system itself,
Microsoft is apparently building some new
Windows 8 apps, looking at new ways to
run apps side-by-side on smaller-
screened devices without needing hefty
black-box-level resolution. That's in
addition to the March updates for standard
Windows 8 apps.
Blue is also bringing in new Snap Views
so you can share your screen 50:50
between different apps rather than the
current 70:30, including across multiple
monitors.
As expected, Microsoft is upping the Sky
Drive integration, with some new treats
like auto-camera uploads and more back-
up options, as well as tab sync which will
see your tabs mirrored across devices.
The grabs also reveal the inclusion of IE11
but not much detail on the next iteration of
browser beyond that.
And for the personalisation fans, the grabs
show a quick and easy menu of options
for customising your desktop background
and other design elements
Windows Blue desktop
Could Windows Blue enable users to boot
straight to the desktop? Some rumours
think so . You can't boot straight to the
desktop in Windows 8, though you can
resume to it.
Some coden supposedly includes an
option that disables the start screen so
users would jump straight to the desktop
layout - known as
"CanSuppressStartScreen".
Certainly there are no plans to ditch the
desktop any time soon. In an interview
with TechRadar, Windows Product
Manager Ian Moulster was candid about
the desktop's important role in Windows.
"To be honest I don't have an answer
because I don't know. I'm loathe to
speculate. It seems highly unlikely to me. I
haven't seen anything either way. I'd be
surprised, but that's my personal view."
"I think it's a continuation of us always
building on what's there. Windows 8 is
built on Windows 7 and starts from where
Windows 7 stops, and I don't think there
will be a change to that approach. We'd be
crazy to throw anything away.
"But what form that takes we'll have to
wait and see I suppose. I think we have
said that we'll be releasing updates more
frequently, but precisely what that means I
don't know. There's the apps as well,
we've released plenty of updates to our
apps."
Windows Blue sync
It seems that more features will be
synchronized between PCs and your user
account with Windows Blue. It looks like
this will extend to the Start screen as well
as device associations and Internet
Explorer tabs.
Further Windows development
According to a February 15 job posting on
the Microsoft Careers site, the software
giant is seeking an engineer to join its
Windows Core Experience Team.
That part of the operation will be working
on improving the centrepiece of the new
Windows UI, including the start screen,
application lifecycle, windowing and
personalisation, according to the post.
This seems to suggest that Windows Blue
will bring more than a few tweaks under
the bonnet and offer tangible visual
enhancements to the Windows 8 software.
Indeed, the post mentions Windows Blue
by name and says the updates will look to
"build on and improve Windows 8" as time
goes on.
An excerpt reads: "We're looking for an
excellent, experienced SDET to join the
Core Experience team in Windows
Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The Core
Experience features are the centerpiece of
the new Windows UI, representing most of
what customers touch and see in the OS,
including: the start screen; application
lifecycle; windowing; and personalization.
Windows Blue promises to build and
improve upon these aspects of the OS ,
enhancing ease of use and the overall
user experience on devices and PCs
worldwide."
Windows Blue will extend to other
platforms
It is also thought that Windows Blue
updates will be extended to multiple
Microsoft platforms, including Windows
server, the mobile OS Windows Phone 8
and applications like SkyDrive and
Outlook.com.
Indeed, another post on Microsoft's job
site mentions Windows Phone Blue by
name, so that is definitely on the horizon.
The plan from Microsoft's point of view is
reportedly to move towards a more regular
update pace, rather than the three year
gap that separated Windows 7 and
Windows 8, with little improvements in
between.
Apple has enjoyed great success in this
arena, gradually adding new strings to the
bow of Mac OS X every year, through its
feline-themed updates.

iPhone 6 release date, news and rumours

Everything we've heard so far about
iPhone 6
The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have been
announced. So what does that mean for
the iPhone 6?
Well, we'll tell you. Or, at least, we'll tell
you what we can glean from rumor and
speculation - some reliable, some not so
much.
iOS 7: Apple's new look for iPhone and
iPad
Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G
onwards, there's always been a half-step
S model before the next numbered iPhone
- so it was no surprise the 5S was first
and so we're looking at 2014 for a new
iPhone 6.
One thing is for sure, with potential
refreshes of such super handsets as the
Samsung Galaxy S4 , Sony Xperia Z and
HTC One, the next iPhone will have to
seriously up its game.
iPhone 6 release date
The iPhone 6 release date will be in 2014.
It will follow the iPhone 5S which will be
released at the end of this week..
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek says that
there will be a June 2014 release for the
iPhone 6. We reckon it will be later than
that, around a year after the 5S. Citi's Glen
Yeung also believes that we won't see an
iPhone 6 until 2014, although that's no big
leap.
Interestingly, in May 2013 Stuff reported it
received a photo of the till system at a
Vodafone UK store (which it has since
removed along with the reference to
Vodafone), with '4G iPhone 6' listed.
So could we see both an iPhone 5S and
iPhone 6 in quick succession? Some
reports suggest a new 5S in the late part
of the year before a revamped iPhone 6
very early in 2014.
iPhone 6 casing
It's been suggested that there could even
be three size variants of the new iPhone -
check out these mocked up images by
artist Peter Zigich. He calls the handsets
iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL
(these look rather like the iPhone 5C
variant though). However, as ZDNet rightly
points ou t, different size variants aren't
exactly easy to just magic out of thin air.
The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC
About time too. Well, that's what
iDownloadblog reckons , quoting Jefferies
analyst Peter Misek. Many Android phones
now boast NFC and Apple appears to have
been happy to be left behind here.
See our video below on what Apple needs
to do to slay Samsung's Galaxy S4
The iPhone 6 will run iOS 8
With iOS 7 heading out of the traps now,
who's betting against the next iPhone
coming with iOS 8?
We'd expect a September or October
release date for iOS 8 in line with previous
releases.
iPhone 6 storage
We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why
not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a
fortune, but high-spending early adopters
love this stuff.
iPhone 6 home button
According to Business Insider , of the many
iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one
has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a
"new form factor with no home button.
Gesture control is also possibly included".
It will surely include Apple's new Touch ID
finger print tech though?
iPhone 6 screen
The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display, would
have a 1080p Full HD resolution. It's also
been widely reported that Apple could
introduce two handset sizes as it seeks to
compete with the plethora of Android
devices now on the market.
Take this one with a pinch of salt, because
China Times isn't always right: it reckons
the codename iPhone Math, which may be
a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a
4.8-inch display. The same report
suggests that Apple will release multiple
handsets throughout the year over and
above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems
a bit far-fetched to us.
Patents show that Apple has been thinking
about magical morphing technology that
can hide sensors and even cameras . Will
it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also says he
believes the new iPhone will have a bigger
screen. Different sizes also seem rather
likely to us - the word on the street after
WWDC 2013 was that there would be 4.7
and 5.7-inch versions.
More rumors in September 2013 point to a
six-inch display, but this seems a little
large to us.
iPhone 6 processor
Not a huge surprise, this one: the next
processor one will be a quad-core A8 or
an evolved A7. The big sell here is more
power with better efficiency, which should
help battery life.
iPhone 6 camera
Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony
before, and this year we're going to see a
new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up
less room without compromising image
quality.
An Apple patent, uncovered by Apple
Insider in May 2013, shows a system
where an iPhone can remotely control
other illuminating devices - extra flashes.
It would work in a similar manner to that
seen in professional photography studios.
Interesting stuff.
iPhone 6 eye tracking
One thing seems certain - Apple can't
ignore the massive movement towards
eye-tracking tech from other vendors,
especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in
that Apple will deliver some kind of motion
tech within the next iPhone, probably from
uMoove .
iPhone 6 wireless charging
Wireless charging still isn't mainstream.
Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech
reports that Apple has filed a patent for
efficient wireless charging, but then again
Apple has filed patents for pretty much
anything imaginable.
The tasty bit of this particular patent is
that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one
device, but multiple ones. Here are more
details on the iPhone 6 wireless charging
patent.
Meanwhile, a further Apple patent seems
to imply that future iPhones will be able to
adjust volume as you move them away
from your ear.
And could the iPhone 6 really have 3D?
It's unlikely, but the rumours keep on
coming .

Apple iPhone 5S Touch ID: 5 Ways To Unlock Your iPhone That Don't Involve Using Fingertips

Curious Apple iPhone 5S users have
found new ways to use Touch ID,
including using your toes.
With the release of the new Apple
iPhone 5S comes much fanfare and
attention, particularly with a new
feature on the iPhone 5S called "Touch
ID." This new fingerprint sensor, which
is embedded directly in the iPhone 5S
home button, has been touted by Apple
as a one of the best and most unique
ways to secure an iPhone. But do you
necessarily need to use a finger to
accomplish that goal? Apple iPhone users
across the world have discovered that
not only do you not necessarily need to
use a finger with the iPhone 5S Touch ID
sensor, but other bodily extremities work
with the Touch ID sensor as well.
Toes
Toes are among one of the more obvious
ways to unlock your phone. Should you
ever find yourself unable to reach your
phone with your hands, but with your
feet, it may be a decent idea to have one
of your toes programmed to the Touch ID
sensor for the off chance you might need
to unlock your phone in a pinch.
However, it’s also smart to program the
phone with a clean foot, or at least
thoroughly cleaning off the Touch ID
sensor after programming it with your
toe, unless you like the smell of feet on
your shiny new Apple iPhone 5S.
Pro: You can take hands free to another
level.
Con: This is probably not the most
hygienic option, and stepping on a
phone is rarely a good idea.
Nose
Using one's nose in Touch ID is actually
one of the better ideas Apple iPhone 5S
users have come up with since its
release. When the first iPhone was
released by Apple in 2007, users in
colder climates quickly found that taking
gloves on and off to unlock their
capacitive touchscreen was such a
hassle. Creative iPhone users quickly
found that the nose worked just as well
on the capacitive touchscreen, saving
their digits from being exposed to the
freezing cold. Fortunately that same
concept also applies to the iPhone 5S
Touch ID sensor as well.
Pro: Your fingers can stay warm when
you want to unlock your iPhone 5S.
Con: You’ll probably look very weird
unlocking your iPhone like this in public.
Paws
Nobody said the bodily extremities used
on the Touch ID sensor on the Apple
iPhone 5S had to be attached to a human
body. In videos released by several users
on YouTube, they found that the iPhone
5S Touch ID sensor works surprisingly
well with cat paws.
Pro: If your cat is intuitive enough, it can
unlock your iPhone for you.
Con: If your cat is really that smart,
you’ll probably be disputing several
credit card charges for extra “Candy
Crush” tickets or cat related apps
authorized by Touch ID.
Nipple
In addition to human digits, the iPhone
5S Touch ID sensor can apparently
identify the imprint of a human nipple.
If you haven’t pressed play on the video
above, don’t worry, it’s safe for work
(SFW). Japanese news blog Rocket News
24 tested this out in a video released on
YouTube after the iPhone 5S was
released.
Pro: It’s another way to unlock your
iPhone 5S.
Con: Stuffing your hand and iPhone
down your shirt may draw a bit of
unwanted attention.
Just the Tip (of a certain male extremity)
While we haven’t looked for a video that
confirms this, apparently this might
actually be possible. Some Twitter users
and YouTube commenters have
reportedly claimed that it is possible to
register a penis in Touch ID to unlock an
Apple iPhone 5S. As for video
confirmation, you’ll have to do that
research on your own time.
Confirmed: You can add your penis as
an authorized appendage to log into
your iPhone 5s. This actually works.
— Roxor McPwnage (@gruesgripes)
September 20, 2013
Pro: This option adds one more way to
unlock your iPhone 5S, albeit a
disgusting option.
Con: Unlocking your iPhone 5S is
probably not going to be a valid excuse
to the police when you’re arrested for
indecent exposure if this method does
actually work.
Let us know what other bodily
appendages work with the Apple iPhone
5S Touch ID sensor in the comments
below.

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie Release Date Coming

A Comprehensive
Rundown Of What We Know So
Far
Here's everything we know so far about
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.
With Android 4.3 Jelly Bean now on the
market, many have set their sights
toward the next iteration of Android
operating system. After early rumors
were put to rest in a sort of bait-and-
switch, Android fans and once again
anticipating the release of “Android 5.0
Key Lime Pie.”
One Year of Jelly Bean
It has been a year since Android has
seen a major system update. In June
2012, Google introduced Android 4.1
Jelly Bean, which took the place of the
2011 flagship OS Android 4.0 Ice Cream
Sandwich. Android 4.1 first shipped on
the original Nexus 7 tablet and brought
such new and improved features as a
more streamlined interface, expanded
notifications, resizable widgets, new
camera gestures, Google Now and offline
voice dictation.
Since then, we have seen two minor Jelly
Bean updates hit the market. Android
4.2 launched in November 2012 on the
Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet
bringing such improvements as lock
screen widgets, added features to Google
Now, Photo Sphere and Multiple User
Profiles. Android 4.3 recently released
in July on the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet and
introduced Bluetooth Low Energy,
restricted user profiles for tablets and
improved gaming and graphics among
other features.But Android fans are still anxious for

something truly new and exciting from

Google, especially since many expected to

see Android 5.0 release earlier in

2013. Tid bits of information about the

system update circulated as early as fall

2012, but hopes were quickly dashed in

late April when rumors suddenly

switched to proposing Android 4.3 as the next Google operating system just prior to the Google I/O Conference. The update was ultimately unveiled and released in July.

Android 5.0 Reemerges

Despite the “bait-and-switch,” Android

5.0 Key Lime Pie never really went

away. The operating system was even

present at Google I/O in the form of

Easter eggs within presentations at the

conference. During one seminar, a

graphic slide featured an Android robot

wearing a tophat and eating a slice of

key lime pie. Later, a rudimentary

fighting game featuring several

characters described as a Cthulhu

monster called Biteyboro, whose

“powers” include Chrome, Jelly Bean and

Key Lime Pie was presented. Google

notably made no mention of an Android

system number (5.0); however, many

have considered that at least we know

the conglomerate has the Key Lime Pie

name in mind.

Since then, news about Android 5.0 Key

Lime Pie and its release date, while sill

scarce, have been building momentum.

First, Korean publication Daum proposed

in early July that we Google would

introduce Android 5.0 and a new Nexus

smartphone in October. Around this

time, a number of benchmarks,

supposedly testing various devices

running Android 5.0 surfaced; however,

they have all been dismissed as fake.

Next, Taylor Wimberly of Android and

Me proposed in early August that

Motorola will deliver a Nexus device in

the fourth quarter, which occurs

between October and December. Many

have considered that Wimberly and

Daum’s reports may coincide. Also

around this time, Android 5.0 reportedly

surfaced within Google’s Chromium bug

tracker in the form of an Android build,

KRS36B, which was being tested for the

Nexus 7 tablet and the Nexus 4

smartphone. Many noted the use of the

letter K for the build number, which has

been connected to “Key Lime Pie” and

Google’s tradition of naming its

operating systems after sweets and

desserts.

Android 5.0 Release Date

Thus far, most believe Android 5.0 Key

Lime Pie will release in October if not,

by the end of the year. We have become

accustomed to seeing an Android OS

release in the summer and fall. With the

recent launch of Android 4.3 it appears

Google continues to adhere to its

tradition.

Android 5.0 Features

News about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie

feature remains scarce at the moment

but that could be because Android 4.3 is

still in the spotlight. Currently, one of the

most credible rumors come from the

Wall Street Journal, which proposed that

Android 5.0 will do away with high-end

specs requirements in order for devices

to update, which would mean a wider

range of device would be able to run the

system. That is particularly good news

considering one early rumor suggested

that many devices running a dual-core

processor would be incompatible with

Android 5.0.

Other rumors have suggested that we

may see Android 5.0 run on other

gadgets, such as a rumored Nexus Q

smartwatch and a game console as well

as more practical electronics such as

dishwashers, refrigerators, and washing

machines.

Android 5.0 Name

Android has been on the number 4 since

2011 with the introduction of Android

4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Many

remember how Google jumped right

from Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the tablet

specific operating system to Android 4.0,

the first Google system compatible with

both smartphone and tablets. Fans have

been anxious for a while for a system

update that would not only change the

number sequence but also usher in a

new era of Android operating system.

Android 5.0 has been anticipated as

early as 2012, prior to the release of

Android 4.1.

The code name Key Lime Pie has been

around since 2012 as well, having

replaced suggestions of “Kandy Kane,”

which surfaced not long after the the

release of Android 4.1. Key Lime Pie has

been commonly accepted, even by

Google as was previously mentioned,

though it is not yet official. The K build

in the Chromium bug tracker is another

clue of Google’s plans by way of names,

and that it does plan to continue its

alphabetical dessert tradition.

Android 5.0 Devices

With the 2013 Nexus 7 now on the

market, we have seen some interesting

proposals for what Google has in store by

way of its upcoming devices. Many are

expecting a new smartphone as the

Nexus 4 approaches one year on the

market; and have proposed that the

device will be called the Nexus 5. In

addition to Taylor Wimberly’s

suggestion, other reports propose the

Nexus 5 may be made by either LG or

Motorola; however, most have their

money on Motorola. In addition, reports

suggest that Google will release a 2013

Nexus 10 tablet to be made by either

Asus or Samsung. Whatever device is

released, we can be sure it will run a

new version of Android, which could

very well be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

Verdict?

Despite the lack of concrete evidence of

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, many are

certain it is on its way. Considering how

Android 4.3 popped up suddenly in late

April and was on the market just two

months later in late July; we may not

have to wait long before the rumor mill

starts churning out some solid

information about Android 5.0.

21 brilliant iOS 7 tips and tricks

The little things in the new mobile OS that
make the big difference
iOS 7 tips and tricks 1-10
The jury may still be out on iOS 7's
radical redesign - for what it's worth we
love it, with a few reservations - but
there's no denying that it's the friendliest
version and most powerful of iOS yet.But
there's more to iOS 7 than headline
features such as Control Center, Airdrop
and iTunes Radio: some of our favourite
improvements are little things that make
our everyday lives that little bit more
pleasant. These are our favourites - let us
know yours in the comments.Check out
our iOS 7 review for the full lowdown!
1. Camera: shoot in burst mode
The redesigned Camera app has a nifty
trick up its sleeve: if you want to shoot in
burst mode, taking multiple shots in quick
succession, just click and hold the
volume-up button.
2. Multitasking: quit multiple apps
You probably know that you can quit
running apps by double-tapping the Home
button and flicking the offending app
upwards, but you might not have tried it
with multiple fingers to force-quit more
than one app at a time. We've made it
work with three apps on our iPhone,
although doing the same on an iPad
means getting your nose involved too.
3. Notifications: begone!
When you receive a new notification, you
can still swipe right to open the
appropriate app - but if you just want rid
of it you can now swipe up to hide it.
4. All new balancing act
iOS 7 is bad news for novelty app
developers: not only has the Control
Center killed the market for flashlight apps,
but Compass has done the same for spirit
level apps too.
If you launch the app you'll see the
familiar dots at the bottom of the screen
that indicate there's a second screen:
swipe it and you'll see a spirit level for all
your checking-things-are-flat needs.
5. Phone, FaceTime and Messages: block
contacts
Does someone have your number and you
wish they didn't? Successfully avoid exes,
creditors and the angry husbands and
wives of your lovers with iOS 7's excellent
blocking features. Add the number to your
Contacts, scroll down to the bottom of the
screen and tap Block This Caller to refuse
incoming calls, messages (including SMS
and MMS) and FaceTime calls.
6. Messages: see the timestamps
iOS 7 likes to keep things nice and
minimalist, but if key information isn't
visible there's a good chance it's just a
swipe away - so for example in Messages,
you won't see timestamps against each
SMS, MMS or iMessage. Want to know
when they were sent? Swipe left.
7. Apps: swipe backwards
This little tip is a handy time-saver: when
you're finished reading an email or
message, or fiddling with Settings, or
exploring a Music playlist, swipe
backwards to return to the previous page.
If you're at the first level (such as your list
of mailboxes in Mail, or the first Settings
screen) nothing will happen.
8. Location Services: see where you've
been
iOS 7 keeps an eye on where you go to
help it personalise features such as the
Notification Center, and to help improve
the accuracy of Maps. If you fancy a look
you'll find it in Settings > Privacy >
Location Services > System Services >
Frequent Locations. You'll see a list and a
map, with blue circles showing where
you've been and when. You can clear the
history from this page, and if you think it's
a little creepy you can turn it off from the
System Services page.
9. Newsstand: put it away!
We like Newsstand, but we don't like the
way it can't be stuck in a folder like
Apple's other stock apps. Hallelujah for
iOS 7, then, because at last that absurd
restriction has been removed.
10 . Settings: make iOS 7 easier on the
eye
We like the new interface, but it isn't for
everyone. If you have problems with your
sight or just want to make iOS more
legible, you'll find some useful settings in
Settings > General > Accessibility. You can
make all system text bold, increase the
size of text in apps that support Apple's
Dynamic Type, scale down motion effects
such as the parallax effect or invert the
colours to make iOS 7 look like a 1980s
electro-pop album cover.
11 more handy iOS 7 tips
11. Sounds: get some new tones
iOS 7's library of sounds (Settings >
Sounds > Sounds and vibration patterns)
has been given a regular update, and
Apple says they're so good you might
miss calls because you're dancing. That,
frankly, isn't very likely.
12. AutoFill: let Safari input your details
Feeling trustworthy? Safari can
automatically fill out web forms using your
Contact info, previous names and
passwords, and credit card details, should
you so wish. You can toggle these AutoFill
options individually from Settings > Safari
> Passwords > AutoFill.
13. Siri: now reads your emails
Siri makes light work of not only listing
emails in your inbox, but also reading
them out to you. Hold down the Home
button and say, "Read my emails" and Siri
will give you sender, time and date sent,
and the subject of each in turn. When
asked if you want it to read out your mail,
just say "Yes".
14. Apps: one folder to rule them all
Unlike previous versions of iOS, there's no
limit to the number of apps you can file
away in a single folder. Now you can
simply pile icons onto each other to your
heart's content. Finally, an end to the
Games 1, Games 2, Games 3 (ad
nauseum) home screen debacle.
15. Motion: reducing sickness
iOS 7 likes to advertise its existence to
you with all manner of motions,
animations and alerts. If all the hullabaloo
is leaving you slightly queasy, put a
dampener on things by selecting Settings
> General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion
> Off.
16. Notification Centre: not on my lock
screen
Notification Centre got a visual overhaul in
the latest version of iOS, offering a neat
snapshot of your appointments and
message snippets accessible from the lock
screen. But not everyone wants their
itinerary on show to all and sundry.
Happily you can turn off this overview
from Settings > Notification Centre, using
the sliders listed under - you guessed it -
'Access on Lock Screen'.
17. Compass: invoke the spirit
The compass is a mainstay of iOS, but
has been redesigned to look less 'Forstall'
and more 'Ive'. That's not all though, as a
quick swipe left in the app reveals: a spirit
level now accompanies the navigational
tool, ensuring future DIY jobs should be a
little less skewed.
18. Maps: walk or drive everywhere
Maps still has its downsides, but it's
useful for the most part - more so now
that you can choose a default mode of
travel. If you're more rambler than driver
and want to avoid having to define your
directions as such, simply tap to Settings
> Maps and select Walking under Preferred
Directions.
19. App Store: Near Me
A new tab in the App Store app called Near
Me automatically lists the most popular
apps in your general location. That might
sound a bit gimmicky, but we found it
useful when visiting towns and cities for
the first time, when it turned up local
transport and tourist information apps.
20. Apps: Background App Refresh
iOS 7 introduces the ability to selectively
control which apps are allowed to refresh
their content while you're getting on with
other business. When battery life is at a
premium, turn off any offenders by going
to Settings > General > Background App
Refresh.
21. Apps: Automatic Updates
iOS can now update your apps
automatically. That's great as long as a)
you have an unlimited data plan, and b)
your favourite app's functionality doesn't
get mangled with some poorly advised
revisions. Control this function either way
by going to Settings > iTunes and App
Store and sliding the Updates option under
Automatic Downloads.