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Revamped Mini Player and More Available with the Apple iTunes 11.0.3 Version

May 17, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

Apple has recently updated its desktop music app, iTunes to the latest 11.0.3 version. The new update brings small changes to the application. However, the major change you will notice is that it comes with a redesigned Mini Player.

The new Mini Player appears quite impressive and it wonderfully showcases your album art. You also get a new progress bar right inside the Mini Player. In the earlier version of iTunes, when users clicked on album art inside the Mini Player, it would automatically pop out into a now playing window showcasing the album art. However, the redesigned Mini Player makes it possible for you to click on the album art to get an expanded smaller window that not only displays your album artwork but also the controls.

The progress bar present on the Mini Player now lets you see how long the song has been playing. The Mini Player now consumes less space on the screen.Apart from these changes with the Mini Player, everything else remains the same as it was in the earlier version of iTunes 11.0.2. However, the new update also allows you to quickly view and search for songs.

The new update also allows you to view songs present on multiple discs as single discs. It is very good feature that lets users with multiple disc albums to easily browse in the music library.

The iTunes app from Apple is heavily loaded with plenty of features as it is place where you can access all your songs, apps, television shows, movies, iBooks, stores for purchasing Apple products and many more. The iTunes Store is able to able to record your browsing history which allows you to easily access the previewed songs, movies and TV shows. It does not show the stuff that you have only listened or seen for few minutes but it will only show stuff that you have listened or seen completely. To get the latest 11.0.3 version, you need to check Software Update.

Verizon and Sprint Galaxy Note 2 prices drop

May 16, 2013 By James Faulkner 3 Comments

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 remains one of the finest flagships delivered by Samsung. Its accredited performance has led to fans’ agitation over Galaxy Note 3. Galaxy S4 was released a month back and Note 3 is expected to be a bit similar to S4.

But Samsung has not stated anything over its plans to bring out the Note 3, but possibly it will be unveiled soon, considering the profitable performance of its predecessor. But much before the release of Note 3, Galaxy Note 2 prices have already dropped down and the device is being provided by major retailers at much lower prices.

Amazon has notably cut off Verizon and Sprint Galaxy Note 2 prices. If you are willing to commence a new account with US’ largest network, or add a new series to the present account, then by fastening the deal through Amazon Wireless, Samsung’s finest flagship will put you back only $79.99 over a 2-year contract with the network. If you are looking forward to update your current line, you will be charged with some additional bucks, Note 2 being tagged with a price of $149.99.

However, with Big Red, charging $199.99 for the flagship, you will be able to save around 50 bucks. If you choose Sprint and are ready to commence a new line with Now Network, a larger price cut will be facilitated to you. The flagship will put you back only $49.99 in this case. But by attaching a new series to your present Sprint account, the Note 2 will be yours at $149.99, upgrading a current one will put you back $299.99. Of course, you will have to sign up a two-year contract with the carrier to get the discount.

This amazing price drop of Note 2 on Verizon and Sprint may motivate users to switch to this highly discounted offer.

HTC One, One X, Butterfly (Droid DNA), One S to Get Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Sense 5 Update

May 16, 2013 By Janet Vasquez 2 Comments

HTC is all set to update several of its smartphones with the latest version of Android and Sense user interface. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and Sense 5.1 will be first available for HTC Butterfly which is called Droid DNA in United States. HTC has not officially made known as to which devices are going to receive the updates. Even the release dates for the updates are not known yet.

Some of the devices that we feel are going to receive the updates are as follows:

HTC One
The high-end phone from HTC – the HTC One, which should have come out with Android 4.2 when it released is still running on yesterday’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Google is going to release the new version of Android i.e. Android 4.3. So, will the HTC One directly receive the Android 4.3 by skipping the Android 4.2? Nobody knows it yet. We feel Google will not let the Android 4.3 available for other devices except Nexus devices. So, we feel it’s going to be Android 4.2.

HTC One X
Rumors has it that HTC One X is going to get both the updates for Android and Sense. It may be available by the end of August this year. We feel the HTC One X+ is going to receive the updates much before the HTC One X. It may happen that the One X may not get all the new features of the Sense user interface.

HTC One S
If HTC or the carriers feel that the new updates are going to hamper the performance of the One S, it may stick to Android 4.1. When HTC One S was made available for One S, the device showed lot of problems. We feel that even if the One S is going to receive the updates, it will not receive any more Android or Sense updates for eternity.

HTC Butterfly (Droid DNA)
Through rumors, the Butterfly is the only confirmed device that is going to receive both the updates. The updates may be available for the Buttery by the end of May or June. The specifications of this device are so good that it can also function quite well with the unreleased Android 4.3. As far as Verizon’s Droid DNA is concerned, we feel the update will first come to Butterfly and then to Droid DNA. The update may be available for Droid DNA by August.

Some of the other devices that may receive Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and HTC Sense 5.1 updates include HTC Evo 4G LTE, Droid Incredible 4G LTE, HTC One V and HTC One SV. Some of the phones may not function well with Android 4.2 but later it may receive the HTC Sense update.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 to Come with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, Rumored Specs

May 16, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

With the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 finally emerging from behind the shadows, it’s now the turn of its bigger siblings, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 and the Galaxy Tab 3 1.0 tablet device to be dealt with. It is therefore least surprising that we also have here the GLBenchmark test results for the Tab 3 8.0 tablet.

Of course all of it is still cryptic so the device is mentioned as SM-T311. In case you are wondering how can that be related to Tab 3 8.0, well here it is. The recently released Tab 3 7.0 bears the model name SM-T211. So it would be logical to assume the next in line, which is the 8 inch version of the tablet that can be associated with the model name SM-T311.

Rumors also point out the tablet to sport some pretty decent specs. These include an Exynos 4412 dual core processor having a clock sped of 1.5 GHz, an ARM Mali-400 graphics processor and a 2 GB RAM. The tablet will feature a 4,500 mAh battery and will have an 8 inch display upfront having a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Analysts also believe the tablet will be running Android 4.2.2 and there are no reasons to believe the TouchWiz user interface won’t be present as well.

Other features that the Tab 3 8.0 might be seen sporting include a 3 megapixel camera at the rear along with a 1.3 megapixel unit at the front. The tablet’s external dimensions is pegged at 209,6 x 112,1 x 6,95mm all of which translates to a weight of just 330 grams. As for the tablet’s availability, the Tab 3 8.0 might end up on the retail scene around the first half of June (June 3 – 9 approximately).

New iPhone 5S Rumor regarding Home Button to Be Replaced With Sapphire-Crystal Fingerprint Reader

May 16, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

With leading smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Sony making full efforts in providing unique features to its users, Apple has to do something to offer something unique exclusively for iPhone lovers. The iPhone 5S may be the next iPhone to hit the stands and Apple is already planning to offer something very unique to its patrons.

It is rumored that the iPhone 5S will be replacing the physical home button which it has been using since 2007. The forthcoming iPhone will feature a Sapphire crystal capacitive home button which will be able to detect fingerprint through a hidden sensor. However, we are not sure whether this rumor will really come true. The reason behind it is that since the time iPhone was launched in 2007 with physical home button, every time before the launch of iPhone there were rumors that the next iPhone would feature a capacitive home button.

iPhone users always wanted Apple to do away with the physical home button because the risk of failure of a physical button of not registering a press is more. If the button is capacitive, there is no such risk. And Sapphire crystal which Apple may use for the capacitive button is quite sturdy and scratch-resistant in nature. It will not only appear elegant but also it will protect the fingerprint reader which will be placed beneath the button. Apple has been already using crystal glass cover to protect the rear camera of the iPhone 5.

In the recent past, Apple had purchased a mobile security company called AuthenTec and since then tech analysts were of the view that someday Apple will include a fingerprint reader in the forthcoming reader. Usage of a fingerprint sensor may sound unique but it is not the first time that such a sensor will be used on a smartphone. In the past, Motorola Atrix 4G had a fingerprint sensor onboard.

It is being speculated that the reason behind the delay in launch of iPhone 5S is that there are some problems associated with the fingerprint sensor. It is also believed that “S” in iPhone 5S indicates security. These days, Google and Microsoft have been concentrating in protecting the content of the users through two-step authentication procedure. Apple will also join the bandwagon to make the users a lot more secure while browsing on the web and connecting the iPhone to other devices.

If the rumor comes true, securing data on iPhone will not involve old procedure such as storing, retrieving and manually entering passwords. Simply by reading your fingerprint, your iPhone will become exclusively accessible to you only.

Google I/O Event Held; No Big Announcement Made by Larry Page

May 15, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

The Google I/O event was held today at San Francisco. The event started at 9am and the event was shown live online. At the beginning, Sundar Pichai, the senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Google apps started praising Android and Chrome. He thanked the developers for achieving 900 million Android activations this year.

Image courtest – PhoneArena

Google announced three new APIs namely Fused location provider which utilizes only 1% battery each hour; Geo-fencing to locate entering geographic locations; and Activity Recognition to find out what users are doing. Google Cloud Messaging now makes possible upstream messaging.

Android Studio mainly designed for pacing up code building was announced. There will be new additions to the Google Play Store. Soon, you will find a dedicated section where tablets will be listed. Google Play Music All Access will allow users to listen personalized music across twenty-two top genres. It will create a never-ending list of music which will work like a radio station. It works like Pandora. The service is priced at $9.99 per month and is available with 30-day trial for free.

The unlocked Galaxy S4 will be available on sale for $649 with AT&T and T-Mobile. Every attendant at Google I/O received a free Google Chromebook Pixel. Google announced that Android users will now be able to shop on mobile in three simple steps. Google Play for Education will be a new section on Google Play mainly aiming at school users.

Google+ is all set to receive an upgrade of 41 new features. They are aiming at revamping the user experience such as auto tweaking of photos, highlight function that will show the best photos from a set of photos, 15GB storage space to backup your photos and data and many more.

Google Now will allow you to create reminders. Lots of new places have been added to Google Maps. The updated maps will be available to the users this summer.

Larry Page went on stage and talk about development of a self-driving car. He spent some time with the audience in answering their queries related Google’s venture in hardware, Google Fiber, Google Glass, increasing the number of women in tech field and many more. As you can see, Google I/O was a well anticipated event but sadly there were no big announcements except a few little ones.

Dell XPS 10 Windows RT Tablet Price Cut, Now Available for $299

May 15, 2013 By Deborah Cobing 1 Comment

Windows RT is the mobile-friendly version of the desktop version of Windows 8. It was launched with great hype but sadly Windows RT tablets are not showing good results as far as sales are concerned. The reason behind it is that the market has got plenty of tablets already.

Since the makers are unable to find much success with the Windows RT, the Dell XPS 10 tablet that is powered with Windows RT is now being sold at a reduced price of $299. When the tablet was released, it was priced at $499. The current price shows that the manufacturers have considerably reduced the price of the Dell XPS 10 tablet.

You can say that the Dell XPS 10 tablet is the cheapest tablet in the market that is powered with Windows RT. The hardware specs of the device are not bad. It has got 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, a 10inch display screen that supports 1366 x 768 resolution, internal storage of 32GB, dedicated slot for external memory, front and rear camera and a battery that delivers battery life of up to 10 hours.

As far as the specs are concerned, the device seems to be very competitive. The major problem that has considerably reduced the sale of the device is the Windows RT OS. The Windows RT brings apps like Microsoft Office and Metro Tiles user interface. A major problem associated with Windows RT is that it does not allow you to install programs of your choice. If you want to install any software, you need to access Windows Store and check whether the software is listed there or not. If it is not listed, you won’t be able to install it.

Samsung and Acer are no longer developing devices to run on Windows RT OS. Things can be become better for Windows RT users in the near future. The recent announcement from the Microsoft camp revealed that very soon they will be releasing the Windows 8.1 update for free. The update will be able to bring significant performance enhancements to both Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Dell is trying to grab potential customers’ attention by highlighting that Dell XPS 10 tablet which is available for $299 is limited time offer. Windows RT is clearly showing signs that the OS has failed to meet Microsoft’s expectations. We hope that the Windows 8.1 update to RT can make the OS much desirable and user-friendly.

Xbox 720 Release Date Event by Microsoft to Showcase Call of Duty: Ghosts Demo

May 15, 2013 By Troy Rubenson 1 Comment

The Xbox 360 has been one of the most popular gaming consoles in the recent times and the next generation gaming console from Microsoft, the Xbox 720 will be revealed at Redmond, Washington headquarters which will be held on 21^st May 2013. When the Xbox 720 will be unveiled at that time Microsoft will also be showcasing the demo version of the forthcoming Call of Duty game.

It has been confirmed through an advertisement poster that new title for the Call of Duty is named as Call of Duty: Ghosts. The release date of the game is scheduled for 5^th Nov, 2013. The poster became visible only after Activision started showing teasers of the Call of Duty: Ghosts on their official website. This confirms the official title and release date of the game. Rumors have it that the new edition of the Call of Duty: Ghost will be exclusively available for the Xbox 720 user only.

The publisher of the game has revealed that Infinity Ward is developing the game and they are hoping to bring a completely new gaming experience for Call of Duty lovers. There is no information on the plot and setting of the game but we think that game will be based around the Simon “Ghost” from the Modern Warfare 2.

Even though the launch date is set to 21^st May, there is no foolproof confirmation on the release date of Xbox 720. Analysts believe that the rival PlayStation 4 will be available on sale before the Xbox 720. Sony plans to release the PlayStation 4 during the Christmas. This should make Microsoft to release the Xbox 720 quickly before the market gets saturated.

People who are interested in buying Call of Duty: Ghosts can simply pre-order it through GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy. You can place the order for $59.99. As of now, it has been confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will seamlessly work on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. However, gamers are waiting for the game to be available for Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.

Since long time Call of Duty and Battlefield series have competing with each other. Even though both the game has their own loyal customer base, both make good efforts to deliver the best gaming experience than the other. Recently, the Battlefield 4 was unveiled and since then Call of Duty fans have been excitedly waiting for the new edition of COD and finally Activision has confirmed the release date of the forthcoming COD game.

Google Glass: Now You Can Do Facial Recognition With Google Glasses

May 15, 2013 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Google Glass is a very versatile gadget that will manifold uses in the near future. As of now, you will be surprised to know that you can do facial recognition with Google Glass. Experts in the medical field feel that the Google Glass can be a very beneficial tool in their field. Recently, a video was released that showed how medical practitioners and nurses were able to access patients’ record by making use of the camera present on Google Glass.

The app used in the video to perform facial recognition is called MedRef for Glass. You should not be mistaken that someone wearing Google Glass can walk across you and get all the medical history about you. To be frank, the 5MP is good but not good enough for quick image analysis. If the person wearing it is constantly moving, Google Glass will not be able to grab photos as there is no image stabilization feature available on the camera. So, if you want to perform facial recognition with Google Glass, one needs to stand still in front of the camera. Once a photo is taken, Google Glass will then be able to perform facial recognition by using a relevant app like MedRef.

The app MedRef was mainly developed for hospital employees. The makers aimed at helping the medical staff in using face recognition technology to bring information of patients by using photo, voice and notes. A doctor may record that while treating a certain patient, he may be allergic to corns or he has consistent acidity problem. Since the data can be easily shared through Google Glass, staff team, nurses and other doctors can quickly access this data in no time.

While using MedRef, all you need to do is call out the name of the patient or simply snap a photo of their face and Google Glass will show you relevant records of the patient. Professionals in the medicine field are always quite busy. Google Glass will definitely make life much easier in the field.

We believe the usage Google Glass with facial recognition can be very useful in the medical field. It would definitely cut down the number of errors and it will also make medical practitioners become less busy and use their hands in performing other important tasks. In the near future, there is a possibility that doctors will also be able view patient charts and X-rays seamlessly.

Windows 8.1 Update for Windows 8 Users is Free of Cost by Microsoft

May 15, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

In the previous week, Microsoft had made announced that were working on the first major update for Windows 8. The update has been codenamed as Blue. The official name for the update has been confirmed by Microsoft CMO and CFO Tami Reller as Windows 8.1. Still, there is no precise information on the release date of Microsoft.

At the JP Morgan’s Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, Tami Reller announced that the Windows 8.1 update will be available for the users through the Windows Store for free. The update will be available for Windows 8 and Windows RT.

On June 26^th, Microsoft will be releasing preview version of Windows 8.1 Reller did not reveal the release date of Windows 8.1 but made it clear that Microsoft may eye on releasing the update during the holidays. Reller stated that people who are currently using Windows 8 devices or who are planning to buy Windows 8 device in the near future will be able to seamlessly update to Windows 8.1

Reller has mentioned that the update is based on the ‘customer feedback’ that they received by users of Windows 8 and Windows RT. However, Microsoft did not reveal what new changes will be seen in Windows 8.1. More information on the update is expected to be released during the Build conference which will be held in the next month.

We believe that the Windows 8.1 may bring back the good old Start button in the Desktop mode. The reason behind it is that it allows users to easily navigate through the OS. However, it will not have the Start menu which was available in previous versions like Windows 7 and Windows XP. The Start button will take users to the Start screen which contains the Tiles and Modern user interface of Windows 8.

If you do not have touchscreen or if you do not like the Tiles feature of Windows 8, the Windows 8.1 update may bring you a boot option that allows you to directly boot to the desktop.

Microsoft claims that Windows 8 is a very popular operating system and recent records show that have sold more than 100 million licenses. Some tech analysts feel that Microsoft’s move in making the Windows 8.1 update available for free indicates that Microsoft feels that users are not satisfied with the experience of using the OS. Reller is quite positive about the update as she stated that the update will improve the overall performance of the OS and provide more options for work and play.

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