Google's Pichai didn't call Android insecure; did say Nexus 6 not due until fall

Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President at Google in charge of Android, Chrome and Google Apps, had some rather interesting quotes for reporters attending the Mobile World Congress 2014 event in Barcelona. Some were controversial enough, for Google to provide a transcript of his interview, clarifying what Pichai had actually said.

Some reports had quoted as saying, "We cannot guarantee that Android is designed to be safe, the format was designed to give more freedom."

However, Google has moved to dismiss these reports, by providing an exact transcript of what Pichai had said at the event.

Sorry, the premise of the question is because Android is open, it has more security issues? Respectfully, I'm not sure that's a correct premise of the question. Open platforms historically undergo a lot of scrutiny, but there are a lot of advantages to having an open source platform from a security standpoint. I would argue that it's the best way for a platform to be secure, because every researcher in the world can inspect it, every developer in the world can inspect it, and I think that contributes a lot to Android security. Android was built to be very, very secure... As long as you're on a phone and able to update, Android is very, very secure. It's designed to be very, very secure. I would go as far to say - open systems are far more secure...

According to other reports, Pichai refrained from giving any information on the next Google Nexus device, though he indicated that Nexus fans will only see it in the second half of this year, "I can assure you it will not be released in the first half of the year." The Google Nexus 5, made by LG, is the firm's latest Nexus device, and was released in November 2013 with Android 4.4 KitKat OS.

Pichai further dismissed rumours surrounding the tension between Google and Samsung lately, saying it the truth was "more boring" than the way it was being reported. While the recently launched Gear smartwatches at MWC 2014 run on Linux-based Tizen OS, he said that he is confident the Galaxy S6 will run Android.

Interestingly, Pichai also commented on the use of Android on the newly unveiled Nokia X smartphones, saying: "This shows that when we say that Android is a free operating system, we do not lie, it's true".

Five Unique Gadgets in MWC

The Mobile World Congress witnessed a slew of smartphone, tablet and accessory launches with the likes of Sony, Samsung and Nokia being in the spotlight. Apart from the mainstream announcements, the event was also home to some unique products. 

Here’s a look at five out of the box products showcased at the MWC that we found interesting…

Samsung Gear Fit to Nokia X: The best of Mobile World Congress 2014

• 
• From the Samsung fitness band, Gear Fit, to Nokia's Android-based budget smartphones to Huawei's first-even wearable device, many new gadgets were unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2014. Here is the best of the world's largest mobile mobile trade show.

Google's Project Ara modular phone project: $50 price tag, Q1 2015 release

Google's Motorola announced the Project Ara in October last year as company's open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones.

In January, when Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, the Mountain View giant kept Project Ara with itself. The team developing Project Ara - the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group led by Regina Dugan - was reportedly integrated with Google's Android team. It's interesting to note that the recently announced Project Tango is also a work of the ATAP group.

Motorola had been working on Project Ara for more than a year and it had also teamed up with Phonebloks, an open-source project that had been looking at creating modular smartphone components that can be easily replaced.

Apple issues fix for security flaw on Mac computers

San Francisco: Apple Inc has issued fixes for a security flaw in its Macintosh computers that allows hackers to intercept data such as email, patching a major and embarrassing glitch that came to light several days ago.

The security update for users of Apple's OS X computer operating software follows a fix issued for iPhones last week, meaning all Apple device users now have access to the patch.

ALSO SEE Apple promises fix 'very soon' for Macs with failed encryption

The flaw allowed attackers with access to a mobile user's network, such as a shared unsecured wireless service offered by a cafe, to see or alter exchanges between the user and protected sites such as Google Inc's Gmail or Facebook.

The security update for users of Apple's OS X computer operating software follows a fix issued for iPhones last wee

OS X Mavericks v10.9.2 update brings SSL fix, FaceTime audio and call waiting, more

Apple has released v10.9.2 system update for OS X Mavericks. The update brings a bunch of improvement and patches, including a fix for the infamous SSL bug that has been in the news for the past week, though the release notes do not explicitly mention that the bug is addressed. An Apple spokesman said of the latest patch: "Today's update does address the same issue that was fixed in iOS 7."

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ with 10.1-inch full-HD display, Android 4.3 launched

Lenovo has unveiled the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ at the MWC 2014 in Barcelona. The Chinese manufacturer has announced that the tablet will be available starting April this year and will ship at a starting price of $349, which translates to roughly Rs. 21,700.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ is an incremental update to the Yoga Tablet 10 that was launched last year. The Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, much like its predecessor, is a multimode Android tablet featuring hold, tilt and stand modes.

Lenovo S660, S850 and S860 dual-SIM Android 4.2 smartphones unveiled at MWC 2014

Lenovo has launched three new S-series smartphones, dubbed Lenovo S660, S850 and S860, at the sidelines of MWC 2014 in Barcelona.

The Chinese giant has announced that the new S-series Android smartphone will be available starting June 2014. The Lenovo S860 has been priced at $349 (Rs. 21,700 approximately), the Lenovo S850at $269 (Rs. 16,700 approximately) and the Lenovo S660 at $229 (Rs. 14,250 approximately).

Notably, the three new S-series smartphones run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and support dual-SIM functionality.

HTC Desire 816 with 5.5-inch display launched at MWC 2014

HTC has announced the launch of Desire 816 mid-range handset at the Mobile World Congress 2014in Barcelona. HTC also confirmed that it will launch the successor to the HTC One on 25 March.

While HTC Desire 816's price and availability are still being kept as a secret, we do know that the smartphone will sport a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels resolution) display and be powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM. It will come with 8GB of internal storage with support for microSD cards up to 128GB, which may just be the highest expandable memory capacity handled by a smartphone. There's no word on the Android version on the smartphone, though HTC did confirm the presence of a brand new HTC Sense 5.5 UI on top.

Sony Xperia Z2 with 5.2-inch display, 4K ultra-HD recording launched

Sony Corp. is borrowing innovations from its audio and camcorder businesses and incorporating its new Xperia Z2 smartphone with noise-canceling technology and ultra-high-definition video recording.

Noise cancellation works with an in-ear headset sold separately, while the Z2's built-in camera can capture video in so-called 4K resolution, an emerging standard that offers four times the details as current high-definition video.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Top 10 features:

Samsung has taken the wraps off the Galaxy S5, the latest in its series of flagship Android phones. It has a lot of cool feature, including things that no company has ever put in a smartphone before.

You can read all about the Samsung Galaxy S5's features and specifications in our detailed launch coverage, but here's a quick list of our 10 favourites.

Voice calling coming soon to WhatsApp:

Barcelona: The world's biggest messaging service WhatsApp will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of this year, its CEO Jan Koum said, days after its blockbuster $19 billion acquisition by Facebook.

"We are driven by the mission that people should be able to stay in touch anywhere and affordably. Our goal is to be on every mobile phone in the world," Koum said on Monday, speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Koum also announced a partnership with KPN's E-Plus under which it will launch a WhatsApp branded mobile service in Germany. "We are working with carriers in established markets to bring value to end users," he said.

WhatsApp will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of this year, its CEO Jan Koum said, days after its blockbuster $19 billion acquisition by Facebook.

Sony unveils Xperia Z2 with 4K ultra-HD video recording, 20.7 MP camera; coming in March

Barcelona: Sony Corp. is borrowing innovations from its audio and camcorder businesses and incorporating its new Xperia Z2 smartphone with noise-cancelling technology and ultra-high-definition video recording.

Noise cancellation works with an in-ear headset sold separately, while the Z2's built-in camera can capture video in so-called 4K resolution, an emerging standard that offers four times the details as current high-definition video.

"With Xperia Z2 we have taken our premium Z series to the next level, delivering unique experiences that only Sony can offer," Kunimasa Suzuki, Sony Mobile's president and CEO, said in a statement.

The Xperia Z2 is waterproof, like the Z1 phones, and its screen is slightly larger, at 5.2 inches diagonally instead of 5 inches.

Google smartwatch being made by LG, coming this June: Report

Google is working on a smartwatch of its own that could be revealed within the first half of this year.Popular phone tipster @evleaks has claimed that Google's rumoured smartwatch is being manufactured by LG, which has been the OEM partner for Nexus smartphones (Nexus 4 and Nexus 5) for two consecutive years. He also claimed that the smartwatch will debut at Google's I/O event in June. The tweet by @evleaks said, "Apparently Google's smartwatch is being made by LG, and will launch at I/O." Unfortunately, the tipster did not offer any more details.
Earlier, TechCrunch claimed that the alleged Google smartwatch is for real and might begin shipping in mid to late-March. However, the report cites some smartwatch team members in Google believe that the release date might be pushed back to June in order to ship with all the intended features, putting the release date in line with what @evleaks had tweeted.
The TechCrunch report further claims that Google's smartwatch will come with a plastic band and will sport a colour display. The search engine giant was reportedly working on many concepts for the alleged smartwatch, but the rumoured Google smartwatch prototype is now in lockdown at Google's Mountain View headquarters under high security. An early Google smartwatch prototype had a metal band, square look and a colourful digital screen much like the one on the Pebble Steel, according to people familiar with the matter.
The report also suggests that Google smartwatch supports notifications via Bluetooth low energy pairing with an Android smartphone, and gesture-based interactions.
Notably, device makers like Samsung and Sony have already launched their smartwatches globally, the Galaxy Gear and Smartwatch 2 respectively. Samsung is also set to unveil its smartwatch sequel dubbed Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo at MWC 2014 which will be powered by Tizen instead of Android.
It's worth pointing out that Apple's first-ever wearable device, the iWatch, is rumoured to hit shelves in the second-half of 2014.

Reliance Jio likely to launch 4G services in Delhi and Mumbai by September: Report

Telecom arm of Reliance Industries, RJIL, is likely to launch its 4G services by September this year starting from Delhi and Mumbai."Reliance Jio is engaged in building up team for telecom services which is almost done. Telecom services are likely to be launched in third quarter of 2014 i.e July-September period starting from Delhi and Mumbai," a source privy of the development told PTI.
RIL has already announced in July that it will add 7,000 employees taking total headcount at company to 10,000 in 2014-15.
(Also see: Reliance Jio Infocomm gets unified licence for nationwide 4G services)
No immediate comments were received from the company.
RIL may share details of services launch in June.
RJio started first trial of its 4G services in Delhi, Mumbai and Jamnagar. The Department of Telecom has allocated 22 million numbers for launch of services.
The source added that company is evaluating devices of Korean firm Samsung and Chinese company ZTE for its customers.
After launching service in Delhi and Mumbai,the company has identified Southern part of India as high revenue generating market followed by West, North and East.
The company has prepared its network architecture plan under which it will provide booster antenna kind of device.
This antenna will receive signal from mobile tower and a cable from this antenna connect a set-top-box or a modem kind of device inside home that will create wifi network for telecom service inside home.
The STB has been developed on Google's Android platform.
Besides customer premise equipments, RJIL has plans to connect to those homes which won't get strong signals with optical fibre network.
RJio also has plans to launch TV services through its 4G network.
Gearing up to foray into TV services market, Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) has loaded 150 channels that it will provide across all devices ranging from mobile phone to TV sets using its high speed 4G network

Huawei TalkBand B1 wearable device unveiled at MWC 2014

Samsung announced its new range of Gear 2 smartwatches running the Tizen OS earlier this weekend and Huawei isn't too far behind with its own wearable device. The Chinese mobile and tablet manufacturer has announced the TalkBand B1 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 in Barcelona.Huawei TalkBand B1, which will be available in an array of colours, sports a 1.4-inch flexible OLED display, features wireless calling and has a Bluetooth 4.1 earpiece embedded within it. The earpiece can be taken out for making calls, if needed. In addition, Huawei claims the device can be paired with devices running Android versions 2.3 and above, as well as Apple devices running iOS versions 5.0 and above. It comes with NFC support as well.
With health-related features a big focus for wearable devices, Huawei is flaunting its own fitness-related push as well. The TalkBand B1 records the number of steps taken by a user, distance travelled, and calories burnt. In addition it also monitors the sleeping pattern of a user such that a user can set alarms accordingly for waking up.
The TalkBand B1 is powered by a 90mAh battery, and Huawei claims that it can run for six days on a single charge. It weighs 26 grams and can be charged in two hours. The device will be available in China from March and in Japan, Middle East, Russia and Western Europe markets from second quarter of this year 2014. TalkBand B1 will be priced at 99 EUR (approximately Rs. 8,500) in the European market

Samsung Galaxy S5 and more: What to expect from MWC 2014

The 2014 edition of the Mobile World Congress is about to kick off in Barcelona and we'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute coverage of all the phones, tablets, accessories and other gadgets launched during the week.

MWC is the mobile gadget industry's most important platform, and most of the world's top brands will be there, including Samsung, Sony, HTC, Nokia, ZTE, Motorola, and Facebook. Many of these companies will be holding their own press conferences next week, at which they will announce their new product lineups for the year.

Here's a quick rundown of all the events that have been confirmed so far. 

• Tizen: Sunday, 23 February, 12:00pm IST
• Nokia: Monday, 24 February, 1:00pm IST
• Sony: Monday, 24 February, 1:00pm IST
• ZTE: Monday, 24 February, 3:00pm IST
• Facebook: Monday, 24 February, 10:30pm IST
• Samsung: Tuesday, 23 February, 12:30am IST
• LG: Tuesday, 23 February, 12:30pm IST

Here's a quick preview of what we can expect each brand to unveil:

Samsung's Unbox event has been the subject of much speculation and several leaks have hinted at what we will see. First of all, the new Samsung Galaxy S5 might be unveiled. The new flagship phone could have a waterproof body, improved front-facing camera, new processor, fingerprint scanner, QHD 2560x1440-pixel screen, and a whole new TouchWiz UI.

Samsung will also most likely show off a new line of tablets and more wearable gadgets including a possible successor to the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and a health monitoring device. Finally, the Korean giant could also unveil one or more mid-range phones running its new Tizen OS.

Nokia has also sent out an official invitation, and while there should be a few new Ashas and Lumias, most of the excitement surrounds the long-rumoured Nokia X, which will run a derivative of Linux with a heavily customised UI.

HTC is badly in need of a hit, and a lot will ride on the success or failure of the hotly anticipated successor to last year's One as well as a few mid-range phones such as the Desire 8 and perhaps a smartwatch or similar wearable accessories, possibly with a focus on music playback.

LG has pretty much confirmed that it will unveil a shrunken version of its flagship G2, called (what else?) the G2 mini, but other details are scarce.

Sony will probably devote a bit of time at its event to new tablets, before it gets to its new flagship Android phone, the Xperia Z2.

Huawei is expected to join in with at least one new smartphone and tablet, while Acer will try to make a mark in the Android market yet again too. We might even see Blackberry unveil a new handset for emerging markets in which it still has a presence.

On the software front, we look forward to seeing what Jolla, Tizen, YotaPhone, Blackphone and Mozilla have to offer. Maybe the first widely available Sailfish or Firefox OS phones?

There was a flurry of activity around wearable gadgets at this year's CES, and the momentum hasn't slowed down. MWC 2014 will witness the unveiling of a number of wearable devices from well-known brands and first-timers. In addition to smartwatches, we could see more augmented reality headsets, health monitors, and jewellery.

Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to deliver a keynote address to the mobile industry on Monday, but what exactly he'll talk about is still under wraps. In light of Facebook's just-announced $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, the conference hall is sure to be jam packed.

Stay tuned for even more leaks and more surprises leading up to each unveiling, and of course the news from Barcelona as it happens next week.

Rumors have been swirling since news broke this week of a possible meeting between Apple's top executive for acquisitions and the CEO of electric car maker Tesla. Citing a person familiar with the matter, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that the meeting between Adrian Perica and Elon Musk took place last spring. The companies haven't commented on the report. With $158.8 billion in cash on its balance sheet, Apple certainly has the money to buy Tesla, which has a market cap of about $24 billion. Although a pairing of the two companies is a likely long shot and far off at best, it's kind of fun to think about a car made by the company that brought us the iPhone and iPad. Here are a few ideas: Name There's no question it would be called the iCar. With iPads, iPods and iPhones on the market, do they really have a choice? New models to follow could be called the iCar 2, iCar3, etc. Or the company could just make an iCarS if it didn't feel like making any real changes to the product. Colour Two words: Space Grey. Of course, there also would be a hard-to-find gold-tone version and a slightly cheaper model featuring a shiny plastic exterior that could come in an array of eye-popping colors. Plug Whatever it looks like, it's sure to differ from the one Tesla currently uses. After all, Apple can't have drivers re-using their current accessories. Apps The dashboard of a Tesla already looks like a giant iPad. But in addition to the latest version of iOS and Retina display, an Apple version could include apps for podcasts, photos and of course iTunes and iTunes Radio. Want to let your passengers binge watch the second season of "House of Cards" as you blow down the freeway? Just fire up the Netflix app. And Candy Crush Saga would come preinstalled to give you something to do while waiting out traffic jams. Navigation Google Maps? Forget about it. Apple Maps, all the way. Price Probably above what a Tesla currently sells for, but cheaper with a two-year agreement. In this case, we're probably talking about a lease that includes a hefty breakup fee if you try to end it early, not to mention big overage charges for driving more minutes than you're allowed.

Rumors have been swirling since news broke this week of a possible meeting between Apple's top executive for acquisitions and the CEO of electric car maker Tesla.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that the meeting between Adrian Perica and Elon Musk took place last spring. The companies haven't commented on the report.

With $158.8 billion in cash on its balance sheet, Apple certainly has the money to buy Tesla, which has a market cap of about $24 billion.

Although a pairing of the two companies is a likely long shot and far off at best, it's kind of fun to think about a car made by the company that brought us the iPhone and iPad. Here are a few ideas:

Name
There's no question it would be called the iCar. With iPads, iPods and iPhones on the market, do they really have a choice? New models to follow could be called the iCar 2, iCar3, etc. Or the company could just make an iCarS if it didn't feel like making any real changes to the product.

ColourTwo words: Space Grey. Of course, there also would be a hard-to-find gold-tone version and a slightly cheaper model featuring a shiny plastic exterior that could come in an array of eye-popping colors.

PlugWhatever it looks like, it's sure to differ from the one Tesla currently uses. After all, Apple can't have drivers re-using their current accessories.

AppsThe dashboard of a Tesla already looks like a giant iPad. But in addition to the latest version of iOS and Retina display, an Apple version could include apps for podcasts, photos and of course iTunes and iTunes Radio. Want to let your passengers binge watch the second season of "House of Cards" as you blow down the freeway? Just fire up the Netflix app. And Candy Crush Saga would come preinstalled to give you something to do while waiting out traffic jams.

NavigationGoogle Maps? Forget about it. Apple Maps, all the way.

PriceProbably above what a Tesla currently sells for, but cheaper with a two-year agreement. In this case, we're probably talking about a lease that includes a hefty breakup fee if you try to end it early, not to mention big overage charges for driving more minutes than you're allowed.

Samsung to Unveil Galaxy S 5 on Monday at Unpacked in Barcelona, Forums Created

It’s so close, you can almost smell it. “TheNextGALAXY” is set to be announced on Monday at Samsung’s Unpacked 5 event in Barcelona. And while the “next Galaxy” could come as an entirely new Galaxy-branded line, we think that it’s fairly safe to assume that this is for the Samsung Galaxy S 5.

At this point, rumors are flying around left and right regarding the device and its potential specifications and features. The Unpacked 5 trailer video shown above even hints at the next version of the device being waterproof (wet5) and having new camera features (focus5). But unfortunately, very little is known about the device other than its likely Monday release.

What would be your ideal Galaxy S 5? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to visit our newly created Samsung Galaxy S 5 forums to get in on the action!

Google announces Project Tango, a smartphone that can map the world around it

Google has built a prototype Android smartphone
that can learn and map the world around it. The
device comes from a new initiative called Project
Tango, and it's ready to get the phone into
developers' hands to see what the technology is
capable of. Google says that the phone will learn
the dimension of rooms and spaces just by being
moved around inside of them — walking around
your bedroom, for example, would help the phone
learn the shape of your home. The hope is that
by creating a robust map of the world, Google's
phone could eventually give precise directions to
any given point that needs to be reached.
It's an ambitious project, but that should be no
surprise given who it's coming from: Tango
comes out of the Advanced Technology and
Projects group — one of the few pieces of
Motorola that Google has opted to hang on to
rather than sell. "The goal of Project Tango is to
give mobile devices a human-scale
understanding of space and motion," says
Johnny Lee, leader of Project Tango. Google has
200 devices that it's preparing to give out to
developers who want to build mapping tools,
games, and new algorithms that take advantage
of the phone's sensors, and it expects to send
them all out by March 14th.
The Tango devices work by using a motion
tracking camera and a depth sensor built into
their backsides. While being moved around, the
sensors will detect their orientation and what's in
front of them, using that data to build out a 3D
map of their surroundings. While the basic goal is
to create detailed indoor maps, Google's
distribution of developer devices speaks to the
other possibilities it sees coming out of this type
of data: it suggests that Tango could be used to
create more realistic augmented reality games or
to assist the visually impaired when they're
navigating an unfamiliar area.
Google stresses that the technology is still in
early stages, but it still sees it as on the way to
reaching millions of people down the road. And
now, the Advanced Technology and Projects group
will have plenty of time and resources to make
that happen. Alongside the announcement of
Tango, Android chief Sundar Pichai extended a
welcome to the team, suggesting that they've
now fully fallen underneath Google. The group is
also responsible for Project Ara, which hopes
to build modular smartphones .
Project Tango appears to be a natural fit for
Lee's leadership. Lee's name may be familiar
from his work creating virtual reality tools out of
a Wii remote while at Carnegie Mellon, and later
for helping Microsoft develop the Kinect. He joined
Google in 2011 , and clearly he's still been
working on equally ambitious motion-tracking
projects since then. Google says it did not create
Tango all on its own, however, but with
assistance from various universities and research
institutions as well. The project has been in the
works at the Advanced Technologies group for the
past year.

Sony Unveils Water-resistant, NFC-ready SmartWatch 2 for your Android

Sony was one of the first companies to bring wearable computing devices or ‘SmartWatches’ in the market. Though the 1^st generation of SmartWatches didn’t quite live up to the expectation because of the clumsy user interface, lack of pre-loaded apps and high pricing, Sony has managed to cover all of those shortcomings up with the new 2^nd generation of SmartWatch – ‘SmartWatch 2’.

What’s new?

The major add-on to this SmartWatch 2 is the NFC support for one touch pairing to any Android SmartPhone running on Android 4.0 or higher. Now you have to just touch the new SmartWatch to your NFC enabled phone and all the required pairing will be done in seconds!

Display

The display is now larger 1.6” transflective LCD [old SamrtWatch had a 1.3” OLED display] which promises better sunlight visibility. The resolution is also fair 220×176 px with 176ppi pixel density which is standard for human eye from a normal distance.

Hardware and design

The new SmartWatch 2 is 23.5g in weight and looks quite stylish because of the shiny aluminium construction and thin display bezel; gone is that wide bezel seen on the 1^st generation of Sony SmartWatch. The colourful rubber wrist bands have been swapped for a stainless steel version though you can swap the wrist band for any 24mm strap. The stainless steel bold power button of Xperia SmartPhones has also been spotted on the left side of the body giving a perfect watch look. You are also getting standard Android like Home, Back and Menu capacitive keys just below the screen.

Battery

Sony claims 7 days battery backup with low uses and 3-4 days with normal uses which seems fair. This new SmartWatch 2 now comes with a standard microUSB charging port instead of the proprietary port used by the 1^st SmartWatch by Sony.

Dust and Waterproof

The new generation of Smart Watch is now waterproof [IP57] though not suitable of swimming, diving or any heavy water-related work. This is basically mild splash proof and the steel wrist strap isn’t suitable for water as well.

Compatibility

This gadget is compatible with any Android phone running on Android 4.0 [Ice-cream Sandwich] or later though there is no support for iOS and Windows Phones.

Things you can do

Here is the list of things you can do with the new SmartWatch 2 –

• Access Facebook
• Access Twitter
• Access Google+
• Access Gmail
• Read SMS
• Read MMS
• Get missed call notification
• Get calendar notification
• Read email
• Read RSS feeds
• As a viewfinder (remote camera shutter)
• Access phonebook
• Control music player on the phone
• Find phone
• Get time and date info like a normal clock with a number of background options

Price and availability in India

This new Sony SmartWatch 2 will be available globally in September, 2013 and there is no info on the pricing at this moment. The original SmartWatch retails for around 6500 Rs ~ 110 USD in the market at this moment. There are rumors of SmartWatches from Apple (iWatch) and Google as well, so looks like 2014 is going to be the year of wearable gadgets and also don’t forget the Google Glass hitting market pretty soon.

 

Nokia X's alleged press images leaked, may just confirm name

As the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2014 nears its scheduled time and date, a considerable number of leaks regarding Nokia's rumoured first-ever Android smartphone, Nokia X, have been doing the rounds. In the latest leak, it seems the press images of the alleged Nokia X smartphone have been revealed online, along with the news of its entering the Indian shores through the hands of developers.

The purported press images for the much anticipated Nokia X are courtesy popular tipster @evleaks, via a Twitter post. The post, with an image of a green-colour variant of the handset, seemingly confirms the name as Nokia X amidst a number of rumours crowding around the device since weeks.

The Nokia X, besides being said to fall between the Asha and Lumia line-up, is said to feature a 4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480x854 (FWVGA) pixels; a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor; 5-megapixel rear camera; microSD card support and Android 4.4 KitKat. The device was recently spotted under a listing page on a Vietnamese online retailer website .



The Nokia X handset was previously said to sport a 5-megapixel rear camera, however the CamSpeed benchmark hinted that the handset would arrive with a lower 3-megapixel camera.

The Nokia X, according to a BGR report, is also said to have entered India but only as a seeding unit for developers. Rumours hint the device to be based on Android source code but without any Google services, which would also means the handset will not come with Google Play store access.

Nokia is also said to replace Google services with its Here Maps, Microsoft Bing, Outlook and Skype.The much-anticipated budget Nokia X smartphone is also said to come with its own app store dubbed as Asha on Linux, which reportedly already has the top 100 apps from the Google Play store

Huawei teases a smartphone and two tablets for February 23 MWC event

A white-coloured phone that looks suspiciously like the iPhone 5s. A voice assistant on the phone that sounds like the Chinese version of Siri. And the cellphone owner, who asks her, 'What is new at this year's Mobile World Congress?' These are the elements that tie the three new devices that Huawei, plans to showcase at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, at its 23 February event. A 1:01 minute long video made by the Chinese cell phone manufacturer showcases a teaser of the new product range, albeit in a tongue and cheek manner. The video showcases a new mobile phone and two tablets.
The first of the three products is a tablet, with a "beautiful slim design". It is important to note, the Huawei MediaPad X1 had received its Tenaa certification in the first part of February, so it might be possibly the tablet to be showcased at Barcelona. Reports suggest that it is powered by a Hisilicon 910 Kirin chipset (1.6GHz quad-core, Mali 450 GPU, 2GB of RAM) and will be running the older (surprisingly) version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on it.
The Huawei teaser video also speaks about the "huge battery" of the tablet, which the Siri-esque voice assistant says will give users "days of use".
Next in the teaser video, Huawei describes a new smartphone, which an "amazing front camera". Rumours suggest the device could be the Ascend P7, the successor to the Ascend P6. The leaked specs of the phone point to a 5-inch, 1080p screen, the Hisilicon 910 chipset, 13-megapixel rear camera and a massive 8-megapixel front camera. The battery capacity is slated at 2460mAh.
The teaser also speaks about a "new multimedia tablet" that gives a good entertainment experience. Huawei says the tablet will feature a LTE connectivity..
Uploaded a day ago, it has already garnered over 106,000 views. There is a tongue-and-cheek humour towards the very end, where the cellphone owner cheekily asks the name of the companies and enquires "Wow! What are they? Fruit or Some song?" (obviously digs at Apple and Samsung), with the assistant replying back 'No, they are Huawei'.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Galaxy Grand Neo launched in India

Samsung has announced two new smartphones in India - the Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Galaxy Grand Neo at Rs. 40,990 and Rs. 18,450 respectively. The Galaxy Note 3 Neo will be made available in the last week of February, or early March, while the Galaxy Grand Neo is available in the Indian market from Tuesday.

Much like Samsung's Galaxy Note phablet series, the Galaxy Note 3 Neo also comes with a S Pen stylus. The Galalxy Note 3 Neo is powered by a hexa-core processor (dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex A15 + quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex A7). It runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. Other specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo include a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) Super AMOLED display; 2GB of RAM; 16GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card, and a 3100mAh battery. The new phablet from Samsung sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, while there is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera also featuring BSI sensor. Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth, Infrared and 3G.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo comes with preloaded app galore that include Samsung Apps, Samsung ChatON, Samsung WatchON, Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring, S Voice, S Health, Group Play, Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air View, Story Album and S Translator among others. The S Pen comes with Air Command and Easy Clip feature, and also supports Multi Window and S Note. The Galaxy Note 3 Neo also features access to Club Samsung content store, where users can enjoy music, movies, mobile TV, concerts in nine Indian languages
The Galaxy Note 3 Neo will be launched in Black, White, and Mint Green colour variants.
The Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo, which is now officially launched by Samsung at Rs. 18,450, was already available via various online retailers.

The Galaxy Grand Neo is a dual-SIM dual standby device which features a 5.1-inch TFT display with WVGA (480x800 pixel) resolutions. The Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-based smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A7 processor, alongside 1GB of RAM.
The Galaxy Grand Neo details a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA (0.3-megapixel) front-facing camera. It also features LED-flash support and auto-focus feature for the rear camera, along with 720p video recording capability.
The Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo comes with 16GB in-built storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. The handset also has a support for 3G network, along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS/AGPS connectivity option.
Galaxy Grand Neo is powered by a 2100mAh battery, which can run up to 8 hours on 3G Internet usage, and up to 10 hours with Wi-Fi Internet usage, according to the retail listing. The smartphone measures 143.7x77.1x9.6mm and weighs in at 163 gramsGalaxy Grand neo full spec:\
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/samsung-galaxy-grand-neo-1250
Galaxy note 3 full spec;
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-neo-1256

Aakash 4 low-cost tablet to be available by March-end at Rs. 3,999:

Telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said the low-cost tablet PC, the Aakash 4, will be available in the market in around one and a half months for Rs. 3,999.
"Aakash 4 will be available in the market in one or one and a half months. It's a modern tablet and will be available for around Rs. 3,999," Sibal said here

Telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said the low-cost tablet PC, the Aakash 4, will be available in the market in around one and a half months for Rs. 3,999.
"Aakash 4 will be available in the market in one or one and a half months. It's a modern tablet and will be available for around Rs. 3,999," Sibal said here

Samsung Galaxy S5 purported screenshot leak tips Quad-HD display

An alleged screenshot from a third-party system information tool ostensibly loaded on the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 handset has surfaced online, seemingly confirming some of its display specifications.

The screenshot of the 'About' section of 'Quick System Info PRO' supposedly reveals the Galaxy S5's display to feature the much-rumoured QHD (1440x2560 pixel) resolution along with a 560ppi pixel density, all packed in a 5.2-inch screen. However, whether the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature two variants with different screen resolutions is a question that remains unanswered. The leak has been attributed to a source close to Samsung, by the samsunggalaxys5abonnement website

Unfortunately, the screenshot only seemingly reveals details about the Galaxy S5's display, and nothing more. Till date however, numerous leaks have detailed the expected specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S5.

O2 Germany, a mobile carrier, recently officially teased the Samsung Galaxy S5 handset on a dedicated webpage, but did not reveal any specifications, though it did hint at a February-end launch date.

A recent leak emerging from Korea allegedly reveals that the yet-to-be-announced Galaxy S5 might come with a bezel-free display, which will be the first device in Samsung's Android smartphone line-up to feature no rim around the screen and a featured fingerprint scanner.



At roughly the same time, a leaked screenshot purportedly showed icons in what seems like the settings area of the Galaxy S5, icons that match the unPacked 5 event teaser from earlier in February. Spotted in the leaked screenshot were the Curiosity and Outdoor icons, part of the batch of nine icons seen in the official teaser image.



An alleged leaked image of the Samsung Galaxy S5 retail box packing was also spotted on the Internet in February. The leaked retail box image of Galaxy S5 suggests the smartphone will sport a 5.25-inch QHD (1440x2560pixels) Super AMOLED display, 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM and a 20-megapixel rear camera with a 2-megapixel front shooter. The image also indicates the Galaxy S5 will feature a 3000mAh battery and run Android 4.4 KitKat OS.



We expect, based on previous reports, that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be launched alongside a new tablet series, believed to be dubbed Galaxy Tab 4, and the long-rumoured Galaxy Gear successor, named Galaxy Gear 2 at the 24 February event in Barcelona at the side-lines of the MWC 2014.


 

4G on Airtel launched in Bangalure..

Bharti Airtel on Friday released a joint statement with Apple announcing the launch of "India's first 4G on mobile" services in Bangalore. According to the statement, iPhone 5s and 5c customers will be able to use 4G services, as these phones support the 2300MHz TD-LTE band that Airtel is using for 4G services in the city. Other phones that support the 2300MHz TD-LTE band, like Airtel's co-branded phone with Huawei, the Ascend P1 LTE, will also be able to enjoy the 4G services. Unfortunately, there are not many such phones available in the Indian market, hence the claims of the service being 'exclusive' to Apple's phones.

Notably, Airtel says 3G subscribers will be able to get 4G mobile Internet speeds at the same rate as their current 3G tariffs. To access the services, existing 2G and 3G subscribers will have to upgrade their SIM card to a 4G SIM card.
Airtel says while data browsing will be on 4G networks (where available), voice calls will be routed to 2G/ 3G networks 'seamlessly' with the CSFB (Circuit Switched Fall Back) technology. In addition to the regular 3G plans, Airtel also announced the launch of a new 4G plan for heavy data users, giving customers 10GB of 4G data for Rs. 1,000.
Announcing the launch, Srini Gopalan, Director - Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel India said, "Airtel has always set the technology trends in India and was the first operator to introduce 4G to the country. The Information Technology capital of India saw the advent of 4G in 2012 and today we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited Airtel 4G services on mobile in partnership with Apple. We will together give customers in Bengaluru the power to upgrade to cutting edge 4G LTE technology at no additional cost. As a brand we are committed to enriching lives of millions by giving them the best user experience and invite our data savvy customers in the city to enjoy this world class data experience."
Airtel had launched India's first 4G network in April 2012 in Kolkata, later expanding the service to Bangalore and Pune, though these have been been data-only offerings till date.

Surface 2 is great...what about windows rt

It might be a good idea now
for Microsoft to be more
public about the direction of
its tablet operating system so
consumers know what
they're buying into.
I like the Surface 2 and the
Nokia Lumia 2520. A lot. As
hardware, they're two of the
best tablets out there. Bar
none (including iPads).
But Windows RT, as it stands
now, is in no-man's-land.
It's not the Windows 8.1 that
comes on PCs and it's not
Windows Phone 8.
And it's been that way too
long -- since October 2012.
So far, the closest Microsoft
has come to saying anything
about what will become of
RT are comments from
Microsoft's head of devices,
Julie Larson-Green, back in
November.
We have the Windows
Phone OS. We have
Windows RT and we
have full Windows.
We're not going to have
three. We do think
there's a world where
there is a more mobile
operating system that
doesn't have the risks
to battery life, or the
risks to security. But, it
also comes at the cost
of flexibility. So we
believe in that vision
and that direction and
we're continuing down
that path.
It's now three months later
and, I would think, time to
expand on this statement.
That's why I was hoping to
hear more this week from
Tami Reller, executive vice
president, marketing, who
spoke at a Goldman Sachs
conference. But that didn't
happen. Here's what she
said.
Surface 2 -- we've been
very pleased with the
reception to that
product. I would say
that the customer
satisfaction levels that
we've seen in Surface 2
rival any other very
popular tablet in the
market. I think that's so
important.
Terry Myerson and the
OS group are really
looking at how do we
make sure we've got a
world-class mobile
operating system
moving forward, and
what will that mean for
our tablet and mobile
strategy? I think there's
a lot of opportunities to
do some things there
that take that forward in
an interesting way.
Pretty meaningless. And if
you read the transcript
(linked to above), you'll find
that most of the responses
were devoid of any real
meaning (but then maybe
Goldman Sachs is better at
extracting meaning from
corporate-speak than I am)

Apple & Google Begin Rejecting Games With “Flappy” In The Title

The Flappy Bird phenomenon shows no signs of
slowing down, despite the fact that the original
title was yanked out of the App Store by
creator Dong Nguyen, whose newfound fame
apparently became too overwhelming. But though
“Flappy Bird” itself may be gone, the App Store’s
top charts today are filled with clones that mimic
the addicting, frustrating game that became this
year’s viral hit.
However, that may not be the case for long.
Word has it that both Apple and Google are now
rejecting games that have the word “flappy” in
their title.
According to Vancouver-based game designer
Ken Carpenter of Mind Juice Media, Apple
rejected an app of his called “Flappy Dragon”
from the App Store. Apple told him “we found
your app name attempts to leverage a popular
app,” says Carpenter.
Apple told him the app was in violation of the
following section of the App Store Review

What Google Europe Will Look Like After A Legal Agreement Forces It To Carry Its Rivals' Ads

Google has reached a legal settlement
with European antitrust regulators
that will change the way it displays
shopping ads. The Europeans believe
the deal will lessen Google's
dominance of online advertising and
improve competition.
In the future, Google in Europe will
display three non-Google
"alternative" ads alongside its own
Google Shopping results, according to
Re/code.

Note that Google is being forced to
list rival, non-Google "alternatives"
on its own ad space.
Europe is a major market for Google,
obviously. If U.S. regulators were to
adopt a similar approach — highly
unlikely — it could have a material
effect on Google's revenues. Analysts
believe the shopping ads, technically
called "product listing ads," are a
significant driver of increased
revenues at Google . The format was
introduced in late 2011/early 2012.

Leaked Samsung Galaxy S5 Intel Suggests Very High-End Specs to Trump Next iPhone

Both gaint product has leaked out check this out...

Some supposedly newly leaked intel on the Samsung Galaxy S5 has arrived. This new information contains a very thorough spec breakdown. These "new" rumored specs are very high-end and suggest Samsung is going for broke to try and trump any surprises from the Apple camp's next iPhone. Much of this intel seems to line up with previous rumors, but this seems even more solid than previous "leaks."
Here's the scoop,
2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon chipset (likely 805) or an octa-core 64-bit Exynos SoC clocked at 2GHz - will vary by region and device model
5.2- or 5.25-inch AMOLED display with WQHD (2K) resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
3GB of RAM
32GB/64GB/128GB storage options
16-megapixel rear camera
3.2-megapixel front-facing camera
Massive 3,200 mAh battery
All-metal case
Incidentally, this intel also seems to confirm some of the rumors regarding Apple's next iPhone, as you can see in the graphic above. This info was shared by South Korean brokerage firm KDB Daewoo Securities. They have a history of revealing accurate info on new upcoming devices. Still, as with all rumors, despite the solidness of the source, please take this with a grain of salt.
 

share your status in facebook and twitter in same time

The constantly increasing popularity of social networking forces us poor Android users to share our statuses multiple times. But why should we spend much time Tweeting and sharing our statuses on Facebook when we can use a single application designed and developed to handle multiple social networks at the same time.


You can post status updates to Twitter and Facebook simultaneously, optionally along with or without a picture. You can toggle which networks you want to post from within a simple minimalist UI.
No useless running in background.
No "Google analytics mumbo jumbo" data collection.
No privacy infringing usage statistics collection.
No online caching/buffering of posts.

Download link:

                                                Click Here

Change the Look of Your Lock Screen with SlideLock

SlideLock is a clean custom lockscreen for Android with advanced notification display.

screen. For example, Sony’s style is different from the one by HTC. Luckily, it’s Android and all of this customization can be applied at the source code level, with Xposed modules, or using external applications.
If you are not happy with your current lock screen style, you should definitely check an application. It’s a simple and good looking default lock screen replacement. To unlock the screen, you need to swipe the screen to the right. Swiping to the left launches the camera app, so you can easily make a photo of important and interesting moments of your life. SlideLock also handles the notifications. And by swiping the notifications, you can open or dismiss the message you get. There is even an option to preview a notification, just like with ActiveNotifications, where the screen lights up for a second giving you time to check what’s new. This application doesn’t offer many features or unnecessary graphical additions. The goal is to keep the screen nice and minimalist.

Download here:

click here

Backup the TA Partition on Your Sony Xperia using Mac OS X

If you are a Sony Xperia user eagerly awaiting
the latest OTA updates , you must remember that
in order to receive the update, your phone
must be running stock firmware. By unlocking the
bootloader, your phone won’t be able to directly
install the OTA, and will lose features such as
Sony Bravia Engine. Furthermore, you may also
face difficulties with your warranty. You can avoid
these issues with the Backup TA for Sony Xperia
tool.The only disadvantage is that it works only on Windows,
so users must use a Windows machine or
virtualization software like VirtualBox to back up
and restore their keys.

Mac OS X users can use Backup TA on their
machines. The developer has re-written the
script, which is now compatible with Apple’s
latest OS builds. And in the future, Mac OS X
might be included in the official release. This tool
should work with all Xperias with TA partitions,
and the developer was kind enough to write a
FAQ, which can be found on Bitbucket alongside
source code of the tool.

Visit

Rooting your device without PC

would like to root your device without messing it and without yout PC.
HERE ARE STEPS:

Before every thing you need to check 2 things in your android device.

#Navigate to the security settings and scroll down to where it says "Unknown Sources". This box needs to be checked.

#Open the Developers Option. Scroll down to Usb Debugging and make sure this is enabled.

1st: You need to download certain files for rooting your device.

2nd: Download MINISTRO 2 from Play Store
Download Link:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.kde.necessitas.ministro

3rd: Dont open it up. Then DOWNLOAD another app name "Poot Debug" its available in Play store.
Download Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/odgbq448eova7ag/Poot-debug.apk

4th: Now open poot debug now ministro 2 will automatically open and ask for                    downloading  su binary files allow to download the files.

5th: After that poot debug will open. click the start button poot will do its magic. After its completed thats all your phone is rooted.

6th: The last step you need to download SUPERUSER available in play store
Download Link:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noshufou.android.su&hl=en


INSTALL IT THAT ALL YOUR PHONE IS ROOTED.......



                                     THANK YOU...
 

Play to Cure: Genes In Space

Try this new Game:
Description:
Beating cancer through a space game never seemed possible. Until now.
Every day, scientists across the globe are painstakingly analysing the genetic faults in thousands of cancer samples. They are looking for clues that will help develop new cancer treatments. This game let’s you help.
Play to Cure™: Genes in Space is a pioneering way of helping these scientists in their mission to beat cancer sooner and all via this world first mobile game.
Instead of one lone scientist analysing a cancer data set by eye for hours, a group of gamers can get through that data simply by playing this space themed game and collecting a valuable and tradable substance dubbed, Element Alpha.
Having more eyes on the data means we could generate more accurate results. And crucially it means moving us closer to the day when all cancers are cured.
***This game can be used offline but will upload and download level data using your 3G or wireless connection when available. Each level we download is about 250kb – the size of a low res image***
THE STORY
A mysterious substance is discovered in the voids of deep space. Dubbed Element Alpha, the substance is refined for use in medicine, engineering and construction and soon the Element Alpha industry explodes galaxy wide.
As an employee of Bifrost Industries, one of the biggest traders of the substance, your job is to collect as much Element Alpha as you can and trade it for upgrades to your spacecraft to help you manoeuvre the asteroid filled space course.











https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guerillatea.elementalpha&hl=en

 

World’s Most Depressing App Launches in Lebanon

With just a tap of the finger, bombing survivors
can now tweet, "I am still alive!"

A new smartphone app in Lebanon lets
citizens automatically tweet, with one
convenient tap of the finger, “I am still
alive! #Lebanon #Latestbombing.”
The BBC reports that the creator of the
app intended to highlight the country’s
deteriorating security situation with an
ironic solution. The jarringly upbeat
sales pitch on the app’s homepage reads,
“Every time there is an explosion, we
have to spend a lot of time contacting
our loved ones…Not anymore!”
Sadly, the pitch resonated with 4,000
users who have downloaded the app
since it launched on January 21 and
used it in two subsequent bombings.
People in other war ravaged regions of
the world have contacted the app’s
creator to request their own, localized
version, according to the BBC.
No word yet on how many users have
downloaded the “VIP” version , which
enables politicians to tweet out
prefabricated messages of
condemnation.

On Jelly Bean 4.3 & Kit Kat 4.4… for sony

Last week you probably saw Google
announce Android version 4.4; Kit
Kat…
We’ve seen lots of questions on our
Android upgrade roadmap and equally,
we have lots to tell you, so here’s a
note on just that…
First up, Jelly Bean 4.3
We’re pleased to tell you that we’ll
start rolling Android 4.3 for Xperia Z ,
Xperia ZL , Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z ,
Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia
Z1 from next month*.
We also mentioned that a few of our
products would be jumping software
version – so, we can confirm that
Xperia T , Xperia TX and Xperia V * will
be upgraded to Android Jelly Bean
4.3… also from next month.
And, to Kit Kat 4.4
We’re also happy to tell you about the
first raft of Xperia products that we’ll
make Android 4.4 Kit Kat available for
– they are: Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia
Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia
Z1*.
On that, please stay tuned to the
social newsroom and
@SonyMobileNews, where we’ll
update you with specific info on
product upgrade timings & software
features as things progress.