By using our services after January 1, 2015, you agree to our updated terms, data policy, and cookies policy and to seeing improved ads based on apps and sites you use. Learn more below about these updates and how to control the ads you see.

Updating Our Terms and Policies: Helping You Understand How Facebook Works and How to Control Your Information

Over the past year, we’ve introduced new features and controls to help you get more out of Facebook, and listened to people who have asked us to better explain how we get and use information.

Now, with Privacy Basics, you'll get tips and a how-to guide for taking charge of your experience on Facebook. We're also updating our terms, data policy and cookies policy to reflect new features we've been working on and to make them easy to understand. And we're introducing improvements to ads based on the apps and sites you use off Facebook (online behavioral advertising) and giving you control.

These updates take effect on January 1, 2015. As always, we welcome your feedback about our policies.

Privacy Basics

Privacy Basics offers interactive guides to answer the most commonly asked questions about how you can control your information on Facebook. For example, you can learn about untagging, unfriending, blocking and how to choose an audience for each of your posts. This information is available in 36 languages.

Along with our privacy checkup, reminder for people posting publicly and simplified audience selectors, Privacy Basics is the latest step we've taken to help you make sure you're sharing with the people you want.

Helping you get more out of Facebook

Every day, people use our apps and services to connect with the people, places and things they care about. The updates to our policies reflect the new products we've been working on to improve your Facebook experience. They also explain how our services work in a way that's easier to understand. Here are some highlights:

Discover what's going on around you: We’re updating our policies to explain how we get location information depending on the features you decide to use. Millions of people check into their favorite places and use optional features like Nearby Friends (currently only available in some regions). We're working on ways to show you the most relevant information based on where you are and what your friends are up to. For example, in the future, if you decide to share where you are, you might see menus from restaurants nearby or updates from friends in the area.

Make purchases more convenient: In some regions, we're testing a Buy button that helps people discover and purchase products without leaving Facebook. We're also working on new ways to make transactions even more convenient.

Find information about privacy on Facebook at the moment you need it: To make them more accessible, we moved tips and suggestions to Privacy Basics. Our data policy is shorter and clearer, making it easier to read.

Understand how we use the information we receive: For example, understanding battery and signal strength helps make sure our apps work well on your device. We ask for permission to use your phone's location when we offer optional features like check-ins or adding your location to posts.

Get to know how the family of Facebook companies and apps work together: Over the past few years, Facebook has grown and we want to make sure you know about our family of companies, apps and services. We use the information we collect to improve your experience. For example, if you're locked out of your Instagram account, you can use your Facebook information to recover your password. Nothing in our updates changes the commitments that Instagram, WhatsApp and other companies have made to protect your information and your privacy.

Your information and advertising: People sometimes ask how their information is shared with advertisers. Nothing is changing with these updates—we help advertisers reach people with relevant ads without telling them who you are. Learn more about ads and how you can control the ads you see.

Giving you more control over ads

We've heard from some of you that it can be difficult to control the types of ads you see if you use multiple devices and browsers. In the past, if you opted out of certain kinds of advertising on your laptop, that choice may not have been applied for ads on your phone. We know that many people use more than one phone, tablet or browser to access Facebook, so it should be easy for you to make a single choice that applies across all of your devices.

That's why Facebook respects the choices you make about the ads you see, across every device. You can opt out of seeing ads on Facebook based on the apps and sites you use through the Digital Advertising Alliance. You can also opt out using controls on iOS and Android. When you tell us you don't want to see these types of ads, your decision automatically applies to every device you use to access Facebook. Also, we're now making ad preferences available in additional countries, beginning with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the UK.

We hope these updates improve your experience. Protecting people's information and providing meaningful privacy controls are at the core of everything we do, and we believe these announcements are an important step.

Facebook Will Allow Children to Join the Network

The company is trying to figure out the way to allow children under 13 years old join the social network. It turned out that Facebook has designs for a system that allows children under 13 to be supervised by parents, as the US legislation prohibits children under 13 from using any online services that collect information without explicit “verifiable parental consent”. At the moment, the social network doesn’t allow users under 13 to join.

Facebook is now trying to address this problem, and the company filed a patent application based on 2-year-old research, but it is not a predictor of future work in this area. According to the patent, the company developed a system of parental supervision. First of all, the parent would have to verify their own identity before allowing the child to create an account. Then parents get access to parental controls tools that would allow to restrict access to specific content, friends and 3rd-party apps like Facebook games. The chances are that a system proving the identity of a parent and their consent would have to be approved by the US Federal Trade Commission.

Despite the fact that the social network prohibits children under 13 from using the website, they still do it. The problem is that verifying a person’s age is very difficult to do online, particularly for people without official government-issued identity papers or other age-related identities.

Security experts explain that the matter is that children are already using Facebook, with or without parental supervision, and they are unlikely to stop getting on there, regardless of Facebook avoiding accepting preteen members. The social network is actively trying to remove underage children – for instance, about 800,000 preteens have been removed from Facebook in 2012 alone. In the meantime, it was also estimated that 5.6 million underage accounts remained active on Facebook, many of them having been created with the help of parents.

The social network claimed that it has nothing to announce thus far in regard to allowing children under 13 to join Facebook, and that the patent application was filed in response to research being conducted in the area, which is not necessarily indicative of future work.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Samsung Will Have to Pay Apple $120 Million

A US jury has recently ordered Samsung to pay almost $120 million to Apple for smartphone patent violations, though it is much less than iPhone-maker initially wanted and marked a big loss for Apple in the latest round of the two companies’ litigation.

Apple have accusing Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features for a while now, trying to claim it was Steve Jobs who invented everything. In response, Samsung denied warongdoing. In result of one of the trials, which took place in the United States, the jury found Samsung infringed two Apple patents.

The two companies have been fighting in courts across the globe for several years now. Jurors awarded Apple about $930 million after a trial in the US two years ago, but the company failed to persuade American district judge to issue a permanent injunction against the sale of Samsung phones in the United States.

Industry experts think that Apple is just trying to curtail the rapid growth of phones based on Google’s rival Android software. It is known that Samsung was by far the largest adopter of this mobile OS. Despite the fact that this verdict is large compared to others, it can’t be regarded as a victory for Apple. The matter is that this award is less than 10% of the amount Apple requested, and may even not surpass the amount of money the company spent litigating this case.

The latest lawsuit involves 5 Apple patents that weren’t at issue at that trial two years ago and cover such iPhone features as slide-to-unlock and search technology. The iPhone-maker had sought to ban sales of a number of Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S3, and demanded over $2 billion in damages.

Apple claimed that the recent ruling reinforced its stance that Samsung stole its ideas and copied its products. This situation led some experts to question if patent litigation was a viable strategy, as it can be abused and hinder innovation. The supporters of this point of view believe that litigation can help innovators protect their IP and benefit from it.

Samsung argued that Apple had exaggerated the importance of its iPhone features, while Apple argued that the Korean company couldn’t have competed in the smartphone market without copying iPhone.
In the trial two years ago, by the way, it was also found that Apple had infringed one of Samsung’s patents, and the Galaxy-maker was awarded $158,400
EnjOy.. :)
Bugs 0f Techn0l0gy

Are You Still Using Windows XP?

You should know that Microsoft has finally given up on its most successful product and announced that it won’t support Windows XP any more. In other words, millions of computers all over the world are now at risk from security threats, but the software giant failed to persuade people to switch to another operating system. According to the latest statistics, almost 25% of the world’s machines still run XP.

Of course, it has been a pretty long run. Windows XP was released in the mid-2001 and its development was started in the late 1990s. Its prototype code was codenamed “Neptune” and built on the Windows NT kernel, intended for consumers. In the meantime, an updated version of Windows 2000 was also initially planned for the business market. In the early 2000, both of these projects were shelved in favor of a single operating system nickenamed “Whistler”, which could be used in both business and consumer environments.
The new OS introduced a considerably redesigned graphical user interface and became the first version of Windows which used product activation in an effort to reduce software piracy. Despite this feature, XP was pirated to oblivion, so you can see how that worked out.
Windows XP proved to be extremely popular among users: by January 2006, more than 400 million copies were in use. XP remained the most widely used OS until August 2012, when Windows 7 overtook it.
The much-extended deadline fell on the same day as Patch Tuesday, giving Microsoft a chance to release updates for the platform. But after the April, 8 no more updates for machines without custom support are released. The exceptions are the UK government, which has paid Microsoft £5.5 million to keep public sector entities covered, and the Dutch government. For everyone else it will be a great time to target machines running on Windows XP, because there is no protection short of virus checkers anymore.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Facebook Will Remove Chat to Promote Messenger App

Facebook is going to remove chat from the primary iPhone and Android app, in order to force users to install a standalone Facebook Messenger app.

 

Facebook has already notified its users in the United Kingdom, France and other European countries that they will need to install a separate Messenger app if they want to continue using Facebook chat on their smartphones. The company issued a statement, saying that they have created a fast and reliable messaging experience via Messenger, and are now determined to focus on that experience.

The representatives of the company admitted that they plan to eventually require that users all over the world install the Messenger app, but they couldn’t provide a specific timeframe for the change.

The app developers point out that the free, standalone Messenger is faster than the messaging service built into the main Facebook app for smartphones. The users will also be provided more features in the Messenger app, including the ability to make voice phone calls via Wi-Fi in some countries and send texts on Android.

At the moment, Facebook keeps facing increasing competition from new and fast-growing mobile messaging application like Line and WeChat, along with such established brands as Google Hangouts and BlackBerry’s BBM. Fortunately, Facebook managed to acquire one of its biggest messaging competitors, WhatsApp, for $19bn a couple months ago. WhatsApp then announced adding voice calling later in February at Mobile World Congress.

Industry observers believe that Facebook’s decision to encourage users to switch to a separate messaging app on mobiles could either help boost the popularity of its Messenger or cause a backlash if users view the action as heavy-handed. In addition, this standalone app will also directly compete with WhatsApp.

Nevertheless, Facebook is increasingly moving into the mobile space, believing that it is a way to continue expanding its 1.2 billion-strong user base. The company has developed or acquired a catalogue of standalone apps aside from its main application over the past few years. Three months ago, Facebook launched Paper, a photo-heavy news-reading application that has already earned positive reviews. The company also purchased photo-sharing app Instagram a couple years ago, which recently reached 200 million users.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

:Facebook To Buy Oculus VR, Maker Of The Rift Headset, For Around $2B:

Facebook To Buy Oculus VR, Maker Of The Rift Headset, For Around $2B In Cash And Stock

Facebook has announced plans to purchase Oculus VR, the company behind the Rift headset, for around $2B in cash and stock. This includes $400M, and 23.1 million Facebook shares. An additional $300M earnout will be paid in cash and stock if Oculus hits certain unspecified milestones.

“I’m excited to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a statement today.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we’re in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.
This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you’re actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it’s different from anything they’ve ever experienced in their lives.

Zuckerberg says that their efforts with Oculus will continue to focus on gaming initially, and that the company will continue to operate independently of Facebook. But after gaming, Zuckerberg says, they’re going to expand into a variety of other arenas.

“After games, we’re going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face just by putting on goggles in your home,” he says. “This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”

Facebook, of course, found early success with games. Social gaming is responsible for a lot of the growth and spread of Facebook as a platform, rather than just a social service. Acquiring Oculus could signal a variety of things, but being able to tap into what is potentially the next big gaming trend is likely one of them. In addition, Facebook has been aggressive about understanding and supporting mobile use cases but only after an initial period of foot-dragging and desktop focus. If VR is ‘what’s next’ then Facebook will want to tap the market early, to avoid any transitional gaffes this time around.

The purchase is expected to close in Q2 of 2014. Oculus has taken over 75k orders for its virtual reality headset so far. Those headsets have both been developer editions designed to get developers interested in playing around with VR technology. The most recent ‘Crystal Cove’ prototype features a full 1080P display and more sensors to detect and position users in virtual environments.

Of course, if you pull the thread of virtual reality out really, really far you could see a future where we’re not talking about the percentage of time people spend on mobile vs. desktop. Instead, we’re talking about the amount of time that people spend in virtual reality vs. actual reality. In that kind of landscape, Facebook starting in on VR early makes painfully obvious sense.

The company has received a total of $93.4M in funding so far from Spark, Matrix, Founders Fund, Formation 8, BIG Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Oculus got a big boost in legitimacy recently when one of the founding fathers of 3D gaming..

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Spectrum auction for 3G‚ 4G technologies on April 23

 

Dar says PTA should ensure the best quality service for the consumers.

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Spectrum auction for 3G and 4G technologies is scheduled for 23rd of next month and the sealed bids will be submitted to PTA on 14th of next month.

This was stated during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Spectrum Auction held in Islamabad on Thursday under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Chairman PTA Dr. Syed Ismail Shah briefed the committee on the progress made so far on the auction of 3G and 4G licenses.

 

Dar said that PTA should ensure that quality service of the best international standards is provided to the consumers.

The minister emphasized that the whole process should be completed with transparency.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Taiwan offers free Wi-Fi to all foreign tourists

Taiwan became one of the first countries in the world to offer free Wi-Fi on a mass scale to its citizens, and now it is extending that to any foreign tourist, also for free, in a move that will gain it a lot of goodwill.

The Taiwan government-backed free “iTaiwan” wireless network launched in 2011, and now has about 4,400 hotspots in major tourist spots, transportation hubs, cultural establishments and government offices all over the island country.

Citizens needed just their local phone number to register and then use the semi-fast 1 MBPS service.

Now, for foreign vistors, who generally have trouble getting a local SIM in the country (two forms of identity, etc), the process of tapping these wi-fi networks has been made a lot easier starting this month.

Visitors can open an iTaiwan account at a Taiwan Tourism Bureau counter/center, show their passport as ID and that’s it: they can login using their account, on their digital devices.

In addition, iTaiwan has established roaming agreements with four local governments so that tourists also have access in Taipei City, New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Flickr Co-Founder Launches Findery App

Caterina Fake is the mind behind the massively popular Flickr photo-sharing site and is looking to eliminate that historical chain with a new location map-based social discovery platform, called Findery.

Findery is currently available on iOS, it becomes clear that the world is meant to be viewed by the user as a blank canvas that is ready for you to fully explore.  You can explore geo-tagged notes on a map to learn about places through experiences from different people from across the planet. Users of the app can post public or private notes with historical data, personalized stories via text, images, videos, and sound clips. The app will then cleverly annotate and then organize the information based on the location.

The social network side of the app, uses your current location to bring up appealing notes in the user’s immediate vicinity, thereby making it simple to find stories and pictures relevant to your own experience.  For example, you are exploring the historic city of Edinburgh in Scotland or you are visiting the Grand Canyon in the USA, all you need to do is open the Findery app to find out what previous visitors found of interest in those areas.  ”Every place has a story, or a thousand stories…Findery brings places to life, be they where you stand or where you hope to go,” Fake said in a statement.

Members are also able to create something called ‘Notemaps’ whih is a collection of notes about a location, topic or theme such as “Stag Party Blackpool” or “Blues in Chicago”.  This can then serve as either a travel diary or simply a record of your journey.  The app launches initially in English, although Findery have said they will support more languages this year. Findery is available now for free to download in the Apple iTunes Store.

If you have any sensible comments regarding this story, please leave your comments in the section below.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Use Yahoo Video Chats? You May Have Been Spied On

Everyday, it seems, there is new information released that makes individuals question how private their “private” lives really are. If it’s not revelations about the NSA intercepting our telephone calls and/or our emails, it seems to be something along those same lines. Unfortunately, in the year 2014, it doesn’t even seem like it’s even a remote possibility to have a private life. After all, if you own a smartphone you can most likely be found wherever you are. It seems all of the technology that is helping us run forward is also tying our hands behind our backs.

Edward Snowden shocked the world when we he released all of the confidential documents he “obtained” from the NSA. Even with all of the information he initially gave to the media, NSA officials were worried that more of their practices would eventually come to light. It turns out their fears weren’t without merit, as information about a British spy program known as Optic Nerve has recently been brought out into the open.

No, Not That Optic Nerve

It turns out that Optic Nerve is the codename for a surveillance program operated by Britain’s GCHQ (with help from the NSA). In an attempt to use facial recognition to catch terrorists and other wanted individuals, the images from 1.8 million users of Yahoo video chats from 2008 to 2010 were collected and stored on GCHQ’s servers. Obviously, most all of the images had nothing to do with terrorism whatsoever.

And, of all of the images stored, there were many images besides people’s faces, as it turns out that a large number of sexually explicit images from the video chats were also stored on the servers.

When Yahoo recently found out about this invasion of privacy, they were not at all happy about it, saying it was a total invasion of their users’ privacy rights, and stating they had no prior knowledge of the spying.

Does this news surprise you at all?

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

:Latest Version Of CCleaner is Available Now:

The Latest Version Of CCleaner is Available Now

inShare

CCleaner from Piriform is likely the most popular freeware cleaner out there thanks to the fact that it is quick and easy to use. Effectively CCleaner gives your computer a good spring clean, removing cookies, temporary files and any other unused data that clogs up your PC, slowing it down. Once CCleaner has worked its magic, your computer’s system can run faster and enable you to have a more secure internet browsing experience.

Piriform’s latest update, Version 4.11, sees improvements to the File Finder tool. Included is an option to find duplicate files based on file content, as well as a new upper file size threshold, which will further narrow a duplicate file search.

Version 4.11 also features an improvement to the way the Driver Wiper detects SSD drives.

Other changes made to CCleaner include:

•     Added Opera 15 and newer Startup item management
•     Added File content duplicate detection to File Finder
•     Improved Drive Wiper SSD detection
•     Added Torch Browser support
•     Added File Finder upper file size threshold
•     Optimized Firefox Profile Startup items detection
•     Improved Scheduler language support (Professional only)
•     Improved Google Earth, Winamp, MusicMatch Jukebox and Windows Live Messenger  cleaning
•     Minor GUI Improvements
•     Minor bug fixes

CCleaner Version 4.11 download now

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

:YouTube with Google anti-American Court has ordered the removal of the controversial film:

YouTube with Google anti-American Court has ordered the removal of the controversial film.

Google in U.S. court against the anti-Islam film by actress Cindy Lee Garcia was filed . 

YouTube with Google anti- American Court has ordered the removal of the controversial film .
According to foreign kbrayjnsy on Google in U.S. court against anti-Islam film by actress Cindy Lee Garcia was filed , Garcia argued in court that he was involved in the film clip was made ​​for another film and I inherited his voice changed because they are life-threatening . U.S. Circuit Court during the hearing by Google as opposed to controversial material was removed 2 of the three judges hearing the company was ordered to remove anti-Islam film .
Garcia's attorney Armen Saras expressed happiness over the court's decision and said the initial removal of the controversial court ruling is a correct decision .
The controversial anti-Islam film due to protests from Muslims around the world was the ban imposed by Pakistan , which was still intact .

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Apple expected to release iOS 7.1 next month(March)

Apple brought a brand new version of its popular operating system last year with iOS 7.0, but shortly after the release it was obvious that the company was going to have to do some fixing as users complained right away about bugs that caused some devices to reboot randomly.  Apple listened, as it should and sent out a few smaller updates over the next couple weeks and while some of the bugs were fixed, others were brought forward as more users downloaded and installed the new software.  It has been a few months now, but it looks like the company is ready to release version 7.1.

Apple typically releases its new software in a series of beta testing phases and that allows the company to get valuable feedback about new features before it is sent out to the public in a mass rollout.  Even though an online source claims that Apple will be releasing the new iOS 7.1 next month, the source also claimed that Apple does not have any surprises set up for this version of the software.  Basically, what that means is the software that was revealed in the first 5 beta testing stages is exactly what is going to be seen once you download and install the software next month.

Apple is looking to set up a huge month for the company with the arrival of the iOS 7.1 and reported updates that are coming to the Apple TV as well.  Because there seems to be a few things that Apple wants to get to the public, there is a good chance that the company will do all of this with an event, but that has not been confirmed at this time.  Coming along with iOS 7.1, users will see new features, a couple of tweaks to the user interface and apps, plus an improved Calendar app.  Enhancements to the performance and fixes for some bugs that have been reported are also expected with the new software.

Judging by what was reported with the last beta version of the software, there are no major features coming with the new software, but the fifth stage is the last one before the official update and that is just as exciting to know.  There is a chance that one more beta round will be released with the Gold Master edition following shortly after that.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Google: All New Android Phones Must Ship With KitKat

According to MobileBloom, a leaked memo has been identified, stating that all Android smartphones will have to run KitKat or else Google will not endorse the handset.  The Android memo is the first sign that Google is finally sorting the problem it has with fragmentation.  Because Google offers hundreds of phones to customers from many manufacturers across the world, Google’s operating system is swiftly becoming fragmented.  This issue is one of the top objections the operating system receives from application developers.

Apparently, the memo was sent from the Android team to its top OEM partners: Sony, Samsung, HTC, and LG who are all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for Google.  “Starting February 2014, Google will no longer approved GMS distribution on new Android products that ship older platform releases,” the memo states. “Each platform release will have a ‘GMS approval window’ that typically closes nine months after the next Android platform release is publicly available.”  Any handset that does not get approval from Google Mobile Services (GMS) will not be able to ship with Google’s main applications which include Now, Maps and Google Play store.

Does this mean the end of all budget Android phones?  It could be! If real, the memo could mean an end to cheap  Android handsets and increase the price of middle of the road smartphones.  KitKat also has higher minimum specifications than foregoing operating systems.  This may mean that phones like the Samsung Galaxy core are no longer possible.  It has been said that KitKat has been coded to work better on lower powered smartphones. However, this could still have enough of a knock on effect to possibly  give the developing market to opponents such as Mozilla’s FireFox and Tizen.

Last year, Android CEO Sundar Pichai said him and his team were working on solutions for Android fragmentation. Figures showed, at the end of January 2014, that approximately 1.4 per cent of all Android smartphones were running the latest version of the operating system. While in contrast, over 80 per cent of iPhones were running iOS7, Apple’s latest operating system.  Android released KitKat just weeks after iOS 7 was released for Apple’s devices.  It is uncertain how Nokia will be affected as they use older versions of Android. We will just have to wait and see. 

As always, if you have any sensible comments regarding this story, please leave your comments in the section below.

 EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

WhatsApp Goes Down Following $19 Billion Facebook Buy-Out

Last week Facebook announced that it is acquiring the messaging company WhatsApp for an approximate total of $16 billion. Included in the deal is $4 billion in cash, $12 billion of Facebook shares and an extra $3 billion in restricted stock units which will be granted to WhatApp’s founders and employees.

In spending so much money you can only imagine Mark Zuckerberg’s frustration when, on Saturday afternoon WhatsApp went down for over three hours, leaving its users unable to access the app.

WhatsApp was quick to respond to the issue and announced that it was suffering from “server issues”. However after the prolonged period of time users took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, with some comments saying: “Mark Zuckerberg please do us a favor. Never buy Twitter,” and, “Thanks Zuckerberg for re-uniting families tonight!”

This is not the first time that the messaging giant has gone down, with reports claiming that crashes occur nearly once a month. Yet with the spotlight shining brightly on the app since the acquisition announcement, this occurrence has certainly received more press than any other incident.

WhatsApp currently has over 450 million users, with 70 percent of these actively using the service every day. In a blog post Facebook outlined the reasons for the deal, saying that the two companies have a “shared mission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world by delivering core internet services efficiently and affordably.”

The announcement also outlined plans to allow WhatsApp to continue to operate independently whilst retaining the brand. “WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. “I’ve known Jan for a long time and I’m excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Microsoft To Slash Windows 8.1 Price By 70 Percent

Whether you rant or rave about the merits (or lack thereof) of the Windows operating system, there is no doubt that it contributes largely to the cost of a new computer. When manufacturers ship their devices with Windows pre-installed, they have to pay for the license, which Microsoft dictates, of course.

Based on a report by Bloomberg, Microsoft is making some concessions in this regard by slashing the license price of Windows 8.1 by a huge 70 percent, from what is usually $50 to $15.

While those numbers are no doubt eye catching, there is one very important detail to reveal: This “discount” will only be applied to low-end devices, in particular, devices that for for less than $250.

According to the source of the report, the heavily discounted price will be applicable to all and any kind of devices, as long as they meet that retail price limit.

So what’s up with this move now? Are consumers going to directly benefit from the discount? The savings should somehow be passed on to the consumer, sure, but analysts are thinking that the rationale underlying this move of Microsoft’s is simple economics and competition.

They say that by heavily lowering the price of Windows 8.1 (for low-end devices – this can’t be emphasized enough), Microsoft has given itself a fighting chance with computer manufacturers; a fighting chance against competitors who offer cheaper wares (read: Google’s Chromebooks).

Then there’s all that talk about how the adoption rate of Windows 8.1 not being all that good, and Microsoft taking on an aggressive stance in pushing people to get off Windows XP.

With this discount, Microsoft may indeed be increasing its chances of getting the software pre-installed on more devices, devices that will cater to more people considering the lower prices involved.

One last thing that ought to be considered, though, is that Microsoft also offers incentives (for example, marketing funds) for large computer manufacturers, so they in fact pay less than $50 for the license. With this new pricing, though, the incentives will not be applicable anymoreEnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

:Samsung Galaxy S5 launch in MWC 2014:

Live: Samsung Galaxy S5 launch in MWC 2014

 

Live updates of the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch from MWC 2014:

1.20 am: The Galaxy S5 has a larger screen than its predecessor, at 5.1 inches (12.95 cm), instead of 5 inches, and a sharper camera, with a resolution of 16 megapixels, up from 13 megapixels.

1: 15 am: Davind Park of Samsung briefing about technical specifications of Samsung Galaxy S5.

01:00am: Jean-Daniel Ayme of a European telecommunications body speaking about Samsung Galaxy S5 features on stage.

00: 45 am: The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 5.1-inch display with a 1080x1920 pixel full-HD resolution. Powered by an unnamed 2.5GHz quad-core processor, it also have 2GB RAM, and runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

Sony unveiled a new waterproof phone that can take ultra-high-definition video. Nokia introduced three Android smartphones aimed at emerging markets. And Lenovo announced one with an all-glass exterior.

Yet most of the attention will be on Samsung, is expected to announce a successor to its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone at MWC 2014. That's bad news for all the other phone makers trying to get noticed at the Mobile World Congress wireless show, which opened Monday in Barcelona, Spain.

"It's increasingly difficult to get attention for your mobile device in a very crowded marketplace," said Dan Hays, US wireless advisory leader at the consulting firm PwC.

It's even more difficult when one of the competing devices comes from Samsung Electronics Co., which already announced two new computerized wristwatches on Sunday. Apple is the only company that might be able to overshadow Samsung, but it isn't attending or announcing anything at the show.

Samsung is "going to take the oxygen out of the room," said Roger Entner, an analyst with the Recon Analytics research firm in Boston.

Entner said the S4 and its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, were both blockbuster phones and have helped Samsung surpass iPhone maker Apple Inc. as the world's largest smartphone maker. According to Gartner, Samsung had a 31 per cent market share last year, compared with 16 per cent for Apple. No other company had more than 5 percent.

More important than having well-made phones, however, "is that they are spending a significant amount on advertising," Entner said.

Samsung spent nearly 4.6 trillion won ($4.3 billion) in advertising in the 12 months through September, about four times the $1.1 billion Apple spent in the same period, the latest for which figures were available. Although Samsung also makes TVs, refrigerators and other products, analysts believe much of the marketing is for newer products such as phones.

In a November interview with The Associated Press, Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside said Samsung has shown "that marketing can really create a product and create a phenomenon. We're never going to have the money that they have to market our products."

The only other company that comes close to matching Samsung's muscle is Apple. The iPhone's debut in 2007 showed the world that phones can do much more than calls and messages. Since then, each new iPhone release has taken on an aura of a rock concert, with the most devoted Apple fans lining up at stores for hours or days to buy one.

Apple typically skips trade shows, however, and prefers holding its own events.

In fact, Samsung also typically holds its own events. Last year's Galaxy S4 announcement came in New York a few weeks after the Barcelona show. But timing this year's unveiling to the show is a good opportunity for Samsung to make deals with wireless carriers and other partners.

Sony Mobile president Kunimasa Suzuki said that with Apple and Samsung so dominant, the real battle is for No. 3. He said that means marketing that is focused by country and product line.

"It doesn't mean we just directly compete with the big giants," he said in an interview Monday.

Despite all the marketing power, Samsung will have to give people a reason to upgrade. It must shatter the notion that phone improvements these days are incremental rather than innovative, said Will Stofega, program director for mobile phones with research firm IDC.

In the past, Samsung has tried to appear innovative by packing its Android phones with a slew of features, such as automatic scrolling of content when the phone or user's head is tilted. But these features don't always work as promised and come across as disjointed from one another.

People will be looking for Samsung to "really redesign and create an experience that feels less packed," Stofega said.

Samsung also has been updating phones by making their screens larger. The S4's display measures 5 inches diagonally, compared with 4.8 inches on the S III and 4 inches on the original S from 2010. The iPhone's screen has stayed steady at 4 inches since 2012.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/live-samsung-galaxy-s5-launch-in-mwc-2014/1/345384.html

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Microsoft announces nine new manufacturing partners for Windows Phone

There will likely be a deluge of new Windows Phone handsets hitting the markets as Microsoft announces nine new manufacturing partners.

When Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft’s strategy going forward would be mobile first, he wasn’t kidding. Microsoft today announced nine new manufacturing partners to Windows Phone, which brings the total list of manufacturers to thirteen.

Among the new partners are LG and Lenovo, two of the biggest names in manufacturing. Microsoft is also focusing its attention on markets like China and India by bringing Foxconn, Gionee, Karbonn Mobiles and Xolo on-board. Manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE have manufactured Windows Phone handsets before, but have since weaned off the platform, like most other manufacturers.

With Nokia’s acquisition in the final stages, Microsoft needs a strong presence in these countries. In China, Windows Phone is well-catered to, as it now has Foxconn, Gionee, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo and ZTE in addition to Samsung and LG as manufacturers set to launch new handsets. However, the lack of Indian manufacturer Micromax from the list is disconcerting, considering that the other two biggest Indian manufacturers, Karbonn Mobiles and Xolo (a wholly owned subsidiary of Lava Mobiles) are included. Micromax is said to be working on a Windows Phone device that was scheduled to launch later this year. Whatever the case might be, it Microsoft is widening its reach by adding new hardware manufacturers.

In addition to new vendors, Microsoft also announced that Windows Phone devices will now support Qualcomm hardware like the Snapdragon 200, 400 and 400 LTE. Furthermore, the platform is said to add functionality for dual-SIM devices, with Live Tiles for each SIM. The first dual-SIM Windows Phone device will likely be the Nokia Lumia 630. With an increased focus on low-end dual-SIM based devices, it is clear that Microsoft is targeting emerging markets.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

iPhone 5S battery balloons and catches fires unexpectedly

An iPhone 5S user has posted pictures online of his device that caught fire while in use and eventually exploded.

Only recently it was reported that a student’s iPhone 5C caught fire when it was doing absolutely nothing in her pocket, causing her second degree burns in the process. Photos of a somewhat similar incident have been posted online, the source claims that he was using the iPhone 5S to browse Facebook when out of the blue the battery started to inflate. He also claims that the phone wasn’t open, wasn’t being charged and that it had no damage prior to this incident.

Apparently as soon as the battery started to inflate, it pushed up the screen so much so that he was able to grab a hold of it and rip it off with a fair bit of force, with the screws ripping out of the threads. He claims that smoke billowed from the battery for a good three minutes while he took the EMI shields off in a bid to disconnect the battery to remove it and take it outside.

One might question just how he was able to take pictures when all this was happening. The source says that he doesn’t use the iPhone as his primary device, ”I use the iPhone for everything else other then (sic) texting and calling,” he says. Apple hasn’t commented on this incident as yet but apparently they did request him to take pictures and sent it to them. Its unclear what may have caused this incident, previous cases have often been triggered by faulty chargers or unauthorized accessories, that doesn’t appear to be the problem this time around.

EnjOy..:)
Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

LG L Series III Announced

The hugely popular smartphone manufacturer, LG has just announced, not one, but three new smartphones for the lower end of the market.  LG are releasing these Android OS smartphones as part of their L Series III models. It is expected that people can get close up and personal with these new models at this year’s MWC.  The new models are named the L40, L70 and L90 respectively.  For a low-end smartphone, they offer huge value for money.  LG are target marketing this device for the first-time smartphone buyers market. It will also be aimed at people looking to maybe change to Android OS on a budget.

Here is a brief overview of the 3 new models:

LG L40

1.2GHz dual-core processor

3.5-inch (480 x 320) screen

512MB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage

14.4Mbps HSDPA & Wi-Fi connectivity

3-megapixel rear camera

1,540mAh or 1,700mAh battery, depending on market

Size: 109.4 x 59.0 x 11.9 mm

LG L70

1.2GHz dual-core processor

4.5-inch IPS screen with WVGA (800 x 400) resolution

1GB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage

21Mbps HSPA+ & Wi-Fi connectivity

8- or 5-megapixel rear camera (market dependant), VGA front-facing one

2,100mAh battery

Size: 127.2 x 66.8 x 9.5 mm

LG L90

1.2GHz quad-core processor

4.7-inch IPS screen with qHD (960 x 540) resolution

1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage

21Mbps HSPA+ & Wi-Fi connectivity

8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing one

2,540mAh battery

Size: 131.6 x 66.0 x 9.7 mm

Additionally it is worth noting that all three models will run Android 4.4 KitKat and also they will sport a refined User Interface that is “more beautiful and immersive.” There is no word on any availability as yet, but then again you wouldn’t expect any as LG have only just announced them!  No doubt more information will become availalable at MWC.

If you have any sensible comments regarding this story, please leave your comments in the section below, thanks.

EnjOy..:) 

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy