#Samsung VP confirms #Galaxy S5 launch date, features

Samsung has reportedly announced its plans to roll out the Galaxy S5 smartphone that would include 'iris scanning technology' in a possible competition to Apple's finger scanning tech in its latest iPhone 5S.

The Galaxy S5 is expected to be unveiled in April and an updated version of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch would also make its debut alongside the smartphone.

According to The Verge, the company's mobile executive VP, LeeYoung-hee said that the new version of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch would feature "more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved."

The South Korean electronics giant is also said to be soon rolling out an updated Galaxy Note line for the second half of this year and is said to be considering a "three-sided display" to allow for visibility from multiple angles.

Lee further explained that the Galaxy S4 may not have resonated with consumers as much as its predecessor because the industrial design was similar and for the S5 model, they will go back to basics and improvements would be more in the display and the feel of the cover.

The report added that the Galaxy S5 would have a new Android skin that features a pastel color scheme and thinner fonts.

How to make #iPhone a #BlackBerry 'clone'

If you love your iPhone but would prefer a physical keyboard, Typo could be for you. 

But you might want to order soon. BlackBerry, the company that made physical typing on mobile devices an addictive craze, is suing Typo Products LLC, accusing it of copying its world-famous keyboard. 

The idea's great: With BlackBerry's ongoing struggles and the rise of touch-only iPhones and Android phones, physical keyboards on mobile devices were headed to obsolescence. That's a big loss for people who can use their thumbs to type as fast as 60 words per minute on a physical keyboard. 

Enter the Typo Keyboard, a Ryan Seacrest-backed phone case that was showcased at this week's International CES gadget show in Las Vegas. 

How it works
Typo's keyboard slips over an iPhone 5 or iPhone 5S like a protective case. 

Its similarities with BlackBerry phones are notable: It has angle-cut keys suitable for thumb-typing. The keyboard layout is nearly identical - for example, with parentheses above the "T" and "Y" instead of the "9" and "0" on a typical keyboard. Thick silver bars separate rows of keys. 

Physically, there are a few differences. Because the Typo case covers the iPhone's home button, it added one with the same function on the bottom right. There's a Bluetooth function on the "0" key so the Typo can connect to the iPhone wirelessly. A light bulb key on the bottom left gives Typo's keys some lighting to use in dark environments. 

The dispute
In a federal lawsuit filed Friday in San Francisco, BlackBerry alleges that "Typo chose to copy BlackBerry's iconic keyboard design" and is making money off of BlackBerry's widespread recognition and goodwill. 

Typo responded in a statement that BlackBerry's claims "lack merit" and that the company is excited about its "innovative keyboard design." 

Look and feel
In my hands, the Typo works fine - just like a BlackBerry - except it is blocked from using AppleInc.'s autocorrect function while typing. So that means you have to tap misspelled words that are underlined in red later and choose from options to fix them. If you have an iPhone 5S, the fingerprint sensor will be covered up, so you'll have to resort to inputting a passcode. 

Development
Laurence Hallier, the CEO and co-founder of Typo, said testers of the device included BlackBerry users and others. 

"We wanted that thumb-typing like the BlackBerry," he said. "We went out and priced it out. We built prototypes. It took us 18 months." 

Typo Products is a Los Angeles startup co-founded by Seacrest and Hallier. 

Availability
Typo sells for $99 and is expected to start shipping on Monday. It works only with the iPhone 5 and 5S, not the 5C or older iPhones.

#Google makes your #Gmail ID 'public'

A new feature in Google'sGmail will result in some users receiving messages from people with whom they have not shared their email addresses, raising concerns among some privacy advocates. 

The change, which Google has announced broadens the list of contacts available to Gmail users so it includes both the email addresses of their existing contacts, as well as the names of people on the Google+ social network. As a result, a person can send an email directly to friends, and strangers, who use Google+. 

Google is increasingly trying to integrate its Google+, a two-and-a-half-year old social network that has 540 million active users, with its other services. When consumers sign up for Gmail, the company's Web-based email service, they are now automatically given a Google+ account. 

Google said the new feature will make it easier for people who use both services to communicate with their friends. 

"Have you ever started typing an email to someone only to realize halfway through the draft that you haven't actually exchanged email addresses?" the company said in a blog post announcing the feature. "You're in luck, because now it's easier for people using Gmail and Google+ to connect over email." 

Google said that users who did not wish to receive email messages from other people on Google+ could switch the settings so that they receive messages only from people they have added to their networks of friends or from no one at all. 

Some privacy advocates said Google should have made the new feature "opt-in," meaning that users should explicitly agree to receive messages from other Google+ users, rather than being required to manually change the setting. 

Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the new feature "troubling." 

"There is a strong echo of the Google Buzz snafu," he said, referring to a social networking service that Google launched in 2010. Buzz initially used its Gmail users' contact lists to create social networks that the rest of the world could see, leading to an uproar and ultimately a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. 

Google said the new feature would not expose the email addresses of any Google+ users to strangers. Emails from strangers on Google+ will be routed to a special section within the recipients mailbox that is separate from messages from friends and other contacts. If the recipient does not reply to the message, Gmail will block any future messages from that person. 

A Google spokeswoman said the company planned to send an email to all Google+ users during the next two days alerting them to the change and explaining how to change their settings. 

One exception to the new feature is celebrities on Google+, who are followed by a large number of fans. According to the spokeswoman, the Gmail accounts of such public figures will not automatically receive emails from other Google+ users.

Best Wishes 2014

Happy New Year to everyone, hope this year will be your best year of your life...!

(From: Tech 24*7)

#Microsoft #Skype's #Facebook, #Twitter accounts hacked

LOS ANGELES: The Syrian Electronic Army, an amorphous hacker collective that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, claimed credit for hacking into the social media accounts of internet calling service Skype. 

The group also posted the contact information of Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's retiring chief executive, on its Twitter account along with the message, "You can thank Microsoft for monitoring your accounts/emails using this details. #SEA" 

That message was an apparent reference to revelations last year by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that Skype, which is owned by Microsoft, was part of the NSA's program to monitor communications through some of the biggest US internet companies. 

A message posted on Skype's official Twitter feed, apparently by the hacking group, read: "Don't use Microsoft emails (hotmail, outlook), They are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments. More details soon. #SEA" 

Similar messages were posted on Skype's official Facebook pages and on a blog on its website before being taken down in late afternoon. TheSEA later tweeted out copies of the message "for those who missed it." 

Representatives for Microsoft could not be reached for comment. 

The NSA's practices essentially made Microsoft and other technology companies partners in government surveillance efforts against private citizens in the United States and elsewhere. 

Last month Microsoft joined seven other top technology companies in pressing President Barack Obama to rein in the US government's electronic spying in a meeting at the White House. 

Media companies, including the New York Times and the BBC, have repeatedly been targeted by the Syrian Electronic Army and other hacker activist groups that deface websites and take over Twitter accounts. 

Obama and his national security team are trying to decide what recommendations to adopt from an outside panel's review of the NSA's activities. 

A US District judge in December ruled that the US government's gathering of Americans' phone records is likely unlawful and raised what he called "serious doubts" about the value of the so-called metadata counter-terrorism program. 

A second federal judge ruled later in the month that the program was constitutional, raising the likelihood that the issue will be settled by the US Supreme Court. 

This week, a monitoring group said the death toll in Syria's civil war, which began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against four decades of rule by Assad's family, had risen to at least 130,000.

#Facebook launches 'dislike' button for Messenger

Facebook has updated its Messenger app that includes a 'dislike' button. 

However, the 'dislike' option is only available on the desktop and mobile versions of Facebook Messenger, Fox News reports. The dislike button is not available for the newsfeed and cannot be used in statuses and other posts. 

In order to access the new sticker pack, users will have to download it from the Sticker Store inside the Messenger app. 

While a "like" sticker was already available on Facebook Messenger, the new set of finger stickers was added only now, after having been created during a hackaton that took place this fall.

Facebook is said to be mulling launching a 'sympathize' button.
(By: TOI)

#Google Play Music gets update for #iOS 7

Google has updated Google Play Music to include features missing from the initial release. The move comes a month after Google was lagging behind its Android counterpart. 

According to the Verge, the app has been updated for iOS 7, the app now includes "I'm Feeling Lucky" radio. 

The radio builds an instant playlist based on the user's listening habits, and genre radio stations for paying All Access subscribers, the report said. 

Added creature comforts include the ability to search for genres and auto-playlists - all the better to enjoy the service's more than 20 million songs, it added.