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Showing posts from October, 2016

iOS 10 on 54 per cent of Apple devices

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iPhone and iPad owners move to new platform, but more slowly than last time          Apple has revealed iOS 10 adoption figures for the first time showing that, as of 7 October, 54 per cent of iPhones and iPads had the latest version of the mobile OS installed following its release on 13 September. Mixpanel had suggested that consumers were quick to download iOS 10, having put adoption at 14 per cent after just 24 hours of availability. However, it appears that iDevice owners have been slower to make the switch this year compared with previous iOS releases. All users were running iOS 9 only four days after its release last year, for example. Apple's figure, measured by the number of people accessing the App Store, shows that iOS 9 still powers 38 per cent of iDevices, while eight per cent continue to run older versions of the operating system.  iOS 10, first shown off at this year's WWDC, was described by Apple CEO Tim Cook as a "monste...

Yahoo Mail stops users forwarding emails

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    Yahoo has prevented users of its Yahoo Mail services batch forwarding emails in a move to lock down the platform and make it effectively impossible for anyone to leave. Mail Forwarding is a useful, but lesser known, feature that allows you to send on all mails to a particular address, thus allowing you to keep tabs on an old account in the (sometimes years) it takes for people to start using your new one.     The problem is that, while not everyone knows about this feature, hackers often do and having accessed your account are able to use the service to turn your email address into a spam-botnet participant. Think of it as like someone redirecting your post to the wrong house so they can steal your pay cheques.       Nefarious use is a problem, but many people, for example those who may have started with a Yahoo account with a silly name and then realised it was stopping them getting a job, actually found the service useful. At a cynical level, ...

Samsung stock hits new high, Note 7 crisis.

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  Samsung is grappling with a huge and embarrassing recall of one of its flagship smartphones, but its stock just hit a new high.     What gives? Samsung (SSNLF) shares trading in Seoul jumped 4.5% on Thursday after an activist hedge fund called for an overhaul of the South Korean company's complicated structure and a special $27 billion payout to shareholders.       The U.S. fund, Elliott Management, argues that Samsung's relatively cheap share price could skyrocket if the company's management is willing to make a series of key reforms.

Samsung 'pauses Note 7 production'.

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      Smartphone giant Samsung has reportedly stopped production of its Note 7 phone amid claims that replacement devices are still at risk of catching fire. News agencies reported Samsung had temporarily halted production after talks with safety regulators.       Samsung told the reporter it was "adjusting the production schedule to ensure quality and safety matters".       The company has been forced to issue new models of the smartphone following complaints of faulty batteries. It issued a recall of the Galaxy Note 7 in September and later assured customers that the fixed devices were safe.       But there have now been several reports of replacement phones starting to emit smoke. 'No longer exchanging' In a further blow, two US mobile networks have stopped replacing or selling the phone. The AT&T and T-Mobile networks said they would no longer replace the devices in the US, while the latter ...

Here’s what the Apple iPhone 7 day one buyers have to say

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Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have finally launched in India on 7 October. Last night at 7PM all the retail stores across Mumbai and Delhi witnessed long queues. People who had pre-booked their iPhones were eagerly waiting since 5PM to get their hands on the device. We went to different stores in Mumbai and Delhi. In Delhi we visited the iZenica mall and in Mumbai we went to the Croma outlet in Lower Parel and Reliance Digital store in Juhu to get a feel of the iPhone 7 launch. A lot of people were visibly excited, although tired with the long wait. Some were even concerned about iPhone 7’s going out of stock. Here is a quick look at what the first day Apple iPhone 7 buyers had to say. The 32GB, 128GB and 256GB variants of the iPhone 7 are priced at Rs 60,000, Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000, respectively. The bigger iPhone 7 Plus models are priced at Rs 72,000 for 32GB, Rs 82,000 for 128GB and Rs 92,000 for 256GB. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus comes in Rose Gold, Gold, Silver a...

Google Takes on Apple and Samsung with Pixels

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  The Pixel and Pixel XL are the first ever smartphones to feature the Google Assistant built in. Google Assistant is Google artificial intelligence software that is also incorporated in the Google Home speaker.    The Pixel and Pixel Xl have the same classic design as Apple’s newly released iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. However, there are some differences. Google mentioned that the Pixel phones received a rating of 89 by DXO Mark Mobile. This is the highest rating ever for a smartphone. Google’s senior vice president Rick Osterloh, made a subtle jab at the iPhone 7 during the October event presentation by saying that the Pixel doesn’t have an “unsightly camera bump”.   Pixel   Pixel XL   Price   Starting $649   Colors   Really Blue, Very Silver, and Quite Black   Display   5.0 inches   FHD AMOLED at 441ppi   2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4      5.5 inches   QHD...

Get Your Smart Phone Working Again When SHTF/Zombie Virus Hits!

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So there's no power left and as far as you can tell, it's not coming back on anytime soon. You're in a panic and have forgotten everything you learned from your survival and how to defend against zombie invasion eBooks on your smart phone... and the battery on that smart phone died out awhile ago. You need those survival eBooks! What do you do? Why... start sacrificing your yard that you've worked so hard on of course! No... seriously, in a post-apocalyptic world those cutesy solar yard lights can be reused to get your smart phone back up and running. And those yard stakes will make a great tool for zombie brain penetration!... WIN/WIN! Materials That Will Be Used In This Project * old smart phone * 4 solar yard lights * paperclip * shoe string * electrical tape Tools That You Will Likely Need * screwdriver * scissors * knife (a kitchen knife will do just fine) (all links refer to the items I used in this project for those curious) *** Please Note: There ar...

iPhone 7 Plus vs Pixel XL

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Two Goliaths tussling for smartphone supremacy. One possesses vastly more experience of building handsets, while the other has classically focused on services. How does this play out when put head-to-head? Design Google Pixel XL: 154.7x75.7x8.5mm, 168g, USB-C iPhone 7 Plus: 158.2x77.9x7.3mm, 188g, IP67 certification, Lightning port Both phones represent the larger end of the spectrum with proportions teetering close to phablet territory. The Pixel XL is quite a bit fatter than the Plus-sized iPhone, but it arguably feels better in the hand thanks to being almost 20g lighter. We previously noted the Pixel's similarities to the HTC 10 (unsurprising seeing as HTC built the thing). The combination of metal and glass gives the Pixel a solid, well-built feel, while the Plus has an all-metal design. Both represent tried and tested formulas, so you'd better move on if you're looking for innovation. Considering its premium price, and with so many other competitors jumping...

PC market to return to growth finally in 2017

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The PC market will return to growth next year, according to analyst group Gartner. The firm said that the PC market will grow by 0.4 per cent next year, but only after declining by another eight per cent this year. This follows the launch of new microprocessors from Intel (and soon AMD) alongside a generation-leapfrogging shift in graphics processor technology, and the excitement generated by the introduction of affordable-ish virtual reality headsets. However, according to research analyst Ranjit Atwal, sales of bog-standard PCs will continue to go down the pan, with the engine of growth taken up by premium PCs, particularly so-called ‘ultramobiles' - thin and light laptops or devices with removable keyboards so that they can be used as tablets. Traditional desktop and laptop PCs will fall from 216 million units this year to 199 million in 2018, according to Atwal, while sales of ultramobiles will rise by more than 50 per cent from 49 million to 75 million. "We exp...