Windows 9 planned for April 2015 release

Weve heard some rumors about Windows "Threshold" which is planned to unify at least two of the three major versions of Windows - Phone, RT, and # (7, 8, etc.). Now, Microsoft super-newsman Paul Thurrott is saying that Threshold will officially be called Windows 9, and it is planned for release in April of 2015. Unfortunately, its unclear if Microsoft knows about these plans.

Thurrott says that this coming April at the BUILD 2014 developers conference, Microsoft is planning to announce details of Windows 9, and that Windows 9 is planned to be released in April of 2015. Rumors have said that Windows 9 will include the return of the Start menu, as well as options to run Metro apps on the desktop. Of course, the big news as far as our readership is concerned is the potential merging of Windows Phone and Windows RT.

The trouble is that Microsoft may not be aware of these plans, because InfoWorld is reporting that Microsoft hasnt actually started coding Windows 9 yet. It took Microsoft six years after Windows XP to release Vista, two years after Vista to release Windows 7, and three years after Windows 7 to release Windows 8. If it is true that Microsoft hasnt started work, it could be cutting it close if April 2015 is really the aim. PhoneArena

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Free up RAM on your Nokia via RAMblow Pro

RAMblow aims to maintain a healthy amount of available memory, or RAM, to help running the phone smooth for a long time. The application provides automated memory management, as well as manualtermination of running programs. The memory boost feature can blow RAM up to amounts never before seen.

RAMblow is very simple to use, just let it run in the background, and you will never again find your phone lacking memory. By its advanced memory management functions RAMblow can serve up to 50 MB free memory after prolonged use on popular phones, e. g. the Nokia N97 and 5800.
RAMblow is quite essential on phones notoriously low on memory, like the Nokia N97 and many older Symbian phones. In addition, RAMblow is useful on all other phones as well, by preventing unwanted background activity, optimizing the use of shared resources, and providing fast and reliable long-term use of the phone.

Major features:
- Unattended and manual management of running applications.
- Maintaining a healthy amount of free available memory for smooth operation of the phone.
- Memory optimization for executing large programs.
- Automatic memory cleanup after set idle time.
- Examination and manual closing of unwanted programs.
- Reporting the results of memory cleanup.
- Compatible with all Symbian S60 3rd and 5th edition smartphones by Nokia, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson.

Changelog:
- Enhanced cleanup and memory optimizer engine.
- New option to prevent exiting by system.
- New option to switch off messages during automatic cleanup.
- Various bug-fixes and additional optimizations.

Click below to download

http://www.mediafire.com/?ug71nsyvdy3ki63

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We’re Just Shocked That It Took This Long For Someone To Create Beer Flavored Jelly Beans

Beer is here.

The big news in candy land is that JellyBelly has a new beer-flavored jelly bean. Which sure, is news, but only because we can’t believe it took this long. Because we Americans, when we like something, like cheese or bacon or beer? We just love bending it to our will and turning it into new foods. So beer candy? Yep, about time.

The company says it took some thinking to settle on which exact kind of beer to build a flavor on, finally deciding on a Hefeweizen-inspired ale flavor for its Draft Beer Jelly Belly jelly beans.

The new flavor as unleashed at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this week and ISM in Cologne, Germany.

So why the wait, Jelly Belly or any other company that would decide to take on beer and candy? The company says they didn’t want to mess anything up for the rest of us.

“This took about three years to perfect,” says Ambrose Lee, research and development manager for Jelly Belly Candy Company. “The recipe includes top secret ingredients, but I can tell you it contains no alcohol.”

Instead, the “effervescent and crisp flavor is packed in a golden jelly bean with an iridescent finish.” So it tastes like beer, with a mildly bready aroma and a flavor profile that might remind you of beer, but it’s safe for anyone of any age to eat.

“Anyone who enjoys a good, cold beer will enjoy Draft Beer Jelly Belly beans for the simple fact that it tastes just as you’d imagine,” says Rob Swaigen, vice president of marketing for Jelly Belly Candy Company.

Except for the cold and liquidy and actual beer part, but hey, that’s what beer is for.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

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ZTE to unveil Open C and Open 2 Firefox OS smartphones

The ZTE Open was released in 2013 as the Chinese company’s first handset to run Firefox OS - Mozilla’s own operating system. Now we know that the device will get at least two successors later this year.

Today at CES, while revealing a partnership with Panasonic to put Firefox OS on some of the latter’s next generation smart TVs, Mozilla also announced that it had new smartphones prepared for 2014. Reportedly, ZTE will create “a new Firefox OS line”, including high-end and dual-core handsets. The Firefox OS phones currently on the market - starting with ZTE’s Open - are all low-end, cheap devices, so it’s a bit surprising to hear that Mozilla is planning to attack other market segments.

Two of the upcoming ZTE Firefox OS smartphones will be called Open C and Open II. Sadly, Mozilla did not provide further details, so for now we don’t know when, where and how the new handsets will be released.

Another announcement that Mozilla made was related to tablets. The company launched a contribution program aimed at helping it to "deliver Firefox OS to tablets." Contributors will be provided with access to resources and reference hardware (tablets made by Foxconn). PhoneArena , mozilla.org

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iBall Slide 7236 2G voice calling Android 4 2 tablet launched at Rs 7 499

iBall has expanded its Slide tablet portfolio with the launch of the Slide 7236 2G for the Indian market. The tablet is now listed at Rs. 7,499 on companys website.

The iBall Slide 7236 2G tablet comes with dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) support with voice-calling and dual standby. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and features a 7-inch WVGA (800x480 pixels) display. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A7 processor (unspecified chipset) alongside 512MB of RAM.

The new Slide tablet sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, while there is a VGA front-facing camera also onboard. It includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 32GB with microSD card. The tablet packs a 2500mAh battery. Connectivity options on the tablet include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, EDGE and GPRS. Notably, the iBall Slide 7236 2G tablet does not support 3G network connectivity.

Recently, iBall launched the Slide 3G 7271 HD7 tablet at Rs. 8,999. The iBall Slide 3G 7271 HD7 tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. It comes with dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) support with voice-calling and dual standby features. The Slide 3G 7271 HD7 tablet comes with a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. It is powered by 1.3GHz dual-core Cortex A7 processor (unspecified chipset) alongside 512MB of RAM.

The Slide 3G 7271 HD7 tablet sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, while there is also a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera onboard. It includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 32GB with microSD card. The tablet packs a 3000mAh battery. Connectivity options on the tablet include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, GPS/AGPS and 3G.

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Sennheiser Headphones HD215

My Sennheiser eH2200 headphones of almost 10 years broke down on me. Due to Mayennes rough handling of the detachable cable jack, one side of the headset lost its signal. The headphones was the main reference source for my audio mixing all these years. The ear cushions have been changed several times at the Sennheiser service centre, and the headphones quality have never degraded all these years.

I had eyed on the HD215 for quite a while already. My criteria of choosing headphones is: the EQ must be flat, so that my audio mixing can be unbiased. So I shunned all the models that boast "a better bass response". Another reason for choosing HD215 is that one side of the headset can be swiveled away for one-ear monitoring, which I do very often.

Some first impressions when I tried on the HD215 for the first time after I unpacked: its heavier than eH2200. Wearing it for long hours is a little more tiring and my ears get more sweaty than my old set. The frequency response is totally different from the eH2200. The eH2200 high frequency has always sounded unnatural to me and the bass less "fulfilling". The HD215 has more natural-sounding bass but now the mid-range is overpowering the rest.

What I really like about the HD215 is that I can literally hear more of the music. It sounds more defined and directional (i.e. "soundstaging"). Despite a stronger mid-range, my ears can pick up the entire frequency range as compared to the eH2200. There was no loss of details as I previously experienced on the eH2200.

I am extremely happy with my new purchase, which comes with a soft casing to keep my new prize from Mayennes view. The eH2200 is still wired to my mixer, a decoy for her to continue playing with it. Who knows, she might end up a better musician than I am.


Chester is a composer to over 100 published works under the Warner Music album series, "Piano Spa". With some luck, you can still find them at HMV and That CD Shop with the unmistakable 2-CD-long packaging. Follow his trails on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/musicdiary/

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Smart fridge among over 100 000 devices hacked to send out spam

A fridge was among more than 100,000 devices hacked by cyber criminals to send out spam emails - in what may be the first proven cyberattack on household "smart" appliances, researchers say.

The global attack campaign involved more than 750,000 malicious email communications coming from more than 100,000 everyday consumer gadgets such as home-networking routers, connected multi-media centres, televisions and at least one refrigerator that had been compromised and used as a platform to launch attacks, researchers said.

Personal computers can be unknowingly compromised to form robot-like "botnets" that can be used to launch large-scale cyberattacks.

Scientists at California-based security group, Proofpoint, found that cyber criminals have begun to commandeer home routers, smart appliances and other components of the Internet of Things(IoT) and transform them into "thingbots" to carry out the same type of malicious activity.

The attack that Proofpoint observed and profiled occurred between December 23, 2013 and January 6, 2014, and featured waves of malicious email, typically sent in bursts of 100,000, three times per day, targeting Enterprises and individuals worldwide.

More than 25 percent of the volume was sent by things that were not conventional laptops, desktop computers or mobile devices; instead, the emails were sent by everyday consumer gadgets such as compromised home-networking routers, connected multi-media centres, televisions and at least one refrigerator.

No more than 10 emails were initiated from any single IP address, making the attack difficult to block based on location - and in many cases, the devices had not been subject to a sophisticated compromise.

Instead, misconfiguration and the use of default passwords left the devices completely exposed on public networks, available for takeover and use.

"Bot-nets are already a major security concern and the emergence of thingbots may make the situation much worse," said David Knight, General Manager of Proofpoints Information Security division.

"Many of these devices are poorly protected at best and consumers have virtually no way to detect or fix infections when they do occur," Knight said.

The Internet of Things includes every device that is connected to the internet - from home automation products including smart thermostats, security cameras, refrigerators, microwaves, home entertainment devices like TVs, gaming consoles to smart retail shelves that know when they need replenishing and industrial machinery.

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Tests Confirm High Level Of Possible Carcinogen In Pepsi Products

(Paxton Holley)

As recently as last summer, Pepsi was called out for continuing to use a controversial caramel coloring — one that is labeled a possible carcinogen and whose use is regulated in California — in spite of calls for an end to its use. New tests from our coworkers at Consumer Reports confirm that Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi One all contain significantly high levels of the ingredient.

The coloring agent has the mouthful name of 4-methylimidazole but is also known by 4-MEI. Under California law, beverages containing more than 29 micrograms of 4-MEI must come with a warning label.

CR tested various sodas, purchased in both California and New York, over two periods of time.

The first round of testing was done between April and September of 2013. During that time period, the California Pepsi drinks all showed high levels of 4-MEI with both Diet Pepsi and Pepsi One showing levels above the 29 microgram threshold.

For the New York Pepsi drinks tested during the April-September period, the 4-MEI levels were much, much higher. Tests on Pepsi in NY found 174.4 micrograms of the chemical. Diet Pepsi test turned up 182.7 micrograms, while Pepsi One had the highest level — 195.3 micrograms.

Testing again in December showed that the California Pepsi drinks were still hovering around the 29 microgram line. In that test, Diet Pepsi was below the threshold, but now regular Pepsi had surpassed it.

When CR tested the New York versions of these drinks again in December 2013, both Pepsi and Diet Pepsi had notably lower levels of 4-MEI, about in line with what had been found in California. However, the Pepsi One test still showed a significant level of 4-MEI — 160.8 micrograms.

Given that Pepsi can’t seem to consistently get its products under the 29 microgram line, Consumer Reports has asked the California Attorney General’s office to investigate to determine if the company is in violation of state law.

Pepsi’s explanation for the high levels of 4-MEI is typical corporate nonsense. From the CR article:

After we informed PepsiCo of our test results, the company issued a statement that said that Proposition 65 is based on per day exposure and not exposure per can. It also cited government consumption data that shows that the average amount of diet soda consumed by people who drink it is 100 milliliters per day, or less than a third of a 12-ounce can. For that reason, they believe that Pepsi One does not require cancer-risk warning labels—even if the amount of 4-MEI in a single can exceeds 29 micrograms.

Who in the world is only drinking 100 milliliters of diet soda a day? Most diet cola drinkers I know have recycling bins full of empties and consume the stuff compulsively.

In a statement to the L.A. Times, the company expressed some concern but was defensive, making a vague accusation about CR’s testing.

“We are extremely concerned about Consumer Reports’ allegation that one of our products exceeds the Prop. 65 standard and requires a warning label,” said Pepsi. “We believe their conclusion is factually incorrect and reflects a serious misunderstanding of Prop. 65’s requirements.”

Comparing Pepsi 4-MEI levels to its competitors, most of the other tested beverages were well below the 29 microgram threshold, regardless of location. For example, only around 4 micrograms of 4-MEI was found in Coke purchased on both coasts. Likewise, Coke Zero and Diet Coke turned up even lower levels and showed no real difference between samples from California or New York.

Tests on A&W Root Beer came in just below the 29 microgram level, but showed no difference in 4-MEI levels between California and New York samples.

If you really hunger for 4-MEI, Malta Goya showed through-the-roof levels of the chemical in all samples, regardless of location. The most recent tests found 316.1 micrograms of the chemical in California and 307.5 in New York.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

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Sony Xperia SP Xperia T Xperia TX and Xperia V to get Android 4 3 update in January

The owners of Sony Xperia SP, Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V will soon receive the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS update, according to Sonys official announcement.

The information came from Sony Mobile News Twitter account, which confirms the update to reach the mentioned handsets by the end of January or in early February. "We hear you re: JB 4.3 for Xperia T, TX, V, SP - were making final preps & will start rolling from end Jan / early Feb," states the Tweet.

These four mid-range smartphones by Sony will be jumping directly from Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS to 4.3, missing out the 4.2 OS version.

The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update will hit different countries, regions and carriers by different times. It will bring some new features and tweaks to the handsets, including the Bluetooth Smart Ready, Dial-Pad Autocomplete, restricted profiles and few more features, the details of which can be seen here.

Last month Sony also rolled out the 4.3 Jelly Bean OS to its premium handset models - Sony Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra.

Some of the changes included in 4.3 Jelly Bean for the above two phones were UI optimisation for Project Butter performance; redesigned native apps (messaging, MyXperia, Smart Connect, Small apps, TrackID, Sony Select among others) and Sonys media apps (Walkman, Album and Movies) are now integrated with a more intuitive UI, offering access to both local and cloud content.

Sony Xperia News has further tweeted that the firm is currently rolling out Android 4.2 Jelly Bean SO version to its Xperia L handsets. The updates would bring certain performance, camera improvements and some home screen UI changes. Details can be seen here.

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President Obama To Call For Reforms To NSA Phone Surveillance

(Adam Gerard)

President Obama is expected to call for reforms to the NSA’s phone surveillance programs in a speech later today, according to reports.

The NSA’s collection of phone metadata has been highly controversial since it first gained public attention in 2013. The data includes records from all telecom providers of what calls are made, to what numbers, and now long they last. Although it does not record the content of every phone call, intelligence agencies can put together robust profiles of individuals, communities, and networks of association from the metadata alone.

Reports from Reuters, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal indicate that the planned NSA reform will restrict the collection of this phone-related data and will change where and how that information is stored, and by whom it can be accessed.

President Obama will announce in his speech that the bulk metadata collected by the NSA should not be held by the government, but instead should reside in a third-party database. A judicial order will be required before the NSA can query that database for information.

The structure and location of this third-party database are yet to be determined; the President will ask Congress, intelligence agencies, and Attorney General Eric Holder to come up with a proposal by March 28.

In December, a US District Court judge held that the NSA’s phone surveillance program did not violate existing laws, but that whether and how the program should exist was up to the legislative and executive branches to resolve.

Over the past few months, the NSA has turned out to be pretty much everywhere. Not only is the agency listening in to phones, but it’s also got eyes and ears in electronics, in video games, and in data centers.

by Kate Cox via Consumerist

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PlayStation 4 Camera review

TechRadar rating

3.5/5

For

• Works as advertised
• The Playroom is amusing
• Voice commands work well
• Compact and attractive

Against

• Few games use it
• No gesture controls
• Minimal voice commands
• Face recognition more trouble than its worth

An extra purchase with no purpose

Sony put its adoring PlayStation fans in a tough spot when it chose to make the PlayStation Camera an optional accessory for the PS4.

Sure, it kept the cost of the console $100 cheaper than the Xbox One. That entices buyers and has earned the PS4 plenty of positive buzz from the media and players alike.

But now that the new Sony console is finally out, youre faced with a dilemma: to buy the PlayStation Camera or not?

No matter which way you look at it, thats not an easy question to answer, even for the most hardcore PlayStation fan.

The PlayStation Camera is $59.99 - thats not chump change. In fact, its the cost of an extra controller, which can be the difference between having fun with a friend or playing by yourself.

And PS3 owners probably remember how little they used their PlayStation Eye cameras.

But if no one buys the PlayStation Camera now, then developers wont bother to implement it in their games, and the accessory will stagnate on store shelves until the next gimmick arrives.

No, its not an easy decision. So after playing with the PlayStation Camera over the weekend, we decided to break it down for you.

Design

Luckily for those who decide they just cant live without it, the PlayStation Camera is a sleek little accessory.
Its an unassuming black rectangular cube with two visible camera lenses and multiple other sensors, including microphones. But despite its odd segmented form the PS Camera doesnt look busy or awkward, like the PS3s PlayStation Eye camera or even the Xbox 360s Kinect.

Its also much smaller than the Xbox Ones new Kinect sensor.

The only marking on the new PlayStation Camera is a small "PS" logo on one side, where no one will ever see it. In fact, most people will probably never notice it sitting by your TV.

It should fit nicely into most players entertainment systems, whether on its own or with the officially licensed (but not officially included) PS Camera clip.

The clip may be worth it if your living room setup doesnt have any room for the small Camera. It features a minuscule nub and a sticky pad that allow it to snap easily and securely to the bottom of the Camera, and three firm but adjustable segments that let it wrap around a TVs upper edge.

This should allow the clip to work with most living room setups. And between the old and new Kinects, the Wii/Wii Us sensor bar, the PS3 Eye, and the new PlayStation Camera, power gamers environments are getting far too cluttered with cameras, so elevating one might be necessary or at least more aesthetically pleasing.

And even if the PS4 Camera is up high it will see your space with ease; it doesnt mechanically tilt on its own, like the old Xbox 360 Kinect would, but it can be rotated independently from the clip so that you can tilt it up or down to suit your setup.

Once the PlayStation Camera is plugged into the back of your PS4 youll probably forget that its there - until it comes time to use it, that is.

Interface

Its not a secret that the PlayStation Camera is not nearly as advanced as the Xbox Ones new Kinect sensor.

But it does provide some of the same functionality for the PS4, albeit in a far more limited capacity.

When you log into the PS4 for the first time the console will check whether you have a PlayStation Camera and ask whether you want to run face recognition setup. It will tell you to brighten the room and sit a certain distance away from the Camera, and then away you go.

The Camera is quite good at detecting faces, even with multiple people in the room. Once its had a look around it asks you to point out for it which face is yours, and then youre run through a one-time program that will help the system recognize your face automatically later on.

Youre asked to follow along with an on-screen box as it tilts and rotates, moving your head so that the PS4 Camera can view your visage from multiple angles. Its painless and once its done you wont have to do it again.

That said, if you do run the setup program again from the settings menu it will add to the face data for your profile, not replace it, so that it can recognize you with even more accuracy.

The PlayStation Camera wont automatically recognize everyone who walks by like the Xbox One Kinect does, but it does recognize you on start-up if the PS4 is not set to automatically log in one user.

When thats the case, the system asks you to choose a profile when you turn it on. But if facial recognition is on and the Camera detects anyone it knows, it will enlarge the image it sees and ask the person who wishes to log in to hold up a PS4 controller under his or her chin.

Its unfortunate that the PlayStation Camera cant simply log users in automatically when it recognizes them, and to be honest its a lot easier to simply select your profile manually, even with multiple users in the room.
Anyway, after the log-in process the PlayStation Camera can recognize a few rudimentary voice commands.

From the home screen, you can say "PlayStation, start" to open the selected application, "PlayStation, log in" to change profiles, "PlayStation, take screenshot," "PlayStation, back to game" if youve already opened a game, or "PlayStation, power" to access controls that let you turn the console off or put it into standby mode. When in an app or game you can say "PlayStation, home screen" to go back to the dashboard.

These commands work pretty consistently. Unless the TV volume is up too loud or others in the room are speaking, the PlayStation Camera will almost always recognize your words.

That said, most of those actions can be carried out just as easily, if not more easily, using a controller. Taking a screenshot is just a matter of holding the Share button on the DualShock 4 controller.

At this point there are no gesture controls, so the minimal voice commands and face recognition are all the PlayStation Camera gives you at a system level. Thats a shame, since the Camera seems to be quite good at detecting players movements.

Games

The PlayStation Camera seems to be about on par with the original Xbox 360 Kinect in terms of recognizing players movements. Granted, thats just based on a single game, and its a game that was designed to use the PlayStation Camera in the first place: The Playroom.

The Playroom is included on every PS4 by default. This is where Sonys decision-making gets foggy; was The Playroom always meant to be a pack-in, from a time when the Camera would have been as well? Or did Sony decide to include the game on every system in order to entice more early PS4 buyers to purchase the PS Camera as well?

Either way, The Playroom should have been included with the PlayStation Camera, not the PS4 itself, if anything.

Its not even really a game; its more a tech demo. It has five functions, only three of which are actually interactive. Of those, only one is really a game, and its entertaining for about five minutes tops.

The Playroom has two setup applications that show off some of the new PS4 controllers functions, including its light bar, touchpad, rumble feedback motors, motion controls, and speaker, and help you configure your room so the Camera gets the optimal view.

Beyond that, two applications let you play with virtual robots and a final one is a quirky version of two-player Pong.

AR Bots is easily the most entertaining of these. Swiping up on the controllers touchpad causes small robots to jump out of it. The TV shows an image of your living room, which you can populate with the hapless little buggers.

People in the room can then flail their limbs around, kicking and punching the robots as theyre hurled around the screen.

Pressing the touchpad in (it clicks like a button) vacuums the bots back into the controller. You can join them with a downward swipe on the touchpad; the inside of the controller looks strangely like the inside of a controller, and you can jostle the little guys around by tilting the gamepad.

Once in a while, a giant rubber duck comes out of the controller instead of a robot. Its not clear why.

The other robot-centric application, Play With Asobi, is less entertaining. A cute droid named Asobi flits around your head, reacting to your "touch" with a variety of facial expressions and motions.

Punching Asobi will make it angry, and it often responds by zapping your head with electricity, frying it with a laser, or freezing it in place. Yes, the PlayStation Camera is good at recognizing faces. We get it!

Finally, the Pong game is just that. It requires two controllers and the PlayStation Camera, or in other words over $120 of additional accessories that dont come with the console.

Both players control their paddles using the gamepads touchscreen, and tilting the controller warps the play area accordingly. You wont be showing this off to your friends.

The Playroom is cute - especially the AR Bots application.

But is it worth buying a PlayStation Camera for? Absolutely not.
So what is?

The only other game that makes any extensive use of the PlayStation Camera at this time is Just Dance 2014, and thats not a good sign.

Keep in mind there are a full two dozen PS4 launch games (including The Playroom). And Just Dance 2014 is available on multiple platforms.

And as if that wasnt bad enough, the Camera isnt even required to play Just Dance 2014 on the PS4. PS3 owners can just use the old PS Move controllers they may or may not have lying around.
So The Playroom is amusing but shallow, and Just Dance 2014 is relatively niche and doesnt even technically require the Camera. Anything else?

Actually, NBA 2K14 will reportedly give you a penalty for swearing if you yell out a curse word during a game when the PlayStation Camera is plugged in, according to this Reddit thread.
But is that something you even want happening? We think not.

We liked

The PS Camera is more than functional; it actually works quite well when it comes to recognizing users faces and voice commands. Telling the PS4 vocally to turn off or perform other functions can sometimes be more convenient than pressing buttons.

In fact, from whats currently available to test it seems to be more accurate at detecting players and recognizing voice commands than even the Xbox 360s Kinect was.

In addition, The Playroom provided some solid entertainment, however short-lived. It appears the device has some potential.

We disliked -- Verdict

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Android 4 4 Kit Kat All Informations and News

Google has launched a new version of its mobile operating system after announcing the logo and name few weeks ago in a movement to generate publicity. Android 4.4 gets official Kit Kat. The reason that Key Lime Pie is not apparently call that dessert, typically American, was not well known outside its borders, opposite the famous bars of Nestlé.

In this section we will list the phones that have official update according to its makers.

• Nexus 5 (of series)
• Nexus 4
• Nexus 7
• Nexus 10
• HTC Google One Edition
• HTC One
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 and 5.8
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
• Motorola X
• Motorola DROID Ultra Maxx and Mini

Functionality

There will be slight variations on how the system is used. For example, to add a widget to leave we hold an empty space on the desktop as it was in older versions of Android, not being available either by the list of applications.

This list of applications is also made simpler, showing only the applications tab above or any link to the Google Play Store.

One of the most interesting and unexpected improvements will be to record what happens on screen natively, just as we were doing so far with pictures. So, what we record is stored in an MP4 file that can be sent.

Connections and added sensors

Google already had support for NFC in earlier versions of Android but has opted for the 4.4 mejorarlo.Intentará emulate physical cards from the terminal in a push to consolidate technology that neither they nor Apple seem to end with Passport to implement.

On the other hand there is an implementation in settings new features:

• Payments : to use Google Wallet to more comfortable and safer.
• Printing : to try to bring the mobile to one of the few times of use that were not the protagonists.
• Wireless Display : to reproduce what we see in our mobile on an external display as standard.
• IR : there are already phones that can run android remote control Android 4.4 but will implement standard.

Full backup

One of the improvements that we have not heard until recently that makes us able to make a backup of all our device in the cloud. This is similar to what you have iPhone with iCloud and based on Google Drive.100 GB capacity would have to make our copies.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Lite Android 4 2 tablet price revealed

Samsung recently launched the much-awaited Galaxy Tab3 Lite tablet; however the company has not revealed the pricing of the tablet. Now, the launch price of the tablet has been revealed thanks to an online listing in Russia.

Hi-Tech Mail spotted the new Galaxy Tab3 Lites listing first at Svyaznoy, which is Russias second largest independent handset retailer. According to the site, the 8GB Wi-Fi-only model of the Galaxy Tab3 Lite tablet is listed at 6,490 Russian roubles which translates to roughly Rs. 11,900, while the 8GB 3G model is listed at 9,990 Russian roubles (roughly Rs. 18,200). Unfortunately, there is no word on the pricing and availability of the Galaxy Tab3 Lite tablet for the Indian market.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Lite tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box with Samsung TouchWiz UI on top. It features a 7-inch WSVGA (1024x600 pixels) display.

Notably, the Galaxy Tab3 Lite tablet comes in two variants, Wi-Fi and 3G; however there is no word on voice-calling support via the SIM. The tablet is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset) alongside 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB with the help of microSD card.

The Galaxy Tab3 Lite sports a 2-megapixel rear camera, while there is no front-facing camera. The rear camera also comes with features like Smile Shot, which automatically shoots when smile is detected; Shoot and Share that allows users to share images, and Panorama Shot that offers wide-angle view of a landscape.

Connectivity options on the tablet include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, GPS/ AGPS, GLONASS and 3G (SIM support). The Galaxy Tab3 Lite packs a 3600mAh battery which the company claims can deliver up to eight hours of video playback. Some of the preloaded apps on the tablet include Chrome, Gmail, Google+, Maps, Play Books, Play Movies, Play Music, Play Store, Hangouts, YouTube, Samsung Apps, Samsung Hub, ChatON, Dropbox, Polaris Office, and Flipboard. The Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Lite comes with 193.4x116.4x9.7mm dimensions and weighs 310 grams.

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LG G Pro 2 Could Be Released In March Ahead Of The G3

LG made some big moves in 2013. After partnering with Google for the Nexus 4 in the fall of 2012, they followed up with the Optimus G Pro in April and the G2 in September of last year. The curved G Flex was released in November, too. The Korean company wants to make some big moves and challenge the big dogs and they’re on the right track to make that happen. In 2014, we could be looking at a handful more high-end smartphones from LG.

According to Korean site Naver , LG may be prepping the follow-up to the Optimus G Pro for release as early as March. We had previously heard that this new phablet might be called the GX. The LG G Pro 2 would be a perfect fit for a March release, and it would fit with LG’s release schedule this year. Like Samsung, LG released a flagship device in the spring and another in the fall. In LG’s case, their spring release was a phablet device, with the slightly smaller G2 being released later in the year. Unfortunately, we don’t have any details about the G Pro 2 other than this Korean analyst thinking it will be unveiled in Q1 of this year.

We have heard some rumors about the upcoming LG G3, which is expected to be announced in the second half of this year. The G3 will be the follow-up to the G2 and should come with a Quad HD 1440 x 2560 resolution display. We’re also hearing that it will pack a 16-megapixel rear camera and an all new octa-core processor that LG is building themselves. If last year’s pattern holds true, the G Pro 2 will have similar specs. If LG doesn’t have their new chipset ready in time, they may opt for a Snapdragon 800 or maybe an 805. Last year’s Optimus G Pro runs on a Snapdragon 600 SoC, so any one of those would be a step up. The new LG devices coming this year could also feature some kind of a flexible display based on the G Flex hardware.

A spring release would put the G Pro 2 head to head with the Samsung Galaxy S5, so we hope LG brings their A-game.

The post LG G Pro 2 Could Be Released In March Ahead Of The G3 appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/lg-g-pro-2-released-march-ahead-g3.html

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HTCs Peter Chou hands his duties over to the companies co founder

Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC has stepped back from some of his executive duties in order to focus his attention to product development. His duties have been handed over to Cher Wang – HTC’s co-founder and chairwoman.

The move is described as a temporary one. Ms. Wang has increased her involvement in day to day operations including sales, supplier relations, and marketing. The latter has been acknowledged as a weak link by the company.
Mr. Chou confirmed the changes in an interview with The Financial Times. He explained them with the need to focus more on innovation, as well as on developing the product portfolio.
It is no secret that HTC has been going through a difficult period which resulted in the Taiwanese manufacturer posting its first quarterly loss earlier this month. Peter Chou has been under a lot of criticism lately for the company’s far from great performance. GSMArena

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Updating iPhone 3GS to iOS 5

Over its useful product life, the iPhone 3GS experienced 2 major iOS updates, from the factory-released iOS 3 to the present iOS 5. I must say it is certainly the most value-for-money smartphone I have owned. I managed to update my phone within 12 hours of the release of iOS 5. Apart from difficulty in connecting to iCloud and iMessage, the update was smooth.

Heres a video that gives you a good summary of the list of features available on iOS 5.

Features that I like:

PC Free. You no longer need iTunes to get your iPhone started. iPhone will guide you through a few wizard steps to get your iPhone up and running without requiring you to plug your iPhone to a PC/Mac near you. As part of the PC-free experience, you will be able to update iOS firmware over the air without iTunes. You can also choose to sync your phone with iTunes over Wi-Fi. When enabled, your iPhone will automatically start syncing with your iTunes over Wi-Fi when your phone is plugged to charger and when your phone goes idle.

Operate While Sync. During iTunes Sync with USB, you can still operate the phone. You can still use iTunes to do what you are used to all these years. And you can get used to the ability to continue to operate the phone even during Sync operation.

Notification Center. The most important and possibly life-changing feature of iPhone, you can drag down the status bar to reveal the Notification Center where all your unread notifications appear. You no longer need to scan through all your apps to look for the red bubble and find out what you have missed.

Photos Management

• Camera button. The Up Volume button can now be used as a shutter button.
• Edit Photos. You can edit photos inside the Photos app.
• Create Album Folders. You can create album folders and add photos from other albums to them.

Content-management and PIM

• Twitter Integration. You can seamlessly share your content on Twitter without third-party apps.
• Reading List. You can save any web page as text-only format and read it later.
• Apps Usage Summary. You can see which apps use the most storage in your iPhone, and uninstall or clean-up the data.
• Email formatting. You can format your email text - bold, italics, underline, etc.
• Calendar view. You get a better experience using the calendar.

iCloud. Another major feature for iOS 5, iCloud offers every registered user a 5GB online storage which can be used to backup your iPhone data, to host your new iCloud PIM - email, contacts, calendar and tasks. Very much similar to Googles suite of PIM apps.

iMessage. Its a hybrid of WhatsApp and IM, which allows you to send multimedia messages over data network. iMessage detects your recipient and turns from the usual green bubble to blue bubble if he is also on iMessage. If you sent message to the recipients mobile number, only his iPhone will receive the message (like WhatsApp). If you sent message to the recipients email address, then all his iOS devices that are registered with the email address will receive the message (like IM).

What are some of the iOS 5 features absent in the 3GS model:

• Camera shortcut button. You cant start the camera from the lock screen.
• Reminder by Location. There is no option for you to set to remind based on location.
• Vibrate alert. You cant create your own custom vibrate pattern alert.
• Siri.

What are the known issues when updating 3GS with iOS 5? Based on peer feedback:

• Battery drains faster than previous OS, due to more Cloud activity.
• The phone runs with noticeable lag when opening some apps.
• The phone is generally less stable, but with app updates, this problem could go away over time.

If your current 3GS feels rather slow and unstable with the kind of usage load you are experiencing, perhaps you should consider upgrading to a new iPhone. If your phone is working fine and are wondering whether you should update the phone, then please read this blog again from the top. If you follow the iTunes instructions, you should be able to restore all your apps and settings in the new OS. Still, be prepared for any mishaps and backup all your valuable data before embarking this major software update.

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Pantech Vega Secret Note

Just yesterday, we got hold of some leaked photos of the upcoming Pantech Vega Note. That smartphone has become official today and we’re discovering that the stylus-enabled Pantech Vega Secret Note sports some rather intriguing features indeed.

It is unsurprising that the Pantech Vega Secret Note runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. However, it comes with a RAM size of 3 GB, which is not that common but is quite in line with its rival, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. And indeed, this device also sports an almost similar looking stylus which Pantech calls, unsurprisingly, the V Pen. The Vega Secret Note does sport a larger 5.9-inch display that still keeps the 1920×1080 Full HD resolution. It sports a 13 megapixel camera at the back and a 2 megapixel one on the front. It has 32 GB of storage but, quite surprisingly, also has USB host mode right off the bat, giving it access to external storage capacities of up to 2 TB.

Of course, the Pantech Vega Secret Note’s utterly long name would be useless without its special privacy and security features. As seems to be the fad these days, the Vega Secret Note has a fingerprint sensor on its rear. But aside from simply unlocking the device, it also serves as a way to reveal a hidden set of data such as phonebook entries, photos, videos, music, and others. The smartphone also some other interesting features such as LTE-A support, TV viewing via Korea’s DMB technology, and a custom tile-based homescreen launcher that looks quite similar to some other mobile operating system.

There is no information on date or carrier availability yet, but the Pantech Vega Secret Note is said to be priced at 900,000 won, or around $840. The smartphone also has a cover accessory that sports a small window where you can use the stylus to write notes on the smartphone, similar to what Samsung also has for its own stylus-enabled phablet.  AndroidCommunuity

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LG G Flex announced for 20 European countries with February launch

LG, soon after announcing that its curved G Flex smartphone will hit the US market by April, has now announced the release of the device in 20 European markets.

The South Korean handset manufacturer has announced that its LG G Flex smartphone will be available in major European markets (including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and UK among others) in February.

As of now, LGs much-hyped smartphone, the G Flex has only been available in markets like Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. Recently, the company announced the availability of the G Flex in US via partnership with mobile carriers AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Unfortunately, LG is yet to reveal the precise availability of the G Flex smartphone for the Indian market. Earlier, LG announced that the G Flex would be available in India starting February; however, there is no word on the pricing of the curved smartphone from LG.

(Also see: LG G Flex: First impressions)

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company said, "The introduction of the LG G Flex in Europe demonstrates our confidence in the global marketplace for a curved smartphone. As a premium smartphone, the G Flex will further establish LG as a brand that offers something unique for every consumer segment. This is a device that is guaranteed to start a conversation wherever it goes."

LG launched the G Flex in October last year with much fanfare, and it was rolled out only in South Korea initially.

The Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean-based G Flex features a 6-inch display and is powered by a quad-core 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. It features a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 2.1-megapixel rear camera. The G Flex is backed by a 3,500mAh battery, weighs 177 grams, and is 7.9mm at its thinnest, while being 8.7mm at its thickest.

LG has also included a new self-healing coating on the back cover, an elastic coating that supposedly has the ability to "recover from the daily wear-and-tear scratches and nicks that un-cased smartphones are likely to receive."

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