| UPDATED: Apple lifts 10-month block from Microsoft SkyDrive app updates Apr 4th 2013, 13:00 
For the first time since last June, updates for Microsoft's cloud storage app SkyDrive are no longer blocked for iOS users. The battle over Microsoft's app has seen Apple stopping updates on the App Store since June 2012 but a truce has now been declared, with the service being brought up to the current version for iOS users. The 3.0 update, now available on the App Store, offers iPhone 5 and iPad Mini support. You'll also be able to download full resolution photos to said devices. AppdatedWe reported last year that Apple had demanded Microsoft pay a 30 per cent fee for customers purchasing additional storage through the app, which itself is free. The App Store guidelines dictate that Apple will receive 30 per cent of revenue from both app sales and in-app purchases. But Microsoft allegedly refused to submit, so Apple dropped the block bomb as punishment for not giving Cupertino a slice of the cloud-shaped pie. Microsoft is staying tight-lipped on the details, but told us: "Each app store has their own set of processes to decide what apps are approved and can be released. Earlier this week, Apple approved the SkyDrive app for release and we're excited to allow people everywhere to start using it." It also said that it has "nothing to share at this time" regarding updates for the Android app. Sorry, 'droiders.     |  | Updated: Facebook Home for Android news and rumors Apr 4th 2013, 11:35 
Facebook looks set to unveil a new enhanced experience for Android in an event later today. The Facebook announcement is set for 10am PDT, 1pm EDT, 6pm BST and 7pm CEST. Various reports suggest that during the event, Facebook will introduce a new home screen widget/re-written app for Facebook for Android called Facebook Home. This may or may not debut alongside a handset built by HTC running a forked version of Android or more likely just a special version of its Sense UI that puts Facebook front and center. It looks like it may be called HTC First. Mark Zuckerberg has previously said that Facebook wouldn't launch a phone itself, saying that a smartphone "really wouldn't make much sense for us to do." "We want not just to have apps that people use, but be as deeply integrated as possible, where other apps can build on top of Facebook," Zuckerberg said. HTC First and Facebook Home would certainly fit into that category. 9to5Google published a batch of images of Facebook Home yesterday - the site has provided a number of details over the last few days regarding Facebook Home. The images show an all-color UI with an expected focus on photos. It seems almost like your photos take up the entire screen, with bubbles of info - missed calls, Instagram alerts and messages - floating above. Android Police previously got its hands on the below 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 later. 
Is the HTC First the Facebook phone?We've been here before, of course. The concept of a Facebook phone isn't new, while HTC Myst is a name that's been rumoured for some time as a follow-up to the HTC ChaCha, which had a specific Facebook button. Myst could be a codename, though. On Tuesday, @evleaks posted the generic image of what was claimed to be the HTC First, though the rendering was suspiciously generic. Some analysis conducted by The Verge discovered that the HTC First logo was likely Photoshopped onto the image (you can also see a faint line bordering the words, as well) - not exactly a great sign of authenticity. 
All that @evleaks has to say about the phone is: "HTC first, 2013." According to the build.prop specs from Android Police and previous leaks from @evleaks, it seems the handset codenamed Myst 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 320ppi 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, 16GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The processor is pegged as a dual-core 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960. That's a mid-range handset if ever we've heard of one, but it's probably the level of specification we'd expect from a Facebook-orientated handset. Facebook Home details
Yesterday's images matche with the phone shown yesterday, so at least @evleaks gets points for consistency. There's little in the way of distinctive markings to say whether this is an HTC phone - or device made by any specific manufacturer - or simply a generic rendering. You may remember that before the Galaxy S4 was announced, an image supposedly of the phone popped up online (posted by @evleaks, no less) before it was found that it represented a false hope. We get a glimpse at what might be the app launcher, and while it looks like any Android app center, you'll notice the Status, Photo and Check In options along the top. 
Another leaked image presumably shows a photo and the various share options users can hit to get their pic on their various social networks - Instagram, Messenger, Picasa, Google+, Twitter, Messaging and, of course, Facebook - as well as Gmail, texts or trash. We'll know if all the images - and all the leaks - are legit later today. Tune into TechRadar for the lowdown on Facebook Home, HTC First, or whatever it is Facebook has in store.     | | Samsung Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo are down with the kids Apr 4th 2013, 09:49 
The Samsung handset parade continues as the Korean firm launches another two phones, apparently targeted at a younger audience. There's not a lot to choose between the Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo and Galaxy Star, with both handsets sporting 3-inch QVGA displays, 2MP rear cameras, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, micro SD slots and 1200mAh batteries. In terms of processors the Galaxy Star is the slightly more powerful option packing a 1GHz single-core chip, while the Pocket Neo gets by with an 850MHz offering. There's good news in terms of software though, with both devices packing Android Jelly Bean - it's the slightly older 4.1 version but an update to 4.2 is surely on the cards. Double troubleBoth weigh in at a feather-light 100.5g and with the mediocre feature list you can expect the Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo to settle in at the bottom end of Samsung's price range. They will be available in both single and dual-SIM varieties, although we expect markets such as the UK, US and Australia to only see the single SIM options. As far as a release date for the Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo goes, both are currently unknown as is the price. A Samsung UK spokesperson told TechRadar: "We believe the Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo will be coming to the UK, but we're waiting for final confirmation."     | | BlackBerry pulls the plug on BBM Music Apr 4th 2013, 09:37 
Though it feels like the service has barely had time to breathe, Blackberry has announced that it's calling it a day on its monthly music subscription app. Anyone currently subscribed to BBM Music will be billed for April and then it all starts to come crumbling down. After that, you can tearfully delete the redundant app from the home screen. You will, however, get a free 30 day trial of Rdio premium as a sort of breaking-up gift from BlackBerry. We hardly knew yeThe idea of BBM Music was kind of cool. Users could have up to 50 offline tracks a month, but connecting with friends allowed you to access more songs for your playlists. It was truly gunning for the "social" side of music. But theory and practice are often too different and it seems that the service just wasn't popular enough to take on the likes of Spotify and other music streaming contemporaries. "BBM Music service will be discontinued as of June 2, 2013," reads the email sent by BlackBerry. "In May, as your BBM contacts stop using the service, songs in your playlists will begin to turn grey and will no longer be available" However, BlackBerry advises users to begin transitioning from the service starting now, with dates subject to change. Time for one last blast of that "guilty pleasures" playlist?     | | Test drive BlackBerry OS 10 through iPhone, Android browsers Apr 3rd 2013, 23:52 
BlackBerry knows that success with its new BlackBerry 10 OS relies on getting the new software into the hands of the people it hopes to convert. What better way than through the devices they are trying to overthrow. In a cunning marketing move, BlackBerry has designed an interactive experience that let's users test drive the new BlackBerry 10 OS in the browser of the smartphone they have in their pockets; namely iPhones and Androids. The tour takes you through several of the key differences between BlackBerry's new OS and the current market leaders, focusing on how the Hub works, the predictive keyboard and the Time-shift camera. Our hats are off to BlackBerry for this clever approach to one of its major customer obstacles, it's just a shame that these sorts of demos don't work very well using mobile browsers. Slow startFor starters, the demo is a guided tour and not a free-flowing trial of the system. You follow the onscreen instructions and move from section to section. It is a shame that there isn't a screen of instructions followed by free use of the gestures to play around. It is also painfully slow, and while we understand why this is, we wonder whether all of the people BlackBerry is targeting with this site will understand too. It would be a shame if they assumed the real BB 10 system was as clunky to use. If you can look beyond these quibbles, it is worth a look. Go to blackberry.com/glimpse, but remember, you'll need to use phone's browser to see it.     | | Twitter app for Android boosted with time-saving redesign Apr 3rd 2013, 22:12 
Today's update for the Twitter app on Android devices just made tweeting 140 characters a little easier thanks to a much-needed redesign. "Its new design reflects a native Android experience," said Twitter technical lead for Android Jonathan Le. First and foremost, that translates into a Twitter app with wider and taller timelines which make use of a device's entire screen. There's also a flat navigation bar, and the ability to tap and hold for quick actions. Twitter users on Android can now quickly navigate between tabs by swiping across their phone or tablets display. Another time-saving perk to today's update is the ability to see username and hashtag suggestions when a user begins typing his or her tweet or initiates a search. iPhone, mobile versions also updateWhile the Twitter app update for Android received most of the social networking company's love, there were some design tweaks for the iPhone and mobile versions, too. "All three mobile apps, plus twitter.com, now show more types of content in expanded Tweets," announced Le. This expandable content includes photo galleries, apps, and product listings. Twitter users will notice that there is a new link below embedded content that is shared from another mobile app. Now, if a user clicks a link below a Foursquare check-in or Flickr photo it'll send them from the Twitter app to the native mobile app - not the website, which probably doesn't have them logged in. Twitter, playing nice with other social media companies, will even send users to download the linked app if it's not already installed. New Twitter Android design rolling outThe Twitter updates for Android, iPhone, the mobile web are rolling out over the next several days, according to the company. However, Android owners who still have Twitter app version 3.8 or lower can go straight to the Google Play and update to Twitter for Android 4.0 today. iOS device owners are also seeing the Twitter app, version 5.5, in the Apple App Store right now.     | | Vdio pay-per-view launches in UK and US, but only for Rdio subscribers Apr 3rd 2013, 20:05 
The Rdio streaming music service that launched in 2010 has been joined by a related pay-per-video video service known appropriately as Vdio. Unlike Rdio, though, Vdio has more in common with iTunes' video on demand model than it does with Netflix; Vdio is pay-as-you-watch, allowing users to "rent" movies and TV shows from major studios. Rdio, on the other hand, is a subscription-based service (like Spotify). The new VOD service is currently available in the U.S. and U.K., but there's a catch: only paying Rdio Unlimited subscribers can access it. Say what?Currently Vdio is only available to customers who are already paying for Rdio subscriptions. Those subscribers get $25 of Vdio credit to promote the launch of the new service. Anyone else is currently out of luck, though Rdio Vice President of Product Malthe Sigurdsson told GigaOM that that will change this summer. Sigurdsson also reportedly revealed plans to expand to Canada "in the coming months." What sets Vdio apart?Vdio has a few unique features to differentiate itself from competing streaming video services. Chief among those are Vdio's social features, which are closely tied to Rdio and allow users to follow their friends and see recommendations based on their tastes. Sigurdsson stressed to GigaOM that basing the service on users' personal networks "rather than a marketing department" is a major plus. Content from major studios and networks including Disney, Fox, Warner Bros., Universal, NBC, CBS, ABC, Comedy Central, Showtime, and the BBC can be streamed over the web and an iPad app (though unfortunately you can't purchase anything through the app itself). Rdio is already available on a number of platforms, though, and Vdio could hypothetically expand outward to Android, Roku and other connected devices too. Sigurdsson also teased that Vdio subscriptions could be added in the future, according to the report.     | | Blip: Tony Stark downgrades to an Alcatel One Touch Idol in Iron Man 3 Apr 3rd 2013, 15:19 
Tony Stark has a new phone in Iron Man 3 and he's slumming it with an Alcatel One Touch Idol - a handset we branded "a middle of the road smartphone" when we got our hands on it at MWC 2013. It's not clear exactly what the narrative impetus behind Stark's phone-buying decision is but we imagine that Marvel will come up with something to justify the big fat cheque that has no doubt changed hands behind the scenes. After all, Tony loves to tinker with his tech - maybe he's ripped the Idol's insides out and replaced them with something uranium-powered to make it worth his while. Probably doesn't stop it feeling cheap though, eh? Blips are TechRadar's new news nuggets that you'll find percolating through the homepage - or you can see them all by hitting the blip keyword below.     | | Fingerprint scanning to come to iWatch as well as iPhone 5S? Apr 3rd 2013, 14:17 
The much-longed-for Apple Watch may come packing fingerprint scanning, according to the latest rumours. Word on the analyst street is that the fingerprint tech expected to show up in the iPhone 5S could surface in the iWatch too. Oftentimes we wonder where analysts dredge these rumours up from but this time there's a solid backstory - Brian White was on a tour of China and Taiwan when he met an anonymous component supplier who let him in on a couple of juicy secrets. White then penned a note for clients of Topeka Capital Markets, which AppleInsider managed to get its fruity little mitts on. Finger-lickin' secureIn it, White describes the fingerprint scanner as being used for "essential security purposes" - no shocker - including credit card payments. Going further, he expects the fingerprint scanner to be the main selling point of the iPhone 5S, much like Siri was on the iPhone 4S. So, yeah... form an orderly queue. But iPhone 5S aside, White says that the scanning tech will hit other gadgets too, particularly the iWatch which he anticipates seeing on the market this year after he spotted "early signs of movement in the supply chain". So, beefed up NFC with fingerprint security. Will that get you parting with your hard-earned cash for a new iPhone or an Apple Watch?     | | Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 could arrive in May Apr 3rd 2013, 14:14 
Samsung is about to introduce the next generation of its popular Ace series, following on from the success of the Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Ace Plus. According to SamMobile, the mid-range handset will cost around £255 ($385, AUS$367) or less, and will be housing a 4-inch screen, 5MP camera and 4GB of internal storage. Oh, and Bluetooth 4.0. Nothing on resolution yet, though a 720p display is apparently likely - as is a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU. Samsung has codenamed the phone the GT-S7272, hinting that this will be a dual-SIM device - although a single-SIM device is also highly likely to arrive alongside. Potting aces in the middle rangeAnother new feature of the Ace 3 is more colour options - Metallic Black, Metallic Blue, Pure White and Wine red. A nice little palette for the choosy among you. The Ace series has certainly proven hugely popular with consumers, and we expect the Ace 3, which will most likely be running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, to see that enthusiasm continue. It's also proving to be a busy few weeks for Samsung, with the arrival of the Galaxy S4 at the end of April, and whispers of the Galaxy S4 Mini appearing soon.     | |
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