Apple has released Safari 5.1.2 to users this afternoon, available by direct download or by hitting up Software Update. The update is relatively minor, but brings along bug fixes that address issues of stability, extensive memory usage, fixing webpages that were flashing white, and now allows PDFs to be displayed within web content. Go ahead and download!
HTC Sensation
HTC Sensation XL features a 1.5GHz processor, a whopping 4.7 inch display with 800X480p resolution, and Android 2.3. While Sensation XL specifications seem great, display resolution and RAM are slight disappointments. 1GB RAM has become the standard for quite some time for high-end Android devices, but Sensation XL is struck with 768MB, and in terms of display resolution 720p displays are in, HTC could have at-least put a qHD screen.
Remarks: I don’t know why HTC always launched low memory phones. Nowadays, all users want to load lots of apps, games to make full use of their smartphones and phones with low memory really disappoints. HTC should start providing minimum 8GB internal memory.
Will not recommend this mobile only because of low memory. It’s like that you have enough power but don’t have the oil to start it.
When someone you haven't seen in a while asks you "What's up?" or "How are you?", you probably give them a high-level summary of the major life events from the months since you last spoke. When you speak to someone you see frequently, you probably respond to the same questions with close-up, specific descriptions of your activities over past few days. Humans are aware of when and what we last communicated with someone, and we dynamically alter what information we provide to avoid repetition.
While most of the discussion aboutFacebook's latest changes has centered around the real-time Ticker, the switch to a news feed that displays different content depending on when you last visited will also profoundly change how we use the social network. Eventually, I think the "return visit-aware" concept will also change how we consume content across the web.
Before the switch, Facebook was struggling with repetitive content and a user base that engages with the site in very different ways. Frequent visitors — those returning multiple times a day — would often see the same stories first on the default Top News feed. Some wouldn't go to the trouble, while others didn't even realize they could switch to the Most Recent tab to see what had just been published. This led them to feel that Facebook was stale and caused them to quickly navigate away.
Meanwhile, those who visited once or twice a week would only see the the most Liked, commented on, and clicked stories of the last few hours or day, leading them to miss highly relevant stories that happened a few days ago. This made it seem like nothing really interesting was happening on Facebook and that there was no reason to stop by more frequently. These interactions didn't mimic the tradition of human communication. With the single-tabbed return visit-aware news feed, Facebook has solved all these problems by aligning its interface with natural human habits.
The Top News and Most Recent tabs have been combined into a single one, shifting the initial burden of choice from the user to Facebook. This works because a human typically doesn't ask someone "Tell me what's happened to you in the last [78 hours or 35 minutes]?" The respondent simply knows when they last spoke and tailors their transmission appropriately.
When you vist, the news feed surfaces the most relevant stories from between then and your last visit. If it's been a week since your last visit, it shows only the biggest stories from that timespan, making sure you don't miss anything important. This mimics how friends who've been out of touch for months communicate when reunited.
If you visited a few hours ago, it will show you the most relevant stories from those hours, but also a "25 more recent stories" link at the top. Similarly, if you've spent a day apart from someone, you might tell them the most significant news of the day, but also about your current mood.
If you've visited the Facebook home page multiple times that day, it shows you the latest updates so there's something fresh to see. Similarly, after working together all day and discussing bigger news, but then taking a lunch break apart, two coworkers might discuss in person who they had lunch with. Otherwise, this information might seem inconsequential like the minutiae the news feed shows if you constantly check it. But since all other information has already been discussed, the very recent becomes relevant.
By marking and unmarking stories as "highlighted" using the blue corners in the interface, you can teach Facebook's EdgeRank news feed ordering algorithm your preferences. This mirrors how you can interrupt a friend's boring story and ask about something else, or ask follow up questions about a topic such that they bring up that topic more in the future.
The end result is a news feed that usually shows interesting content. This inspires longer session times; more return visits; and more Likes, comments, and shares on news feed stories that trigger notifications or create content that pulls in other users.
Sites and services around the web are seeking these same benefits, and therefore I believe they'll look to develop their own versions of consumption-sensitive content streams. Right now, most news sites try to approximate this by featuring the most important content of the last day or so, and rearranging and demoting top stories as they grow older. Techmemeis probably the best example of this, but still they all essentially operate on the premise that you visit every 12 to 18 hours. Vist less frequently than that, and a must-read piece of news may have slipped down and off the home page.
Last week I reviewed an iOS app called the Riversip Tech Reader. It tackles the problem by letting users toggle between viewing the latest news, top news of the day, or the biggest stories of the week. This is probably the easiest solution and it doesn't depend on tracking a user's previous actions. It also works for streams which don't require click-throughs to expand individual pieces of content. However, it does place the burden of choice on the user. Twitter or some Twitter app could try this, surfacing the stories with the most retweets from a given time period.
An approach for when users must take an action such as clicking through to consume content is to remove, demote, or set aside content a user has already viewed. Imagine if the CNN home page replaced tiles or headlines of any story you've already read with something you haven't. This could possibly be done through cookies or another tracking scheme, but it would presumably be more accurate if a user was logged in.
Sites services, and apps with login functionality or another way to tie actions to identity should be considering how they can make their content displays truly sensitive to when a user last visited without explicit input. Using its login and other social plugins, Facebook may even seek to power this shift of other sites. In either case, the content relevancy arms race is on. The same way newspapers look hopelessly static next to Techmeme will be the way the sites of today will look next to the personalized, return visit-aware sites of tomorrow.
True Crypt is the best option to encrypt your data or hid your personal data with security…
Main Features:
More information about the features of TrueCrypt may be found in the documentation.
Jailbreak Free Icon Shortcut of your favourite settings:
The Jailbreak-Free (and cost-free) SBSettings alternative!
Instructions:
- This method will install icons automatically in one click and does not leave blank Safari pages open when the toggles are used like the old manual method. This may take a while to install so be patient.
- Simply click on a .mobilconfig file in the link that you wish to install
- When it prompts for a password, enter your normal lock-password - This is simply an iPhone security feature.
NOTE: Not all toggles are compatible wih iPad due to the different menu structure. Newly and improved version of the iPad coming soon.
Click Here from your iPhone/iPad to create icon pack of your own choice
Jailbreak Free Icon Shortcut of your favourite settings:
The Jailbreak-Free (and cost-free) SBSettings alternative!
Instructions:
- This method will install icons automatically in one click and does not leave blank Safari pages open when the toggles are used like the old manual method. This may take a while to install so be patient.
- Simply click on a .mobilconfig file in the link that you wish to install
- When it prompts for a password, enter your normal lock-password - This is simply an iPhone security feature.
NOTE: Not all toggles are compatible wih iPad due to the different menu structure. Newly and improved version of the iPad coming soon.
Click Here from your iPhone/iPad to create icon pack of your own choice
Webware2 Smartphones buying guide 2011
Budget Smartphone: MOTOROLA DEFY
This Android-based smartphone has a neat, uncluttered design, a 3.7in LCD panel with a sharp resolution of 480 x 854 pixels and a decent battery life. With its responsive touchscreen and decent internal specs, the Motorola Defy is an easy to use phone with a modest price.
The Motorola DEFY, as the name suggests, is not afraid to be dropped, scratched (Gorilla Glass), used in a sand storm, or submersed in water up to 3 feet (1 meter). It is powered by Android 2.2, it has a 3.7" touch display, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, microSDHC card slot and speakerphone.
Mid Range: Samsung Google Nexus S
Nexus S is the next generation of Nexus devices co-developed by Google and Samsung.Nexus S comes pre-installed with the latest Google apps and has features like true multi-tasking, Wi-Fi hotspot, Internet Calling, Near-Field Communication (NFC) support, and full web browsing.With this device, users will be the first to receive software upgrades and new Google mobile apps as soon as they become available.
Key specs:
1 GHz Hummingbird processor paired with 16GB of internal memory makes Nexus S one of the fastest phones on the market.
The rear-facing 5 megapixel camera is capable of taking stunning pictures and videos that you can share with friends and family.
The Contour Display uses a thin-profile glass panel, making Nexus S uniquely slim and trim. It's subtle but you'll notice.
Take Nexus S outside, there's 75% less glare than on other smartphone displays. Your videos, pictures and games look their best and the sun
Size: 4.88” x 2.48” x 0.43” | 800x480 | 4” Display | 5.0 mega-pixel Camera + VGA front Camera
Premium Range: Apple iPhone 4S | Galaxy Nexus
Apple iPhone 4S: The iPhone 4S is a gradual step over the iPhone 4 improving the internals, but keeping the look and feel. At the same time, though, it brings a reworked iOS 5 and introduces Siri, a personal voice assistant allowing you to vocally communicate with the iPhone. It comes with a 3.5" screen with a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels, but on the inside there's a twice more powerful dual-core A5 processor. It also improves connectivity a notch, bringing 14.4Mbps HSPA download speeds. The back is where an 8-megapixel camera resides and it's capable of recording 1080p videos.
Key specs: A5 Dual Core | 1GB Memory | Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB | 3.5”, 640x490 | 8MP Camera | 1080p, 0.3MP front camera |
Samsung Galaxy Nexus: The Samsung GALAXY Nexus is the first phone to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich - the version that is meant to put an end to fragmentation. The handset uses the concept of button-less front and thin bezel to fit a 4.65" HD Super AMOLED display in a phone the size of handsets with smaller screens. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor, and capable of shooting HD 1080p video.
Key specs: 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460, 1GB RAM, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 5MP rear / 1.3MP front cameras with 1080p HD video capture.
The hot ticket in the world of 3D is theNintendo 3DS, but is anyone actually using it with the 3D turned on? That's a big question.
3D was brought back into the theaters for a few gimmicky movies and a new digital technology that allowed one projector to project the two images necessary for 3D. It re-triggered a 3D fad that has come and gone and come and gone over the years.
Key to the idea that it's again receding is the simple fact that nobody is bothering to buy 3D TVs for their home. The few who do have the 3D TV seldom watch anything in 3D. It's too much of a hassle and still seen as a gimmick. A fun gimmick perhaps, but a gimmick nonetheless.
Smartphones at Work (source: iPass)
A new study contains more evidence the iPhone is taking hold at work, even displacing the stolid business-centric BlackBerry as the smartphone of choice. Of enterprise workers carrying a smartphone, 45 percent said the handset is an iPhone versus 32 percent for the BlackBerry.
According to the Mobile Workforce Report (pdf) from researcher iPass, the percent of enterprise employees packing iPhones rose from 31.1 percent in 2010, while BlackBerry users in the workforce fell from 35 percent. The decline in BlackBerry users was largely due to the RIM device not being able to keep up with the growth of smartphones in the workplace, the report explained.
That slowdown was evident in answers to what smartphone business employees intend to buy in 2012. While 18 percent of enterprise workers plan to get an iPhone, just 2.3 percent said they would buy a BlackBerry.
Android in the enterprise came in a close third, just behind the BlackBerry, registering 21 percent of the business market, overtaking Symbian and doubling its market share from 2010. More than 11 percent of enterprise workers said they plan to buy an Android smartphone next year, with 3.6 percent picking a Windows Phone.
Get ready to fire up iTunes and plug in that iOS device, because Apple's just released iOS 5.0.1. The release notes are identical to the two beta releases, which include fixing bugs relating to battery life and document syncing, while also re-enabling app switching gestures that developers previously had access to on the original iPad. And for those down under, voice recognition has apparently been improved when dictating with an Aussie accent. Those not interested in the 790MB download from iTunes, can look for a 44.6MB delta -- including only the changes -- from their device Settings. You'll find photographic evidence of the latter after the break.
If you've already upgraded your iDevice to iOS 5.0.1 and now wish to jailbreak, we've got a solution, which uses redsn0w 0.9.9b8. But, according to the folks at JailBreak Nation, if you're still waiting for an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0, you may wish to stay away from iOS 5.0.1 all together, at least for now.
For those that still wish to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1, follow these steps:
HTC plans to give the tablet market another shot.
After unveiling its Flyer and Jetstream devices this year, the company is looking to release another tablet next year, according to Reuters.
"Tablet is a market we would like to try and test, to see whether we can make ourselves stand out and prevent a me-too product," CEO Peter Chou said.
Though Reuters said that HTC has released only a single tablet model, the company has actually released two. TheHTC
Flyer, also known as the HTC Evo View 4G, hit the market in May, while the Jetstreamdebuted in September.
This electronic message contains information from Everest Global, Inc. and its affiliated companies (“Everest Group”). The contents may be privileged and confidential and are intended for the use of the intended addressee(s) only. If you are not an intended addressee, note that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this message is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact me at pradip.sukhija@everestgrp.com.
The HTC Edge could be our first quad-core phone.
(Credit: PocketNow)
Now that dual-core phones are a dime a dozen, what's next? Quad-core phones, like this leaked HTC Edge, if the photos are correct.
An Nvidia Tegra 3 processor accounts for the 1.5GHz quad-core processing prowess, according to PocketNow
. The Edge also supposedly boasts a 4.7-inch display with 720p HD resolution, an 8-megapixel camera with a backlit sensor and 28-millimeter, f/2.2 lens, It's also reputed to have 1GB RAM and measure about 0.4 inch thick.This electronic message contains information from Everest Global, Inc. and its affiliated companies (“Everest Group”). The contents may be privileged and confidential and are intended for the use of the intended addressee(s) only. If you are not an intended addressee, note that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this message is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact me at pradip.sukhija@everestgrp.com.
We just got our first hands-on with Spotify on Windows Phone, running on a Jil Sander device from LG, of all things. This instantly gives Spotify users a new reason to step up and subscribe to the premium plan, and it gives Windows Phone users a new reason to get excited about, well, music. The interface is predictably slick, as you'd expect from a Mango app and, after signing on, we were easily able to browse our playlists, browse our friends' playlists and of course search for some tunes. We're working to get confirmation of just when you'll be able to download it yourself, and we have a video of it in action coming soon. But, until then, enjoy the gallery below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pJhRQAf5BQ
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The RAZR brand has a long and storied history, starting in the halcyon days of 2004. Back then it was a premium line -- set apart from the crowd by its extremely thin profile and aluminum construction. Shortly after launching as an expensive status symbol, Motorola chopped the price and turned the V3 into one of the best selling handsets ever. In the years that followed there were countless revisions, colors and would-be successors that ultimately turned the once-hyped product line into a euphemism for obsolete technology.
Motorola has certainly had success since, particularly with the iconic Droid and Droid X, but alas, the Droid stamp belongs to Verizon. To once again make the name Motorola synonymous with cutting-edge tech, the company has returned to the well and resurrected the RAZR name. Has Moto managed to reclaim the magic and mystique of the V3, which had many a gadget hound coughing up some serious dough upon its initial release? Or is the Droid RAZR a successor in title only, more akin to the ill-fated MOTORAZR maxx? Keep reading to find out.
This electronic message contains information from Everest Global, Inc. and its affiliated companies (“Everest Group”). The contents may be privileged and confidential and are intended for the use of the intended addressee(s) only. If you are not an intended addressee, note that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this message is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact me at pradip.sukhija@everestgrp.com.
Following the release of iOS 5.0.1 to developers to test the new software against applications in addition to test for battery life and Siri improvements, Apple is now seeding iOS 5.0.1 to certain end users for testing. A small number of customers who have complained about battery life issues in iOS 5 have been seeded the bug fix release through Apple's AppleSeed program.
Apple warns program participants that their devices will not be able to be downgraded to iOS 5.0, but they will be allowed to upgrade to the final release of iOS 5 when it comes out in the next few weeks. The iOS 5.0.1 update also brings Siri improvements for Australian users, multitasking gestures to the first generation iPad, and other bug fixes.
In addition, Apple Stores have received memos of how to deal with battery life issues. Basically, stores are not to replace phones with battery life issues and are supposed to tell customers to wait a few weeks unit Apple releases a software fix. Basically, if your battery is not working properly: deal with it.
Confirming what we already told youyesterday, Apple has said the company has no current plans to implement Siri into any other iOS devices besides the iPhone 4S. Apple confirmed the news in an email (seen after the break) to developer Michael Steeber.
Engineering has provided the following feedback regarding this issue:Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices.
That doesn't mean however that developers won't continue to work on building Siri for later iOS device — like the iPhone 4 and 3GS. Curious to see how it works on an iPhone 4? Check it out after the break, along with a screenshot of the email:
