Samsung Stops Supplying Batteries To Apple

The feud between Apple and Samsung has led to a loss of battery sales. According to a new report inChina Business News Samsung has refused to supply Apple Macbook and iPad devices with its battery technology, instead forcing Apple to seek out new batteries from Chinese tech firms Amperex Technology Limited and Tianjin Lishen Battery.

The Samsung SDI division (the group responsible for battery manufacturing) is only the latest group at Samsung to turn away from Apple. Recently Samsung announced that it would stop providing Apple with displays for its tablet and smartphone device. Before the display pullout Samsung was Apple’s largest display partner. At the time Samsung said Apple’s stringent demands and unfair pricing practices made the relationship too difficult to maintain.

Apple has also been busily suing Samsung while countersuits have been filed. Samsung was recently ordered to pay Apple $1.1 billion in a forfeited US lawsuit.

In a recent conference call Apple CEO Tim Cook called Samsung a “crucial supply partner” but that crucial partnership is waning. For example, Apple has begun designing its own A-series processor, leaving Samsung to simply manufacture the new chipset rather than design all of its components.

The only reason Samsung does any business with Apple at this time appears to come down to scale. Samsung is the only partner Apple can find that is capable of manufacturing millions of components in a very short period of time.

Both company’s continue to work side-by-side because honestly they have no choice. Until other manufacturers build more facilities and train a massive number of new employees Apple simply can’t abandon Samsung. While Samsung would like nothing more to end all ties with Apple it also needs the business to keep its own staff employed.

Do you think the relationship between Samsung and Apple will soon drawn to a close?

Apple, Google And Microsoft In 2012

The three major players in our technology today, Apple, Google, and Microsoft have given us a lot to look at, think about, and own in 2012.  Here is a look back, a glance forward, and wrap up of where the companies are at.

Apple

Apple has lived through some big changes in its first full year without Steve Jobs at the helm.  The company has introduced the first 7” tablet in the iPad Mini, a concept that Jobs was against.  However, it has done reasonably well in its first few weeks on the market.

There is also the new iPhone 5 that was released to the public with plenty of excitement and hoopla.  Unfortunately, the issues with Apple Maps have dampened the enthusiasm to some extent.

Apple still leads the world of technology, but has lost some of its sense of direction.  It needs to get that back to remain the definitive leader of what consumers should want to own.

Google

Google arrived on the scene of the tablet market and has won numerous fans with its Nexus 7 this year.  It has also gained ground on Apple’s iPhone dominance with the new Samsung devices.  Google has gotten involved in almost every area of technology and has proven to be a worthy competitor.  It has also shown it can compete in software with Microsoft thanks to Google Docs.

Google hasn’t stopped with traditional technology but has been developing the concepts of Google Glasses and driverless cars to combine technology with everyday objects.

Microsoft

Microsoft has been in the background as the other companies battle it out on the mobile phone and tablet competition for some time.  However, it has decided that late is better than never to throw its hat in the ring.  And while there have been some criticisms of the new Surface, Microsoft’s first attempt at a tablet has been relatively successful in showing that the company can evolve.  The Windows Phone has also demonstrated that it can be competitive.

The competition is going to be fierce in the next few months and on into next year.  Google and Microsoft will be working to topple Apple’s reign while the leader will finding new ways to stay on top.  In the end, it’s the customers who benefit most from the competition with new and innovative products.

Ice Cream Sandwich now powers 25 percent of all Androids

The number of Andriod devices running version 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, has risen to 25.8 percent. According to data released every month by Google on the Android Developer site, 2.7 percent of all Android devices run the latest flavour of the Android operating system, Android v4.1 Jelly Bean. 

Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean are showing slow but steady growth in the rate of adoption. The number of Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich increased in October by almost two percent from September’s 23.7 percent, while Jelly Bean showed a growth of almost one percent from its September figure of 1.8 percent.

ICS slowly but surely eating up Gingerbread

As has been the case for a long time now, Android v2.3 Gingerbread is dominating the Android market with its 54.2 percent share. This has, however, fallen by more than one percentage point since September’s figure of 55.5 percent. 

The number of devices running Froyo hasn’t fallen as much as Gingerbread, though. Froyo is now at 12 percent, down from the September figure of 12.9 percent. All of these figures are based on the number of Android devices that have accessed Google Play over a 14-day period.

The slow growth in the number of Jelly Bean devices is not so surprising considering the low number of devices compatible with the operating system, but the snail’s pace at which Ice Cream Sandwich adoption is growing indicates how big a problem fragmentation is for the Android platform. Unlike Apple, there is too much of a variation in the hardware Android devices run on for manufacturers to simply push an update once Google makes it available. It also seems casual users aren’t too bothered with updating their devices either.

Apple’s latest operating system for its mobile and tablet devices, iOS 6, has shown quite some growth in its rate of adoption. According data compiled by Chitika Insights on the iOS 6 rate of adoption, barely six weeks after its launch, iOS 6 accounts for 61 percent of all iOS traffic in Canada and the US. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook also revealed at the iPad mini launch last month that between iPads, iPods, and iPhones, 200 million devices have upgraded to iOS 6 since its launch.

However, the sheer number of Android devices out there is staggering. According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the total Android smartphone shipments worldwide reached 136 million units, accounting for 75 percent of the 181.1 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter of 2012. The 91.5 percent year-over-year growth was nearly double the overall market growth rate of 46.4 percent, the report states. 

The report states that Android, having topped the 100 million unit mark last quarter, reached a new record level in a single quarter. By comparison, Android's total volumes for the quarter were greater than the total number of smartphones shipped in 2007, the year that Android was officially announced. Samsung once again led all vendors in this space, but saw its market share decline as numerous smaller vendors increased their production.

Windows 8 is here!

Microsoft, often accused of being unable to anticipate or respond to people's changing needs, has decided it's time to do something dramatic. Traditional desktop and notebook PC sales have stagnated over the past year or so, while over a hundred million iPads alone have sold in the same time. The threat is no longer OS X or Linux, but an entirely new category of devices. Faced with the prospect of becoming somewhat irrelevant, Microsoft has decided to prioritise touchscreens over mice and portability over power. Windows 8 could be the biggest risk the company has ever taken, and for better or for worse, there are no half measures anywhere.

PRICE IN INDIA

1,999

We've spent the last six months using Microsoft's official previews as well as the final version of Windows 8, which was released to manufacturers in August. We've also been able to spend a few weeks with a Samsung XE700T1A tablet running Windows 8 to get an understanding of how it works on such a device.

The new Start screen with Modern UI elements

By now, the look of the "Modern" user interface (formerly named Metro) is quite familiar to us. The Start screen, with its big flashing tiles and stark colours, was first unveiled over a year ago. Members of the press and public have been able to use beta versions of the new OS for at least six months now. Even so, it takes a lot of time before it will feel natural. It's hard to give up on 17 years of learnt behaviour and habit, but we've tried not to hold this against Windows 8 for the purpose of evaluating it on its own merits.

When we previewed the Consumer Release version earlier this year, we were left with the impression that Microsoft was trying its hardest to do justice to its new ideas without the risk of alienating the massive Windows user base. It seemed as though users would be trapped between two worlds, primarily because the Modern UI and apps were just not enough to satisfy anyone who wanted to be productive or multitask the way they've been used to all along. Since that time, Microsoft has improved the quality and functionality of the built-in apps and many more viable ones have made appearances in the Windows Store.

We had to authorize our PC before automatic syncs happened

Getting Started

Installing Windows 8 is surprisingly quick and painless. Downloading it from Microsoft's website is the primary new method of distribution, which makes sense in an age of slim laptops without DVD drives. If you're installing on top of an existing version of Windows, you'll have to run through a compatibility checker which will let you know if any software or hardware might not work smoothly. One important thing to note is you'll need to type in your product key before the installation actually begins.

Windows 8 is designed to be tied to an online account. Any Microsoft account will do, including your Hotmail, Windows Live, Xbox Live, Passport or MSN which are all now known as Microsoft Accounts. Keep in mind that everything associated with that ID, most likely an email account but also possibly your links to Facebook, etc, will end up integrated into the Windows 8 environment. You'll also use this ID to access the Windows Store, which means saving your credit card details somewhere down the line. You'll also most likely end up using SkyDrive a lot more. For those reasons, you'll want to use a very strong, unique password even though it will make logging into your computer multiple times a day more annoying than it should be. If you're worried about privacy or the security of anything in your online accounts, it's probably a good idea to create a fresh ID.

All apps view and search bar

You can still choose to use Windows 8 offline, though apps will then constantly remind you to sign in or risk living without various features. You'll also have to use separate work and personal accounts if you use the same device everywhere.

Whether or not you use a Microsoft account, you have the option of signing in with a "Picture Password". This involves choosing any image and then defining taps, circles or sliding gestures over it. You have to create a sequence of three gestures and then repeat them each time to log in. A Picture Password could be great for many people, especially on a tablet or PC with a touchscreen and no physical keyboard. On the downside, watching someone perform these gestures and then repeating them to gain access to their computer is child's play.

As your account is being set up, you'll be led through a short animated sequence that attempts to explain some of Windows' new conventions, including the Start screen, gestures and the Charms bar. What confused us was that the instructions involved a mix of tapping, clicking, pointing, dragging and swiping but no direction as to when each action is appropriate. It would have been better if Windows had been able to detect the presence or absence of a touchscreen and then display appropriate tips.

Apple publishes compliant apology to Samsung in UK newspapers

 A

British court had recently directed Apple to publish its apology to arch rival Samsung Electronics on its UK website and the local newspapers. After Apple published the apology last week on its website, the court found it to be non-compliant. A day later, Apple has published a compliant version of its apology on UK’s newspapers, The Next Web reports. As had been directed by the court earlier, the apology is in the Arial font of size no less than 14pts. Interestingly, Apple even removed the apology that it had placed on its website earlier and is moving it to the front page for prominence. “Apple was required to alter and change the positioning of its statement from a small linked page, to an apology on the front page of its website, which needs to be printed in 11-pt Arial font,” added the report.

Apple apologises to Samsung

Reports over the past week had confirmed that Apple had been directed to publish an apology to Samsung, after the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that the latter’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9, and Tab 7.7 did not infringe upon Apple’s iPad designs. As directed, Apple has published its apology to Samsung using the Arial font with its size being no less than 14 points on its official website. Apple begins it apology by noting that, “On 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computer, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s registered design No. 0000181607-0001.” 

In its public apology to Samsung, Apple added that the judge noted that Apple’s designs of the iPad bore extreme simplicity that was striking. “Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back. There is a crisp edge around the rim and a combination of curves, both at the corners and the sides. The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design," it noted further. Samsung’s designs for its Galaxy tablets, on the other hand were deemed as not being as cool as Apple’s, since from the front they appeared to belong to that family of which Apple's design was a part. Samsung products, however, were found to be very thin, "almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back. They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool".

Cipher: Crack the Code Game Tips and Hints (Information)

Who want to play some riddle game that will blow your mind? Well, i would say this is a unique pattern puzzle riddle onle game. Play Cipher Crack the Code by GameMasterTips

A great browser riddle by Gamemastertips. Cipher: Crack the Code is a challenging brain teaser online riddle game created and subbed by Benjamin Gabbay.

 "Cipher is an online riddle. Its name, according to the dictionary, means "a message in code."An online riddle is a kind of puzzle that requires a wide range of skills in order to advance through a series of HTML pages or "levels. Spoilers!!! :D

PLAY HERE

CIPHER TIPS, HINTS, PROCEDURE, HOW TOS, INFORMATION

TIPS and HINTS (basically, You need to replace/change the URL before .htm and you can view page source)

• Level 1: If you read the link address, you will know the answer and proceed to level 2. :)
• Level 2: click the image and youll see: "The door is locked! Find another way to get to level 3... what does the page title say?"

Page Title says URL? so try to change the word level2 before .htm to level3

• Level 3: it shows Get to the SOURCE of the problem! 

So you need to get the page source: How? Right click in the page -> choose View Page Source and you will get the answer and proceed to level 4

• Level 4: Computer talks in binary so you need to convert binary to text. Decode it Here

Binary: 011101000111001001101111011010100110000101101110

Text: <your decoded binary>+ .htm

Then you are seeing Almost. Click on the link in the image(no.4) and enter your answer in the password box.

So in braggart.htm, click the Number 4 Image.

You will prompt to enter Username and Password: the username will be Cipher and the password will be on the Binary that is converted to TEXT..see above for clues.

• Level 5: Brick the wall(Pagetitle = come to the dark side...)  Just view the source, theres a htm file there...you need to visit it(get the page source again) and theres htm to level 6 there.

Procedure:

View Source first then you will get a link from the &lt; iframe &gt; tag :)) click and visit it..then, view source again and you will see a htm link... copy it and replace the .htm to proceed Level 6

• Level 6: Chain of Letters | Get the source code then you will see an image...go try to visit that image..and it will lead you in series of photos..just combine those letters to get level 7.

First it display screen6a.jpg, then visit this series of letters and  change the image filename, 6b, 6o.jpg, 6L, 6i, 6s,6h,6e,6d, so... append these characters...

still cant figure out?

here.
SPOILERSaSPOILERSbSPOILERSoSPOILERSlSPOILERSiSPOILERSsSPOILERShSPOILERSeSPOILERSdSPOILERS

• Level 7: Use of the Photo Manipulating Software (Color/Brightness): Illuminate the Darkness.. What does it means? Basically you need to light it up.. So you need to lower contrast and bright it up to see the next level found below right of the image

Procedure:

1. Download and save as the image

2. Open with Photoshop or any photo editor that has brightness/contrast

In Photoshop

Brightness: +150

Contrast: -50

Make sure the preview is checked so that you can see the changes when you change the value of brightness/contrast. :)

In the below-right of that portion, you will notice a WORD and use it as a password later on.

*Alternative with brightness/contrast

Use of Levels
Set the center value in the range of 2-4 and you will see the WORD.

Hint: the word means To keep from being seen, found, observed, or discovered.

Then, CLICK the EYE of the chipmunk/rat or whatever it is. :)) then it will prompt you a login information.
Username: cipher

Password: WORD described above :)))

• Level 8: Creepy | ASCII Codes - View the page source theres a hint there (GIF me,
  
  GIF(Graphic Interface Format)  is a format of image developed  by CompuServe in 1987 while JPG or JPEG(Joint Photographic Experts Group) ..
  Here we go, you need to change jpg to gif. :) and put it onto the url address

The blinking numbers:

SPOILER97SPOILER103SPOILER105SPOILER108SPOILER105SPOILER116SPOILER121SPOILER

The numbers is in ASCII DEC/CHAR form so you need to decode it to view in plain text.

You need to use http://home2.paulschou.net/tools/xlate/ to get the word and proceed to level 9.

How?
Put the numbers in the spoilers individually into the ASCII DEC/Char input form, and the answer will be on the TEXT form. :))

Hint:
The word is  the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly.

.htm

• Level 9:  Musical Note: View the source, you will get picture8ofdoom.jpg change number 8 to 9 so it will become picture9ofdoom.jpg, and you will the notes here. Then translate note to letters. Just Google it. But if you are tired.
  
  If you are not familiar with the musical notes you can view the musical notes to letters here
  http://www.atlantadancepartners.com/atlanta_reading_music.html
  
  Hint: The word is  a green vegetable for its densely-leaved head.

• Level 10: HEXed: ANSWER | View the Page SOurce you will HEXed so meaning its a HEXADECIMAL format. And you might noticed that Letter 'W' is a gray and you might thanks other letters are the same? but it is actually different.  If you look closely, you will know what i meant. so how? So you need to get that color hex first character. How? I used PicPick Software, but you can use corel,photoshop,gimp etc.
  
  you can download PicPick here  http://www.picpick.org/en/download_free and it is FREE!

SPOILERSDSPOILERSSPOILERSESPOILERSSPOILERSCSPOILERSSPOILERSASPOILERSSPOILERSDSPOILERSSPOILERSESPOILERS

Hint: The word is  a period of 10 years

Then click the letter W, and it will again enter login information
Username: Cipher
Password: <word>.htm

• Level 11: ROME(Roman Numerals):  View the page source, and you will find a small hint.
  XI(11) try to change it to XII(12) same with previous level...oh wait, it will display wrong number so basically, we need to get other hint here.

The first photo has a number there and it is set opacity low and it is 1009, we need to convert it to Roman Numeral since the photo has a Rome and the page source linked to Roman Numeral.

Convert Number to Roman Numeral here: http://www.onlineconversion.com/roman_numerals_advanced.htm

Hint: The word is To combine or blend into one

.htm

• Level 12: Keys | view the page source and you will get
  
  Is it the monitor? but it says, the keys..so infront of me is my keyboard and mouse and therefore it is literally means only the keyboard .
  
  Next:
   
  Since it is in the keyboard, we will examined the hint
  
  i ->  o
  x -> c
  
  It turns out that the key 'i' becomes 'o' and 'x' to 'c' so the pattern here is the NEXT RIGHT key on the Standard keyboard.
  
  Therefore, in this statement:   
  Move all to next right key
  u ->
  b ->
  c ->
  w- ->
  b- ->
  r- ->
  u- ->
  i- ->
  b ->
  
  If theres a problem with your keyboard you can use this hint also.
  Also the hint is: a machine/device. 9 characters.
  
  <word>.htm

Level 13:  Friday 13: View the page source and you will get these

<!--
dd/{mm}/1949 1st
dd/{mm}/1984 2nd
dd/{mm}/1946 2nd
dd/{mm}/1955 1st
dd/{mm}/1937 1st
dd/{mm}/1981 3rd
-->
<!--No, this level does NOT have anything to do with Rebecca Black.-->


Okey, lets further examined these hints.

It is friday and it is 13, so it is also means FRIDAY THE 13TH.
dd/{mm} is a format used by many people/computers which means dd - day (01-31), mm - month (01-12)

so 1st we will find  dd/{mm}/1949 1st friday, the result is

May 13, 1949

How did i come up with that?

I used Friday the 13th finder here =&gt; http://www.taliscope.com/FindFriday13.html

How to use in that site?

Choose the beginning and ending year should be the year above hints.

and click find button and wait for the result. then collect it

i collected it here

May, 1949

April, 1984

December, 1946

May, 1955

August, 1937

November, 1981

so what is that word? ;))
<word>.htm

• Level 14: Sounds | You will be seeing this
  
  A NOTE ABOUT LEVEL 14
  Level 14 is all about sound. Therefore, your computer is required to play sound, and you are required to hear sound.
  Due to complaints regarding deaf riddlers and the possibility of people without sound cards, this level has been made optional to complete.
  If you would like to play through level 14, CLICK HERE.
  If you cannot hear sound for whatever reason and would like to progress to level 15, CLICK HERE.

You can answer it or you can go directly to level 15 right?

• Level 15: Dissolve Image: Whats wrong with this picture?
  So it means, it has  a problem in viewing the image right? how to tell and know what exactly the problem?
  
  Procedure: View the pagesource, you will notice  <img src="screenthe15th.txt"width="32" height="32">

yes,  <img> tag must be in image format like .jpg, .gif, .png, so you need to replace .txt to jpg :)

<img> tag is a HTML tag syntax.
the thing is You Have to Enjoy! ... level upwards will be posted soon.. =D

PLAY IT HERE NOW

Apple's Indian App Store now displays prices in rupees

Since the Apple App Store opened to Indian users, the prices of all paid apps on it were displayed in US dollars. The Apple App Store is now displaying prices of all its paid apps in rupees. 

The move by Apple is a good one as this reduces the need to convert the prices and gamble on the rate of the dollar to the rupee. The Google Play store already displays the cost of paid apps in rupees. Now, there appears to be uniformity amongst the biggest app markets.

Indian prices now appearing on the Apple App Store

The move comes as a timely one as it is widely expected that Apple will be launching the iPhone 5 in the near future. The iPhone 5 was expected to be launched today in India, but it appears that Apple has pushed back the date of launch. A recent report stated that the reason behind the delay was that Apple had not finalised the pricing for the upcoming smartphone in India. The price of the 16GB iPhone 4S handset was reduced to Rs 41,500, and reduced further to Rs 38,500 roughly 10 days later, indicating that the iPhone 5 was on its way. 

Another plausible explanation to the delay is the shortage in supply of the iPhone 5 due to Apple employing stricter quality controls. The iPhone 5, though a booming success the world over, has been plagued by issues such as scratches found on the handset straight out of the box and a purple haze that appears with images clicked by its camera.

However, the grey market is flooded with the iPhone 5 priced at a premium. 

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:

• 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels,
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera
• 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions

Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams, and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5. The new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

One of the biggest changes to iOS is the addition of Apple’s own Maps app in the place of Google Maps. The new Maps app has a built-in search for local points of interest, with over 100 million possible suggestions. Other features of the Maps app include navigation, routing, 3D maps, satellite imagery – that wraps around the 3D maps – and the ability to get directions directly through Siri. Most of the standard features of the Maps app, including satellite view, are available in almost all countries the iPhone ships to.

Apple iPhone 5 to be launched in India on November 2

Ingram Micro announced today that it will offer the Apple iPhone 5 at leading trade stores and retail outlets across India beginning on Friday, November 2. The iPhone 5 was launched in the US on September 21.

It was recently reported that in order to expand its user base in India, Apple will start selling the iPhone 5 through specialised distribution companies. Apple has tied up with Ingram Micro Inc, which is a large US-based distributor of technologies, as well as Redington India Ltd, a local distributor with 12,000 smaller partners across the country.

iPhone 5 coming soon

There is no word yet on the official prices of the iPhone 5 in India, but the prices are expected to be the same as the iPhone 4S when it first launched. However, the prices are speculated to be Rs 45,500 for the 16GB version, Rs 52,500 for the 32GB version, and Rs 59,500 for the 64GB model.

According to a recent report, “Apple has used both these distributors in the past for products like the iPad, but did not do so for the iPhone as it was concerned that paying third-party distributors would eat into its profit margins on a key product. Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook said earlier this year that the company saw higher potential in countries other than India, largely because of the high cost of distributing products here. “We have a business there, that business is growing, but the sort of the multilayer distribution there really adds to the cost of getting products to market,” Mr. Cook told analysts in July.”

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:

• 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels,
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera
• 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions

Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams, and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5. The new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

Siri has also been updated and new features include support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud.

Safari has also received a major update – the ability to go full screen on the device by touching the arrows on the corners. Another major feature of the new Safari app is the ability to sync tabs between the desktop and iOS versions of Safari. This new feature is called iCloud Tabs. The new Mail app has also received some updates, including the ability to mark people as VIPs and the ability to flag certain mails for follow-ups.

Image of Samsung Galaxy Premier leaked online

Image of Samsung Galaxy Premier leaked online

Afew days ago, it was reported that Samsung was preparing to release a handset that could be slotted in between the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy S III mini in terms of price and specifications. This smartphone has been dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Premier. Right on cue,a tipster on Twitter, has revealed a photo of a purported Samsung Galaxy Premier. According to an earlier report, information of the upcoming Galaxy Premier had been leaked through a GLBenchmark test. Among the things revealed were that the device runs on Android v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) on a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The maximum frequency on the CPU is listed as 1.5GHz, though the number of cores hasn’t been mentioned. The phone is rumoured to have a dual-core processor. The graphics on the device will be handled by a PowerVR SGX 544, which is much like the SGX543 that power the graphics on Apple’s latest chipset. The benchmarks also point to a TI OMAP 4470 chipset, which was recently used in the Kindle Fire HD tablet. Similar in design to the Galaxy S III Mini According to the specifications leaked earlier this month, the device will have an 8MP rear camera with an LED flash, and a 2MP shooter for making video calls.   The device will come with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded using a microSD card. The handset will run on Android v4.1, and will feature other attributes such as 4.4Mbps HSDPA, 5.76Mbps HSUPA, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, DLNA, and GPS.   The handset is expected to make its first appearance in Germany before the end of 2012, and will launch in other European countries shortly thereafter. The expected price of this handset is Euro 480, which roughly translates to Rs 32,912. Samsung has recently announced the Galaxy S III mini. The size of the display has been much talked about. The display size of four inches is not small, but in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S III, this handset could be much easier to handle. This handset is based on the Galaxy S III, and this feature translates to the design of this latest model as well. As far as the technical specifications of the handset go, the Galaxy S III mini is powered by a dual-core 1GHz NovaThor U8420 processor, and comes equipped with 1GB RAM. If there was any doubt about what operating system would be used in this handset since it is not exactly a high-end model, then Samsung has not held back on this front, and has stated that the phone will ship with Google’s latest Android operating system v4.1. Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the Samsung Galaxy S III mini: 4-inch Super AMOLED display with a WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA support, NFC GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR 5MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 720p HD video recording VGA front facing camera for video chat 16GB, 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card

Skype 6.0 released for Mac, Windows desktop

Skype released its latest version, Skype 6.0, yesterday for Mac and Windows desktop users. 

In an official blog post, Skype has shared the changelog featuring in its latest version.

The update has brought to the table Microsoft and Facebook Account Integration. Users can now sign into Skype using either their Microsoft or Facebook accounts. In Skype 6.0, users can send instant messages to their Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts via Skype. Users with Microsoft accounts can merge the MS account with Skype. All they have to do is sign in to Skype with their Microsoft accounts.

Skype announces that it has in the pipeline a feature with which users can make audio and video calls to Windows Live Messenger customers on Skype desktop clients. The feature will be rolled out in the weeks to come. 

 

Skype 6.0 for Windows desktop users has been updated with new localised versions of Skype in Thai, Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian, Catalan, and Slovak languages. With this, the total number of languages that Skype supports has gone up to 38. Skype 6.0 has undergone a facelift on Windows desktop. The Skype user interface (UI) now bears a simpler and less cluttered look. Instant messaging and SMS areas have been refreshed as well. The online user counter at the bottom of the Skype Contacts list has been done away with for Windows desktop in a bid to unclutter the UI, offering more space for the user’s contacts in the list. Also, now if users want to change their profile pictures, they will be shown all their previous profile photos to choose from. 

The latest version Skype for Windows desktop users comes with additional 'opt-in' telemetry reports for users who choose this option: "Tools>> Options>>Advanced>>Tick Help improve Skype..." The reports may contain the user’s Skype ID and or Microsoft Account ID, but Skype clarifies that it will not use the information to identify or contact the user.

For Mac desktop users, the latest version of Skype brings open chats across multiple windows, while also introducing support for Retina Display. 

Earlier this month, users had started facing problems with ransomware on Skype through a seemingly harmless looking message: "lol is this your new profile pic?" The message was followed by a link that downloads malware into user's computers. According to Trend Micro, these reports have not stopped, and are now spreading fast.

The link, which includes the user name of the recipient, goes to a file hosted at a legitimate file locker service. The file downloaded is a variant of the Dorkbot malware family, which is detected as WORM_DORKBOT.DN. This malware allows an attacker to take complete control of the user’s system. Its capabilities include password theft form various websites, including pornographic sites, social media, file lockers, and financial services; and launching distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks. The behaviour that a user may see can vary significantly. It also has the capability to download other malware depending on the link provided by the C and C servers, including ransomware and click fraud malware.

The Playground is Open Join Us - GOOGLE

The event marks Google's biggest Nexus showing, with three devices scheduled for debut at the same time. The Nexus program has long been Google's way of showcasing the latest version of its Android operating system. It has also come with a measure of buzz for the manufacturing partner. 

After the Nexus One, which was built by HTC, Google mainly partnered with Samsung, including the Galaxy Nexus. But this year, Google worked with Asus to produce the low-cost Nexus 7, which sold at $199. 

Alongside the low-end Nexus 7, Google will now offer a high-end Nexus 10 tablet built by Samsung, which was initially reported by CNET. The device is expected to boast a higher resolution than the third-generation iPad. 

The tablet will be more in line with the pricing of its other products, including the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Note 10.1. 



LG, meanwhile, will get its chance to shine with the Nexus 4, which is an altered version of the Optimus G. The smartphone will have a quad-core SnapDragon processor from Qualcomm, 2 megabytes of RAM, a 1,280x768 display, 16GB of internal storage, and an 8-megapixel camera. Unlike the Optimus G, the Nexus 4 won't be an LTE device, according to a person familiar with the announcement. 

LG will get its shot to build a little buzz for its products, something it has struggled to do, particularly in the U.S. market. 

The upgraded version of the Nexus 7 will include a 32GB option. A second version will include a 3G cellular connection, according to The Next Web.