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#1201 [Permalink] Posted on 26th January 2014 12:18

This is nothing new to Android, so eat your hearts out Apple. (No jail breaking or rooting required)

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#1202 [Permalink] Posted on 26th January 2014 13:24

It's not all about HTC. You'll get honest news as it comes.

HTC One 2 Full HD reinforcement could dissatisfy

www.phonesreview.co.uk/2014/01/26/htc-one-2-full-hd-reinf...

There is big anticipation for HTC's upcoming new flagship device that will replace the HTC One. The HTC One 2 as it's often referred to at the moment is also sometimes dubbed the HTC One+ or HTC Two and has the codename HTC M8 just to confuse us further. Whatever it is eventually called, there's reinforcement today that the HTC One 2 will have a Full HD display and that could dissatisfy some people.

The HTC One 2 has been the subject of plenty of speculation and recently a rumor suggested it will release in late March. Many specs have also been rumored and one of the most consistent is that it will have a Full HD display, as on the current HTC One.

Now that has been backed up once more with news of leaked HTC One 2 wallpaper as shown in the image here. While the wallpaper itself isn't too absorbing, what is of interest is that the original image shows 2160 x 1920 pixels, as hosted on Google Docs. This just happens to be the pixel resolution of 1080p Android smartphone scrollable wallpapers, which seems to seal the deal that the HTC One 2 will have screen resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Some flagship smartphones this year are expected to arrive with higher display resolutions of 2560 x 1440 such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and LG G3. Therefore some potential HTC One 2 customers won't be as excited as they might previously have been, to hear of an upcoming flagship with Full HD display.

While the new HTC One 2 leaked wallpaper image cannot be verified just yet, it does come from one of the most reliable and prolific leakers around at the moment, @evleaks. Because of this we're inclined to accept that a Full HD display will be making it way to the HTC One 2.

As well as this, recent leaked purported cases for the HTC One 2 offered a touch of intrigue. They featured cutouts on the reverse that seem to indicate either a fingerprint scanner or possibly dual rear camera sensors, a point that got many people talking.

We'd be interested to hear how readers feel about the upcoming HTC One replacement and this leaked wallpaper news. Will you be completely satisfied if the HTC One 2 has a Full HD display? Maybe you were hoping that the upcoming new flagship would step up to a Quad HD display with even higher resolution? Drop us a comment to let us know.

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#1203 [Permalink] Posted on 26th January 2014 22:30

How Much Space Does Your 16GB Phone Actually Have?

BY BRANDON RUSSELL | JANUARY 26, 2014

The allure of a 16GB phone is that it's typically the most inexpensive subsidized option. But when you consider the amount of music, movies, apps and pictures you'll be storing on your device, space can quickly become scarce. And then you see a chart like the one below, and you suddenly realize just how little space you get-and don't expect companies to tell you that outside of the fine print on a spec page. The theme here seems to be just how much space an OS (and the skins on top of them) takes up.

Among the most popular 16GB phones on the market, Apple's iPhone 5c ends up giving consumers the most space to play with-about 12.60GB, according to the chart provided by Which? And the least amount? Samsung's Galaxy S4, which only leaves users just over half of the 16GB of internal storage. It appears all that TouchWiz customization takes its toll, much more so than any other handset listed. Of the devices listed, however, it's the only one that supports microSD expansion, so it's a give and take situation.

LG's recent G2, which attempted to outdo Samsung with a healthy dose of customizations, unsurprisingly leaves users hardly any storage, while other devices such as the HTC One Mini and BlackBerry Z30 offer just over double-digit storage figures. The chart very clearly shows the mobile operating systems that haven't been tampered with leave more space; I'd be curious to see what a device like the Moto X leaves when all is said and done-or even the Moto G, which has even less customizations, though that device admittedly isn't "flagship" like the others that are listed.

Since you could simply go for the 32GB version of each device, the lack of storage isn't necessarily a huge criticism, but it is important to understand just how much space you're left with in a 16GB device. Apple seems to do the best job when it comes to overall space, while other devices might benefit from some software trimming. Music streaming and cloud services can definitely be your friend if you own a 16GB device.

At the end of the day, at least you can be sure to use the Android devices as a memory stick. Copy and paste what you like when you like.

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#1204 [Permalink] Posted on 27th January 2014 21:57

abu mohammed wrote:

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Having said that, ios is a killer on the memory even when you sync. The apps also use more space than on android. So even if iPhone have less usage, its very deceptively displayed.

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#1205 [Permalink] Posted on 27th January 2014 21:58

Report: Spies use smartphone apps to track peopleAssociated Press

LONDON (AP) - Documents leaked by former NSA contactor Edward Snowden suggest that spy agencies have a powerful ally in the apps installed on smartphones across the globe.

The documents, published by The New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica, suggest that the mapping, gaming, and social networking apps available on smartphones can feed America's National Security Agency and Britain's GCHQ spy agency with huge amounts of personal data.

Little is known about the scope and scale of the program, but all three publications outlined how data could be harvested from apps such as the Angry Birds game franchise or Google's popular mapping service.

The NSA said Monday it focused on "valid foreign intelligence targets." GCHQ did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

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#1206 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 14:47

The best Android phone in the world gets even better this week

In a head-to-head battle against Samsung's Galaxy S4 late last year, we declared the HTC One the victor and said that it was the best Android phone in the world at that time. In terms of handsets that are widely available to smartphone users across the globe, that may still be the case. And in the U.S., the best Android phone in the world is about to get even better as all four major U.S. wireless carriers get ready to release the long-awaited KitKat update for the HTC One.

According to a tweet posted by HTC USA last week, the HTC One's KitKat update had hit carrier labs for final testing and certification was expected to come this week. Now, ZDNet notes that HTC's software update status page indeed shows that the HTC One's KitKat update has reached "certification" status at Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. As such, a release should take place in the coming days across the board.

HTC had previously said that KitKat would come to U.S. HTC One handsets in January, so it appears as though the company will hit its target. Next in line to undergo the long and painful process that is updating the software on carrier-branded Android phones are the HTC One max and HTC One mini.

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#1207 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 15:27

HTC One X Android 4.2.2 Update Receives Technical Approval

By Edwin Kee on 01/27/2014

If you are a smartphone owner, I am quite sure that it is always a nice feeling to know that a software or operating system update is coming your way, as it will more or less squash existing bugs while offering a higher level of performance and efficiency - or at least, that is the way it is supposed to be. Folks who happen to own the HTC One X will finally be able to kiss goodbye to the long wait for the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update, as it is tipped to arrive later this January 29th Over The Air (OTA). Do take note that this is also the last official update for the smartphone. (a product manager at HTC) did has share that AT&T has already completed technical approval of the update, and you can view his tweet right after the jump.

The AT&T HTC One X's Android 4.2.2 update will arrive alongside Sense 5 that will offer the handset a new user interface in addition to extra features such as BlinkFeed and Video Highlights, where they happen to be the two features which already debuted on the HTC One. Well, some update is better than no update, right?

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#1208 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 15:34

10 Unbelievable Bugs After Updating Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 to Android 4.4, 4.4.2 KitKat

Android 4.4 KitKat brings all new improvements from UI to performance among Nexus devices. Unfortunately, major issues are now plaguing Nexus users around the world, and for those planning to buy Nexus 5 or update to Android KitKat, beware of what to face soon.

Battery Performance

Nexus 5 features 2,500 mAh battery only. The bad news is Google retained the non-removable aspect of the battery, which hinders users from utilising additional batteries. Android 4.4 KitKat has been reported to have significant impact on Nexus 5 including dreadful battery life. Some users noted that Android 4.4.2 KitKat update could be a battery fix but not ultimately.

Exchange Issue

Exchange email syncing is very important for many users, and Nexus 5 got a feedback regarding such issue. According to Nexus 5 owner Luiz, he raised the issue but was completely ignored. He noted the positive Android 4.4.2 update for fixing syncing loops on non-exchange accounts and the battery drain bug, but the Exchange email is bugged with "constant tries to sync." These issues are connected to the battery drain reported on Android 4.4.2.

Wi-Fi and Cellular Network

Some owners have to deal with connectivity issues using Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. Reports include missing calls when connected to the Internet using both radios, but some users say that a simple reboot resolves the problem temporarily.

Phone Dialler

Dialler app on Nexus 5 has been found not working, according to reports, and even performing a factory reset doesn't solve the problem. For those who got a faulty dialler app, update the Nexus 5 to Android 4.4.1 KitKat for the fix.

Media Storage Crash

In all versions of Android KitKat, users filed reports of media storage crash which renders the device unable to copy files from a computer. Based on the forum, factory reset and reboot into Safe Mode fixes the issue, but sometimes it doesn't.

Faulty Bluetooth

Nexus 5 didn't didn't get away from faulty Bluetooth problems that affects the volume output to a Bluetooth speaker. Once connected to a Bluetooth speaker, the volume controls seem bugged which always begin at maximum and reducing it via rocker or settings doesn't work at all.

Near Field Communication

NFC is fun and cool but not on the Nexus 5 smartphone. Reports claim that the built-in NFC tags don't detect the smartphone, as if it doesn't exist at all. And to make it worse, Android 4.4.1 KitKat doesn't completely fix the problem.

Freezing Installation

Many Nexus 5 owners have attempted to download Android 4.4.2 update to get all the fixes they needed, but the process can get troublesome. Over-the-Air update may lock on 20 per cent and then freezes with an error message popping on the screen. In rare cases, some owners don't get the "Your system is up to date" message.

Camera Crash

Most Nexus 5 users report lousy camera performance, but one thread on Google's forum included a camera app crash. In addition to that, the user also complained about calling issues such as the screen going blank and auto dialling.

Slow Recharging

Poor battery performance is already a headache, but slowing recharging can cause a migraine. Nexus 7 2012 users have reported slow recharging after updating their devices to Android KitKat. According to them, Nexus 7 may spend recharging for 2 to 3 hours and only gain 25 per cent battery using the original wall charger and USB cable.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat has been appearing for some time online and could be Google's answer to the 10,000 so-called bugs of KitKat and Nexus 5.

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#1209 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 15:39

Android 4.4 for the HTC One Almost Here! Sense 6 Spotted on Graph. - Device Updates

Its almost there for the rest of us.

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#1210 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 15:41

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One 2: Which Flagship Should You Wait For?

Both Samsung and HTC will be releasing refreshed versions of their smartphone offerings this year. Samsung will be releasing the Samsung Galaxy S5, while HTC will reportedly put the out HTC One 2. With Samsung Galaxy S5 slated for a February announcement, the market has been buzzing. Which smartphone is better? Which should consumers wait for?

Looking at the reported specs of each device should give users a good idea which device promises to deliver more. It is important to establish that the specs and release dates are mostly from leaks and predictions. Both companies have yet to issue formal or official announcements about the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One 2. The predictions are based from analysts' experience and record of how Samsung and HTC have been releasing devices. These are also from surfacing reports about the companies' production.

Design and Build

According to reports, HTC will not veer away much from the original HTC One for the One 2's design and build. The HTC One has received praises for the device's striking aesthetic. The HTC One will reportedly feature a stylish aluminium build including dual front-facing speakers. There are reports saying that the HTC One 2 will have a fingerprint scanner. Leaks show that the new design shows it can accommodate a fingerprint scanner, but people will have to wait for the official confirmation.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will reportedly go through a complete revamp. A number of sources say that Samsung will be producing two variants: one made of plastic and one made of metal. There will also be a new design language. According to a Samsung executive, consumers were not as thrilled to see the Galaxy S4, not far from its predecessor. This time, the company wants to impress people.

According to leaks, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature an edge-to-edge display with a similar shape to Galaxy S4. The device is also capped on both ends with a striking and contoured thicker piece. The back panel sports a similar design as the front. It looks completely thin.

Display

Display reports are consistent for both devices. Samsung Galaxy S5 will sport a 5.2-inch display with a body smaller than its predecessor. The HTC One 2 will have a 4.7-inch screen, but there are reports contesting it might go up to full 5 inches. The HTC One screen will offer a full HD 1,080p resolution, but there are no further details about the display technology. The Samsung Galaxy S5 will have a 2K display, 560 ppi and Super AMOLED technology which may be switched to high-end LTPS LCD.

Processor

The HTC One 2 may go for either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 or an 800 quad-core chip with a potential supercharged Snapdragon MSM8974-AB model. There will also be a 2 GB RAM included. Samsung will have two options as well, according to reports: Samsung Exynos 6 Octa with two quad-core chips and heterogeneous multiprocessing capabilities or a Snapdragon 800. According to Samsung, it plans on increasing RAM of its devices to 4 GB so the S5 may have such.

Both devices will run on Android 4.4 KitKat. People will have to wait for final confirmation of specs and price to see which one offers a better deal.

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#1211 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 21:41

Angry Birds' Rovio angrily denies charges of NSA snooping

Rovio has said that it does not share data with intelligence agencies, as new data has emerged that both the American NSA and British GCHQ collect data from Angry Birds players. However, while Rovio might not give data to these agencies themeselves, player data still might be gathered through their games. If any data is collected, the company says, it's collected through the mobile advertising network that Rovio uses with its games, and it's done without Rovio's knowledge, according to a company press release:

The alleged surveillance may be conducted through third party advertising networks used by millions of commercial web sites and mobile applications across all industries. If advertising networks are indeed targeted, it would appear that no internet-enabled device that visits ad-enabled web sites or uses ad-enabled applications is immune to such surveillance. Rovio does not allow any third party network to use or hand over personal end-user data from Rovio's apps.

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#1212 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 21:44

The Classic Bic Pen Now Works On Your Smartphone Display Too

Writing implements aren't going to be supplanted by touchscreen devices anytime soon. But that isn't stopping Bic from hedging its bets and ensuring its classic see-through plastic pens remain relevant. The company's new Cristal Stylus features a rubber tip on the bottom letting you jot notes on a touchscreen device, while the business end still features a ballpoint ink tip for writing on paper.

There are a few catches, though. At around $14 for three they're definitely more expensive. And those of us who chew the ends of Bic pens to shreds will need to find another vice.

But even worse, as the folks at Chip Chick point out, the version of the Cristal Stylus pictured above, that shares the same stylings as the classic Bic pen, is actually the European version. The North American version, though more modern looking and sleeker, is actually kind of disappointing in comparison-at least for ballpoint pen purists. So hopefully that version will also be available here at some point soon.

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#1213 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 21:50

British spies can remotely 'Smurf' your iPhone and Android phone

By Chris Smith
Tuesday January 28, 2014, 12:25 PM

Unsurprisingly, it's not just the NSA that can hack iPhones and other mobile devices in order to retrieve data that may be relevant to an investigation. New documentation provided to The Guardian by former NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden shows that the British GCHQ agency is also rather skilled in the art of remotely obtaining data from iOS devices and Android smartphones.

Interestingly enough, the mobile surveillance operation, which is described in slides from a presentation dating back to late May 2010, reveal that GCHQ has relied on the popular TV show The Smurfs to come up with codenames for the various spying apps that can be run on the iPhone and Android devices. Dreamy Smurf describes a way of stealthily activating a phone that's turned off, Nosey Smurf would turn on the microphone, Tracker Smurf would geolocate a device, while Paranoid Smurf would take care of all the other Smurfs, making sure the spying tools aren't discovered by the user. A Porus program would also deal with securing the spy software, by providing undisclosed "kernel stealth" features.

In addition to these capable Smurfs, the presentation said GCHQ could basically retrieve any file from an iPhone, including "SMS, MMS, e-mails, web history, call records, videos, photos, address book, notes, calendar," concluding that "if (something) is on the phone, we can get it."

The Smurf program - actually part of a Warrior Pride tool - has been ported to the iPhone sometime before the presentation, the slides seem to indicate, suggesting that even spies choose iPhone development first. A second slide from the same presentation says that Warrior Pride will have been ported to Android by Q3 2010.

In addition to dedicated tools to capture data directly from iPhone and Android devices, the NSA and QCHQ have found a way to tap the data provided by various popular mobile apps including Angry Birds, but also services such as YouTube, Facebook or Google Maps. "A more sophisticated effort, though, relied on intercepting Google Maps queries made on smartphones, and using them to collect large volumes of location information," The Guardian writes. "So successful was this effort that one 2008 document noted that 'it effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system.'"

Furthermore, by accessing EXIF data of photo uploads from mobile devices - a popular feature for social network users including Facebook and others - the agencies would be able to collect "almost every key detail of a user's life: including home country, current location (through geolocation), age, gender, zip code, martial status - options included "single", "married", "divorced" and more - income, ethnicity, education level, and number of children."

While the slides offered by Snowden date back to mid-2010 describing then-sophisticated attacks, it may be logical to assume that the NSA's and GCHQ's spying efforts targeting mobile device users have kept up with the times and adapted their tools to match the evolution of these mobile platforms, and that the Smurfs are still in action - after all, the GCHQ presentation's cover slide reveals that the agency wanted more, faster and better spying of mobile devices.

Slides from the NSA and GCHQ presentations detailed by The Guardian follow below.

GCHQ mobile briefing | Image source: The Guardian

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#1214 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 21:55

Samsung Crushed Apple With Record 86M Smartphones Shipped in Q4, Research Firm Says

BY TODD HASELTON | JANUARY 28, 2014

Apple may not be the only firm with record smartphone sales last quarter. According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped 86 million smartphone units in the fourth quarter of 2013. Apple, by comparison, shipped 51 million iPhones in its fiscal Q1 - the same three-month time period. Samsung smartphone sales for all of 2013 came in at 319.8 million units, Strategy Analytics said, up 30.4 percent from the year prior, according to�Reuters.

Samsung and Apple were the top two smartphone makers and are followed by Huawei and Lenovo, which sold 16.6 million units and 13.6 million units, respectively, Strategy Analytics said, both of which have quickly become major players in the global smartphone industry, not just in China where both have been successful players. "Samsung and Apple will need to fight hard to hold off these and other hungry challengers during 2014," Linda Sui, author of the report, warned.

The brands are riding on the coattails of Android, which has the largest chunk of the global mobile operating system market share. Android continued to chew away at iOS in 12 major markets around the globe during the last quarter, according to a separate report from Kantar Worldpanel published yesterday.

Samsung has a bit of a leg up on Apple because it sells lower-priced phones and multiple models in varying screen sizes and with low, mid and high-end specs. Apple has fought hard to instead focus on the higher-tier markets, though it did recently introduce the 8GB iPhone 4 in India to try to fight off lower-cost rivals. Apple also failed to meet Wall Street projections for iPhone sales, which may be attributed to supply limitations on the iPhone 5s and weaker than expected demand for the iPhone 5c.

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#1215 [Permalink] Posted on 28th January 2014 21:58

Guess which tablets have the longest battery life on the planet

Tuesday January 28, 2014,

There are dozens of different features to weigh when buying a new tablet. The size is important, the platform and ecosystem matter of course, specs and available storage impact buying decisions, and plenty more must be considered. Battery life is likely near the top of many tablet buyers' lists as well, since buying a tablet means having yet another device that needs to be charged on top of your smartphone and laptop. So for those who find battery life to be extremely important, which tablets offer the best battery performance on the market today?

CNET is a huge site that reviews every tablet it can get its hands on, and that long list likely includes just about any tablet you might consider buying right now. Beyond the site's standard reviews, it recently put out a list that ranks the six best tablets on the market right now in terms of battery performance. Why six? We have no clue.

With 11.5 hours of battery life per charge as tested by CNET, Google's well-reviewed Nexus 7 slate finds itself in the No. 5 slot ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch. Microsoft's Surface 2 narrowly topped the Nexus 7 with 11.6 hours per charge, and Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10 came in at No. 3 with 12.4 hours of battery life on a single charge.

The 13.2 hours per charge managed by Apple's popular iPad Air was only good enough for the No. 2 spot on CNET's list, while the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 headed the pack with a remarkable 14.2 hours of battery life per charge.

SOURCE: CNET

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