Samsung Galaxy Alpha features Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Corning, the company behind the awesomely cool Gorilla Glasses, has announced that the Galaxy Alpha thingy from Samsung features the all new Corning Gorilla Glass 4, which in turn is the first device to have so. The company's most famous product, the latest iteration a rough surface 1M (3.3ft) can survive drops from 80 percent claim that, and as hard as its competitors twice. Almost half of last year GG3 (0.7 mm) is compared to, which is 0.4 mm thick.

Microsoft lets you share apps between WP8.1 and W8.1

 

The Windows Phone 8.1 update brings a ton of new features to the OS. We've covered the majority of them, but one particularly interesting got detailed just now. With WP8.1, Microsoft enables users to buy an app once and use it on both their Windows 8.1 desktop and Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone.

The new feature only applies for app purchased while running Windows Phone 8.1 and won't apply for apps bought before the new API is in place.
Microsoft's effort to bring true convergence between its mobile and desktop operating systems depends on the developers. It's up to them to bake in the support for app sharing into their products.
More specifically, the developers have to code their application as an "universal app" for the feature to work. This is neat, as it requires the developer to only create their app once and it's automatically compatible with both the Windows desktop and phone OS.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

 

Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft officially unveiled the latest revision of its mobile platform - Windows Phone 8.1. The new release brings a lot of new features and improvements to the OS. Most of those you already know from the numerous leaks through the pre-release SDK, but here's the full list.

Cortana – Windows Phone’s personal virtual assistant

Windows Phone 8.1 brings its own virtual personal assistant called Cortana. With Android having Google Now and Apple boasting Siri, it was about time Microsoft also joined the native personal assistant to Windows Phone.
The Bing-powered Cortana plays an important role in WP 8.1 letting you set reminders, calendar events, call people, give you information about places you have or plan to visit. She also knows sports, gives weather info and basically everything you would expect from a virtual assistant. She’s going to be accessible through the Search key and features advanced voice recognition. This allows you to ask Cortana to search the web as well.

Cortana is also able to feed you custom notifications based on your personal information and usage data, should you allow it, much like Google Now. At launch, Bing and Foursquare are going to be feeding Cortana with information for places and events, but more online services will follow soon.
Joe Belfiore confirmed Cortana will be available in the US at first with the UK and China second. Other countries will follow later on.

Action Center

Windows Phone 8.1 finally gets a dedicated notification center called Action Center. It holds customizable quick setting toggles, which include brightness adjustment, location settings, rotation locks, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off among others. Below that you get a notification drawer with a full list of ongoing notifications such as email, text messages, missed calls and even notifications from Cortana.

Updated lockscreen and custom tile backgrounds

Thanks to new open APIs, Windows Phone 8.1 allows applications to take control over the lockscreen and change the theme or alter its functionality altogether.


Joe Belfiore demonstrated a bunch of cool lockscreens, which displayed custom calendar entries with nice designs.
The other great customization feature is the option to set up custom backgrounds for the Start screen tiles. Small, but totally needed feature to make Windows Phone truly personal.
Another UI change means that you will now be able to select whether to have a third live tile column on the Start screen. Previously, this was set only by the phone manufacturer, so it's cool Microsoft lets the user make this decision in WP 8.1.

Internet Explorer 11

Windows Phone 8.1 ships with the latest version of Internet Explorer. IE 11 brings reading view, which grabs websites and extracts their text for easier reading. It also comes with a tuned up password manager, which will sync your passwords across multiple devices.
There’s also an InPrivate mode enabling incognito browsing. It doesn’t make you invisible on the web, but rather disable history storing and cookie information is deleted once an incognito tab is closed.
Users are now able to upload files through IE 11, with the browser also supporting WebGL and YouTube’s HTML5 video player.

Enterprise and security

The latest instalment of Windows Phone comes with VPN support. Now, you can punch in your VPN settings into the phone and surf the way more securely. WP 8.1 also supports S/MIME, which allows you sign and encrypt your email.

Sense apps

Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about its Sense apps and has added a few cool features to them. Battery Power Sense is the familiar app that tracks what software uses the phone’s resources most and gives you a handy overview of how your phone’s battery gets drained. Naturally, you can do something about it thanks to the Battery Saver option, which has app exclusion list.


Data and Wi-Fi Sense will give you greater control over how you use your network. Wi-Fi Sense is a cool new addition that gives you the ability to share the internet connectivity of your secured Wi-Fi networks with your Skype, Facebook and Outlook contacts without having to give the password. It also allows you to find and connect to free open Wi-Fi networks automatically.

Misc features

On-screen keys
Just as a couple leaked screenshots suggested earlier, Windows Phone 8.1 now features on-screen software keys – Search, Start and Back. This means the requirement for hardware keys below the screen is a thing of the past

Quiet hours
Now in Windows Phone 8.1 you can set any period of the day when you want only a certain group of people to be able to reach you. This feature is called Quiet hours and is accessible from the Settings.
Wordflow Keyboard
A new option in the Windows Phone 8.1 keyboard is called Wordflow - a Swype-like input method allowing you to quickly input words by swiping through the letters. Joe Belfiore says it's so good that in fact it has set the new Guinness World Record for fastest writing on a smartphone, dethroning the Galaxy S4.

Availability

The Windows Phone 8.1 update will be officially released in a few months (that's as specific as Microsoft got), while new devices running it will start shipping in late April/early May. It's not specified which WP8 handsets will be treated to the update at this point, but we guess the list will be quite extensive.
And if you are registered Microsoft developer, you will be able to get an early glimpse on the update as early as April 10.
Developing...

Nokia Lumia 930

Nokia Lumia 930 with 5" 1080p screen and 20MP camera unveiled

Nokia has taken the wraps off its latest flagship smartphone - the Lumia 930. It's basically the international sibling of the Verizon-exclusive Lumia Icon, featuring a 5" 1080p camera and a 20MP PureView camera.
The Nokia Lumia 930 features Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in, non-expandable memory on board. The display is a 5” super sensitive ClearBlack AMOLED unit with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and pixel density of 441ppi.
The main camera of the Nokia Lumia 930 is a 20MP PureView unit with 1/2.5” BSI sensor, f/2.4, OIS, and a dual-LED flash. It is capable of capturing 1080p videos @ 30 fps.
Like its Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1020 siblings, the Nokia Lumia 930 can capture full resolution photos, as well as scaled-down, high-quality 5MP images for easier sharing. A host of preloaded software such as Nokia Camera, Creative Studio, Cinemagraph, etc. enhances the camera experience even further.
Connectivity of the smartphone includes Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and USB 2.0. The phone will work with a nano-SIM card. The Lumia 930 has FM radio too.
The physical measures of the Nokia Lumia 930 are 137 x 71 x 9.8mm, while its weight tips the scale at 167 grams. The device is powered by a 2,420mAh battery and offers Qi wireless charging capability.
The Nokia Lumia 930 is expected to roll out globally in June starting with Europe, Asia, Middle East and India. It's expected to cost $599 (€435) before taxes and subsidies. 

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

Samsung Announcements

 Samsung officially announces Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1


Samsung was expected to unveil its Galaxy Tab 4 series at the MWC 2014, but it didn't happen. Now, however the company has taken care of that and has officially announced its new thinner and lighter Galaxy Tab 4 series consisting of three devices - Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 4 10.1.
Samsung has changed the design substantially from its Galaxy Tab 3 series with the new slates featuring thinner bezels and lower weight.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0
As the name suggests, the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 comes out with a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The slate is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with 1.5 GB of RAM. The smallest Galaxy Tab 4 model features 3 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front facing sensor and 8 or 16 GB of internal memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 will be available in LTE and Wi-Fi-only variants and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat. The tablet measures 107.9x186.9x9mm and weighs 276g. Unfortunately, there is no word on the battery capacity of the slate.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0

The second device in the Galaxy Tab 4 series is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0. The slate sports an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Just like the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, it features a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 3 megapixel rear facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera and 16 GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via the microSD card slot.
Connectivity options for the slate include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0. The slate will be up for grabs in Wi-Fi / 3G or LTE option. Samsung's latest addition runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 4,450mAh battery. The Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 measures 124 x 210 x 7.95mm and weighs 320 grams.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1
The Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is the biggest among the three with a 10.1-inch display, but retains the same 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. It is also powered by a similar 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. The camera sensors too remain identical to the other two versions.
There is 16 GB of internal memory in the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 and you can expand it up to 64 GB via the microSD card. The slate runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and the juice for it is provided by a 6,800mAh battery. You can choose from the Wi-Fi/3G and LTE options. The Tab 4 10.1 measures 243.4 x 176.4 x 7.95mm and weighs about 487 grams.
The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 lineup will be available across the globe in Black and White color option, starting in Q2 this year. There's no information on their pricing, though.

Source : Gsmarena.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

PS4 Vs Xbox One

 PlayStation 4 hits 7 million global sales, outsells the Xbox One by 7:1 in Europe

Just at the beginning of March Sony boasted its PlayStation 4 consoles had reached the 6 million sales mark and now less than a month later that number is 7 million.
Sony’s sales don’t look like they will slow down any time soon. 24 hours after its announcement, Sony’s gaming console sold 1 million units.
After that, the numbers just continued to add up over the months.
In comparison, the PS4 arch rival, the Xbox One, is believed to have sold just 3 million units since its launch though that’s unconfirmed data at the moment. In PAL markets, Europe especially, the PS4 outsold the One at a ratio of 7:1 last week. By analytics’ estimations PS4 sales in PAL regions for the week were around 180,000 units, while the Xbox One managed to sell just 25,000 units in the same markets.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

Huawei's Progress.

Reuters reports that Chinese manufacturer Huawei has ambitions of doubling up its record 2013 revenue by 2018. This is despite slowing growth in its bread-and-butter mobile telephony business, and very low penetration in the US market, where it has been flagged as a potential espionage threat by government officials.
Huawei is coming off a hugely successful 2013 campaign, where it was able to become the third largest smartphone manufacturer thanks to competitive low-cost smartphones in emerging markets, and high-end offerings like the Ascend P6 for more established economies.
This resulted in a whopping 34% increase in profit growth in 2013, and elevated the company as the third largest global smartphone manufacturer behind Samsung and Apple.
This year, Huawei plans on growth not only from its consumer smartphone and enterprise divisions, but also thanks to its carrier network business as more Chinese carriers plan on laying out 4G networks.
Huawei's ambitious announcement comes in spite of increasing espionage allegations from US lawmakers due to the company's affiliations with China's People's Liberation Army. Late last year, Huawei CEO and former PLA major Ren Zhengfei announced that the company plans on withdrawing from the US market due to the aforementioned accusations.
It's undoubtedly a lofty goal, especially if the company plans on turning its back on the second largest global smartphone market.

Well, Huawei has been progessing rather well lately, and they are expected to be near Samsung the next year.

Stay Tuned.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

Xiaomi Redmi Notes Sales

100k Xiaomi Redmi Notes sold in 34 minutes

 

Xiaomi is known for their dirt-cheap Android devices that don't skimp out on high-end hardware or quality, so it's no surprise that every time a new device of theirs is released, consumers gobble it up and help the company to set some pretty impressive sales records.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note is no different, and the Chinese manufacturer managed to sell 100,000 units of the device in only 34 minutes. This still doesn't match the unbelievable 4-minute, 100k sale of their Hongmi in November 2013, but it is still a feat nonetheless.
The Redmi costs $161 (999 Yuan) and boasts a 5.5” 720 x 1280 display, a 1.7GHz octa-core chipset, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a 13MP camera, 3200mAh battery, and Android 4.2.2. For $161, you are getting a beast of a phablet.
Xiaomi released a less-impressively spec'd version of the the phone for $129 (799 Yuan), which still has an octa-core chip, just clocked at 1.4GHz, and only 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage. Everything else is the same. However, the extra RAM alone is worth the additional $32, so it is hard to imagine who would purchase the lower cost version if the $161 Redmi is available.

Too Bad, it is not available in my country, otherwise, I'd have definitely bought it by now.

 Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

Android 4.4.3 features

Android 4.4.3 features Leaked

Reports and change-logs for the upcoming Android 4.4.3 release suggest that the latest iteration of Google's mobile OS will focus solely on bug fixes. So don't go expecting a refreshed UI or any major new features.
There's no date set for when the fixes are going to come in, but the source that reported the news provided a screen capture from a Nexus 5 rocking Android 4.4.3

Now the following is the list of the fixes that will be included in the update.

 

•Frequent data connection dropout fix

•mm-qcamera-daemon crash and optimization fixes
•Camera focus in regular and HDR modes fixes
•Power Manager display wakelock fix
•Multiple Bluetooth fixes
•Fix for a random reboot
•App shortcuts sometimes got removed from launcher after update
•USB debugging security fix
•App shortcuts security fix
•Wi-Fi auto-connect fix
•Other camera fixes
•MMS, Email/Exchange, Calendar, People/Dialer/Contacts, DSP, IPv6, VPN fixes
•Stuck in activation screen fix
•Missed call LED fix
•Subtitle fixes
•Data usage graph fix
•Internet telephony fix
•FCC compliance fix
•Miscellaneous fixes

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

BlackBerry's Revenue.

BlackBerry's revenue plummets 64% as BB OS 10 struggles.

 

To say that BlackBerry has hit a rough patch would be an understatement: they just suffered a 64% d

ecrease in revenue, which is now clocked in at $976 million.

The once mighty Canadian tech-manufacturer has reported $423 million in losses for Q4 2014, which translates to an 80 cents drop per share.

The biggest factor for BlackBerry's poor market performance is the lack of significant BlackBerry 10 adoption from new users.

I, myself, was a big fan of Blackberry and always wanted to get a bold/curve. I went to market a week ago to get a price idea of it, and I was totally, purely shocked to see they were being sold for Rs 7,000-10,000 or in other words 50$ to 100$. Now that kept me from buying it.

The Blackberry Z10 was supposed to serve as a lifeline and save the company, but it didn't. And now the company is crashing like anything.




In order for the company to stay afloat, they will employ a new management team and implement a lot of cost cuts, so expect jobs to start being slashed throughout the corporation. To bring in revenue, BlackBerry will make government and corporate clients their focus, while also honing in on emerging markets with their low-end offerings.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen predicts that the company will be profitable in 2016, and for cash flow to be positive within the next four quarters.
They were able to sell 3.4 million smartphones during the last quarter, but less than a third of these units ran OS 10.
The company is also looking to other methods of generating revenue outside of hardware sales. BBM enjoys a user base of 85 million people, and Chen has revealed some plans of making some money off of them: through sticker sales and sponsored posts.
On the hardware side, BlackBerry is primed to release the Q20, and the Z3. The Z3 is a low-end offering that'll debut in Indonesia. The Q20, or “BlackBerry Classic” is a successor to the Q10, which is aimed at the corporate user.
It's tough to have a positive outlook for BlackBerry. Years ago, the company enjoyed unrivaled market dominance, and then they devolved into a purely corporate solution. However, even that can't be said of them anymore, with iOS and Android devices becoming more and more prominent in the workplace, there are fewer places where BlackBerries are relevant anymore.

Stay tuned.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner.

Completely Off-topic But Still Worth A Read.

MH 370 - a conspiracy theory.

I know it is very long, but it's worth it.

Have you heard of this conspiracy theory re the disappearance of MH 370? The story goes like this:

The American is withdrawing from the Afghanistan, one of their command and control system (used for controlling the pilotless drones) was hijacked by the Talebans when the American transport convoy was moving down from one of the hill top bases. The Talebans ambushed the convoy and killed 2 American Seal personnel, seized the equipment/weapons, including the command and control system which weighed about 20 tons and packed into 6 crates. This happened about a month ago in Feb 2014.

What the Talebans want is money. They want to sell the system to the Russian or the Chinese. The Russian is too busy in Ukraine. The Chinese are hungry for the system's technology. Just imagine if the Chinese master the technology behind the command and control system, all the American drones will become useless. So the Chinese sent 8 top defense scientists to check the system and agreed to pay millions for it.

Sometime in early Mar 2014, the 8 scientists and the 6 crates made their way to Malaysia, thinking that it was the best covert way to avoid detection. The cargo was then kept in the Embassy under diplomatic protection. Meanwhile the American has engaged the assistance of Israeli intelligence, and together they are determined to intercept and recapture the cargo.

The Chinese calculated that it will be safe to transport it via civilian aircraft so as to avoid suspicion. After all the direct flight from KL to Beijing takes only 4 and half hours, and the American will not hijack or harm the civilian. So MH370 is the perfect carrier.

There are 5 American and Israeli agents onboard who are familiar with Boeing operation. The 2 "Iranians" with stolen passports could be among them.

When MH370 is about to leave the Malaysian air space and reporting to Vietnamese air control, one American AWAC jammed their signal, disabled the pilot control system and switched over to remote control mode. That was when the plane suddenly lost altitude momentarily.

How the AWAC can do it ? Remember 911 incident ? After the 911 incident, all Boeing aircraft (and possibly all Airbus) are installed with remote control system to counter terrorist hijacking. Since then all the Boeing could be remote controlled by ground control tower. The same remote control system used to control the pilotless spy aircraft and drones.

The 5 American/Israeli agents soon took over the plane, switched off the transponder and other communication system, changed course and flew westwards. They dare not fly east to Philippines or Guam because the whole South China Sea air space was covered by Chinese surveillance radar and satellite.

The Malaysian, Thai and Indian military radars actually detected the unidentified aircraft but did not react professionally.

The plane flew over North Sumatra, Anambas, South India and then landed at Maldives (some villagers saw the aircraft landing), refuelled and continued its flight to Garcia Deigo, the American Air Base in the middle of Indian Ocean. The cargo and the black box were removed. The passengers were silenced via natural means, lack of oxygen. They believe only dead person will not talk. The MH370 with dead passengers were air borne again via remote control and crashed into South Indian Ocean, make it to believe that the plane eventually ran out of fuel and crashed, and blame the defiant captain and copilot.

The American has put up a good show. First diverting all the attention and search effort in the South China Sea while the plane made their way to Indian Ocean. Then they came out with some conflicting statement and evidence to confuse the world. The Australian is the co-actor.

The amount of effort put up by China, in terms of the number of search aircraft, ships and satellites, searching first the South China Sea, then the Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean is unprecedented. This showed that the China is very concerned, not so much because of the many Chinese civilian passengers, but mainly the high value cargo and its 8 top defense scientists.

Don't believe the story? I don't expect you to but let's wait and see how the episode unveils itself. Or perhaps it will never be known until the next Snowden emerges.

I read this somewhere, did a lot of research. This shit is legit man.

Hamza Sadiq, Owner Mobile Arena.

Nokia X

So Nokia has finally released an android phone. It is not just android as it says but a touch of windows, too. The interface is a bit of both. It is an entry level phone so don't expect much. Design looks great, as usual. Ram is low at 512 MB which means you can't expect much perfomance wise either. It costs about 140$ in Pakistan, 13,500 Rps. It has a dual-core Qualcomm processor which should be okay. A really modest 3MP Camera with VGA video recording completes the really unappealing package.

Let's see how it goes.

Hamza Sadiq, owner of Mobinfo-Hamza.

Apple iPhone 6 tipped to retain 8 MP resolution

Sources with some knowledge of the matter suggest that Apple will not be interested in increasing the megapixel count of its next iPhone smartphone camera. Instead Apple will likely focus on improving the lens system and image quality.
Previous rumors suggested the iPhone 6 camera may be bumped to 10 MP with a faster F/1.8 aperture (the iPhone 5s is currently sporting an F/2.2 lens) so perhaps the aperture will remain.

Rumors are circulating that Apple will use swappable resin lenses for its iPhone 6. Other rumors have suggested optical image stabilization but seeing how Apple is doing some clever gyro-based software tricks in the iPhone 5s to avoid OIS it seems unlikely the company will change its mind in the next flagship.
If Apple indeed retains the 8 MP resolution which debuted on the iPhone 4S camera, it will go against the current trend of manufacturer increasing megapixel count in their smartphones' cameras recently.
According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo 13 MP sensor shipments are higher than any other resolution - expected to be 65% of all high resolution components by the end of the year. The raise in demand is expected to continue well into 2015. According to Ming-Chi Kuo Sony has a 65.7% share of the market for 13+ MP sensors.
Sony is expected to produce a new 21 MP 1/2.4" sensor for the last quarter of the year. Could it star in the Xperia Z3? It seems likely considering Sony's six month flagship cycle.

My exams are over.
And hopefully, I'll start posting all over, again, soon.
Stay Tuned.

Hamza Sadiq.

Owner, Mobile-Arena.