Android Device Manager app finally found in Google Play Store

There's finally an app for that

Careless Android device owners will take heart in knowing Google has their back this holiday season and in the foreseeable future thanks to its new Find My Android-style app.

An official "Android Device Manager" app is finally available to download in the Google Play store, making it easy to track down a lost phone or tablet, lock it or wipe it's data remotely.

The same functionality came to Android devices in August, but it was a cumbersome browser-based solution that wouldn't help anyone in a panic.

The messy setup forced users to visit a website with an extremely long URL and it didn't have the option to lock the phone or tablet at first. It was either "ring" or "erase everything" with no in-between locking measure.

Today's update puts Google's Android Device Manager on par with Apple's well-serving security equivalent, Find My iPhone.

Auto-responder: Gmail for Android gets an update

Android owners will also want to keep their finger on the Google Play update trigger for Gmail 4.7. This latest version adds a vacation responder and the ability to send even more types of attachments.

"If you forget to set a vacation responder as you scramble to pack for a flight, you're in luck since you can now create or update an auto responder message right in the Gmail app on Android," announced Google on its Gmail Google+ page today.

New attachments that can be sent from a phone or tablet include documents, PDFs and zip files. Previously, Android owners were limited to including photos and videos.

Rounding out today's useful Gmail for Android enhancements is the ability to print hard copies of emails if you're one of the luck ones with a device is running Android 4.4 KitKat or, in very select cases, Android 4.4.2.

• Check out: The specs on Dell's Chromebook 11 laptop

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/android-device-manager-app-finally-found-in-google-play-store-1206979

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Smarty Ring brings smartphone control to your ring finger

Basically it does everything except take calls

Even though smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Pebble are just starting to get into the market it looks like they'll soon be overshadowed by smart rings.

Although consumers won't quite be able to channel their inner Green Lanturn and speak to their ring fingers, the Smarty Ring, a project that launched on Indiegogo, claims it will bring smartphone connected wearable devices to the jewelry world.

The 13mm-wide stainless steel ring features a built-in, curved LED screen that displays the typical notifications users are used to seeing their smartphones. The screen lights-up with icons for incoming caller IDs, text messages, along with updates from social networks.

Lord of the Rings reference incoming

The ring's screen is flanked by two physical buttons, which control apps including the smartphone camera. Another neat feature on the phone is an anti-theft warning that goes off when the ring and phone stray more than 30 feet away from each other.

The one ring to rule all devices

Supposedly the ring can do this all through a Bluetooth LE connection and supports both Android and iOS as long as the device has Bluetooth 4.0. In another lofty promise, the creators say the device has a 24-hour battery life coming from a 22-mAh battery, which happens to charge through a wireless induction pad.

For some perspective this battery has more than 10-times less energy storage capacity than the 315-mAh equipped Samsung Galaxy Gear that promises 25 hours of operational time. That said, in our review we found the Korean smartwatch actually lasted for even more time than Samsung originally let on. The same thing could happen with the Smarty Ring, but we won't know until we really get our hands – err fingers on it.

Much like the Pebble Smartwatch, the Smarty Ring has blown past it's initial $40,000 (about £24,395/AUS $44,125) goal by more than five times. As of this writing, the project has a little less than 12 hours to go and is currently sitting at $223,436 (about £136,270/AUS $246,482) in funding totals.

Those that want to get their fingers wrapped around by this fully featured smartring can do so by preordering one on Indiegogo for $175 (about £106/AUS $193) with free international shipping. There are also a number of stripped down versions that only feature a watch and other bits like the phone tracker. The creators estimate the Smarty Ring will begin arriving to backers around the world by April 2014.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/other-devices/smarty-ring-brings-smartphone-control-to-your-ring-finger-1206945

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Step aside iBeacon, Qualcomm has low-cost Gimbal Proximity Beacons

Apple's iBeacon has a new contender

The iBeacon, Apple's tool for tracking users in stores to personalise their shopping experience, is no longer the only such solution on the market.

Semiconductor giant Qualcomm has released a new rival sensor called Gimbal Proximity. At a price of $5 (£3, AU$5), the concept of the sensor is similar to the iBeacon in that it tracks the in-store location of customers accurately.

Use of the platform promises to allow brands to increase sales and drive loyalty by delivering relevant and targeted messages while their consumers are physically in the store.

"With the availability of Gimbal proximity beacons, we are empowering brands to take mobile engagement with their customers to a whole new level through micro-location," said Rocco Fabiano, president of Qualcomm Retail Solutions.

Using the sensor, retailers would know what area of the store customers are in, and can then tailor adverts, information and special offers towards those people.

Two Gimbal sensors are available, the Series 10 and the larger Series 20, both of which use low-energy Bluetooth Smart technology, which is said to be accurate to within a foot. These can be be placed throughout any brick-and-mortar store without loss of connectivity.

Versatility

Qualcomm's Gimbal combines "physical location, activity, time and personal interests" and is available for iOS devices with support for Android coming later.

It is versatile enough to be used in many other ways. Interaction for marketing purposes, as an early demo of the Gimbal showed with the Star Trek film franchise, is also a possibility. They would allow consumers to complete actions and tasks to reward them with special offers and increase their loyalty to the brand.

Using Bluetooth Smart technology gives the Gimbal an easier mode of connection, with GPS and NFC both having drawbacks in usability.

Rather than using the cloud, the Gimbal Beacon processes the data received within its device, making the interface and interaction at a customer level, far faster.

• Qualcomm has also announced a new 64-bit mobile processor

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/step-aside-ibeacon-qualcomm-has-low-cost-gimbal-proximity-beacons-1206903

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EU warns Nokia not to become 'Patent Troll'

Come on Nokia, play fair

In a wide-ranging speech in Paris on Monday, the vice president of the European Commission, Joaquín Almunia, reserved a strong warning for Nokia.

Following the agreement to the $7.2 billion (£4.38 billion, AU$7.87 billion) sale of its devices business to Microsoft in November, Nokia held onto its portfolio of patents, one of the most valuable in the mobile industry. Selling its smartphone business could clear the way for Nokia to enforce its patents more aggressively in the global market.

This new stance would see them evolve into a so-called 'patent troll', a company which looks to obtain its revenue solely by exploiting their licenses. Last year Nokia's chief financial officer said that he saw "good opportunities" for profit in Nokia's pool of patents.

Lawsuits

Almunia warned that "if Nokia were to take illegal advantage of its patents in the future, we will open an antitrust case". The threat of opening of such a case would give the company a good incentive to regulate its actions. He later added "I sincerely hope [we] will not have to."

Nokia has not been unafraid of using lawsuits alleging patent infringement in the past. In 2012 it filed lawsuits against HTC in Germany and the USA for patented parts in mobile devices but didn't persevere because of the threat of counter-lawsuits on its own devices.

Having now sold that sector of their business removes that threat to Nokia. The Commission had previously dismissed the possibility that Nokia would attempt something along these lines when it allowed Microsoft to acquire its devices division. Although Nokia has not said that it would use its portfolio to take action against other companies, its sheer size, nearly 39,000 patents, may compel it to do so.

• Can Nokia teach Microsoft to be one company?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/eu-warns-nokia-not-to-become-patent-troll--1206769

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Voice calls are a bigger 4G headache than data

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

4G is here, bringing superfast data to the palm of our hands, but while we consume more content on our handsets it appears a rather important part of what constitutes a mobile phone has been left behind - voice calls.

When making the decision whether or not to make the switch between 3G and 4G, performance of voice calls probably doesn't come to mind - they'll just keep on working just the same, right? Wrong.

"4G networks at the moment don't actually have a voice service, so the handset has to drop back to either 3G or even 2G to make a call," Phil Sheppard, responsible for Three's 4G technical program, told TechRadar.

"It's an underlying assumption that your voice service will work just as well on 4G as it will on 3G."

Top 4G complaint

Three is the first to admit that it's slow to the 4G game with EE, O2 and Vodafone all launching their superfast services before it, but that extra time has allowed Three to study issues its competitors faced.

"We've seen a lot of the complaints of the other 4G operators have been around voice performance. It's been very slow to move across from 4G to 3G, or it's failed to move across at all," Sheppard revealed.

"We spent the last two months really optimising that and just testing, tweaking and re-modifying things. Technically the handset has to do a bit more work, so it's really important to make it fast and we've now got it down to a point where people really can't tell the difference."

It's not just voice calls which Three has been focussing on however, as data is still clearly the big draw for 4G.

"We want to make sure data performance is really good as well, so what we're doing is we're taking clusters of sites, maybe 20-30, and doing a drive test all the way round each one to ensure the handover between the sites works.

"What you don't want to do is move from one site to the next and the network drops and has to reconnect. We've got it sorted now and it's pretty much 100% in terms of moving in and out of different sites in the areas where the 4G network is live."

There's still a long way to go though, as Three needs to cover all 14,000 sites it has across the UK in its van - something it hopes to have completed by the end of 2015 where it predicts 98% population 4G coverage.

• Have you experienced voice call issues since making the switch to 4G? Let us know in the comment box below, via Facebook, or over on Twitter.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/voice-calls-are-a-bigger-4g-headache-than-data-1206888

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AT&T looking to reduce smartphone subsidies

AT&T might soon be reducing the subsidies for the devices sold on its network. The wireless operator CEO Randall Stephenson feels that the carrier can no longer afford to fund the maintenance and upgrade cycles of the smartphones it sells.

At an investor's conference in NY the AT&T said that the smartphone penetration is at over 75% currently and as it approaches 90%, the carrier would better focus on helping consumers make use of the network and not just attract them to it.

As a first measure, the carrier launched a new campaign where they offered an incentive of $15 per month to all its consumers who decide to get on with their old smartphones, instead of getting a new one with the new contract.

Randall Stephenson also said AT&T is working hard towards creating a balanced pricing structure. In the past, AT&T was one of the first carriers to cut down on the unlimited data plans and at the moment, about 70% of the carrier's consumer base gets charged based on their consumption.

Having covered the high end market with its LTE coverage, the carrier now wants to concentrate on the low end market and improve the overall experience on its network.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile seems to think otherwise as it has announced that it will be dropping iPhone down payments for the holiday shopping. The limited time offer has the 16 GB models of iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display up for grabs with $0 down payment for new and existing customers.

You can get your hands on the iPhone 5s with monthly charges of $27 for a two year period. The iPhone 5c costs you $22.91 per month and of course, you need to stick with the carrier for the next two years. You can check out the second source link below to know more about the pricing and terms of the contracts.

Source 1 | Source 2

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/at_t_might_soon_cut_down_on_subsidies_for_smartphones-news-7350.php

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Three bets big: 4G coverage will outdo O2 and Vodafone

Free 4G for all will be fine, apparently

Questions have been raised over Three's 4G roll out, as being the UK's smallest of the big four networks people wonder if it'll be able to cope with the superfast service, with unlimited data tariffs and a free upgrade from 3G to 4G.

TechRadar spoke to Phil Sheppard, responsible for the 4G technical program at Three, who explained that this is not the case.

"We actually have more sites (masts and base stations) than Vodafone and O2. We have 14,000 3G sites in the UK which we'll covert to 4G, and when we last checked Vodafone and O2 were a few thousand behind," explained Sheppard.

"We might only have 10% of mobile customers in the UK, but we account for 43% of all mobile data traffic, so we're used to dealing with large amounts of traffic."

Spectrum speed boost

Three hopes to move 1.5 million customers over to its 4G service in early 2014 as it gradually rolls out to the top 50 biggest towns and cities in the UK, but admits that some users may experience a drop in speed after the initial surge.

"4G speeds will definitely slow [as we add more customers] and that's why we're not really pushing the headlining speed numbers at all.

"We're saying users can expect typical speeds of around 12Mbps, but in practice many people will get a lot more than that. We just don't want to [oversell] speeds," said Sheppard.

Data speeds will pick up as Three adds more spectrum to its existing 1800MHz network. "We have more spectrum coming along in 2015 as a secondary part of our deal with EE, so that will add speed [to the 4G network].

"In the long run, if we get everyone on 4G it's going to be faster on average, as LTE is around 30% more efficient than 3G."

Indoor issues?

Currently Three only has one part of the 1800Mhz spectrum it purchased from EE to launch its 4G service, which could cause issues for rural usage.

"The 1800MHz spectrum used for 4G offers roughly the same coverage as our 3G network which is on 2100MHz," Sheppard told us.

"It's slightly lower so it might be slightly better [at indoor coverage], but at auction we bought some 800MHz, which is better at in-building coverage.

"We not launching with that spectrum, but we will start to deploy it in 2014 and that will add [greater] in-building and rural coverage.

"Currently we struggle with rural areas such as Wales and the South West of England and again the 800MHz will give us that reach and distance."

There's no exact time scale for the rollout, but Three will make quarterly statements throughout 2014 which will detail areas in line for 4G in the following months.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/three-bets-big-4g-coverage-will-outdo-o2-and-vodafone-1206860

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Nokia RM-964 with 5.2" screen now testing

Zauba is at it again – this time the Indian import tracking site leaked a Nokia device with a 5.2" screen and the model number RM-964. The device is once again being imported for testing.

Unlike the 4.5" Nokia RM-977, the RM-964 is an expensive device costing INR 34,524 ($563/€410). It's a single-SIM only too, there's no mention of a dual-SIM version. So, it's clearly a Lumia of some kind (Asha devices are around INR 5,000), but what could it be?

A quick check reveals an old rumor for a 5.2" Nokia device, allegedly Lumia 825, that leaked in August. The specs for the handset listed 720p screen resolution, Snapdragon 400 chipset (quad-core processor, Adreno 305) and Windows Phone OS (but unfortunately, no model number).

The listed price seems a bit steep for those specs, but that's just the declared price for an R&D device and doesn’t necessarily reflect the real retail cost.

By the way, Nokia allegedly has a 5" powerhouse in the works too, the Lumia 929. With a 1080p screen and Snapdragon 800 chipset it will target flagship Androids, while the Nokia RM-964 Lumia 825 will face the mid-rangers.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_rm964_with_52_screen_is_tested_in_india-news-7349.php

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Huawei Ascend P7 to be the take the ultimate selfie phone?

5MP on the Ascend P6 just wasn't enough

News that Huawei is producing the Ascend P7 should be no surprise, with a leaked document showing the successor to the P6 will have a market-leading selling point.

Alongside a a raft of budget devices like the Ascend G300 and Ascend G510, the Huawei Ascend P6 has helped gain the Chinese firm the title of 'third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world'.

A leaked internal document found by GSM Arena shows a device under the code name 'Sophia', set for release in April 2014. This has led to speculation that this will be the new Huawei Ascend P7.

The most noticeable specification of 'Sophia' is the front facing camera; a whopping 4 times larger than most, an impressive 8MP. This makes it 3MP larger than the front sensor found on the Ascend P6.

8 megapixels, but not 8 cores

Rumours surrounding an octa-core processor handset are limited to the Honor 4 as the Ascend P7 comes toting a HiSilicon Balong 910 1.6GHz quad-core CPU, backed up with 2GB RAM.

Storage wise, the Ascend P7 comes with 16GB of internal space, although there will also be a microSD card slot.

Elsewhere, the P7 comes 4G-enabled, with a 5-inch 1080p screen and 2460mAh battery, as well as being made out of "exquisite materials".. we assume that means diamonds, rubies and Angel Delight.

And let's not forget about the middlingly-interesting Emotion UI, which has been boosted to 2.0 and will run over an 'unspecified' version of Android.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/huawei-ascend-p7-to-be-the-take-the-ultimate-selfie-phone--1206826

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Nokia readying a smaller Lumia 1520 to crush the Galaxy S4 mini

Is the Lumia 1520 getting a little brother?

Nokia looks like it wants to cash in on the launch of the powerful Lumia 1520, with a mystery device codenamed RM-964 being spotted on an site monitoring Indian imports.

Nokia Power User spotted the device on Zauba, noting a device with a 5.2-inch screen and a price tag of 34,524 Rupees (around £340/$560/AU$617).

This puts it in line with rumours of a compact Lumia 1520; a quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, 20MP camera and Full HD screen akin to the upcoming US-only Lumia 929.

Is Nokia the friend that's never on time?

The Nokia Lumia 1520 was the first Windows Phone 8 handset launched with a quad-core processor and full HD display, putting it right against the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in terms of size and power.

A smaller-screened quad-core brother would give Lumias something big to shout about, by setting it apart from the dual-core Windows Phone 8 devices that currently occupy the market and pushing it into HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2 territory.

As the RM-964 is still very much a rumoured device, we're unlikely to see it this year. Launches of the HTC One Two and the 64-bit Samsung Galaxy S5 will give the Nokia a real push. Is Nokia too late to the party?

It'll be interesting to see what happens, but more importantly, what would it be called?

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-readying-a-smaller-lumia-1520-to-crush-the-galaxy-s4-mini-1206787

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Samsung set to bring KitKat joy to Ace 3, S4 mini and more

Samsung to go next after Nexus?

Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy Ace 3 may be getting a new year treat with news that their handsets could be upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat in 2014.

A leaked internal document passed to Sam Mobile shows both handsets on a lengthy list of devices apparently due to be tested for the KRT16 update.

Both handsets are considered "mid-range" so there was always a chance of them getting the Android 4.4 update, but the inclusion of the older Galaxy Ace 2, among others, is more of a surprise.

In the past Android handset manufacturers have tended to reserve such updates for higher-end models like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4.

One of the biggest features that Google has been pushing with Android KitKat is its ability to run on devices with as low as 512MB RAM, a move seen to try and reduce the amount of Android segmentation.

KitKat update set to get Fame-ous?

Low-end devices under testing (credit: sammobile)

Alongside the S4 mini and Ace 3, the older yet decent Samsung Galaxy S3 mini as well as the Ace 2 and super cheap Galaxy Fame. The update for these Samsung handsets is far from confirmed though, as it's still "under investigation".

Whilst we await the slew of budget KitKat handsets which will hit the market during 2014, support for lower end handsets thus far has been noticeably short. The only budget handset with Android KitKat announced is the Google owned Moto G.

We'll continue to keep our eyes peeled for further information on the Android 4.4 KitKat update, so keep checking back.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-set-to-bring-kitkat-joy-to-ace-3-s4-mini-and-more-1206771

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Asus PadFone Mini puts 7in tablet and 4.3in phone hand in hand

And it looks exactly like this (credit: evleaks)

Getting in ahead of the CES 2014 chaos, Asus has launched its 7-inch PadFone Mini in Taiwan.

The two-in-one device – both phone and tablet – is a cheaper option to the PadFone Infinity and comes running Android 4.3. It's also the very specimen we've seen pop up in recent leaks.

And just as the leaks also informed us, the Mini hosts a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 1GB of RAM. The tablet packs a 1280 x 800 display while the phone is offering up a 960 x 540 screen.

Meanwhile you'll get 16GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded via the microSD slot. The whole thing is priced at NT$11,990 (about US$405, £246, AU$445).

So when can we get it?

A spokesperson for Asus told us that a UK release wouldn't happen this year, and right now the Mini has only been confirmed for China, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

But Asus told Engadget that it plans to get its PadFone Infinity line over to the US soon, so we could well see the Mini break out around the same time.

• Find out what we thought of the PadFone Infinity

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/asus-padfone-mini-puts-7in-tablet-and-4-3in-phone-hand-in-hand-1206757

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Dual-SIM Asus Padfone Mini goes official, 7" tablet dock in tow

If the Asus Padfone Infinity 2 was too rich or too big for you, you might have been keeping an eye on the Padfone Mini rumors. Well, they are rumors no more – Asus just unveiled the phone/tablet hybrid in Taiwan.

The Asus Padfone Mini is a mid-range device with a 4.3" Super IPS screen with qHD resolution (256ppi) and Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 chipset (4x Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM, Adreno 305). The phone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

On the upside, the phone is relatively compact and light, measuring 129.3 x 65.6 x 8.7mm and weighing just 105g. The Asus Padfone Mini is powered by a relatively small 1,500mAh battery.

It also has an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and BSI sensor that can do 16fps burst shots. There's a 2MP camera on the front. The built-in storage is 16GB, expandable with microSD cards.

On the connectivity side, there's dual-SIM (microSIM slots), Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and GLONASS.

Inside the Padfone Mini box is a 7" tablet dock, which has Super IPS screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution (216ppi). The tablet also adds a 2,200mAh battery and 310g of weight (for a total of 415g).

Besides Taiwan, the Asus Padfone Mini will also launch in China, Russia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The color options are Black, White and Cherry, the first units will be black.

The price is set at NTD 11,900 ($405/€295), but Taiwan Mobile will offer it on a 2-year contract for NTD 9,900 (or even less depending on the monthly tariff) .

Source (in Chinese)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/dualsim_asus_padfone_mini_goes_official_7_tablet_dock_in_tow-news-7347.php

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