Cook cops an earful as man sues Apple over iOS 7 auto-downloads

Tim Cook labelled a 'corporate thug' by claimant

Apple CEO Tim Cook is being sued by a California man annoyed about the automatic downloads of the iOS 7 software to his family's iPhones and iPads.

Mark Menacher wants a mere $50 (About £31, AU$52) from Apple, plus a way to get rid of the iOS 7 install file on his devices so he can use the space for other apps and content, CNET reports.

Regardless of whether iOS device owners wish to install the new operating system, the large install file downloads by itself and requests users install each time they restart their device.

However, those, like Mr Menacher, who don't wish to upgrade to the colourful new OS, are lumbered with the sizeable file, rending the once-available storage space unavailable.

Apple's policy is partly why there's always such a speedy adoption of its annual software tweak, with iOS 7 usage reportedly up to 72 per cent at the time of writing.

Corporate thuggery

In his submission to the Superior Court of California, the claimant reserved some choice words for Apple's boss when it comes to customer service.

He wrote: "Apple's disregard for customer preferences in relation to iOS7 is corporate thuggery. Steve Jobs was reportedly rough on company employees in pursuit of happy customers, but Tim Cook apparently cultivates a culture of contempt for customer satisfaction in pursuit of corporate profits. It is a policy that will eventually fail."

According to the report Mr Menacher is considering taking the case to a higher court as well as establishing whether there are grounds for a class action suit.

• Are you still struggling to jump about the iOS 7 bandwagon? Here are 21 useful tips and tricks to get you going.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/cook-cops-an-earful-as-man-sues-apple-over-ios-7-auto-downloads-1191198

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Google Hangouts for iOS approaches potential with major new update

Google Hangouts has folded in Google Voice in the US

The Google Hangouts app for iOS just got a lot better, especially for those in the US who can now make free phone calls with the all-encompassing, multi-platform messaging and video chat application.

A new update arrived on Friday, essentially folding in Google Voice functionality and thus allowing users to make free calls to anyone in the US and Canada, and cheap calls internationally.

Outgoing calls will come from the user's Google Voice number and incoming calls will be received through the Hangouts app. That feature isn't even available within the Android version of the app yet.

Unfortunately for Brits Google Voice has never made its way across the pond, but fear not there are a few other improvements for users to enjoy.

Musical relief

Namely, Hangouts will no longer halt music when incoming messages are received, which had proved a serious annoyance for some users.

"Incoming messages will no longer stop your music. Instead of interrupting your groove, Google+ Hangouts will now temporarily duck your music, then crank the volume back up," wrote Kate Cushing on her Google+ page.

The app update also sees the return of the green and orange circles next to contacts who indicate who's available and who is idle or offline.

And, perhaps most importantly, animated .gif files will now play in-line within conversations. Thank heavens for that.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/google-hangouts-for-ios-approaches-potential-with-major-new-update-1191180

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First true octa-core smartphone unveiled

MediaTek was the first to announce a chipset with a true octa-core processor back in June and now the first phone utilizing it has gone official. The UMI X2S broke cover at the Autumn Edition of Hong Kong Electronics Fair.

All of UMI’s phones are intended for the Chinese market and that’s why you’ve probably never heard of the brand. The UMI latest X2S smartphone is powered by MT6592 chipset with an octa-core Cortex-A7 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. There is no word on the GPU, but when the MT6592 got benchmarked it was rocking a Mali-450, so that's probably it.

The rest of the UMI X2S specs include a 5” 1080p display, 32GB internal storage, a 13MP camera with Sony lens, and NFC connectivity. Since MG6592 is LTE-capable, we guess the X2S should be LTE-enabled as well.

There is no info on the pricing and availability yet, but the gadget is supposed to be very affordable, despite its fancy CPU.

MediaTek was indeed the first one to design and release a true octa-core chip and will probably remain the only one for a while as early hopes of Samsung enabling 8-core processing on its Exynos 5 Octa via a firmware update were squashed. And the revised Exynos 5 is unlikely to make it in actual hardware before the Galaxy S5 comes around next year.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/umi_x2s_is_first_to_use_true_octacore_chipset_by_mediatek-news-7011.php

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T-Mobile HTC One phones to receive Android 4.3 update on Monday

HTC One and not quite done

By now, HTC One owners on T-Mobile were supposed to have Android 4.3 up and running, but the overdue Jelly Bean update has been delayed until next week.

"It has been held until Monday," tweeted HTC U.S. President Jason Mackenzie. "Apologies for the delay, but this one is out of our control."

Mackenzie personally apologized to just about every irate customer of the nation's No. 4 carrier that reached out to him on Twitter.

"It's not easy to predict to be honest, but [we] have chosen to keep you up to date along the way," he said in another tweet to a customer.

Carrier my wayward son

Android 4.3 has been slow to roll out to HTC One smartphones and carrier-locked Android devices in general.

Sprint customers were the first HTC One owners to receive the update earlier this month with AT&T subscribers following closely behind last week.

Verizon, which became the last major U.S. carrier to launch the HTC One at the end of August, hasn't announced when Android 4.3 will be available to download.

However, the Verizon HTC One had Android 4.2.2 pre-installed instead of Android 4.2, so the customers of the No. 1 U.S. carrier aren't in angst just yet.

The Google operating system update made its debut with the Nexus 7 tablet in late July, so T-Mobile customers will have waited almost three months for this update if it comes out on Monday.

With Android KitKat 4.4 expected to launch at the end of the month, it may be just in time so that T-Mobile subscribers don't feel lapped.

• Read about the Google Play media event set for Oct 24 in NYC

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/t-mobile-htc-one-phones-to-receive-android-4-3-update-on-monday-1191076

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Google makes a Play-date, event set for October 24 in New York City

Here's hoping we get some Nexus 5 tidbits

After all the recent hubbub about the Nexus 5's brief appearance on the Google Play site, it only makes sense that we should get some official news soon.

Which makes a Google Play New York City event slated for October 24 a strange coincidence, does it not? The "night out" invite briefly lists an array of activities including a special performance by Capital Cities.

But sounds like the slumber party is missing one thing: a Nexus 5 announcement.

A Google rep has confirmed with TechRadar that "there is no news at this event - its a basic meet and great (sic) for NYC consumer press to learn more about Google Play."

So it seems like there really won't be any info about the Nexus 5, and that the event will probably focus on Google Play's new look - though we'll keep an eye out just in case, and wait for the imminent Android 4.4 KitKat launch.

More blips!

These blips won't toy with your emotions.

• Hulu Plus arrives on Nintendo DS systems
• A new look Google Play leaks as Android 4.4 approaches
• Android 4.3 arriving on T-Mobile's HTC One within days

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-makes-a-play-date-event-set-for-october-24-in-new-york-city-1191062

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Sony Xperia Z Android 4.3 update rumored to in November

A word has arrived on the potential availability of the much-awaited Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for the Sony Xperia Z. The latest Android Jelly Bean version will reportedly make it to the device in the last week of November.

There is no word on the features which the update will bring to the Sony Xperia Z. Rumor has it however, that the new version will bring significant changes to the device.

Furthermore, according to Sony Mobile Argentina, the Sony Xperia L will get Android 4.3 in mid-November. The information emerged in the official Facebook account of Sony Mobile.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z_android_43_update_rumored_to_arrive_in_late_november-news-7010.php

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Google Play Music adds 'I'm feeling lucky radio' to ease musical indecision

We're listening to Play Music to Get Lucky? (credit: AndroidPolice)

Google's 'I'm Feeling Lucky' search button, which takes users directly to the first page in the listing, has been around forever, but is thought to be deployed in less than 1 per cent of all queries.

So the company will hope it finds a more appreciated home within the radio portion of Play Music app, for those users who just can't decide what they want to listen to.

The new feature, spotted by the AndroidPolice site, will allow users to auto-generate a radio station based on their previous listening habits.

In the current version of the app users need to select an artist or a genre in order to start a custom radio station.

One genre

According to AndroidPolice, the new button seems to serve up music from the user's most frequented genre, rather than offering up a mix, which seems to take away from the fun a little bit.

It also appears, from various reports that the feature is limited to All Access subscribers at present.

According to the site, the new version of the app will be rolling out to all users of the iTunes Radio rival in the next couple of weeks.

• Still waiting for the iOS version of Play Music All Access? It's on the way before October is out, according to reports.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/google-play-music-adds-i-m-feeling-lucky-radio-to-ease-musical-indecision-1191054

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