Universal laptop charger specification published

Laptop users could soon be able to borrow or swap chargers, even if their PCs are made by different manufacturers

Gmail Will Never Ask You to 'Display Images Below' Again

Gmail will no longer wait for your permission to "display images below."

Instagram launches 'Direct' individual messages

Facebook’s photo-sharing service Instagram now allows users to send photos or videos to up to 15 individuals

Instagram 'to launch private messaging service'

Instagram is rumoured to be preparing for the launch of a new messaging service to rival Snapchat

10 ways to protect your online identity

Every three seconds someone's identity is stolen. How at risk are you?

Regulator confirms tablets safe to use during take-off

New European guidance confirms smartphones and tablets can be safely used during take-off and landing

New computer virus 'secretly leaks data' through air

Security researchers have developed malware that can capture secret data from a computer and hijack the soundcard to broadcast it to a nearby machine as a high-frequency sound inaudible to humans

Next USB cable will be reversible

Developers announce frustrated attempts to charge a phone or tablet with an upside-down cable will be over

YotaPhone battery lasts 'up to 85 hours'

New dual-screen device has a battery life of more than 50 hours in reading mode, and 85 hours in flight mode

WhatsApp 'overtakes Facebook as leading mobile messaging service'

Report by On Device claims WhatsApp leads both Facebook and BBM

4G connections 'will reach one billion by 2017'

Super-fast 4G mobile network will be available to half of world's population, study finds

Mobile and Wi-Fi overloaded by 2020, report claims

Real Wireless warns the UK will face a 'spectrum crunch' by 2020

Google Chrome gets voice search update

Extension to Google Chrome enables hands-free searching from google.com

 

Pebble smartwatch gets banking app

Users will be able to check their balance with 'a glance of the wrist'

YotaPhone dual-screen smartphone 'to launch before Christmas'

YotaPhone, the dual-screen mobile device that made a splash at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, will reportedly launch internationally before Christmas.

 

Samsung 'plans Galaxy phone with wrap-around display'

Samsung is reportedly planning to release a Galaxy smartphone next year with a three-sided display that wraps around the edges of the device.

BBM update rolled out

BlackBerry's messenger service receives upgrades for Android and iOS platforms

7 hidden features in Microsoft Outlook.com

Outlook.com replaced Hotmail earlier this year. Here are some of the features you probably didn't know about

In May 2013, Microsoft finally killed off Hotmail and transferred all of its accounts to Outlook.com. While most of the basic functionality remained the same, Microsoft added a slew of new features – such as integration with SkyDrive and instant search, which lets you quickly search by sender, recipient, or subject line.
However, there are also some less well-known features that users might like to take advantage of. Here are a few of the best:

Microsoft warns users of targeted hacker attacks

Microsoft software has a vulnerability that hackers can exploit to attack users and gain remote control of their devices

7 hidden features in Microsoft Windows 8.1

Microsoft launched Windows 8.1 last month, featuring a range of refinements and functional improvements, including a more customisable Start screen, enhanced Bing search, and a range of new apps and services. Here are some of the operating system's best hidden features.

New tablet eye control gadget unveiled at Techcrunch in Berlin

Goodbye smeary fingerprints across your tablet screen, the eye-controlled tablet is now available for all.

'Google's Android KitKat targets cheaper smartphones'

Android 4.4 KitKat is catered towards wearable devices and cheaper phones, a source says

Shoto photo app launches on Android and iOS

Shoto app lets you automatically share smartphone photos with friends

Android Apps

Dear All,

Scan QR code to download the apps. More apps coming 

BBM for Android and iOS hits 10m downloads in 24 hours

BlackBerry has announced that its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) apps for Android and iOS have already been downloaded over 10 million times.

Instagram Finally Coming To Windows Phone, Nokia Confirms

It’s taken a lot longer than Nokia hoped it would but Windows Phone is finally getting an official Instagram client. The photo-sharing social network, which has north of 150 million monthly active users, has been on iOS some three years, and on Android since April 2012. Now it’s coming to Windows Phone within “weeks”, according to Nokia.

The news was confirmed by Windows Phone’s foremost OEM at its own conference, Nokia World, taking place in Abu Dhabi today. Nokia’s devices division is of course also in the process of being acquired by Microsoft.

Instagram is coming to Lumia in the coming weeks!!! #nokiaworld http://t.co/Nyhdrj5rfg
— Nokia (@nokia) October 22, 2013

Official BBM for Android and iOS is Out!!!

BBM for #Android & #iPhone is now available. Visit http://t.co/MvoGXq6nKb for more info on how you can get access.
— BBM (@BBM) October 21, 2013

Here's what to do to get past the line-up:
1.    Visit BBM.com from your iPhone or Android browser to download BBM.
2.    Once the BBM app has been installed, open it.
3.    When asked to "Enter your email address to check if you can start using BBM". However, please note that email address to use 'for now' is that of those who signed up at BBM.com as shown in this blog earlier.
4.    Get started with setting up BBM.
Note to iPhone users: Apps can take up to a few hours to appear in the App Store so if you don’t see it right away, it will be there soon.

Also read BBM for Android and BBM for iPhone: Official Launch Details to get info about the Roll Out Details









*Please note that during the initial rollout not all users will be able to access BBM immediately and may have to sign up to be notified when access is available*

New iPad 5: top 10 features to hope for

With Apple set to launch its iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 tomorrow, Radhika Sanghani lists the top 10 features consumers can hope for in the company's latest tablets.

Find your lost phone with Android Device Manager

Have you ever lost your phone in between the couch cushions or forgot it in a restaurant? Or maybe searching for your phone before you rush out the door is part of your morning routine? Let the new Android Device Manager help you out! It's one of a few simple features you can use to keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure.

'Google smartwatch' could launch to rival Samsung and Apple

Google is rumoured to be close to releasing a smartwatch, making it the third major company to be linked with the latest tech device.

Twitter to launch 'WhatsApp-like messenger service'

Twitter is reportedly planning to launch a standalone direct-messaging application to rival popular apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Microsoft launches Remote Desktop app for Android and iOS

Microsoft has quietly rolled out its Remote Desktop app for Android and iOS, allowing PC users to access their Windows desktop from their phone or tablet.

Windows 8.1 update brings back the Start button

Microsoft has announced that its Windows 8.1 operating system is now available to download from its online Windows Store.

Android: 10 hidden features

Android smartphones are used by millions of people worldwide, but how many of us know the little tricks and hidden features they are capable of?

BlackBerry Claims BBM Is Still Coming To Android And iPhone, But Has Given No Timeline

Amid dire financial results and an oddly-timed smartphone launch, BlackBerry’s big BBM for iPhone and Android launch seemed lost in a murky grey purgatory with little chance of escape with each passing minute its release was held up. The app made it to some lucky New Zealand and Australian App Store users, but BlackBerry halted the rollout when a leaked Android .apk set its servers on fire. Today, it finally provided an update on the state of the balked launch – sort of.

A tweet from the official BBM account (set up just prior to the planned cross-platform rollout) today reveals that BlackBerry is “[s]till 100% committed to bringing #BBM to Android and iPhone,” so presumably teams are still working to block users of the leaked .apk in order to bring sever load back to a manageable level before proceeding with the launch as planned.

Still 100% committed to bringing #BBM to Android and iPhone. Sign up at http://t.co/mr8J7pUDAT to know when #BBM4All
— BBM (@BBM) September 30, 2013

BlackBerry Will Release A Painful-To-Use BBM App For Desktops

Despite its recent acquisition, BlackBerry announced it will be releasing a desktop BBM app at BlackBerry Jam Asia 2013 this week. Unfortunately, the long-overdue app leaves much to be desired. BBM will come to desktops, starting with Windows-based PCs. Since the bulk of BlackBerry’s core customers were enterprise clients, these customers spent a lot of time behind their desks. This release should have come way earlier. But even more striking, the desktop implementation of the messaging service is awful.

After installing the app, users will have to link their phones with their computers, probably through Wi-Fi. If you’re in a coffee shop and want to send a quick message from your laptop, you’ll first have to find a way to connect your phone to your computer. It’s the PlayBook nonsense all over again.

BlackBerry Reaffirms It Isn’t Gone Just Yet In An Open Letter To Customers

BlackBerry is currently dealing with some serious, serious issues — no one wanted its first flagship phone, one of its co-founders might be making a dark-horse bid to buy the company back, and the company might just end up being parted out to the highest bidders. So what’s a once-dominant smartphone player to do in light of all this uncertainty and depressing soothsaying? What can it do to bolster the morale of the BlackBerry faithful who watched as friends and colleagues embraced new platforms?

Windows Phone 8 Update 3 launched by Microsoft

Microsoft is launching its third update for Windows Phone 8, plus a new developer preview programme.

Facebook removes option to hide your name in search

Facebook is getting rid of a privacy feature that allowed users to limit who could find them on the social network.

Google to include users' names and photos in web ads

Google has updated its terms of service so that it can feature users’ names and photos in certain parts of its advertising.

MTN Callertunez Codes

Send SET in an SMS to 4100 to set tune as default callertunez
Send LIB in an SMS to 4100 to view the tunex in your personal library
Send CANCEL in an SMS to 4100 to cancel the  callertunez servicee
Send REG in an SMS to 4100 to register for the  callertunez servicee
Send RENEW in an SMS to 4100 to renew the  callertunez servicee
Send #Tunename in an SMS to 4100 to search from the callertunez service
Send Tunez # in an SMS to 4100 to subscribe for the tune
Send HELP in an SMS to 4100 to get information about Callertunez service
For more tunez visit http://callertunez.mtnonline.com/user/index2.screen
S/N	Tunez Code	Tunez Name	Singer	Provider	Price(N)
1	1351	Atijelo	9iceftPasuma	Cellulant	50
2	1356	AtijeloPasuma	9iceftPasuma	Cellulant	50
3	1005	AfricanRhythm	DaNative	Cellulant	50
4	1006	Aimasiko	EbenezerObey	Cellulant	50
5	1026	AngelOfMyLife	PaulPlay	Cellulant	50
6	1114	AkosileTiDuro	SholaAllyson	Cellulant	50
7	1115	AyeoFeo	SholaAllyson	Cellulant	50
8	1111	AnotherLover	Trybunal	Cellulant	50
9	1093	AbiYouNoKnowSay	YinkaAyefele	Cellulant	50
10	1129	Anything	3T	Cellulant	50

Best smartphones: the ten best mobiles

From Samsung to Sony and Apple to HTC, Matt Warman rounds up the ten best mobile phones on the market today.

 

Apple iPhone 5C

The iPhone 5C has a plastic body with a steel reinforced frame and comes in five colours—blue, green, pink, yellow and white. It has a 4-inch Retina display, an 8 megapixel iSight camera and runs on the A6 chip. iPhone 5C comes with more 4G LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world, according to Apple, as well as a new FaceTime HD camera, and iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone. The iPhone offers 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and LTE networks and up to 8 hours on 3G networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. iOS 7 has many new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari, Siri and iTunes Radio. iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are also available as free downloads. The iPhone 5C will arrive in the UK on 20 September.

Screen: 4" 1136x640, Processor: A6, Storage: 16 / 32GB; Camera:8MP, 1080p, Size: 124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97 mm, 132g

British hacker wins $100,000 bounty from Microsoft

A British hacking expert has been awarded $100,000 (£628,000) by Microsoft after finding loopholes in the company's security that left it open to attack.

 

Acer launches laptop that can load in seven seconds

Acer has launched a new Chromebook laptop which boasts eight and a half hours of battery life and the ability to boot up in less than seven seconds.

The computer is 30 per cent thinner than the previous model, weighing just 1.3kg, and comes fitted with an anti-glare display.
It can also resume from sleep mode instantly thanks to a 16 GB Solid State Drive, reducing the time people waste waiting for computers to boot.
Acer's device debuts just days after HP unveiled there own new Chromebook which claims to be "one of the lightest laptops on the market".
Both computers are aimed at the budget end of the market carrying pricetags of less than $300 (£188), with Acer saying theis laptop is aimed at "families and students".

The Acer C720 has an 11.6-inch high definition screen, an Intel Celeron 2955U processor and eight and a half-hour battery life.
HP Chromebook 11 has a similar-sized screen, an Samsung Exynos 5250 processor and a battery that will last six hours.
John Miedema, Acer Europe's director product marketing, called the new model a "significant step forward" and said the light-weight design meant it was "portable enough for anywhere use".
Acer's Chromebook will go on sale in November, while HP's version is already in UK stores. Both run on a Google operating system.

Source : Telegraph

Galaxy Round: Samsung unveils world's first curved screen smartphone

Samsung Electronics has become the first manufacturer to unveil a smartphone with a curved screen.

New technology brings 'Minority Report' screens a step closer

Scientists are a step closer to creating Minority Report-style touchscreens which can be controlled with the wave of a hand thanks to remarkable new technology.

 

How Instagram took over the world in just three years

Instagram turns three today. How did it go from being the brainchild of two Stanford geeks to an app used by more than 150 million people worldwide?

Exclusive: Cisco, Google, SAP discussing BlackBerry bids - sources

BlackBerry Ltd, on the block as its smartphone business struggles, is in talks with Cisco Systems, Google Inc and SAP about selling them all or parts of itself, several sources close to the matter said.

Such a deal would be an alternative to the preliminary agreement reached weeks ago with a group, led by BlackBerry's biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings, to take the company private for about $4.7 billion, a bid which has faced some skepticism because of financing questions.