Microsoft’s Secret Android Destroying Patents Revealed

A couple of years ago Microsoft went on a warpath suing dozens of device makers who were using Android and infringing on its patents, often using a patent troll named Rockstar. It sued Google, Barnes & Noble, Nokia, HTC and others, forcing competitors to collectively cough up billions in licensing fees.

Many of those device makers now pay Microsoft a certain fee for each handset sold, believe it or not, and that’s how — at least a few years ago — Microsoft was making more off of Android than it did Windows Phone. Few people knew just how many patents Microsoft owned that gave it so much control over Android device makers, until now.

Google is going to Redisign android completely

 

Android is an open platform where you can edit each and every corener of the interface as of your wish. Still, Google is allegedly working to completely redesign the entire mobile operating system in an effort to make sure all of its apps across all platforms look and operate similarly.

New reports from many websites confirms that Google is going to name its new design “QUANTUM PAPER”

 

a report from Android Police explained that Google isn’t just looking to make sure all of its own apps and user interfaces look uniform, but that the company will also provide tools so that developers can make sure that their apps reflect the same design language. Polymer, a kit of dev tools that are already available, may play a huge role in future of Android. In the end, apps designed for iOS, Android and Chrome (and other places on the Web) will all offer similar design traits. You can see what we mean in the screenshots above, which show different versions of Gmail for the Web and for Android. The shots were first revealed by Geek.com in April.

Apparently Quantum Paper is going to hit Android devices when Google decides to release the next full version of Android. We’re on KitKat right now, so it’s expected to hit whenever Android L makes its debut — and we don’t know when that will be. Google I/O kicks off soon, but it seems like it may be a bit early to hear about this total redesign.

Skype 5.0 For iPhone Now Available With Major Changes

 

Earlier this week Skype announced that it has a major new update for iPhone users, Skype 5.0. Today, that update hit the iTunes App Store where it is available for everyone to download for free. As we noted when the update was first announced, Skype 5.0 is an attempt to become your only hub for texting and calling friends and family.

To do so, Skype has added “more reliable” messaging, with the ability to create groups and share photos and videos with everyone in the group, even if a specific contact is offline. Also, there’s a brand new user interface with a focus on the people you contact most. The “modern hub” always shows your most recent and active conversations so you don’t have to go digging. Also, Skype 5.0 supports in-app notifications, so if you’re typing in one group and a message comes in from another, you’ll see it.

Skype also promises that the experience should be smoother and faster overall, and that users should notice improvements in both voice and video calling experiences.

SwiftKey is free for Android !

With Apple opening up iOS to third-party keyboard for the first time this fall the battle of over which app you use to type out your messages is about to heat up. Services likeSwiftKey, Swype, Fleksy and Google’s own keyboard are already competing on Android, but ahead of the official iOS 8 release SwiftKey is throwing down the gauntlet and switching from the traditional paid-app model to a free version complete with in-app purchases.

Tour the World Cup Stadiums From Field Level With Google Street View

Unable to fly to Brazil for the World Cup? (By the way, the first game is next Thursday, June 12 between Brazil and Croatia.) Before the world’s biggest event kicks off, you can familiarize yourself with the tournament’s twelve different stadiums, which are scattered around the South American country. Google has essentially Street View-ified each one, letting you tour around from field level; if you can’t see a game in person, at least you can pretend you’re a player. Thanks, Google.

Clicking on a stadium will give you plenty of information on each specific one. The Arena Corinthians, for example, is capable of seating 65,000 people, and is set to host the opening match, three group matches, one round-of-16, and one semifinal match. The view from field level is beautiful—you get a very faint idea of what it’s like for players actually participating in the World Cup. Except, you know, they’re way better athletes and infinitely more talented.

Give it a whirl. Click on one of the stadiums and you can explore around as you normally would with Street View. It gives you a sense of scope when you’re not looking down from the stands; many of these stadiums have more than 40,000 seats, so you can imagine the kind of pressure players will be feeling when the tournament kicks off next week. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

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Apple unveiled iOS 8.

Apple just announced iOS 8, the successor to iOS 7 that was introduced last year, during its annual developer’s conference in San Francisco, and it’s packed with new features.

Notification center has been refined and there are now new interactive notifications. Pull down on a message at the top of the screen, for example, you can respond right away. Pull down from a calendar notification to accept or deny it, too. Safari, which got a tab view in iOS 7, now has a new birds eye view for iPad, and a new sidebar view for bookmarks, reading list, shared links and more.

Mail has been updated, too. It’s easier to flag messages, there’s a new quick delete feature – which we’ve seen in third party apps – a better compose menu and more.

Spotlight has deeper support, too, just like in OS X Yosemite. There’s Spotlight suggestions to search for apps in the app store, points of interest, news, restaurants, songs. and more.

Quick Type in iOS 8 supports predictive typing suggestions, too, so you can type faster than before. Apple said it’s context sensitive so if you start typing “do you want to go to dinner” it might offer “and a movie?” to complete your sentence. It learns how you type, too, so it will predict words based on how you type. There’s support for 14 languages from the get-go and Apple hopes it lets us all type faster.

Messages has been updated with new group messaging features – you can turn on a “do not disturb” on a per-thread level, choose if you want to leave the thread, name your group chat and more. It’s also easier to share your location with people in a conversation, and you can always see it inside messages. Pictures and attachments are easier to access, too. A new tap-to-talk feature lets you hold on the microphone to send a message. Video messages can now be played right in-line, too, inside iOS 8. You can play audio messages right from the lock screen and reply with a voice message, too.

iOS 8 also supports HealthKit, a new app for monitoring your health that was developed with the Mayo Clinic. We don’t yet know what sort of tools Apple will use to help you keep track of your health data, like blood glucose, but we imagine it will discuss those soon.

iOS 8 has a brand new Photos application that works closer than ever with iCloud and OS X, too, so you can always have all of your photos in one place, no matter what device you’re on. It has powerful new editing features, too.

Apple WWDC 14 a glance look !

Apple announced iOS 8, the successor to iOS 7 that was introduced last year, during its annual developer’s conference in San Francisco, and it’s packed with new features.

Apple also announced OS X Yosemite during WWDC 2014.Apple redesigned everything, adding translucent materials throughout the whole operating system. “It helps maintain a sense of depth and place as you move your windows over one another,” Apple SVP Craig Federighi said, pointing to a totally new launcher bar at the bottom of the screen and joking briefly about a new trash can. OS X Yosemite has a dark mode, too, he said.

Here is the Photo Gallery of WWDC 14 Up to date

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Gangnam Style surpass Two Billion Youtube views

Awsome Gangnam Style

Without rhyme or reasons, Psy’s world-dominating Gangnam Style has managed to surpass two billion YouTube views—the first ever video to do so. Which one of you allowed this to happen? Not even Justin Bieber’s song Baby could take down the Korean juggernaut, only managing to amass a measly one billion views.

When Gangnam Style first hit back in 2012, I honestly thought it was a joke—and it kind of is, poking fun at Korea’s famous Gangnam District, which rests just below the Han River. But never did I imagine the satirical formula and flailing dance would lead to the most popular video in the world. And yet… as soon as you click play, it’s impossible to look away; Gangnam Style’s catchy beat somehow manages to ensnare you in its grip of awfulness, hypnotize you beyond your better judgement.

Psy’s follow up, Gentleman, also holds a record for most views in a day at 38 million; the video’s view count currently rests at 700 million, a long way from the record-setting two billion. Psy actually has three videos in the top fifteen all-time on YouTube, which is mighty impressive. However, the Korean K-Pop sensation says the record isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“The problem is my music video is more popular than I am,” Psy told the BBC, a single tear probably running down his cheek.

What a miserable existence Psy must live. If only we could tell him we like him for who he is, and not because he dances like a drunk cowboy. Such is life.

Lumia “Living Moments” ad is a fascinate look at New York

Nokia set up 50 lumia 1020’s to capture an fabulous together to capture a wide and fascinating view of New York.
The new ad released by Nokia show one of the best view of New York.

The 41 MP cameras captured an amazing view which included every corner of the New York.The ad acts as a kind of love letter to New York, showing off the briefest of glimpses of what the city is all about. We get views of busy streets, subway stops, parks, street performers and more. The accompanying piano is beautiful and, if you can stomach the constantly spinning scene, the ad is pretty stellar throughout, with a nice ambient audio level that gives it that extra touch.

“50 Lumia’s were consistently set up in the shape of an arch”

In behind the scene look at the ad, director Paul Trillo explains that he used 50 Lumia 1020s to create the spinning “bullet effect”—essentially GIF images in the style made famous by The Matrix. a pretty complicated custom filming rig was built in the shape of a rainbow, and controlled wirelessly using a Surface. Nokia pulled off a similar effect last year, but this one is much more mesmerizing, simultaneously showing off the beauty of a city and the capabilities of Nokia’s camera technology.

Trillo said that they had about 30,000 photographs when filming wrapped up, resulting in the Living Moments ad you see above. It’s pretty phenomenal, not just from a technology standpoint, but a filmmaking perspective, too.

 

8GB iPhone 5c Launches in India

Apple first introduced the lower cost 8GB iPhone 5c two months ago, when the device launched in the U.K., France, Germany, Australia and China, but now Apple is introducing it into another quickly growing smartphone market: India. According to The Times of India, the iPhone 5c with 8GB of storage made its debut today, and each purchase comes with a free case.

The Times of India said Apple is charging Rs 33,500 ($572.44) for the 8GB iPhone 5c, a slight discount from the recommended price of Rs 37,500. Obviously the exchange rate affects the price a bit, however, since the 16Gb iPhone 5c can be purchased in the U.S. for $549 without a contract. The case comes free for a limited time and is valued at Rs 2,000, The Times of India said.

Apple’s other low-cost smartphone, the iPhone 4, got a fresh breath of life in India in January, when it launched for about $244 without a contract. The iPhone 5c is a much more powerful device, however, and Apple is probably trying to make as many devices available across multiple price points as possible.