Blog Category: News

Google has released a nifty little device called the Google Chromecast. This device allows the user to make his regular old “dumb” HDTV a little smarter, helping it get closer to what Smart TVs are right now. The Chromecast dongle is apparently a direct competitor to the more experienced, and apparently more capable but more expensive Roku and Apple TV. Instead of going for $100 or more, all you have to get ready are $35. That’s a steal by anyone’s standard, especially if it can do what it promises – to bring the internet’s video content straight to the TV.

The Promise
The promise is that with your $35, Chromecast will allow you to access the multimedia content online much like its competitors Roku and Apple TV. It will utilize “apps” which let you stream media from different sources.
Unfortunately, that promise is...

There is no real 100% safe software, but with everyone’s combined efforts, Android can be made safer for all of us. Unfortunately, the price of an open system is that the vulnerabilities are also open to be explored and exploited by both good and bad alike.

There are people who explore the Android code simply to find vulnerabilities. There are the good guys, who look for it to report and maybe find a way to patch it, while there are those who seek to exploit in in delivering malware and stealing precious information from Android users everywhere. Thankfully, Google watches these developments as well and they patch it as soon as they can.
Unfortunately, while manufacturers are quick to take all the benefits of the open source code when they make an Android device, they are not too keen on fixing the...

Those of you following tech news of late will have seen some rather disturbing articles that as of January 26th, 2013, it is now illegal to unlock cell phones in the US without carrier permission. We’ve been getting a lot of questions recently on how this applies to rooting, particularly as in the same DMCA rounds, many news sources have been announcing that rooting tablets is illegal. Such articles make for great shock headlines, but there is a lot of confusion and sensationalism which has caused a lot of people to get the wrong information. We have consulted with our own legal team, as well as numerous experts in the field, to try and bring some clarity to the situation.
First of all, please understand that unlocking and rooting/jailbreaking are entirely different things. The recently DMCA update, which does make it...

In a couple of years we’ve totally changed our understanding of a phone as such. Now, the actual “phone” feature is definitely not at the first place and people get carried away with great cameras, quad-core processors, big touch-screens and features that they are never going to use in this life. Well, that’s the price we pay for this great thing called “progress”.
But at the beginning of this year, April month, to be exact, Google has started testing a totally new and revolutionary project that should change our understanding of life and turn daily routine upside down. If you haven’t guessed already, I am talking about Google Glass project. The basic idea of the concept itself is pretty easy and we’ve seen things like that in sci-fi movies. But, bringing people’s dreams in real life is a big step forward...

It is not a secret that Android is one of the most flexible mobile operating systems and that it can be installed on pretty much everything: smart-phones, tablets, multimedia players, laptops, consoles, car media systems, E-readers and even refrigerators. But this time I would like to draw your attention to a special item called Samsung Galaxy Camera. I have to warn you that this is not exactly the best offer of Android based cameras on the Market but so far it is the only one worth customer’s attention.
Samsung Galaxy Camera has been announced at the end of summer, 2012 and it was a pleasant surprise for those at the presentation and those watching it online. Yet, no one before dared to materialize an idea like this. A lot like with the Galaxy Note, so far the Galaxy Camera project has...

It’s actually hard to imagine how in a couple of years only a regular smart-phone with so-so screen resolution turned into a portable technological madness. Back in the days 320 X 480 was an amazing resolution for me and I felt fine doing all the regular things on the device. But it appears that the upcoming year will become a year of powerful gadgets with full HD touch-screens. Well, we do have a couple of representatives one the market even nowadays but they still belong to a totally different group of devices called phablets and the trick of the upcoming devices is to make them smaller in size but better on pixel density. So far it looks like a perfect combination for a perfect smart-phone is a 5-inch touch-screen display with 1080p. In comparison, the Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch...

One of the biggest problems of modern smart-phones is their high level of power consuming. If you want your portable helper to work hard 24/7, you will have to recharge it once or even twice a day. A greater part of power is consumed by Wi-Fi, 3G networks, calls, you playing tough 3D games and movies. But, the weakest part of every Android device is its touch-screen display. This is our way of communication with the device, that uniting bridge that helps us to understand each other. Because of that great responsibility, our smart-phones and tablet get tired pretty fast. But, there’s a solution and it is known as IGZO technology.
IGZO comes for Indium, Gallium, Zinc and Oxide and according to the latest results, IGZO based touch-screens consume power on 25% less in active regime and up to 4 times...

Android 4.2 Preview

Together with a set of new Nexus devices Google has also announced their next version of Android OS. Unlike rumors, it will be numbered Android 4.2 and not Android 5.0.  As for the codename, please, be ready to add another three word combination to your word ration cause the new Android is called Key Lime Pie. Pretty sour name, I would say (but in a good sense, of course). By the way – when you say it fast, it sounds like you speak Japanese. But together with these weird new associations, there is also a list of pretty innovative features that should be handy in your daily business or pleasure.

Multiple User Support: this is definitely something that lots of users have been waiting for. It is pretty obvious that nowadays smart-phones and tablets are not gadgets of a...

After overcoming a host of problems ranging from patent disputes to fragmentation of its OS over different mobile devices, the Android platform has risen to become the undisputed leader in the smartphone OS share worldwide. Over 136 million Android-based smartphones were sold across the world in Q3 2012, increasing Android’s smartphone OS market share to 75%. So far, the race for smartphone manufacturer market share has been dominated by Samsung (31.3%), followed by Apple (15.0%) and RIM (4.3%). However, a new contender in the form of ZTE recently blitzed its way up the rankings and overtook HTC (4.0%), finishing hot on the heels of RIM.
ZTE has now become the 4th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world as of Q3 2012. According to the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, it was announced that ZTE shipped 7.5 million units in Q3 2012...

In the movie V for Vendetta big brother went to nearly any length possible to obtain information so they could better understand, control, and manipulate the people. Unfortunately there is a possibility that this is occurring in real life. That is where Carrier IQ (CIQ) comes into play. CIQ is a private company that was established in 2005 in Mountain View, CA. They claim to give cell phone analytical diagnostics to the mobile industry. CIQ goes on to say that their product is implanted in over 150 million devices. What is upsetting is that the actual owner of the phone usually has no idea that potentially their personal information is being broadcasted to their carrier. That is why throughout this article we will explore what is CIQ, what are the risks of having it, and how to remove it?
What is ...