Samsung Planning for 560ppi Amoled Display For 2014

According to reports from OLED.at, Samsung is working on AMOLED displays with 560ppi for screens as small as five inches. Potentially next year’s handsets from the company could offer higher resolutions and more pixels per inch that what is currently available.

If this report is correct then we could see resolutions at 2560 x 1440. Although no specific model has been linked with this news, it would be a great selling point for the Galaxy S5, which is rumoured to be launched early in 2014.




So why the hype? Well to put it into perspective, the current 5-inch Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship handset has AMOLED but only 441ppi with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The iPhone 5S has an LCD display, with 326ppi and 640 x 1136 pixels.


If Samsung do indeed release a handset with 556ppi, it would have 230 more pixels per inch than Apple’s current offering.

Of course the average user is unlikely to see the additional pixels in each inch of the screen but this could be a powerful marketing tool for Samsung.




[Image via Digital Trends]

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Do Not Track Kids Act Introduced in US

Is it morally right to track and analyse the internet history of children under 16 years of age?  An American bill called the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 is planning to protect children under the age of 16.  It will extend federal anti-tracking protections under the Children’s Online Protection Act (COPPA).  The bill will allow teens and parents to delete any personal public information when “technologically feasible.”
The Do Not Track Kids Act was introduced this week by Senator Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Barton.   If passed, internet companies will need parental permission before using personal information of under 16s.  They will also have to legitimise how their private data is collected and used.






“We must not allow the era of big data to become a big danger for children on the Internet in the 21st century,” Markey replied in a statement. “It is time for Congress to take action to ensure that children and teens are fully protected when they go online and parents have the tools they need to protect their kids.”
After the bipartisan bill was introduced, Facebook changed its private policy to take out a line that critics feel gave the social network the freedom to collect the personal data of children. However, Facebook denies this idea and says it removed this line to help avoid misinterpretation.  “This language was about getting a conversation started,” Facebook responded. “We were not seeking and would not have gained any additional rights as a result of this addition. We received feedback, though, that the language was confusing and so we removed the sentence.”

In a follow-up statement, Markey continued to claim that Facebook posed a threat to children’s privacy.  Facebook pushes teens and children to release sensitive, personal information on a worldwide, public information highway.  This, in itself, is enough to push congress to create strong protection for the privacy of their vulnerable citizens.




On the other hand, changes to Facebook’s privacy policy do include explanations that show how users personal information may be used in advertisements.  The question is, do children under 16 concern themselves about these explanations?

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Viber 4.0 Adds Stickers, Push to Talk & Android Tablet Support

Viber 4.0 has just hit app stores!  The updated app carries new features such as; Stickers, push-to-talk voice messaging, and it also has support for Android tablets.




CEO Talmon Marco recently said, “This is the most exciting release we’ve had for Viber since we launched the platform…Today’s updated version brings a vast new range of features and functionality to Viber.”
On top of the list of the new features is the push-to-talk instant communication option, which allows users to send short voice messages to each other. The app creators are very happy with this new feature as it simplifies the typical PTT process.  The old process involves the user recording a message before sending it and then waiting for the recipient to download it and listen. Using this new feature however, Viber users can cut the average 60-second response time to approx five seconds.






For fun, the updated app also comes with a new Sticker Market, where users can find a large selection of cartoon images to express their emotions. Viber has unveiled two new featured characters, Mayo and Blu, as well as exclusive content to tie in with annual themes and holidays. Users can choose from more than 300 stickers priced at $1.99.
Android users can take advantage of the updates by downloading the Viber app on their tablet. It works in the same way as the desktop application.  The app carries over mobile contacts and synchronizes messages and calls on all the users’ devices.
For those running Android 4.0 and up, they will have access to improved notifications, the ability to send messages while on a call and a Light up Screen setting for incoming messages!  “Viber has always aimed to provide a complete communications experience,” Marco said. “With the new features we’ve brought to the platform, Viber lets users connect and stay connected in more ways than ever.”

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Chrome 31 Browser Released

The time has come round once again for Google to release its latest Chrome Web browser.  The new Chrome Stable browser is known officially as Version 31.0.1650.48 and it is available for free to download for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame, according to a recent post by Anthony Laforge of the Google Chrome team, on the Google Chrome Releases Blog. The 31′st Version of Google’s Chrome web browser has been officially released with a number of fixes and user improvements.






A total of 25 security fixes are included in the latest version, wrote Laforge.  These fixes address a wide variety of issues in the browser’s code. Also included is a Flash Player update to Version 11.9.900.152.  Now that this latest Stable version of Chrome has been released for users, Google continues to labour on the next beta release, Version 32.
One new feature being introduced into Version 32 beta is the ability for users to quickly get a warning on their browser tabs when there is a page that is producing disruptive sounds via a video clip or other content, according to a post by a Google software engineer, Yuri Wiitala, on the Google Chrome Blog.  “Have you ever shuffled through your tabs to figure out where that sound or music is coming from?” wrote Wiitala. “We hear you! With today’s latest Chrome Beta release, you can now visually scan your tabs for a speaker icon to quickly find the offender.




Chrome will also indicate which tabs are currently using your Webcam or are being cast to your TV.” The alert will display a small icon on the affected browser tab to let users know which tab is playing the unwanted sound at that moment, wrote Wiitala. The sound alert is also activated for Webcam sounds and Webcasting volumes
.
Also of note in the beta 32 release is a new feature for Windows 8 users that allows better management of multiple Chrome windows at the same time, while accessing Chrome apps using an integrated app launcher, wrote Wiitala. Additionally, the latest beta 32 version includes a Safe Browsing alert that pops up to warn users before they are about to or download a malicious files visit a suspect Website.  The latest beta version now includes automatic blocking of malware files, according to Wiitala.

The beta Version 32, officially known as Version 32.0.1700.6 for Windows, Mac and Linux, also includes a number of new extension APIs and apps as well as a host of fixes and aimed at increasing performance and stability, according to a post by Karen Grünberg, a member of the Google Chrome team, on the Chrome Releases Blog.  As part of the introduction of Stable Version 31 and the beta Version 32 of Chrome, Google has introduced the latest Developer channel edition of Chrome, which is Version 33. By working on multiple browser versions simultaneously, the next versions are in the pipeline for future stable releases.
So what are you Chromesters waiting for?  Time to download and upgrade!
[Image via computerbild]

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Snapchat Refuses Facebook’s $3 Billion Offer

Latest reports say that the owners of the ever so popular photo messaging service Snapchat, have refused an acquisition offer from the social media giant Facebook.  This offer would no doubt have turned Evan Spiegel and his colleagues into extremely wealthy people.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited sources close to the company, the social network has offered approximately $3 billion to purchase Snapchat, that is more than double the amount Yahoo paid for Tumblr earlier this year.  Facebook are not the only interested party in this matter as several other companies want to either acquire or invest in the service. For example, China’s Tencent Holdings, the owner of WeChat, proposed to lead a funding round that would value Snapchat at $4 billion.





Snapchat was developed back in 2011 by a group of Stanford University students.  The service allows users to take photos and record videos that will be deleted several seconds after they have been viewed by the recipient.  The company currently produces no revenue, but it has attracted a huge member base, and is especially popular among teenagers and this is the bait; the group of young teenagers with what seems like a limitless amount of cash to spend, which advertisers are willing to pay high stakes for. Only a few months ago, in July, a report in New Statesman valued Snapchat at $860 million.

One of the main reasons for the swift climb of the Snapchat service, appears to be ‘sexting’, this is a practice of sending and receiving sexually explicit images that more than often involve varying degrees of nudity.  This is, unfortunately, especially widespread among younger users of Snapchat. Developers, however, insist that the functionality of the service has not been adapted to enable or encourage sexting?
In the short space of time from July until now, Facebook has offered the founders $3 billion in cash, if successful; this would be the social network’s leading acquisition by a long stretch, almost tripling the amount it paid for Instagram last year.




But according to the sources, the 23-year-old CEO, Evan Spiegel, is trying to hold off on any strategic moves until early next year, hoping that the user base of the company will keep growing, thereby increasing its worth.  Rumour has it that Facebook had already approached Snapchat previous to this deal, offering around $1 billion for the messaging service, although Snapchat has not issued any comments on the report.
Unprofitable but popular messaging and social services with strong mobile support, have become a key target for investment in the last year. Last week’s Twitter IPO has valued the company at more than £11 billion, while Pinterest’s recent financing round had amplified its value to approximately £2.4 billion.

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Dual-Screen YotaPhone To Launch WorldWide In December

A little less than a year ago, I caught wind of an interesting concept called the YotaPhone. While I did call it the phone for (potentially) indecisive individuals, I cannot deny the allure of having two mobile phone screens to work with. After all, the mobile phone serves so many purposes that sometimes, you do not need to use the high-def high-resolution screen. And with the option of having a low-power screen, YotaPhone opens up worlds of possibilities, especially in terms of power consumption.

Guess what? We just might be able to get our hands on it come December!

The YotaPhone has been in the works for longer than a year, and Russian company Yota Devices has not been ultra secretive about its baby. In fact, they have not been shy to send out teasers to the general public. The release of the actual product is another story altogether.

With Yota Devices’s “official” confirmation to TechCrunch, though, it seems that the dual-screen phone will actually get to market.

In spite of the long wait that consumers already have had to deal with, there are still many details that we don’t know about the YotaPhone. What we do know:

• a dual-core 1.7GHz chipset

• 2GB of RAM

• a 4.3-inch 720p screen upfront

• a 1800mAh battery

Looking at those specs, one might wonder whether the YotaPhone can actually survive in the phone-eat-phone world out there. Then again, there is the secondary e-Ink screen that practically serves as the carrot at the end of the stick. Will it be enough to lure consumers to drop Samsung, Apple, and the other major players?

As for the price – your guess is as good as mine. Here’s one of those teaser videos to whet your appetite even more.

If you want to be one of the first people to use the YotaPhone, make sure you fill out the pre-order form without delay.

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25 of the best Apps for Android

Android is an amazing OS. There are dozens of Android phones to choose from, there are over a million apps in the Google Play Store, and using these elements, you can have your phone how you want it. It’s extremely difficult to concoct a list of the best Android apps out there because everyone’s wants, needs, and preferences are different. That said, there are just some apps that are so good that they fit nearly everyone’s preferences. You may notice a lack of games and that’s because we’re giving them their own list. You may also notice a lack of messenger service and social networking apps because people don’t choose services based on the available apps, they choose services based on how much they like the service regardless of the quality of the app.

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Amazon

[Price: Free]
If you’re into online shopping and eBooks, there are few better places to that than Amazon. They are one of the few shopping apps with international support and they are one of the most trusted online stores in the world. Along with Amazon Mobile (shown), you can get the dedicated Amazon Kindle app to read eBooks you purchase on Kindle on your Android device. It has a huge selection, good perks, and awesome deals.

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Apex Launcher

[Price: Free / $3.99]
There are a lot of great launchers out there, and we’ve covered them before. When it comes to user friendliness, customization, and general popularity, Apex Launcher is simply a must have. It has a variety of customization options, a bunch of add-ons available in the Google Play Store, and comes in both free and paid options. It’s one of the best and has been for a very long time.

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Beautiful Widgets

[Price: $2.59]
Beautiful Widgets rose to fame during the days when everyone wanted the HTC Sense clock and weather combo widget. Since then, it’s only gotten better. It has widgets for phones and tablets, weather, clock, and combination widgets. It even has toggle widgets and more. It’s highly customizable with thousands of weather and clock skins to choose from. You really can’t go wrong picking it up.

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DashClock Widget

[Price: Free]
If you’re running Android 4.2 or higher, DashClock Widget is a must have. It’s a widget you put on your lock screen that comes with extensions. These extensions offer virtually unlimited functionality including weather, toggles, notifications, calendar support, flashlight support, and a whole lot more via the Google Play Store. Also, it’s free, so there’s no reason not to have it.

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DropBox

[Price: Free]
When it comes to cloud storage, Dropbox is pretty much the king. It’s free to use, the app is just fantastic, and you can earn additional space in a multitude of ways. In many cases (i.e. their recent Space Race competition), the additional cloud storage space earned is permanent. It’s even bundled with a number of devices like the HTC One and the Galaxy Note 3. It’s a great app that serves a great purpose.

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ES File Explorer

[Price: Free]
File management isn’t something most Android users think about until it’s something they have to do. Thus, it is always a good idea to keep a good file manager around in case of emergencies. That means apps like ES File Explorer have a home on a best Android apps list. It has practically every feature you need in a file explorer from root permissions to built-in archive functions. Also, it’s free and free is great.

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Evernote

[Price: Free]
Note taking has become an essential function on Android and Evernote is the pinnacle of note taking on Android. It has a boat load of great features including cloud support and a desktop app. You can use the app for free but there is a premium option too if you want Evernote to do more. It’s the most popular note taking app and is rated a 4.7 in the Google Play Store which means even regular users can barely find anything wrong with it.

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Firefox Browser

[Price: Free]
Mozilla’s Firefox browser is one of the most popular desktop browsers out there. The same can be said for their Android browser offering. It’s a solid selection with a lot more features than pretty much every stock browser offering from Android, Samsung, HTC, and others. It’s quick on most devices and it works well. It doesn’t hurt that it has a name that people trust. That makes it worth picking up.

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Flipboard

[Price: Free]
There are a lot of RSS readers out there. The case can be made that apps like Feedly could be on this list and we agree. However, we felt we could only choose one news reader app and we chose Flipboard. When it comes to absorbing content, Flipboard is simply the best looking reader out there. It has international support, a lot of news sources, and enough customization to make it your news reader.

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Google Chrome

[Price: Free]
Google Chrome is pretty much the new stock Android browser. It comes with the always preferable “developed by Google” label and it is packed with features. You get gesture controls, bookmark syncing, a solid browsing experience, and a lot more. There are a lot of great browsers, but Chrome owns the title of being the best on desktop and it can compete in every area for that title on Android.

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Google Keep

[Price: Free]
We expressed earlier that note taking is a now essential activity on Android. Evernote is a great app but some people simply don’t need that much stuff. If you’re into note taking and need something a little more lightweight, Google Keep is there for you. Aside from being colorful, clean, and simple, it also syncs with your Google Drive so you can access it anywhere. It’s a great alternative to Evernote and a good app in its own right.

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Google Entertainment Suite (Music, Moves & TV, Games, Books)

[Price: Free]
Okay, so technically Google Play Books, Movies & TV, Games, and Music may all be separate apps but they are all part of a single ecosystem. The Google Play Store has books, games, music, movies, and TV shows and these apps, while separate, are all really just individual interfaces to the whole Play Store. With these apps, you can purchase and access the entire media library that Google has to offer and Google offers an extensive media library. If you’re into marrying yourself to the Google ecosystem, these are must have apps.

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HD Widgets

[Price: $1.99]
If you’re looking for something that looks great and smooth, HD Widgets is what you want. Much like Beautiful Widgets, this app works to give you a variety of different widgets including clock, weather, combo, toggles, and more. They run in sizes suitable for phones and tablets. They can be customized to suit practically any theme and there is an add one that gives even more customization options. They’re really nice and a great way to compliment your home screen.

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Helium

[Price: Free / $4.99]
Backing up your device is always important. In fact, backing up any computing device is important, so it’s only natural an app that backs things up be included in a list like this. We chose Koushik Dutta’s Helium app. It backs up your apps, app data, and more to either your phone or your computer (your choice). The best part about this software is you don’t need root to use it. It’s one of the few options non-rooted people have when it comes to backing up apps.

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Netflix

[Price: Free w/subscription]
When it comes to streaming video, one of the names on everyone’s list is Netflix. It requires a $7.99 per month subscription and offers thousands of titles that you can stream right to your device (and a number of other devices). It’s compatible with practically every facet of the Android experience including Chromecast, tablets, phones, and even Google TV if you still have one of those lying around. It’s easy to use and one of the best out there if it’s available in your country.

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Nova Launcher

[Price: Free / $4.00]
Nova Launcher is the “go-to” replacement launcher for people looking to get away from the stock offerings. It’s touted far and wide as one of the best and it has a large set of features and add-ons including theme support and a boat load of other customization options. If you don’t like your stock launcher, this is a must have app to fix the problem.

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Pandora

[Price: Free / $4.00]
If you like streaming music for free and don’t mind a few advertisements every now and then, Pandora is probably the best app out there. It’s one of the few legitimately legal ways to get free music with nothing more than radio-style advertisements getting in the way. It’s used by millions around the world and it not only lets you listen to music to like but helps you discover new music that sounds like the music you like. You can get the premium service which removes many of the restrictions and the advertisements as well.

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Pocket Casts

[Price: $3.99]
If you’re into podcasts, Pocket Casts is simply the best out there. You can use it to view audio or video podcasts, sync between your devices, switch between the dark and light theme, and enjoy its simple to use interface. You can even configure it to automatically download podcasts over WiFi or mobile data so your podcast is downloaded and ready to go when you need it. It’s light, fast, clean, and it does the job.

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Poweramp Music Player

[Price: $3.99]
There are a metric ton of music players out there. Some are free, some are paid, and many come with a bunch of unique features. However, when it comes to solid performance and great features, Poweramp is about as good as it gets. It comes with a slick interface, fast library scanning, and even a built-in, 10-band EQ. You can get a 15-day free trial to check it out, but the app will set you back a few bucks. If you need a flawless music experience for your local content, this is about as far as you need to go.

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RealCalc

[Price: Free / $3.49]
Every Android device comes with a calculator and in most cases the basic functions are good enough to get by. However, for high school and college students as well as professionals who need to use more complicated math, they need something more. RealCalc is a fully functional scientific calculator. One may not expect a scientific calculator making a list like this, but there are millions of students and professionals who do need one. You can pick up the free or paid variant. It looks good and it works well.

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Sleep As Android

[Price: Free / $2.99]
There are a lot of great alarm clock apps for Android. When you get right down to it, though, it’s the same functionality wrapped in different interfaces. All except one anyway and that’s Sleep As Android. This app actually analyses your sleep patterns to help you get a better night’s rest. Here’s how it works, you put the phone in your bed with you and it uses the accelerometer to measure how much and when you move. It’s really something different and unique. If you need a better alarm app, check it out.

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Swiftkey

[Price: $3.99]
Third party keyboards are everywhere and that makes it easy to find the features you need. However, when it comes to the go-to keyboard that everyone recommends, the winner is Swiftkey. It has the highest Google Play Store rating, the most downloads, and the most features of any keyboard app currently available. After years of updates and feature additions, Swiftkey has earned their way here.

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Tasker

[Price: $2.99]
If you like to tinker and play with your phone or you want it to do exactly what you want, then you want Tasker. This app can be difficult to use for beginners but once you get the hang of what’s going on, it’s a truly powerful app. You can make your phone do pretty much whatever you want it to do when you want it. A bonus is many NFC tag apps have Tasker plugins so you can even use this app to program your NFC tags beyond what you normally could before.

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TeslaLED Flashlight

[Price: Free]
Turning your LED flash into a flashlight is another one of those functions you won’t know you need until you actually need it. Many custom ROMs like CyanogenMod (Torch) and OEMs (Samsung’s Assistive Lighting) have flashlights built in but not everyone has it. For those who don’t, TeslaLED is one of the best out there. It has a number of widget options and it’s done by the same people who do Nova Launcher.

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Zedge

[Price: Free]
Last on our list is Zedge. Zedge is one of the best apps available that can give you both wallpapers and ringtones. It has a huge selection of free ringtones and wallpapers for you to choose from. It’s just a matter of finding the ones you like. It’s free, everything in it is free, and it’s one of those highly rated apps a lot of people have but no one seems to talk about very often.

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Wrap-Up

Even with a list of 25 apps, it’s impossible to cover all the best Android apps out there. People have so many different preferences and usage habits that there are potentially thousands of amazing apps that we simply didn’t have the space to add here. So by all means, if there’s a great Android app you think people should know about, let everyone know in the comments.

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