Dev Tips & Technobuzz

  Apple  unveiled a new  iPad  with twice the storage capacity as the existing model in an effort to score business with companies that share large amounts of data.  Apple's new iPad will have a capacity of 128 gigabytes compared with the current model, which comes with different memory capacities but has a maximum of 64 gigabytes.  "With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs," said Apple senior vice president of marketing Philip Schiller in a statement.  Apple quoted several web application developers who said the additional memory capacity would allow businesses to better serve clients in conceptual design, music recordings and sports strategy.  Apple's move to expand its iPad following comes as the company faces tough questions from Wall Street over its growth prospects.  Company shares lost about 12

Samsung has made the rumoured Galaxy Xcover 2 official, a mid-range smartphone that is IP67 certified. This means it is waterproof and is impact and dust resistant. The new smartphone runs on  Android  4.1 (Jelly Bean) layered with Motion UI and takes over from its younger sibling, Galaxy Xcover.  The newly announced Galaxy Xcover 2 features a 4-inch TFT display with resolution of 800x480p and has approximately 233ppi pixel density. It is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor, paired with 1GB RAM, and comes with 4GB onboard storage, along with microSD card support up to 32GB. Connectivity options in the device include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0  Samsung has included a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash on the back of Galaxy Xcover 2, while a VGA unit is placed on the front panel. The new device is powered by a 1,700mAh battery and comes with a host of pre-loaded apps, such as S Voice, S Cloud, Best Shot and Samsung Hubs. Apart from these, the phone also has ap

  Apple  launched  iPhone 5  with much fanfare just five months ago, but reports say the company is already working on not one but two iPhones as well as next generation  iPad and iPad mini.  Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities, says that Apple is working on an  iPhone  5 successor that will have new features like snappier processor, fingerprint sensor, better camera and more powerful LED flash. Kuo's claim of fingerprint recognition system gains a little credence from Apple's 2012 acquisition of Authentec, which deals with this technology.  Coming to the  cheaper iPhone  being developed by Apple, Kuo says this device will be same as iPhone 5 but will be a little stockier. Instead of the aluminium body and waistline of 7.6mm, the cheaper iPhone will have a plastic casing and measure 8.2mm around the sides. He also said this device will be available in six colours, a rumour that has done rounds in the past as well.  Technology blog iLounge has also reported about the up

 Refrigerators are getting smart. A new model released earlier this month runs apps to help users browse recipes, create shopping lists and manage the expiration dates of items like yogurt and milk.  The  T9000 refrigerator  by electronics company Samsung  has a 10-inch Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen and includes apps such as Epicurious for recipes and  Evernote  for note-taking.  "The fridge, because it's the hub of the family and the kitchen, is now another access point without having to drag around your tablet or have your phone with you in the vicinity of where you're cooking or entertaining," said Warner Doell, a vice president in the home appliance division at Samsung Canada.  The display enables users to keep up with the news, weather and even Twitter from the fridge door. It can also replace hand-written calendars with Google Calendar integration, and run slideshows of photos, according to Doell.  Shopping lists can be created on the fridge with the Evernote

Microsoft’s research lab in Cambridge, UK has developed a new way to interact with the digital world using intuitive hand gestures. “Digits” uses 3 different IR cameras to track the positions of fingers with respect to each other. One of the  applications  for this technology includes 3-D  spacial  interaction with a mobile device. By assigning gestures to certain functions, the user could conceivably control any aspect of a device. This also allows for vision free control of the device. In example used in Microsoft’s  video , they assigned the the “thumb’s up” to answer an incoming call. Other applications include  sign language interpretation  and endless possibilities for gaming. Could this be the new controller for XBox 720? Guess we will have to wait to find out. Watch the Video Demonstration Of MIcrocoft's Digits Computer Interaction:

Microsoft has released a new version of its Try F# web portal for developers interested in the open source multi-paradigm programming language. The new resource features tutorials and information to learn the fundamentals of F# through new domain-specific tutorials. According to an official statement from Microsoft, "Try F# is geared to areas of focus such as data science, statistics, advanced computing, visualization, and machine learning. This focus provides a significant tool to those without extensive programming skills to run multiple data sets against computing algorithms, visualize correlations to make key decisions on further research and discovery, and prevents the need to use multiple programming interfaces." The Try F# site is not just a bunch of tutorials; it lets users write code in the browser and share it with others on the web to help grow the community of F# developers. Passionate to learn and code in Try F#: http://www.tryfsharp.org/

•    First devices featuring Firefox OS to be manufactured by TCL Communication Technology (Alcatel) and ZTE •    Leading global network operators back initiative, including Deutsche Telekom,  Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor Mozilla, the free software community, is best known for its web browser Firefox. It was hinted last year that the company  was developing mobile OS  devices and they have finally revealed two phones: The Keon and the Peak. Developers will be the first to get their hands on the new Mozilla handsets in February. The phones are not expected to go on sale for consumers until later this year. The preview devices are being sent to developers so they can build apps for the  open-source mobile platform.  Mozilla partnered with Spain-based manufacturers  Geeksphone  and Telefonica to develop the handsets. The Keon, the orange phone pictured above, is the low-end handset, features  a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S1, an

Samsung recently unwrapped its latest phone in the Indian market - Galaxy Grand Duos, a phablet with a reasonable price tag. The new smartphone has dual-sim capability with high-end smartphone features, latest version of Android OS and some apps found only in Samsung's top-end devices. However, the all-new Galaxy Grand Duos also lacks a few features which may negatively impact many prospective buyers purchase decision.  Here is a look at five such misses... and a quick comparison with its closest rival Micromax A116 Canvas HD! Poor screen quality Size isn't everything. Samsung's Galaxy Grand Duos proves that.its 5-inch screen, its key selling point, also figures among our list of misses. The screen has a display resolution of just 800x480p and pixel density of 187ppi, which will affect your viewing and browsing experience by a considerable margin.  Rich videos shot at 1080p will be toned down to match the screen resolution of the Galaxy Grand Duos, ruining th

  Microsoft  on Tuesday announced that its business-oriented Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet computer will debut in the United States and Canada in February with a lofty starting price of $899.  Microsoft also said that the consumer-focused version of Surface released late last year here will soon be available in 13 new markets around the world.  The Surface Pro will be available on February 9 at Microsoft stores in the United States and Canada, at the online Microsoft store and at Staples and Best Buy and other retailers.  "The response to Surface has been  exciting  to see," said Microsoft Surface general manager Panos Panay. "We're thrilled to continue growing the Surface family."  Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft described Surface Pro as providing "the power and performance of a laptop in a tablet package."  Pro tablets, which Microsoft originally said would be released in January, will be available in 64-gigabyte and 128-gigabyte model

Nokia with Microsoft heads the smartphone market with cool features. As a part this nokia reveals that it gonna make a handset with 41MP pureview to a feature windowsphone. Nokia has already made the cameras and photography a signature feature on its Windows Phones, including the Lumia 920, which takes noticeably better pictures than the competing HTC 8X Windows Phone

A Malaysian student has invented a  sling bag  with a built-in device for charging electrical  gadgets  using solar energy.  The PhD student Noor Shah Iwan Ismail of Universiti Putra Malaysia  (UPM) says that the solar bag would benefit those on the go who needs to charge numerous gadgets quickly, the Star Online reported.  The 25-year-old student explained that the invention would reduce dependence on static electrical sockets to charge gadgets with fast-depleting  batteries .  He added that the '80 per cent completed product' has received cooperation from SI Gobal Resources Sdn Bhd, who will be responsible for designing and marketing the bags.  SI Global Resources managing director Effendy Zulkifly said that the product, which will be marketed in March, is expected to attract the interest of the youth with its flexible design and durability.

Micromax has claimed that it shipped more phablets - the  Android  phones with a screen size of over 5 inches - than  Samsung  in the last three months in India.  At an event, where the company announced a new phablet called Canvas HD, Micromax said that it imported over 1.98 lakh phablets in India in the months of October, November and December. In comparison, the company claimed that Samsung imported around 1.89 lakh Galaxy Note and  Galaxy Note II  tablets during the same period. Other players brought in over 38,000 phablets.  Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax, added, "We plan to launch 30 smartphones this year."  With a screen size of five-inches and a resolution of 720P,  Micromax Canvas HD  is aimed at consumers who like 'phablets' such as Samsung Galaxy Note II and  HTC  Butterfly but consider them too expensive.  For its price, the device packs in  impressive  hardware. Apart from the high resolution screen, it has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor made by MediaT

LG's Optimus G  won the hearts of our reviewers and finding the  barely-different Nexus 4  is a feat worthy of a  mythological hero  -- so here's some exciting news. A tipster has sent us the above leaked slide, revealing that there's a new(er) kid on LG's block in the form of the Optimus G Pro. The 5-inch handset comes with an upgraded 1,920 x 1,080 display and is packing a 1.7Ghz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, 2GB RAM, 32GB Memory, LTE and a 3,000mAh battery -- tallying with a separate leak we've spied on  Blog of Mobile . Reportedly weighing in at 160 grams and measuring 139 x 70 x 10.1mm, there's talk of  Jelly Bean , a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2.4-megapixel forward-facer for even better self portraiture. Naturally, as it's destined for Japan's NTT DoCoMo, you'll also find One-Seg and NOTTV  functionality baked inside -- which only adds to our complex that those in the Far East get all the  best toys .

The recently-concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 showcased a host of new TV technologies. From TVs that could display two shows at the same time to curved television screens, CES 2013 showcased innovation at its best in TV space. Top TV manufacturers Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG and Sharp ruled the Trade show with their latest wares.  Here are seven hot TVs unveiled at CES 2013. Panasonic, Sony's world's biggest 4K OLED TV Ultra HD and OLED were the buzzwords at CES 2013, but how about televisions that had both technologies? Panasonic and Sony collaborated on making it easier to develop the 4K OLED TVs and the two companies showed off their 56-inch devices at CES this year.  Though just prototypes at this stage, these televisions have screen resolution of 3840x2160p and boast of better depth, accuracy and colour crispness than other large screen TVs and will soon come into production. Though just prototypes at this stage, these televisions have

The most hyped tech news isn't always the most important. Having had a few days to dwell on what  CES 2013  meant for computing, and for mobile computing in particular, we've settled on some less-than-obvious highlights. So, if you'd like to know how Intel stole the show but not our hearts; how Qualcomm's weird keynote was overshadowed by a late, secondary announcement from Samsung; and how some of the most exciting PC trends were mainly conspicuous by their absence, then please read on. It'll be like juice with bits, but only the bits that matter. INTEL: Intel dominated the start of this year's show, and for good reason. If we were in a purely practical frame of mind, we'd say that our next laptop purchase would most likely have Intel inside. Or, more precisely, Haswell. Or even more precisely, the 10-watt version of Haswell, which is destined to appear in hybrids and touch-enabled laptops by the fall. "Our next laptop purchase would most