Huawei Ascend W1 launching March 7th in UK on O2: free from £13.50 per month or £120 on PAYG

We're starting to think Microsoft is onto something with Windows Phone 8, an OS that's capable of delivering a solid user experience on mediocre handset specs. UK network provider O2 seems to feel the same, and in addition to pushing Nokia's Lumia 620 at an attractively low price, has bagged exclusivity for Huawei's Ascend W1. We originally heard the device would be available sometime in Q1, but now we have a specific date: March 7th. Well, that's when you can pick up the "Electric Blue" model, anyway, with an "Electric Pink" option arriving March 18th. It'll cost £120 (around $182 dollars) if you opt for PAYG (SIM-locked, no doubt), or free on contracts starting at £13.50 per month. Sold on those wallet-friendly numbers? Then head past the break and pick out your color.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tG3gFuGo4LY/

LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay

If you play Scrabble (or a scrabble-like game) from time to time, you may want to check out Scrabble Helper. This simple website is a godsend when you're at a loss for words. Simply enter whatever letters you have, and the word you'd like to connect with. Scrabble helper comes up with a whole bunch of suggestions sorted by score.

The site lets you select one of five dictionaries - Scrabble International/US, Lexulous International/US, and Words With Friends. Some people might say this constitutes cheating -- I think if the other side knows you're doing it, it's definitely not cheating. And it doesn't take the challenge out of the game, because implementing Scrabble Helper's suggestions and deciding which words you'd like to connect with still takes a fair bit of thought.

Very handy, though perhaps not one for the Scrabble puritans in the crowd.

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/14/scrabble-helper-helps-you-improve-your-words-with-friends-gamepl/

AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING

Aereo branches out to the 19 million people in greater New York and PA

Aereo's fledgling broadcast streaming service is getting a huge boost today with the news that it's now available to the 19 or so million residents in the New York "designated market area." In short, that means that it can now be used in New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania as well as within the five boroughs. Aereo's still intending to reach a further 22 cities later this year, and you'll soon be able to see adverts for the service popping up all over NYC -- so if your luddite colleagues suddenly start talking about "this Aereo TV thingy," you know why.

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/P5m3ghXusbw/

SYNNEX SYMANTEC

All Things Appy: Top 5 Android Kitchen Apps

Distinction's Cocktail Flow features a cabinet system that lets you inventory your bar and then proposes cocktail recipes based on what you've got. This is functionality that really shows off the power of app over website or book. Shopping suggestions for augmenting your bar, along with a budget guesstimate, tell you how many new types of cocktails you're going to be able to make after a trip to the liquor store -- and roughly how much it will cost. An animated screen, plus step-by-step preparation instructions round out the mix.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28c3fae6/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C773450Bhtml/story01.htm

LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

When Amazon Appstore for Android launched last week, one of its primary features -- Test Drive -- was disabled just a few minutes after it opened. With no try-before-you-buy, no refund process, and 1-Click purchasing ready to strike at any moment, this caused some problems. Anyway, don't despair: Test Drive is now enabled.

Before you get your hopes up, Test Drive doesn't work with every app. The IMDb app works fine -- you can even watch movie trailers on it! -- but the Angry Birds games are sadly not enabled. Some games work surprisingly well, though, like Bubble Buster. There's very little latency, and the framerate is really rather good. The Test Drive experience is so true to life that you even get ads; how cool is that?

Gallery: Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive

Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/amazon-appstore-for-android-test-drive-hands-on-surprisingly-co/

THQ TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

DoubleTwist Teams Up With Qualcomm On Open Source AirPlay Alternative, “MagicPlay”

A

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/7iq-IJ2593o/

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS

ASUS PadFone Infinity announced: 5-inch, 1080p screen, Snapdragon 600 CPU and full HD tablet display (hands-on)

You may have heard a new PadFone was on the way -- it's not like ASUS has been dropping obvious hints or anything. In any case, surprise! ASUS just unveiled a new model, the PadFone Infinity. Like other PadFones, this is a handset that slips into a tablet-like dock, allowing you to make use of a bigger screen. This time, though, it ships with Android 4.2, and the display has grown from 4.7 inches to 5. The resolution is now 1080p (up from 720p), which comes out to 441 pixels per inch. Additionally, the tablet's 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, up from 1,280 x 800 in the last-gen model. It's plenty bright, too, at 400 nits, but that's a slight step down from the last-gen model, which lit up to 500 nits.

What's more, the phone's gotten an upgrade on the inside: it now packs a quad-core, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 chip with an Adreno 320 GPU, some of the freshest components Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. Also on-board, you get 2GB of RAM to help boost performance, with your choice of either 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. As far as connectivity, you're looking at EDGE, GPRS, GSM, WCDMA, LTE and DC-HSPA+, along with all the usual radios: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS and even GLONASS. According to an ASUS rep, the device uses a nano-SIM rather than micro-SIM. Around back, ASUS has added a 13-megapixel autofocusing camera with an LED flash, five-element, f/2.0 lens and burst shooting at eight fps. There's a front camera too, capped at 2MP, in case you want to do the occasional video chat. Meanwhile, the 2,400mAh battery promises up to 19 hours of 3G talk time, and up to 40 with the dock attached.

Like every other PadFone that's been released, this won't be available in the US, but the phone-and-dock combo will cost £799 / €999 when it goes on sale in Europe this April. The phone is also headed to Asia, though we don't have any more details. You'll also have your choice of colors, we hear: gray, gold and hot pink, if that's what you're into. Check out our hands-on gallery for a closer look.

Update: Hands-on photos and video now added. You're welcome.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/asus-padfone-infinity-announced/

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL

TC Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop Talks Windows Phone Alternatives, Low-End Devices And Email

A

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sM8tUZpqNok/

IMS HEALTH IMATION

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted

With Windows 8 milestone 3 now up for grabs for select Microsoft Connect partners, it's inevitable that leaked bits and pieces will start popping up around the Web. In fact, the first "official" wallpaper image from the still-brewing OS is already making the rounds.

As you can see, it's got a similar feel to the good ol' Windows 7 default background, but features a more subdued smattering of cerulean hues. Those of you who want to use the Windows 8 wallpaper on your current desktop can download it from our file dump.

A few other details have been revealed, too. According to ZDNet's source, the Windows 8 Jupiter libraries and Twin UI are starting to take shape -- though all that's been located thus far are "[various files] scattered throughout the OS" and the aptly-named twinui.dll.

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/download-windows-8-wallpaper/

DST SYSTEMS DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES

Survive In Style With This Foldable Emergency Crossbow Slingshot

If you're going to prepare for a disaster, you might as well cover all the contingencies, and that's exactly what Joerg Spave has done. With a coating of rubber. Chances are slim you'd find yourself hunting game in a post-apocalyptic wilderness, but in theory, this crossbow slingshot would be the way to go. And in practicality, it's just clever design. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6Cc4SaDtvuI/survive-in-style-with-this-foldable-emergency-crossbow-slingshot

NETWORK APPLIANCE NETGEAR

Live from Mozilla's MWC 2013 press event!

Mozilla has gone from having zero mobile presence to being a big name waiting in the wings pretty quickly. The powerful open-source browser only landed on Android in 2010 (and in a "pre-alpha stage"), while Firefox OS (formerly Boot to Gecko) made its debut roughly a year ago this week. So, twelve months after the big reveal, whats does Mozilla have in store for us at this Mobile World Congress? You'll just have to check back in at the time below to find out!

February 24, 2013 11:00 AM EST

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/live-from-mozillas-mwc-2013-press-event/

SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 spotted at MWC, almost hides your entire hand (updated with video)

At last, here's what we've been promised: an 8-inch flavor of Samsung's Galaxy Note lineup. Spotted by an anonymous tipster on the MWC show floor earlier today, the booth shows off said tablet designed with portrait usage in mind, meaning it'll pretty much cover up most of whichever hand you'll be holding it with. And obviously, the Note 8.0 comes with a stylus as well. There's not much more to share at this point, but we'll be seeing this new device in its full glory very soon, so stay tuned. One more shot after the break.

Update: The folks over at Beste Product caught a few models posing with the Galaxy Note 8.0 for Samsung's photographer. The Dutch website even has a video -- embedded after the break -- of the whole action, and there you can see some design similarities of the tablet's backside, especially how the camera protrudes a little.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Samsung

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/23/galaxy-note-8-0-mwc-booth/

MCAFEE

Most Beautiful Items: February 16-22, 2013

The weekend is just minutes away at this point, but instead of going into an excited frenzy, relax and take a moment to recall all the beautiful things we feasted our eyes upon this week. We may be looking forward to the days of freedom ahead, but don't forget to enjoy what you have in front of you, right here, right now, and right down below. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_KeJUmZCoMg/most-beautiful-items-february-16+22-2013

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES DIODES INORATED

Apple Insights on the Post-Jobs Era From Jony Ive, Woz and Art Levinson

In the Tim Cook era though, we seem to be getting a greater taste of what life is like inside the company's Cupertino campus.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/02/apple-thoughts-ive-woz/

APPLE COMPUTER APPLIED MATERIALS

Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere

Color, the $41-million-in-funding location-oriented photo sharing startup, is susceptible to simple GPS spoofing. With nothing more than a jailbroken iPad or iPhone, you can use FakeLocation to trick Color into thinking you're somewhere else. Within seconds you can be browsing photos that were snapped thousands of miles away. With a little digging, you can pore through photos not intended for your eyes.

Of course, such a hack isn't illegal as such -- every photo you take with Color is public. With FakeLocation you are simply circumventing Color's very limited location-oriented security mechanism. It does undermine Color's usefulness (and uniqueness), though -- if nefarious types can sit in their bedroom or basement and eavesdrop on classy dinner parties and wild night club soirees, people might be less inclined to share personal photos with those around them.

Fortunately, both for Color and its users, this is an easy security hole to plug -- at least in the short term. The app (or server-side) code simply checks to see if the user has 'teleported' an impossibly large distance, without any intermediate steps in between. In the long term, though, Color's users must be aware that its social graph is completely public. Color's users must realize that every photo they upload is visible by anyone, from any place.

After the break, just to elucidate a little on Color's actual business model and ultimate intention, we have two amazing quotes from Bill Nguyen, Color's founder.

Continue reading Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere

Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/color-vulnerable-to-simple-gps-hack-lets-you-spy-on-anyone-any/

FISERV FIRST SOLAR

TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers

When TweetDeck landed in the Chrome Web Store, it seemed like an indication that it might eventually evolve into a pure HTML5 Web app. Now it looks as though that's exactly what's going to happen, with TweetDeck announcing that a new, not-just-for-Chrome Web client is ready for beta testing.

It's a natural progression for TweetDeck, especially since its originally Adobe Air app is practically all Web code. TweetDeck Web will sport a feature set which is nearly identical to the Chrome app, with the notable exception of Twitter streaming.

Initially, TweetDeck is targeting Firefox 4 and 3.6, Google Chrome, and Safari. Opera and Internet Explorer 9 won't be invited to the dance until a bit later on.

If you'd like to get in on the TweetDeck Web beta, head on over and register -- or sign up using your existing TweetDeck account.

TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/tweetdeck-to-launch-as-web-app-now-accepting-beta-testers/

NOVELL NETWORK APPLIANCE

Facebook Wants To Make Your Voice Plan Obsolete, Adds Free Calling To Its iOS Application

A

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_g1ZJPYZS8U/

PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

Having the right programs and hardware to keep the information on your display safe from prying eyes is never a bad idea, and new software from Oculis Labs offers a very interesting take on how to do just that. It's called PrivateEye, and it utilizes facial recognition to automatically pixelate the contents of your display when you look away.

If you step away from your system and someone else decides to sit down and poke around, PrivateEye will present a confusing jumble of garbled text. It'll even notify you if someone tries to peek over your shoulder -- and display a picture of your peeping Tom, throw up an alert, or sound an alarm.

Check out the video embed after the break, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Continue reading New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/new-software-uses-facial-recognition-to-defend-against-prying-ey/

GOOGLE FORMFACTOR

Daily Crunch: Farewell

A

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/25/daily-crunch-farewell/

LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE

DropSpace adds real Dropbox sync to Android

Dropbox offers a lovely client for Android, but it's lacking true "sync" functionality. You can merely browse your Dropbox, pull files into the device, and manually upload specific files.

DropSpace is a little Android app that makes Dropbox on Android work like Dropbox - that is, you get real folder synchronization in the background.

When you run the app you're prompted for your Dropbox credentials. After logging in to Dropbox, you get to select which device folders you'd like to sync to the cloud. It's a straightforward mapping process: You select a folder on the device, and then specify where in Dropbox it should go.

The interface is rather clunky, at least for now. The biggest annoyance is that you can't edit your "sync list": if you add a folder and then wish to remove it, you must delete the entire list of folders and start over.

In terms of functionality, it works quite well. I tested it with the camera folder, and it was nice to be able to take my photos using the lean default Camera app and have them sync up to the cloud instantly.

DropSpace adds real Dropbox sync to Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/04/dropspace-adds-real-dropbox-sync-to-android/

SYNOPSYS SYNNEX