Indian manufacturer Micromax making a Windows Phone device

Micromax is well known in the Indian market for making low-cost Android devices. After seeing a tenfold increases in sales from last year, the Indian manufacturer is now looking to make devices for the Windows Phone platform.

Micromax is currently the second largest handset vendor in India after Samsung. The Indian manufacturer had 17.1% of the total Indian smartphone market share in Q1 2013, which rose to 24.3% in the month of April. “Going by the current pace and our new device, we are expecting 25 percent market share in the third quarter of FY13,” Micromax’s CEO Deepak Mehrotra said. Just this week it has announced its latest flagship, the Canvas 4, which is available for Rs. 17,999($300).

Mehrotra also mentioned that Micromax is looking to make Windows Phone devices. Currently Nokia controls over 75% of the market share for Windows Phone devices, but the likes of Micromax could pose a significant threat to the Finnish manufacturer in countries like India. With a strong user base and a penchant for making affordable devices, the Indian manufacturer has taken the fight to Samsung in the mid-tier smartphone category and won. So it’s reasonable to assume that Micromax will follow a similar strategy when it comes to making a device that runs on Windows Phone 8.

As 4G services are starting to roll out across India, Micromax has declared that it is in the midst of making 4G-enabled devices. “Yes, we are aggressively working on our 4G offerings, which will include smartphones and dongles,” said the company’s co-founder Rahul Sharma. He also mentioned that the manufacturer will be ready with a device as soon as the 4G ecosystem takes off.

With sales exceeding 60 million units, Micromax is not a vendor is one to not take lightly, and is looking to diversify into other platforms in a bid to consolidate its growth in India.

Source: WMPoweruser

Hulu whittles down the number of suitors to three

Online video site Hulu, which has a strong mobile presence, is about to get bought out and the number of suitors has dropped down to three. Even though Yahoo has recently spent a lot of money buying Tumblr, anddid make a bid to buy Hulu early in the process, Marissa Mayer's checkbook appears to be closed as far as Hulu is concerned. Those with knowledge of what is going on in Hulu's boardroom, say that Guggenheim Partners is no longer in the running after submitting a $1 billion bid. The bid also included a deal for programming rights covering five years. ButHulu's owners, Disney, Comcast and Fox, told Guggenheim that it is no longer being considered as a potential buyer.

The two groups left in the bidding that want to buy the entire company are DirecTV and a partnership made up of AT&T and Peter Chernin. Time Warner is interested in buying a minority stake in Hulu. One report suggests that Hulu will reach a final decision by the end of this week. It is understood that each bidder has its own reason for wanting to do this deal. For AT&T it is a way to expand its mobile and streaming videoservice while DirecTV could be interested in bundling its television content service with Hulu. DirecTV could also use Hulu to distribute programming to those who can't afford a hefty cable bill, but can pay the $8.99 monthly for Hulu Plus. There is a free ad-supported version of Hulu that has a smaller inventory of programming available.

Hulu's owners are selling because they cannot agree on the direction in which the service should be taken. Disney was favoring the ad-supported free service to consumers while Rupert Murdoch and Fox wanted to focus on the subscription model. So far, Hulu has 4 million paid subscribers. The ad supported side of the business is making money but is growing slowly. The subscription model is losing money. Overall, the company is bleeding red ink even though it had revenue of $700 million last year. Part of the problem is competition. Netflix is a heavily marketed competitor although its television listings are older and much less relevant than the shows available on Hulu Plus.

source: WSJ, AllThingsD

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Take that, PRISM! Pirate Bay founder working on encrypted messaging app for iOS and Android

The NSA complained that now, since everyone knows about thePRISM snooping (or "metadata gathering") project, people are starting to take action to escape the government's watchful eye.

One such effort comes from none other but The Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde - he is building a highly-encrypted Android and iOS messaging app that can't be followed by the NSA's servers, and the messages can't be read even by its creator. Tist is similar to the CyanogenMod crew undertaking, which, however, won't be present on iOS, of course.

The app is called Hemlis, or the Swedish for "secret", and Peter Sunde is trying to crowdfund his development team now with various levels of contribution. five bucks will get you an unlock code for all the extra messenger features, $10 donation lets you preregister a username, and if you give $500, you get hundreds of unlock codes, as well as an honorable mention in the app's fundraisers wall. 

There is no release date for Hemlis for now, but considering it comes from the folks who supported launching drones in low orbit with servers that can't be taken over by governments or corporate censorship, the end result should be interesting.

source: GigaOM

Bluebox Security Scanner app checks if you are patched against the Android 'Master Key' exploit

Bluebox Security, the company that found the glaring Androidvulnerability that can circumvent the app install verification on99% of current handsets in circulation, now has an app for you to check whether your phone has been patched.

Google yesterday said that it has already plugged that hole, and Samsung is even shipping phones with the patch now, but if you want to check whether your handset has been updated with the patch, download the Bluebox Security Scanner from the link below. 

HTC seems to have done it already on the One flagship, so if you get "Patch status: Patched" on your phone or tablet, all should be well with the world again.

source: Bluebox Security Scanner (Google Play)

LG G2 rumored to launch in Korea on August 20th

A published report on Wednesday out of Korea passed along some important information on the LG G2, including a launch date for the device. The report also claims to have information about an LG Nexus 5. But first things first, let's discuss the launch date for the LG G2. While earlier reports had the phone coming to market in Korea before the August 7th event that is supposed to unveil the device, Wednesday's report confirms the August 7th introduction of the model which will be followed by an August 20th launch in Korea. Yes, this makes a lot more sense than believing that it would launch in Korea first and then be followed by an unveiling.

The LG G2 will be equipped with a 5.2 inch 1080 x 1920 display and will use the Zero Gap technology for a zero bezel. A quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor is under the hood. While 2GB of RAM is currently listed for the LG G2, the Korean manufacturer is said to be still considering swapping to 3GB. A 13MP ISO camera is on back and the word is that images are greatly improved. The removable 2700mAh battery keeps the lights on. A dual speaker will provide stereo sound and Android 4.2.2. is installed out of the box. There will be no front or side buttons and we have seen pictures of the volume rocker just above the camera on the back of the unit. The LG G2 will support the next generation of LTE called LTE-A which means the phone will run at speeds as high as 150Mbps.

We already pointed out the similarities in specs between the rumored LG Megalodon from back in March, and the LG G2. The rumor at the time was that the LG Megalodon would be the Nexus 5. Well, the same report out of Korea on Wednesday said that there will be an LG Nexus 5 launched in October based on the LG G2. The kicker here is that it will run Android 5.0, or Key Lime Pie. Back in March, the LG Megalodon was said to have a 5.2 inch screen, be powered by a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, include 3GB of RAM and offer a 2.1 front-facing camera. That is pretty close to the expected specs for the LG G2, which is what the LG Nexus 5 will be based on according to the speculation. It is amazing how all of these rumors seem to tie together. 

Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!

source: Ruliweb (translated)

The Nokia phablet to be called Bendit and sport a 6-inch display?

It's a glorious time in the mobile industry, for leaks and rumors are spreading like wildfire. Refusing to get overwhelmed by the barrage, though, we once again bring you what may very well turn out to be Nokia's first phablet. 

A pretty concise tweet by @leakschina claims what we're seeing is going to be called the Nokia Bendit and sport a 6-inch display, in line with our intel from earlier this year. The tweet also mentions that the device will ship running Windows Phone 8.1 and launch some time after the Nokia EOS.

As always, keep the salt in handy, for although this follows what we already knew and expected, none of this is officially confirmed (and we wouldn't bet on that changing any time soon).

source: @leakschina

Google to retire Latitude

Google Latitude will be officially retiring on August 9. Related products in Google Maps for Android, Latitude for iPhone, the Latitude API, the public badge, the iGoogle Gadget and the Latitude website will no longer be available in a month.

The retirement of Google Latitude means that you will no longer be able to share your location using the latitude and Google hasn’t included latitude as a feature in its latest version of Google Maps for Android. The search giant will also be removing Latitude for iPhone from the App Store.

Google will delete your list of friends on Latitude and you will not be able to see or manage friends. Moreover, applications that use the Latitude API will no longer have access to your location data, including the location history data on the Google servers.

Furthermore, Google will be removing the check in facility from the Google Maps and previously enabled auto check-ins will be turned off. However, you will be able to check-in, share your locations and view your past check-ins on the Google+ app.

Source

Image of Xiaomi Mi3 leaks, 5.5-inch 1080p display

We've been seeing rumors about the third-generation Xiaomi smartphone for some time now and we evengot a glimpse of it thanks to a few leaked images. Now, another image of the Xiaomi Mi3 has been leaked.

The source that leaked the images of the Xiaomi Mi3 prototype suggests a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is a nice upgrade over the previous edition of the Xiaomi that sported a 4.3-inch 720p display.

If the rumors are to be trusted, the Xiaomi Mi3 will feature 3 GB of RAM, which will put in on par with upcoming flagship from top-tier manufacturers. Furthermore, the upcoming smartphone is said to come out with a 13 megapixel camera at the back, 5 megapixel front facing camera, built-in NFC, HIFI quality stereo and a 3,600mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Mi3 is rumored to be launched on 16 August, but there is no official confirmation of an event for now.

Source

SanDisk's New Extreme Class MicroSDXC Cards Are Really, Really Fast (With Benchmark Results)

This morning, SanDisk announced its newest line of microSDXC cards, the Extreme series. And they're Extreme[ly] fast. But as you and I know, manufacturer speed claims for microSD cards aren't exactly indicative of real-world performance figures (especially in smartphones), so we actually compared SanDisks's new Extreme cards to the older Ultra series. Here's what we found.

On Android, we used the A1 SD Bench app loaded on a Galaxy Note II to compare performance between a 64GB Extreme SDXC and an older (used) 64GB Ultra SDXC.

The thing to note here is that the Note II we used to test these cards does not support UHS-1, and will get what SD card manufacturers refer to as "Class 10" performance. Most smartphones and tablets do not support UHS-1 speeds, and thus will not be able to get anywhere near the claimed maximum performance of UHS-1 microSD cards. One notable exception is the Exynos Octa version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 (model GT-I9500). Still, there is great disparity in the performance of Class 10 microSD cards, and the Extreme SDXC is the quickest I've ever seen.

 

I'm guessing those don't need labels, but just in case you're feeling particularly incredulous, the result on the left is the new Extreme card, while the result on the right is the Ultra card. The Extreme card was over twice as fast in the write test, and more than 50% quicker on read.

If you want proof that UHS-1 support makes a big difference, the Windows-based test (usingCrystalDiskMark) produced a much more staggering disparity between the two cards. Check it out.

 

The new Extreme card nearly doubles the Ultra for read speeds, but the write performance is what really stands out: the Extreme benchmarks almost five times faster than the old Ultra. That's pretty crazy. These results, as compared to the ones benchmarked in Android, also line up more with SanDisk's claimed performance figures of "up to 80MB/sec read and up to 50MB/sec write."

The new Extreme cards are available in capacities ranging from 16GB (SDHC, max write 30MB/sec, $59.99) to the 64GB SDXC card we tested here ($199). You can check them out SanDisk's website,here, and they should be available at major online retailers in the coming weeks.

SanDisk

BaconReader Updated To v3.0

Reddit isn't going to check itself, so you're going to want a good app to get it done. BaconReader gained an immediate following when it was released a few years back, and that continued after it was acquired by OneLouder Apps. This popular client has just been updated to version 3.0, and there are improvements aplenty.

   

The headlining point is the new tablet UI with dual columns and better comment threading. You can also disable the tablet mode if you prefer the single-column style. Here's the full changelog for v3.0:

• AWESOME NEW tablet layout
• Load more comments in posts
• Added specify image save location
• Improved reset to Front Page bug
• Added popular Meme backgrounds

  

BaconReader is still one of the more attractive Reddit clients out there, and its performance is solid. You also can't argue with the price of zero dollars. This is another staged rollout, folks. Mash the refresh button all you want, it won't do any good.

Dropbox announces the Dropbox Platform, syncing with third-party apps, Mailbox integration

At Dropbox's first DBX developer conference in San Francisco, CEO Drew Houston announced the Dropbox Platform, a suite of developer tools that makes it easier for apps to sync data -- not just files and folders -- across devices and operating systems. Built on top of the Sync API, Houston said the new Dropbox Platform is designed to "replace the hard drive" and that "sync is the new save." A key component of this is the Datastore API, which lets you sync data like contacts, to-do items and game state -- so you can save your Angry Birds progress across your different gadgets for example.

Another tool is known as a "Drop-in," which consists of a few lines of code that developers could use for cross-platform compatibility. Two such drop-ins are the "Chooser," which gives apps instant access to files in Dropbox, and the "Saver," which provides one-click saving to the cloud. These have been around already for the web, but are just now available for native iOS and Android apps. Some of the third-party companies that have already signed onto the new Dropbox Platform include Shutterstock, PicMonkey, Asana, Yahoo Mail, Animoto, 1Password, CloudOn, FedEx and Fargo.

As part of the announcement, Dropbox also touted a new feature for Mailbox -- that much-hyped email app that Dropbox bought in March. It'll finally be able to send attachments directly from within the app, which is something that even the default iOS client can't do. All you'll have to do is tap the paper clip icon to open a list of Dropbox files, select your item and away you go. However, we've not yet heard just when this app update will roll out -- we've included a screenshot of the Mailbox interface after the break to sate your curiosity for now. As for the developers amongst you, feel free to head to the source to get more details on how to get your app to play nice with the new goodies from Dropbox.

Update: Looks like the Mailbox app has been updated with Dropbox integration. We've included a link to the app in the App Store link below.

SOURCE: Dropbox, Mailbox (App Store)

Yahoo! Mail for Android updated with Dropbox attachments integration

On the heels of Dropbox's Dropbox Platform unveiling, Yahoo! Mail for Android has updated on Tuesday with the ability to send files of any size while on the go via Dropbox attachments integration.

Yahoo initially collaborated with Dropbox in April as a way to make the email experience simpler for customers. On Yahoo! Mail for web, for instance, Dropbox's cloud-saving functionality for files effectively lifted Yahoo's 25MB attachment limit. 
Now, in Yahoo Mail for Android, users can enjoy the same Dropbox attachements integration by starting a new email, tapping the attachment icon and choosing “Share from Dropbox.” If users don't have a Dropbox account, they can sign up from within the Yahoo Mail app.

There's no word on other mobile platforms, but Yahoo Mail for iOS just update with a new multiple accounts feature. In other words, iOS users can now add all their Yahoo accounts and easily switch between Inboxes with the app.

• Source: Yahoo
• Via: Yahoo! Mail for Android
• Via: Yahoo! Mail for iOS

Path update brings stickers for comments, better iPad app navigation

Path has introduced an update on Tuesday that adds its popular stickers feature to comments, as well as improved user-interface navigation for its iPad app.
Path is a social networking and messaging service for mobile devices and the Web that launched in 2010. Like Facebook, Path users can buy or use free stickers to respond to friends in messages...and now comments. Path said stickersadd color and depth to commentary and offer users a new way to express themselves.

Speaking of stickers, Path has launched Xander. It's a sticker character that drools and has poor posture, but he's also "polite, approachable, fun-loving (and single!)". As for the iPad app update, Path added improved navigation in both landscape and profile views. Moreover, landscape view has a composer button and feed.
The new layout also made conversations just one tap away. Friend requests became simpler, too: "We generate a QR code for you, your friend scans it, and voila, it’s official! And a refined friends list makes it faster to find and message your friends and family so you can quickly be in touch," explained Path on its official blog.
Another new features includes a Friend Progress Bar that will help users fill their feed with stories. Path 3.1 is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Android. 

• Source: Path Blog

TextNow Text Messaging App Now Available For Windows Phone Devices

TextNow is a popular messaging app on iOS and Android platforms, now available for Windows Phone devices. TextNow provides free texting and calling for your computer and mobile devices. TextNow gives you your very own dedicated phone number with which you can text and call for free.

App Description:

TextNow gives you completely free and unlimited texting directly from your computer! This app helps you stay instantly connected to your friends and family across USA and Canada.

When you sign up, you are assigned a dedicated phone number with the area code of your choosing. You can use this number to send and receive unlimited texts within USA and Canada. You can also send and receive picture messages! Your friends and family don’t need to have TextNow, it works just like a normal phone.

Download it here from Windows Phone Store for free.

New Huawei Ascend W2 pictures demonstrate colour-changing buttons

The Huawei Ascend W2 Windows Phone may not be the high end device we have been hoping for, but it does have one Unique Selling Point not found on any other Windows Phone – colour changing LEDs behind the capacitive buttons which will automatically match the Accent Colour of your Windows Phone.

The feature also goes pretty well with the very vivid colours of the handsets, as can be seen to the right.

The handset features:

• 4.3 inch WVGA screen;
• dual-core processor with a frequency of 1.4 GHz;
• 512MB of RAM;
• 8GB of built-in memory;
• dimensions of 134 x 66.7 x 9.9 mm.

The handset is expected to hit the Russian market in a few weeks.

Source Wp7forum.ru, via WPC

Facebook Beta updated with some minor features

After a series of minor updates the Official Facebook app for Windows Phone has finally seen some real new (if minor) features.

Version 5.0.2.1 features:

• The ability to remove a contact from friends
• Ability to remove the “like” a page
• Fixed bug that caused the number of notifications not clearing
• Improvements in the stability and performance

The Windows Phone 8 app can be found in the Windows Phone Store here.

Via Plaffo.com

Skype For Windows Phone 8 Updated With Improvements

Microsoft today released an update for Skype app for Windows Phone 8 devices with performance improvements and few other changes. According to Skype team, they are focusing on putting conversations first, improving quality and performance, and bringing new features to Skype for Windows Phone 8. In this release we’ve significantly improved the app start and resume performance – so you can quickly continue a conversation by moving smoothly between apps on your Windows Phone 8 device and Skype.

Change log:

• Start and Resume Performance – Improving the start and resume experience has been the main focus of this release. It’s now much faster to return to the app when it’s in the back stack. If you open the app and then hit the start button or turn off the screen, pressing the back or power button now gets you back into the Skype app much more quickly. You’ll also see some general improvements to the start experience.
• Live Tile Count - Based on user feedback, we’ve changed the Live Tile notifications to show only the number of unread conversations, rather than the total number of unread messages.

• South Korea Availability – Skype for Windows Phone 8 is now available to download from the Windows Phone Store in South Korea.

Get the updated version now from the Windows Phone Store.

Source: Skype

Claimed Nokia Lumia 1020 videos pop up on YouTube

YouTube user Nokia2928 have posted a large number of videos claimed to be from the Nokia Lumia 1020.

The videos  definitely need to be appreciated in HD, when they show an amazing level of detail.

The collection also shows lossless zooming (after the break), which also lives up pretty much to the promise of the 41 megapixel sensor.

See the full collection at YouTube here.

Get a Close look at the Nokia Lumia 1020 battery and camera grip cover

Russian publication izvestia.ru have delivered some more pictures of the camera grip for the Nokia Lumia 1020, this time clearly showing the extra shutter button, the screw hole for a tripod stand, and also that it contains a battery with LEDs showing its charge state.

See more pictures after the break.

The extra battery adds 1020 mAh, which should add 50% more battery life, and the shell certainly looks pretty camera like.

Will many of our readers who are buying the 1020 also buy this accessory? Let us know below.

Source: izvestia.ru

Nokia and Microsoft announce a collection of Ramadan apps

Microsoft and Nokia has announced a collection of relevant apps for this Ramadan season.

"Developers in the region are very enthusiastic with the opportunities Ramadan apps offer on the Nokia Lumia smartphones with Windows Phone 8 as they constitute a unique ‘economy’ within the Middle East app ecosystem. There has been a significant increase in this category and we are pleased to announce the availability of some of the most innovative applications relevant for this Ramadan season," said Ahmed Arab, App Marketing Manager, Nokia Middle East and North Africa.

Commenting on the availability of new Ramadan apps, Michael Mansour, Developer Platform and Technology Lead at Microsoft Gulf said, "This Ramadan, Nokia Lumia users will now have easy access to many of the cherished experiences that Muslims like to be close to, and keep them connected to Ramadan. Developers from the region have added various Islamic apps that would let users celebrate this Ramadan with renewed religious fervour and offer Ramadan-specific activities with greater ease and conviction. We are committed to providing Windows phone users with access to innovative applications for seamless experiences on the Windows 8 platform."

This year’s top new Nokia Windows Phone 8 Ramadan applications are feature packed, and include Ramadan Kareem, Quran Mojawed, Muslim Prayers, Essential Duas, and also Zomato which features a special Iftar and Suhoor section on their website.

a. Ramadan Kareem (free):

This app is the perfect companion for all Muslims observing the fast. The app gives the time and countdown for both the next prayer and for Iftar. It also covers the prayer times for the entire day, selecting the location manually or through GPS and using one of the multiple calculation methods one can choose under settings. It also offers very useful tools such as Mosque locator, a Qibla Finder as well as a Quran calculator, to determine the number of pages to be read to achieve one’s reading goal at the end of the Holy month. What is unique about Ramadan Kareem, is the free TV and Radio streams the user can access, a selection of Fatwa and holy reading and not to mention the special Ramadan recipes and non-Muslim section, explaining to do’s and don’ts of Ramadan.

b. Quran Mojawed($0.99)

Quran Mojawed offers the complete Quran in Arabic calligraphy with the possibility to listen to each surah from a different reciter. In addition, the Quran Mojawed offers complete Tajweed guidelines, as well as bookmarks. Quran Mojawed is developed by veterans ASGATech, who have established themselves as one of the leaders of Islamic apps.

c. Muslim Prayers(free)

Muslim Prayers stands out of the crowd with its highly customizable options. Every feature, such as prayer times, Qibla or Mosque Locator can be "pinned to the start" and accessed straight from the home screen. Its Mosque Locator is directly integrated with Nokia HERE Drive and allows users to make use of the voice guided navigation with one click. In addition, the app makes beautiful use of live tiles, allowing the user to see the prayer times flickering on the tiles on his/her home screen.

d. Essential Duas(free)

Essential Duas compiles a plethora of Islamic Duas for Muslims in a neat, clear interface, following the philosophy of Windows Phone design language, and granting the user a simple, yet elegant way to recite supplications on-the-go. Essential Duas also includes transliterations, as well as translations for each supplication, to help users who are not well acquainted with the Arabic language understand and learn the Duas better. Lastly, the app makes it possible to share Duas with friends and family, via SMS, email, and social media.

e. Zomato(free)

Zomato is one of the most sought after restaurant finder app from zomato.com. It offers one of the biggest selections of restaurant across the UAE, Qatar, India and many more. The app lets the user see menus, pictures and maps for over 95,000 restaurants as well as check ratings and reviews. Zomato and Nokia have introduced a special Iftar and Suhoor section enabling users to easily find out the best eating options available this holy season.

The apps can be downloaded at the links provided.

Via AMEInfo.com