Samsung Galaxy S5 due by April maybe with iris scanner

The Korean companys next-generation flagship Android phone will be more distinctive than predecessors. Also coming: a smaller, more powerful Gear successor.

 

Samsung introduced the Galaxy TabPro, an Android tablet with a large 12.2-inch screen, at CES 2014.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) 

  Samsungs Galaxy S5 will be stylistically distinct from S3 and S4 predecessors, and the next-generation flagship Android phone could include an iris scanner when it ships in March or April, according to the companys mobile-products leader.

"Many people are fanatical about iris recognition technology... We are studying the possibility," said Young-hee Lee, executive vice president of marketing for Samsung mobiles division, in a Bloomberg News interview at the CES conference in Las Vegas published Thursday.

Iris scanners can identify a person based on patterns in the eye, and adding one would be a competitive response to the fingerprint scanner in Apples iPhone 5S and HTC One Max. For the iris scanner to be more than a gimmick, though, it would have to work effectively to avoid criticisms such as those leveled at the HTC One Maxs fingerprint authentication mechanism.

Samsung had planned to include a fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy Note 3, a phablet released in September, but backed off the idea because it wasnt reliable enough, sources have told CNET.

Related stories

• Samsung Galaxy NotePro kicks up productivity
• Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 gets Android 4.3, retro redesign (pictures)

The S5 should look different, too: "When we moved to S4 from S3, its partly true that consumers couldnt really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective, so the market reaction wasnt as big," Lee told Bloomberg. "For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, its about the display and the feel of the cover." 

The S5 will be released a year after the S4, in March or April, Lee said. At the same time, a successor to the Gear smartwatch will arrive thatll be less bulky and have more advanced features, according to Lee. Sources have told CNET that the Gear successor is due in March, including a higher-quality screen.
Lee also said a new Galaxy Note smartphone for higher-end customers will arrive in the second half of 2014.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/8301-35299_1-57616942/samsung-galaxy-s5-due-by-april-maybe-with-iris-scanner/#ixzz2q6d0BjWC

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AH Primetime What We Expect From Google and Android in 2014

2013 was a phenomenal year for Android. The phablet space absolutely exploded. LG and Samsung continue to battle head to head in the 5-inch display (and larger) arena. Google Glass progressed to the point that basically anyone with an extra $1500 can get in on the Explorer program. Android also is running on smartwatches and is powering several gaming platforms. Those trends will continue on the same path, but what can we really expect from Google and Android in 2014? Let’s take a look.

Starting with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, we’ll begin to see 2014 Android devices pop up. There will be a whole slew of new Android tablets and smartwatches running Android. There are several phones rumored to be announced around CES and Mobile World Congress in February, too. Smartphone manufacturers have moved to announcing big new phones at their own events. By skipping the noise of CES and MWC, manufacturers hope to keep all of the attention of a big announcement for themselves. This will undoubtedly continue in 2014, although we may see changes from Google themselves in how and where they announce new products and services. Almost all major device announcements will happen at OEM specific events throughout 2014.

Google I/O

Google I/O was the venue Google chose to announce the first Nexus 7 tablet, alongside the Nexus Q. Nexus device announcements have generally been scattered throughout the year, with Nexus smartphone announcements coming in the fall. I/O has usually been the place that Google chooses to announce new Android OS versions, although they rolled out Android 4.4 KitKat unceremoniously in October of 2013. I/O 2013 was not really about Android, but focused mainly on Chrome and Chrome OS. I expect that Google gets back to basics at I/O in 2014 and announces the next version of Android there. We’ll continue to see Android fragmentation decrease as Google moves more of Android’s core apps to the Play Store. Android OS updates will continue to be incremental, like the KitKat update. Android is reaching mature platform status and doesn’t need major overhauls like it did in its early days. What I hope to see is more convergence between Chrome, Chrome OS, and Android. Even products like Chromecast and Google TV would be more compelling to consumers if one were rolled into the other. We’ve been promised Chromecast support for the Google TV platform already, but it hasn’t officially happened yet.

Google Play Edition Devices

2013 brought with it the unveiling of a new category of Android devices: Google Play Edition smartphones and tablets. GPE phones from Samsung (S4) and HTC (One) were released earlier this year, and then surprise GPE devices in the form of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the LG G Pad 8.3 were dropped on the Play Store earlier this month. What this tells us is that Google and their OEM partners are listening to what consumers want. There is a small but loud contingent of Android users that want hardware options, but don’t want to deal with manufacturer skins. We want stock Android, and we are going to get it. These GPE variants of popular OEM handsets means that we can get the high-end hardware we want, running the flavor of Android we want. These GPE devices get updated more quickly than carrier branded devices, but the trade-off is higher up-front costs. In 2014, expect to see even more Google Play edition smartphones and tablets. Most flagship OEM devices will also be available with a GPE variant.

We’ll also see new Nexus smartphones and tablets, but the Nexus line will take on an even more developer-oriented focus. Google will offload more of its consumer-focused devices and features to Motorola, and steer the Nexus line more towards developers. The Nexus line basically seems like a way for Google to get OEMs to make devices for its employees, and the rest of us just happen to benefit. Regular consumers want ease-of-use, good battery life, and good cameras on their smartphones. The Moto X offers two of those three things. I think Google will finally figure out how to put an excellent camera on an Android smartphone this year. The Nexus 5 traded an excellent camera and really great battery life for lower cost. I expect that this year’s Nexus devices will continue the trend.

Beyond Smartphones And Tablets

The focus on wearables has definitely increased this year, and Android will be at the forefront of this in 2014. Samsung will build a better watch than the Galaxy Gear. Sony will iterate on their current offerings, as will Motorola. HTC and LG are expected to jump into the smartwatch game, too, all with Android-based options. Smartwatches are still working through some growing pains. 2014 should bring with it several really compelling watch options, instead of the limited, half-working watches available today. We will also see more NFC bracelets and rings that work as notification devices. A majority of these will pop up on Kickstarter, so be on the lookout if you’re in the market for one of those.

Google Glass is edging ever closer to a public release, but consumers are still wary of Glass. Lawmakers will struggle to figure out how to address the problem of wearing Glass while driving, and address privacy concerns as well.

Android-based cameras like the Samsung Galaxy Camera will fade into oblivion as smartphone cameras improve. We don’t want to carry multiple devices. OEMs, and Google, need to address the issue of sub-par camera experiences on their smartphones. The stock Android Camera app needs an overhaul as well, but Google may just leave this area to manufacturers and to its own Motorola division.

Mobile gaming on Android will improve, although stand-alone devices like the Ouya console will continue to struggle. Mobile gaming has had to adjust for touch screens and the lack of physical buttons. Most mobile games don’t lend themselves well to physical controllers. Handheld devices like the Nvidia Shield and Moga controllers will remain viable options for hardcore Android gamers, and will only get better as companies figure things out.

Android is even being built into cars.

Cost Factor

Overall, we’re going to see a continuing decrease in the cost of Android devices in 2014. Consumers are becoming wise to the tricks of major wireless carriers when it comes to device subsidies and contracts. No one wants to sign two years (or more) of their life away for a phone that will be out of date in 12-18 months. As Google continues to offer Nexus devices for less than $400, and Motorola reaches into new territories with the inexpensive Moto G, device costs will plummet. $400-500 for a high-end device will become the norm. Wireless carriers will buy into this because it means they won’t have to front the cost of phones for consumers anymore. There will still be options to purchase $199 Android smartphones with two-year contracts, but this will simply be one of several options instead of the only real choice. It’s already happening. Expect that trend to continue in 2014 as well.

Overall improvements to hardware with chipset optimizations and battery life improvements will continue, as we expect they would. Those aren’t necessarily specific to Android but the platform will certainly benefit. With a focus on decreasing costs to consumers, emerging markets, and wearable technology like Glass and smartwatches, 2014 is shaping up to be a big year for Android. What are you most excited about for Android in 2014?

The post AH Primetime: What We Expect From Google and Android in 2014 appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2013/12/ah-primetime-expect-google-android-2014.html

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Preparing students for the workplace Student Advantage is now available

At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, more than 2.6 million college students are expected to graduate faced with a highly competitive job market. According to a 2013 study by Harris Interactive and Chegg, fewer than two of five hiring managers find college students or recent graduates are prepared for a job in their chosen fields. It is clear that schools have an opportunity to both educate students and prepare them for a highly competitive global workforce.

According to a 2013 study by IDC, employers are looking for candidates that have 20 specific skills for high-growth, high-wage occupations. Coming in at number 3 on this list is proficiency with Microsoft Office, with proficiency with PowerPoint and Word specifically highlighted at #11 and #13 on the list. In fact, Microsoft Office skills were sought after five times more than any other productivity tools. Even Googles own job postings require competency with Microsoft Office tools.

Because Office is such a highly valued skillset with employers, students who use Office 365 will have the most up-to-date versions of the productivity tools they need to excel in the classroom and the workforce.

Student Advantage available worldwide

In October, we announced a new benefit called Student Advantage, making it easy for students to get access to the latest version of Microsoft Office and better prepare themselves for the tools used in modern day workplaces. Today, Student Advantage is available to more than 35,000 educational institutions worldwide.

All schools and universities that license Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty can now also provide access to Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost. Were already working with schools that have signed up for Student Advantage, including the Sao Paolo State Department of Education (SEE), which is providing access to Office 365 for over four million students.
To learn more about Student Advantage, visit http://office.com/education.

Schools and students give Office 365 high marks

Recently, one of North Americas largest school boards turned to Office 365 to provide more than 150,000 students and faculty with the latest Office tools. Because Office supports multiple operating systems and devices, Office 365 was a natural fit for the district. Well share more about this customer and their use of other Microsoft technologies later this week.

Approximately 97 percent of students using productivity software use Microsoft Office, and one such student is Kara Page. A college senior finishing a degree in biochemistry, Kara has been using Office since she was 13 and cant imagine making it through college without it. She is using OneNote to organize her thesis research, using Lync to connect with students in a class for which she serves as a teachers aide and saves hours of time by using advanced functions and graphing capabilities with Excel.

Even younger students are finding the value of Office. In October, 9-year-old Jomiloju Tunde-Oladipo of Nigeria became one of the youngest certified Microsoft Office Specialists. Jomiloju, who hopes to someday work in the technology industry, joins only a handful of other students ages 10 and below who have demonstrated such a level of proficiency with Microsoft Office tools. And according to the list of skills employers are looking for, wed say he already has a pretty good chance at fulfilling his dream.

The new Student Advantage benefit will help students like Kara and Jomiloju build the technical skills they will need once they graduate and enter the workforce. To learn more about how your school can benefit from this program, please visit: http://office.com/education.

See this article on the original site--->

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Lenovo S720 Pink User Manual Guide

Lenovo S720 Pink User Manual Guide - Lenovo S720 pink jealous of the wonder of fuzz color visible light, inquisitive about the theme of feminine beauty bright 4. 5 inch QHD screen hd-hyun, fantastic color bloom impress simply take 800 million pixels, three million pre-picturesque fantastic thing about knowledge self-timer dual-core computer hardware, a spread of exclusive, intimate care easier to use.

Lenovo S720 Pink User Manual Guide

Lenovo S720 Pink

General
2G Network	:	GSM 900 / 1800 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G Network	:	HSDPA 2100
SIM	:	Dual SIM (Mini-SIM)
Body
Dimensions	:	132.3 x 68.3 x 9.9 mm (5.21 x 2.69 x 0.39 in)
Weight	:	140 g (4.94 oz)
Display
Type	:	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size	:	540 x 960 pixels, 4.5 inches (~245 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch	:	Yes
Sound
Alert types	:	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker	:	Yes
3.5mm jack	:	Yes
Memory
Card slot	:	microSD, up to 32 GB
Internal	:	4 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM
Data
GPRS	:	Yes
EDGE	:	Yes
Speed	:	HSDPA, HSUPA
WLAN	:	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	:	Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
USB	:	Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera
Primary	:	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features	:	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
Video	:	Yes, 720p
Secondary	:	Yes, 1 MP
Features
OS	:	Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Chipset	:	MTK 6577
CPU	:	Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9
GPU	:	PowerVR SGX531
Sensors	:	Accelerometer, proximity
Messaging	:	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser	:	HTML
Radio	:	FM radio
GPS	:	Yes, with A-GPS support
Java	:	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors	:	Pink, White
		SNS integration
		MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
		MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player
		Organizer
		Image/video editor
		Document viewer
		Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk
		Voice memo/dial
		Predictive text input
		Battery
		Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery
Stand-by	:	No official data
Talk time	:	No official data

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YiFang Digital Unveils New Smartwatch And Wristband Pedometer At CES

As we have stated many times before, this year’s CES is all about the wearables. Just to add to that, here are some new wearable tech pieces to throw into the mix of what’s already been announced so far. A company called YiFang Digital has announced a few pieces of wearable technology that they will begin to offer this year as part of what they are calling their NextONE line of products. Currently there are four products they plan to release and offer that are considered wearable technology, but only two of them compete with the rest of the wearable tech that we’ve seen. The first is a Smartwatch(surprise, surprise) simply titled the NextONE smartwatch, and it’s running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It has Bluetooth 4.0 with low-energy consumption, so that’s how it will be able to communicate with your smartphone. It sports a 1.55 inch display with a resolution of 240×240 pixles, so while there’s not much room here for customization like were used to with Android, that is to be expected because it’s a tiny watch face, it is also similar in size to most of the comparable products already out there or that are in the works. It houses a 290mAh battery inside, which should give you up to 2 days of battery life before you need to give it a charge. When you compare it to some of the competition there are definitely some more flashy offerings, like the Galaxy Gear or the Pebble Steel, but who can argue with a $99 pricetag?

The second device is going to be a wristband Pedometer titled the NextONE Pedometer, and it will be a must have device for those of you that are health nuts, and are looking for a cheaper option in the way of tracking your steps and distance walked or ran. The NextONE Pedometer will track your distance walked or distance ran, as well as track how many calories you’ve burned during your activity. It also tracks the intensity of the activity that you’re doing, as well as lets you synchronize your data and share it to social networks. The NextONE Pedometer also uses Buetooth 4.0 or BLE(Bluetooth Low Energy) and will be priced at $39.99. Both the NextONE Smartwatch and the NextONE Pedometer will be available sometime in Q1 says YiFang Digital, so we should see these launch sometime next month or in March perhaps. Let us know what you think about the NextONE line of wearable devices in the comments.

The post YiFang Digital Unveils New Smartwatch And Wristband Pedometer At CES appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/yifang-digital-unveils-new-smartwatch-wristband-pedometer-ces.html

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TiVo Roamio Pro review

 

The good: The TiVo Roamio Pro is the companys most powerful DVR to date with six tuners; 450 hours of HD storage; a healthy selection of streaming video, music, and photo services; a best-in-class DVR experience; the capability to stream and download to iOS devices; and easy expansion to other rooms with TiVo Mini extenders.

The bad: Cable cutters and satellite subscribers will be disappointed that the Roamio Plus and Pro work with digital cable and Verizon Fios only. Only viewers in select Comcast markets can access their providers pay-per-view or VOD content. The price is steep: $600 plus $15 a month (or $500 for lifetime service). While there are plenty of available streaming options, key services like Amazon Prime and HBO Go are still 

 missing.

The bottom line: If youre willing to pay the premium price, TiVos do-it-all Roamio is the best cable DVR yet and an able whole-home TV solution.

For some time now, TiVo has been trying to become a whole-home entertainment solution. With the all-in-one TiVo Roamio Pro DVR, it has done just that.
Though I dont know that its wise to name a product after something that has an indelible relationship to a tragedy, the companys newest DVR goes hard-drive-to-hard-drive with Dishs Hopper with Sling, offering lots of tuners, tons of storage, and options for sending content to other rooms without buying additional DVRs. It also makes it easier to load up your mobile devices (at least, iOS ones for now) with recordings.

 The Roamio boxes further sweeten the on-demand video pot with a heavy dollop of online video options, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube, meaning you can jump to those services -- and search them -- without having to switch the input on your TV.

Unlike the Hopper, the new TiVo wont automatically skip ads or record every prime-time network show, but at least you can use it with your current cable service.

Of course, all this TV-viewing pleasure comes at a price -- or three prices, to be exact: the $200 baseline Roamio, the $400 Roamio Plus, and the $600 Roamio Pro. And -- as usual with TiVo -- youll still need to sign up for monthly or lifetime service, $14.99 or $499.99, respectively. (And youll still have your existing cable bill on top of that, unless you use the over-the-air antenna option available on the entry-level model.)
Still, for serious TV junkies, this is a DVR worth ponying up for.

(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)

The TiVo advantage

These days, digital video recorders arent anything special -- cable and satellite companies rent them to their customers for a few bucks a month, and said customers can time-shift their favorite programs to watch at their convenience. So, why invest in a TiVo? Basically, its the same reason youd pay extra for a Mac versus a Windows PC: for starters, that means a best-in-class user interface and ease of use.

Beyond the standard DVR features of pausing and rewinding live TV, TiVos got a wealth of less common (and better implemented) TV-recording features:
EPG: All digital cable and satellite boxes and DVRs offer an onscreen EPG (electronic programming guide), but TiVos steps it up a notch, with a degree of customization and configuration that most cable company DVRs dont offer.
The guide extends 14 days into the future, and it can be displayed as a standard grid or as a split-screen Live Guide, which breaks out several hours of program information from each channel on the right half of the screen. You also have access to a grid-style miniguide on the bottom of the screen, overlaid on top of what youre currently viewing.

(Credit: TiVo)

 
Season Pass: The TiVo Season Pass function lets you record every episode of a favorite show within the parameters you set. For instance, you can record every "CSI" episode on any channel and keep only the five most recent episodes, or you can record only the new (nonrerun) episodes in prime time, or both. This function has mostly been imitated by other DVRs, but TiVos Season Pass is generally more accurate and reliable than other cable DVR models, especially at delineating between new episodes and reruns, or adjusting if a show changes its time slot.

Wish List: The Wish List is just what it sounds like: you choose an actor, director, genre, or keyword, and TiVo will record any program that involves that keyword. Again, this feature is also available on other DVRs, but TiVos implementation still tends to be easier to use than other versions weve seen.
 
TiVo Suggestions: By default, TiVo also uses your TV downtime -- overnight, when youre at work, and so forth -- to record programs based on interests you express by using the thumbs-up and thumbs-down button on your remote. The more you vote on your viewing choices, the better your TiVo will become at finding similar, related programming, which it duly labels TiVo Suggestions. Some may object to this functionality as invasive or overkill -- which is why it can be easily turned off -- but for anyone who laments that theres never anything on TV, its worth trying.

Collections:TiVo assembles collections of TV shows and movies based on themes. For example, for fall season premieres, TiVo collected all the new and returning shows into two collections. With a couple -- and I mean a couple -- button presses, TiVo will schedule everything in the collections to record. No hunting around for specific times and start dates or anything, its all just set to record. And if youd like to customize the Collections, you can do that, too.

What to Watch Now:Ever turn on the TV and youre just not sure what you want to watch? Select What to Watch Now and youre given a thumbnail look at the top 20 most popular shows airing in that time slot. You can also filter it by Sports, Movies, and Kids. Similarly, channel guide information -- whether you use TiVos Live Guide or Grid Guide format -- can be filtered to help you quickly find what youre looking for. If, for example, you just want to see what movies are on, it will pull all the other channels out of your way so you can see what movies are currently showing.

Search:TiVos Search is awesome. It ties all of the content from streaming services and your TV schedule together. This allows you to get search results cross-referenced across all video sources, that is TV and online. So, if you search for a show -- say, "New Girl" -- youll get upcoming first-run and rerun episodes on TV, plus episode-by-episode lists (organized by season) of the shows on Netflix (and Amazon and Hulu Plus, if the shows in question are also available there).

(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)

What the Roamio offers
Performance is probably one of the biggest issues for a lot of TiVo users. When TiVo switched over to its HD interface for its 2010 Premiere DVR, doing anything with it -- from opening up the guide to navigating through recorded programs to accessing any of the extra services -- seemingly took forever in TV-surfing time. Not good for a product with a premium price tag.

With the later Premiere 4 and XL4 boxes, performance improved, but it still took a second or two to populate some screens, moving through the guide had the occasional delay, and launching apps or starting playback of a recording wasnt exactly snappy. The experience was not what I would consider painful, but there were certainly times of frustration.

The Roamio DVRs are completely new systems with faster processors, built to handle the demands of all of their features. TiVo claims performance is 1.5 to 2.5 times faster, averaging 1.7 times faster. And, in use, it is noticeably faster. That goes for navigation, launching apps, and everything else. Boot time, by the way, remains long. Maybe not as long as for the Premiere, but its still a wait. Fortunately, its been stable throughout a month of testing with no random reboots or freezing.

Multiroom viewing has long been an option for two or more network-connected TiVo units, Series 2 or newer. However, TiVo has spent the past couple of years adding features to its DVRs and extending its product line to make it truly a whole-home solution.

The introductions of the TiVo Stream and TiVo Mini were the first steps toward that goal. And now the Roamio takes everything up another notch.

(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)

Conflict resolution
TiVo released its first four-tuner DVRs in 2012, the Premiere 4 and Premiere XL4, and kept an updated two-tuner Premiere in the lineup as its entry-level DVR. Unfortunately, that base model was the only option if you wanted to use an antenna for OTA (over-the-air) TV.

As mentioned above, the Roamio lineup consists of three models: Roamio, Roamio Plus, and Roamio Pro. The base model continues to be the only one that can be used with an antenna or a CableCard (they cannot be used at the same time), whereas the Plus and Pro require a CableCard (digital cable and Verizon Fios only; it does not support analog cable, satellite, or AT&T U-verse). Now, though, the base Roamio can record four programs (again, ATSC or CableCard) at once while you watch a fifth recorded show. The Plus and Pro can record up to six shows at once with a multistream CableCard.

The extra tuners not only come in handy for dealing with conflicts (with programming and people), but can be used to stream live TV to TiVo Mini units on your network. But its not just the number of tuners or even storage that separates the models.

By comparison, the aforementioned Dish Hopper has three tuners, but one of them can record all four major networks simultaneously. Its the Hoppers ability to autoskip the commercials in those recordings that has focused the legal ire of those same networks -- including CNET owner CBS -- on Dish in a still-ongoing legal battle.

	Roamio	Roamio Plus	Roamio Pro
Simultaneous recordings	4	6	6
HD recording capacity (hours)	Up to 75	Up to 150	Up to 450
Ethernet	10/100	10/100/1000	10/100/1000
Built-in Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes
Built-in MoCA	Requires adapter	Yes	Yes
Stream to mobile devices	Requires TiVo Stream	Yes	Yes
ATSC support	Yes	No	No
CableCard support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price	$199.99	$399.99	$599.99

As you can see, these boxes arent cheap. And, as always, youre not just paying for the box, you have to sign up for monthly or lifetime service, $14.99 or $499.99, respectively. The Roamio does offer a lot in one box, though.

Holy $#!*, its got Wi-Fi
Yes, you can stop rubbing your eyes, you read the chart correctly. After years of making users buy USB Wi-Fi adapters (seemingly overpriced ones, at that) to get wireless Internet access, TiVo has finally built in 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Although the Wi-Fi cant be used for streaming between TiVo units because of bandwidth demands, it can be used for everything else -- from updating guide data to streaming Netflix to using TiVos iOS or Android app to control the box.

Read the rest of this post ---->

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iOS 7 1 update to fix random home screen crash issue

Some users of iOS 7 have been reporting a bug where the home screen randomly crashes, and for them, Apple said that a new version of the OS (presumably iOS 7.1 which in beta is being seeded to developers), will feature a fix for the issue. "We have a fix in an upcoming software update for a bug that can occasionally cause a home screen crash."

An Apple spokesperson made the statement to Mashable. The problem has been reported by users across the rank and file of the Apple diaspora. The bug causes random reboots of the screen, and depending on the colour of the iPhone, the home screen crashes and goes either white or goes completely black. iPhones running the iOS version 7 are susceptible to the crashes. Some phones have been reported to be affected if the battery percentage falls below 30.

Currently, Apple is testing the iOS 7.1 beta 4 version. It is rumoured to be released in March. The new version might include, according to speculations, a bolder text frame, darker background theme for the keyboard and help fix issues related to the memory and also the random reboots.

A recent survey even found that 79 percent of iPhone users visiting the iTunes store were using iOS 7. While exact data on the number of users experiencing these kind of death screens is not obtained yet, it could expose a very big chunk of the users vulnerable to the problem. Apple has kept that factor in mind, perhaps at top priority, given their brief release about the new iOS version

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