World Bank statement have no adverse impact on funding: Muhith

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith claimed on Wednesday the World Bank's allegation that the Bangladesh government officials misrepresented its stance will have no adverse impact on the Padma bridge financing.

He told journalists at the Sylhet Osmani International Airport that the Washington-based lender stepped back from the Padma bridge project suspecting corruption. "But they will have to prove that there was corruption."

Muhith also said that the World Bank is being given "more scope to participate" in the graft investigation. "Bigger contracts would be signed by February and then work will start."

In its Tuesday's statement, the global lender said that it had shared repeatedly with the Government of Bangladesh credible evidence of corruption involving senior public officials tied to the Padma bridge project.

It added that the bank cancelled the $1.2-billion credit in the absence of a credible response by the government.

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GrameenPhone GP Internet and MMS Settings for Android OS phone

Sunday, August 26, 2012

 Now a Days Android OS is the Most Popular Mobile Operating System .Top Mobile Manufacturing Company Like Samsung ,HTC,Motorola is Using Android OS for their Mobile Phone .However here i Will Explain How to Configure GrameenPhone  Internet ,wap and MMS Settings for Android OS powered Phone .

For GP Internet Setting Just Follow These Step :

    Go to Settings >> Wireless & Networks >> Moblie Networks >> Access Point Names
    Press the Menu button
    Tap on New APN
    Under Name, type: Internet, tap Ok
    Under APN, type: gpinternet, tap Ok. ( gpinternet is case-sensitive)
    Press Menu again
    Tap SAVE


Ok Its Done :) Sometimes its Require to Reboot Your Device

GP MMS Settings for Android


    Go to Settings >> Wireless & Networks >> Moblie Networks >> Access Point Names
    Press the Menu button
    Tap on New APN
    Under Name, type: MMS, tap Ok.
    Under APN, type: gpmms.
    MMSC: http://mms.gpsurf.net/servlets/mms
    MMS Proxy: 10.128.1.2
    MMS Port: 8080
    Press Menu
    Tap SAVE

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‎Banglalink brings 5 New INTERNET Packages

The Second Largest Mobile operator Banglalink Brings Five New Internet Package P5: (monthly 100 MB Pack),P10: (daily 2 MB Pack),P11: (daily morning unlimited, 5am-10am),P12: (weekly morning unlimited, 5am-10am),P13: (monthly morning unlimited, 5am-10am)

                          Here is the Details of Those package


1. P5: (Monthly 100 MB Pack): tk100/ month (all Prepaid, Call & Control packages) To Active This p5 Package  simply type p5 & send SMS to 3343.

2. P10: (daily 2 MB Pack): tk4/day (all Prepaid, Call & Control packages) To Active This p10 Package simply type p10 & send SMS to 3343.

3. P11: (Daily morning unlimited, 5am-10am): tk20/day (all Prepaid, Call & Control packages)

To Active This p11 Package simply type p11 & send SMS to 3343.

4. P12: (weekly morning unlimited, 5am-10am): tk70/week (all Prepaid, Call & Control packages)

To Active This p12 Package simply type p12 & send SMS to 3343.

5. P13: (monthly morning unlimited, 5am-10am): tk200/month (all Prepaid, Call & Control packages)

To Active This p13 Package simply type p13 & send SMS to 3343.

please be informed that, after sending sms to 3343, please follow the reply sms to complete package activation. sms charge is FREE!

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Citycell Introduce New Wifi Router Modem Name ""Citycell My-Fi ""

The Country"s Only CDMA Operator  has launched its My-Fi pocket router Modem in the market.Citycell My-Fi is basically a mobile Wi-Fi router.You Can Use This Device as a Wi fi Hotspot Router and a Modem in your Computer.
This My Fi  router lets its users make their own hotspots and can connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices like Smart Phone ,Tab,laptop etc .



This Awesome Wifi Modem Works up to a Distance of 30M Indoors and 50M Outdoors and Rechargeable battery Can Works up to 4 Hours you can also be used as a modem.
Price of Citycell My-fi Router Modem

Only Router - 8000tk

Router+prepaid connection -8500 tk with 900 bonus in 3 months

Router+postpaid connection - 9000 tk with 1,200 bonus in 3 months

Data Plan For Citycell
 
For More Details You Can Visit Citycell Official Page

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Munster: there will be a $200 unsubsidized Apple iPhone in 2013

Friday, August 24, 2012

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is no stranger to our loyal readers. From time to time, he has made forecasts, as analysts do, and some of them have come true while others have been off the mark. The latest prediction from the Wall Streeter is that next year, Apple will offer an unsubsidized, $200 version of the Apple iPhone. Currently, the Cupertino based firm sells an unsbsidized 8GB model of the Apple iPhone 3GS for $375. Since the Apple iPhone 3G was launched in 2008, the average selling price of the phone has been $641, a figure that Munster says would drop to $434 by 2015 with a much cheaper version offered.

The analyst characterizes offering a device at that price point as being "important" to Apple as it needs to improve its market share in emerging markets where the iPhone trails cheaper Android flavored models. Should Apple offer a $200 unsubsidized model, Munster sees the company's global smartphone market share rising sharply to 32% by 2015 from this year's expected 20%.

"We believe it is becoming increasingly possible for Apple to build the low end iPhone for $130-150, which would suggest a 25-35% gross margin. While some investors may not like the margin dilution from a cheaper iPhone, we believe that view misses the bigger market share picture."-Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray

Munster believes that a lower priced unsubsidized model of the Apple iPhone launched in September 2013 could end up representing a quarter of all iPhone sales. But it would come at a cost to Apple's financials. Documents unveiled during the current Apple v. Samsung patent trial show that Apple's iconic smartphone offers profit margin of between 49% to 58% and Munster sees a $200 off-contract model taking margins down to iPad territory which is currently 23% to 32%. That means that Apple has to decide between a higher profit margin or a higher market share.

The analyst doesn't necessarily believe that the $200 unsubsidized model will be the Apple iPhone 3GS. He believes that it will be an existing model which could include the Apple iPhone 4 or the current variant of the device, the Apple iPhone 4S. Meanwhile, the 6th generation of the Apple iPhone is expected to be introduced on September 12th.

source: AppleInsider

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Apple v. Samsung jury asks permission to stay late; is a verdict coming tonight?

The  men and two women that make up the jury deciding the outcome of the Apple v. Samsung patent trial have requested an extra hour to deliberate on Friday. Could this mean that the jury is close to reaching a decision? Will we hear a verdict before the weekend? Although that is a possibility, some believe that the request is merely a sign that the jury is having long discussions about the case and that they need the extra time to go through the 40 page jury verdict form that even long time court veterans have described as being complicated.

Crossword puzzle? No, part of a jury verdict form that was proposed by Samsung for use in the Apple v. Samsung patent trial

Crossword puzzle? No, part of a jury verdict form that was proposed by Samsung for use in the Apple v. Samsung patent trial
Put yourself in the shoes of one of the jurors. You sat through 120 minutes of instructions read from 108 pages by Judge Lucy Koh, and now you have 700 individual questions to answer including the decision of which devices infringed upon which patents, how much in damages each side should be awarded, was the infringement intentional, which current products are affected by patent infringements and more. Some courtroom observers say that the size and scope of the jury verdict form guarantees that deliberations will be long.

Apple seeks $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion in damages from Samsung, an amount Apple's legal team said in closing arguments, that is being asked for as a warning to other companies not to infringe on patents belonging to multi-billion dollar companies. Samsung's counter-suit seeks $400 million. Legal experts believe that Samsung's case was the weaker of the two, but believe that the jury might look to split the verdict to give each company a partial victory instead of the chest thumping verdict they each seek.

Speaking of split verdicts, early Friday morning in the States, news came that a three judge panel in South Korea had announced a split verdict in another Apple-Samsung patent trial. While both sides ended up with a little cash, the main part of the verdict was the banning of the Apple iPhone 4S, Apple iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung GALAXY Tab and Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 devices in the country.

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Canon EOS-M Announced

Canon today announced its long awaited debut into the Mirrorless Interchangeable lens market with their Canon EOS-M camera.

We’ve seen all the other major players in this market for some time with manufacturers like Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony not only having released numerous camera bodies but also growing numbers of lenses (see the best selling cameras in this class among our readers).
The Canon EOS-M is built around an 18 megapixel APS-C sensor (the same one that is in the T4i/650D) and a new lens mount (EF-M is the mount name). They also announced two EF-M lenses today – a f2.0 20mm pancake lens and a F3.5-5.6 18-55mm IS lens. In addition to these two lenses they’ll release an adapter that will allow those buying the EOS-M to use any of their EF and EF-S lenses.
The big complaint though that many people have is that there is no EVF (electronic view finder) which is something many other cameras have in this segment of the market.

The EOS-M also features a touch screen LCD, hybrid Autofocus, full HD video and ISO of up to 25,600. Also announced today is a new compact EX Speedlite flash – the 90EX.
The Canon EOS-M will retail for $799.99 USD when bundled with the 22mm lens or $849 when bundled with the 18-55m lens, $1049 when bundled with both lenses or $979 with the 22mm lens plus the EF adapter.

It comes in Black, White, Silver or Red.
We’ll get a first impression review and fuller review of the Canon EOS-M if and when Canon return our calls

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Samsung NX20 Review

Here we go again: Samsung hits the market with another compact, interchangeable lens, mirrorless camera. Brave I call it!

Now that Canon is about to enter the market with its EOS-M the majors are all out there, braving the winds with their wares. In Samsung’s case it’s a tough game for a brand that’s possibly better known for its TVs, domestic white goods (fridges etc), smart phones etc but one that has not yet established its creds in the photo industry.
Sony has done it. As has Panasonic. But in both their cases they have relied on a major Euro lens maker to gold-plate their camera bodies: Zeiss with the former, Leica with the latter. As many have found out, the camera brand kit lenses usually sold at attractive prices really don’t cut the mustard.
So here we have a major Korean company out there pushing its photographic wares with both body and lenses branded ‘Samsung’.
But don’t take your eyes off the Koreans! They have frightened the pants off the Japanese and the Americans with Hyundai and Kia autos and some pretty smart electronics products. Think Samsung!

Handling

The review camera was fitted with the f3.5/18-55mm kit lens.
For me, it was immediate attraction: the camera looks like a full DSLR, but scaled down. The speed grip at right is ideally proportioned, with nearly all the controls grouped near right thumb and forefinger; the mode dial supports access to PASM, plus scene modes, WiFi to connect to a WLAN, movie shooting, custom and lens priority modes.

The latter is interesting and continues a feature seen in earlier NX models. With this you toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB and ISO rapidly by depressing the i-Function button and rolling a ring on the lens. Just be careful: it’s all too easy to dial in exposure compensation without realising it. At rear is the jog dial, replay buttons etc. The only button that sits on the top deck at left is the onboard flash switch.
For what it’s worth the screen menu is accurate and colourful.

Samsung NX20 Features

The camera captures 20.3 megapixels on an APS-C sized CMOS sensor, with a maximum image size of 5472×3648 pixels and a print potential of 46x31cm.


Movies are treated better than some earlier NX models: Full HD MPEG4 at 1920×1080 pixels. In all modes (Program AE, shutter or aperture priority and manual) exposure can be adjusted. You can even opt for a fade in or fade out to/from a scene as you shoot.
I found the AF to work smoothly if not rapidly while shooting movies. The stabiliser did its job well.
It was possible to shoot stills while shooting video but the latter was interrupted at that time. Note: AF and zoom noise may be recorded as you shoot.
The 7.6cm OLED screen swings laterally and upwards; there is an eye sensor so the view switches from eye level to rear screen when your eyebrow approaches.
A useful feature seen increasingly on many budget cameras is a level indicator; the NX20 has this terrific feature. Until you use it you won’t realise how useful it is!

Samsung NX20 ISO Tests

Matters sail along quite well until ISO 3200. At ISO 6400 noise is noticeable. By ISO 12800 noise and artefacts work against you.

Samsung NX20 Verdict

Quality: fully saturated colour, excellent definition.
Why you’d buy the Samsung NX20: small, light.
Why you wouldn’t: suspicious of Samsung lenses; the plinky plonky sounds of the camera functions.
Available in white or black.

Just one note: the instruction manual PDF is terrific, especially if you are a beginner; it has pages and pages of useful info and diagrams on photographic basics. Perversely, this is also a pointer as to the intended market for the camera.

Samsung NX20 Specifications

Image Sensor: 20.3 million effective pixels.
Metering: Multi segment, centre-weighted, spot.
Lens Mount: Samsung NX.
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Effective Sensor Size: 23.5×15.6mm HD CMOS.
35 SLR Lens Factor: 1.5x.
Shutter Speed (stills): 30 to 1/8000 second and Bulb.
Continuous Shooting: 3-8fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 5472×3648 to 1024×1024.
Movies: 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×480, 320×240.
Viewfinder: Turret (480.000); 7.6cm AMOLED screen (614,000 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW (SRW), JPEG+RAW, MPO (3D), MPEG4.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 12,800.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, WiFi.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 122×89.6×39.5 WHDmm.
Weight: 341 g (ex battery and card).
Price: Get a price on the Samsung NX20

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Popular Digital Cameras

It’s that time again where I reveal what digital cameras, lenses, accessories, books and other gear you, the DPS community, have been buying over the last couple of months!

Here at DPS we’re able to get a sneak peak into what our readers buy when they click on one of our links to the Amazon online store. We don’t get specific info on what individuals buy – but the collective information is interesting and gives a good indication of what’s hot at any given point of time.

By the way – when you make a purchase at Amazon after clicking on one of these links we get a small commission that helps us to improve DPS (design improvements, running competitions and even paying or giving a gift to the occasional guest author). We appreciate your support in this way.
DSLRs

One camera sold significantly more than any other this last quarter – the Canon EOS 40D. In there were more 40D’s bought than all other DSLRs added together.

1.     Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP
2.     Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP
3.     Nikon D40x 10.2MP
4.     Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP
5.     Nikon D200 10.2MP
6.     Nikon D80 10.2MP
7.     Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP
8.     Nikon D40 6.1MP
9.     Olympus Evolt E500 8MP
10.     Pentax K100D 6.1MP
11.     Sony Alpha A100 10.2MP
12.     Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP
13.     Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP
14.     Pentax K10D 10.2MP

Point and Shoot Cameras

The Canon point and shoot camera range sold out all others quite easily this quarter – with the SD850IS and S3 and S5 convincingly out selling the rest:

1.     Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP 4x Zoom
2.     Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS 6MP with 12x Zoom
3.     Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS 8.0MP 12x Zoom
4.     Canon PowerShot SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Zoom
5.     Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP 4x Zoom
6.     Nikon Coolpix S50c 7.2 MP 3x Zoom
7.     Canon PowerShot A720IS 8MP 6x Zoom
8.     Fujifilm Finepix F40fd 8.3MP 3x Zoom
9.     Sony Cybershot S650 7.2MP 3x Zoom
10.     Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP 4x Zoom
11.     Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP 6x Zoom
12.     Fujifilm Finepix F31fd 6.3MP 3x Zoom
13.     Kodak EasyShare C653 6.1MP 3x Zoom
14.     Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS 7.1MP 12x Zoom
15.     Panasonic DMC-FZ50S 10.1MP 12x Zoom

Prime Lenses

As usual – the 50mm lens featured heavily in both Nikon and Canon Prime lens sales.

1.     Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens” (Canon)
2.     Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens + Accessory Kit w/ 2 Year Extended Warranty” (Nikon)
3.     Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras” (Canon)
4.     Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras” (Canon)
5.     Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras” (Nikon)
6.     Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras” (Canon)
7.     Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras” (Canon)
8.     Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR Cameras” (Canon)
9.     Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Autofocus Lens
10.     Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Lens

Zoom Lenses

A real range of zoom lenses were purchased this last quarter with a Nikon outselling other models:

1.     Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Len
2.     Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens
3.     Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens
4.     Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens
5.     Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
6.     Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
7.     Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
8.     Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens
9.     Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens
10.     Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

Accessories

This is just a taste of the hundreds of accessories that the DPS community buys each quarter with loads of memory cards, bags, tripods and flashes featuring in the full list:

1.     Kingston 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card (SD/2GB)
2.     Tiffen 52mm 81B Filter
3.     Canon 200EG Deluxe Digital Photo Backpack
4.     Joby GP3-01EN Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Flexible Tripod
5.     The POD Camera Platform (Bean Bag)
6.     Canon BG-E3 Battery Grip for EOS Digital Rebel XT Camera” (Canon)
7.     Nikon Lens Pen Cleaning System” (Nikon)
8.     Bogen-Manfrotto 3021BPRO Professional Tripod without Head (Black)” (Bogen)
9.     Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash for Canon Pro1, Pro 90, G Series and all EOS SLR Cameras” (Canon)
10.     Canon EF 2X II Extender Telephoto Accessory” (Canon)

Post Production Software

As usual – Adobe dominates the best selling software list.

1.     Adobe Photoshop CS3 [Mac]
2.     Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 Win/Mac
3.     Adobe Photoshop CS3
4.     Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 (Mac)
5.     Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
6.     Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Premiere Elements 3.0 Bundle
7.     Adobe Photoshop CS2

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Apple won't be the big 2012 growth winner, despite iPhone 5, neither will Android

Digitimes has done some research and has put together some numbers for what the market share could look like by the end of the year. Surprisingly, despite the iPhone 5, Apple won't be the big growth winner of 2012, and, at least based on growth rate, neither will Android. Not surprisingly though are the big losers according to market share growth: BlackBerry and Symbian.

Apple won't be the big 2012 growth winner, despite iPhone 5, neither will Android

The numbers from Digitimes compare year-on-year shipments, and BlackBerry and Symbian are continuing their freefalls. Symbian shipments have dropped nearly 66% over last year, and BlackBerry saw a decline of 41%. There really isn't any hope for Symbian, but for RIM, BlackBerry 10 can't come fast enough if the carrier excitement is to be believed.

Android's growth rate is understandably slowing from 2010, when it's year-on-year growth rate was a mind-boggling 679%, but it is still by far the largest of all, and could end up being 70% of all smartphone shipments. This year, Android is looking at just under a 90% increase, which would mean somewhere around 425 million units shipped compared to 224 million in 2011.


Apple is expected to increase shipments by just 35%, but given the volume of iPhone shipments, that will still add up to 125 million units in 2012. The big surprise is that Windows Phone will have the biggest growth rate by more than doubling its shipments this year (up 108%). Of course, that only adds up to 21 million units, because WP has such a small share, but the growth rate is impressive.


source: Digitimes

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Quad-core Samsung Galaxy S III with Exynos/LTE combo in store for Germany

Who said the Exynos processor doesn't play well with LTE? Samsung stated that it will be trying to integrate 4G LTE in its own line of system chips, and has seemingly delivered in a quad-core Samsung Galaxy S III LTE that will sport the coveted 4G radio, destined for German carriers.

Now we actually doubt that Samsung is having the radio integrated, like in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets, as it is too soon after the CEOs battlecry for Samsung to develop true SoCs, baseband radio integration and all, but this Exynos/LTE combo is still good to see outside the company's home turf, as it is also rumored to appear like that for Rogers in Canada.

The LTE radio working alongside Samsung's own quad-core processor apparently doesn't come cheap, though - pricing has been tipped at EUR 740, or about $940 SIM-free, which is pretty high up there, even if you consider that gear is usually at least a fifth more expensive in Europe than in the US. The Samsung Galaxy S III LTE is about to hit German carriers in October.

source: SammyHub

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Apple whips out a Nokia Lumia and Xperia arc at court and says "Not every phone needs to look like an iPhone!"

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Nokia and Sony got a little pep talk about the design of their Lumia and Xperia handsets during the closing arguments in the Apple-Samsung trial yesterday, when Apple's star lawyer Harold McElhinny whipped out an unspecified Lumia plus an Xperia arc, and exclaimed: "Not every phone has to look like an iPhone!"

The Lumia line design is in turn directly borrowed from the work on the MeeGo-powered Nokia N9. The Finns mentioned that they didn't really have time to think about other groundbreaking chassis types for their first Windows Phone batche, so they used what was exclusive in the design studio at the moment, and in advanced stage of production, like the signature policarbonate unibody in flashy colors.

For its next Windows Phone devices Nokia said it is venturing into other memorable design paradigms, so we can't wait to see what September 5 brings, because, frankly, once you've hit the multicore chipsets and HD screens stage, design is pretty much your chief means of differentiation in the tangible realm.

source: TheVerge

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MetroPCS introduces Samsung Galaxy S III to its fall lineup

Just yesterday, MetroPCS unveiled a brand new $55 unlimited 4G LTE data, talk and text plan, and now to go with it comes the Samsung Galaxy S III. MetroPCS revealed the upcoming Galaxy S III as part of its fall lineup, planning to roll out the SGS III “later this year.”

Alongside the Android gem that the Samsung Galaxy S III is, MetroPCS is also getting a more compact Samsung-branded Gingerbread phone that stands out by being the first to come with Voice over LTE (or VoLTE) for high-quality voice calls.

MetroPCS will also add two more affordable Gingerbread devices, one made by ZTE and another one by Coolpad. The ZTE MetroPCS phone will feature a 4.3-inch display and a front facing camera, but we have no further details. The second device, the Coolpad will retail for only $149 and sport a 4-inch screen.

Now, none of these would steal the show from the Galaxy S III on MetroPCS, and actually with the S III on board and that $55 all-you-can-eat plan, you have a pretty good reason to stay with the regional carrier or even jump ship to it, don't you think?

source: PhoneScoop

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The future of mobile device design depends on nine completely random people: here's who

Remember that huge Apple versus Samsung legal fight? You simply couldn't have forgotten it – we've been writing about it in not months but already what seems like years. It's finally coming to its glorious apogee these days and we're very soon to hear who won and pretty much what the future of phone design will look like. You might think that a lot depends on Lucy Koh, the California judge nominated by Barack Obama in 2010. You might think that a lot depends on the hordes of lawyers hired by Apple and Samsung.

Truth is, the outcome of this case lies on the jury. A jury might sound authoritative, but in reality it's just nine completely random people that have spend the last few days (not weeks, not even months) in court and getting acquainted with possibly the biggest legal fight in mobile history.

“I am worried we might have a seriously confused jury here,” Judge Lucy Koh said during one of the court proceedings. “I have trouble understanding this, and I have spent a little more time with this than they have.”

We wouldn't blame the jury if they don't completely understand what's going on – we have the background and we've spent the time to look through some of the documents, but still can't brag about having a full grasp of the patent issue. So shouldn't be an expert making the decision? Whatever it will be, it will come from:

1. An electrical engineer
2. A homemaker
3. A construction worker
4. A young unemployed man who likes video games
5. An insurance agent
6. An ex-Navy avionics technician
7. A store operations manager for a cycling retailer
8. A project manager for wireless carrier AT&T
9. A benefits and payroll manager who works with startups

That is two women and seven men and while you might argue that some of the professions might suggest some form of proximity with the world of technology and patent law, some of the other professions simply have nothing in common with those two areas.

The flipside of the coin is that if you bring experts, you risk bias and democracy. But this... just feels a bit risky. Whatever the turnout, one thing is sure – both Samsung and Apple will appeal. What do you think, who should be deciding this and will the current state of things work out fine?

source: Tech Crunch, Ars Technica, Reuters

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Nikon Coolpix S800c is now official – 16MP Android camera you can play Angry Birds on

As predicted, the Nikon Coolpix S800c Android-powered camera was officially announced today. What we have on our hands is a 16-megapixel point-and-shoot cam boasting a 1/2.3 CMOS sensor with back-side illumination, 10x optical zoom, and image stabilization. Videos can be taken at 1080p, and the WPS technology allows files to be easily transferred over Wi-Fi to a smartphone or a tablet.

In case you are wondering, you cannot use the Nikon S800c as a cell phone, although we bet that the photos that it takes look better than what most smartphones can deliver. On the other hand, you can access the Google Play store in order to install applications – social networking clients, photo editing software, even Skype makes an appearance in the promotional video below. We know that the camera's OLED screen measures 3.5 inches in diagonal and has "high resolution", but further hardware specifications, such as processor make and model, remain unknown. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is what comes out of the box.

The Nikon Coolpix S800c has 680MB available for applications and about 1.7GB for storage, which can be expanded further with the use of an SD/SDHC card. The unit tips the scales at 184 grams and has a thickness of about 27 millimeters without taking the protruding optics into account. As far as battery life is concerned, don't set your hopes too high. The camera can take about 140 images with a single charge of the battery, according to official specification, which, quite frankly, isn't much.

And that's pretty much what the Nikon Coolpix S800c is. Like it or not, it is arriving to the U.S. this month for $350 and will be available in both black and white. Is anyone interested in grabbing one?


source: Nikon via Pocket-Lint

UPDATE: Using the Nikon Coolpix S800c will not require users to keep the unit on stand-by all the time, or to wait until Android boots up. The camera can be used as soon as the camera is powered on, while the operating system loads in the background. The Android user interface becomes accessible in about 30 seconds, and when put on stand-by, the device automatically shuts itself down.

source: Engadget

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Flickr for Android gets a huge update

ne of the first things that the Interwebosphere asked of Marissa Mayer when she took over as CEO of Yahoo was to fix Flickr, and to make it great again. Meyer has obviously taken that suggestion to heart as she has already doubled the number of people on the Flickr team, and now the Flickr app for Android has gotten a huge update.

The app has gotten a complete overhaul of the UI, adding the tabbar at the bottom to make it easier to navigate and find interesting content. The Explore feature has been refreshed with swipe gestures to navigate between photos. But, one of the best new options is that the app allows you to choose from any of the camera apps installed on your device to take a picture, so you can stick with the stock camera, or get fancy with an HDR app, or get faux-fancy with Instagram.

Advanced users haven't been left out either. The search function now shows HTML content in comments and descriptions, so you can easily link and add information. And, the app can also now edit metadata on images, which is a big one for pro users.

If you want to try out the new Flickr app, it's available for free in the Google Play Store.

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Jelly Bean coming to International Samsung Galaxy S III next week

The GT-i9300 is getting Jelly Bean next week. If you don't remember what phone that model number relates to, it's the International version of the Samsung Galaxy S III. This comes from sources for Android Central who are familiar with Samsung's plans. Once the August 29th Samsung Unpacked event is over (and presumably Sammy packs up), the Android 4.1 update will start rolling out across the globe, including the United Kingdom.

Besides getting the usual Jelly Bean features like Google Now, the update will also bring new features to the International Samsung Galaxy S III through TouchWiz. These include the new "dormant mode" that improves notifications and alerts, and an "easy mode" for, well, easy home screen functionality.

So where does this leave those sporting the Qualcomm S4 powered version of the sizzling hot Android smartphone? Besides being a little envious, it leaves them just a bit closer to getting Android 4.1 on their device.

source: AndroidCentral

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Asus Transformer Pad Infinity and TF300T are now getting updated Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Asus has now started rolling out the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to its Transformer Pad Infinity and TF300T tablets. Some users reported that an over-the-air update first appeared a couple of days ago and surprised them by actually bumping up the version on their tablets to Jelly Bean.

The update is gradually rolling out to users, so go on and check if you have an update pending, but don’t worry if it still hasn’t arrived for you yet - chances are that it’d come in the next few days. Just last month Asus promised the update to its tablet lineup and now it’s here:

"We are pleased to announce that we will be updating many of our tablet products to Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. The ASUS Transformer Pad, ASUS Transformer Pad Prime and ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity are all scheduled to receive an update to Jelly Bean in the coming months," Asus announced.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean brings huge improvements in the smoothness of Android, and also introduces Google Now, a card-based system of automatic notifications, along with better Google Voice Search, an intelligent voice assistant that is faster and more accurate than Apple’s Siri.

Check out a few screen grabs from updated Asus tablets and let us know – have you received the update already?


source: Android Central forums via Pocket-lint

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Rare iPhone 4 prototype hits eBay, yours for $10,000

While some people collect stamps, coins, badges, or baseball cards, others prefer focusing on geekier stuff like obscure electronics or even mobile phones. The latter kind of folks are the ones that might be interested in this rare specimen that was just discovered on eBay – an iPhone 4 prototype unit that, surprisingly, is still operational as it has not been deactivated by Apple. 

What runs on this iPhone 4 prototype is the Switchboard software framework, which Apple used to test software on the device. Another thing that makes the unit special is the rare "Deathstar" logo on its back. Speaking of which, the back plate of the device can be easily removed for quick access to the handset's internals. In case you are wondering, this particular device has 32GB of storage.

Needless to say, this iPhone 4 prototype cannot be used as an every-day device, but it will look well on your shelf of interesting items. As long as you don't mind spending a pile of cash on it, that is. Bids start at $4,500 and a $10,000 buy-it-now price has been set for the impatient.

source: eBay via Engadget

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Half of in-store smartphone buyers get accessories, here are the most popular ones

Ever wondered what are the most popular accessories people buy for their cell phones? Turns out, if we compare all accessories on a dollar-based value scale, cases are the most popular one, according to market research by NPD. Next, somewhat surprisingly come headphones, obviously pushed by the much higher average price for headphones than for cases. At a distant third and fourth come external batteries, chargers and handsfree headsets.

Looking deeper into what drives someone to buy a case, NPD found that granting maximum protection is the first concern of users and also important are the high quality of build materials and the expectation for the case to not be too bulky, and ruin the design of that high-end phone.

“Smartphones tend to feature slim designs and glass materials, so protection accessories have become a virtual necessity to safeguard smartphone owners’ investments,” industry analysis director at NPD Ben Arnold said. “Price holds less importance than protection on the list of purchase influencers, and consumer concern over the quality of materials indicates the performance of these accessories is more important than their aesthetics or cost.”

Interestingly, nearly half of those buying a smartphone in-store, got some accessory with it, and the spending on decorations and add-ins to the smartphone was much higher in stores than online.

source: NPD via Business Insider

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Skype update for iOS introduces photo sharing, adds performance enhancements

Skype, the most popular VoIP client out there, just got updated on iOS allowing iPhone and iPad users to now send images to their contacts. So far, you could only send images on the desktop version of Skype, but not in the mobile app. The update is still so far an iOS-only affair, but we expect it to arrive to Android sooner rather than later.

Along with the new image sending functionality, the update brings the usual set of performance improvements and bug fixes. It also enhances privacy settings and slightly tweaks the visuals of Skype for iOS.

If for some reason you are still not using Skype, you should know that it allows you to call (or voice call) and message your contacts for absolutely free from both a mobile device and traditional computers. Skype is a free, so it wouldn't hurt giving it a shot.

•     Download Skype for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store [iTunes link]

source: Skype via GSM Arena

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Chinese ZTE to introduce first Windows Phone 8 devices only in late 2013

Chinese ZTE recently cemented its position in the top 5 smartphone makers with its 8 million devices shipped in the second quarter of 2012, but when it comes to Windows Phone 8, ZTE is in no hurry. ZTE will only introduce its first Windows Phone 8 devices in late 2013, almost a year later than most other phone manufacturers that will rely on the initial hype around the new platform around October.

"Although we haven't announced anything yet, I can confirm that ZTE's first Windows Phone 8 handsets will be arriving towards middle-late 2013," ZTE European marketing and development director Chris Edwards said.

Edwards clarified that with Windows Phone 8 ZTE will continue focusing on “middle ground” devices offering customers cheaper options to devices from “tier one” phone makers.

ZTE will build its strategy around the most important things and not gimmicks. The company plans on being there to capitalize on mistakes from companies like Huawei and Samsung. "We plan to concentrate on things that really matter: good batteries, fast speeds and decent cameras," Edwards added.

At the same time, ZTE, fourth biggest mobile phone and fifth-biggest smartphone maker, saw net profit slide to 244.88 million yuan (around $38.5 million) in the first half of 2012, down from 769 million yuan in the same period last year. Still, this was better than analysts expectations.

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Back to school 2012: your guide to smartphones

Labor day is close and you know what that means right? Get that backpack ready, the school year is about to start. You might be upset about it, or you might be happy to reunite with people you haven’t seen in the summer, but the start of the school year is also the time and place to check how much everyone’s changed. Our fellow geeks, will notice that more and more people have joined the smartphone craze, and to keep up with the times here is our guide to the best smartphones to go back to school with.

Despite giving you the list below, though, for the first time in a while, we would wholeheartedly recommend that you don’t get a phone right now. Seriously, just wait a couple of weeks, and you’d save yourself a possible disappointment.

We have a couple of reasons why. First, the iPhone 5 is coming on September 12th and it’s expected to be the biggest upgrade to the iPhone since it launched in 2007. Second, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is coming with a bigger 5.5-inch screen and an S Pen that you’d appreciate in school. Third, Windows Phone 8 will arrive with a wave of new devices finally bringing dual-core processors and HD screens to Microsoft’s platform.

But does this mean there aren’t any good devices out there at the moment? Not at all! We’ve picked five great smartphones to help you with learning (and partying) that coincidentally all happen to run on Android. It’s just the upcoming events for iOS and Windows Phone that are the reason for this, don’t hurry to see bias here. And really, if you can, just wait a couple of weeks, it’d be worth it.

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6 Reasons why Linux Servers are More Secure

Although there are several servers available on different operating system platforms like windows, unix , etc. I feel that Linux Servers are more secure when compared to other competitors.There are several reasons why Linux servers are more secure than those running solely off of Windows. The importance behind this extra security is to help prevent hackers from entering the server and changing files and putting viruses and robot programs to work over the servers. If they were able to get in through brute force or simple hacking, the results could be devastating and potentially harmful to your websites as well as any of the visitors that make their way to your websites.

Here are 6 reasons why I feel that Linux servers are more secure:

Several Levels of Security with Linux Servers

Linux based servers are not much different in terms of capabilities with what the server can provide in terms of processing the websites and other information stored on the server. The big difference between Linux servers and other options is the fact that there are many more layers of security that are possible with Linux based server software. There are other security layers possible with third party software mechanisms available as well.
You Can Limit Access to the Root of the Server

You can limit Root access as well as disable Root SSH Logins that make it possible for hackers to gain access to your valuable files and other resources on the server. You can even make it so only a few users have access to administrative tools by setting special user attributes while others are still restricted in the event that a hacker got a hold of another user account which could attempt to use the switch command to the Root of the server.
Software Options for Linux Servers Are Less Vulnerable

Most of the software that is developed for Linux servers is designed to have the highest levels of security to prevent hackers and virus attacks. The vulnerability of the software is entirely up to how long a hacker is willing to attempt to hack each individual software component of the servers that you are using. This limits the access to the important sections of your Linux servers and provides even more security.
Updates to Linux Server Software are More Frequent

The constant necessity of security with Linux servers prompts for more frequent software updates. These updates remove vulnerabilities as well as increases security all around. When used in conjunction on servers, the security of the server is increased exponentially. It simply becomes more secure every month providing that the owner of the server performs the updates to the software options when they become available for use.
No Executable and registry

Like windows linux doesn’t support .exe files. Most of the viruses in windows are being spread with .exe files what happens you just double click on .exe file and virus,trojan or malware easily integrate itself with windows. And similarly Registry is another place where viruses put their information. Even if you delete the file, It rewrites its information from registry and it is also too difficult to find where virus hides its information in registry.Linux uses configuration files rather than registry so another big hole for viruses is closed and as i mentioned in point 1 that linux doesn’t allow any normal user to edit system files.
FTP Access Is Restricted and Easy Backups are Possible

You can restrict access to the FTP for the Linux server to allow for different levels of access to all of the allowed accounts. This access can also be limited to only viewing and downloading content from the server. You can also make quick backups of all important data with a Linux server which can be restored in the event that the server is changed during an attack. Backing up couldn’t be easier on Linux, cron jobs make backups pretty painless and the options are really unlimited for choosing the best way to back up your server.
Conclusion

Being able to choose between different distros on Linux creates limitless possibilities. Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and all of the others provide different features for server admins to choose from. The ability to run the distribution that best serves your application, company, or web site really allows Linux to be the best all around option for a server admin. Windows is limited to Windows Server, which provides great functionality, but the depth that Linux can provide cannot be easily matched. Let alone the performance.
Having these options available as a server admin may be confusing as a new comer, but as you start learning about the features and unique qualities of each distribution, you will be able to find a favorite that suites you and really get the most out of your server by utilizing every aspect of the hardware and software working efficiently together. The most fun part is sometimes just downloading 10-20 different .iso’s of the new linux distributions and installing them on different partitions or running them on LiveCD or USB stick and playing with the new features and environments each of them are working on.
Go out there and learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each Linux distro and find the one that best suites you and learn it inside and out. Doing so will give you the best experience and most secure server you could ask for.

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25 Must have Portable apps for MAC OS X

Portable applications have changed the way of accessing software and other favorite applications. Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. And you can use them on any Windows computer all without leaving any personal data behind. Portable applications provides the platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). The entire platform is open source built around an open format that any hardware or software provider can use.
In this post , I have collected some of the useful Portable applications for OS X. I hope , this applications will definitely help you.

Portable Firefox OS X

Here is the popular Mozilla Firefox web browser packaged so you can carry around with you on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive, memory card, other portable device (also on your internal hard disk) as long as it has 57 MB of free space and use on any Mac OS X computer, taking your bookmarks, extensions, history, cookies, and saved passwords with you.

OpenOffice – Complete Office suite

OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages.

Portable Thunderbird OS X

It requires minimum 60 MB of free space and you can use on any Mac OS X computer, taking your email, address book and account settings with you.

Portable Adium

Portable Adium is the multi-protocol Adium instant messaging client that can connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, and more, packaged as portable application. It has 65 MB of free space on your USB drive and you can use on any Mac OS X computer, taking your contact list, emoticons, message stiles, plugins, scripts, sound and users with you.

Safari – Keep all your bookmarks and preferences

It’s a browser. It’s a platform. It’s an open invitation to innovate. Whether on a Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPod touch, Safari continuously redefines the browser, providing the most enjoyable way to experience the Internet.

Portable Abiword OS X

Portable AbiWord OS X is the award winning AbiWord small, fast, lots of new feature and cross platform word processor packaged as portable application so you can take your profile, dictionary, math, Plug-ins and templates with you.

Portable Nvu OS X

Nvu is a free, open source software program that allows you to build websites and web pages using a simple WYSIWYG editor. Nvu makes creating web pages as easy as using a word processor and rivals such programs as Adobe’s Dreamweaver and Microsoft’s Expression Web, only for free! With Nvu’s built-in site manager, connecting to your website and making changes is a snap.

Portable Sunbird OS X

Portable Sunbird OS X is the Sunbird Project cross platform standalone calendar and task manager application packaged as portable application so you can take your calendar and task list with you.

Mail Keep all your mail and preferences

Mail, Mac OS X’s built in email application, offers an elegant user interface that makes it easy to manage all of your email from a single, ad-free inbox, even when you’re not connected to the Internet. To see Mail in action, click here to watch Mail Basics.

Portable Cyberduck

Cyberduck is an open source FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Cloud Files and Amazon S3 browser for the Mac. It features an easy to use interface with quickly accessible bookmarks. The outline view of the browser allows to browse large folder structures efficiently and you can quickly preview files with Quick Look. To edit files, a seamless integration with several external editors makes it easy to change content quickly.

Portable Check Off

Check Off is a quick to-do list that sits in your Mac’s menu bar. Simply click the check mark and your personal to-do list will drop down.Check Off is just a mouse click away no matter where you are on your Mac. Whether you are making a grocery list, tracking your school assignments by class or just jotting down what you need to do for the day, Check Off can adapt to your workflow.

Portable Gimp

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

Portable Newspeak

Portable Newspeak is Newspeak Cocoa IRC client for Mac OS X packaged as portable application so you can take your IRC servers, channels list and saved transcript with you.

Inkscape – Scalable Vector Graphics editor

An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more.

VLC – Video stream and multimedia player

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac …) as well as DVDs, Audio CDs VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

Audacity – Audio editor

Audacity can record and play sounds and import and export WAV, AIFF, MP3, and OGG files. Edit your sounds using cut, copy, and paste features (with unlimited undo functionality), mix tracks, or apply effects to your recordings. The program also has a built-in amplitude-envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode, and a frequency-analysis window for audio-analysis applications.

RSSOwl – RSS, RDF, Atom newsreader

RSSOwl is a free and powerful news feed reader. RSSOwl lets you gather, organize and search news in a convenient, easy to use interface with endless flexibility.

X-Chat Aqua – IRC client

X-Chat Aqua is X-Chat with an Aqua interface for MacOS X. X-Chat Aqua uses the irc engine from X-Chat, and is designed to look and feel like the GTK+ front end.

iCal – Keep all your events

Portable iCal.app is a shell script that open local copy of iCal™ using preferences stored in its application bundle.

Camino – Web browser optimized for Mac

Camino is an open source web browser developed with a focus on providing the best possible experience for Mac OS X users.

Vienna – RSS/Atom newsreader for Mac

Vienna is full of powerful features that help you make sense of the flood of information that is distributed via RSS/Atom.

Celtx – Screenwriting & production breakdown

Celtx is the screenwriting & production breakdown writing tool packaged as portable application so you can take your preferences with you.

Feed

Portable Feed is the Feed RSS, Atom newsreader packaged as portable application so you can carry around with you on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive,memory card, other portable device (also on your internal hard disk) as long as it has 10 MB of free space and use on any Mac OS X computer, taking all your favorite news feeds with you.

PDFtoHTML

PDFtoHTML 0.1b attracts users’ attention with the ability of converting files from the Portable Document Format (PDF) files into the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file format properly.

Oxalyn Window Divider

Oxalyn Window Divider is a window “splitter” control for REALbasic. Very feature-rich and easy to use – drop right into your project for instant usage. 100% RB code, no Declares or plugins, so its portable! OS X and OS 9 tested, Windows assumed to work.


I hope that you will love this collection of Portable MAC software. If you know any other portable MAC applications available then let me know via comments.

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