All About Mobiles

Android Operating system is the most popular OS in the World and the number of Android Smartphone users as at this year far beats that of other OS. Some android users like myself have become so fond of it because of the huge variety of features, Apps and ease of tweaking that we have become addicted to it. Have you ever wondered how it will look like to run Android OS on your PC? How playing your favourite game like PES 2014 and Asphalt 8 or connecting with your friends via your favourite social networks will feel like on your Windows PC?.

I craved for it and decided to do something about it. I carried out research, found out a very cool way to accomplish it without altering any set-ups of your PC and anybody that can operate a PC can do it. You can Install and run Android 4.4 Kit kat on your Windows XP, Vista, WIN 7 or 8 PC by following this simple procedures:

1= Download Bluestack App Player.

2= Click on the green download button. You will be redirected to another page after which the installer will start downloading. 

3= After the downloading is complete, open the .exe file and choose a folder to save it to if you don’t want it to save by default. Then click to install.

4= After the installation is complete, the App will auto-start and initialize itself.  

5= Wait a while for the App to start auto-downloading the required files to enable communication with Playstore or click on any App icon to force it. If you clicked on any App icon to force start downloading the files, just okay the prompt that will come up and it will start downloading the files.

6= When the files finish downloading, your Android installation on PC is set.

7= Next step is to add a Google account like in every other Android device to be able to use it. You can do this by clicking on Settings> Bluestack settings> Advanced settings> Add account.

8= On trying to download your first app, it will be requested of you to re-enter your Google account sign-in details. Just enter it, complete the other prompts and you will see a screen like the one below. 

9= After the above process, you can start downloading your favourite Apps and games for use on ur PC. You can use the search button in the App to search for any Android App available on the Google Playstore.

10= You know how to operate your Droid already.. So enjoy the fun!!!.

Note: Add the Bluestack shortcut to your desktop for easy access of launching.

Bluestack offers a one day trial after which you will be required to subscribe to Premium with $2 per month or download and install their sponsored Apps of the day to  continue using it. I recommend the subscription package where you get unlimited usage for a month and its faster.

Source: Phone Arena

Gionee, a handset maker founded in 2002 with its factory in China is mostly known  for its record breaking smartphones – first the Gionee Elife S5.5 then the Gionee Elife S5.1 which at the time of their release separately were the World’s slimmest smartphones before being dethroned recently by the Oppo R5. This time around, they are in the news as they are set to release a new mobile device, the Gionee W900 which will be the World’s first Smartphone with double 1080p displays.

The Gionee W900 looks similar to a number of Samsung's dual-screen flip Android smartphones but with an upgrade. It comes with two 4.0 inches full HD (1080 x 1920 pixel) AMOLED screens (with an amazing 550 ppi density). 

The device which weighs 172 grams and is 14.8 mm thick when closed, runs on Android 4.4.4 Kit Kat, with the other features being a Quad core 1.5 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM to run on and 16 GB of internal storage which is expandable via MicroSD card to 64 GB,. It also comes with a 13 MP back camera and a 5 MP front facing camera for selfies and video calls,  high speed LTE (4G) and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS and a 2050 mAh battery to power it.

Presently, there is no word about when it could be upgradable to Android 5.0 Lollipop and also the pricing of the device is not known yet but it could drop before Christmas in China, its home country where it has passed through screening and certification from Tenaa (the communications regulatory agency in China).

 As reported on Microsoft’s website, Opera Mobile Store boasts close to 300,000 apps and games with support for more than 7,500 devices ranging from feature phones to smartphones. 40,000 developers from around the world have contributed to the store's range of app offerings.

After the transition from Nokia store to Opera, Microsoft intends to shut down the Nokia store. 

Have you got taste for allure and enough cash to throw around? Do you want something unique and special? If yes!, Apple and karalux, the renowned Vietnamese jeweler have got something for you – an Apple iPad Air 2 plated in 24 karat gold.

The special plating of course comes at a price – quite for those with enough money to throw around. A 64GB version of the tablet coated in real gold costs about $1315 – which is over double the amount for the regular 64GB iPad Air 2 which comes at about $600 and even lesser if ordered from the Apple store directly.

The 16GB and 128GB iPad Air 2 models will also be released and Karalux will reward customers who pick up one of their creations by the end of the month with a gold-plated tie pin or a Zippo lighter with the same finish.

Source: GSM Arena

 Below is the rundown of the specifications of the device.

General Information

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100

4G Network No

SIM Dual mini SIM

Status Announced November 2014

Body

Dimensions 142.4 x 73.2 x 10.1 mm, 160 grams

Keyboard Touchscreen

Colors: White, Black

Display: IPS, capacitive touchscreen with 16,000,000 colors, 5.0 inches screen, 480 x 854 pixels, 196 ppi.

Memory: Internal 16GB, Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD Card slot, 1GB RAM

OS: Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Processors: 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU,

MediaTek MT6582 chipset, Mali-400MP2 GPU

Connectivity

2G GPRS – up to 85.6 kbps; EDGE – up to 236.8 kbps

3G Up to 21 mbps downlink; Up to 5.67 mbps uplink

4G No

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth Version 4.0, MicroUSB v2.0, NFC No

Camera: 5MP front camera, 2592 x 1944-pixel with LED flash

Video 1080p@30fps

Secondary 2MP up to 1600 x 1200-pixel

Navigation: Yes, GPS with A-GPS

Maps: Yes, Google Maps

Browser HTML

Java No

Battery: 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery

Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyroscope, Light

Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM

Entertainment

Music Player: Yes, mp3, WAV, FLAC, eACC+

Video Player: Yes, MPEG4, H.263, H.264,

XviD

FM Radio: Yes (with RDS)

Loudspeaker: Yes

Video Streaming: Yes

Wireless Charging: No

Water Resistant: No

- FM Radio

– MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player

– Image viewer and editor

– Document viewer and editor

Price: Expected to range between 16000 and 22000 Naira.

Unlike other encryption systems, which often scramble messages only as they travel from a device to the company’s servers before being re-routed to the recipients, TextSecure encrypts the message from end-to-end (from handset to handset) throughout a message's journey meaning even the tech firms don’t even have access to your messages anymore.

This encryption has been described by tech experts as the most secure giving WhatsApp the bragging rights as the most secure messaging platform.

Law enforcement agencies are not happy with some tech firms because of the encryption being applied to messages as they say it makes it difficult for them to fraudsters and criminals

For now, the encryption is only available on Android, but is expected to be available at some stage for the iOS app and only messages are being encrypted initially with videos and group messaging encryption expected to follow soon.

Facebook yesterday announced Groups, a new standalone app for iOS and Android platforms that helps users keep in touch with all the groups they’re part of on Facebook from their mobile phone.

The app displays all the groups a user belong to and the user can easily tap on each one to see new updates, share a new post, images and more and see who in the group is online at the moment. Users can also create groups from within the app, and invite their friends from their mobile device.

Creating standalone apps for various features of the main Facebook app has become somewhat of a trend for Facebook now as it has previously before now removed the messaging feature of  the main Facebook app completely forcing you to install its Messenger app and just some weeks back released Room- another app quite similar to the just unveiled Group app. Facebook also has Pages -another standalone app and Slingshot in its coffers.

The good news about this Group app is that those people who don’t want to add yet another Facebook app to their phone don’t have to: it’s still possible to access Groups from the social network’s website and its other mobile apps.

The N1 runs on previously announced Nokia's own Z Launcher user interface (which allows users to search for contents like apps on the screen by drawing letters with their fingers  and changed the apps presented on the tablets homescreen according to the time of the day and the tablets location) on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

“We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," said Sebastian Nystrom, Head of Products at Nokia Technologies, who announced the N1 at the Slush technology conference in Helsinki.

Here are the complete specifications of the device:

2G/3G: NO

SIM slot: NO

Dimension: 200.7 x 138.6 x 6.9 mm (7.90 x 5.46 x 0.27 in)                                           

Weight: 318 g (11.22 oz)                                                                                                       

Display: 7.9-inch, 2048x1536 (4:3) IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and fully laminated zero air gap display                                                                                                          

OS: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)                                                                                

Processor: 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU.          

Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro                                                                                 

Memory: 32GB built-in memory (non-expandable); 2GB RAM.                             

Camera: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, Geo-tagging                                       

Video: 1080p@30fps                                                                                            

Secondary: 5 MP                                                                                                                 

Connectivity: Dual channel 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB 2.0 with a Type-C reversible connector.                  

Messaging: Email, Push Email, IM                                                                         

Browser: HTML5                                                                                               

SOUND: Vibration, Polyphonic, MP3 ringtones, loudspeaker with stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack                                                                                                       

Radio: No                                                                                                            

GPS: Yes                                                                                                            

Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator                                                                      

Colors: Natural Aluminium, Lava Gray                                                                           

Battery: Non removable Li-Po 5300mAh battery                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                             

Aside the Z launcher, another new feature on the phone is the reversible USB Type C connector which is rumored to be able to transfer data at a speed of 10,000Gbps. Though the USB update has been announced for some months now, the Nokia N1 is the first device to feature it.

The Nokia N1 will be launched first in China before the Chinese new year in Q1 2015 at a price of about $249 (without taxes) and in other regions at a later date.

Below is a brief summary of TechRadar's verdict of the nexus player:              

            

                 For                                                                               Against

           Icon-heavy, Intuitive interface                                    No ethernet port                        

           Google Cast screen-sharing                                      Only 16 entertainment channels                

           Remote with built-in mic                                            No Amazon Prime or HBO Go          

           Gaming controller                                                      Weak game choice  

The Nexus player does everything that the Chromecast does and more. It lets you stream, download and play music and videos and brings gaming to your TV. It also brings a rather intuitive search and interface to the device. In appearance, the Nexus player looks round and sleek with the Nexus logo firmly crested on it and comes with a remote which is connected to the player via bluetooth and an optional gamepad, it is pretty light but still nice that it is portable. On the back end is a DC connector for powering the Nexus Player, a micro USB port and a HDMI port for connecting to your TV. And that’s about it. No power button or anything.

Specs on the Nexus Player include an Intel Atom 1.8GHz quad-core processor with Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics. There’s also a gig of RAM and 8GB of storage. It has a HDMI port – as mentioned above which can do 1920×1080 @60 hertz output. For WiFi it has 802.11ac MIMO and there’s also Bluetooth 4.0. It does use 2 AAA batteries, for the remote, which are included in the box. And of course, it’s running Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The UI is actually really simple. At the top of the “home screen” there’s the search bar. Which you can use as you would Google Now. Following the search bar, there are movies and TV Shows that Google shows you based on recommendations from what you have watched before, not just from Google Play Movies & TV, but also from YouTube and Netflix. Below that section, are your apps and games and then settings down below that. Some of the apps that are pre-installed include the Google Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Google Play, Play Games, Hulu+, Netflix, and Songza.

The Nexus player also has game play functionality bundled with it and a gamepad for that purpose. Currently there is not a whole lot of games available for the Nexus Player, but it can play any game in the Playstore.  The remote controller feels really comfortable, nice and sturdy in the hand and it is made by ASUS too. On the controller, you’ve got your usual controls including two joysticks, the power button, home and back buttons to control Android TV. The remote controller is powered by two AA batteries, which you’ll need to replace with time. You can also control or share contents from your phone or watch with the player, via Google Cast screen sharing.

The Player is already available for pre-order in North America for 99$ but is expected to be available in other regions before Christmas. So let’s keep our hands crossed and I promise to bring the full review of the player when it lands in our shores. Google is selling the Gamepad separately from the player for 40$.

Microsoft has announced the release of a new Lumia smartphone with its name on it rather than the Nokia brand name that has been appearing in all previous Lumia devices. The phone which was announced on the 11^th  of this month is aimed at the emerging markets (mostly Asia) . It looks much like its Nokia Lumia siblings but with an upgrade in some aspects and an obvious branding difference - the Nokia logo has been replaced with Microsoft on the front (above the screen) — and crested horizontally on the back of the device. This comes after the complete acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft a few months back.

Microsoft Lumia 535 Smartphone.

The major updates of note are the RAM which received an upgrade to 1GB compared to its predecessors which mostly had a petite 512 MB of RAM and the front camera which was missing also in some of the older budget Nokia Lumias mobile devices. as a hint that this  phone was made to target the emerging markets of Asia, this phone has a dual SIM model along with the single SIM version of it.

Microsoft said the phone will go on sale in China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh this month, with other countries to follow. Though they did not mention if or which already existing Nokia Lumia devices will get a change of logo, they stated that the existing  ones will continue to be available. Below are the specifications of this phone:

BODY                                                                                                                                       
Dimensions: 140.2 X 72.4 X 8.8mm                                                                                                  
 Weight: 146 g

OPERATING SYSTEM AND PROCESSORS                                                                                    Operating System: Software release: Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim.              
Processor: CPU Snapdragon™ 200, 1200MHz Quad core                                                                     
GPU: Adreno 302

DISPLAY                                                                                                                                       
Screen size: 5 '' LCD; IPS Touch screen technology: Capacitive Multipoint-Touch; 220 ppi                 Display resolution: qHD (960 x 540); 16M colours                                                                        Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3

MEMORY                                                                                                                                 
Memory: 8GB Phone memory expandable via micro SD to 128GB; 1GB RAM.                              
Free cloud storage: 15 GB

CONNECTIVITY                                                                                                                                   
SIM card type : Micro SIM 
2G Network: GSM 850 /900/ 1800/1900                                                                    
3G Network: HSDPA 900/ 2100                                                                                                               USB 2.0; Bluetooth 4.0                                                                                                                        
Wi-Fi: WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g/n                                                                                                       
 Wi-Fi hotspot: Up to 8 Wi-Fi-enabled devices                                                                           
Location technologies: A-GLONASS, A-GPS, Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning.
Location and navigation apps: HERE Drive+, HERE Maps, Bing Maps

CAMERA                                                                                                                       
Main camera: 5.0 MP, 2592 X1936 pixels, Auto Focus; Aperture f/2.4; LED flash.    
Front camera: 5.0 MP; f-number/aperture: f/2.4 . Supports video call and video recording.  
Video resolution: FWVGA (848 x 480 pixels) @30fps 

CALL MANAGEMENT                                                                                                
Call types: Audio call, Conference call, Skype video call                                                   
Noise cancellation: Yes 

OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE:                                                                          
Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor                        
Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM.                            
Browser: HTLM5 Internet browser capabilities: Internet Explorer 11                  
Radio: YES                                                                                                                 
Music player supports: MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player
Video Player supports:  MP4/H.264 player

Java: NO                                                                                                                    

Battery: Replaceable Li-ion 1905 mAh; BL-L4A  model                                       
Maximum standby time: 23 days                                                                      
Maximum talk time (2G): 11h                                                                      
Maximum talk time (3G): 13h                                                                       
Music Play:  Up to 78h

Price:  U.S $144 ( It may varies by region).

Here is wonderful news to all Lumia  phone owners around the world. Microsoft, a few days back announced via its Lumia twitter account that all Windows Phone 8 based Lumia smartphones will be treated to the upcoming Windows 10 OS expected to be released next year.

 This announcement was made in response to a tweet om its official Lumia twitter account. The Windows 10 model was announced recently and it will unify the Windows OS and make it compatible to phones, tablets and PCs with just one installation. Windows 10 is coming sometime next year and it is currently in development.

It's  a welcome development to be able to upgrade to Windows 10 even even with devices with less RAM. Also worthy of note in the tweet is Microsoft’s reference to Windows 10 mobile devices as models. Tjat is a new development of its choice to address Windows 10 smart devices as “models” and analyst are already seeing it as a marketing strategy – and a good one at that.

Editing Captions                                                                                          

The most noticeable feature of this update is that  instagram now lets you edit captions for images after you post them. This extends only to captions on your own photos, not to comments. Unfortunately still, it's a welcome change - Prior to this update, users who misspelled a word or a name or tagged a wrong person where forced to delete such picture posts.

 New Icons                                                                                                                                          

The second update of note is the "Explore" tab icon in Instagram's IOS and Android apps .In place of the compass star icon is a magnifying glass. The Explore tab has been redesigned to let you more easily search for other Instagram users.

The other updates are “type-ahead” search which gives you quicker search results and “discover new people”

This update hit the app on both mobile platforms on the 10^th of this month and Instagram promises more improvements "over the coming months.