With the Windows Phone 8.1 update in the hands of developers in the form of a preview, Microsoft has chosen to release some of its own apps that take advantage of the new OS features and the APIs. Movie moments, a basic video editing app that takes advantage of the video editing APIs and reading List, a Read-it-later style service, have been made available for Windows Phone 8.1 as universal apps on the store. These apps were part of the Windows 8.1 update that launched for the bigger screened devices in October last year, which means we are finally starting to see some parity within Windows. If you are one of the many developer preview users, download these two apps from the Windows Store and test them out -
Reading List for Windows Phone 8.1
Movie Moments for Windows Phone 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1, a huge update for Microsoft's mobile platform, brings it even closer to its desktop/tablet counterpart, with WinRT APIs now fully supported instead of just a subset like before. These new APIs, which were already a part of the WinRT environment in Windows for the desktop, are now available for the phone too, for developers to target. But even Microsoft's ...
With the Windows Phone 8.1 update in the hands of developers in the form of a preview, Microsoft has chosen to release some of its own apps that take advantage of the new OS features and the APIs. Movie moments, a basic video editing app that takes advantage of the video editing APIs and reading List, a Read-it-later style service, have been made available for Windows Phone 8.1 as universal apps on the store. These apps were part of the Windows 8.1 update that launched for the bigger screened devices in October last year, which means we are finally starting to see some parity within Windows. If you are one of the many developer preview users, download these two apps from the Windows Store and test them out -
Reading List for Windows Phone 8.1
Movie Moments for Windows Phone 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1, a huge update for Microsoft's mobile platform, brings it even closer to its desktop/tablet counterpart, with WinRT APIs now fully supported instead of just a subset like before. These new APIs, which were already a part of the WinRT environment in Windows for the desktop, are now available for the phone too, for developers to target. But even Microsoft's ...
When Google's Android Wear project went official, LG was amongst the first to announce its take on wearables with the G Watch. Today in an official announcement, the Korean company said that it plans to launch the G Watch in June at an estimated price point of 199 Euros.
The design of the watch is similar to that of the not very successful Sony Smartwatch 2 but it is expected to have a larger display. The display on the LG G Watch is believed to be a 1.65 inch 280x280 pixel panel. LG has already announced that it's watch will feature an always on display which is in sharp comparison to most other smartwatches out there.
Additionally, the watch will employ voice recognition to respond to the standard 'Ok, Google' command that we're so used in Google Now. The watch will be both water and dust resistant. The company has already revealed that it will ship in Champagne Gold and Stealth Black variants and it remains to be seen if more colors will be on offer. The LG G Watch goes on sale this June in France at a price point of 199 Euros.
[Via - Les Numeriques]
Facebook just unveiled "App links", an open source solution that works across all the major mobile platforms, to solve a longstanding problem. This is perhaps the biggest and boldest move we have seen Facebook take, in mobile. Why? Well, because it aims to fix a problem that has been lingering over mobile, ever since the inception of the app store - interlinking of applications. Remember the time your phone took you to the web browser for seeing a Facebook photo instead of the app, even when the first party app was installed? The company aims to solve this exact problem by directly linking users to apps, or part of them, hence enabling the "Internet of Apps". Think of it as the web hyperlink, but for apps, so you will tend to start browsing apps rather than websites.
Sounds familiar? It should, for every one of us using Android phones, or even iOS or Windows Phone devices(although to a lesser extent in both). With Android's solution being robust, a lot of popular apps have enabled "intents" that enable interlinking between apps. While all of them(the OS makers) have implemented this feature at the OS level, the execution remains very different, which is ...
Qualcomm today announced its intentions to spin off it's bluetooth beacon business into a separate entity dubbed as Gimbal Inc. Gimbal was Qualcomm's take on Apple's iBeacon and the company had started selling the proximity beacon in December.
While Qualcomm will remain a substantial stakeholder in the business, it plans to sell off the Gimbal business to third party investors. Working in the same vein as iBeacon, the technology allows stores to create proximity based networks that can communicate with consumer smartphones. With location information of each shopper within the a store, it will be possible for retail locations to notify the consumer of special offers or to perhaps load up a loyalty card. Because iBeacon uses bluetooth positioning to narrow down your location instead of GPS, it can be a lot more accurate when used indoors.
Qualcomm expects the spin off to be completed in May itself after which the beacon business will continue on it's own as Gimbal Inc. AEG, RFID company Zebra technologies and a range of corporate investors are believed to be part of the group involved.
Google has launched Docs and Sheet apps for Android and iOS. These standalone apps will enable users to edit, create, and view files both on and offline. In addition, the company said that its will soon launch Slides, an app for editing PowerPoint-style presentations.
Every year, phones and tablets get better, and more of you are starting to use your mobile devices not just to view, but also to create and edit content. And while the Drive app is a convenient place to store your stuff, we want to make it easier for you to quickly find, edit and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the go.
posted Brian Levee, Product Manager on a company blog post.
Google already offer Drive app that lets users view and organize documents and spreadsheets. However, with the launch of these app, the company will soon urge its Drive users to download the new Docs and Sheets apps whenever they create or edit file. Both the apps compete with Microsoft (Word and Excel) and Apple (iWork).
iOS: Docs , Sheet
Android: Docs, Sheet
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has introduced Anonymous Login for third-party apps at the F8 Developer Conference. With Anonymous Login, users can login to new apps without having to create a new account. The feature which is available on both web and mobile is specially for those users who are not comfortable to sign in by providing real information.
People tell us they're sometimes worried about sharing information with apps and want more choice and control over what personal information apps receive. Today’s announcements put power and control squarely in people’s hands.
announced Facebook.
httpv://vimeo.com/93305387
Facebook says it's testing the new login option with select developers, including Flipboard. But, will soon add more developers to its list in coming days. When it comes to third-party apps, Facebook serves as a universal sign-in as it allowing people to click one "login with Facebook" button rather than remembering an endless number of usernames and passwords.
In addition to Anonymous Login, Facebook is also giving its over 1.28 billion users control over the types of information they share with apps when they want to use their Facebook identity to log in. Prior to this, apps could decide what information they wanted to access on people's Facebook pages — such as people's birthday, ...
Huawei Ascend P7, the successor of the Ascend P6 was expected to be unveiled at the MWC 2014 earlier this February when the live images of the phone leaked, but Huawei unveiled the Ascend P7 mini at the MWC ahead of Ascend P7. The company recently announced that it would unveil the Ascend P7 at an event Paris on May 7th. A week before the launch, @evleaks has posted some press shots of the smartphone.
The phone looks similar to the Ascend P6 in its design. According to earlier leak from @evleaks, the Huawei Ascend P7 would have a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) full HD IPS display and would be powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core Huawei Kirin 910T processor. It would be less 7mm thick and has a new power button design that differs from the Ascend P6.
It would come with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera (with some software enhancements for selfies?). It would have 16GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot and a 2500 mAh battery. Earlier leaks also revealed LTE support.
The launch event is less than a week away to find out more details including the price and the availability of the ...
Google, which already takes care of your many day-to-day activities will now even help you remember where you have parked your car. The tech giant has updated its Search app on Android with Parking Location card that offers the ability to automatically detect where you have parked your car and help you find that spot later.
The feature which was rumoured earlier this month also keeps track of the previous parking locations. When it is time to find your car, you will need to go into Google Search and hit the card which will navigate you to the destination using Google Maps.
Moreover, the version 3.4 update adds a few new features such as a new reminders interface with better arrangement of past reminders. Also users can now add nicknames to contacts that can be seen as a centralized list under Accounts & Privacy. This means users will be able to add nicknames to their favourite contact like mom, husband, dad, wife etc which can be attached to their card. Modifications to reminder cards have been tweaked as well.
The update is now rolling out gradually through the Google Play Store.
Via: Android Police
At the f8 developer conference in San Francisco Facebook has introduced several new features for the web and mobile. In addition to App Links, an open-source, cross-platform solution for mobile deep linking and Anonymous Login for third-party apps without sharing your personal information, it also unveiled new features such as Mobile Like Button, Message Dialog and Send To Mobile at the conference.
Facebook introduced Likes to Mobile back in 2012. The Mobile Like Button is just an enhancement to it that lets users like content inside an app easily. Once a person hits the Like button insides the app, it will switch to the Facebook app and brings a Like Dialog. Once you like the page, it will return to your app and update the state of the like button. This is now available in iOS and would be available for Android soon.
The Message Dialog lets developers share message application content and links via Facebook Messenger. This content can be a open graph message for a book recommendation, links and photos. This is now available for both iOS and Android.
The Send To Mobile feature lets website owners using Facebook Login send push notifications on Facebook apps to download their apps. Clicking the notification would take them to the App Store or Google Play directly and ...
Facebook updated Messenger app for iOS with some great features earlier this week. Now, the social network is bringing these features to Android. The latest update allows users to share photos, videos and other types of media content faster with others.
Users can now take a photo within the app and send it in one tap, without leaving the conversation. They can also attach and receive videos from their phone's camera and play them directly in the app. Facebook has also added the ability to download stickers received by users by simply tapping and holding. Moreover, the update adds improved search which lets users search for individuals and group easily.
New features in Facebook Messenger 5.0 for Android
More ways to message: Now it's easier to send photos, voice messages and more
Video: Send videos from your gallery and play them right in the app. (Works on Android 4.3 and up. We'll continue to improve video and bring it to more phones.)
Instant photo sharing: Take a photo and send it in just one tap.
Stickers shortcuts: When someone sends you a sticker, press and hold down on it to get the pack.
Faster search: Just enter the names of people and groups
The update comes after Facebook last week announced ...
Few hours back Motorola announced that they would unveil the company's next smartphone at an event in London. Motorola has just sent us an invite for the India launch event on the same day as the London event. Yesterday LG announced several simultaneous events on May 27th and 28th to unveil their upcoming flagship, the LG G3.
The launch invite is same as the invite for London that reads Made to last. Priced for all. This hints at an affordable smartphone that could be the rumored Moto E. According to earlier rumors the Moto E would come with a 4.3-inch display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 5MP rear camera, Android 4.4 (KitKat), 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage and a 1900mAh battery. It is also expected to come with dual SIM support.
The Moto G that starts at Rs. 12,499 was a huge success. It could once again partner with Flipkart to sell the smartphone. Let us wait for a few more days to find out what Motorola has to offer.
Bharti Airtel has launched 4G on mobile in three cities, Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula in India. The company launched 4G LTE service on mobile back in February starting from Bengaluru and also set up experience zones in the city to showcase the power of 4G on mobile in partnership with LG and Qualcomm.
Airtel would also offer live demos in Airtel’s company operated stores in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula and also lets users to upgrade to 4G SIMs. It offers separate 4G packs for prepaid customers and offers Airtel myPlan, customizable plans for postpaid customers that has myBoosters with 4G benefits. It uses CSFB (circuit switched fall back) technology that uses 4G only for data , so that customers can enjoy voice calls on 2G since it gets routed automatically.
Announcing the launch, Manu Sood, Hub CEO – Upper North, Bharti Airtel (India) said,
Tricity witnessed the advent of 4G last year and today we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited 4G on mobile, empowering residents in the region to upgrade to the 4G – the fastest ever mobile broadband, matching their mobile internet experience with the rest of the world. As a brand we are committed to enriching the lives of millions and ...
Sony launched the Xperia E1 dual along with the Xperia E1 in India last month at a price tag of Rs. 10,490. It went on sale at Rs. 9,999 and got a price cut to Rs. 9,490 few weeks back. Now the phone has received another price cut and is available for as low as Rs. 8,054 in India online. The E1 dual has a 4-inch (480 x 800 pixels) touch screen display, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean).
It has a 3-megapixel rear camera, 100dB loud audio output through rear speakers. It has a Walkman key, shake to shuffle feature and hardware controls for easy music control. It also lets users set custom ringtones and the dual SIM management technology keeps both SIMs active, so that you never miss a call, even when talking on one of them.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap56WSDWO18
Sony Xperia E1 Dual specifications
4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen display
Dual SIM
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU
12 mm thick and weighs 120 g
3MP rear camera
3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
3G, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS / aGPS
512MB RAM, 4 GB internal ...
LINE Corporation is giving away over 1500 paid stickers worth Rs. 4000 to Indian users to celebrate 400 million registered users worldwide. It crossed 18 million registered users in India recently and offered free talk time worth Rs. 50 to all its users in India last month. Earlier this year LINE partnered with Groupon India to offer exclusive weekly deals for LINE users.
Free stickers would be available to download in the Free tab in sticker shop inside the app. It has a range of stickers from movies, brands, football clubs, cricket leagues and more. It recently added Cricket Champs stickers for IPL.
Commenting on the new offer, Daman Soni, India Head of Business Development, LINE, said,
We have seen users increasingly exchanging and consuming a range of visual content on the app and Stickers have been unbeatable when it comes to content download statistics. The numbers reflect that users are keen on using Stickers into their conversations far more and would continue to do so. 400 million is an astounding figure and what better way to celebrate this unprecedented response than gifting our users their favorite Stickers on LINE
LINE has released a new Ad featuring its brand ambassador Katrina Kaif, promoting the new sticker offer. This limited period free ...
Google Glass, the futuristic wearable product from the Mountain View company, has been all the rage among the tech community. But, with an astronomical entry cost of 1500$ and a limited invite-only model, it is extremely clear that it is not ready for the market. But in the future, it will be ready, but what will be its approximate cost? We can not know now, due to the rapid commoditization of technology, but we can surely get an idea of what it costs Google to make the current version of Glass, thanks to a teardown by the popular site going by the same name. It estimates the total cost of the "Bill of materials" to under 80$ for Google.
Shocked? Well, don't be. The Google Glass, although a marvelous effort of engineering, uses components that are already in use, in mobile phones. Like a camera unit, a Texas Instruments processor with Bluetooth and GPS, and even the common RAM modules. Breaking down these costs is easy, and it mounts to an exact 79.78$, as explained in this image -
The first question that will pop into your head is, why the heck does Google charge so much for Glass? Well, there is ...
Snapchat has finally added support for instant messaging for its Android and iPhone apps and also brings live video chat. Once you swipe to the right on a friend’s name in your Snapchat inbox, you can start chatting with them, send them photos and videos, just like any other messaging apps. Once you leave the chat screen, all the messages will be cleared for both. But either of you can always tap a message or a screenshot to save them.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9h30NcVy4E
The new live video chat option lets you share live video with your friends easily, All you just need is to simply press and hold to share a live video. Both the persons need to keep a finger on the screen to continue the video chat. The place you keep the finger shows your thumbnail from the camera, just like Skype or a FaceTime call.
You can also switch between the front and rear cameras by sliding your finger to the top and the bottom half of the screen. The implementation is just perfect, but it might be a bit hard to understand for the first time.
The new Snapchat update is now live for Android over the Google Play and is expected ...
Samsung and Apple are still the leading tablet vendors by shipments in Q1 2014, according to preliminary data from research firm IDC (International Data Corporation). The worldwide tablet market grew just 3.9% year-over-year in Q1 2014, with shipments of 50.4 million units in the quarter, down 35.7% compared to last quarter. Yesterday IDC reported worldwide smartphone shipments that was down just 2.8% compared to the holiday quarter.
This data includes both tablets and 2-in-1 tablets such as hybrids. According to the table, Apple still leads with 16.4 million shipments with 32.5% market share, but the share is down 16.1% YoY. Samsung has posted 32% YoY growth and has 22.3% market share. Samsung has also posted a slight growth in the market share, compared to 18.8% in the previous quarter. Samsung would start selling the Tab 4 series in this quarter that would improve its market share.
Asus has almost similar market share compared to the previous quarter and Lenovo's share is down to 4.1%, compared to 4.4% in Q4 2013. The company has managed to ship just 2.1 million tablets and 2-in-1 tablets in the quarter, but has posted tremendous growth compared to Q1 2013.
Amazon is down to the fifth place in the tablet with just 1.9% market ...
Foursquare has changed a lot. The popular location based social network has gone through several ideological changes in the past and it is at a point where data points to utter confusion for the consumer, as well as for the company, as to what Foursquare actually is. It was initially really popular for its "Check in"s and then the company slowly added more social components to its app, like a discovery engine, a friend feed and more. At this point in time, there are just too many components to the app, and hence the New York based start up has decided to un-bundle some of its core features into a separate app, called Swarm.
Swarm is basically a new version of the friend feed that currently populates the main page of the Foursquare app. Adding a live contextual component like ambient tips, a feed of friends in generalized locations rather than precise pointing and streamlined interaction, Foursquare aims to be the best friend finder app out there, backed by its vast data of points of interests and tips. For example, the Swarm app will always tell you who is nearby and who is doing what, thereby acting as your social heatmap ...
Microsoft has released much needed updates to its note taking app OneNote for iPhone. The latest update enables users to create new notebooks and sections from an iPhone and share. Prior to this, users could only read the documents and not create them. Users can also add, delete and rename sections.
The new version adds support for Office Lens, which lets users take pictures of objects that have text, like a whiteboard, and then search through the text via the app. All images are synced, and if the picture includes printed text, the app can also recognize it with optical character recognition. With this users can search for specific words or phrases in the images. Most importantly the OneNote app now gets a iOS 7 redesign that makes note taking and navigation of notes “much more fluid and efficient.”
Along with the iPhone, Microsoft has also updated OneNote for Mac that was first launched last month. Along with the ability to print notes, users can drag and drop images and copy or paste formatted content. It also allows them to organize hyperlinks with short descriptions. Finally, OneNote for Mac provides users to access the Format Painter tool that allows to quickly apply the same text formatting throughout ...
We all know about Amazon's foray in the smartphone market as few details have already surfaced online. Last month images of the 4.7 inch phone with six cameras were leaked. This was followed by another report suggesting that the phone will have tilt based gesture control. Today BGR has revealed a new image of the Amazon smartphone that is ready for a June launch, according to WSJ report.
As per the leaked image, Amazon's smartphone looks like any other Android phone in the market however, the front side of the phone resembles to that of the iPhone. Moving on, the phone has volume rockers, SIM slot, and other buttons are visible on the phone's left side, with a micro USB port at the bottom. The image shows a black device with glass front and back covers.
It will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. The software is likely to be very similar to that of the Kindle Fire tablets, and will therefore focus on pushing Amazon’s music, video, and other cloud services. It was previously reported that the phone will sport a special data plan dubbed “Prime Data”, which may also offer subscribers some free content from Amazon’s digital stores. According to ...
