Asus Zenbook UX31 Review

Having heard of numerous positive reviews about the Asus Zenbook, I received the review unit with great expectations. The Zenbook is one of the first Ultrabooks launched in the market. The name "Ultrabook" is trademarked by Intel and describes laptops that are lightweight, high performance and with long battery life.

Zenbook, shown here with the free sleeve case.

The specs of my review unit:

• Intel Core i5-2557M 1.7GHz (2 core, 4 threads, max 2.7GHz turbo)
• DDR3 1333MHz 4GB RAM
• 128GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 13.3-inch 1600x900
• 0.3M web camera
• 3mm thin at the front, 9mm thin at the rear, 1.3kg 

Comparing the 13" Zenbook with the 11" Macbook Air

Good Zen
The Zenbook launch in Singapore is rather successful. Several of my friends bought one within the first week of its sale in Singapore. Perhaps it is due to the pent-up demand for a Windows-based ultraportable laptop. Here, I list down the features that make Asus Zenbook attractive:

1. Full aluminium body with ultrathin profile. The brushed metal surface feels more durable and less prone to scratches than Macbook Air. There are ample wrist rest for typing and the large trackpad is very much appreciated.

Zenbook keyboard vs. Macbook Air

2. 2-second instant-on with Super Hybrid Engine II. Yes, the bootup and shutdown times are just as fast, but any computer running on solid-state storage drives (SSD) could achieve that. But the instant-on feature is just impressive. Not only that, but putting the Zenbook to sleep does not use up a lot of battery power.

3. Higher screen resolution at 1600x900. Its the highest resolution Ultrabook, which means your display will look sharp and you can see more rows and columns of your spreadsheet applications, or scroll less to see your Facebook feeds. The gloss screen surface has a good balance of reflectivity.

4. Effective Battery Management. Zenbook comes with its own Asus Power4Gear Hybrid battery management app to make sure you get maximum battery if you need it. For each usage profie, you can specify the maximum processor speed, which is good. When I turn on Battery Saving mode, the laptop runs in low heat. I also like that the Zenbook does not heat up when charging.

As for battery life, well, it depends on the applications. If you turn on High Performance, the full charge would barely last 4 hours. When running on Battery Saving mode and doing casual computing, the Zenbook can offer realistically 5-6 hours. Coupled with instant-on and sleep, you should be able to get through the day.

5. Audio speakers. Running on Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, the Zenbook is pleasant to listen to. You get crystal clear treble, well-delivered mid-range, and light bass. There are minimal audio distortions, prevented by audio limiter. The stereo sound permeates through the keyboard surface, giving you unblocked listening experience. But occasionally some songs with certain audio frequencies may rattle the keys. Nevertheless, I am impressed with the sound.

6. Bundled accessories. Zenbook retail package comes with adapters for VGA (D-Sub) and LAN (RJ45 Ethernet port), so that these chunky ports do not clutter the interface, and consumers can still connect to VGA and Ethernet. A premium laptop case is also included, which completes the ownership.

It is to be noted that the mini VGA port on the Zenbook is proprietary and is not the standard mini DisplayPort as mentioned by several online review sites.


Bad Zen
Despite the sleek design, thoughtful apps, and bundled accessories, I find the actual usage experience rather disappointing. Let me explain why.

1. Keyboard. It might look good, but it doesnt work quite good. Due to the shallow key action, there is a high tendency of missing key strokes, but if you alter your keyboard habits, like hitting the keys a little harder, you might be able to increase the hit rate.

There is also no keyboard backlight if your life depends on it. So, tough luck working in a dark environment, although perhaps the ultra-bright LCD screen (450 nits) could offer some illumination.

2. Trackpad. After experiencing the Macbook trackpad, no other Windows-based laptop comes close, including the Zenbook. The response is laggy and multi-touch gestures are frustrating to use. Use an external mouse to get more consistent results.


3. Wi-Fi connection. The most disappointing feature (or lack of) is the Wi-Fi radio. The connection consistently drops, indicated with a yellow exclaimation icon next to the Wi-Fi status, showing "No Internet Access". A search on google reveals that the short term workaround is to set the power profile to "High Performance". Sadly, this means the battery will drain faster and the Zenbook will get hotter. Hopefully this problem can be fixed by software updates.


The Sum of all Zen
The Asus Zenbook delivers a great impression with sleek design, custom applications and user interface. The instant on and sleep means you can use the Zenbook whenever and wherever you need it without worrying about long wake-up times, battery drain and ensuring proper shutdown. The laptop generally runs smoothly and extremely quiet. The major annoying issue is the persistent dropped Wi-Fi connection. But like what I tell my peers who spend too much time evaluating and waiting for the perfect gadget: "Dont forgo the benefits because of a few weaknesses." If you simply must have the 2-second instant-on feature, then no other laptop can beat the Asus Zenbook - for now.

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Amazon gives Lumia 900 for 0 01 AT T contract still required

The US Amazon is selling Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T for 1 cent once again, and this time the offerisnt even limited to new users only.

Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T offers LTE connectivity and is the company’s current WP flagship. The fact that it wont get to taste Windows Phone 8 is pretty damaging for the Lumia 900 market prospects, but maybe this promotion and the consolation WP7.8 update will help.



Still WP8 smartphones probably wont be on the market for at least another four or five months so if are about to sign an AT&T contract, you might as well take Nokias offer for free lifetime navigation, a 4.3" AMOLED and a super cool polycarbonate unibody.

Source | Via

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Samsung Earns No 1 Spot In Enterprise KNOX Security Flaws Were Found On The Same Day

Samsung is known for their innovation. Especially this last year or so. They have made a big push with their Enterprise compatible KNOX security solutions, and for their efforts they were named as the No.1 solution for Enterprise Security by ABI Research. Nine smartphone manufacturers were tested across eighteen different categories according to BGR, and Samsung came out on top, beating out companies like Apple, Blackberry and Nokia. In an interesting turn of events, (and actually ironically comical if you think about it) a massive security flaw was discovered in Samsung’s KNOX software on the exact same day that they were ranked No.1. The flaw was discovered by two security researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, and was stated that if given the opportunity, ‘Hackers’ could intercept the exchange of data between the Galaxy line of phones that use KNOX. This could have potentially been a huge problem if not caught. Samsung of course denies that the vulnerability even existed.

According to ABI’s Analyst Jason McNicol, Blackberry is still considered the ‘Gold Standard’ when it comes to security, but because Samsung was able to win in enough categories, it was able to make its way to ranking No.1. He states that other companies like Apple were awarded the No.2 ranking with Blackberry landing the No.3 spot and Nokia trailing behind Blackberry. He also notes Blackberry will be battling it out with Nokia for the No.3 ranking going forward. He states that

“BlackBerry and Nokia are battling for the number three spot in the enterprise mobility market. BlackBerry has more enterprise mobility experience; however, Nokia now has the backing of Microsoft. Couple these advantages with the recent struggles by Apple and Samsung means that opportunity exists for BlackBerry and Nokia to gain market share and subsequently improve their ranking.”

Despite setbacks due to struggles between Apple and themselves, Samsung was still able to focus enough on its security solutions that it has come up with for companies to earn it the top ranking in mobile security offerings. As long as Samsung can continue to increase their focus on Security and prevent holes in their security software like the one listed above from popping back up in the future, they can remain a dominant force in Mobile Security, which is something they have been striving for.

The post Samsung Earns No.1 Spot In Enterprise; KNOX Security Flaws Were Found On The Same Day appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2013/12/samsung-earns-1-spot-enterprise-knox-security-flaws-found-day.html

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iPhone Ping application

iPhone Ping App is an app for the iPhone that allows instant messaging from iPhone to iPhone. Instead of doing messaging like would be done on the computer you do it on your phone to other iPhones. As messaging and chatting online was the new thing this is just for iPhone users to chat and message from iPhone to iPhone.

almost like an instant messenger you have to create an account this is so that you have ping id kind of the same as you would for yahoo or other online free emails services and site that are online. One of the best features is that this does not cost anything to have on your phone. There are no monthly charges, no roaming costs, and fast delivery.

Ping app offers is a way to communicate with others that have an iPhone instead of the old fashion way and having your email instant messenger charge your phone this is much better.

detail: www.pingmessaging.com
download: http://itunes.apple.com

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Images of unannounced Nokia 302 leak yet another Asha

Chinese site Tenaa.com.cn got their hands on images from the upcoming Nokia 302, another Asha probably. All that is known about the phone so far is what can be told from the images, namely a 3.2MP camera, and some sort of slot on the left side. Whether it’s a SIM slot, microSD or something else is unclear for the time being.

Nokia 302
No word on pricing or availability yet, although we do hope theyll offer it in a color other than Bland.
Update February 14: The specs for this device have also been leaked. The Nokia 302 Asha will be a quad-band device measuring 115.2 x 58.9 x 13.5mm. It will have a 2.6-inch LCD screen, WLAN and 3G. It will be available in white, red and jet black.

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Google Looking To Expand On Education Based Devices With Samsung And Other OEMs

Education is important. There’s no doubt about that. How is Google looking to help education? For starters, by offering an education and student oriented version of the Play Store. However Google wants to do more to help further education, and one way they’re going to take part in doing this, is by putting out a couple devices that are going to be aimed at the educational market. One new device from Lenovo, who just acquired Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion, will be the Thinkpad 11e series, along with the Toshiba Chromebook. Both devices are said to be launched sometime this Spring, but there is no mention as of yet on an exact date. It looks as though the Thinkpad 11e series will be priced at $349, while the Toshiba Chromebook will be priced at $299. Both devices sound like they will have economically friendly price points, which is nothing new since most of the Chromebooks are fairly inexpensive.

The Google for Education program is another way that Google has been “giving back”, with some of Google’s partners of the program providing learning software and tools to classrooms, that can be used on certain Chromebooks and tablets like the Nexus 7. In addition to the Chromebooks coming out this Spring, Samsung is set to release their own device for the program, with the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 that will be a “Classroom ready Edition”, which is due to hit shelves with availability in April.

If you’re someone that will be using one or some of these devices in the classroom, Google is quick to provide content that is useful for your learning experiences, with access to the thousands of books in the K-12 category that have been added to the Google Play For Education program. There’s tons of content available whether you’ll be needing to read up on a popular American novel, or study for that science exam that you have coming up. The books are set up a little differently than ones that you might buy on your personal account, as they are available for a select amount of time during an “access period”. The books will have options of being available for 60 days, 180 days, or 360 days, so whether you need the books for just a couple months or all year, Google For Education seems to have you covered. Since these books won’t be owned, they’ll actually be offered at special rates to go along with the access period set up, and they’ll be available at some schools starting today. Google plans to make these digital books available to the rest of the schools included in the program in the near future.

Source: engadget

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via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/google-looking-expand-education-based-devices-samsung-oems.html

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CES 2014 Qualcomms Snapdragon 805 detects pen input via ultrasound

The Snapdragon 805 chip will end up in some of the hottest smartphones and tablets of the year (we’re already hearing rumors about it powering the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One+), but Qualcomm is only just starting to show its true potential.

Now, Qualcomm lifts the veil over one more new feature of the Snapdragon 805 called Ultra Sound NotePad. Behind that sophisticated name lies an exciting new possibility - being able to write or draw with your pen on a regular piece of paper, and having your nearby laying tablet picking all your creations. The video demonstration below is mind-blowing, showing how you can write on a Snapdragon 805 tablet with a regular stylus, and then showing a person jotting down something on a piece of paper, and the tablet copying it to the tee in real time.

How is this even possible? The magic hides in microphones placed in the tablet. These microphones pick up ultrasonic vibrations from the pen and the Snapdragon chip is then able to decipher them into an accurate copy of all that’s written. This should be huge for students and artists, take a look at the video demo right below.

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The Cheapest Ticket To The Super Bowl Right Now For The Worst Seats Is 2 700

(Kevin Dean)

Unless you’re the kind of fan who’s got an emergency cache of cash ready to unload at the moment your team gets to Super Bowl XLVIII, you’re probably not willing to fork over the kind of dough that’s currently being demanded for tickets this year. Even the cheapest (and worst) seats, all the way up in the back at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, pack a punch of a price at $2,700.

That was the very cheapest price right now on the NFL’s official second-hand marketplace, reports the Atlantic Wire, and those seats are basically the equivalent of being banished to the attic garret where you’ll slave away in the cold sewing for your rich employers. Or you know, up in the eaves in the upper corners of the end zones. We’re seeing prices around $2,800 however, and it’s only going to get pricier.

If you’re the kind who can throw money at any problem without blinking, the most expensive tickets out there will set you back more than $25,000 for seats in the bottom of the stadium at the 50-year-line.

Again, even if you’re shelling out thousands of dollars to have a seat at the showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, it won’t be that easy to get to the actual stadium. You can’t walk in, and you can’t get dropped off at the doors unless you’ve somehow managed to snag on of the few parking passes that will be issued. Oh and you won’t be warming up by the fire of a tailgating party, either, because that’s not allowed.

Better bundle up, y’all, and hope that the memory of the money you’ve spent to get to the Big Game somehow keeps you warm.

You Can’t Afford Super Bowl Tickets [Atlantic Wire]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

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Nokia Lumia 920 may have reached 2 5M orders worldwide

According to a Yahoo China report Nokia has received more than 2.5 million orders for the Lumia 920across the globe, which is more than the entire Lumia lineup sold in Q3 of 2012.

The report also says the Lumia 920 and 820 have been sold out in the United States, Germany, Australia and elsewhere, which goes in check with previous reports of the Lumia 920 being sold out in the US.



In other news Nokias stock documented a 25% rise yesterday, which is probably mainly due to the positive sales figures of the Lumia range.

Marko Ahtisaari, head of Nokias Design unit, went on YouTube to talk about the designing of the Lumia 920. Here goes the video.



Source (in Chinese) | Via

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Samsung awarded new patents for head eye tracking gestures

A published report on Thursday reveals that a European patent awarded to Samsung, could hint at new capabilities for the Samsung Galaxy S5. The patent covers a way to use head movements to control a device. The front-facing camera would monitor the users head and watch for certain movements or gestures like a wink or a nod. The patent was published on Thursday, but dates back to July 2013.

Some of the features on the Samsung Galaxy S4 already use the phones front-facing camera to monitor certain capabilities. For example, Smart Stay will freeze a video that youre watching if you turn your eyes away from the screen. With the new patent, a certain head movement will allow you turn a page on the screen. And any action that is set off by a head movement would require a nod to confirm. That would prevent you from accidentally setting oiff a feature with an unintentional gesture or movement of the head.

By the way, check out the super-thin bezels on the patent diagrams. Will this be a hint as to what to expect from the next iteration of Sammys Android flagship? The latest buzz has the phone being launched by April, possibly containing an iris scanner.PhoneArena

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Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid

Asus computer manufacturers introduced the latest variant of the Eee PC Eee PC Karim Rashid Mussel Collection (1008P) which features the latest technology that was inspired by the figure of a worlds best designer Karim Rashid.

ASUS claims 1008P is very contemporary and nostalgic value, netbook, netbook is more riveting, more and more across, and is designed for young trendsetters keep mobile luxury for everyone.

Karim Rashid Eee PC ASUS Mussel Collection reflects a commitment to designing products that appeal to all five human senses, with an emphasis on appearance and touch.

e PC ™ Mussel Collection Karim Rashid is equipped with a stunning design that includes the LED-backlit screen with no frame size 10.1 "and chiclet ergonomic keyboard.

The beauty of blended perfectly with the calculations. With the latest Intel ® Atom ™ CPU N450, netbook is energy efficient, which works with energy management technologies from ASUS exclusive Super Hybrid Engine, which powered the battery 6 hours for each charge.

Eee PC ™ Mussel Collection Karim Rashid also offers quick access to the Internet thanks to the Express Gate, an additional operating system that can boot up in seconds.

Get it soon, available on your near stores.

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Lenovo Flex 14 Laptop Review

Lenovo has introduced a new range of laptops that can fold over and beyond 180-degrees, but instead of re-using the "Yoga" name, they call it "Flex". Heres a brief comparison between the 2 product ranges.


No Tablet Mode
Unlike Yoga, the Flex can only fold outward up to 300-degrees in a stand mode. Since the Flex can only be used in one direction, the screen does not have orientation mode. Once converted into stand mode, the keyboard automatically locks to prevent accidental key entries.

Size
Yoga ultrabook is thin and lightweight. Flex 14 appears more like a normal laptop with thick hinges. It also weighs a hefty 2kg and 21.5mm thick.

With the 14-inch screen, the Flex 14 offers a more comfortable viewing, but as the resolution remains at 1600x900 like the smaller Yoga, its pixelation is quite obvious. I also felt that the screen quality is not on par with the Yoga. Good thing the glass panel reflectivity is quite low compared to other laptops. The touchscreen sensitivity is adequate. I dont feel any sense of frustration when using it.


Removable Battery
Just like a traditional laptop, the Flex 14 battery is removable. Not that you need to, since the Flex 14 battery operation outlasts Yoga about 2-fold.

A Little Smarter Design
Lenovo learns from the Yoga and designed the Flex 14 to be more sensible. First, the hinge is thickened in order to elevate the Flex 14 when folded in stand mode. Some rubber pads are also placed at the corners so that the keyboard area does not touch the table surface.

Stereo Speakers
While the Yoga speakers are hidden underneath the keyboard, the Flex 14 speakers are located below the laptop spaced out to both sides. This design allows audio to be heard even when you place the Flex 14 on your lap. Better still, when you flip the Flex 14 to the stand mode, the speakers are faced upwards, resulting in clear sound. Using Dolby Advanced Audio processor, you can boost the loudness and adjust the frequency equalizer to achieve rather impressive sound.


Trackpad
The trackpad is a smooth surface that you can glide your fingers with ease. There is this gesture that lets you scroll indefinitely: use 2 fingers to slide from the middle to the edge of the trackpad.

A slight problem though: I find myself keep activating the trackpad accidentally while typing. Fortunately, I could easily disable with a shortcut key.


SD Card Sticks Out
Unlike Yoga where the SD card fits right into the slot, the SD slot on the Flex 14 is shallow so the SD card sticks out. This means you cannot keep the SD card permanently in the slot for storage.

Energy Manager App
Lenovo pre-installs an app to help manage your battery lifespan. Presented like a car dashboard, the app informs you of your remaining battery power and how to optimise the charge as well as the longevity of the battery. It is interesting why Lenovo creates a special app to educate consumers about conditioning the battery.

Overall Interface
Running with traditional hard disk drive (HDD) instead of solid state drive (SSD), the Flex 14 might not feel as fast as the Yoga, but nonetheless it still starts up rather quick. The benchmark is nothing super but the new 4th-generation Intel processor consumes a lot less power which extends your battery life. I highly recommend you select SSD if options are available, it will improve performance and extend battery life further. A small price to pay for an overall better experience.




Price
Flex 14 is priced from S$999, while Windows 8 Yoga 13 is at least 50% more.


Summary
The Lenovo Flex 14 works and feels just like a normal 14-inch laptop, with the added feature of a stand mode and a long battery life. It feels sturdy and looks contemporary with orange accents. If you do not really need the portability of the Yoga or the fold-flat tablet mode, the Flex 14 is a value-for-money product from a brand known for its great keyboard and quality build.


Specs:
- 4th Generation Intel Core i5-4200U (1.6GHz 1600MHz 3MB)
- 10-point multitouch
- 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
- 2-in-1 SD card reader
- HDMI Out
- LAN Port
- Stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio
- Headphone/Mic Connector
- Discreet Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT740M
- 9 hrs battery life
- 21.5mm thick

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“The Internet Of Things” Means Your Smart Refrigerator Could Launch Cyber Attacks

(design boner)

If you’re unfamiliar with The Internet Of Things, take a look at your phone. It can get on the Internet, right? So can your TV, maybe. Or that fancy new smart refrigerator, it’s a thing, and it can access the Internet. And because the everyday devices we use are so “smart” now, that means they could be turned against you.

Before you start accusing your fridge of plotting your demise, it’s not like these appliances will come to life and tie you up. But a cyber attack, well, that’s a possibility, notes Quartz.

A new study released by a security company called Proofpoint says that between Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, more than 100,000 Internet-connect smart things — media players, TVs and at least one fridge — were part of a computer network that sent 750,000 spam emails.

If this is true, it’d be the first time anyone has proved that these kinds of devices are being bent to the will zombie networks to slam people with spam, mine bitcoin and other dastardly deeds.

And it’ll probably just get worse, now that hackers appear to be employing anything and everything that uses the Internet in their attacks.

From Proofpoint’s statement on the study:

“Internet-enabled devices represent an enormous threat because they are easy to penetrate, consumers have little incentive to make them more secure, the rapidly growing number of devices can send malicious content almost undetected, few vendors are taking steps to protect against this threat, and the existing security model simply won’t work to solve the problem.”

So should you start worrying that your refrigerator is watching you and silently plotting? Maybe not quite yet. Spam can be effectively filtered in email accounts, and there’s no evidence that bigger hacks using smart appliances and other devices are in the immediate future. But there will likely come a day when manufacturers start to seriously considering beefing up the security of those devices or face a battle in the kitchen/living room/anywhere the Internet is employed.

Previously in invasive smart things: FTC: Webcam Company’s Lax Security Led To Invasions Of Privacy

Someone’s refrigerator just took part in a malicious cyberattack [Quartz]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

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Jefferies Analyst Lowers Samsung Q4 2013 Profit Estimate

We’re hearing a touch of sour news for Samsung today, as Barron’s is reporting that Jefferies & Co. analyst Hyunwoo Doh has lowered his profit estimates for the company’s Q4 2013. This isn’t exactly the doom and gloom that some of Samsung’s competitors are probably hoping for as Doh is merely cutting his estimates for the quarter from ₩9.9 trillion to ₩9.3 trillion (a difference of about $568 million US), but it’s significant enough to be noted.

This will be somewhat surprising to a fair few people considering Samsung has consistently ranked as the top Android manufacturer thanks to the immense success of its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines of smartphones. Why the cut in Doh’s estimate, then? He blames his revision on “higher bonus payouts, adjustments to the company’s manufacturing of display panels, and the decline of the U.S. dollar against the Korean Won”

Samsung can’t do much about the decline of the Korean Won, and those higher bonus payouts Doh mentions amount to about ₩400 billion, so that explains where a significant portion of his estimate went. He points out that smartphone sales probably lagged somewhat for Samsung in Q4 2013, as the market has been embracing lower-end models at the expense of the high-end market. Samsung is known for its high-end devices, so it probably took a hit to sales in the quarter. Doh writes, “the IM division should see a decrease in earnings, due to slower high-end smartphone sales and inventory destocking, while the DP division should also post poor earnings, due to ASP drop and lower AMOLED capacity utilization.” However, he also wrote that Samsung’s semiconductor business should see an uptick in sales for the quarter.

Things won’t improve immediately as we head into 2014, either. Doh doesn’t expect profits to get back to normal until after Q1 2014 has wrapped up, so he’s telling investors to exercise patience as we move into the new year. All of that being said, Doh still gives Samsung’s stock a “Buy” rating, so it’s clear that he doesn’t think Samsung will be much worse for wear once its on the other side of this year-end slump. We have a feeling Samsung will just fine, and now we might have reason to believe all of those rumors of Samsung going after the low-end market.

The post Jefferies Analyst Lowers Samsung Q4 2013 Profit Estimate appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/jefferies-analyst-lowers-samsung-q4-2013-profit-estimate.html

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How to set parental controls on Android

Configure Parental Controls on Android

If you are one of those parents who let their children play with their Android device then this post is for you because here you will learn how to set parental controls on Android .

You may want to set parental controls on Android to protect your children from adult content applications found on Google Play Store.

This is a ranking list of the maturity levels of all the applications in the Google Play Store.

• For everyone
• Low maturity
• From average maturity
• High maturity

To set parental controls on Android simply have to go to the market to Google and follow the steps below.

Steps to set parental controls on Android

Step 1. Go to Google Play Store from your home screen.
Step 2. Press the menu button.
Step 3. Scroll down to the user controls.
Step 4. Establezer a PIN to restrict access to the settings.
Step 5. Go to content filtering option.
Step 6. Select the highest level of maturity you want to allow, without using the PIN to override.

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Facebook adds Trending topics section to News Feed

In a move that echoes Twitter, Facebook is adding a feature to its service that lets users know the topics of discussion that are trending among the sites 1.2 billion users, whether its the death of a world leader or the Oscars.

Users in the U.S., U.K., India, Canada and Australia will begin seeing a list of trending topics on the right side of their Facebook pages in coming weeks. It will be available in more countries later on.

Trending topics wont be available on the mobile version of Facebook, but the company said it is testing the feature in its app for smartphones and tablet computers.

Facebook, which signaled last year that it would introduce trending topics at some point, said Thursday that the topics people see will be tailored to the users interests and location. On Thursday afternoon, two users saw topics that included the Academy Awards, American Idol and Republican Sen. David Vitter from Louisiana.

Unlike Twitter, which simply lists topics, Facebooks trending section explains why a particular topic is trending. In this case, the 2014 Academy Award nominations were announced, American Idol named new judges and promised a new attitude and Vitter introduced a bill that would require people show photo IDs to make purchases with food stamps.

Chris Stuhar, a software engineer at Facebook who works on the sites news feed, said the feature is designed to uncover the most interesting content across the site and fits into the companys broader effort to make Facebook "your personal newspaper."

Facebook is already seen as a place where users go to find out what their friends and family are up to. Stuhar said learning that a friend got married or discovering what his friends are doing on a Friday night is "certainly news," but Facebook has a "much broader vision of where we want news feed to go in the future."

Facebooks new feature represents another move onto Twitters turf. Right now, Twitter is seen as the place people go to have public conversations about events as they happen, whether thats live TV, sports or news. Mirroring Twitter, Instagram and other services, Facebook in June introduced hashtags, the number signs that identify topics being discussed and that allow users to search for them.

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IFA 2013 Alcatel One Touch Hero is one Jack of All Trades

In what must be IFA 2013′s best candidate for “Jack of All Trades” smartphone device is the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH HERO (all in caps, to be proper), with a built-in stylus, E Ink cover, and Pico Projector accessory. This device is like a cherry-picked do-it-all smartphone made to take on every odd ability smartphones have been graced with over the past two years. Alcatel presents in the HERO a device that – believe it or not – may just be able to live up to its name.

The Alcatel One Touch Hero (we’ll be calming down on the caps for the rest of this article, for sanity’s sake) brings on a 6-inch display with Full HD (that’s 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution) with full Oleophobic coating across its glass covering to avoid fingerprints. This device also works with “full lamination” as the other Alcatel device today was revealed to have.Inside you’ve got an unnamed quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM with 16GB of internal memory OR 8GB of internal memory. If you’re working with the smaller storage size, you also only get one SIM card slot, while the 16GB edition works with dual-SIM capabilities. There’s also a microSD card slot for up to 32GB cards, and the battery inside is kicked up to 3400 mAh capacity. This device also comes with optional (though we’re not sure how at the moment) specifications as follows: gyro sensor, HD Voice, and NFC. All Hero models work with DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS with A-GPS.

There real kicker here isn’t the base phone itself – it’s the bonus bits and pieces. The stylus looks strikingly similar to Samsung’s S Pen solution for the Galaxy Note series, and fits into the device in a manner that’s easy to mistake for the Galaxy Note II.

There’s an Alcatel TV Link device that allows you to instantly wirelessly mirror your device’s display – we must assume this works with Miracast. There’s a set of inductive wireless charger units available for this device that require you use a special case (one of several for this device) to allow charge to enter through the pins on the back right-side of the device (you’ll see them below this paragraph).

These pins also allow the attachment of the MagicFlip case which allows you to get notifications with a series of LED lights that shine through the front of it. This case will be coming in blue or in black –
meanwhile the Hero will be coming in white, black, or blue.

What must be the most interesting accessory for this Hero device is the E Ink cover, also connecting through the Hero’s series of pin connectors. This second screen will allow you to read text and browse basic information using information generated by the phone.

There’s a companion Bluetooth-enabled smartphone accessory set to be available that essentially replicates the abilities of the HTC Mini – this includes SMS, calendar reading, voice calling, and syncing phonebook information with Bluetooth – we’ve yet to see what this device is actually fully capable of.

Finally there’s a Pico Projector made specifically for the Hero – also attaching through the pins at the side of the device. This projector shines a mirror image of the display of the Hero larger than 70-inches with 12 lumens on the fly.(SlashGear)

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Acer announces their mega 24 all in one Android tablet

The pre-IFA festivities from Acer continue, as the company has just announced the DA241HL, a 24″ Android-powered all-in-one featuring a quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

The AiO operates on the Android 4.2 build, which allows you to enjoy the latest games and apps in all their glory on the fullHD 24-inch display.

The Tegra 3 chip is usually found in mobile devices, but it makes sense for Acer to put it in this large-screened touch panel as it’s already optimized to work with the Android platform. The 4.2 Android release also features multi-user support, meaning that it can support custom settings and apps for up to 5 individual users.

The DA241HL comes with MHL connectivity and an HDMI port, meaning that it can connect to a PC to become a 2-point touch display as well.

Look for the Acer DA241HL in mid-October with a starting price of €429.(GSMArena)

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Microsoft could replace Windows RT with Windows Phone tablets

Microsoft caused a stir earlier this week when an executive appeared to hint that it might kill off Windows RT, the version of its Windows 8 platform that runs on ARM-based devices. But what would this mean for Microsofts mobile strategy and its remaining Windows platforms if this happened?

Julie Larson-Green, executive vice president of Microsofts Devices and Studios group, made the comments while speaking at a conference earlier this week.

"We have the Windows Phone operating system [OS]. We have Windows RT and we have full Windows. Were not going to have three," she is reported to have told the audience at the UBS Global Technology Conference.

This has been widely interpreted by many as meaning that the company is planning to discontinue Windows RT, which has failed to achieve the level of sales that were expected of it. Rather than continuing to pour resources into developing and maintaining RT, many observers believe that Microsoft should just pull the platform and cut its losses.

However, this would leave Microsoft back where it started years ago: with Windows on x86 PCs, Windows Phone on smartphones, and nothing in the middle to address the consumer tablet market that Apples iPad devices had effectively created.

Lets not forget that all of the changes that have come in Windows 8 were introduced in response to the threat Microsoft saw to Windows PCs from the iPad and other tablets, a threat that has turned into reality in the consumer space as sales of PCs have continued to decline.

Part of Microsofts response was to build an ARM version of the platform, in order to deliver the combination of a light weight and a long battery life that devices such as the iPad enjoy, and which x86 based systems still cannot match.

But buyers have overwhelmingly opted to purchase Windows tablets with the full-blown Windows 8 version, which is capable of running existing applications designed for earlier versions of Windows.

According to Larson-Green, this is partly Microsofts fault due to a lack of clear differentiation between the capabilities and target markets of the Windows 8 and Windows RT.

"I think we didnt explain that super well," she said. "I think we didnt differentiate the devices well enough. They looked similar. Using them is similar. It just didnt do everything that you expected Windows to do," she said.

Ovums principal analyst for devices and platforms Tony Cripps agreed, and said that it would likely make more sense for Microsoft to instead scale up its Windows Phone 8 software into a tablet platform to replace Windows RT.

"Running the same OS on tablets as on smartphones might be a..."

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Sony Balanced Armature Headphones XBA

Want to win a pair of Sony XBA-1 headphones? Read on!

Balanced Armature driver has been around for decades. While it is not a new audio technology, not many headphone manufacturers use this type of drivers. The advantages compared to the dynamic drivers are size, higher sound resolution and sensitivity. Its characteristics are flat frequency response and more precise sound.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Typically, every in-ear headphones contain one driver - think of it as a mini-speaker for the ears - because of the limited size. Generally, a larger dynamic driver translates to better frequency response.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Using Balanced Armature as the driver, it is now possible to build more drivers into the headphones, with each BA tuned for specific purposes. Again, think of it as a home loudspeaker cabinet with multiple speakers - tweeter, mid-range, woofer, subwoofer.

And thats what Sony is offering in its new XBA range of headphones. XBA-1 contains one BA, XBA-2 with 2 BAs, XBA-3 with 3 BAs, and the XBA-4 has 4 BAs. Check out the below diagram to understand how they are tuned with different frequency responses.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Several weeks back, I briefly tested all 4 models at the Funan Challenger store. At that time, I preferred the XBA-1. Generally I prefer my headphones to have a flat frequency response to retain the original mix of the music. If the bass is too strong, it would overpower the treble. Similarly, if the treble is too piercing, the woofer would not be felt.

Coincidentally last week, Sony invited me for a private blogger session to experience the full range of XBA series headphones. This time, I readied myself with a list of reference audio that I am familiar with. They are not necessarily true audiophile "standard" tracks: just songs that I have been listening all these years, songs that represent the kind of music I enjoy. Vocal, instrumental, orchestral, pop, jazz, new age.

Ready for testing: XBA-1 to 4.

First, the XBA-1. No surprises, the sound is well balanced. The treble is not too overpowering while the bass has adequate punch. Just the way I liked it.

Next I tried XBA-2. Delivering heavier and better bass but not overpowering, the XBA-2 would be better suited when listening at higher volumes and heavier tracks.

The turning point occurred when I tested XBA-3. I started hearing more audio details from the same tracks. The sensual breaths of the vocalist sends goosebumps to my skin, the reverb that I never noticed, these give added dimensions to the music.

The 4 Balanced Armatures found in the XBA-4.

When I finally tested the XBA-4, I knew this is it. Offering similar clarity from the XBA-3, the XBA-4 adds even more feel with the subwoofer BA driver, which completes the aural experience. You really do not know what you were missing until you experienced the higher-end products.

Having said that, it simply doesnt mean a more expensive set of earphones naturally means better-sounding earphones. Each of us have different preferences for sound. Some are more sensitive to high frequencies, others prefer to enjoy bass. I am one who appreciates earphones that deliver natural sounds - bass that reverberates without distortion, mid-tones that are defined without sounding muddy, treble that is clear without discomfort.

In the absence of any comparison, I find the XBA-1 already meets my listening needs. Im not a fan of heavy bass or sharp tweeter, but what won me over to the XBA-4 is the amazing details that I could never have heard with any normal pair of earphones. Most earphones simply could not deliver the clarity without sounding unnatural, and using equalizers will not bring out what the earphones cannot deliver. The XBA-3 is already very good, but I thought I needed that additional sub-woofer BA to further counterbalance the strong tweeter. How could I allow myself to miss out all the sounds that I should have been listening? The sounds that are painstakingly engineered by the album producer.

During the blogger session, I appreciate the importance of picking a proper set of earbuds. Earbuds are not just a matter of comfort. They make or break the listening experience. When the earbuds fit well, the intended sound will be transmitted to your ears without loss. I suppose thats why I thought the XBA-1 sounded better when I first tested all the earphones at Funan Challenger. Fortunately, Sony included 7 earbud sizes to make sure you get the best fit and the preferred sound balance.

I cant stress the importance of test driving the earphones before buying. Head down to the Sony Style showroom or Funan Challenger to let your ears be the judge.

The XBA headphone series also come with variants with microphone and volume control to use with iPhones. The equivalent for non-iPhone smartphones (e.g. Android devices) are coming soon.

CONTEST (closed)
Heres how you can win a pair of Sony XBA-1 in-ear headphones worth S$109!

Prize to giveaway!

Describe your favourite music and what made you want to listen to it over and over again. Is it the singer, the lyrics, the music, the arrangement?

Please post your entry on my facebook page wall at http://facebook.com/musicphotolife after clicking "Like". Do start your entry with the following:

"I want to win the Sony Balanced Armature XBA-1 headphones!"

Contest ends 30 Jun 2012 and is open only to Singapore residents. Winner will be picked by me.

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iPad Keyboard Shortcuts

I sure love my iPad 2... but I seem to spend a lot of time switching between the regular onscreen keyboard and the numbers one and then back. At least I used to. Now, I make use of a bunch of nifty shortcuts. All of them involve holding down a key on the iPads onscreen keyboard until you see a pop-up of other keys you can choose from.

See the picture:


This picture shows the pop-ups youll get when you hold down the iPads "E" or the "N" or the comma or the period (dark gray keys). The blue shows which symbol will be inserted if you let go without doing anything more. Its easy to get an accented "e" in this manner-- just hold the "E" key, slide up and over to the accented "e", and then let go.

There are many other keys (including the vowels) that will also pop up alternate symbols if you press and hold, so experiment a little and see what you can find. The numbers keyboard also has some alternate symbols-- give that a try as well.

Using this press, hold, and slide method you can save yourself a trip to the numbers keyboard just to get an apostrophe. Now you know how to get an apostrophe from the ABC keyboard, by pressing and holding on the command key. Its only a second or two, but they add up.

Try it. Youl like it.

BONUS: when addressing an email you get a different keyboard. On that one, holding the period down gives you .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .us (in addition to the period). How handy is that! Its my new favorite shortcut. Heres a picture.


DOUBLE BONUS: a lot of this works on the iPhone as well.

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