Smartphone OS Comparison

Every OS in the market has its own share of strengths and weaknesses. I believe in the "whatever floats your boat" school of thought when it comes to choosing a smartphone. Still, evaluating the popular platforms looked like a good idea to me. I have given points to each platform based on the following factors:

Features - The rating in this section is based on the support offered to technologies such as NFC, USB-OTG (On The Go), FM transmitter, and stereoscopic display.

User Interface - Here, the contenders get points for user friendliness. Lesser the magajmaari, better the score.

Aesthetics - It's all about eye-candy these days. An uncluttered and seamless look helps in getting a better score. Originality wins brownie points as well.

Optimisation - If the OS is optimised, it runs smoothly even on a CPU under 800 MHz and with 256 MB of RAM. If not, it requires dual cores and a gigabyte of RAM.

Battery Life - Do I really have to explain this one?

Apps - This is about the number of apps available for each platform.

Freedom - Includes aspects such as file sharing, customisation, file management, and the availability of mass storage mode.

Here's the scorecard. Note that all scores are on a scale of 1 to 5. The top scorer in each category has been circled in red.

As you can see, there's no clear winner. However, BlackBerry has lost the contest by a big margin because of its average performance across the board. Android is good, but suffers badly from dismal battery performance and due to its resource-hungry nature. Surprisingly, the black sheep of the OS family, Symbian, turns out to be the most mature OS by virtue of getting the basics right - all thanks to the Belle update. Its fans need not celebrate though, as it has no future.

Source:Techtree

World's first Win 8 malware 'bootkit' to debut next week

A security researcher said that he has developed malware for Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 operating system that is able to load during boot-up when it's run on older PCs.


Peter Kleissner said Stoned Lite – as the latest version of his bootkit is called – doesn't bypass defenses that will be available to people using Windows 8 on newer machines.


Specifically, he said in a series of Twitter messages, it doesn't work against PCs using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), which is being held out as a replacement to Bios ROM firmware. Stoned Lite also doesn't attack a low-level security feature known as Secured Boot, which scans boot drives for invalid signatures prior to starting up.


A previous boot kit – which Kleissner called Stoned – works on Windows 2000 through Windows 7 and is able to load before Windows starts by attaching itself to the master boot record of a targeted PC's hard drive. Stoned Lite is able to do the same thing for Windows Server 2008 and Windows 8, the Vienna-based developer and researcher said. It works by bypassing the Windows User Account Control, and with a footprint of just 14KB, it can easily be unleashed from a USB or CD drive.


Kleissner said he plans to release further details at next week's Malcon conference in India.


Microsoft's announcement in September that it planned to use UEFI was almost immediately met with suspicion from open-source boosters, who claimed the feature could make it impossible to run systems such as Linux and FreeBSD on computers that had adopted the alternative firmware. Microsoft has denied such claims, but many critics still aren't convinced.


Whatever the merits of that argument, the inability of Stoned Lite to penetrate UEFI and Secured Boot are the strongest endorsements to date that the features work as advertised. At least for now. ®


This article was updated to clarify UEFI and Secured Boot.


Source

Facebook Messenger app gets major updates

Facebook Messenger, the app from Facebook that consolidates all your communication in one place got a major update. For one, it's now
available for BlackBerry OS so when BBM's out again, you have yet another alternative. Additionally, you can now see which of your
Facebook friends is online, which of them is on their mobile, and when you're communicating with a friend, you can see when they are typing. They've also made it easier to send messages to people that you communicate with the most. Facebook's also added support for 22 new languages for their Messenger app on Android and for 12 new languages for their iOS app.

The Messenger app is now available for BlackBerry

In addition to these new features, the app still shows you all your messages in real time, be it chat messages, Facebook messages or email (if you've set up Facebook email). The app allows easy group messaging and you can see the entire conversation in one thread. You can also share where you are when you send a message. It comes with a mapping feature that lets you find your friends when you're out and about. You can even share photos with messages to show your friends what you're doing. Facebook Messenger works across platforms and even on feature phones with normal text messaging capabilities.

Espier Launcher:iOS Skin for Android

Are you an Android fan who secretly admires the iOSinterface? Well, our Chinese friends have come up with an Android launcher that is a shameless copy of iOS. The skin offers the closest iOS experience you can have on your Android. It not just changes the layout and icons, but also supports dynamic display of information. Moreover, it allows you to organise app folders the iOS way.

Other features include:

• Support for adding shortcuts on the desktop.
• Supports a variety of icon sorting methods.
• Easily search for applications, contacts, SMS, e-mails, and so on.
• Support for desktop configuration restore/backup.
• Press and hold any icon to open desktop editing mode.
• Sliding the taskbar into the system function area reveals multiple system functions.

Download

4.2 MB 

Multi-Platform

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich..

Google has officially announced version Android 4.0 alias the Ice Cream Sandwich. It's packed full of new features and has a new look, and unifies the Android experience between tablets and smartphones.

The burning question for every Android smartphone owner is — Will their Android 2.3.x Gingerbread running smartphone support the new Ice Cream Sandwich? Google stated that theoretically any smartphone running Gingerbread should ideally run Ice Cream Sandwich. However, thorough testing will reveal the limitations, if any.

Wondering which devices will get the ICS update and when? We have some of the probable answers here.
• Google has said that technically all devices running Android 2.3 or higher are eligible for getting the ICS update.
• Samsung has stated that Samsung Nexus S will be the first device to receive the ICS update by November end. We have covered the specs in the next photo in the album.
• Samsung also says that the Samsung Galaxy S II will be the next in line to receive the ICS update. We can only pray that Samsung will be kind enough to include the Galaxy S in the list of devices eligible for ICS update.
• Sony Ericsson 2011′s Xperia Line, namely the Xperia Arc and Xperia Ray will recevie the ICS update, but there is no fixed timeline for the same. The company says all eligible devices will be first updated to Android 2.3.4, only after that they will be getting the ICS update.





Like specified earlier Samsung Nexus S will be the first Smartphone to run the search giant's updated Android 4.0 OS, known as Ice Cream Sandwich and boasts a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.

In addition, the device has a large, 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display and a near-field communication chip to deliver support Google's mobile-payment service, Wallet.







Here are the specifications of the Galaxy Nexus,
• Operating System: Android 4.0.1 - Ice Cream Sandwich;
• Display: 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Screen with 1280 x 720 resolution;
• Processor: 1.2GHz dual-core processor;
• Camera: Rear: 5-megapixel, Front: 1.3-megapixel for video call;
• Camera Features: Re-designed Camera UI, 1080p video recording @ 30 FPS, panaroma mode, zero-shutter lag and silly faces;
• Buttons: On-Screen Software Navigation buttons, only hardware buttons are volume rocker and the power button;
• Face Unlock: Facial recognition to unlock your phone;
• Android Beam: Uses NFC to easily share content with other Android users;
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro, Light, Proximity, Barometer;
• Memory: RAM: 1GB; Storage: 16/32GB; NO EXPANDABLE MEMORY USING SD-CARD;
• Connectivity: LTE, HSPA+ connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n;
• Battery: 1750 mAh Li-Ion;
• Dimensions(l x b x h): 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94;
• Weight: 135g
VIA- Tech, Style & Gizmos's

Hello world! Android is now on Twitter [Officially]

Android finally have their own official Twitter Account @android.  Android jumped right in by tweeting , "Hello world! Android is now on Twitter."

On the very first day  @android  has 50k+ followers and still counting. You won’t find much to read just yet, but if you want to follow android hit @Android and follow.

Google Translate for Android now in 16 languages.

When Google Translate came to Android, sometime last year, it did manage to bring the ease of communicating in the language best understood with the comfort of one's smartphone. However, earlier in the year, it introduced Conversation Mode, albeit as an experiment. Conversation mode, claimed Google took routine translation to the next level. This feature allowed users to speak directly into their smartphone's microphone, and the Translate app would translate the spoken language and would read it aloud. Then, the person on the other end, would speak into their microphone and the Translation app would translate it for you and read it aloud. However, at the outset, Google had enabled this feature in only English and Spanish. 

However, now, an official post on the Google blog confirms that the search giant has added as many as 14 more global languages to the Conversation mode feature. The feature is now available in - Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Russian and Turkish, taking the total number of supported languages to an impressive 16. 

Speaking into your smartphone's microphone

The post further adds that the feature is still in its early stages, and hence issues like background noise and regional accents may affect the work of the feature. But, with more people using the feature, Google assures timely updates and improvements. The feature also allows users to correct the text they want to translate, before it is translated. For eg: words like train, drain, rain or any other such similar sounding words when spoken into the microphone may prompt wrong translations. But now, users can correct the text, if any errors occur. The update also includes a magnifier, using which translated text can be zoomed in for better viewing.

Google has also optimized the Translate app for Android smartphones or tablets with larger screens for easy reading. Google Translate, itself offers support for over 63 languages, voice-input for 17 of these 63 languages and text-to-speech for another 24 languages. 

Receive the translated text, Japanese in this case

Google, signs off by saying that adding more language support to the Conversation mode is definitely in the pipeline. Google Translate is available for download on the Android Market. To better understand the Conversation mode feature, and see how it could work for you, watch the video below

It's a done deal ! Skype is now part of Microsoft !!

Today Skype has announced on its Blog that the deal with Microsoft has formally closed, and Skype is now a division of Microsoft.

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis; it was acquired by eBay in 2005, but eBay couldn’t find a way to integrate it into its business and subsequently sold it to an investment group led by Silver Lake in 2009.

The $8.5 billion deal with Microsoft is a very profitable exit for that group of investors, which includes Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Investment Board — they paid $2.75 billion for Skype.

As for the future of Skype and the challenges Microsoft faces, the first and foremost will be the fact that Skype is not yet profitable.

Dennis Ritchie,Creator of Unix and C,Passes away at 70!

                     Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie ( September 9, 1941 – October 8, 2011)

Dennis Ritchie, an internationally renowned computer scientist who created the C programming language, has died at age 70.

Ritchie died at his home over the weekend, according to a Google+ post from longtime colleague Rob Pike. His Wikipedia entry was updated to say he had died in Murray Hill, N.J.

His death was confirmed today by Bell Labs, in a message from its president, Jeong Kim, to employees.

RIP

Windows 8 to be more memory efficient than Windows 7

Another week and there’s more news on Windows 8 being put up on Microsoft’s Building Windows 8 blog. This latest bit of information says that Windows 8 will use less memory than Windows 7. A screenshot shows Windows 8 being set to consume just 281 MB as compared to Windows 7’s 404 MB in similar conditions - that’s more than a 40 percent drop in memory consumption on an idle mode. The demonstration system was running both operating systems with just 1GB of memory. These are still early days, so it’s hard to say exactly how efficient Windows 8 may be, and under what conditions. Performance will also vary based on what kind of system you use and what drivers might be loaded on it. 

More than just a new face

Microsoft has tried to cut down redundant information stored in the memory. Another change being made is to the way services are initialized when Windows boots. Services will be started when needed, left on an idle mode for a while after the task is completed and then terminate. Some non-critical services will not be loaded during startup. While using the Metro interface, only essential components of the OS will be loaded. There will also be better prioritization of resources for applications, which means less important programs will not idle in the memory for too long. 

To read more about Windows 8's features, check out our preview of Windows 8's Developer build.

Samsung Launches First WP Mango Phone In India

Samsung has added three new smartphones to its lineup: the Omnia W (GT-I8350), Wave III (GT-S8600), and Galaxy Y (GT-S5360). Samsung has scored a number of firsts with this launch - the Omnia W is its first smartphone based on the latest release of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) in India, the Wave III is the first with bada 2.0, while the Galaxy Y comes with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
The Omnia W sports a minimalist contemporary design with a metallic finish. It features a large 3.7" SuperAMOLEDdisplay and a 5.0 MP camera. You can expect a snappy performance on this Mango-based smartphone, thanks to its 1.4 GHz processor. Office Hub enhances productivity on the go with access to Windows Live Sky Drive for 25 GB free online storage. Users can view, create, and edit office documents and also take notes with voice memos. The Picture Hub, Music and Video Hub powered by Zune, and Game Hub handle the entertainment aspect. Users can also download the 30,000+ apps available in Windows Phone Marketplace.
The Wave III is a chic smartphone with a 9.9 mm thin brushed metal case, running the new bada 2.0 OS. The full metal body made of anodised aluminium looks good at first glance. It has a 4" SuperAMOLED display, a 1.4 GHz processor, and HSPA+ connectivity. Some of the other features include Wi-Fi Direct (file transfers over Wi-Fi), Social Hub, Music Hub, ChatOn, and access to Samsung Apps.
The Galaxy Y with Gingerbread is a budget phone for the younger generation. It has a 3" touch screen and a 2.0 MP camera with geo-tagging. It allows the user to stay social while on the move with Social Hub. The TouchWiz UI is known to be intuitive and the SWYPE feature claims to make typing speedier.

Asim Warsi, Director Mobile Samsung India, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandes, and Ranjit Yadav, Country Head Mobile and IT Samsung India showing off the Samsung Galaxy Y, OMNIA W, and Wave III respectively.

The Samsung Omnia W, Wave III, and Galaxy Y are available at MRPs of Rs 20,000, Rs 19,600, and Rs 7800 respectively.
VIA-TECHTREE

iOS 5 To Release On October 12th

 The much awaited iOS 5 will be available on October 12th. Users will be routed to download the free upgrade via a text message. The notifications feature is one of the 200 new additions featured in the upgrade. It will display notifications such as SMS, Tweets, and Facebook updates among other things on your Lock screen. Users can also view these notifications by sliding down the notification bar on the Home screen, just like it's done on the Android OS. For example, on receiving a new Tweet or a Facebook update, the notification bar will drop down momentarily without interfering with your full screen application.

Apple users no longer have to envy the BlackBerry Messenger as the iOS 5 will include iMessage. This is the first instant messaging service supporting the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. This service will allow the transfer of text, photos, and videos, in addition to delivery reports and message read status. iMessage will work on 3G as well as Wi-Fi connectivity.

Reminders is another feature to be added to the iOS 5. This service will let users keep a tab of all their important schedules, which will be delivered as pop-up notifications.

Twitter will be integrated into the OS, therefore one will not have to endure the trouble of downloading a separate app. Additionally, users will be able to directly tweet pictures and map locations on their Twitter account.

The update will enable users to quickly access their cameras by double-tapping on the Home button. The camera will include auto-focus, grid view for pictures, as well as pinch-to-zoom options.

Browsing options on iPad devices will also be revamped. Now users will finally be able to create new tabs in Safari. iOS 5 will be available for most iOS devices such as iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th generation).

Microsoft Launches Windows 8

Say hello to Windows 8, Microsoft’s next-generation operating system.

Microsoft is unveiling the new OS at its Build Conference in Anaheim, Calif. The OS, a complete rebuild of Microsoft’s flagship product, is designed to work with both tablets and PCs.

---

Gallery: Windows 8

Windows 8 Devices

Microsoft demonstrated a lot of Windows 8 devices, including tablet devices, at its Build conference in Anaheim, CA.

Windows 8 Devices: A Closer Look

These are some of the devices running Windows 8 at Microsoft's Build conference.

---

Windows 8: Lock Screen

"Your personalized lock screen shows you unread emails and other app notifications. The image shown here is a photo of the road leading to Mt. Cook National Park in New Zealand."

Courtesy of Microsoft

---

Download: Rainmeter 2.1

Rainmeter is a popular desktop customisation software for Windows, which lets you enhance your Windows computer with skins, and handy, compact but informative applets floating freely on your desktop. The applets let you keep an eye on your system resources, such as memory and battery power, online data streams such as email, RSS feeds, and even weather forecasts. Even the skins prepared using Rainmeter have additional functionality such as the ability to record notes and to-do lists, launch your favourite applications, or even control your media player, all with a clean and easy interface you can always customise.

The program is in fact a toolkit, which lets you create and manipulate your own skins using the extensive documentation provided online, including a getting started guide and skin tutorials. The beauty of this application is that it consumes minimal system resources and works on almost any hardware runningWindows XP, Vista or 7. An open source (under GNU GPL v2) and free application, it is available in 32-bit as well as 64-bit versions, and in standard as well as portable installations.

Download

1.8 MB 

Windows

Steps to Enable Video Calling in Facebook Chat

Facebook owner March Zuckerberg as of today has announced the video calling feature in Facebook chat. This is pretty exciting as it would really create an extra boost to the site's popularity. The steps to start the video calling are pretty simple and basic. See below for the instructions, it hardly takes five minutes for it all to happen.


Steps to Enable Video Calling in Facebook: 


1. Firstly go to this link : Video Calling Setup Page

2. On this page now you can see "Get Started" Click on that Link.

Facebook would take you through a one time setup process. Download the File and Run It.

3. Facebook will show you the List of your friends online. Click on the friend you want to call and simply use the new "camera" icon displayed in the call screen. 

 Start Video Calling.


Problems:
If you are having problems running the video chat. Uninstall the video chat plugin. Download it again and then close all browsers before installing it. It would hopefully work fine.

The other person you are calling should also have the Facebook Video Chat plugin installed, otherwise the chat would not take place.

Also do update your flash player.