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From Kickstarter project to an actual company, it must have been a roller coaster ride for Pebble, the smartwatch, and the company behind the product, making it one of the first wearable gadgets to work in tandem with the smartphone platforms of our time. It is still one of the most well-funded Kickstarter projects of all time, having served as a clear indicator for the birth of a whole new market. Several months after the funding was completed, it shipped its product to its backers and now, it is shipping globally with two models, the original and a more premium Pebble Steel.
Since then, competitors have scrambled to make a mark on this new market, but none have succeeded so far. With Android Wear on the horizon and supported devices coming out in a few weeks or months, the landscape is set to change, but we don't know how yet. Assuming you, the readers, are in the market for a smartwatch now, will the Pebble still be worth it, even after the onslaught of Android wear powered devices? Let's find that out in our review.
The Idea
Before we start explaining what the Pebble is like, it is important to understand what the ...
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Samsung Galaxy S5 users will soon get the latest Android KitKat 4.4.3 update. It was reported last month that these two devices are being tested for the update. According to a leaked internal document found by Android Geeks, the update for Galaxy S5 is coming this month.
The leaked documents suggest that Galaxy S5 (SM-G900H) and the European model (SM-G900F) will be receiving the update in the month of June. In addition, the Galaxy S4 is also getting the latest version of Android KitKat in July. As per the document, LTE-A version of the Galaxy S4 (GT-I9506) with the Snapdragon 800 will receive the update next month.
The news comes soon after Nexus and Google Play edition phones received the Android 4.4.3 update earlier this month. Along with them, Motorola also updated Moto X, G and E with the latest Android KitKat. The latest update to KitKat does not bring much addition except for a revamped dialer with lighter colour scheme. In addition it offers audio quality improvements and bug fixes.
Source: Android Geeks 
Bharti Soft Bank's hike messenger has crossed 20 million users of which 5 million were added during last three months. The instant messenger announced in February that its had clocked 15 million users.
About 90 percent of the app’s users are from India and over 80 percent of its users are under the age of 25. The application, which was launched globally in December 2012 is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Japan-based Softbank.
Commenting about the increasing hike user base, Kavin Bharti Mittal, hike messenger Head (Product and Strategy), said in a statement.
India has almost a 100 million active mobile Internet users and that number is growing rapidly every year. That's the market, which we're building for. The rate at which hike messenger has grown in the last 18 months is phenomenal and is a strong testament of the right direction in which the product is steering,
hike has also announced in the company's blog that it has added 'Hidden Mode' that allows users to hide their private chats. Moreover, users can now share files like Docs, PPTs, PDFs to MP3s, of up to a 100MB each. Kavin Bharti Mittal said that they are aiming for the 100M active mobile internet users that are in India. The ...
Micromax has introduced two Windows Phone 8.1 OS devices, Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092. Among the two, Win W121 is more attractive. It is slimmer and has a leather-like finished back.
Micromax Win W121 flaunts a 5-inch HD IPS display. The front side, real-estate has a plenty of space dedicated to the three touch buttons – back, home and search. This makes usage of touch keys, easier while operating with one hand. A 2MP camera rests near ear-piece.
Both spines sport one key, each side, placed opposite each other. Top side has the audio jack and charger usb slot. There is no camera, shortcut key.
This slim phone is framed with a metallic ribbon, running on all four corners. Phone has rounded edges, which contributes to easy operation of phone with single hand.
Back side has a leather-like finish with stitching evident on its frame. An 8MP snapper with single LED flash is placed here.
A slot made for speakers sits at the bottom of back cover.
Battery cover is removable. 2 SIM slots and a place for expandable memory is carved out near the battery slot. Micromax W121 has 2000mAh battery.
This Windows 8.1 device runs on quad-core ‘Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor’, clocked to 1.2 GHz. ...
Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S5 LTE-A in Korea in partnership with local SK Telecom soon, according to a report from Korea's Yonhap News. Samsung launched the Galaxy S4 LTE-A with Snapdragon 800 SoC in Korea few months after it launched the Galaxy S4 with with Snapdragon 600 SoC internationally. The Galaxy S5 LTE-A would come with a Snapdragon 805 chip and would support LTE Advanced that would offer speed of up to 225 Mbps, faster than 150 Mbps on current LTE-A service in Korea.
The Snapdragon 800 chip supports LTE-A support only till 150 Mbps, so the Galaxy S5 LTE-A would be powered by a Snapdragon 805 chip, according to the report. Another report from The Korea Times says that all the three major Korean carriers SK Telecom, LG Uplus and KT would launch their 225 Mbps LTE-A service starting from this month.
According to some reports from Korea this might be the rumored S5 Prime with Quad HD display and 3GB RAM. It could also be just an upgraded variant of the Galaxy S5 that was unveiled earlier this year.
According to the Korea Times' report LG is also working on another variant of the G3 with Snapdragon 805 for the Korean market. The new Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A is ...
BlackBerry announced BBM Protected, secure and reliable instant messaging service at the MWC 2014 earlier this year. It even showed up in a demo video last month. Today BlackBerry has launched BBM Protected as the first solution in the eBBM Suite for secure enterprise messaging. This is built for business that brings convenience and usability of BBM with the additional security and compliance for enterprise customers.
For enhanced security, it uses FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic library. This also lets employees chat securely with BBM Protected users at others companies too without needing to be on the same BES server and no federation between servers is required. The first time that two BBM Protected users go to establish a chat, they will be required to share a secret passphrase to authenticate their identities and generate the BBM Protected encryption key used to secure their chat.
BBM Protected is available BlackBerry smartphones running BB0S 6.0 or later or BlackBerry 10 in Regulated mode. BBM Protected for BlackBerry 10 smartphones using BlackBerry Balance and iOS and Android devices would launch later this year.
Rovio, creators of popular Angry Birds game has announced Angry Birds Transformers, their new game in the Angry Birds franchise. It will have new story and characters, in which the characters split into Autobirds and Deceptihogs. Rovio is also teaming up with Hasbro for Telepods similar to Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Go!, which will let you teleport your favorite character into the game. It also plans to introduce consumer licensed goods based on the game.
Regarding the new game, Blanca Juti, Chief Marketing Officer of Rovio, said
We're really excited to combine the iconic Transformers universe with the quirky world of Angry Birds. This mash-up is going to appeal to those who grew up with the brand in the 80s, as well as fans of the brand today. People are going to love it!
According to the official Angry Birds Transformers page, the game would birds would be disguised as robots. The company has not announced any other details or a teaser for the game yet. Rovio announced Angry Birds Stella earlier this year. This would launch in September 2014 and also include Telepods.
Last week it launched Angry Birds Epic, an adventure role-playing game for mobile platforms. The Angry Birds ...
At the Samsung event on June 13, alongside the announcement of its high resolution Super AMOLED display tablets, Samsung also announced that a Bluetooth Accessory keyboard that will be compatible with both the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Tab S 10.5 tablets. The Bluetooth Keyboard acts as a dock as well and tries to transform the tablet to a laptop.
Unlike the Asus Android Transformer convertible docks, the Bluetooth Keyboard from Samsung does not come with additional battery for the tablet. The keyboard connects to the tablet easily via Bluetooth and provides a nice docking station for the tablet. The feedback of the keys felt pretty good on the keyboard.
The keyboard too follows Samsung's design language of dotted pattern and that increases the grip when you are holding the tablet as well as the keyboard.
We managed to spend sometime with the device and we made a eyes on video which you can check right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb296gFWQKk
Twitter is bringing Daydream mode to Android app, according to a report from Android Police. A not so popular feature in Android 4.2, Daydream is essentially a screensaver that displays photos or content on the screen in the background. The Daydream mode can be set on users android devices when it is docked or charging or both.
Twitter will use the daydream mode to display tweets by browsing through your profile. These tweets will be seen in the center with on images at the background. In the Daydream feature, photos can be displayed in either a slideshow or collage . Users can access the Daydream mode via settings on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
It is not a huge update but indicates that Twitter is striving hard to attract users to its platform. The report states that the Daydream feature is live on Android app.
Via:Android Police
From Kickstarter project to an actual company, it must have been a roller coaster ride for Pebble, the smartwatch, and the company behind the product, making it one of the first wearable gadgets to work in tandem with the smartphone platforms of our time. It is still one of the most well-funded Kickstarter projects of all time, having served as a clear indicator for the birth of a whole new market. Several months after the funding was completed, it shipped its product to its backers and now, it is shipping globally with two models, the original and a more premium Pebble Steel.
Since then, competitors have scrambled to make a mark on this new market, but none have succeeded so far. With Android Wear on the horizon and supported devices coming out in a few weeks or months, the landscape is set to change, but we don't know how yet. Assuming you, the readers, are in the market for a smartwatch now, will the Pebble still be worth it, even after the onslaught of Android wear powered devices? Let's find that out in our review.
The Idea
Before we start explaining what the Pebble is like, it is important to understand what the ...
Amazon has revealed some numbers about its app store just a day before its possible 3D smartphone launch. The company said that it has nearly tripled the number of apps in its app store which now boasts of 2,40,000 apps. Amazon stated that the app store is available in 200 countries.
Developers tell us that they experience improved reach, greater monetization, and, oftentimes, higher revenue when they have their apps and games in the Amazon Appstore. But this is just the beginning—we’re building more services and capabilities for developers and more Android-based APIs based on their feedback. Most Android apps just work on Kindle Fire, and with an Appstore made for Android devices, Amazon’s Appstore can help developers distribute their apps on Android devices all over the world. It’s a great time for developers to bring their apps to the Amazon Appstore.
said Mike George, Vice President of Amazon Appstore and Games in a statement.
As per a survey by IDC on behalf of Amazon, 65% of developers surveyed said their total revenue on Kindle Fire was the same or better than on other while 74% said average revenue per app/user is the same or better on Kindle Fire than other platforms. Also ...
At the Samsung event during which Samsung unveiled its Super AMOLED tablets - Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5, Samsung also announced an updated version of its feature - SideSync 3.0. A couple of weeks back, Apple announced a feature called Continuity at the WWDC 2014 that would allow you to seamlessly switch work between various iOS devices. Samsung's SideSync isn't exactly the same, but tries to achieve something similar between the Galaxy Tablets and Galaxy smartphones.
The Samsung SideSync allows users to take calls coming to their smartphone on their tablets if the smartphone is not nearby. It also allows easy access to the files on one device on the other. In addition to the basic features, Samsung SideSync 3.0 also allows the users to control the smartphone via their tablet. All this connectivity takes place through WiFi.
With the multitasking on Galaxy Tab S, you can do much more now since your phone and tablet can be accessed on a single screen.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcRizuzTqqY
Oppo launched the Oppo R1 (R829), successor of last year's Oppo R819 in India April in India priced at Rs. 26990. We even went hands-on with the smartphone at the MWC 2014 earlier this year, even before it launched in India. Oppo has concentrated more on the build quality and the design of the smartphone to make to better than the R819. Check out the unboxing below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3I5FLvNaYQ
The box contents include,
Oppo R1 in black
2-pin charger
USB cable
Headset with mic
SIM ejector tool
Transparent protective cover
Quick guide and information guide
Check out more images of the box contents below
[gallery link="file" ids="106123,106124,106125,106126,106127,106128"]
Oppo R1 Specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display at 294 ppi with Corning Gorilla glass 3 protection
1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Color OS
8MP rear camera with LED Flash, BSI sensor and f/2.0 aperture
5MP front-facing camera, 80 degree wide-angle lens
3.5mm audio jack
7.1mm thick and weighs 140 grams
1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
2410 mAh battery
The Oppo R1 has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display with Corning Gorilla glass 3 protection. It also has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has solid build quality and comes with a glass back. On the back there is a 8-megapixel ...
Google introduced its 'Glass at Work' program in April that aimed at bringing enterprise apps to Glass. Today, the company has announced first batch of partners viz, APX, Augmedix, Crowdoptic, GuidiGO and Wearable Intelligence. These companies will help create new Glass-powered innovations for businesses.
Glass Certified Partners are authorized by Google's Glass at Work program for delivering enterprise solutions for Glass. The developers are also eligible for co-branding and listing on the Glass at Work website
said Google in a blog post
APX Labs makes Skylight, a business software app for Glass; AugMedix markets a service for doctors that streamlines communication with electronic medical records; CrowdOptic makes context-aware applications for the sports, entertainment and medical industries; GuidiGo aims to make museums and cultural institutions more connected; and Wearable Intelligence creates workflow, communications, training, and data access products.
Google made Glass available for general public in the US at a price tag of $1500 last month. Prior to that it had launched try and buy program.
Via
Press images and the specifications of the Galaxy Core 2 surfaced back in April on a Russian website. Recently Galaxy Core 2 Duos and Galaxy Pocket 2 Duos surfaced on a Vietnamese website before it was pulled. According to the leak, the Galaxy Core 2 would have a 4.5-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) LCD capacitive touch screen display and would be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. Earlier leak revealed that it would have 512 MB RAM, but according to new leak it would have a 768MB RAM.
The Galaxy Pocket 2 Duos would have a 3.2-inch HVGA screen and would be powered by a 1GHz processor. Both these would run on Android 4.4 (KitKat) and come with 3G connectivity and dual SIM support. As you can see, both the smartphones have leather-like back covers.
Samsung Galaxy Core 2 rumored specifications
4.5-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) display
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM
Dimensions: 130.2 x 67.9 x 9.8mm; Weight 138 grams
5MP rear camera with LED Flash
0.3MP (VGA)front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
768MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
2000 mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy Pocket 2 rumored specifications
3.2-inch (320 x 240 pixels) display
1 GHz processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM
Dimensions: ...
Facebook has updated Paper for iOS with several features. Launched in January this year, the app is getting the popular trending section which shows the topics that people are talking about at that moment. The feature shows 10 news topics are being shared on Paper in real-time.
In addition, Paper is also getting support for hashtags which lets users click on them to know more about stories. They can tap hashtags to follow all related posts. Users can now update, resize and crop profile and cover photo from the app. Paper also gets photo tagging
The update also includes photo tagging support and allows to mention friends in photos and comments. Users can tilt and zoom to view photos wider than your screen. Paper gives you more control on your posts and users can choose with whom they want to share a certain post. Paper was last updated in April with group update, birthdays and events, new story buttons and more. Currently, Paper is only available on iOS and there is no word on Android availability.
The latest update is available for downloaded on the Apple App Store
Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 recently. One of the most important features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is the high resolution 8.4inch Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 359ppi. The display is absolutely gorgeous and we are putting this SuperAMOLED display against the iPad Mini's Retina display and lets check out how they compete against each other.
We have the iPad Mini with Retina Display on the left side and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is on the right side. As you can see in the image above, the right side display is extremely bright and looks very colorful. It is true that Super AMOLED over saturates the colors and true colors are lost, but when you see both the displays above, you would definitely want to be looking more at the one on the right.
We also managed to make a quick eyes on video of the display comparison between the two high resolution tablets which you can check out right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFkDC30QVFE
BlackBerry introduced BBM Protected, its secured enterprise messaging solution in eBBM suite yesterday. It also updated BBM app for BlackBerry 10 and BB OS devices that brings support for BBM Protected, chat wallpapers in BBM Shop, 16 new emoticons and more. BBM for iOS and Android got these new features recently.
New features in BBM 10.3.33.18 for BlackBerry
BBM Protected: A new, more secure version of BBM that includes added protection for BBM chats between enterprise users.
Chat wallpapers: Just like it sounds, this feature gives users another way to customize their BBM chats with wallpapers that can be added behind chat bubbles. Available in the BBM Shop.
Sixteen new emoticons: Includes a shamrock, set of lips, stop sign, hot dog and much more.
Improved experience for adding BBM contacts via email: When a user receives a BBM invitation over email, they can click the link and the contact will be added.
Updates tab renamed to “Feeds”: Name changed to better represent the status updates, profiles and posts that are found in the stream.
Increased file transfer limit for BBOS: Maximum attachment size for BBM users on BBOS devices upped to 16MB.
The latest BBM update for BlackBerry is available through the BlackBerry World.
Panasonic India has announced that it would launch Eluga range of smartphones soon. The Panasonic ELUGA waterproof Android smartphone was announced back in 2012 for the European markets. The company also introduced ELUGA Power with IP57 rating for dust and water resistance for Europe soon after.
The new Panasonic ELUGA teaser has a tagline Elegance for a new generation, but it doesn't reveal any other details about the smartphones. Panasonic entered into the Indian smartphone market with the Panasonic P51 last year, which was a completely new smartphone targeted at Indian customers, so the company could launch a new smartphone in the ELUGA series.
Panasonic launched P81, the company's latest high-end smartphone in the P Series last month. As usual we can expect more teaser about the Panasonic ELUGA line-up in coming weeks. So we have to wait for to know what the company has to offer for the Indian consumers.
Sony is putting more power into the Xperia Z2 with a new camera app. Dubbed as Live on YouTube, the app enables users to broadcast a live streaming event straight from their Xperia device.
Users can share video publicly or privately with friends & family by using the app’s private mode. They can also monitor likes and views on their YouTube account. The app is available globally except for Germany. In order to access the feature, users will have to enable the “Live events” setting in their YouTube settings.
YouTube does warn users not to broadcast inappropriate activities or copyrighted material. Sony did not say if it will offer this app to other Xperia models.
Sony Xperia Z2 owners can download the Live on YouTube – by Xperia app for free from Google Play.
Source | Via
Xiaomi introduced the Redmi Note in Taiwan yesterday, which will go on sale in the country starting from June 27th through e Commerce site PChome. At the even Xiaomi co-founder and President Lin Bin had said that the company plans to launch 4G smartphones soon, according to a report from Focus Taiwan.
Regarding the company's 4G smartphone plans, Lin Bin, co-founder and President of Xiaomi, said
Our research and development on 4G phones is in full swing. We are hoping to launch 4G phones as soon as possible and will bring them to Taiwanese consumers to improve their Web browsing and user experience.
He did not reveal which 4G smartphone the company plans to launch or when it is expected. According to earlier rumors this 4G smartphone could be Mi3S. It is rumored to come with a 5-inch 1080p display, powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC and run on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It was expected to launch last month along with the MiPad, but it didn't happen.
Earlier this year Xiaomi announced that it plans to expand to 10 countries this year. It launched in Malaysia recently, plans to enter the Philippines in coming weeks and will enter India later this year.
