| Twitter tips and tricks for Note II power users Apr 2nd 2013, 13:47 
Social networking with Twitter can be a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that it can verge on being addictive. We say, why not feed that addiction?! With a Twitter app on your smartphone you can easily keep up to date with what is going on out there in that strange, 140-character world. And, of course, if you really want to be a Twitter power user then a Samsung GALAXY Note II is the perfect social networking companion. Get the right app The official Twitter app for Android lacks some of the more advanced features like user 'muting' or scheduled tweets found in other apps (of which more later) but it is guaranteed to get all the latest official features first. For this reason alone it is worth keeping a copy installed and updating it regularly. That said, a power user is going to feel a bit constrained by the official app fairly quickly. Luckily, the Google Play store is packed with alternatives. Two of the best are Ubersocial and Twicca. Ubersocial is a Twitter client packed with features and innovative twists on the standard formula. The app supports multiple accounts, simultaneous updates to Facebook and a unique 'inner circle' tab that just shows updates from a select group of friends. The app's ability to preview media 'inline' without calling a separate viewer is equal to the official app, and for our money, even better. Twicca is a decidedly minimalist app but one that consistently scores highly among power users. What it lacks in smooth transitions and slick presentation it makes up for in speed and expandability. Twicca can be expanded with plug-ins (also downloadable from Google Play) that add features like URL shortening, automatic 'Now playing' tweets, draft tweets and more. The app will also let you colour code tweets by selected users so they stand out more. Slices is a rather different Twitter app that focuses on content discovery. It can organise your timeline into categories (or "slices") such as Workmates, Friends, Celebrities and so on. It can do this automatically or you can create your own Slices and assign people to them as you see fit. The Explore function of Slices will trawl through Twitter to show you interesting tweets on a variety of topics. It's a great way to see what is going on around the world and to find interesting new people to follow. Retweet like a veteran When Twitter first started, users would post copies of tweets they liked prefixed by 'RT' for 'Retweet'. Twitter removed the ability to do this automatically from the official app in an attempt to force people to use its own Retweet function, which preserves the original tweet and is more useful for its own analytics. If you want to use the old-school method, Twitplus is a clever add-on can do the trick. Just share a tweet to it as if you were sending it to another app like GMail, etc. and it will put it into the correct format and send it back to the official app for uploading. It can also do automatic translations of foreign language tweets and a few other tricks. Dead handy. Popularity contest One of the signs of Twitter addiction is a sudden obsession with how many followers you have. Tweet Followers is an elegant widget that will feed this obsession rather nicely. Just point the widget at your Twitter username and it will keep track of your follower count. You can track multiple accounts if you want, just assign a widget to each for as long as you have room on your home screens. The other side of that coin is tracking your unfollowers. Just Unfollow is the app for that, and more. At first glance, Just Unfollow seems like an app aimed at the insecure and paranoid. One of its key functions, after all, is to alert you whenever someone unfollows you on Twitter or Instagram. On closer inspection it turns out to be a very useful app for the Twitter power user. Just Unfollow will also highlight new followers, people who don't follow you back, 'fans' - people you don't follow but who follow you and inactive accounts of people you follow but who never tweet. This is important as Twitter puts a slightly-flexible limit on the number of people you can follow and this app will stop you from using up any 'slots' on dead accounts. A little light reading Flipboard is a sort of personal news service that can aggregate stories from around the web to create a great-looking virtual magazine that you can 'flip' through. One of the many sources for news that the app can use is your Twitter account. Flipboard will display your timeline in a really great-looking and readable format and pick out selected tweets with interesting links and display them full-page like magazine articles. It's a unique and enjoyable way to catch up on Twitter. Oversharing Android makes it very simple to share images and text with apps like Twitter using Intents but the GALAXY Note II adds an extra level of ease with the S Pen. If you are browsing the web or your own image gallery and see something you want to share, you can just circle it with the S Pen and save it to S Note where you can add text or other tweaks before uploading. Tweet without delay To make sure you are always ready for an off-the-cuff tweet, customise the Lock Screen of the GALAXY Note II by adding the icon for your favourite Twitter client app along the bottom row. Normally you can unlock the screen by swiping anywhere, but swiping up from the icon will take you straight into the app where you can Tweet to your heart's content.     |  | VIDEO: GALAXY Note II Video Features Walkthrough & Tips Apr 2nd 2013, 12:42 
If you are the lucky owner of a brand new Samsung GALAXY Note II then you need to check out our Video Features Walkthrough and Tips video below, which gives you an overview of how to capture those special moments and watch all of your favourite high definition videos. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEHYKZt1ZLgThe beautiful 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED touch screen on the Samsung GALAXY Note II is perfect for capturing all of your special moments on video and watching all of your favourite HD videos. You get stunning full high definition recording capabilities, giving you a crystal clear resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Sound recording is fantastic and, as you can see from the above video, the Anti-Shake mode ensures that there is no blur whatsoever when recording moving objects. If you want to take a still image whilst recording video, there's no need to stop recording and switch modes. Thanks to the Note II's fast quad-core processor you can do both at the same time. There's a handy camera button on-screen in video mode that allows you to easily capture photos simultaneously, without disturbing what you're filming. You can also pause and resume video recording in the same clip. But be warned, if you have the Anti-Shake function enabled you won't be able to use the recording snapshot at the same time. You'll be able to tweak the recording quality to ensure your videos come out in the highest possible quality. You can change colour saturation and add extra quirky effects like Cartoon Filter or the Colour Pop mode that can pick up on specific shades, leaving out all the others. Something that you won't find on other smartphones are the slow and fast shooting modes. By capturing more or fewer frames per second, you can create something really beautiful in a matter of seconds – which is perfect for use at a sports event or simply during a leisurely stroll in the Park. And thanks to the Air View feature you can now quickly scan through a single video's content from start to finish without the need to interrupt your viewing experience. Just hover your S Pen over the timeline and the preview bubble appears, letting you get straight to the point of the video you need to be at in seconds.     | | Nvidia: Next-gen phones will outperform PS3, Xbox 360 Apr 2nd 2013, 12:12 
Move over Sony and Microsoft - Tony Tamasi, the Senior Vice President of Content and Technology, has said that the next generation of mobile phone graphic processors will be more powerful than the current gen of games consoles. "The PS3 and Xbox 360 are barely more powerful than mobile devices...The next [wave] of mobile phones will outperform [them]," he told bit-tech, likely referencing the Tegra 4's successor - the Tegra 5. With the PS4 and Xbox 720 on their way, the current generation is obviously feeling a bit old, so the comment isn't terribly scathing. However, it certainly suggests that mobile gaming is snapping at the heels of console gaming a bit sooner than many might have thought. Mobile is the futureWe know that the Californian is certain happy to voice its opinions on other gaming companies, with Nvidia recently telling us that the PS4 specs are already outdated, comparing it to a "low end CPU". One thing we can read from Tomasi's comment is that the Tegra 5 will offer more than double the power of the 4. The PS3 and Xbox 360 run at around 200 GFlops, while the Tegra 4 runs at around 80. The PS4 might be well ahead, capable of reaching 1.8TFlops, but of course mobile gaming has the advantage of being an always-evolving generation. So it's anyone's guess as to whether mobile can catch up during the Playstation 4's lifespan. We've yet to hear from Microsoft about its next-gen console but, much like Sony, it will be making every effort to ensure that the console is as future-proof as possible. But will it be enough with smartphones hot in pursuit?     | | Samsung Galaxy Mega range could see poorly-named mega mobiles Apr 2nd 2013, 11:35 
Not content with the sizable 5-inch Galaxy S4 and pocket-busting 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2, Samsung could be planning even bigger smartphones. SamMobile claims there are two supersized handsets in a new range, the first going by the name Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 - or GT-I9152 if your prefer. The Galaxy Mega 5.8, as the name suggests, will apparently rock up with a 5.8-inch display, a white body and become available around week 22 - whatever that means; are they talking about a standard January-December year or Samsung's financial year or what? DubiousMeanwhile rumours suggesting the Korean firm is cooking up a monster 6.3-inch device have taken another (all be it tiny) step towards reality as the second handset in the report is the Galaxy Mega 6.3. Apparently also going by the code GT-I9200 this phone would explain why Samsung's GamePad accessory would support devices with screens up to 6.3-inches in size. In terms of a release date the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is allegedly scheduled for week 25, but once again it's not clear if that relates to a standard, financial or other type of year. If it's a standard year, we can expect to see the mammoth phones rock up in May/June. There's no word on where this information has come from and we're remaining sceptical at this point, not least due to the horrendous "Mega" name attached to these handsets.     | | Next two iPhones developed under Steve Jobs Apr 2nd 2013, 09:31 -470-75.jpg)
Apple has indicated that the next two iterations of the iPhone have already been designed, both of which were in the process before Tim Cook took the throne at Cupertino. George Gascón, San Francisco District Attorney, told the San Francisco Examiner that he had been given the low-down about the next phones during a meeting with Apple's government liaison, Michael Foulkes. "They preceded Tim Cook," he said. Though we can't say for sure what those two iPhones will be, we reckon there's a good chance they'll be called the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, not straying from Apple's usual naming format. Of course, it could also include the iPhone Mini. Said too much, George?If this is all true, it means that Apple was possibly looking further ahead than we thought, with Jobs having passed away in October 2011. Gascón said that the two were in discussion about the possibility of kill-switch technology, a feature that will allow for remote permanent disabling of a device. Kill-switch has been talked about for some time, but there's no indication whether this will appear in the next phones from Apple. But with these discussions taking place, it looks like the company is certainly considering it. Via SlashGear     | | Nokia Lumia 720 en route to Australia Apr 2nd 2013, 02:45 
Nokia is expanding its Windows Phone 8 range in Australia, with plans to launch the Lumia 720 this week. Virgin Mobile will be first with stock, with the Lumia 720 on its shelves from April 4. Vodafone follows a week later. While both telcos are yet to release contract pricing for the new Lumia, Nokia is has set an outright price of AU$429 RRP and will partner with retailers to sell the phone directly. Distant thirdNokia's announcement comes as the latest smartphone market share statistics show Microsoft's Windows Phone platform doubling its share in Australia to secure a solid, if distant, third position in the mobile computing category. At 3.4-percent share, Microsoft, and Nokia, have a long road ahead of them, though. Apple's iOS has ten-times as many devices in play down under, with 32.5-percent share and the Android platform boasts nearly twice as many as iOS. The Lumia 720 will be the fourth Nokia branded Windows Phone 8 handset in Australia. The Lumia 920 and 820 launched on the major telcos late last year to coincide with the release of the WP8 software launch. Since then the cheap Lumia 620 has been released through electronics retailers only, for AU$269. This latest Lumia improves on the big daddy of the range, the 920, with a lighter, slimmer design. It packs a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm processor under the hood and uses Nokia's super-sensitive touchscreen technology for use with a fingernail or gloved hands.   | | Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 both see small gains in share Apr 2nd 2013, 01:10 
Microsoft is beginning to see growth in its Windows 8 platforms, both on PCs and on mobiles. Based on numbers from Net Applications, the Windows 8 OS is now on 3.17-percent of desktop machines and laptops, a figure which puts the platform in front of any individual variant of Apple's Mac OSX system. The bulk of OS installs on PCs remains with Windows 7 at 44.73-percent and Windows XP 38.73-percent. While the Windows 8 user base may be on the rise, it definitely has a long way to go. 
Modest in mobileMicrosoft's mobile ambitions are in a similar state, seeing only modest growth over the last 12-months. Windows Phone (as a combination of versions 7 and 8) now holds 4.1-percent US market share, according to Kantar Worldpanel, a gain of 1.4-percent from the same time last year. The news is much better for Microsoft in Europe, where Windows Phone now holds 6.7-percent market share in the UK and 6.8-percent in Germany. 
But, it is in Italy where the platform is most warmly received, with a 13.1-percent share -- more than doubling its position in Italy from last year. The platform losing most in this period is Symbian, suggesting Italians may be sticking with the Nokia brand rather than switching to Windows Phone. The Kanter WorldPanel figures also show a small downturn for Apple's iOS platform in several regions, with a 3.9-percent loss in the US. BlackBerry figures are also in the red, though this data won't include any gains following the launch of the BlackBerry 10 OS in January.     | | AT&T veep vouches for HD Voice coming to carrier in 2013 Apr 2nd 2013, 00:53 
When T-Mobile revealed last week that it will finally start carrying the iPhone 5, it announced a feature exclusive to its offering; nationwide HD Voice. Less than a week later, AT&T says it plans to get in on the Voice game too. "HD Voice is part of our voice over LTE strategy," said AT&T Senior Vice President Kris Rinne at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit today, as reported by AllThingsD. According to the veep, the company plans to roll out tech for HD Voice - which needs support from both a network and the devices on either end to improve call quality - later this year. Vouching for HD VoiceSupport for the feature, Rinne said, will come as AT&T begins channelling voice calling onto its LTE network. As for the dropped call drama and other voice quality issues that have plagued AT&T in the past, Rinne said the carrier as "taken that off the table in terms of a competitive challenge." AT&T is also slated to start working with "advanced LTE" in an effort to crack down on interference while bonding various frequencies together, and is also open to an "over-the-top service," like those that Facebook offers for messaging.   | | Ex-Windows Phone exec joins Amazon, may be working on smartphone Apr 1st 2013, 23:52 
Former Windows Phone General Manager Charlie Kindel revealed that Amazon, the company that sells the Kindle, brought him onboard today, which sounded like yet another April Fools' prank. However, the only April 1-related joke was that he and the company were making a home server product called the "Amazon Kindle Charlie." The home server is fictitious, but the experience that Kindel can bring to the online retailer is not. At Microsoft, he was the driving force behind Windows Home Server and the Windows Phone 7 application platform and developer experience. "Depending on your perspective you can either blame me or thank me for a large part of ActiveX," Kindel lightheartedly stated on his Google+ profile. 'Something secret' at AmazonAlthough Kindel was in the joking mood about his move to Amazon, he was serious about keeping his future plans at the company top-secret. "I'm building a new team going after a totally new area for Amazon. I'm hiring cloud and mobile developers and testers, program managers, and product managers," he wrote on his LinkedIn profile, according to GeekWire. He described the role as the director of "something secret." Amazon Kindle phone in 2013?That "something secret" could be the long-rumored Amazon smartphone, which has been reportedly delayed until later this year. This theory is backed up by Kindel's strong Windows Phone experience and the fact that his new job will focus on something new with "ginormous potential." "Amazon presented an opportunity to build something new that has ginormous potential. I simply couldn't pass the opportunity up," he said. "As a double bonus, the idea that I can work in such a principled and customer focused company is really exciting to me." For now, the only other information Kindel is revealing about his day-to-day duties at the company came from a follow-up tweet. "First task of Amazon new hire training: Remove laptop stickers," he wrote on Twitter, followed by a photo of a half-peeled Windows computer sticker belonging to none other than his former employer.     | | Ready to order? AT&T could take yours for the HTC One this week Apr 1st 2013, 21:26 
After camera production delays slowed its roll, the HTC One finally launched last week in a smattering of regions. Now, it looks as though U.S. customers, promised a "before the end of April" release, might be able to punch their One train tickets as soon as this week. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, Engadget received word that AT&T will open pre-orders for the handset in the coming days. However, the exact date is a little fuzzy. It sounds like "retail channel" pre-ordering will be ready to go on April 5, though online pre-ordering could start April 4. Aside from the uncertainty over timing, we are getting our first sharp look at the price. According to an internal AT&T system photo, the 32GB One, available both in black and silver flavors, will cost $249.99 on contract. The 64GB version, pegged as an AT&T exclusive, will go for $299.99, though it may take a little larger to get those extra-gigabytes to market. Did you say a 64GB exclusive?Why, yes. Good catch. Late last week, AT&T posted a promo video in which it stated that the 64GB variant of the HTC One will come as a network exclusive. You can check out the video in its entirety below, but pay extra close attention around the 0:28 mark: YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0N-XEgEUkacAn AT&T spokeswoman reminded us today that the 64GB variant was announced back in February, though a press release from the time didn't make it clear that the 64GB version was a carrier exclusive. And the othersWhile Verizon continues to play the silent game when it comes to the One, two other carriers are on board with the supremely well-designed device. The reinvented T-Mobile will offer the 32GB version of the phone for $99 upfront "later this spring." The price reflects T-Mo's new Un-carrier commitment, though customers must still make monthly payments to actually use the handset. Sprint, which hasn't engaged in much One chatter, may also chart a singular course. Some RadioShack marketing materials sent to Phandroid suggest that the handset will cost $199.99 with a Sprint contract. The chain is also throwing in a $10 coupon and a $50 Google Play credit, just because. This may or may not be the pricing Sprint goes for with its own customers, but if it is then it's markedly cheaper than AT&T's offer. Of course, we can't say for sure until we hear final word from Sprint. Interestingly, if the One's pricing on AT&T is accurate, it places it in direct competition with the $249.99 Galaxy S4 the carrier will start taking pre-orders for on April 16. Ma Bell hasn't specified which version of the S4 (16GB, 32GB or 64GB) will be tagged with that price, but perhaps we'll see a little number war break out between HTC and Sammy?   | | Do Siri job postings point to expansion of the personal assistant? Apr 1st 2013, 21:23 
It looks as if Apple is preparing to expand its virtual personal assistant Siri, as the iPhone maker posted a dozen Siri-related job ads over the weekend. Apple began advertising on its jobs portal over the weekend for new positions related to Siri that range from "Siri Software Engineers" to a "Siri Interaction Designer" and a "Siri Monitoring Architect." Apple hasn't announced anything regarding Siri, but given the talent that the company is looking to bring on board, it seems the old girl is about to get better. The listings themselves also provide a glimpse, if an uncertain one, at Siri's possible future. Sounds like a Siri-ous overhaulSiri had a lot of promise when she hit the iPhone scene, but her crow's feet and split ends quickly began to show through her shiny, commercial facade. Apple began posting job listings in January that pointed to some improvements for her virtual personality. The latest job listings hint at even further improvements and expansions. One asks for Hadoop engineers "to implement, support, and maintain large-scale infrastructures" for Siri. A Siri speech operations engineer would "take part in building and managing some of the world's largest server deployments" that "will have the potential of directly and immediately benefiting millions of Apple customers." Siri software engineers will "contribute to the next big revolution in human-computer interaction" by, among other things, "[improving] Siri's accuracy." Meanwhile, Siri interaction designers "will contribute to extending Siri's capabilities, knowledge, and intelligence, helping invent new techniques for conversational interaction." And so on. What's really in Siri's future?Based on the job listings it seems Apple will soon begin working to improve Siri's accuracy (a much-needed effort) and add new functionality, though we can't currently guess what that might include. Previous rumors have claimed that Siri could wind up expanding beyond the mobile realm to Mac OS X, but nothing in these Siri job ads seems to hint directly at that direction. One thing is for sure, though: Siri is here to stay.     | | Tim Cook apologizes to China over blasted warranty practices Apr 1st 2013, 19:41 
After catching flack from the Chinese media about its warranty practices, Apple's CEO Tim Cook has issued an apology with a plan of action to rectify the situation. A China Central Television Station report claimed Apple was providing better warranty service in other countries, while Chinese customers were only given repairs on broken parts, a practice that led to Cook writing his letter. The lengthy note on Apple's Chinese website indicated the company would look into its "Three Guarantees," with Cook also remorseful about the company's lack of communication with Chinese consumers. As a result, Cook stated Apple would institute new policy adjustments designed to make the process of repair, replacement or other warranty-related issues more consumer friendly. Communication breakdownPart of Apple's new plans includes better and clarified iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S repair policies, including extended warranties for devices repaired within the last year. The model 4 phones can also now be replaced or have parts replaced and repaired under warranty within one year of purchase. Apple will add "concise and clear" warranty explanations on its official website, with an eye towards answering many questions that were left unclear previously. The company will also offer better training plus improve policing of Apple Authorized Service Providers. New training materials are already being offered to such staff. Finally, Apple has opened up its site to allow feedback directly from consumers if they have any doubts or concerns about their service provider, including items that may fall outside the jurisdiction of the addressed changes. This is clearly an issue Apple hopes to rectify swiftly, and should go a long way in keeping Chinese customers happy with the Cupertino company's products. This is particularly important as Apple looks to grow its presence in the Chinese market, possibly with the introduction of a budget iPhone.   | | Tim Cook apologizes to China over Apple's warranty practices Apr 1st 2013, 19:41
After catching some flack from the Chinese media about its warranty practices, Apple's CEO Tim Cook has issued an apology with a plan of action to rectify the situation. A China Central Television Station report claimed Apple was providing better warranty service in other countries, while Chinese customers were only given repairs on broken parts, which led Cook to write this letter. The lengthy note on Apple's Chinese website indicated the company would look into its "Three Guarantees," in which Cook was also remorseful about the company's lack of communication with Chinese consumers. As a result, Cook stated Apple would institute for new policy adjustments designed to make the process of repair, replacement, or other warranty-related issues much more consumer friendly. Communication breakdownPart of Apple's new plans include better and clarified iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S repair policies, including extended warranties for devices repaired within the last year. The model 4 phones can now be replaced or have parts replaced and repaired under warranty within one year of purchase. Apple will add "concise and clear" warranty explanations on the official website, with an eye towards answering many questions that were left unclear previously. The company will also offer better training and will better police the proper enforcement of warranties at Apple Authorized Service Providers, and has already provided new training materials for such staff. Finally, Apple has opened up its site to allow feedback directly from the consumers if they have any doubts or concerns about their service provider, including items that may fall outside the jurisdiction of the other addressed changes. This is clearly an issue Apple hoped to rectify swiftly, and should go a long way in keeping Chinese customers happy with the Cupertino company's products.     | | HTC Myst may welcome 'Facebook Home' to Androids everywhere Apr 1st 2013, 18:38 
Facebook's "new home for Android" will open its doors on Thursday, though that impending due date isn't stopping a number of leaks from bubbling to the surface. First, some background: Reports from last week suggest that during a Menlo Park event, Facebook will introduce a handset built by HTC and injected with a tweaked version Android. The rumors said this 'droid will put Facebook front and center, including making account info pop up immediately on the home screen. OK, now that we're up to speed, let's look at the most recent breeches. Android Police has gotten its hands on a system dump for "the Facebook phone," and while the information may make you go "eh," it does give us details about what we might see come April 4. It's important to note that the publication couldn't actually log into the program since, as a pre-release, it looks as though only employees of the social network have access, but there's plenty to glean from the available data. Myst-ery solved?According to the build.prop specs, Facebook is working with a phone made by HTC with the model name of Myst. That moniker should sound familiar, as rumors of the HTC Myst have lurked in the shadows for the last several weeks. This particular handset is destined for U.S. wireless carrier AT&T. Its skin is the old Sense 4.5 and it runs Android 4.1.2. There's a 4.3-inch display with 720p resolution, on which you can see the snaps you take with either the 5MP rear camera or 1.6MP front camera. It looks as though the phone lacks an SD Card, though it has 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The processor is pegged as a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960. Much of this we've heard before, thanks largely to regular leakster @evleaks. Previous info from the Twitter-handled tipper says that the same 4.3-inch display will own 320ppi. The MSM8960 is said to run at 1.5GHz while the phone will also pack 16GB of internal storage. To wrap it all in a bow for you: We're definitely looking at a mid-range phone here, which may be a let down to those who've been waiting for "Buffy" to rise for the last two years. But what about the Facebook?What will set the Myst apart from other mid-tier devices, at least initially, is a one-of-a-kind Facebook app. According to Android Police, the package name for the regular Facebook app is "com.facebook.katana." Myst's package is titled "com.facebook.wakizashi." Wakizashi has everything it needs to be a home screen app, one that's called "Facebook Home." We actually heard TechCrunch talk about Home last week in a report that also highlighted the social network's deep home screen integration on a new device. "Rosie," HTC's traditional home screen app, is nowhere to be found on the Myst, and Wakizashi has a number of added Android permissions. A few of those include the ability to turn off the lock screen, have Facebook boot up as soon as the phone starts, a way to control the Wi-Fi connection and a "SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW" function that lets the Facebook app generate windows that layer on top of all other windows. Additionally, and more importantly, there are permissions that let Facebook read settings for the stock Android Launcher, HTC Launcher and TouchWiz Launcher. That TouchWiz element is particularly ear-perking because it means that Facebook Home isn't limited to Myst: It can find its way onto other handsets as a standalone application, one Police thinks could end up on the Play Store. All told, it looks like this is a "mutant Facebook app," and not a rewrite of the Android OS as previously believed. However, this determination comes from an unreleased dev build, so Thursday could bring about a whole other software beast. At least for now we're a little less Myst-ified.     | | How to live stream MLB games for Opening Day 2013 Apr 1st 2013, 17:12 
Watching the Opening Day game of your favorite baseball team today is easier than beating the Chicago Cubs in the postseason thanks to the multitude of live streaming options available. The best way to live stream an MLB game in 2013 is through one of the devices that supports MLB.TV, the league's official pay subscription service. The roster of at-home hardware includes the PS3, Xbox 360, Apple TV, Roku, Boxee Box, WD TV Live, WD TV Live Hub, and Samsung, LG and Panasonic TVs and Blu-ray players. That all-star lineup is relieved by mobile devices when you're practicing your away-game from these TV options. MLB.TV's video streaming service also works for iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, 35 compatible Android smartphones and tablets, and Kindle Fire. The newest addition to the MLB.TV batting order is the all-touch BlackBerry Z10. 
MLB.TV costs more than peanuts, crackerjackMLB.TV is the Yankees payroll of baseball live streaming. A ticket to this multi-platform service costs $130 a year or $25 a month for MLB.TV Premium, and $110 a year or $20 a month for its basic package. The difference between MLB.TV Premium and Basic is that the mobile At Bat 13 app is free, you have the ability to stream on any of the aftermentioned connected devices not just the computer, and you can switch between home and away video feeds. Not having to deal with the annoying home feed announcers when your baseball team is in the visitor's dugout is worth the extra $20 for the season. On advanced devices like the PS3, there's also a clutch option to silence the play-by-play and listen in on the ballpark atmosphere with a special park audio feed. 
Free live stream game dailyBefore subscribing to MLB.TV, the service gives curious baseball fans a daily practice swing by making one game free to live stream. For example, the St. Louis Cardinals vs Arizona Diamondbacks game can be live streamed for free because MLB.TV marked it as the "free game of the day." This isn't always going to be your favorite team, though, and relying on it means you'd miss the 11 other games being live streamed for Opening Day 2013. 
MLB.TV schedule, blackout restrictionsSports and blackout restrictions are more often paired than baseball games and hotdogs. The latter pairings in both cases sometimes don't sit well with certain people. MLB.TV detects your local baseball club or clubs through your IP address, blacking out the games that fall under its always-tight blackout restrictions. Nationally broadcast baseball games on channels like Fox and TBS also skip the live stream, and are instead archived 90 minutes after the game ends. This means that MLB.TV isn't meant for watching games you're supposed to watch on local television or cable channels. Instead, it's the ideal solution for fans who wouldn't normally be able to root for their hometown teams out-of-state. 
Live streaming MLB alternativesMLB.TV has the expressed written consent to dominate live streaming in the sports world in 2013. No other professional sport compares to this full-featured package. However, not everyone wants to pay for an MLB.TV subscription, especially in cases when they just want to root for their home team. The Slingbox, which can stream your cable box to a single browser or connected set-top box, is perfect for travelers who don't need to stream all 2,430 live out-of-market regular-season games. These remote fans can use a Slingbox compatible device like the Boxee Box, WD TV Live, Netgear NeoTV, and Sony Internet Player with Google TV to receive the cable box signal. Slingbox also supports a list of mobile devices with apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Kindle Fire. There are also free over-the-air antennas that capture local networks, just in case your hometown sports club still broadcasts via one of the five major television channels. The new Boxee TV adds unique DVR functionality (available in some cities) to the OTA antenna option, allowing you to institute your own instant replay that Bud Selig has resisted. Finding a free live stream through Google is possible too, but its quality and consistency is about as reliable as the Mets in the clutch. This makes MLB.TV the best deal for baseball fans who want to watch out-of-market teams, and do it reliably with the support of 350 compatible devices and apps. As long as blackout restrictions don't affect your baseball viewing experience, MLB.TV has the bases covered from Opening Day 2013 onward.   | | Dell blames 'deteriorating outlook' for PCs in privacy plea Apr 1st 2013, 16:50 
In a massive filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last Friday, Dell bared its soul on the company's reasons for going private. CNET reported Sunday that PC maker Dell has plenty of valid reasons for taking the private route, laying them all out for the commission to vet. In a 274-page filing, Dell argued its case for to go private by accepting a $24.4 billion offer currently on the table. Included among the evidence presented in the filing is a "deteriorating outlook for the PC market as a result of, among other things, smartphones and tablets cannibalizing PC sales." Shaky PC futureDell's filing included portions of a December 2012 presentation from Founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell, who told the Board of Directors that going private would be "the best course for the company and its unaffiliated stockholders." Other meetings from the same month point a finger at the "uncertain adoption of the Windows 8 operating system," which threatened to further drag down the ailing PC maker. "Mr. Dell stated his belief that such initiatives, if undertaken as a public company, would be poorly received by the stock market because they would reduce near-term profitability, raise operating expenses and capital expenditures, and involve significant risk," the SEC filing read. Dell Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden also painted a dreary picture last September, citing "adverse developments, coupled with generally weakening demand in the global PC market and lower PC margin rates." We'll continue to keep you up to speed on the latest from Dell's attempt to go private.     | |
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