Mophie Juice Pack for HTC One is now available

Mophie’s popular Juice Pack extended battery/protective case is now officially available for the HTC One. Users of HTC’s metal-clad flagship can pick up the popular accessory in silver or black to match the color of their brand new handset.

The Mophie Juice Pack for the HTC One adds a 2,500mAh backup battery to the smartphone’s non-removable 2,300mAh unit. Therefore, the Juice Pack essentially doubles the battery endurance of the HTC One. It is priced at $99.99 in Mophie’s online store.

As far as backup batteries for the HTC One go, the Mophie Juice Pack is arguably one of the most adequate options. Sadly however, you will need to trade the gorgeous looks of the sleek metal body of your One for the added battery endurance.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

A new Facebook beta for Windows Phone 8 with more functionality and eye candy is now available

It looks like Facebook for Windows Phone 8 is on its way to catching up with its iOS and Android counterparts. A new beta of the official app for Microsoft’s smartphone OS improves the social networking experience, while allowing users to submit their feedback.

The app’s beta redesign includes support for high-resolution photos, improved sharing of posts, and Facebook Timeline. User feedback can be given by simply going to the app’s settings.

You can download the Facebook beta for Windows Phone 8 by hitting the source link below. Feel free to share your experience by dropping us a line in the comments section below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Weather Channel Throws Interns Into ‘Twitter Tornado’

By Daniel Bean

Apr 30, 2013 1:15pm

Image credit: weather.com

The interns over at the Weather Channel seem to be having a whirlwind of a time.

To celebrate Tornado Week, the Weather Channel has placed its interns into an indoor Twitter-powered tornado. The winds are sustained by Twitter mentions of the hashtag #TornadoWeek and will  increase to “a full-blown EF-5 tornado,” or somewhere above 200 mph, inside the Weather Channel offices  if the number of public mentions reaches 1,000,000, according to the Weather Channel website.

Don’t worry, though, this isn’t a form of hazing. The Weather Channel says putting the interns’ desk in a high-powered windstorm was actually the interns’  idea. Talk about taking an active interest in your work …

The Weather Channel is live-streaming the whole event from now until 8 p.m. Friday, May 3,  and the interns are available to chat at the Twitter handle @TornadoWeek.

Tuesday afternoon, the Effective Wind Speed (EWS) in the Weather Channel offices was up to 120 mph, but as more #TornadoWeek tweets come in, the number of fans and force  of the winds will increase.

And it’s not just the interns.  The whole staff at the Weather Channel seems to be getting involved. Here’s a tweet from anchor Maria LaRosa:

“We need 2500 more tweets for another fan. #FanUp #tornadoweek What will it take?”

— Maria LaRosa ☼ (@twcMariaLaRosa) April 30, 2013

Worried about the dangers involved in re-creating a 200 mph tornado in an office? Don’t be.

“Our legal team would certainly not allow us to create actual 200 mph winds within our offices. Instead we are trying to re-create the ‘feeling’ of these wind speeds by close proximity placement of the fans to the interns,” a Weather Channel spokesperson told ABC News.

Check out the live stream below while it’s still up and keep the #TornadoWeek tweets coming.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 gets benchmarked, shows notable speed improvements over its predecessor

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 with a new S4-like design was unveiled just yesterday, but the benchmark scores of the tablet have surfaced courtesy of GLBenchmark.

According to the benchmark results, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 is powered by a Marvell PXA986 chipset with 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor. The SoC is not the most impressive in the market, but is still a significant upgrade when compared to the one powering the Galaxy Tab 2.

The latest Galaxy slate comes with GPU Vivante GC 1000, which as the benchmark results confirm, is twice as capable as the PowerVR SGX540 found in the Galaxy Tab 2.So while the CPU performance is probably unchanged, besides the clock difference of 200 MHz, graphics power has seen quite some boost in the latest generation of the Samsung affordable slate.

Check out the source link below for the complete insight of the report.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

NASA Captures Monster Hurricane from Space

By Max Golembo

Apr 30, 2013 12:26pm

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)

NASA’s spacecraft Cassini took this amazing colorful picture of a Saturn storm that resembles a hurricane on Earth.  The center eye of the storm on Saturn is about 1,250 miles wide. That’s 20 times larger than the average hurricane eye on Earth, that’s the distance between Dallas and Washington, DC.

Usually, hurricanes on Earth have a small eye and much larger outer bands. But incredibly on Saturn 1,250 miles is the distance of the center eye only. The entire storm could be several thousand miles more.

As for the wind speed in the storm, usually in hurricanes the strongest wind is in the center of the storm around what is called “the eye wall” of the hurricane,  and tends to get weaker as you get to the edge of the hurricane. The wind speed on the outer edge of the cloud band of Saturn’s hurricane is 330 mph and the winds in the center eye are four times faster than some of the strongest hurricanes on Earth. To compare Saturn’s storm to hurricanes that affected the U.S., the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. was Camille in 1969 with winds of 190 mph.

One of the interesting facts is that usual hurricanes on Earth feed off the water vapor from the warm ocean water. That gives it the needed energy for the hurricane to develop.  But on Saturn there is no body of water nearby for this storm to feed off. Instead it is feeding off of small amounts of water vapor in Saturn’s hydrogen atmosphere.

Another interesting fact: Hurricanes on Earth form usually in the tropical latitudes and move north due to the forces acting on them. But Saturn’s storm is located at the planet’s north pole that has made it stationary with nowhere further north to go. Because of this discovery, NASA scientists believe that it could have been there for years.

Only in 2009 sun began reaching the northern Hemisphere allowing Cassini spacecraft to capture these images.  This is because Saturn’s seasons last nine years each, therefore their north pole is dark nine years at a time.  So when the space craft first reached Saturn in 2004, the north pole was in the middle of winter.

NASA scientists will study this terrestrial hurricane-like storm because even though there are differences in size, strength and source of energy, it does carry similar characteristics such a central eye that has no clouds, counter clockwise spin in the northern Hemisphere, and high clouds circling the eye.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Samsung begins manufacturing 4GB DRAM for its high-end smartphones and tablets

Samsung has announced that it has started the production of ultra-high-speed 4GB low power double data rate 3 (LPDDR3) mobile DRAM. The DRAMs are produced using a 20 nanometer process, which makes them ideal for high-end smartphones and tablets.

The upcoming 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM is said to enhance the performance when compared to the standard DRAM, which is used in the convectional computers. The latest RAMs can transmit data at up to 2,133 megabits per second, which is double the performance of the preceding (LPDDR2) standard.

The latest module can transmit three full HD videos in just a second over the new Samsung smartphones. The 20nm-class DRAM also enables seamless display of full HD videos on the smartphones and the LPDDR3 DRAM is 30% more efficient and saves 20% more powered over the 30 nanometer LPDDR3 DRAMs.

There is no word on the availability of the latest DRAM, but we expect the next-generation Galaxy Note phablet to feature the 20-nm 4GB DRAM.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Microsoft’s New Ad Pokes Fun at Apple-Samsung War

By Joanna Stern
@joannastern
Follow on Twitter

Apr 30, 2013 9:44am

Credit: Microsoft

If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em. OK, that’s not how the saying goes, but it seems to be Microsoft’s message in its latest Windows phone ad.

While Samsung and Apple battle it out, Microsoft’s message is “Don’t fight. Switch.”

The ad is set at an Apple and Samsung wedding. No, the two companies aren’t getting married, but on the bride’s side you’ve got iPhone owners and on the groom’s Galaxy S users. During the wedding, an all-out fight erupts between the two sides of the aisle.

Yes, even a man with an Apple chest tattoo appears to defend his beloved iPhone. In the middle of all the fighting, two Windows phone owners – Nokia Lumia 920 owners, to be specific – ask themselves, why everyone is fighting?

Apple and Samsung have been duking it out both on store shelves and in the courtroom in the past few years. Apple has sued Samsung for patent infringement and attacked Samsung’s recent Galaxy S4 smartphone, and Samsung ran a series of ads last year poking fun at Apple users who were waiting in line for the next iPhone.

RELATED: Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Details: New Home Screen, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Skype Integration

While the two leaders battle it out, though, Microsoft’s Windows phone continues to vie for market share. Android holds 70.1 percent of the market, Apple’s iPhone 21 percent, and Microsoft’s Windows phone is down at 2.6 percent, according to analyst firm IDC’s latest numbers.

But perhaps some clever marketing can help with that. Microsoft’s message is clear: The iPhone and Samsung phones won’t love you unconditionally, so you should switch to Windows phone, if only to avoid the brutal fight.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Angry Birds Friends coming to Android and iOS on May 2

Rovio, the makers of the popular Angry Birds series of games has announced that the new installment in the game series will be launched on Android and iOS this Thursday.

Angry Birds Friends has more than 60 million players on the Facebook platform and the users can soon start battling against each other on their smartphones.

The newest version of the game will allow players to try and better their own scores to accumulate enough points to get to the next level. With “Angry Birds Friends” you can also challenge your friends in the weekly tournaments, where medals are awarded to the winning players.

Check out the official launch trailer of Angry Birds Friends:

There is no word on the pricing of the app at this moment, but the game will be available, starting from May 2.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

There are 6 and 8 core version of the Mali-400 on the way, the MP8 to be paired with a 2GHz Cortex-A9 quad-core CPU

The Mali-400 line of GPUs is getting a bit old but it isn’t going away yet – Chinese chip maker Amlogic announced a new chipset that packs an eight-core version of the GPU alongside a quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at the impressiev 2GHz.

The GPU offers a big increase over the theoretical performance of the Mali-400MP4 found in the likes of the Galaxy S III with 3,000Mpix/s fill rate (Amlogic numbers), though ARM only rates the GPU at 2,000Mpix/s (though that’s most likely at a lower frequency).

The chipset has built-in video decoding going up to 4K2K and Ultra HD and audio decoding for Dolby and DTS.

The AML9726-M8 will be built on the TMSC 28nm process and will be available in Q3 this year.

There’s also another version of the Mali-400 that sits between the MP4 and MP8, the Mali-400MP6. There doesn’t seem to be a chipset in the works that uses the MP6, though.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Budweiser’s Buddy Cup: Bump Beers, Become Buds … on Facebook

By Joanna Stern
@joannastern
Follow on Twitter

Apr 30, 2013 6:00am

Credit: Budweiser

Budweiser doesn’t think grabbing some beers at a bar is quite social enough. Or at least not social network enough.

The company’s Brazil team has come up with the Buddy Cup- a cup that when tapped with another one of its kind allows the two cup holders to become Facebook friends. That’s right, no need to put down the beer, take out the phone, search for a name and then send a friend request.

So, how does it all work?  Similar to other connected objects, Manuel Rangel Macchiavello of Budweiser Brazil said. A computer chip with what Budweiser calls a “bump sensor”  is integrated into the bottom of the cup. Also on the bottom of the cup is a QR code, which works with a Budweiser app to link the cup to your Facebook account. When two people clink glasses, the friend request is sent from one to another.

“The Buddy Cup brings together the in-bar experience with Facebook, the most used social media channel for our consumers,”  Macchiavello told ABC News.

RELATED: Heinz’s Musical Fruit Now Includes Musical Spoon

The Buddy Cup joins some other connected food utensils. HapiLabs came out with its connected HapiFork at CES earlier this year. The fork pairs with your phone and warns you when you are eating too fast by vibrating. And in March, to promote new flavored varieties of their popular baked beans in the United Kingdom, Heinz released special spoons outfitted with tiny MP3 players.

But before you get excited about being able to make friends all over the bar, the prototype cups are just that, prototypes. However, Macchiavello told ABC News that a pilot event was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that it was an “instant success” and that the team is looking at taking this to bigger events in the future.

As for U.S. Bud and Bud Light drinkers, the company said this is a Brazil-only program for now.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Microsoft adds ability to make Skype calls from Outlook.com

Microsoft has finally integrated its Skype service with the recently updated Outlook.com website. This will allow users to make video calls from the website without having to install the client on their computers.

To enable this functionality, you will first have to install a plugin for your browser. After that, it works pretty much the same as Skype does on your desktop client. You can hover over your contact names and use the video call option to initiate a Skype call right within the browser. You can make voice as well as video calls or just send messages.

The service is launching in the UK today and will be available in the coming weeks in the US and Germany. Worldwide support is said to arrive in summer, that is, after June.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Google Glass Takes On Shower Test

By Joanna Stern
@joannastern
Follow on Twitter

Apr 29, 2013 2:40pm

Credit: Robert Scoble

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has said himself that there might be some places where it might not be best to wear Google Glass — Google’s connected glasses, which overlays digital information in the real world. But a well-known technology and social media personality Robert Scoble has found that his personal shower is not one of those places.

Scoble, who received his $1,500 Explorer version of Glass two weeks ago, has been documenting his time with the wearable device on Google+. When he shared that his pair survived a serious rainstorm, some doubted that the Glass could be that water resistant.

“You thought I was kidding when I said I would never take them off,” Scoble wrote on his Google+ page. “Yes, they survive being wet. I had them full on soaked in my shower this morning.”

RELATED: Google Chairman Didn’t Wear Glass in NKorea

Scoble told ABC News that the photo was staged — his wife took it — but he did want to show everyone that the device is water-resistant. “I knew they would survive, they were in a rainstorm last week. I just figured that it would be a hot talking point.  I thought what would be a way to show that off, so I put them in the shower,” Scoble told ABC News.

Scoble says that while no one asked him to talk them off in the shower, there have been other places that he has been asked to take off the glasses, including in a casino and at airport security.

Google, however, does not suggest putting the device in water. “Don’t let the Glass device or battery come in contact with liquids. Liquids can get into the electronic components, leading to corrosion,” Google writes on its Glass FAQ page.

With that, we’d say Scoble got pretty lucky. He says his pair works as if nothing had happened. Lucky for him — that would have been $1,500 right down the drain.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Microsoft releases extended IllumiRoom demo video

Microsoft’s has released an extended demo of its IllumiRoom project, giving as a glimpse as to what we could expect from the upcoming projector-based device.

IllumiRoom aims to provide a “next-generation gaming console” experience, and may very well be one of the features introduced in Microsoft’s next console.

We first got a glimpse at of this project at CES, and now there’s an extended look at what Microsoft has been busy developing since:

The project consists of a projector placed at a coffee-table level in front of the TV and a Kinect camera accessory for the Xbox 360. The cool thing is, the wall surrounding the TV doesn’t need to be a flat area, thanks to the Kinect camera sensor. Even better, the Kinect is able to transform the entire projected space into a 3D environment, even using the ground as part of the effect.

Microsoft has remained fairly ambivalent regarding the inclusion of IllumiRoom in its next Xbox console, which has yet to be officially announced. Either way, the project brings a whole new meaning to the term immersive gaming, and we can’t wait to have it in our living rooms.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Microsoft takes a dig at Samsung and Apple users in latest WP ad, lightly promotes the Lumia 920

Nokia and Microsoft have been targeting Android and iOS in their ads and campaigns, urging users to switch to Lumia while Microsoft is planning on releasing an Android app demonstrating the variety of WP’s apps.

Well the latest ad coming from Redmond is dubbed Don’t fight and sarcastically portrays Samsung and Apple’s fans as bickering fanboys, who just love to promote their favorite brands and bash their opponents.

The venue is a wedding at which the guests represent a perfect half and half – iPhone users on one side and Galaxies on the other side of the aisle.

But let’s not spoil the viewing experience – check the ad out for yourselves.

It’s clever marketing and one could say it looks pretty similar to what Samsung has done in the past – short clips, which mock the competition while promoting your product’s traits. Will it help Nokia generate sales of Nokia Lumia 920s and Windows Phone in general or will it result in a backlash from the restless (and more vast) armies of Samsung and Apple lovers?

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Android Design Chief: Facebook Home Is Polished

By Joanna Stern
@joannastern
Follow on Twitter

Apr 29, 2013 11:26am

Credit: Facebook

When Facebook released its Facebook Home software, which replaces Google’s Android homescreen with Facebook photos and updates, many wondered how Google itself would react to its software being reshaped for the social network.

However, the chief of Google’s Android design now joins Google Chairman Eric Schmidt in praising Facebook’s software designers.

“The new Facebook Home shows an incredible amount of polish and attention to design detail, and that didn’t come from a hardware manufacturer,” Matias Durate, Google’s director of Android Operating System User Experience, told ABC News. “With the Home experience, they did a nice job expressing the Facebook experience, but so much of the Google design experience with Ice Cream Sandwich [Android 4.0] was in there as well.”

Duarte said the fact that the Home software replaces a lot of the Android homescreen experience didn’t bother him and stressed that the openness of Android allows phone makers to customize the design of the software. With Home, the front of the screen is taken over by Facebook’s Cover Feed and there are some added messaging features, but below that is a clean version of Android. The HTC First, the first phone to ship with Facebook Home, also ships with a clean or stock version of Android.

RELATED: Facebook Home and HTC First Review 

Other phone makers like Samsung choose to put their own design touches on the underlying Android software. For instance, on Samsung’s latest Galaxy S4, Samsung has redesigned all parts of the software with different fonts and app icons. Duarte wouldn’t comment directly on Samsung’s Galaxy S4 software design, but said that he is generally excited “about a trend where people have more designers involved in their customizations of Android. The work we do with the Google apps fits more seamless with it.”

Today Google released its Google Now service for the iPhone and iPad, which brings some of the new clean design elements from the latest version of Android to Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Google is expected to preview the next version of its Android operating system at its Google I/O conference next month in San Francisco.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Google Now lands on iOS, available within Google Search

Google Now is now available on iOS as a free update for the popular Google Search app. The iOS app recognizes voice and actually looks hotter than its Android peer (the cards have a nice CoverFlow-like view), but can’t quite match the functionality of the Google OS version.

For example you can’t interact with the iOS – you can’t invoke a call or a navigation route, you can’t setup an alarm, do a text a message or a note, etc. Also, Google Now on iOS doesn’t speak.

Google Now for iOS still pops up cards depending on your search history, preferences, etc. It will give you weather and traffic reports, will keep track of your favorite sport teams, etc. It will also remind you for stuff you have in your Google calendar.

To experience Google Now’s complete functionality you’ll need to use Google services instead of the iOS defaults, though, which might be a bummer for some.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung plans on making 2013 the year of the tablet with Galaxy Tab DUOS, Tab 8.0, Tab 11 and Nexus 11

This is strictly in unconfirmed rumors territory, but we’re hearing a lot about Samsung’s tablet plans in 2013. The company already delivered the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 and seems intent on following up with Galaxy Tab DUOS 7.0, Galaxy Tab 8.0, Galaxy Tab 11, Nexus 11 and finally (maybe) the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1.

Coming from sources close to SamMobile we now have some preliminary specs for those, but sadly no availability information.

The Galaxy Tab 11 is poised to feature an 11″ Super PLS TFT (we’re guessing with the same 2560 x 1600 resolution as the Nexus 10), 8 MP back and 2 MP front cameras, dual-core Exynos 5250 Cortex-A15 chipset (also ala Nexus 10) and microSD card support up to 64 gigs.

Samsung is said to be working with Google on a Nexus 11 slate. It will be a close match for the Galaxy Tab 11 only it could come with the Octa-core Exynos 5410 with four Cortex-A15 cores and is too rumored to bring expandable storage, unlikely as it may sound.

The Galaxy Tab 8.0 could sport an 8″ 1080p Super AMOLED display, 5 MP back and 2 MP front cameras, quad-core Exynos 4412 (like the one in the Galaxy S III and Note II) and a microSD card slot (for expansion by up to 64 gigs).

Finally we come to the rumored Galaxy Tab DUOS 7.0. It will be a low-cost 7-incher of 600 x 1024 PLS LCD, 3 MP back and 2 MP front cameras, dual-core processor, microSD card slot (up to 32 GB) and, naturally, two SIM card support.

We’ll be on the lookout for more information on those upcoming slate.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

UK chain Selfridges sold out of BlackBerry Q10s only 2 hours after launch in a store record

BlackBerry partnered with the Selfridges chain of stores in the UK for an exclusive early launch of its QWERTY-packing BlackBerry Q10 and it’s been a hit. The stores reported that its initial stock ran out in 2 hours, a record for tech items in the store.

The Q10 launched in Selfridges stores last Friday, April 26, ahead of the general April 30 launch.

This was the most anticipated phone launch in Selfridges history – a couple of days before the launch, the Q10 pre-order page saw 30,000 hits (though it’s not clear how many of those actually pre-ordered the phone).

The Managing Director for BlackBerry UK had this to say about the launch – “The BlackBerry Q10 represents the next chapter in the BlackBerry 10 story and we are delighted that it has been so well received. This initial success at Selfridges highlights the strong consumer demand for a high-end physical keyboard smartphone.”

But, of course, he didn’t give any concrete numbers on just how big the initial batch of BlackBerry Q10s was.

Still, BlackBerry must be feeling good about this. Its flagship, the BlackBerry Z10 had its own record launch (though some analysts have their doubts about it).

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

The HTC One gets keyed, knifed and hammered, the whole thing caught on video

Last week, we saw Samsung Galaxy S4 going through a hard-to-watch scratch test and now it’s the turn of the HTC flagship smartphone to get the rough treatment.

The HTC One comes with the Corning Gorilla Glass 2 along with an aluminum uni-body design giving the smartphone a highly sophisticated look. But is the One durable and resistant to scratches? Well, the scratch tests, where the device under goes the knife, key and a hammer is here to show that.

Check out the below video to see the condition of HTC One after it goes through the tests:

The tests confirm that the back panel of the HTC One can be scratched with relative ease, but the display is strong enough to withstand quite a lot of abuse.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

This is the design story of the Samsung Galaxy S4

Today Samsung released a 4-minute video telling the story behind the design of the Galaxy S4. A few Samsung designers talk (in Korean, subtitles available) about the creation process of the flagship.

You can hear all about the ideas that went into the creation of the Samsung Galaxy S4 right here.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

‘Drop’ will test your typing skills, patience

Fond of minimalist but ridiculously challenging games? Here’s another one for you. Created by Marcus Persson, the guy who made the insanely popular Minecraft, Drop is a browser-based game that will test your familiarity with your keyboard and your patience.

The premise of the game is simple. You have a constant stream of letters appearing before you and you have to type the letters on your keyboard. Enter it correctly and you can move on to the next letter. You can retry if you entered it wrong but since the letters are constantly moving towards you, you only have a limited amount of time before the game is over. The letters that appear aren’t at random as they might seem but are actually words and the game gets a bit easier once you figure the entire word out.

Drop pairs this simple gameplay with minimalist visuals and sound that the developer admits is inspired from Super Hexagon, among other games. You will need to install the Unity Engine plugin on your computer before being able to play it, which is a bit of a hassle but thankfully the game is worth it.

One word of warning, though. The game is very addictive and you’re bound to spend much longer playing it than you anticipated. So make sure you finish whatever it is you’re doing before you start playing. You’ll also need to be quite familiar with your keyboard to play this game. If not, you’ll end up becoming anyway.

Click here to play Drop.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

HTC One for AT&T hands-on impressions

HTC One has made it to the carriers’ shelves in the United States over the last week. The Taiwanese flagship is offered by AT&T, Sprint Wireless and T-Mobile across the Atlantic.

We’ve managed to spend some quality time with an AT&T version of the HTC One. Here’s a quick look at the differences between it and the international version which we extensively reviewed.

The first thing that captures the attention is the phone’s retail box – it is not the usual orange/white affair, but the same one as the international version’s. There’s only a subtle AT&T logo at the top right corner to give away this particular smartphone’s allegiance.

The retail box is a pleasant surprise

When opening the box, along with the usual charger and USB cable, we were pleasantly surprised to also find a pair of headphones. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a headset included in an AT&T phone’s retail package, save for Apple’s iPhone handsets.

HTC One is a beautiful device and we must congratulate AT&T for keeping it almost free of carrier branding. Save for a barely visible, text-free carrier logo, there’s no other AT&T branding on the device.

HTC One for AT&T live photos

Things do not sit so pretty with the software of the smartphone. AT&T has preloaded a lot of its own apps to the device, and they are not removable.

There’s a lot of non-removable carrier bloatware

On this instance, we really wish AT&T would follow Sprint’s example, and allow users to remove the carrier apps they find unnecessary. I believe that they deserve such choice given the amounts they spend on service fees each month.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement causes rush to trade-in older models

The feature rich Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available in just about every major market and, as expected, the demand for the smartphone is very high. According to a report from CompareMyMobile, the Galaxy S4 announcement has also generated a 127% hike in valuation requests on older Samsung phones.

The availability of the latest Galaxy S smartphone has also resulted in a 29% increase in trade-ins of older smartphone models. The report also says that these kinds of numbers were previously achieved only after iPhone announcements.

Percentage of price drop on top 5 Samsung devices

The firm expects a similar picture in the USA and increased trade-ins of the older market are expected to result in lowering of price tags of older models.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Oppo Find 5 gets CyanogenMod 10.1 support

Android custom ROM developers CyanogenMod have added support for yet another Android smartphone in their list of supported devices for their CM10.1 ROM. Starting today, you will be able to install CM10.1 on an Oppo Find 5 as well.

The Oppo Find 5 is one of the best Android smartphones available on the market today, with a 5.0-inch, FullHD display, quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM and a 13 megapixel camera part of the spec sheet. The phone comes with Android 4.1.1 as standard with a custom skin on top. If that’s what bothered you about the phone then you no longer have to worry as you can now replace it with CM10.1 and have a more stock Android experience.

You can find more information about the ROM and the download details in the source link below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

BlackBerry releases official demo videos for its Q10 smartphone

BlackBerry Q10, the QWERTY equipped smartphone, was recently launched with the company’s all new BB10 OS. BlackBerry, which was formally known as RIM, has released demo videos to help you familiarize yourself with the key selling points of the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone.

The BlackBerry Q10 comes with a 3.1″ square AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels and 330ppi density. The smartphone features the trademark QWERTY keyboard, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor along with 2GB of RAM, 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 2 megapixel front facing camera and 16 GB of inbuilt memory.

The Q10 runs on the latest BlackBerry 10 OS and draws its juice from a 2,100mAh battery.

BlackBerry has released a series of how to videos for the Q10 smartphone in its YouTube channel, covering various functions of the device. Here are a couple of the more interesting among them:

Check out the source link for the full scoop.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

The latest glitch in Viber for Android allows you to bypass lock screens on 100 million phones

Viber for Android has been one of the most popular instant messenger applications with more than 100 million users, which is why the latest security glitch found in the application might be kind of a big deal. The issue allows you to bypass the lock screen of a smartphone and gain full access to its data.

The critical flaw allows you to bypass the lock screens of Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC smartphones. The bypass techniques vary from model to model, but the exploit uses the logic of popup messages of Viber.

Here’s the exploiting technique for the Samsung Galaxy S2 in action:

And here’s how it works on the HTC Sensation XE:

The Sony Xperia Z video is next:

Finally, the Google Nexus 4 is also apparently affected:

Viber has acknowledged the vulnerability in the application and the company has committed to releasing a fix in the next week.

Thanks Swapnil, for sending this in!

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Microsoft to release “Switch to Windows Phone” app for Android smartphones

Microsoft is planning to launch an application called “Switch to Windows Phone” for the Android platform. The app is expected to ease any app availability concerns of users who consider switching from Android platform to Windows Phone.

The application will help you see if your favorite Android apps are already available on the Windows Phone 8 platform, and in case they are not show you what alternatives inhabit the WP Store. Microsoft Phone store currently has about 135,000 applications and the Microsoft is obviously confident that this is enough to cover most users’ requirements.

The Switch for Windows Phone application will scan the apps in your Android smartphone and let you know if they are available in the WP Store and suggest you the best alternatives to those that aren’t.

Microsoft’s all new application for Android devices will feature a search mechanism powered by Quixley and is expected to hit the Google Play Store in the upcoming days.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy S4 drop test appears, the video isn’t for the faint of heart

The latest flagship smartphone from the South Korean manufacturer is now available across the globe and the device has been the talk of the town ever since its announcement. The fourth generation Galaxy S smartphone has taken the spotlight, with tech enthusiasts testing every aspect of the smartphone.

Now, that the Galaxy S4 is available across the globe and if you are planning to pick one up for yourself, you might be interested to see how the smartphone performs in a drop test.

In the test, the Samsung Galaxy S4 was dropped from two heights and surprisingly or not the all new Gorilla Glass 3 survived undamaged.

The latest drop test of Samsung Galaxy S4 comes courtesy of tabtech and you see it on video below:

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is delayed in US, due to the high demand, but stock is expected to improve next week. If you are looking to find out more about the recently launched Samsung flagship smartphone, check out our detailed review.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

HTC provided RUU and full ROM for One developer edition

Recently, HTC launched the developer edition of the HTC One in the US. This model was mostly identical to the model sold by the carriers, but comes with the network and the bootloader unlocked.

Now, HTC has provided the RUU (ROM Update Utility) and the full ROM for the HTC One developer edition on their developer website. This would allow users to restore their devices safely in case things go wrong while flashing custom ROMs.

Both the downloads are now available from the link below. Choose the one appropriate for your device.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

App of the Week: Cut the Rope: Time Travel

By Mary Godfrey

Apr 27, 2013 7:00am

Image credit: ZeptoLab

App Name: Cut the Rope: Time Travel

Price: $.99 (iPhone,  iPod Touch, and Android), $2.99 (iPad)

Available Platforms: iOS, Android, and Nook

What does this app do?: Om Nom is a hungry monster with an insatiable sweet tooth. He also has deep curiosity about his family roots. At least, that’s what ZeptoLab, the makers of the popular game “Cut the Rope” are saying with a new game they launched earlier this month, “Cut The Rope: Time Travel.” The newest incarnation of this game takes the well-loved premise of “Cut the Rope,” originally released in 2010, and adds new characters and levels based on eras in history, such as the Middle Ages or Ancient Egypt. In this newer version, players not only have to find candy to feed Om Nom, they also have to do so for his relatives.

This is a puzzle game and one that gets progressively more difficult as users complete each level.  At each stage, pieces of candy hang from ropes while Om Nom and one of his ravenous relatives wait, hungry for their tantalizing treat. Swipe to the left or right to cut the rope and watch as candy falls into their wide-open mouths. As players progress, they encounter more and more obstacles, such as bombs and bubbles that will send candy flying and floating away, or chains that you must  slice with a blade.  With each piece of candy you feed the monsters, you collect stars, the equivalent to points. The more stars you collect in a particular level, the more bonus points you earn toward other features, such as super powers you can use to assist you with your strategy.

The app offers some additional features for players who want to learn more about Om Nom and his ancestry. Tap the camera icon to view animated stories created by ZeptoLab on YouTube. Aside from the additional characters and era-based levels, “Cut the Rope: Time Travel” offers a simple, but delightful design with brightly colored backdrops and energetic sound effects reminiscent of your favorite Saturday morning cartoons.

Is it easy to get started? It’s easy to download and install “Cut the Rope: Time Travel.”  Assuming they already a have Game Center profile set up in iOS, users can start playing immediately.

Should I try it? If you’re looking for some addictive fun to pass the time and you haven’t already tried the earlier version, “Cut The Rope,” then give “Cut the Rope: Time Travel” a whirl. The premise is simple, and, therefore, easy to catch on to, but the game presents enough head-scratching challenges to keep users engaged.  If, however, you already have an earlier release or play something similar, such as “Temple Run,” there’s no need to purchase another one. The game’s draw lies with its additional challenges and vividly rendered graphics but, overall, it fulfills the same need to pass the time as others like it do. Therefore, if you are already playing something else, likely you are getting your fill.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Coffee with Apple’s CEO? That’ll Be at Least $500,000

By Joanna Stern
@joannastern
Follow on Twitter

Apr 26, 2013 5:03pm

Image credit: Charity Buzz

How much would you pay to have coffee with the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world? If you said about the price of the coffee itself, you’re not bidding high enough.

Apple CEO Tim Cook donated a coffee date with himself at the Apple campus to the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Spring 2013 Auction, and bidding has already reached more than a half a million dollars. As of  April 26, 2013, coffee with Cook was at $565,000, with  79 bids so far. The listed estimated value of the lunch? $50,000.

This is the sixth year of the RFK Spring Auction. The proceeds go to the organization, which supports human rights advocacy around the world. According to the organization, previous annual auctions have raised more than $3.5 million for human rights work. In addition to Cook’s coffee date, a lunch date with Francis Ford Coppola and a tour of the SpaceX Center with Elon Musk are being offered  through charitybuzz.com. But Cook’s coffee remains in the lead — the SpaceX tour is locked at $7,500,  and lunch with Coppola at $4,500.

Starting on Aug. 24 2011, Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Before  that he was the COO at the company. Bidding ends on May 14, 2013.  Let’s just hope Cook picks up the cup of Joe when it comes time for the big date.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Smartphones Outsell ‘Dumbphones’ for First Time, Report Says

By Daniel Bean

Apr 26, 2013 4:00pm

Image credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Getty Images

Smartphones have finally outpaced feature phones (dumbphones) in unit of worldwide sales this past quarter, so says a new report by the International Data Corp.

Smartphone vendors shipped 216.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, which accounted for 51.6 percent of the worldwide mobile phone market. These numbers indicate a 41.6 percent increase over the number of smartphones shipped a year earlier, 152.7 million in the first quarter of 2012.

“Phone users want computers in their pockets. The days where phones are used primarily to make phone calls and send text messages are quickly fading away,” Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said in a statement released with the market report.

Richard Doherty, research director for Envisioneering market research group, told ABC News that he believes  the tip in numbers could also be attributed to many mobile phone operators simply wanting more smartphones. “It’s great for carriers, because smartphones use up more data than feature phones,” he said.

“This is like being an oil company and hearing that cars are going back to 14 miles to the gallon.”

READ: Samsung Galaxy S4 Review: An Android Phone Commitment You Won’t Regret

The decrease in sales for feature phones doesn’t mean they will completely drop off anytime soon, according to Doherty.

“A lot of feature phones get recycled,” he said. “Some people in developing countries are using them second and third hand.” Doherty also said that plenty of smaller countries have yet to develop 3G networks, rendering smartphones all but useless.

But even as the piece of the pie grows even larger for the smartphone market share, Doherty believes there would likely always be niche crowds of those who want inexpensive flip phones or prepaid phones strictly for voice calling.

Data from the IDC report shows Samsung as the world’s leading mobile phone maker with 115 million phones sold last quarter, 70.7 million of which were smartphones. Apple is shown as the third largest phone maker and second largest smartphone maker, with 37.4 million smartphones sold.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com