A new Facebook smartphone?

"Come and see our new home on Android". The news came yesterday, Facebook has invited the press to an event on April 4 to find out about the new home of Facebook on Android. A theme somewhat mysterious but simulates the famous rumors of a Facebook smartphone. 

Last year already, there has been talks of  Facebook developing its own smartphone, an idea that has always been rejected by the most popular social network in the world. Some HTC smartphones had a previous collaboration experience with Facebook, like ChaCha and Salsa, who tried take advantage of a better integration by dedicating a new button.



HTC and a revamped OS menu! 
The Taiwanese manufacturer has once again in the highlights (and I know this because it isn't very often that the latest five posts on your blog are labeled HTC) and should take care of the hardware part. UnwiredView evoked early this March a smartphone with a dual-core processor at 1.5 GHz, a 4.3-inch 720p screen, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of non-expandable, a 5 Megapixel camera on the back and 1 , 6 megapixels for the front. 
The software is Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2  but according to TechCrunch, the latter embark an "overlay" in the image of "Sense" on the HTC smartphones running under Android.
Finally, if one believes 9to5google a Facebook / HTC ad campaign is ready in California.  
A modified version which would put the social network in advance, propose its own App Center and has every interest to capitalize on any mobile at any time since the social network is longer available on smartphone than on PC.


The application also keeps Messenger to enrich new coming today compete SMS and calls with VoIP. Finally remember this tweet from Bloomberg from the summer of 2012, that mid-2013 will output a Facebook smartphone in partnership with HTC. 


Hard to believe today, it is a mere rumor!

HTC One Crash Test

Once a smartphone is released, there is always someone on the internet testing its resistance using a drop test or stress test. Torture Day for HTC One has come and the executor is Android Authority.

This drop test is violent, trying to simulate real life situations to check the strength of the HTC phone. It is compared to the iPhone 5 in the drop test, simply because both products have an aluminum unibodies. 
Three tests are performed, a fall in from the pocket lever, another from shoulder height and finally,  head height. Three falls that could actually happen in life everyday.

At first glance, the HTC One fared better than its competitor, which is more likely to fall on the screen. But HTC One would suffer the same damage if it falls on its face. Both products are of equiv-fragile according to Android Authority.

Galaxy series are far from being the most secure smartphones!

This is not really new: the security of Samsung smartphones based on Android is not good. And it is clearly not about to be fixed!

Security vulnerabilities seem to multiply on Samsung smartphones based on Android. Evidenced by the testimony of Roberto Paleari, an Italian computer scientist, who explains that the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Tab GT-P1000, just to name a few, are far from being models of their kind.

Thus, to take a single example, Paleari says that taking remote control of Samsung devices is not a complicated exercise.
"All these faults were caused by specific software or customizations made ​​by Samsung in [Android].
Already at the beginning of the month, we saw hatch on the web videos on how to bypass the lock screen Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note II. Since then, Samsung does not seem to have lifted a finger."

Whatsapp and Skype to be blocked in KSA?

Online communications services such as Skype and WhatsApp may be blocked in Saudi Arabia if they do not provide the means to monitor their content, declared today, sources in the telecommunications industry.

"Telecommunications companies were asked by the authorities to come up with the operators of these platforms applications to an agreement to monitor the content," said a source regulator in the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC).

 


"The CITC has been given a one-week period, which ends on Saturday, to the telecommunications companies to get a response regarding content monitoring" an official of the Saudi Telecommunication Co . (STC), one of the three operators of the country, stated.

After this time, the CITC may block the popular WhatsApp and Skype applications for smartphones and internet telephony, he continued.

In addition to STC, Saudi Arabia has two other operators, Mobily and Zain and according to an industry source, these are companies that have asked the CITC to take action against these online communication services under the claim of unfair competing.

We have to mention that in the United Arab Emirates,most applications like Skype are blocked by the regulator of the country, apparently to protect the commercial interests of the two local operators Etisalat and Du.

More rumors about the Google X Phone...

The rumors about the Motorola X, a supposedly upscale smartphone, continues, and  in all directions. Here are the latest that invaded the web.

Not long ago, Guy Kawasaki, the man who worked alongside Steve Jobs in the 80's and now sided with Google to take on the role of advisor on the issues of Motorola, posted on Google+ the possibility to customize your smartphone such a car (he alludes to the "Porsche Exclusive").

Rumors continue to bind about the X Phone , the first phone by Motorola since its acquisition by Google, that this smartphone could indeed be equipped with an 800 Snapdragon processor and a 4.8 inch screen. 
Also there has been some talking about the presence of an Nvidia Tegra chip 4i a resolution expected to 1080p, which is the order of the day.
 
Regarding the design of the device, the latest rumors speak of a sapphire slab, known for its resistance to scratches, rubber corners and a carbon fiber shell.

Turn any website into a 3D Maze with Google

The new Chrome "Maze" from Google is just amazing. It literally turns any website into a 3D maze, whose handle is none other than your smartphone.
To start the game and drop your productivity at the lowest level, here's how:

• Make sure you have a PC or Mac with the Chrome browser available.Take your smartphone (Android 4.0 or iPhone with Chrome) in hand.
• Login to chrome.com / maze on your computer.
• Click "start" (then "skip intro" if you're in a hurry).
• Make sure the website address is 6 digits at the end (as chrome.com/maze/123456).
• Enter the address in your Chrome browser on mobile/ connect with tab sync/ scan a QR bar code.
• Choose a site as your playground.
•  Play with your smartphone or with the keyboard (it's easier) and don't forget to eat your dinner.
  
  

 

And voila! WebGL offers a new game canon.

Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One

Two great Android smartphones were presented recently this year, the HTC One and the Galaxy S4 which was featured on this blog by a full review.
 
Waiting for their release , we can already engage in a face to face comparison. Technology, material, design and features, what are their strengths, their weaknesses and which stands out most competition?
Galaxy S4 or HTC One.

2013 technique looks like a turning point in the world of mobile telephony. Galaxy S4 was highly anticipated and proved technically on the same level as its competitors. While each of the smartphones we compare today is one of the best, none is really more powerful than his competitor. There are a few small differences, but it is mainly at the level of functionality or technology that the differences become significant.

Design 

It's no secret that the first thing to attract you to a phone was and still is its look and design. Even before turning on a phone to discover its features or even his screen, it always starts with look and a touch. And HTC has showed that they made a real effort to appeal to users.
 
The HTC One presents an all-aluminum design with a slight bend on its back. You can feel an impression of quality with its pleasant finishes and its well studied grip. On the other hand, they might be regretting that this design has condemned battery access as well as a possible port of memory card. Two black dots for the HTC that could seriously handicap them if they did not give a good internal memory (up to 64 GB).

S4 Galaxy don't have such problem. Its look has not evolved since the previous model which was not recognized as the most beautiful of the smartphones. But then, it is the lightest, the finest, and most compact, but it is also the most "cheap". Its polycarbonate shell is not as strong as Samsung wanted us to believe. Fortunately, its slab glass Gorilla Glass 3 catches a little things by ensuring a good degree of robustness.

Ranking

Galaxy S4 before the HTC One under GeekBench 2 

 
 

Galaxy S4 behind the HTC One under AnTuTu 

So as we have seen, Geekbench 2 benchmark puts the S4 Galaxy in first position before the HTC One (3163 points against 2687), whereas AnTuTu showed the opposite. So yes, the HTC One earned a short head only (22446 points against 22678), but still in the first position. Briefly, it's difficult to disentangle the two smartphones, although it would seem logical that with a higher frequency for a same processor, the S4 Galaxy takes the first place. 
But let's keep away from any hasty conclusions, and wait until both smartphones are in action.
 
  

Picture and new technologies?

2013 will be the year of picture resolution, manufacturers are clear about it. Nokia with its technology Pure View and HTC with its Ultra Pixel are perfect examples.

Comparison of the size of the Ultra Pixel sensor and its competitors
 
Well Yes, it is here that HTC defeat the competitors. With a larger sensor and a lower pixel density, it captures more light and can therefore be more effective in the Dark environments. By most, thanks to its opening to f/2.0 (50% larger than that of the iPhone 5, 90% higher than the Galaxy S3, resulting in 300% brighter than the majority of smartphones) it is sensitive enough to overcome digital noise that taints many devices as soon as the light comes out. Finally and this is the icing on the cake, it has ultra responsive optical stabilizer which allows it to avoid blurred pictures in many situations. Indicatively there are stabilizers optical on the NPA and some Bridges.

For the photo part, HTC One takes thus advantage, through its Zoe application and its Ultra Pixel technology. We keep in mind that in terms of image definition remains less efficient than the S4 Galaxy.

 

Screens, precision and high definition

War of the screens has been a turf war between TV manufacturers for many years. It is therefore quickly spread to related devices such as smartphones and tablets. Thus, the 2013 trend was 5 inches and more slabs and the increase of pixel density. 
This round also goes to  HTC that tops the S4 Galaxy with a pixel density greater than that of the S4 Galaxy .
 
However, these feature is not enough to say that a screen is better than another. It should also consider the energy consumption, the display quality, contrast ratio and brightness. The victory is therefore not yet acquired.

At the moment, pending for the release both mobiles, I can only base my comparison on a general observation, the S4 Galaxy AMOled screens are known for their intensity of black but are less efficient in terms of brightness. Finally, coming to color level' s fidelity, it is known that Samsung has regular problems and Galaxy S4 is no exception. As we have seen recently, many critics have already prompted the manufacturer to correct this defect via a calibration free. It is possible that competitors take advantage of this point. But still the S4 is the only smartphone with AMOLED display for customizable calibration.

Battery life

at the time, it is impossible to answer the question of the autonomy of the HTC One and the S4 Galaxy. Galaxy S4 is the device with the larger battery (2600 mAh against approximately 2300 mAh for the other phone) and it has the same OS as the HTC One, only a bit faster. 
Difficult to say more, but  HTC One should worry a lot more than the S4 Galaxy  when it comes to battery life and performance.

In general nowadays, a smartphone's battery should last for 14 hours, a trend against which Google seeks to fight and which could distinguish it from others in the future Motorola XPhone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear to you that designating a winner is not really possible because both smartphones have their strengths and its weaknesses. 
  
HTC One suffers from some hardware deficiencies such as lack of memory card and a non-removable battery, but makes up for it on the features with some surprising picture.

Equally, the Galaxy S4 is also very dense in terms of functionality and won also the neck through his many innovations such as Smart Pause, Gesture or even S Voice Air. However it is blamed for its aging and cheap design that suggest a limited robustness.

So it is a bit hard to say which is going to be more popular. Please, share with me your opinion and let me know which one you would choose?

Samsung confirms the connected watch project

Samsung has stopped the suspense, confirming that they are indeed trying to develop a connected watch.

Young Hee Lee, the executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business division, has enjoyed a recent interview given in Seoul to confirm that his company was working on a connected watch:
"We've been preparing the watch for a while now. We're working really hard to be ready. We develop products for the future, and this watch is undeniably part."


Without providing anymore details, the latest rumors speak of a Galaxy connected watch, whose code name is Altius.

Various rumors circulated on the web, but nothing indicates whether the watch will run under Android or another OS.

In parallel, Apple continues to talk about the iWatch , its formalization is expected by the end of the year.

Comic Relief -V-

“Hell, if someone wrote a book about you, well, it'd sell a million copies the day it was released. And if someone else was clever enough to write a parody - you know, to provide some comic relief during these extremely difficult economic times - that would probably be an even bigger seller, or at least it should be. So, just come clean with me, Ed. Your secret's safe with me, and whoever reads my internet blog. You...are...a...vampire!”

― Stephen Jenner, Twilite: A Parody

Last December, Disney released Paperman, a short cartoon movie. The movie was so successful it even  received the Oscar for best animated short film in February.

The story was beautiful, a man who seeks to find a woman with whom he exchanged a few words. They meet, they kiss, do you want to find out what happened next?
Following is CollegeHumor's sequel with a much less romantic plot .

Here's the video, Enjoy:

What does the creator of RSS have to say on Google Reader phasing out?

While users from all over the world went crazy, signing petitions, begging Google to reconsider their decision about the phasing out of Google Reader in July, one person didn't give a fuck. I'm not talking about just anyone, I'm talking about the inventor of RSS!

Dave Winer, who is credited for his inventions of both RSS and blog, wanted to respond to the demise of Google Reader, Google's RSS service and feed aggregator:
"I won't miss it. I've never used it. I do not believe that a company as large as Google has common interests with me, and I do not trust them to store all the news I want to read. Besides that, I do not think that an approach such as "inbox" is a good idea. Who cares about the number of unread items? I like the idea of a river of news to read, and I have many configured flows, bringing me news and podcasts. [...] the next time, remember to pay for the services you depend on. Those have more chances of surviving the bubble. "
 

The approach is interesting, but probably too biased for the most of Google Reader users. Anyway, I have already published an article suggesting some alternatives to Google Reader.

How to download torrents from your workplace

If during your work hours, you skim the net looking for cool torrents, but you can not download from your workplace, here's a little trick.

The solution is very simple. All you have to do is to install the Phrozen Dropbox Torrent on your computer at home, then drag and drop it into your Dropbox folder (or any cloud storage service: Skydrive, Owncloud, FTP ... etc.,).

Phrozen DropBox Torrent detect new torrents from a remote location ( let's say the next day at work) and automatically start to download the associated content. And if you have good internet at work, hopefully, once you get home, your downloads will be completed.

Note that uTorrent also offers the option. And I'm sure there is a lot of other clients that might have the same option. On the other hand, you can find some web applications such as Transmission that also allow your remotely download torrents.

So you get it. There's a million way to get the same result, you just have to pick the application that suites you the most.
And I wish you the best of luck exploiting your employer's internet connection.

Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled : An incomplete revolution and a break from Google.

The minute Samsung announced that the Galaxy S4 launch event will take place in the New York Music Hall and will be broadcasted via a big screen on Times square on a big screen and on YouTube all over the globe, everyone got excited. We felt it's going to be special. Finally! A phone that will meet our high, very high expectations.

White waiting for the event to start, the Broadway orchestra played some beautiful pieces of music then the "Show" started.
Mr. G.K Shin the newest Samsung (and third) CEO introduced the product and spoke briefly about its technical specification while he focused a lot more on how much Samsung cares. How much they care about us, people. How much they are inspired by us to come up with these innovations, and widen their imagination, to perceive every possibility. Hence the slogan, Galaxy S4 life companion : life without boundaries.

After Mr. Shin's introduction, Ryan Bidan Director, Product Marketing at Samsung Telecommunications Ameria, "narrated" the technical specification of the Android phone along of an everyday inspired scenes performed by Broadway's best performers.
So for those who missed the event, keep reading along. You're in the right place.

I will divide the specifications into three categories: General specs, Looks and feel, S4 experience.

What Apple has to say before the launch of Galaxy S4?

Apple has decided to intervene a few hours before the launch of Samsung Galaxy S4 that run Android.

 

Android is honored tonight with the presentation of the Galaxy S4.
But Apple wanted to intervene a few hours before the launch through their Marketing Director, Phil Schiller. He severely tackled the Google OS claiming that it does not offer an experience worthy of the name. He believes that there are too many Android devices and this diversity brings many market share in this OS. The marketing director for Apple affirmed that this strategy is not effective because it creates a real confusion in the marketplace. The company does not see the interest to increase the number of terminals. 
Phil Schiller adds in his interview with BeGeek that a person who wishes to buy a Android device must subscribe to multiple accounts. Thus, the iOS experience is much better, because there is only one phone model, operating system, and one way to manage their Smartphone. So Apple wants to focus on quality and not quantity. The  iOS experience is best.

Now let's put all that crap away and focus on this paragraph, for it summarize what really Apple wanted to say.  

Still quoting Phil Schiller : Apple has absolutely no fear of Galaxy S4, it will continue to work and share innovations keeping the same line of quality.  

Comments of the Director of Apple were not picked up by the major stakeholders. Thus, Google and Samsung would not comment on his remarks. 

Finally, all I have to say that regardless of what Apple stated, The iPhone 5 is going to have a serious competitor in a few hours since the Galaxy S4 is going to be launched via a huge event.

Update: The event will be brought to you live by Samsung Mobile on this link :

Comic Relief -IV-

"What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream? Or what's worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists?" -Woody Allen-

After Google's decision, what is the alternative for the RSS Reader?

On july 1st, the most popular RSS reader will stop working. Google has decided to cut the service, saying it was used less.What happens there at Google?
Day after day, the company is making announcements that go beyond product launch. After yesterday's announcement of the departure of Andy Rubin, one of the architects of Android, the Mountain View company, has released an info this morning to say the unexpected: the outright stop of Google Reader. 

The RSS reader which inform millions of people around the world, will be permanently closed on July 1st. Without further guidance. It gives little explanation to justify this decision. Two reasons were mentioned on its official blog: Google Reader users number is decreasing and the company need to rationalize its services. 

What is the alternative?

While Google Reader team expressed his "sadness", the followers of this service are put together as shown in the number of reactions on specialized sites and Twitter. Petitions embark on the same canvas in an attempt to put pressure on Google to reconsider its decision. One of them garnered the signatures at an impressive rate, with a number of names which reached more than 30,000 in just a few hours. In addition to these reactions, several companies offer their solution.
Services like Feedly are already offering to  automatically manage the recovery from Google Reader. They hold also to reassure their users: the removal service will not affect Google users to Feedly. Others, such as Old Reader, have decided to adopt an interface "old" that should delight fans of Google Reader. The only problem is, this service is saturated since Google's decision. The design solution is also French, it is called Netvibes. Fortunately, there are a thousand ways to recover for Google RSS Reader.

Use Twitter as a Gmail notifier and get SMS for new mail

Before starting I have to state that this project is created by the genius Mr.Amit Agarwal, I'm just creating this tutorial to demonstrate and explain the process.

So, as Mr. Argawal mentions this idea will let  can turn your Twitter Timeline into a Gmail Notifier and get notified (via tweets) as soon as new email messages arrive in your mailbox.And since you can link Twitter to your phone number, you can even get SMS text alerts for new Gmail messages.

This three steps process should take you 5 minutes and it is really easy to follow. Let's start: 

1- Creating a new Twitter app Gmail:

First I'm going to create a brand new twitter account and I'm gonna call it h20platform. Then, we'll have to go to the twitter settings and check the option “Protect My Tweets” and uncheck the option “Let others find me by my email address.” 

Now to create the application, go to https://dev.twitter.com/apps/new, sign in with your new twitter account and fill the fields as the picture below shows:

Google Glass first apps unveiled

It was at the SXSW Interactive (from 8 to 12 March 2013) that Google has introduced some of the applications that will be included in its famous glasses, Google Glass.

Four applications are already in the pipeline: Evernote, Gmail, Path and the New York Times. 

Evernote is a universal note-taking tool, which works with any web site and includes a voice recorder, etc.  
Gmail is email tool made ​​by Google.
Path, is a social network where you can accept 150 contacts (a kind of anti-Facebook).  
Finally, the application of the New York Times that can show you the latest news.

All of these applications (already available on other platforms), should be completely redesigned to be adapted to the reality glasses.The Verge explains for example that the Gmail application must be reconfigured so that only the most important messages are loaded, the photo of the recipient appears, and it is possible to dictate a particular message without typing anything. Same for Evernote: it is possible to take photos and share them instantly on Skitch, without wasting any time on sub-menus.
 
The marketing of these glasses should always take place in the course of the year, but the first releases are currently reserved for developers.

For the record, it was reported that "5 Point Cafe", a dive bar in Seattle, has banned Google Glass, even before its release for Privacy concerns, including the fact that the glasses can be used to discretely take video.
The bar outlined its problems with the glasses in a Facebook post here.

A brilliant app and an awesome android smartphone..

First let's take a look at this awesome and free app that lets you wirelessly manage your Android from your favorite browser.

It's called AirDroid:

Not only this app is capable of many functions that could be achieved with additional third-party apps, but it also looks extremely slick.

 And once you succesfully connect, it will take a few seconds to show you the beautiful “desktop” where you can see your phone’s memory and free space, manage your phone’s files, share URLs and more.

The application is very secure and it is completely free. You can get it from google play store.

Would you give up your private life for a pair of glasses?

Demonstrations of the latest Glass Google did not fail to glamorize the latest gadget from Google. If the promised opportunities seem interesting, some are already worried about the impact of these devices on our lives, and talk about "the end of privacy."

It is difficult not to address the issue of privacy when wearing glasses connected, equipped with a camera capable of shooting constantly everything seen by the wearer. 
Cory Bernardi, an australian Senator raises the question of how these privacy issues will be managed by Google: "Google Glass has the ability to record video and audio of everything that happens during your day. No need to enter your iPhone and click to capture the moment. (...) This can go if you are a user, but what if you are the unwitting victim of this type of recording?"

For now, Google did not comment on the management of privacy for users of Google Glass or their surroundings. But it seems clear that the issue will eventually face the Mountain View company and that it will respond. 

Last August, the CNIL had again pinned on Google Street View imagery and Wi-Fi data collected by its cars.

Google to make more money from Youtube.

YouTube the streaming giant, issued the following statement: "While we don't comment on rumor or speculation, there are some content creators that think they would benefit from a subscription revenue stream in addition to ads, so we're looking at that."

Now the rumor is, that Google is to launch a subscription music service of their own, with suggestions of going live later this year.  It is believed that the service will be heavily linked with the Android mobile operating system, thus syncing with Google Play, where people can upload music to play anywhere. You know, something like "Spotify".

While the YouTube service is to be largely free, users can upgrade to unlock more features, such as ad-free access, for instance. And regarding the scale of YouTube it's impossible not to see the record companies jumping onboard any new venture, since streaming represents a sizeable portion of online revenues at the major labels.

The only question is whether it should be ad-supported or subscription based.

So would you be interested to pay for some extra youtube features?