[News] Facebook Bug Declares Millions of Users Dead, Including Zuckerberg!

Last night, Facebook declared everyone dead, including the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a massive memorial 'remembering' profile glitch.

Well, that's awkward.

Despite being very much alive, Facebook users, when logged on to their accounts on Friday afternoon, found their accounts turned to a "memorialized account," strongly suggesting that they are dead to everyone who visits their profile.

A statement on Mark Zuckerberg's profile read:

"We hope people who love Mark will find comfort in the things others share to remember and celebrate his life."

Mark Zuckerberg Profile

When the message appeared, thousands of users shaken by the incident complained on Twitter about their premature digital deaths, offering their proof-of-life so that their concerned relatives could calm themselves down.

This weird glitch was first spotted by Business Insider when several of its employees saw the message at the top of their Facebook profiles on Friday.

When reached out to Facebook for an explanation, a Facebook spokesperson has provided the following statement:

"For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized profiles was mistakenly posted to other accounts. This was a terrible error that we have now fixed. We are very sorry that this happened and we worked as quickly as possible to fix it."

It now appears everyone on Facebook is back to life and things have calmed down.

Facebook introduced the memorial feature in 2015 after a number of high-profile cases where families wanted to access their loved ones' social accounts.

The users can opt to have their account completely delete after their death or turn into a memorial page so that their Facebook friends and families can leave messages and share memories on their profile.

So, Are you alive right now?  Let us know in the comments below.

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All You Need To Know About Google's Instant Messaging App Allo

What is Google Allo?

Google actually described Allo as a messaging app for Android and iPhone users. But it does a lot more than just allow you to send messages to other people. It's a smart messaging app in that it has the power of Google built-in and can apparently learn over time. It provides some more features that makes it unique Instant Messenger like subscriptions(daily news, daily poem etc.), different types of games, puzzles, riddles, action (setting timer, alarm etc.), answers of questios asked it, weather report, Near by events, sports, news, translation etc.

And that’s where Google’s new app- 'Google Allo' comes in. It has all the oldies in the block sitting at the edge of their seats, because its new and user friendly features will give them all a run for their money.
While WhatsApp dominates the world of Android and iOS messaging alike, and has a user-base of a population of a few large countries combined, Allo might just be on its way to steal its spotlight. Although WhatsApp, with Facebook Messenger and iMessage hot on its heels offers a plethora of highly advanced features that is definitely making life easier for the smartphone user community, Allo does one better and introduces a bunch of  'smart abilities', where it can pretty much act as your personal virtual assistant, that will give it its edge.
Although WhatsApp loyalists may speak out against the new app, which is the second part to Google’s new messaging plan with Duo, and remain fiercely loyal to the Facebook-acquired app, here’s a comparison between the two bringing light to the possibility that Google Allo may soon be 'trumping' (all puns intended), WhatsApp.

The Google Assistant

The reason why this app is like having your own personal assistant is because it is one, albeit virtual of course. Although Whatsapp has unique features of sending across a location, file, picture, audio recording and so on- these are all saved files that are being shared via the app, which makes communication so much closer. However, where Allo differs is that you could be wondering about the travel time to a certain place, or the best available flights to a certain destination or discounts on hotels and all you have to do is type in @google followed your question or order. Next thing you know, it will be providing you with all the details, accompanied by a series of pictures wherever available.

In-message searches

You could be making dinner plans or raving about the hot new song to people on WhatsApp – each time you wish to share and exchange information - you have to close WhatsApp (or run it in the background, if it suits your fancy) and get to a food/music app to copy the concerned links/files to send in the chat. With Google Allo, you can just type @google and ask about prospective restaurants or the particular song in the middle of the chat and it will provide you with the links to both in the chat- so it can be viewed and shared with your contact at your discretion. So it’s saving the user the trouble of temporarily closing the chat to find the relevant data, providing it on screen for both instead.

Automatic Responses

The app can provide automatic responses to messages on behalf of the user. It does this through a software that contains machine-learning technology, which gets better at picking up the user’s most frequently used responses with increased usage of the app. For instance if someone sends you a 'How are you?', the app will offer you the automatic response of 'Good, how about you' that you can send across. It may seem impersonal at first but it builds up with greater use and is definitely convenient for those who are on the run and are too busy to type out a response.

Picture Recognition

Google has incorporated 'photo recognition' in this app, making it possible for it to recognize a received picture and suggest an automatic response. For example, if someone sends you a picture of a sunset, it will suggest 'beautiful' or 'wow' as a response, depending on your maximum usage of either, from which you can choose the more applicable one and send it across.

Selective end to end encryption (Incognito mode)

While both WhatsApp and Allo offer end to end encryption for chats, the latter allows for 'selective end to end encryption', which means that you can select the contact you want to chat with in incognito mode, through its 'Incognito Chat' option. Along with this, the chat history will disappear after you have finished the talk, depending on the expiration period you have set. In case, you have switched off your expiration period, the chats won't disappear.

Text formatting and more advanced features

Google Allo allows you to format your text and send across larger and smaller font sizes of text messages, allowing you to increase or decrease the text size by sliding the send button up and down respectively, a feature that WhatsApp does not allow. It also has a wider array of sticker-collection and even allows the user to scribble on pictures before sending it across.

It’s got the Google brand tagline

Of course, WhatsApp has been acquired by Facebook, but Google Allo is a pure Google creation. The intention behind not incorporating features like direct calling or video calls is to redirect users to other Google apps like Duo and Hangouts. It has the power of the sworn-by 'google search' both inside and outside a chat-box and also makes communication easier and much more secure for the user.
Although WhatsApp is the current undisputed leader of the virtual-chat communications platform, there is a possibility that Google Allo will soon take the lead. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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Google Introduced "My Activity" Page That Shows All The Things You Do Online

As we know Google always comes with something new. This time Google has introduced a page called My Activity that shows the activity you do online. Actually, it shows the activities that are collected when your browse through Google or its services. Google’s new My Activity page also shows all the search performed using various devices since it is linked to your Google account.

Google had also shared what type of information it saves which includes searches and other things you do on Google products and services, like search and Maps. It even saves your connection information that includes location, language and whether you use a browser or an app. It also keeps information regarding ads that you respond to by clicking the ad itself or purchasing something on the advertiser’s site. It also records your IP address.

Apart from all this Google also keep records of all your chrome browsing history, Websites and apps you use and the data they share with Google. Your activity on websites and in apps that use any Google service. Google said “When Web & App Activity is on and you check the box next to Include Chrome browsing history and activity from websites and apps that use Google services,”

Users can now control what’s being saved by Google, and can manage them according to their wishes. They can delete their past searches and browsing activity etc. Google said: “You’re in control of what’s saved, and you can delete your past searches and browsing activity or turn off Web & App Activity at any time.”

Google - My Activity

My Activity is a really a great tool for anyone with a Google account. However, the important point to be noted here is when you use all these free apps and services of Google, you are actually giving up your personal data to do it.

So, check your activity page now.

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Truecaller Launches SMS App In India, Aims 150 mn Users Base

Aiming to double its user base in India, Scandinavian IT firm Truecaller today launched a mobile application, Truemessenger, that will help the users in identifying the sender of an SMS.

"India is our biggest market. It is just a thanks giving gesture for India that we are launching Truemessenger first here on Android platform. After a week, we will expand it to other geographies." Truecaller co-founder and CEO Alan Mamedi told reporters at the launch event.

Globally, Truecaller has about 150 million user of its mobile applications which informs its users about the name of the person making phone calls even if the number is not saved in the phone.

"In India, we have 80 million users and plan to take it to 150 million by end of this year." Truecaller Country Manager and Vice President for Growth and Partnerships in Asia, Kari Krishnamurthy said.

Like Truecaller application, the Truemessenger helps identifying name of sender of SMS. It even alerts its users about spam SMSes and provides options to block them.

"We identify a spam message if the same sender sends messages to 100-200 Truecaller customers and accordingly marks an alert." Mamedi said.

Talking about revenue, he said that the company plans to monetize its application by end of this year and the revenue model is yet to be worked out.

Krishnamurthy said the company has been focusing on user's experience and enhancing user base.

"We have also removed advertisements to enhance user experience. It will be disappointing if we don't achieve 150 million user base in India." he said.

Truecaller has a small team of 10 people in India which it plans to double this year, Krishnamurthy said.

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[News] LG Rumored To Be Making The Next Google Phone – Nexus 5 (2015)

Google has just announced a price drop on its Nexus 6 handsets and rumours are flying around that Huawei will be making the next Nexus flagship device. These points hint at an apparent new Nexus device launch. But according to AndroidPIT, LG may be making the next Nexus phone, tentatively called Nexus 5 (2015).

According to the report, the LG Nexus 5 (2015) design will not be based on the LG G4. In fact, LG will work from scratch for the new Nexus design. There were reports that Google is planning to launch two Nexus devices this year.

Considering the LG made Nexus 5 was quite popular in comparison to the Motorola made Nexus 6, it is not surprising that LG has been chosen to make the next Nexus device. Although neither Google nor LG have confirmed the same. Google’s next mobile OS – Android M – is set for an August release date, so it should not be stretch to imagine a phone launch around that time.

According to a report by Android Police, the device manufactured by Huawei will be codenamed Bullhead and will sport a 5.7-inch display, while LG’s device is dubbed Angler and will feature a 5.2-inch display. The Angler is also expected to sport Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC and a 2,700mAh battery. The company’s flagship tablet Nexus 9, will continue to run for another cycle which implies that there will be no new addition to the tablet series, as of now.

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[News] BlueStacks Is Now Available For Mac Users

BlueStacks Systems Inc., makers of the free desktop Android emulator that allows users to enjoy mobile games and apps on their Windows desktop or laptop, announced earlier this week that its BlueStacks App Player now supports OS X. Mac users can now join the 85 million users the company says already uses BlueStacks on Windows.

A report from 9to5Mac pointed out that the company tested an OS X version of its software in 2012 already, but has only now officially released a publicly available version that allows Mac users to use Android apps and play Android mobile games on Mac.

Read : [Download] Pre-Rooted BlueStacks App Player For Windows PC

Although the report is unclear about why there was such a long delay, it appears the company has put in a considerable amount of effort to take advantage of the unique features in Apple’s OS X.

“Mac OS is a top notch platform and we worked hard to take advantage of everything it has to offer,” BlueStacks Principal Software Architect David Reese told 9to5Mac. “From pinch to zoom on the trackpad to its retina display we optimized for everything.”

The BlueStacks App Player supports x86-based and ARM-based apps, Android TV apps and brings syncing features for sharing files and other content between a desktop and a mobile device.

The software also lets users download Android apps directly from Google Play, just like on any Android mobile device. The company claims an impressive 96 percent compatibility rate with Android apps and 86 percent with Android games.

Not only does the software take advantage of unique Mac track-pad and larger Retina display features, it also supports microphone, sensor and camera integration and comes with native graphics support. Combining all these features, users – especially gamers – are bound to have a more immersive experience compared to their mobile device.

BlueStacks, founded in 2011, has raised $30 million in five rounds from investors, including Intel, Andreessen-Horowitz, Ignition Partners, Radar Partners, Redpoint, Samsung, Qualcomm and Intel. The company has partnerships with Windows PC manufacturers Lenovo Group Ltd., ASUSTeK Computer Inc. and Micro-Star International Co. Ltd. (MSI) to preload the BlueStacks App Player on their PCs.

Download the free BlueStacks App Player for Mac from the company’s website.

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Flipkart App Will Offer Image Search Option To Find Similar Fashion Products

The competition in the Indian e-commerce space continues to intensify, and on Wednesday Flipkart announced a new feature on its mobile app that may give it an edge over its rivals. Called Image Search, it lets Flipkart app users upload an image of the apparel they are looking for and find visually similar products on the online marketplace.

The new Image Search feature is still in beta, and will be rolled out to users via an app upgrade. The company in an emailed statement on Wednesday said Image Search feature has been designed especially for the fashion category of products.

Users can either take a photo of the fashion product they are looking on their smartphone or tablet, or upload an image taken from elsewhere. Flipkart adds that the search function will look for products with the same colour, pattern, or style. Another use of the feature will be to find visually similar products to a product already listed on Flipkart. The feature is being developed especially for the app, since 75 percent of Flipkart users access it via their smartphones, the company said.

Flipkart's Chief Product Officer Punit Soni, commented on the new feature in an emailed statement, "Discovering a fashion product online varies from user to user and is more complex as compared to other categories. A lot of fashion purchase decisions are influenced by similar products seen by users. The image search feature provides a way to find similar products on Flipkart as well as reduces the search/ browsing time, making the overall product discovery and shopping experience simple."

Soni further added, "This is in line with our ambition to create a very intuitive thoughtful mobile experience that is universally accessible to everybody, regardless of whether they use text or visuals to communicate with us."

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[How To] Unsend A Sent Email From Your Gmail Account

Oops, you've just sent off an angry email to your boss from your Gmail account. Should you start looking for a new job? Not if you've enabled Gmail's Undo Send feature.

We've all sent emails on the spur of the moment that we've regretted. Certain email programs offer an option to recall or retract an email, but that doesn't necessarily mean the recipient won't still receive it. Gmail's Undo Send feature works differently in that it actually waits to send your email, giving you a certain amount of time to change your mind and prevent it from being sent. But you have to be quick, as Gmail gives you only a specific number of seconds to halt your email.

Undo Feature Screenshot

The Undo Send feature is now an official part of Gmail, no longer relegated to mere beta status in Gmail Labs. In honor of its new status, let's see how the the feature works:

1. First, log in to your Gmail account on your computer.
2. In the upper right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon (the one that looks like a gear).
3. From the Settings menu, choose the option for Settings.
4. From the Settings window, make sure the General tab is selected.
5. Look for the setting that says Undo Send.
6. Click the check box to Enable Undo Send.
7. Click the drop-box to set the Send cancellation period, meaning the number of seconds you have to prevent the email from being sent. You can choose 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.
8. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings screen and click the Save Changes button.
9. To test the feature, click the Compose button at the upper left corner of your Gmail account page.
10. Compose a message and then click the Send button.
11. At the top of the screen, you'll see a message that says: "Your message has been sent. Undo. View Message."
12. To prevent the message from being sent, click the Undo link.
13. Gmail stops the message from going out and displays it in case you wish to make any changes and then resend it. If not, you can simply close the message, and it's relegated to your Drafts folder where you can keep it or delete it.

The Undo Send feature is a handy way to ensure that the wrong email doesn't get sent to the wrong person.

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रिलायंस पेश करेगी 4000 रूपए से कम कीमत के 4G स्मार्टफोन

कंपनी की 41वीं एनुअल जनरल मीटिंग में रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज लिमिटेड (आरआईएल) के चेयरमैन मुकेश अंबानी ने खुलासा किया कि इस साल के अंत तक कंपनी 4000 रूपए से कम कीमत वाले 4जी फोन लॉन्च करेगी। इसके अलवा अंबानी ने यह भी बताया कि रिलायंस जियो इंफोकॉम अगले कुछ महीनों में टेस्टिंग फेज में जाएगी और इसे दिसंबर में लॉन्च किया जाएगा। कंपनी ने इंटरनेट सर्विस के लिए अब तक 250000 किलोमीटर तक फाइबर ऑप्टिक केबल बिछा ली है और एक साल में कंपनी का नेटवर्क दोगुना फैल जाएगा।


यह रहे एजीएम के अन्य मुख्य बिंदु:

•  अगले 12 से 18 माह में रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज 2 लाख करोड़ के प्रोजेक्ट परे करेगी।
•  निवेश का फायदा वित्तीय वर्ष 2016-17 से मिलने लगेगा
•  आरआईएल भारत की सबसे बड़ी निर्यातक है। भारत के मर्चेडाइज एक्सपोर्ट का 12 फीसदी रिलायंस करती है।
•  कंपनी ने वैश्विक क्रेडिट रेटिंग्स में सुधार किया है।
•  इस साल के अंत तक तमाम फ्यूल रिटेल आउटलेट्स को फिर से चालू करने का लक्ष्य है।
•  वर्तमान में 400 रिटेल आउटलेट्स काम कर रहे हैं।
•  अक्टूबर तक दहेज में रिलायंस 1.15 मिलियन टन पीटीए के साथ रिलायंस विश्व की पांचवीं सबसे बड़ी पीटीए निर्माता कंपनी बन जाएगी।
•  शेल बिजनेस में निवेश बढ़ाएंगे।
•  पिछले साल 930 नए रिटेल स्टोर खोले गए।
•  रिटेल में अपनी उपस्थिति को बढ़ाएंगे।
•  रिलायंस जियो 29 राज्यों में शुरू की जाएगी।

स्रोत : पत्रिका 

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Best Features Of Android M

At the Google I/O 2015 conference, Google senior VP of Products Sundar Pichai said the company had “gone back to basics” with this new version of Android. While Android Lollipop introduced a new visual aesthetic, Android M brings some much-needed stability and usability improvements which might not be as eye-catching, but may prove to be significant additions for a while to come.

Doze mode

Android M Doze Mode

We all want better battery life and any improvement is good. Indeed, manufacturers like Samsung have angered some customers by making the battery non-removable. Well that might not be such a big deal thanks to Doze mode in Android M. This monitors when the device isn’t being used to put it into a deep sleep which uses less power and can double your battery life.

Customise Quick Settings

Customise Quick Settings

We love Android Lollipop and one of the best things about Google’s OS is the way you can change things around exactly how you like. However, Lollipop doesn't let you customise the Quick Settings to the ones you want to you the most and in the layout which suits you. Well the System UI Tuner in Android M lets you do exactly that. (This needs switching on in Developer Mode currently).

Uninstall apps quickly

A small but handy change is the ability to uninstall apps straight from the home screen. You now get the choice between simply removing the shortcut/icon or actually uninstalling the app from the device entirely.

Now on Tap

Now on Tap

Google Now is a great feature of Android and it gets even better in Android M. Now on Tap means you can long press the home button wherever you are you call up Google Now. Better still, you don’t need to navigate away from the app you’re using and it will already have a good idea of what help you need based on what you’ve been doing – eg. Directions to a location after chatting to a friend about meeting up.

Android Pay

We’re still a little way off mobile phone payments being the norm but Android M will be part of the drive to this kind of future. Like Apple and Samsung, Google has announced its own contactless payment system. Android Pay will be baked into Android M allowing you to make purchases with a simple tap (via NFC) without even opening an app.

Fingerprint scanner support

Android M Finger Print Scanner

We’ve already got fingerprint scanners on numerous devices so it might not seem like a new feature but Android M natively supports them. This means you’ll be able to use them to authorise payments via Android Pay and confirm Play store purchases. Developers can also use the functionality within their apps.

App permissions

One annoying thing about Android is downloading app requires agreeing to all its permissions which might include things you don’t agree with, like access to your contacts when it’s an endless runner game. Well Android M is going to change that with the ability to pick and choose which permissions you’re happy with for each individual app. You’ll also be able to accept or deny a specific permission as and when an app requests it.

Direct Share

If you send links, photos or files to the same contacts then Android M will start adding them to the Share menu to speed up the process. It’s a bit like having favourite contacts when you open the Dialler app to call someone.

Better volume control

Android M Volume Control

Not only is Do Not Disturb (DND) part of Quick Settings in Android M, the volume control has been tweaked for the better. You can now easily control the volume of calls, notifications and alarms with three separate sliders – simple but effective.

USB Type C

Android M Type C USB

Ok, it’s a hardware feature but Android M supports USB Type C which is good news for future devices – potentially starting with the Nexus 5 2015. You can plug it in either way around, it will charge your device quicker and even allow you to charge other devices.

Have a Nexus Device? 

Currently, it is available for Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE) "hammerhead", Nexus 6 "shamu", Nexus 9 "volantis", Nexus Player "fugu".

Check if Android M Developer Preview is available for your Device.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Will Be Launched On March 1

The Samsung Galaxy S6's launch date has finally been confirmed. Samsung has sent out invites for the next Samsung Unpacked event, to be held on March 1, two days before the Mobile World Congress 2015 begins. The Samsung Unpacked event held before the MWC is usually where the company launches its flagship smartphone for the year.

The Galaxy S6 is expected to come out alongside an Edge variant. Unlike the Galaxy Note Edge though, the S6 Edge is rumoured to have two edge screens. The devices will also have 2K displays along with Samsung’s newly announced octa-core 64-bit Exynos 7 SoC. The company has supposedly dropped the Snapdragon 810 from its flagship devices this time.

According to reports, the Galaxy S6 will be the biggest change in Samsung smartphones in a long time. The company has reportedly designed the S6 ‘from scratch’, adopting new design philosophies and incorporating metal into the design. Recent rumours suggest that the Galaxy S6 may even be an iPhone 6 look alike.

Either way, we’re going to get to know pretty soon. The event is scheduled for 6.35pm CET (1 AM IST) on March 1.

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Hackers Rob $1 Billion From 100 Banks In Massive Online Theft

In one of the largest reported hacking crimes ever, cybercriminals from Russia, China and Europe have stolen approximately $1 billion from 100 banks and financial companies across 30 countries. According to a report by Kaspersky, the hackers started their heist in 2013 with the help of malware, and it’s still in process. Kaspersky has released an early copy of the report to the New York Times and is expected to issue it to the general public at its security summit which will begin tonight.
Carbanak, the hacking group as labeled by Kaspersky, sent malware through emails containing links and videos to bank employees, and infected the employees’ computers and the companies’ surveillance systems. Thereafter, the hackers recorded sensitive data from the company’s systems and used it to transfer money to their own fake accounts or to even make ATMs automatically dispense cash at a certain time so that they could collect it.

Kaspersky has released its report on the bank hack and has revealed how to detect if a bank PC has been infected:

Even though the scope of the crime is huge and the concerned parties have been briefed about Kaspersky’s findings, no bank or financial institution has stepped forward and confirmed the theft. The affected banks and companies hail from the US, Japan, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, China, Canada and some other European countries. Indian banks are not expected to be on that list but we’ll get a clearer idea tonight after Kaspersky publishes its report.

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Samsung Plans To Manufacture Tizen-Based Z1 Smartphone In Noida Plant

Samsung, the South Korean tech major, plans to manufacture its Tizen OS-based 'Z1' at its Noida facility soon, buoyed by the market response to its smartphone in the domestic market.
Samsung, which is the world's largest smartphone player, had launched the device in India earlier in January.

Samsung Z1 (Source: GSMArena)

"The compelling proposition of an easy to use and clutter free interface (of Z1), along with premium design has met wide consumer acceptance... The Z1 will be manufactured in company's Noida plant in UP" ,Samsung India Vice President Marketing (Mobile and IT) Asim Warsi told PTI.
The Noida facility has a capacity of producing over four million mobile phones a month and manufactures both affordable and high-end devices.
India is the first market globally, where the Z1 was launched at Rs 5,700, targeted at first-time smartphone buyers.
"The phone will soon be launched in Bangladesh," Warsi said.

According to industry sources, Samsung has sold about 50,000-55,000 units of Z1 since its launch on January 14.
Currently, only a few devices, including Samsung's smartwatch products run on the Tizen platform. A majority of Samsung's mobile phones are Android-based, which is also the dominant OS on most smartphones across the globe.
Samsung developed Tizen with Huawei Technologies and Intel Corp to challenge the Android software that powers most of the world's mobile devices.
The South Korean firm had, on several occasions in 2014, tried to launch a Tizen smartphone in Japan, France, Russia and India but every time balked at the last minute citing a lack of support from carriers and app developers.

One of its most affordable smartphones, the Z1 has Samsung offering localised entertainment apps and a simple user interface with the Tizen OS.
The dual-SIM device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 768 MB RAM and 4GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB. The smartphone features a four-inch display, 3.1 MP rear and a VGA front camera and 1,500 mAh battery.
The Z1 was showcased at the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco in 2014.
Previously, Samsung ran 'Bada' OS, which did not see much success. It has since been working on merging the platform with Tizen, which is backed by chipmaker Intel.
The other popular operating systems include Apple iOS, Microsoft's Windows Phone OS and BlackBerry's proprietary platform.

"Samsung Z1 sales have surpassed all expectations in a highly competitive and a fiercely fought price segment, which offers consumers the widest choice. We are also witnessing significant usage of the entertainment package with consumers downloading music and enjoying free movies and live TV," Warsi said.

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7 Major Features You Need To Know About Microsoft’s Windows 10

Microsoft showed us the final version of Windows 10 in an event yesterday, and the roll-out will begin later this year. But what’s new in Microsoft’s latest OS? We take a quick look at the biggest and most important features of Windows 10.

1. Free, free, free: For the first time ever, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users.

Microsoft has taken a cue out of Apple’s book which has been given OS X and iOS upgrades away for free, to ensure that users don’t have to shell out money for an OS.

If your PC or laptop is running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 and your Windows phone has the Windows Phone 8.1 OS, you will get a free upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10 – in the first year.

What is not clear is if users on laptop and desktops will have to pay after the first year. In an age, where free OS and software is the new mantra, Microsoft has taken the right step by making Windows 10 free of cost. Hopefully the free upgrade will continue after year one as well.

Windows 10 Spartan Browser

2. No more Windows Phone, it’s all the same: Unity across operating systems is something that Apple and Google have been going on about for sometime and Microsoft also clearly believes that this is the way forward.

What this also means, is that the name ‘Windows Phone OS’ is actually defunct. Also tablet users can forget the horror of having to deal with something like a new Windows RT on their devices, which received terrible user feedback.

Windows 10 will ensure that desktops, mobiles, laptops, tablets, 2-in-1 devices will all run the same Windows 10 OS, which will be optimised based on the platform. This is great news for those who are heavily invested in the Windows eco-system and for app developers who won’t have to create a separate app for mobile or tablet.

3. Bigger Start Menu, Action Centre: There have been some improvements thanks to feedback from testers of the Windows Insider program. The Start Menu is now available in full screen instead of the limited in Windows 8.1. The Action Centre has quick buttons to switch Wi-fi and Bluetooth on or off.

There is a new Notification Centre which is seen above the Action Centre and notifications in these will be synced across devices. The Notification centre brings you updates and alerts from your email, weather, news sources you’ve subscribed to and it also has Cortana built in.

The Control Panel and Settings menu have been merged into a single folder. Also when using a 2-in-1, when you go from a desktop mode to a tablet mode, users will be prompted if they want to switch to tablet mode.

4. Cortana for Windows: Microsoft has gone a step ahead of Apple by bringing its personal voice-assistant Cortana to all Windows 10 devices, including desktops and laptops, which is a massive plus point.

On the desktop, Cortana will be seen as a search box located beside the Start button. Cortana now supports 7 languages and can speak in impersonations as well. You can also ask Cortana to open apps on your desktop such as PowerPoint or Word. You can also dictate emails in Outlook using Cortana and send them by voice commands.

Reading View in Spartan Browser

Cortana has a new feature called Notebook that keeps a tab on all the saved information. It also keeps a track of the sports scores, travel, weather and such similar information that you may be interested in. You can also add other things that you want Cortana to keep a track of.

5. Universal apps for PCs: Microsoft is going the Apple way by finally introducing universal apps. These will have a similar design across devices and will work across PCs, laptop, smartphones and tablets.

Outlook will come with an in-built Word engine which provides the Office ribbon, which allows multiple ways of formatting Office documents. The calendar app will also be synced across devices and will sport a consistent design as well. There’s also a new Photo App gallery, which looks inspired by Google+.

All pictures taken on the devices, as well as photos on One Drive will be merged together and the app will automatically delete the duplicate files to reduce the clutter. The Photo app will automatically enhance your photographs by default, much like Google+. It will also create Photo Albums automatically based on date, location and the people in the photographs.

Other universal apps on the list will be for Videos, Music, Maps, People & Messaging.

6. Hello Project Spartan: Microsoft unveiled its Project Spartan at the event, which is indeed a new browser which comes with Cortana built in with its contextual searching. For example, if you look up restaurant on Spartan, Cortana will throw in a map, menu and contact details as well.

On Spartan some of the new features will allows users to annotate a webpage using a stylus or touch interface, click on any section of a webpage to type out a comment and then share this page with friends or co-workers. Also while the page shared will be frozen, the links inside them will be active.

Reading mode in Project Spartan, similar to the reading mode in Apple’s Safari, will put articles in a layout that gets rid of all the unnecessary elements on a page. You also get a Reading List feature that syncs across all devices, even offline, which is quite identical to what’s seen on the Pocket app.

By the way Microsoft has clarified that the introduction of Spartan doesn’t mean that Internet Explorer 11 is going anywhere. According to a blogpost, the company wrote that “Spartan loads the IE11 engine for legacy enterprise web sites when needed.” Essentially enterprise websites that older technologies designed only for Internet Explorer, such as custom ActiveX controls and Browser Helper Objects will load on Internet Explorer, which will also be available on Windows 10.

Internet Explorer will use the same dual rendering engines as Spartan, ensuring web developers can consistently target the latest web standards, says the blog post.

7. Gaming on Windows 10:  The Xbox app will come bundled with all Windows 10 devices. A new feature will allows users to record 30 seconds of gameplay which can be sent across to Xbox Live so that Xbox users can watch it as well.Windows 10 also brings cross-play, which lets users play with a friend on an Xbox One while they are using a Windows 10 PC. Microsoft also has plans to launch Windows 10 on the Xbox One platform.

Game DVR, which gives simple access to recording, editing, and sharing a player’s most epic gaming moments on an Xbox will now come to Windows 10, and is accessible by simply pressing Windows+G.

Also games on Xbox One can be streamed through your home network to your Windows 10 PC or tablet, anywhere in your house. Xbox One gamers will also be able to many of their favourite console games on their PC. And many Xbox One accessories will work interchangeably on the console and PC.

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Windows 10 Leak Reveals Cortana Search Bar, Updated Apps

Microsoft has already shown the groundwork for Windows 10 on the Developer Preview, the new start menu, build in metro-apps on desktop and various interfaces for power users show a gradual move to one OS design for all types of users. The second event for Windows 10 is scheduled for January 21, but the big announcements may have already been leaked online, in a new ‘Build 9901’, cited as the Windows 10 consumer edition preview.

Released a few days ago, the main features on the new preview include Cortana, an new Xbox app and various updates to the interface.

Starting with the Cortana search menu, Microsoft is essentially importing all data from Windows Phone or starting from scratch on Windows 10. Cortana will be a virtual assistant and offer information about the weather, local places, general information and tap into other third party apps for updates.

On Windows 10, Cortana is located on the task-bar, either in a search button or search box (depending on preference). The task-bar has been updated with a new shadow design, taking a dark color from the current theme.

The next big change on Windows 10 is the Xbox app. Right now, it just looks like a place to check the Xbox news feed from friends, but advertisements of exclusive Xbox One games hint at PC cross-platform support.

Having exclusive Xbox One games on PC would be a nice idea, but the catch may be only gamers with the Xbox One game can download it for PC. It is still unclear what Microsoft is attempting to do with Xbox.

Microsoft has built in a contact support app, allowing users to potential screen share their problems with a member of staff. There is a new startup guide for Windows 10, which hints at users being able to make phone calls on Windows 10.

The leak shows all of the visual updates to the apps on desktop mode, giving them a Metro redesign. Microsoft still has not announced availability or price, this information will most likely come on the January event.

[Image via geek]

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Google Play Store 5.0 Update is Now Live for Download With New Android L Material Design Features

Google is currently rolling out the latest Play Store 5.0.31 Update version with numerous new Material Design UI design features from the future Android L OS upgrade. The roll out has started today and it should hit all the Android devices by the end of next week, so you should keep an eye on your Play Store app for any new updates.

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Google Play Store 5.0.31 update comes with a polished and modern app icon, numerous new Material Design UI menus and windows for easier access, ‘What’s New’ section of an app dedicated Play Store page is now highlighted in green, brand new icons for Play Store widgets (all, apps, music, books, movies, newsstand), new improved update notification icons, and multiple bug fixes. At the end of this post you can find the APK Download link, so you should install it and see for yourself all the changes and tweaks applied by Google on their app store tool.

This new Google Play Store 5.0 Update is rolled in phases, so not all devices will get the update notification today. Check your phone for new files by launching the Play Store app from time to time and you might get lucky, or you can use the info below and install the new 5.0.31 Play Store build manually.

Download the Google Play Store 5.0.31 APK from here  or here . After you’ve downloaded the file you can install it on your device: open the notifications panel, click the download complete section and confirm the install process. Wait until your Android device completes the installation of Google Play Store Update 5.0 APK automatically. In case you don’t want to install the new Play Store update manually, then you can wait until Google releases it in your region, though the upgrade roll out will take a while before it reaches all users.
Install the app and then tell us in comments if you like the new direction that Google takes. Also, make sure to list some of the features that have impressed you the most.


Source: Android.gs

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Samsung Galaxy Alpha Comes to India at Rs 39990

With the festival season just kicking off in the country, Samsung on Saturday launched its new Alpha smartphone in India. The phone will be priced Rs 39,990 and will be available in the first week of October.
The stylish phone is different from the trademark Galaxy design of the Korean tech giant and will try and woo those looking for a top end phone.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Powered by an octa-core processor (1.8GHz +1.3GHz) with 2GB RAM and Android Kitkat, Alpha will have a 4.7-inch HD super AMOLED screen.  It has a 12 MP rear camera and 2.1 MP front camera. The phone has a 1860 mAh battery and 32GB internal storage. The phone will also come with the fingerprint scanner.

Samsung claims the new display saves about 10 per cent of battery while the octa core professorship helps save on power consumption. Like in other top end Kitkat phones, the Alpha too comes with Ultra Power Saving. The phone comes with a heart rate monitor and syncs with Gear range of devices. It also has 4G LTE capability and Airtel Will give 5GB of LTE data and 2GB data 3G/2G free for two months.

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MediaTek-based Android phones vulnerable to weird SMS hack

A new discovery by blogger Korben suggests that many MediaTek-based Android phones are susceptible to the strangest of hacks. All it takes to remotely reboot some unlucky user's phone is to text them the symbol '='. In MediaTek chipset language, this symbol apparently equals "shutdown and reboot".

If you are unfortunate enough to get spammed with exploitative messages, you could have your phone rendered unusable.

Some popular Alcatel handsets, such as the One Touch Idol X, Idol Ultra, 997D, Pop C3, S-Pop, and Star, have been confirmed as vulnerable.To find out whether your MediaTek-based phone gets lured by the trick, text yourself '=' without the quotes. If you end up rebooting, fear not - simply change your default messaging app to something other than the default one.


In India, there are majority of MediaTek based phone, home brands like Xolo, Micromax, Karbonn, Lava. So, this can be a big issue not only in India, but also in other countries.


Hopefully the flaw doesn't end up bigger than what it currently is, otherwise hackers will have a field day with the majority of Chinese phones.


Source: PhoneArena

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Samsung, Google Announce Global Patent Agreement For The Next 10 Years

San Francisco: Google Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which are frequently involved in patent infringement lawsuits but not against each other, announced on Sunday that they have reached a global patent cross-licensing agreement.

The deal covers patents currently owned by the companies, as well as any filed in the next 10 years, the companies said in a release. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The companies said the deal "would lead to deeper collaboration on research and development of current and future projects."

"By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation," said Allen Lo, deputy general counsel for patents at Google, in a statement.

Samsung`s Seungho Ahn, head of the company`s intellectual property center, said the deal showed "the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes."

The companies have been at the center of the smartphone patent wars, though more as allies than foes. The majority of the litigation - which has sprawled across three continents, has been between Apple and the various companies involved in making smartphones based on Google`s Android software, including Samsung and Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility. 

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Google Announces $2.7mn Bounty For Hacking Chrome OS

Google has reportedly announced a whopping $2.7 million bounty if security experts are able to hack its Chrome browser-based OS at the Pwnium 4 hacking contest.

This year at the Pwnium 4, researchers would be allowed to choose between Intel- or ARM-powered laptops, while last year, they had to try to crack a Chromebook with an Intel processor.

According to PC World, hackers would be paid prizes of $110,000 and $150,000 for exploiting the Chrome OS, and the highest bounty would be rewarded to those who deliver an exploit able to persistently compromise a Hewlett-Packard or Acer Chromebook.

Last year Google put $3.14159 million  in the contest, but paid out just $40,000  to a prolific hacker who goes by "Pinkie Pie," the contest's sole participant, for what Google later called a partial exploit.

Google said that it would consider larger bonuses to researchers who demonstrated a "particularly impressive or surprising exploit," like one that could circumvent kASLR, a new variant of the better-known ASLR anti-exploit technology used by Apple, Microsoft and Chrome OS.

The report said that for hackers to qualify for the prizes or bonuses, they must provide functional exploit code and details on all the vulnerabilities put into play.

Pwnium 4 is scheduled to take place on March 12 at the Canadian Security conference.

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