Samsung officially launches Wallet, a rival to Apple’s Passbook

In its annual Developer Day, held at the Mobile World Congress, Samsung has officially launched a ticket and coupon management application called Samsung Wallet, which is said to be quite similar to the Apple’s Passbook app.

Samsung Wallet allows you to store and manage event tickets, boarding passes, cards and coupons all under one roof. The South Korean manufacturer has also released an Application Programming Interface for its newly launched Wallet allowing partnering service providers to integrate their applications with the Wallet.

According to reports, the API is open to few selected partners only at the moment and the interface is expected to be made public in the month of May.

Samsung Wallet is all set to come out with time and location based push notifications, which is quite similar to the one on Apple’s Passbook. The feature promotes the coupons and tickets of its partners through push notifications. The app offers you real-time updates on membership card points and any changes in the boarding passes.

Samsung has also announced collaboration with Walgreens, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Belly, Major League, Baseball Advanced Media and Lufthansa.

Samsung Wallet is expected to be one of the new features in the upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone and it will be interesting to see how the application stands against its rival Passbook app from Apple.

Source (YouTube) | Via

The latest devices from the MWC get priced in Germany

A few online retailers have already posted prices on several of the devices revealed at this years' MWC.

Keep in mind that most of these are pre-orders, which means that you likely won't be getting your device right away.

Nokia's new smartphones, the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720, are available for pre-order for €199 and €378, respectively.

 
Nokia Lumia 520 • Nokia Lumia 720

ZTE's 5.7-inch Grand Memo phablet can be pre-ordered for €599, while their 5-inch smartphone, theGrand S, is available for €629. The ZTE Open, the first device running Mozilla's Firefox OS, can be had for €149.

  
ZTE Grand Memo V9815 • ZTE Grand S • ZTE Open

Alcatel's most impressive offering to date, the One Touch Idol X, is up for grabs for €699. Ouch!

Alcatel One Touch Idol X

You can find LG's trio of sequels, the L3 II, L5 II, and L7 II for €99, €179, and €279, respectively.

  
LG Optimus L3 II • LG Optimus L5 II • LG Optimus L7 II

Huawei's Ascend P2 (€499) and Ascend Mate (€599) are also up for pre-sale.

 
Huawei Ascend P2 • Huawei Ascend Mate

Samsung's oft-leaked Note 8.0 is available for €499/€599 for the 16GB/32GB versions (tack on another €100 for 3G support).

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 N5100

Finally, you'll also find the Xperia Z (€597) and its just-announced tablet counterpart, the Xperia Tablet Z(€639).

 
Sony Xperia Z • Sony Xperia Tablet Z LTE

Also, the HTC One, which was announced earlier this month prior to MWC, has had its price drop to a more competitive €599, after showing up for €661 earlier last week.

HTC One

Source

Chrome for Android update brings improved scrolling performance, background audio playback

Google has updated the Android version of Chrome with several new features. Now at version 25.0.1364.123, the latest update concentrates mostly on improving the performance, with some useful new additions.

The list of improvements in this update includes improved scrolling performance, increased responsiveness to pinch-to-zooming and the latest version of the V8 javascript engine, which results in faster interactive pages. The new update also brings support for background playback of audio, support for pausing audio in Chrome when phone is in use and expanded support for HTML5 features.

You will find the update waiting for you in the Google Play Store. Alternatively, you can download the browser for free from here.

Source

Got a new Google Settings icon on your Android smartphone? It’s fine

You may have been surprised today to see a new app icon in your drawer, the Google Settings, getting you access to previously unseen dashboard of settings.

While the more tech savvy among us might suspect some hidden malware is at work, what’s actually at play is a silent update to the Google Play Services app.

As far as its functionality, however, it’s basically just a shortcut to your Settings > Accounts > Google options, giving you the exact same options you’d find there, with the addition of some Google+ sign-in settings as well.

Likely, Google will fill this space with some unique settings at some point in the future, but for now it’ll be just another (pretty) icon in your app drawer.

Source

Google Play Books now available in India

The Google Play Store has been available in India since its inception, but so far, the only content you could purchase were apps and games.

Google has now added a second category to the store with the introduction of Google Play Books. You will see the new addition immediately after launching the Play Store app on your Android device. Just like the apps, the books are arranged into various categories as well as groups such as books below ₹100, books below ₹50, etc.

The book library seems to be on par with those from other regions, with the inclusion of several Indian authors as well that you may not find in other regions. The prices seem to be converted from their US counterparts so could be higher in some cases, compared to Amazon’s Kindle and other ebook stores in India. ‘The Hobbit’, for example, costs ₹166 on Amazon and ₹651 on Play Books. Similarly, ‘A Game of Thrones’ costs ₹280 on Amazon and ₹623 on the Play Books. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, however, is priced similarly on both the stores.

The Google Play Books store can be accessed on your Android smartphone or tablet as well as on iOS devices through the Play Books app on the App Store.

The launch of Play Books before the music or movies store comes across as an interesting move from Google. If you may remember, Apple recently launched the iTunes store in India, which includes music and movies but failed to launch the iBookstore, which could be the reason why Google decided to start with books first, to take advantage of Apple’s absence in the market.

HTC Sense 5 coming to One X, One X+, One S and Butterfly

Wondering if your HTC One X, One X+, One S or the Butterfly will be getting the new Sense 5 from theHTC One? Well, you don't have to anymore, as HTC has revealed that it does plan to do so.

Replaying to query on Facebook, HTC clarified that it does intend to update the above mentioned handsets with the new Sense 5 software features from the new HTC One, except for those tied to the hardware. We believe these may be the new camera related features such as Zoe but other than that you can look forward to the refreshed UI and the new HTC BlinkFeed.

As for the availability of the updates, HTC said it would be coming 'in the next few months'. Note, all the devices mentioned above are the international models. No information has been provided regarding the carrier specific versions of these devices.

Source • Via

Court rules Apple is to pay $330K a day over Facetime patents

Last November a jury in Texas decided that Apple was to pay VirnetX, a firm that holds patents relative to Apple services FaceTime and iMessage, royalties that amount to $368 million. On Tuesday evening that ruling was upheld and the four patents in question were reaffirmed as infringed. The patents relate to creating a virtual private network between two devices (or VPN).

The judge on Tuesday evening also ruled that until some sort of patent licensing agreement has been reached between Apple and VirnetX, the Cupertino-based company has to pay $330 thousand a day to the plaintiff.

No injunctions were issued but the judge did appoint a 45 day period in which the two companies need to reach an agreement before a final ruling will be enforced.

By applying simple math here - if Apple doesn't find a way to settle the patent dispute in the 45 days it would owe Virmex another $14.85 million. It's more than possible that Apple will pay even more before this whole thing is over.

Apple's case last November was that the patents in question relate to a very small part of the products in question (FaceTime and iMessage) and VirnetX shouldn't be entitled to any royalties.

of course, any normal person would expect Apple and VirnetX to reach some sort of patent licensing deal before the 45 day period has expired but legal battles have their mysterious ways.

Source | Via

Ubisoft announces Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Ubisoft has just announced the fourth major installment of the Assassin’s Creed saga – it’s called the Black Flag. The game is currently in development but will be released on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U, once it’s done.

Since the controversial ending of the Assassin’s Creed III, as well as the uninspiring plot and repetitive gameplay, lots of fans considered the game to be the last of the series or at least the last one they would buy. Yet here is Ubisoft announcing Assassin’s Creed IV with pirates.

As it turns out, the previous rumors about a new Assassin’s Creed game turned out to be true. There is still no official info besides the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag name and the four platforms it will be released on.

Ubisoft promises to reveal more info on March 4 at 6PM CET. I highly doubt Ubi has listened to all the negative reviews and fan criticism, but who knows – miracles do happen.

Source

Chrome Super Sync Sports lets you play games with your smartphone as a controller

A nifty new Chrome experiment has caught our eye recently, one which lets you and your friends use smartphones or tablets to control online games.

You and up to three other people can swim, cycle or run your fingers against each other in this nifty new way to have fun with your mobile devices.

All you need is a good WiFi connection and a compatible device (Android 4.0+ and iOS 4.3+ phones and tablets both work) with Chrome for Mobile, Firefox mobile version 15+, or Safari mobile version 5+.

The cool thing is that Syper Sync Sports lets you run your fingers off in online matches on other desktop browsers such as Safari or Firefox browsers as well – not just on Chrome.

This latest experiment from Google Creative Labs is made possible by Websockets real time server collaboration, as well as new HTML5 features like audio and Canvas.

Thanks, stoictj, for the tip!

Check out Super Sync Sports here.

Galaxy S IV to premiere at Times Square on March 14

Samsung has already sent out invitations for a press event on March 14, where it will unveil the Galaxy S IV smartphone. It seems though its plans for the announcement are much bigger.

Today Samsung invites all of its social network followers to join the Galaxy S IV premiere in New York. Everyone is invited on March 14, 7PM at Times Square.

The people there will be able the follow the UNPACKED announcement event via a livestream, which, we guess, will be hooked on to some of the big screens, lining the square. They should also be able to "experience Samsung's new flagship smartphone at Times Square", whatever that means.

Source 1 | Source 2

Samsung Galaxy S IV said to come with different CPUs

In a manner similar to last year's dual arrangement, Samsung might offer its upcoming Galaxy S IVflagship with different CPU types. They reportedly include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 in the US or Exynos 5 Octa for areas where LTE networks are not present.

The latest information comes from a note to investors from a Taipei-based JPMorgan analyst. It falls in line with separate rumors which have pointed at the Samsung Galaxy S IV packing both Exynos andQualcomm silicon.

We will have all our Samsung Galaxy S IV questions answered when the smartphone goes official onMarch 14 in New York City. We will be covering the event live, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on Samsung's Android flagship.

Source | Via

Samsung GT-I9500 captures the Browsermark 2.0 top spot

Samsung GT-I9500 made an appearance in Rightware's Browsermark 2.0 database by recording the most impressive score to date. The device is likely the soon to be unveiled Samsung Galaxy S IV.

The result you see above is the best we've encountered in our experience with the Browsermark 2.0 benchmark. It is also higher than any score recorded in Rightware's own powerboard.

Here's how the Samsung GT-I9500 stacks up against some of the devices we've tested.

BrowserMark 2

Higher is better

• Sort by Label
• Sort by Value

• Samsung GT-I95002710
• LG Optimus G2555
• HTC One2262
• Sony Xperia Z1865
• Oppo Find 51797
• Nexus 41794
• Nokia Lumia 9201774
• Nokia Lumia 8201760
• HTC Butterfly1475
• Samsung Galaxy S III1247

The Samsung GT-I9500 is all but certain to break cover on March 14 in New York City as the long-awaited Galaxy S IV. We will be covering the event live from the spot, so be sure to check in for the full scoop on the device.

Source

Galaxy S III wins best smartphone by GSMA, Nexus 7 best tablet

This year's annual awards for the tops in the mobile industry were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today. The awards are given to the best devices, apps, and technologies as selected by the GSM Association.

While the full list of winners is rather large and a bit obscure, we've done the hard work for you and summarized all the top apps and devices from this years' competition.

The Best Feature or Entry Level Phone goes to the Nokia Asha 305, which offers a compelling dual-SIM package at an extremely attractive price. You can check out our full review here.

The Best Smartphone goes to the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is no real surprise as the device has been selling like crazy since its release. For our take on the S III, go here.

Best Mobile Tablet goes to Google and Asus for their Nexus 7, which is still selling strong after being released last November. Check out the review here.

As far as apps go, Facebook won Best Mobile App for Consumers, Evernote won as Best Enterprise App, while the Best Overall App selection went to the Waze navigation app.

Finally, Samsung picked up three awards for Device Manufacturer of the Year, Best Mobile Infrastructure, and Outstanding Overall Mobile Technology.

You can check out the full list of winners here.

Be sure to check back with us on the 28th, as that's when the Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress 2013 will be announced!

Internet Explorer 10 goes live for Windows 7 users, available in 95 languages

Microsoft has officially released the final version of the latest Internet Explorer to Windows 7 users. The Internet Explorer 10 is available in 95 languages and Windows 7 users will all get the update to the latest version of IE automatically in the upcoming days but eager users are able to download it manually.

Internet Explorer 10, which is already available on Windows 8, comes with improved JavaScript performance for the Windows 7 machines. The browser also focuses on battery management for smartphones and the upgraded browser is integrated with spell checking and auto-correct features on Windows 7.

The IE 10 now offers better support for web standards like the latest CSS3, but the user interface for the Windows 7 version however remains similar to IE 9. So, the full-screen experience from the Windows 8 machine will not be available for the Windows 7 users.

If you are impatient, you can download the latest version of Internet Explorer from the official Microsoftwebsite.

Source | Via

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware leaks

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 was supposed to jump from Android 2.3.x Gingerbread straight to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean without any Ice Cream Sandwich landing in between. And as we already know, Samsung has beentesting out the Jelly Bean firmware for its Galaxy Ace 2 smartphones. Now, the test firmware for this once popular mid-ranger has leaked.

According to the leaked firmware, Samsung will be using its own Nature UX interface, which was initially announced on the Galaxy S3 smartphone and this might be the case with other mid-range smartphones like the Galaxy Beam, Galaxy Music, Galaxy Chat, Galaxy Ace Plus and Galaxy Mini 2, which will be receiving the Jelly Bean upgrades in the near future.

The pre-released Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware for the Galaxy Ace 2 dates February 17 and if you are in a hurry to check out the Jelly Bean flavour, the firmware is available in the source link below. But please note that the process of flashing your smartphone involves some risk and would void your warranty. So, proceed with the instructions only if you know what you are up to.

Source