Technology Updates

The international variant of Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) has just received the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat update with stock build I9500ZSUDNB3 as part of regular maintenance and bug-fix update from Samsung. Though this is officially the first Over-The-Air (OTA) update for Taiwan region, it can be installed on any unlocked international variant of Galaxy S4 regardless of the country or region as it is an unbranded firmware. Galaxy S4 I9500 users may also install this update manually via Samsung KIES. However, those who missed the Over-The-Air (OTA) update notification or cannot access the update over Samsung KIES for some reason can follow our step-by-step guide to install the same manually, using this guide. I9500ZSUDNB3 And4roid 4.4.2 KitKat Firmware Details Model:  GT-I9500 Model name:  GALAXY S4 Country:  Taiwan Version:  Android 4.4.2 Changelist:  805576 Build date:  Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:49:11 +0000 Product Code:  BRI PDA:  I9500ZSUDNB3 CSC:  I9500OZSDNB3 MODEM:  I9500XXUFNA

Nokia X, which is built using the Android Open Source Project, and is not certified by Google, which clearly means that there's no Google Play store, and that no apps based on Google's APIs will work. While there's no access to Google's Play Store, users can side-load Android apps from any third-party source. However, as per the Nokia Conversations blog, the Nokia X comes with the required security features to protect the data stored on the device without downloading third-party security apps. The three main ways to protect the data on the Nokia X smartphone is the screen security, encryption, and SIM card lock. The screen security feature on the Nokia X has two options, namely - password and PIN. The Nokia X users can select a combination of numbers and letters, or even both, for locking the screen with a password, while for the PIN option, users will have to choose a numerical code consisting of four digits. Another way to protect the data is through enc

Earlier this week  Google announced Android Wear , the platform that's going to bring  Android  to more wearables in the very near future. Along with the announcement, it also released a developer preview of the operating system for developers to begin working magic with. Naturally the preview included an emulator for devs to preview their work on. It didn't take long for the emulator to be extracted and turned into an installable APK for Android devices. What this means for curious Android users running  Android 4.4  and above is that you can install the Android Wear launcher on your device right now. As  Android Police  reported last night, the launcher isn't a complete replacement for your current launcher. Instead, it's more of a brief preview of how Android Wear will handle notifications. Swiping up and down on the screen will allow you to scroll through your current notifications. A swipe to the left will reveal options to for handling the message (

WhatsApp voice-calling feature spotted on the Web Earlier this year, at the Mobile World Congress WhatsApp had announced it will soon launch VoIP calls, shortly after Facebook bought the company for $19 billion and looks like the time is nearing. Screenshots of popular messaging app's coming-soon voice-calling features went viral on the web on Friday, thanks to the blog iPhoneItalia. The images below depicts a beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone with a new interface for making calls. Further, the shots also suggest that the new WhatsApp won’t be very different from the existing app. The new VoIP feature will allow users to make voice calls with their smartphones over cellular or Wi-Fi connections. A few weeks ago, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum had promised to provide voice communication options to its iPhone and Android users with expanding it to Windows and Blackberry users later. WhatsApp already offers voice messaging that lets people leave recorded voice messages for on

"Windows Phone" Lava, Karbonn to launch Windows based Phone devices starting from Rs 6,000: Domestic handset players Lava and Karbonn will launch Windows-based smartphones in the coming few months. Karbonn’s Windows Phone devices will be in the price range of Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000, while Lava’s range will start at Rs 6,500. “We will come out with four devices with Windows-based operating systems by the end of May or starting June in the price range of 6,000-12,000,” Karbonn Managing Director Pradeep Jain told PTI. Lava International CEO and MD Hari Om Rai said: “A series of Windows-based phones will be launched under the Lava brand by July. These will be priced in the range of Rs 6,500-8,500.” He said the phones would be have Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processors and feature the Windows Phone 8 platform. “We expect the Windows-based phones to represent 8-10 percent of the volume of Lava smartphones starting July-August” Rai added. For Xolo brand of phone

Google Glass:  the next must-have digital device Coming Soon Google Glass is looking to be the next must-have digital device. The small computer you wear like eyeglasses allows you to surf the Web, email, text, take photos, shoot and stream live video Full Technical Specifications: Fit: Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face. Extra nosepads in two sizes. Display High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away. Camera ·          Photos - 5 MP ·          Videos - 720p Audio Bone Conduction Transducer Connectivity ·          Wifi - 802.11b/g ·          Bluetooth Storage 12 GB of usable memory, synced with  Google cloud storage . 16 GB Flash total. Battery One day of typical use. Some features, like video calls and video recording, are more battery intensive. Charger   Included Micro USB cable and charger. While there are thousan

Nokia X will be launched in India today:Here’s what to  expect Nokia’s Android smartphone, the Nokia X will be launched in India  today with events in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Exepctedly, there’s a lot of buzz around the X series of phones, as these are the first Nokia devices to run Android. The smartphone is expected to be available in India from March 15 and is expected to be priced at Rs 8,500. What is not known is the price of the Nokia X+ and the Nokia XL, which are the other two phones in the X family, and whether Nokia will be offering some free goodies such as the ones they routinely throw in with the Lumia phone. Nokia has as yet not announced the availability of all of the Nokia X phones. The Nokia X was spotted listed online on Indian retailer The Mobile Store’s website, which showed the availability date as March 15 and the price as Rs 8,500. We will have a full hands-on look with the smartphones once they are released. Nokia had announced three

HP Introduces New 8-Inch Android Tablet   While HP might not be the first company to op in your head when the subject of Android tablets is mentioned, it’s been known to bring a decent offering to market. The company has just released a new 8 inch Android tablet at the incredibly affordable price of $170. That said, you’re going to want to take a look at the spec list before you pull the trigger. Dubbed the HP 8, the tablet ships with a decent set of specs for the price: ·          7.85 inch IPS Display (1024 x768) ·          Allwinner Quad-Core A31s Processor ·          1GB RAM ·          2 megapixel fix-focused rear camera ·          VGA front-facing camera ·          16GB internal storage ·          Micro SD card slot (up to 32GB) ·          Stereo speakers ·          3800 mAh battery While there’s a few specs in the list above that are certainly adequate enough for a mid-ranged tablet, there’s nothing that is going to wow anyone. Sti

iOS lockscreen  for Android with SlideLock SlideLock On iOS, every time you receive a push notification to the iPhone, the screen turns on, displaying the notification right on the lockscreen. No need for the user to touch, interact, or otherwise do a single bloody thing to their phone to view new notifications. All recent notifications are available at a quick glance. When the user should decide they’d like to address one of these notifications, simply swiping on the notification (the same direction you would unlock the phone) will pull up the app. If there’s some sort of security on the device, it’s only after this swipe that you’ll be asked to input your code or fingerprint. Essentially, it’s a lot like having Android’s notification pane always visible from the lockscreen, waking the phone for a few seconds every time you receive a new notification. Sounds like it would be pretty easy to mimic on Android, right? Wrong. Really, it hasn’t been until Android 4.3 that Google e

HTC Butterfly S  and Sony Xperia Z Ultra get Android KitKat Two popular Android smartphones has been brought recently to the latest version of the OS - 4.4 KitKat. Sony has launched the official KitKat update for the   Xperia Z Ultra   phablet. The first device to get it is apparently the C6833 LTE model in Hong Kong. The new firmware is available only over the air for now, but we expect Sony to launch it soon via its PC Companion. We also hope other markets will be joining Hong Kong soon enough. HTC has also begun seeding the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the  Butterfly S . The smartphone  received Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sense UI 5.5 in January, but it seems HTC has been already working hard on the KitKat firmware. The KitKat update will bring on your Butterfly S the latest Android OS, Cloud Print Service, Security enhancements, new Bluetooth profiles, but will remove the support for Adobe Flash in the default web browser. Bummer indeed, but it isn't that unexpect

1. Google Now Launcher Google's very own stock Android launcher is now up for grabs - but just because it's the Android standard, doesn't mean it's boring. For your money (well, actually, it's free), you get easy access to Google Now, button-free voice controls, and enough transparent window-bars to make you think you're back in Windows Vista. It's compatible straight out of the box with all Nexus and Google Play Edition devices, and two minutes with a computer will get it running on all Android 4.x handsets. Just be careful what you say around it - the Big G's always listening, probably. 2. Nova Launcher Nova and Apex are the two standout Android launchers - both strike an excellent balance between having enough features to customise things, without bogging you down with unfeasibly long options lists and 17 levels of sub-menu hell. Nova's arguably the better of the two, with a few more options available in the free version (there is also a Prime

How to Turn Off Find my iPhone From Computer The Find my iPhone feature is used for locating lost devices and is automatically enabled by all iPhones running iOS 7. While the Find my iPhone service is a very helpful tool for those who have misplaced their iPhone it sometimes is a nuisance to disable. There is a setting under iCloud on the iPhone itself to turn off Find my iPhone, but there are other ways to disable the service from a computer. One of the major reasons that a user may need to disable Find my iPhone is if they have forgotten the passcode to their iPhone. With the Find my iPhone service enabled there is no way for the user to restore their phone without first turning off Find my iPhone. Another reason that someone might need to disable Find my iPhone is if they gave the phone to a friend or relative and forgot to delete their data off it first. By taking a few easy steps you can easily disable Find my iPhone from any computer. All that is required to disable