(Credit: Kent German/CNET)
Design Overview
The first thing you'll notice about the K900 is its hefty size. At 5.5 inches, it certainly strikes into phablet territory alongside the likes of the Samsung galaxy note smartphones and the LG Intitution And besides being big, the HD display is easy on the eyes with vibrant and natural colors. It has a 1080p resolution with a pixel density of more than 400ppi.
The slim 6.9-millimeter profile is welcome given its large overall size. I especially like the stainless-steel casing that gives the smartphone a smooth, sleek, and sturdy feel in the hand. One of the models on display has an attractive copper skin, but the standard handset comes in basic black.
Intel inside
The K900's biggest news is its Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor, which is part of the Clover Trail+ platform. I didn't have enough time to give it a proper test run, but all looked smooth during my demo.
The K900's biggest news is its Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor, which is part of the Clover Trail+ platform. I didn't have enough time to give it a proper test run, but all looked smooth during my demo.
Other features include the Android 4.1.2 operating system, a 13-megapixel camera, 16GB of integrated memory, a media player, and organizer and productivity features.
Outlook
Lenovo would not spill any details on pricing or availability, though the phone should first come to China later this year. The K900 runs on GSM and 3G UMTS networks, but it does not support 4G. That will diminish its appeal in 4G-rich markets like the United States.
Lenovo would not spill any details on pricing or availability, though the phone should first come to China later this year. The K900 runs on GSM and 3G UMTS networks, but it does not support 4G. That will diminish its appeal in 4G-rich markets like the United States.
Polaroid kicked off the camera trend shortly after International CES opened In Las Vegas, revealing the world's first interchangeable lens camera powered by Google Android software.
The 18-megapixel camera, priced at $US349, features a 3.5-inch touchscreen that serves as a viewfinder and a way to access apps on its Android Jelly Bean 4.1 software, including Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.
Unlike other recent Android-powered cameras, the Polaroid iM1836 will come with three lens options, including a 245mm telephoto lens, and is due for global release mid-year.
Polaroid spokeswoman Carlee Pett said the camera was priced under $400 as the company "was not targeting professionals".
"This is more for mums and dads and people who want to have fun with their cameras and share photos quickly."
Leading camera maker Canon also madeover some of its shooters, while introducing a striking new model called the PowerShot N that appears to be square.
The pocket-sized camera is just 7.8cm long, leaving no room for a shutter button or other typical controls. Instead, two rings around its lens let users capture photos and control its 8x optical zoom.
The 12-megapixel camera also features a tilting 2.8-inch touchscreen for photographic options and built-in wi-fi connectivity to transfer images to a smartphone or tablet computer. The PowerShot N is due in Australia in May and its price has been set at $US299.
Samsung also revealed a range of new cameras, all with built-in wireless internet access.
The top of the range, the interchangeable lens NX300, features a touchscreen, selected apps including Facebook and email, and can also be paired with a 3D lens to capture 3D images or video.
The 20-megapixel camera is due in Australia in April with an estimated price of $850.
Samsung Australia digital imaging director Craig Gillespie said wireless internet connectivity had been added to the company's cameras at all prices as photographers used to smartphone cameras required more immediate sharing.
"Consumers are using these devices for sharing a lot more but they're still looking for good picture quality,'' he said.
Lava Xolo A800 review
By Surbhi Chawla,ndtv
Lava entered the smartphone segment with the X900 in the Xolo series way back in May 2012. This was the first smartphone in the world to come with an 'Intel Inside' tag. However this device failed to set the market on fire, partially because of its Rs. 22,000 price tag.So, the Indian handset maker has taken a U-turn and returned to familiar territory of budget smartphones with the latest members of the Xolo series - Lava Xolo A800 and Lava Xolo A700. Both these smartphones run on Mediatek's dual-core MT6577 chipset.
Priced at Rs. 11,999 the Xolo A800 comes with a 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) screen, 512 MB RAM and an 8-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. Let's find out if this device from Lava's Xolo series is a worthy contender in the smartphone market.
Design/ Hardware
The White coloured Lava Xolo A800 looks very similar to Samsung Galaxy S III. However, it comes with a matte finish, which makes this smartphone look less plasticky than the Galaxy S III.
The Xolo A800 has round corners with an aesthetically done silver border. The front of the device is mostly taken up by the 4.5-inch screen. There are three Android buttons - Menu, Home and Back - embossed at the bottom of the screen and a VGA camera on the top. The left panel houses the volume keys and Micro-USB/charging port.
The back panel has an 8-megapixel camera and the loudspeaker. The 3.5mm jack and power/wake button find room on the top panel.
In terms of hardware, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM, has 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB with microSD.
The Xolo A800 is a dual-SIM smartphone and supports GSM SIM card in both the slots. On opening the back panel one notices a big black rectangular patch attached perhaps to maintain space between the battery and the back panel. This looks extremely out of place and we would have appreciated if Lava would have paid a bit more attention to detailing.
Display
4.5-inch 16M colour capacitive touch screen IPS display with 245 ppi. The display and the viewing angles look good. The under-sun visibility on the Lava Xolo A800 was decent. The screen used in this smartphone is reflective.
CameraThe pictures captured through the 8-megapixel auto focus camera on board are quite crisp and clear. The Lava Xolo A800 comes with a BSI Sensor, which made sure that even the low-light pictures look decent. The quality of videos captures through the back camera is good too.
There is a VGA front camera, which takes average pictures, pretty much like any other front camera. All in all, the camera experience on the smartphone is good; wish it had a dedicated camera button to help click a quick one.
Software/ Interface
The Lava Xolo A800 runs on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). There are five customisable home screens to fill with apps and widgets. The software runs quite smoothly pretty much like any other stock Android smartphone.
There aren't too many pre-loaded applications on Lava Xolo A800 except NoteBook and Xolo care but one can always download them from Google Play Store.
With the help of the Noteook app one can take quick notes. These notes can be under various categories such as work, personal, family affair or uncategorized. Saved notes can be easily accessed through this app.
Performance/ Battery
As mentioned earlier, the Lava Xolo A800 comes with Mediatek's dual-core MT6577 chipset rather than Intel's chipset that was seen on the earlier Xolo A900. However, we found this smartphone to be quite smooth and responsive. There were no real lags that we faced while using the device.
Powered by a 1,600mAh battery, the Xolo A800 is easily able to last a day on single charge.
The audio quality is good both on the headphones and the loudspeaker.
Verdict
For about 12K, the Lava Xolo A800 is an interesting smartphone. It has a good display and delivers a decent performance. However, consumers looking for a large screen smartphone might be tempted to bend towards, Micromax Canvas 2 A110, which has a 5-inch screen and a bigger battery (2000mAh). Micromax Canvas 2 A110 is powered by the same processor and runs on Android 4.0. Also, Micromax's device is available at a best buy price of Rs. 10,000. Lava Xolo A800 scores better than its Micromax only on the display front.
Pros
Ratings (Out of 5)
Design: 3.5
Display: 3.5
Performance: 3.5
Software: 3
Battery Life: 3.5
Value for Money: 3
Camera: 3.5
By ndtv
Priced at Rs. 11,999 the Xolo A800 comes with a 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) screen, 512 MB RAM and an 8-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. Let's find out if this device from Lava's Xolo series is a worthy contender in the smartphone market.
Design/ Hardware
The White coloured Lava Xolo A800 looks very similar to Samsung Galaxy S III. However, it comes with a matte finish, which makes this smartphone look less plasticky than the Galaxy S III.
The Xolo A800 has round corners with an aesthetically done silver border. The front of the device is mostly taken up by the 4.5-inch screen. There are three Android buttons - Menu, Home and Back - embossed at the bottom of the screen and a VGA camera on the top. The left panel houses the volume keys and Micro-USB/charging port.The back panel has an 8-megapixel camera and the loudspeaker. The 3.5mm jack and power/wake button find room on the top panel.
In terms of hardware, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM, has 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB with microSD.
The Xolo A800 is a dual-SIM smartphone and supports GSM SIM card in both the slots. On opening the back panel one notices a big black rectangular patch attached perhaps to maintain space between the battery and the back panel. This looks extremely out of place and we would have appreciated if Lava would have paid a bit more attention to detailing.
Display
4.5-inch 16M colour capacitive touch screen IPS display with 245 ppi. The display and the viewing angles look good. The under-sun visibility on the Lava Xolo A800 was decent. The screen used in this smartphone is reflective.
CameraThe pictures captured through the 8-megapixel auto focus camera on board are quite crisp and clear. The Lava Xolo A800 comes with a BSI Sensor, which made sure that even the low-light pictures look decent. The quality of videos captures through the back camera is good too.There is a VGA front camera, which takes average pictures, pretty much like any other front camera. All in all, the camera experience on the smartphone is good; wish it had a dedicated camera button to help click a quick one.
Software/ Interface
The Lava Xolo A800 runs on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). There are five customisable home screens to fill with apps and widgets. The software runs quite smoothly pretty much like any other stock Android smartphone.
There aren't too many pre-loaded applications on Lava Xolo A800 except NoteBook and Xolo care but one can always download them from Google Play Store.
With the help of the Noteook app one can take quick notes. These notes can be under various categories such as work, personal, family affair or uncategorized. Saved notes can be easily accessed through this app.
Performance/ Battery
As mentioned earlier, the Lava Xolo A800 comes with Mediatek's dual-core MT6577 chipset rather than Intel's chipset that was seen on the earlier Xolo A900. However, we found this smartphone to be quite smooth and responsive. There were no real lags that we faced while using the device.
Powered by a 1,600mAh battery, the Xolo A800 is easily able to last a day on single charge.
The audio quality is good both on the headphones and the loudspeaker.
VerdictFor about 12K, the Lava Xolo A800 is an interesting smartphone. It has a good display and delivers a decent performance. However, consumers looking for a large screen smartphone might be tempted to bend towards, Micromax Canvas 2 A110, which has a 5-inch screen and a bigger battery (2000mAh). Micromax Canvas 2 A110 is powered by the same processor and runs on Android 4.0. Also, Micromax's device is available at a best buy price of Rs. 10,000. Lava Xolo A800 scores better than its Micromax only on the display front.
Pros
- Smooth performance
- Crisp display
- Android upgrade roadmap not clear
Ratings (Out of 5)
Design: 3.5
Display: 3.5
Performance: 3.5
Software: 3
Battery Life: 3.5
Value for Money: 3
Camera: 3.5
By ndtv
Agence France-Presse and ndtv
Lenovo on Sunday unveiled a home tabletop touch-screen computer aimed at turning typically solitary online activities into family affairs.
The Chinese computer colossus proclaimed the arrival of the "interpersonal PC" with the debut of the IdeaCentre Horizon Table in Las Vegas, where the Consumer Electronics Show gadget gala is set to start.
"It's definitely a new category; the world's first home table personal computer," Lenovo director of global marketing Dee Kumar said while giving AFP an early glimpse at the creation in San Francisco.
"This can be a full-power 27-inch PC, but at the same time we want families using this device," she said.
The "multi-user, multi-touch, multi-mode" table computer with a starting price of $1,699 can be used by several people simultaneously for communal activities such as games or for individual endeavors such as updating Facebook.
"We want to take social to the next level," Kumar added. "Smartphones and tablets provide one-to-one interaction, but it is great for a family to come back home and use this device to consume content."
Lenovo worked with videogame industry stalwarts including Ubisoft and Electronic Arts to tailor titles for group play on Horizon table computers.
"These games are simple mechanics-wise but really fun to play in a social space," Pixel, a member of an Ubisoft-backed group of girl gamers known as the Frag Dolls, said as she killed virtual zombies and raced cars on Horizon.
Lenovo promised to showcase a slew of Horizon games and applications at CES, which begins Tuesday.
Horizon is powered by Microsoft Windows 8 software designed with touch-screen controls in mind and recognizes commands from as many as 10 fingers at a time.
"Windows 8 definitely opened the doors to social with 10-finger touch," Kumar said. "You are seeing touch interfaces on bigger devices, and this is kind of the next extension."
Horizon weighs about 18 pounds and is built with a hinged stand in the back so it can be propped upright to serve as a television or desktop computer screen.
Wheeled stands and joysticks are among accessories sold separately. Lenovo said that Horizon table computers would hit the market by the middle of this year.
"Horizon makes personal computing interpersonal computing with shared, collaborative experiences among several people," said Lenovo product group president Peter Hortensius.
Lenovo has been striving to become the world's top computer maker and has made strides with a "protect and attack" strategy when it comes to market share.
Analysts have described Lenovo as a success story due to its tactic of fielding a diverse line-up of products in a global computer industry being roiled by the rise of tablets and smartphones.
Gartner Research in October released preliminary figures indicating Lenovo may have taken Hewlett-Packard's crown as top computer maker in the third quarter of last year.
IDC figures, however, showed that HP retained a tenuous hold on the throne.
Still, "our protect-and-attack strategy is clearly working," Kumar said. "We go after high growth areas and protect core business."
Likelo | Increase Likes On Your Facebook Statuses
Like lo
Increase Likes On Your Facebook Status, Gain Fame
- Allow people to subscribe you on facebook. To this go to https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe and enable subscribers.
- After enabling subscribing option go to http://www.likelo.com and get your access token by cicking on 'click here' on the site's homepage.
- After you click on 'click here' you might be asked to allow permissions to a facebook application. After installing copy the url of that page which is your Access Token, it will be like
https://www.facebook.com/connect/login_success.html#access_token=AAABempp6Ls0BAFriXnchu3
RI3fTkTrrHqVI8LmZBWBTrZBd0VgpGSVXwBctohE3vp0mvM49wF1BRvF2Lqi6i3xSrGbsZCcZD&expires_in=0
- Copy it and paste on the box provided in Likehoot homepage and click submit.
(click on the image to enlarge)
- Wait for the next page to load with some subscribe buttons. Subscribe any one there and click submit button. (Subscribing is not compulsory)
(click on the image to enlarge)
- Next page you get will be having your 5 recent updates with a subscribe button corresponding to each. Click on the submit button of your update for which you need hooping likes.
(click on the image to enlarge)
- Most probably after doing this you may be asked to login to your facebook account again. This doesn't happen all the time. Its good if it happens so.
- Allow people to subscribe you on facebook. To this go to https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe and enable subscribers.
2. After enabling subscribing option go to http://www.likelo.com and get your access token by cicking on 'click here' on the site's homepage.
(click on the image to enlarge)
3.
3. After you click on 'click here' you might be asked to allow
permissions to a facebook application. After installing copy the url of
that page which is your Access Token, it will be like
https://www.facebook.com/connect/login_success.html#access_token=AAABempp6Ls0BAFriXnchu3
RI3fTkTrrHqVI8LmZBWBTrZBd0VgpGSVXwBctohE3vp0mvM49wF1BRvF2Lqi6i3xSrGbsZCcZD&expires_in=0
4. Copy it and paste on the box provided in Likelo homepage and click submit.
- Next page you get will be having your 5 recent updates with a subscribe button corresponding to each. Click on the submit button of your update for which you need hooping likes.
- Most probably after doing this you may be asked to login to your facebook account again. This doesn't happen all the time. Its good if it happens so.
IMPORTANT:
Allowing subscribers is important.
Wait for each page to load completely.
Don't click on submit button more than once.
This auto liking trick works just by utilizing the access token others submit on this site.
Do the submitting process as fast as you can because the site may provide you auto likes till your access token does not expire (Expiry period ~3mins).
Make use of this before likelo gets into the blacklist of facebook
We are working on these type of cool updates......
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ANDROIDAPKWORLD
This tablet runs on latest Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). A powerful 1.5 GHz dual-core processor ensures the fast performance of this tablet along with a 1 GB of RAM. It sports a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 Pixels resolution. A 2 MP sensor is integrated on the back as well as on the front side of this device. It comes with an 8 GB in-built memory and supports MicroSD for expanding the memory upto 32 GB
Videocon VT10 sports a 10-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along with 1GB of RAM. The tablet houses 2-megapixel front as well as rear cameras.
Features and Technical Specifications of Videocon VT10 Tablet :
Technical Specifications
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- Display : 10-inch Capacitive Touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels
- OS : Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- Processor : 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
- RAM : 1GB
- Memory : 8GB expanded to up to 32GB
- Camera : 2 MP front and rear camera
- Connectivity : 3G via USB Dongle, WiFi b/g/n
- Dimension : 257.3x176x10.3 mm
- Weight : 650g
- Other features : Micro SD, USB 2.0, HDMI out
- Battery : 6800mAh, Li-Polymer, life up to 4 hours
- Price : Rs. 11,200
By Reuters
Armed robbers targeted an Apple Inc store in central Paris on New Year's Eve, taking thousands of euros (dollars) worth of goods, a police official said on Tuesday.
Armed robbers targeted an Apple Inc store in central Paris on New Year's Eve, taking thousands of euros (dollars) worth of goods, a police official said on Tuesday.
The robbery took place at about 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Monday, three hours after closing time at one of Apple's flagship stores behind the Paris Opera which sells products ranging from iPhones and iPads to Mac computers.
The police official declined to comment on reports the thieves walked away with about 1 million euros ($1.32 million) of loot, saying the company was still evaluating the loss.
Christophe Crepin from the police union UNSA told reporters four masked and armed individuals forced their way into the shop and afterwards escaped in a van.
"They were well prepared. As the majority of police were busy watching the Champs Elysees (for New Year's Eve celebrations), the robbers took advantage of this opportunity," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2012
The city of Mildura is not at the end of a dirt road in the Australian bush, in tire-choking desert sand far from food and water. Unfortunately, Apple's much-maligned mapping application thinks it is.
More than two months after Apple's CEO apologized for errors in its Maps service, Australian police say the app is "potentially life threatening" because of the bad directions it has given to the southern city. On Tuesday, a police official said Apple had "sort of half-fixed" the problem.
Victoria state police say they've had to rescue several Mildura-bound drivers who were directed by the app to remote Murray Sunset National Park, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) away. Some were stranded for 24 hours without food or water, and had to walk long distances through tough terrain to access phone reception.
"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees (115 degrees Fahrenheit), making this a potentially life threatening issue," police said in a statement.
The 5,000-square-kilometer (1,900-square-mile) park has desert-like conditions, scorching temperatures and virtually no mobile phone reception.
In the past 30 days, six people have been stranded after turning into the park via a dirt road the Maps application recommends, Mildura police inspector Simon Clemence said. Some were able to get out on their own but others needed to be rescued by police, he said.
The track eventually opens up into rough desert terrain that is accessible only to 4-wheel-drive vehicles. That's where cars are getting stuck in the sand, Clemence said.
"If you're stuck out there in that you haven't prepared, you've got nothing, you could be in a fair bit of trouble," he said.
Earlier this year, Apple dropped Google Maps from its mobile operating systems in favor of its own mapping application, which was quickly and widely criticized for bad directions, misplaced landmarks and missing towns. Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the mapping service in September and promised to improve it.
Apple spokeswoman Fiona Martin declined to comment Tuesday, and referred The Associated Press to Cook's apology.
Clemence said police received no response when they tried to contact Apple, but that on Tuesday morning - a day after police went public with the problem - it appeared that the company had tried to fix it.
Drivers coming from the southern city of Adelaide are now correctly directed by the Maps application to Mildura, Clemence said. But drivers from Melbourne are still sent into the park.
"So 50 percent of the people are safe and 50 percent of the people aren't," Clemence said with a chuckle. "So they sort of half-fixed it."
With temperatures this week expected to soar in the region, Clemence said it's critical that the directions are corrected quickly.
"It's a pretty serious problem," Clemence said. "There's a fair amount of responsibility on Apple to get this fixed."
More than two months after Apple's CEO apologized for errors in its Maps service, Australian police say the app is "potentially life threatening" because of the bad directions it has given to the southern city. On Tuesday, a police official said Apple had "sort of half-fixed" the problem.
Victoria state police say they've had to rescue several Mildura-bound drivers who were directed by the app to remote Murray Sunset National Park, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) away. Some were stranded for 24 hours without food or water, and had to walk long distances through tough terrain to access phone reception.
"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees (115 degrees Fahrenheit), making this a potentially life threatening issue," police said in a statement.
The 5,000-square-kilometer (1,900-square-mile) park has desert-like conditions, scorching temperatures and virtually no mobile phone reception.
In the past 30 days, six people have been stranded after turning into the park via a dirt road the Maps application recommends, Mildura police inspector Simon Clemence said. Some were able to get out on their own but others needed to be rescued by police, he said.
The track eventually opens up into rough desert terrain that is accessible only to 4-wheel-drive vehicles. That's where cars are getting stuck in the sand, Clemence said.
"If you're stuck out there in that you haven't prepared, you've got nothing, you could be in a fair bit of trouble," he said.
Earlier this year, Apple dropped Google Maps from its mobile operating systems in favor of its own mapping application, which was quickly and widely criticized for bad directions, misplaced landmarks and missing towns. Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the mapping service in September and promised to improve it.
Apple spokeswoman Fiona Martin declined to comment Tuesday, and referred The Associated Press to Cook's apology.
Clemence said police received no response when they tried to contact Apple, but that on Tuesday morning - a day after police went public with the problem - it appeared that the company had tried to fix it.
Drivers coming from the southern city of Adelaide are now correctly directed by the Maps application to Mildura, Clemence said. But drivers from Melbourne are still sent into the park.
"So 50 percent of the people are safe and 50 percent of the people aren't," Clemence said with a chuckle. "So they sort of half-fixed it."
With temperatures this week expected to soar in the region, Clemence said it's critical that the directions are corrected quickly.
"It's a pretty serious problem," Clemence said. "There's a fair amount of responsibility on Apple to get this fixed."
From ndtv Associated Press
Agence France-Presse
.
Yahoo! joined the fray over smartphone photo-sharing Wednesday by making it more enticing for iPhone users to use its Flickr service amid a rift between Twitter and the popular photo app Instagram.
.Yahoo! joined the fray over smartphone photo-sharing Wednesday by making it more enticing for iPhone users to use its Flickr service amid a rift between Twitter and the popular photo app Instagram.
Improvements to Flickr software tailored for iPhones and iPod touch devices included the addition of Instagram-style "filters" that let people imbue photos with artistic effects.
"We know that some of your best photo moments happen on the fly, so we've made it easier to get the perfect shot when inspiration hits," said a Flickr blog post by Markus Spiering.
"Once you get the shot, there's a built-in editor to quickly correct, crop, or enhance it with one of the new (high-resolution) filters."
Pictures taken with iPhones or iPods can be shared at Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr, or by email, the Yahoo-owned photo service said with a promise that photos will "look gorgeous no matter where they are viewed."
"We built the app with sharing in mind," Flickr vice president Brett Wayn said at the Yahoo! blog.
"We've worked hard with our partners to make sure your pictures are displayed beautifully on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr."
The move came after Twitter added Instagram-style smartphone photo sharing features after the Facebook-owned service made it impossible for Internet users to integrate its images into tweets.
Twitter said its partner Aviary is powering "filters" and other effects for images using the latest Twitter applications for Apple iPhones or smartphones running on Google-backed Android software.
A social media feud between Twitter and Instagram escalated over the weekend as the popular smartphone photo-sharing service made it impossible for Internet users to view its images in "tweeted" messages.
Instagram, which has some 100 million users, is seeking to route photo viewers to its own website, where it has the potential to make money from ads or other mechanisms, instead of letting Twitter get the benefits.
Previously, Instagram pictures shared in messages tweeted from smartphones could be viewed unaltered at Twitter.
Instagram rose to stardom with the help of Twitter, but has distanced itself from the messaging service since being acquired by leading social network Facebook.
Facebook completed its acquisition of Instagram in September. The original price was pegged at $1 billion but the final value was less because of a decline in the social network's share price.
A distinctive feature of Instagram is that it allows users sharing smartphone snaps to enhance them with image filters for artistic effects such as mimicking historic types of film.
Yahoo! is out to adapt photo sharing and storage service Flickr to modern lifestyles as part of a focus by newly-minted chief executive Marissa Mayer on connecting with people on smartphones or tablets.
iOS 6 adoption grew 29% in four days after Google released its Maps application according to a report in TechCrunch.
The website used data provided by ad exchange MoPub to contradict an earlier report by Chitika which said that Google Maps release had no significant impact on iOS 6 adoption.
MoPub monitors over 1 billion ad impressions a day across more than 12,000 apps and a dozen ad networks, making its data set more reliable than individual ad network Chitika. MoPub provided TechCrunch with data showing a 13 percent increase in iOS 6 users just from Monday to Wednesday, indicating many people switched to the newest Apple mobile firmware as soon as Google Maps' standalone app arrived in the App Store.The remaining increase was likely delayed until the weekend and therefore not seen in Chitika's data because people wanted to wait for positive reviews of Google Maps for iOS 6, or they didn't have time to do the lengthy OS update and stare at a loading bar during the work week.
Google released Maps for iPhone around 11pm EST on December 12. On Monday, Jeff Huber, Senior Vice President, Commerce & Local at Google, revealed via his Google+ page that the app had been downloaded over 10 million times in the first 48 hours. (downloaded over 10 million times)
.Facebook has announced a new app that erases pictures and messages within 10 seconds of being sent, the Daily Mail reported.
It is an advanced version of one of the social networking site's original apps, the "poke".
The equivalent of a head nod or wink, the "poke" in its old form is rarely used today as the site has become more advanced.
It has now been reinvented to be called "Facebook Poke" and allows users to send fleeting messages, pokes, photos and 10-second videos to friends, the Mail said Saturday.
The messages expire after a set period of time, from 1 to 10 seconds, and cannot be retrieved by either party again, making it perfect for sending salacious images without leaving a trail.
Facebook Poke (iPhone, free)
Agence France-Presse, December 21, 2012
Google's online Play shop of applications for Android-powered smartphones or tablets is growing fast, a report released Thursday by market tracker Distimo said.
Google's online Play shop of applications for Android-powered smartphones or tablets is growing fast, a report released Thursday by market tracker Distimo said.
The aggregate daily revenue at Google Play shops across the 20 largest countries where they are available climbed 43 percent during the past four months, while sales at Apple's online App Store increased 21 percent.
"Google Play is just starting to rival the Apple App Store in a few countries on a worldwide scale, even though it is still losing in terms of daily revenues," Distimo said in the report.
Apple's App Store catering to its iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices took in more than $15 million dollars a day in November, while daily revenue at Google Play was just shy of $3.5 million, according to Distimo.
"There were many success stories in 2012 about applications that became very successful in a matter of a few days and gathered millions of downloads and revenues," the analytics firm said in the report.
"Looking at the worldwide daily download and revenue volumes, the opportunity is really huge."
Smartphone game application "Draw Something" reached a million users in just nine days, while Asian publisher Naver launched five games in November that quickly became hits.
Naver game application Line Pop was downloaded 1.75 million times within three days of its release, according to Distimo.
A report released this month by research firm IDC projected that Android operating system will power more than two-thirds of smartphones sold worldwide in 2012, and will remain the dominant platform for at least the next four years.
IDC also boosted its forecast for global tablet sales for 2012 to 122.3 million, from 117.1 million, in large part due to demand for Android tablets and the new iPad mini.
Here's a full change log of the app on the Google Play store:
ChatON v2.0.5 update includes:
ChatON (Samsung Apps, Free)
ChatON v2.0.5 update includes:
- Sign in with Samsung account: All connected devices receive the same message simultaneously
- Move Special buddy to More menu
- Improvement of My Page: Multiple profile images & Comment on PostON
- Change font style of chat room
- Send multiple images at once
- Send Anicon/Animessage+text
- Walkie-talkie [push-to-talk]
- Improvement to My Page
- Add image effects
- Add group profile editing
- Add members of chat room as a group
- Add typing status
ChatON (Samsung Apps, Free)
Reuters, December 30, 2012
Facebook Inc's Instagram lost almost a quarter of its daily users a week after it rolled out and thenwithdrew policy changes that incensed users who feared the photo-sharing service would use their pictures without compensation.
Instagram, which Facebook bought for $715 million this year, saw the number of daily active users who accessed the service via Facebook bottom out at 12.4 million as of Friday, versus a peak of 16.4 million last week, according to data compiled by online tracker AppData.
The popular app, which allows people to add filters and effects to photos and share them over the Internet or smartphones, experienced the drop over the brief, often-volatile holiday period.
Other popular apps also saw slippage in usage, and some were more pronounced. Yelp, for instance, saw daily active users - again via Facebook - slide to a weekly low of half a million on Thursday, from a high of 820,000 one week ago.
Instagram disputed the AppData survey, which was compiled from users that have linked the photo service to their own Facebook accounts, historically between 20 and 30 percent of Instagram members.
"This data is inaccurate. We continue to see strong and steady growth in both registered and active users of Instagram," a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Friday.
Looking out over a broader timeframe, Instagram's monthly active users edged up to 43.6 million as of Friday, an increase of 1.7 million over the past seven days, according to AppData.
"We'll have to monitor the data over the coming weeks to gain perspective on trends in Instagram's performance," AppData marketing manager Ashley Taylor Anderson said in an email.
Attention-seeking
The sharp slide in activity highlighted by AppData was bound to draw attention on the heels of the controversial revision to Instagram's terms of service that, among other things, allowed an advertiser to pay Instagram "to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata)" without compensation.
The subsequent public outrage prompted an apology from Instagram founder Kevin Systrom. Last week, a California Instagram user sued the company for breach of contract and other claims, in what may have been the first civil lawsuit to stem from the controversial change.
Instagram subsequently reverted to some of its original language.
The move renewed debate about how much control over personal data users must give up to live and participate in a world steeped in social media.
Analysts say Facebook, the world's largest social network, was laying the groundwork to begin generating advertising revenue, by giving marketers the right to display profile pictures and other personal information, such as who users follow in advertisements.
Its shares closed down 13 cents or 0.5 percent at $25.91 on the Nasdaq, in line with the broader market.
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012
Facebook Inc's Instagram lost almost a quarter of its daily users a week after it rolled out and thenwithdrew policy changes that incensed users who feared the photo-sharing service would use their pictures without compensation.
Instagram, which Facebook bought for $715 million this year, saw the number of daily active users who accessed the service via Facebook bottom out at 12.4 million as of Friday, versus a peak of 16.4 million last week, according to data compiled by online tracker AppData.
The popular app, which allows people to add filters and effects to photos and share them over the Internet or smartphones, experienced the drop over the brief, often-volatile holiday period.
Other popular apps also saw slippage in usage, and some were more pronounced. Yelp, for instance, saw daily active users - again via Facebook - slide to a weekly low of half a million on Thursday, from a high of 820,000 one week ago.
Instagram disputed the AppData survey, which was compiled from users that have linked the photo service to their own Facebook accounts, historically between 20 and 30 percent of Instagram members.
"This data is inaccurate. We continue to see strong and steady growth in both registered and active users of Instagram," a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Friday.
Looking out over a broader timeframe, Instagram's monthly active users edged up to 43.6 million as of Friday, an increase of 1.7 million over the past seven days, according to AppData.
"We'll have to monitor the data over the coming weeks to gain perspective on trends in Instagram's performance," AppData marketing manager Ashley Taylor Anderson said in an email.
Attention-seeking
The sharp slide in activity highlighted by AppData was bound to draw attention on the heels of the controversial revision to Instagram's terms of service that, among other things, allowed an advertiser to pay Instagram "to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata)" without compensation.
The subsequent public outrage prompted an apology from Instagram founder Kevin Systrom. Last week, a California Instagram user sued the company for breach of contract and other claims, in what may have been the first civil lawsuit to stem from the controversial change.
Instagram subsequently reverted to some of its original language.
The move renewed debate about how much control over personal data users must give up to live and participate in a world steeped in social media.
Analysts say Facebook, the world's largest social network, was laying the groundwork to begin generating advertising revenue, by giving marketers the right to display profile pictures and other personal information, such as who users follow in advertisements.
Its shares closed down 13 cents or 0.5 percent at $25.91 on the Nasdaq, in line with the broader market.
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012
.Description
Pumping physics, gorgeous graphics - a true console racing experience on mobile
Interact with us and get involved with our new developments www.atomicom.co.uk
Bang Bang Racing HD now available for ***ALL ANDROID DEVICES***
Bang Bang Racing HD now available for ***ALL ANDROID DEVICES***
A home console racing experience designed and optimized for mobile devices and which utilizes NVIDIA® PhysX (tm) technology.
Bang Bang Racing THD is a fun, action-packed racing game that has cool visuals and pumped-up sports cars. But underneath its playful exterior, it has the pumping heart of a true racing game.
Bang Bang Racing THD is a fun, action-packed racing game that has cool visuals and pumped-up sports cars. But underneath its playful exterior, it has the pumping heart of a true racing game.
Real-time dynamic physics allow for finesse and control - drifting through corners and clipping every apex delivers huge player satisfaction.
The game also features a unique control system allowing you to simply point where you want the car to go, as if you are drawing a racing line for the car to follow.
Features
• A brand new IP giving you an exclusive home console experience for your mobile device.
• 4 control methods including Point, Split, Auto and Full.
• 8 stunning tracks based on world-wide locations.
• 4 Racing classes including: Muscle based “N-Dura”, Sports style “Evo GT”, ALPS based “Protech” and open wheel style “Apex”.
• 20 cars in total with each car having its own handling model and selection of skins.
• Dynamic objects including exploding water, oil and fire barrels, as well as cones and tyres.
• The game also features, single race, time trial, championship and reverse track modes.
The game also features a unique control system allowing you to simply point where you want the car to go, as if you are drawing a racing line for the car to follow.
Features
• A brand new IP giving you an exclusive home console experience for your mobile device.
• 4 control methods including Point, Split, Auto and Full.
• 8 stunning tracks based on world-wide locations.
• 4 Racing classes including: Muscle based “N-Dura”, Sports style “Evo GT”, ALPS based “Protech” and open wheel style “Apex”.
• 20 cars in total with each car having its own handling model and selection of skins.
• Dynamic objects including exploding water, oil and fire barrels, as well as cones and tyres.
• The game also features, single race, time trial, championship and reverse track modes.
Tower Raiders 3 GOLD
Gianormous Games, LLCDescription
Tower Raiders 3 - what the cool kids are playing!
By popular request - we bring you Tower Raiders 3 GOLD!
Tower Raiders 3 doesn’t redefine the tower defense genre; it sets a new gold standard for mobile strategic thrills!
The game includes challenging levels that cater specifically to fans of great gameplay. Every level provides unique logistic challenges and features many different winding paths that throngs raiders use in order to get to the people you're charged with protecting! And, if you choose to log into Facebook the people you're saving will be none other than your Facebook friends! As players progress through the game levels grow increasingly more difficult, and feature more waves of attacking raiders!
The humans you're charged with saving are depending on you commander, but you're also depending on them. They're collecting the resources you need to build towers. Luckily, they can handle themselves well - but you can always direct them to do what you see fit, and they'll be happy to follow your orders.
If you find yourself in a pinch you can in a strike team of shock troopers and watch them clean house. Or, for a little extra man power you can call in a drop ship with human reinforcements. You're the boss around here, commander!
To protect themselves players have access to an arsenal of upgradable weapons - but there’s a catch. Every weapon in Tower Raiders 3 has unique positives and draw backs, as well as different ranges which they can shoot. This is where strategy comes in. Gamers need to think smart and position their available weapons in the most effective spots if they want to squash every wave of raiders that approach and end levels victorious and in-tact!
Tower Raiders 3 is the most well-polished and well-rounded tower defense experience on Android. The game features beautiful 3D textured graphics, active Facebook support communities.
Features:
• Save your Facebook friends from incoming marauders!
• Hi Powered defense gaming action with unique levels
• Many unique upgradable weapons to utilize.
• Vibrant, 3D rendered graphics with full camera control.
• Save your Facebook friends from incoming marauders!
• Hi Powered defense gaming action with unique levels
• Many unique upgradable weapons to utilize.
• Vibrant, 3D rendered graphics with full camera control.
Tower Raiders 3 is developed by Gianormous Games, LLC
GOLD VERSION
The Gold version of Tower Raiders 3 automatically unlocks the next facility and corps level as you win campaign games. You never need to worry about unlocking facilities and corps in the main campaign. This leaves you free to spend the credits you earn on upgrades and supplies.
The Gold version of Tower Raiders 3 automatically unlocks the next facility and corps level as you win campaign games. You never need to worry about unlocking facilities and corps in the main campaign. This leaves you free to spend the credits you earn on upgrades and supplies.
See also - Tower Raiders 3 FREE - try Tower Raiders 3 on your device for free.
When you upgrade from Tower Raiders 3 FREE, your campaign and credit balance will be imported. ALSO - your credit balance will be credited by the amount used to unlock facilities and corps levels.
When you upgrade from Tower Raiders 3 FREE, your campaign and credit balance will be imported. ALSO - your credit balance will be credited by the amount used to unlock facilities and corps levels.
Tomb Runner: The Crystal Caves
Help Jane secure the precious artefacts from the crystal caves, just don't get squashed by the giant boulder behind you!
WILL YOU SUCCEED AND ESCAPE ALL 15 MENACING CAVES ALIVE?
Dodge the deadly crystals and stalactites and negotiate gaping chasms at manic speeds. Pure adrenaline!
Tomb Runner is waiting for you with:
• 15 challenging and varied levels
• Fast and catchy gameplay
• Orchestral soundtrack and great graphics
• Great fun for those little breaks
• 15 challenging and varied levels
• Fast and catchy gameplay
• Orchestral soundtrack and great graphics
• Great fun for those little breaks
ENTER THE MYSTICAL CRYSTAL CAVES NOW!!
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