| In Depth: 10 things you didn't know your smartphone could do Oct 24th 2013, 13:09, by James Rogerson 
Smartphones are great, they're basically a computer in your pocket packed full of features to make your life easier. But some of those features are less obvious than others, so to help you get the most out of your phone here are 10 things that you might not have known it could do. 1. You can change the launcher on your AndroidAlmost every smartphone maker overlays Android with its own interface, be it Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense. They spend enormous amounts of time making sure they get it just right, trying to improve on stock Android while standing out from the crowd. But despite their best efforts they can't please everyone. Features are lacking or forced on you and things just don't look or feel right. Thankfully there's a solution. Smartphone makers aren't the only ones who can develop an interface (or launcher) for Android and many third parties have unleashed their own creations onto Google Play, allowing you to download new launchers and replace whatever one your phone came with. A quick search for 'launcher' will turn up many, but some are better than others. Nova Launcher is among the best. It closely resembles stock Android but gives you a number of powerful tools to further customize it, from a scrollable dock, to new homescreen transition effects and the ability to add widgets to the dock. The basic app is free, but a paid for 'Prime' version adds even more features, such as customizable gesture controls. 
Another option, particularly if you want a launcher you can show off with, is Next Launcher 3D. As the name suggests, it uses a 3D effect to make icons pop out of the screen. Fancy effects aside it's also got a robust feature set, including the ability to create custom themes and app icons. It's not cheap, but can you really put a price on the sense of satisfaction you'll get from having the showiest launcher around? 2. Control other devices with your infrared equipped phoneMore and more Android phones are being released with infrared blasters, particularly high end handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. If your phone has one of these then in theory it can control anything that responds to infrared signals. You'll likely find that your phone already has an app that makes use of it hidden away somewhere, for example on the Samsung Galaxy S4 you're looking for 'WatchON', which can be programmed to control your TV or set top box. 
But even if your phone doesn't have a built in infrared control, or you just don't get on with the one that is included, you'll find that Google Play has a few available to download. 3. Your phone can identify songsYou might have realized that you could get Shazam or SoundHound for your Android, Apple or BlackBerry phone, either of which can be used to identify a song as it's playing. But did you know that Google and Microsoft have also created their own song identification tools? Microsoft's is built right in to Windows Phone 8. While a song is playing simply tap the search button on your phone, then tap the music icon and it will get to work. 
Google's solution is called 'Sound Search' and if it's not already built into your phone you can download it from Google Play. It takes the form of a widget which you can simply tap on to identify something without even leaving your homescreen. It can only identify songs which are available on Google Play, but the upshot is they can then be purchased straight from the widget. 4. You can turn your Android into a games consoleThere are some tremendously powerful Android phones around, but raw power isn't all that's required for a good gaming experience. Sometimes you need a big screen and a proper controller too. The good news is that both of those things are within your reach. MHL (aka Mobile High-Definition Link) is a way to connect phones and other portable electronics to HD televisions and monitors, using an MHL cable connected to the micro USB port on your phone at one end and your screen's HDMI port at the other. 
Not all phones support this but some do, with Samsung and Sony in particular supporting MHL on a number of handsets. Assuming your phone supports it, you can pick up an MHL cable relatively cheaply and then you'll be able to experience media from your smartphone on a big screen. That's great for video, but for games you're still stuck with a touchscreen interface. However there are also a number of Bluetooth smartphone controllers available, including Samsung's own Game Pad. With one of those in hand you can take smartphone gaming to a level that approaches home consoles. 5. You can use your smartphone as a levelMost smartphones include an accelerometer, which is used to identify your phone's orientation, so that for example the screen will know when to auto rotate. However it can also be used as a spirit level. If you have an Android or BlackBerry phone you can download apps to do this, but if you have an Apple device running iOS 7 the function is built right in. 
Having said that, you might be hard pushed to find it, as to get to it you first have to launch the compass app and then swipe across to a second screen. It's not the most obvious location but now you know where it is you can get to work checking your bed/table/sofa/TV/house/cat is level. 6. Use your Galaxy S4 to check temperature and humidity
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is packed full of useful and not so useful features, but one that you might have missed is its temperature and humidity sensors. The data from these is buried in the S Health app, under the heading 'Comfort Level'. The idea is that the sensors are used to judge whether you're comfortable in your current environment. It's an odd use for an unusual feature, but it can be interesting to see the temperature and humidity of your surroundings and whether you're likely to be comfortable in them, particularly if you use it to judge a good time and location to start a workout. 7. You can give your phone visual voicemailYou might have visual voicemail already and if not you're missing out. Smartphone users can get access to it by downloading an app, such as 'HulloMail', which is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. 
It displays your voicemail as a menu, allowing you to tap a message to play it rather than having to listen to every message in order. You can also pause, fast forward and rewind messages and the app even allows you to view voicemails as text, though that latter function isn't free. 8. You can use the volume buttons to skip songs
Using a phone as an MP3 player is great, but when the screen's off and the phone's in your pocket it can be a chore to skip past that Haddaway song you drunkenly added to your playlist. However with a little bit of setup you can make your volume buttons double as a way to skip track. On BlackBerry 10 this is easy, just head to 'System Volume' in the settings screen and turn 'Music Shortcuts' on. Once you've done that you'll be able to skip to the next track by holding the volume up button and skip to the previous one by holding the volume down button. A tap on either of them will change the volume as usual. On Android something similar can be achieved with the help of a third party app such as 'Pocket Skip Track', which allows you to change track with a double tap of the volume buttons. Unfortunately on iOS this is only possible with a jailbreak, while Windows Phone 8 has no way of doing it without first turning the screen on. 9. You can get Nokia apps on any Windows Phone 8 handsetOne of the great things about Nokia's Lumia range of phones is the selection of Nokia apps that come with them. HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ in particular are impressive mapping and sat-nav applications. 
However even if you don't have a Nokia handset there's nothing to stop you making use of some of them, as HERE Maps, HERE Drive+ and HERE Transit are all available to download from the Windows Phone 8 store. 10. You can block numbersNo longer do you have to suffer PPI claims lines and other nuisance callers, as most smartphones offer the ability to block numbers. Now that iOS 7 has arrived this is a breeze from an iPhone. There are several ways to do it but the easiest is usually just to go into your call log, tap the 'i' next to the number you want to block and then tap 'block this caller'. 
On Android things can be a bit more convoluted as how you do it depends in part on what phone you have. It may be that you can do it in a similar way to iOS 7, as for example on the HTC One you can simply tap and hold a number in your call history and then tap 'Block contact'. Many other smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, feature an auto reject list, which is generally found in the settings menu and allows you to manually add numbers to a list of rejected callers. However if all else fails there are also apps to do the job, such as 'Truecaller' and 'Mr. Number'. Sadly it's not currently possible to natively block a number on BlackBerry 10, nor can Windows Phone 8 do it natively, however there are apps available from BlackBerry World that do the job, while Nokia has implemented a blocked numbers list on Lumia phones, which you can access from the 'extras + info' section of the settings screen. And a few more for luck…Rocking a Windows Phone 8 handset and wish there was an easier way to access your Internet Explorer tabs? You're in luck! The browser defaults to having a stop/refresh button to the left of the address bar, but you can switch this for a tabs or favorites button in the internet settings menu. Loving your HTC One but wishing BlinkFeed would blink off? Well, while there's no way to fully disable it you can make it a whole lot less intrusive. First off you can sort-of hide it by changing your default homescreen to something other than BlinkFeed and putting BlinkFeed on your far left or far right homescreen, so that you never need to see it. Both of these can be done by tapping the three dots at the top of BlinkFeed, then selecting 'customize home screen'. From there you can move homescreens around and set your default one (the one that the phone always starts on) to something else. If you're worried about BlinkFeed draining your battery and really never plan to use it, you can turn off all the feeds from the 'Topics and services' section of the menu and if you want to totally hide it you can always use a different launcher. And finally…You can automate Android with the help of a third party app, such as 'Tasker'. What do we mean by automate? Well for example you can tell your music player of choice to launch whenever you plug headphones in, tell your Wi-Fi to automatically turn on when you get home or turn off between midnight and 8am (or whichever period you plan to be asleep during) and a whole lot more. 
Tasker in particular has an incredible number of options and variables that you can tweak. It can be a little daunting but if you put the time in now to get your Android phone automated to your liking, it will save you a lot of time and hassle in the future. Your phones battery is likely to thank you too since it can ensure that data connections are never on when they don't need to be. - Looking for a fancy new phone to go with your new-found knowledge? Check out our top list.
       |  | Android 4.4 KitKat might be more about Google TV than phones Oct 24th 2013, 11:24, by Hugh Langley 
October is quickly running out which means Android 4.4 KitKat should be with us very soon, but right now it sounds like the new OS updates will be concerned more with TV rather than smartphones. Korean ETNews has reported that KitKat's focus will be all about enhancing Google's TV efforts and improving compatibility between TV and devices. According to sources speaking to the news site, KitKat will improve the big screen interface, as well as boosting communication between TVs and smaller bits of Android kit. Apparently there will be some changes to the app development environment too. Get smartSeveral days ago we reported a rumour that Google TV will be renamed to Android TV, which ties in nicely with the latest word on KitKat. Given that Google TV is built on the Android OS, we're surprised it didn't do this sooner. But hopefully by bringing its TV efforts under the Android Google can clear up any confusion and take a decent swipe at the smart TV market. Of course, KitKat will usher in some small phone-based changes too, but it sounds like they won't be main event this time around.        | | Interview: The future of smartphones is 4K, 64-bit and 55MP cameras Oct 24th 2013, 09:26, by John McCann 
What does the future hold for our smartphones? Well according to chip maker Qualcomm the sky's the limit as manufacturers succumb to consumer's greed for bigger, better, more fantastical tech in their pocket. TechRadar spoke to Michelle Leyden Li, Qualcomm's Senior Director of Marketing, about the developing technologies in the mobile field. "Consumers never seem to be satisfied and people want more and more things on their devices," Li explained. "People are using their phones more for movies, TV, video... it's their own personal device and they want a beautiful experience." You say 4KIt's this impossible dream of true satisfaction which is pushing manufacturers to develop 2K, and ultimately 4K displays for our smartphones. We've already seen the first 2K toting smartphone sneak out in China in the form of the Vivo Xplay3S and there's a lot of talk surrounding 4K screens arriving on handsets as soon as 2014. With 4K comes a couple of obvious questions: do we need it, and isn't it going to kill battery life? Li doesn't seem to be concerned. "The industry always seems to solve issues. The 4K screens will require a lot of power, but the industry always seems to rise to the challenge." With higher resolution screens comes the need for better batteries to ensure you still get a full days use from your smartphone on a single charge, and Li says it's one of Qualcomm's top priorities. Batteries and 64-bit"Battery life is key. It's all about low power now and it's critical you keep processors as low powered as possible. Consumers don't want to trade off performance for better battery life - they want the best of both worlds. "Everyone has a different day of usage and we're really focused on delivering the full feature set to customers." While Apple is lauding the 64-bit chip in the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad mini 2, Qualcomm isn't getting too carried away with the PC level processor just yet. "We're always looking at what's going on in the industry, and the timings of launches and adoption," Li explained. "Currently we're happy with our roadmap and the Snapdragon 800 chip." That chip can be found in the likes of the Galaxy Note 3, LG G2 and Xperia Z Ultra, and although Qualcomm is staying coy on 64-bit involvement you get the feeling it will enter the arena at some point in the not too distance future. Say cheeseLi also noted that the firm's 800 processor currently provides support for up to 55MP cameras as well as a software suit including HDR, object removal and zero shutter lag. "The smartphone camera is huge," Li told us. "People always want to have great pictures and don't want to carry camera as well as phone." Considering no phone is currently pushing Qualcomm's chip to its full camera potential, it raises the question what the next generation of SoCs (system on chip) will offer us. The Nokia Lumia 1020 with its 41MP snapper suddenly doesn't seem so impressive now.        | | LG delight as tablets and phones grow in popularity Oct 24th 2013, 06:37, by Patrick Goss 
LG has highlighted a 24 per cent increase in sales of phones and tablets as it revealed its figures for the last quarter - but it wasn't enough to cancel out the problem of a 'competitive' television market. The Korean giant has made it clear that it believes mobile devices are a massive part of its future, and the arrival of key devices like the LG G2 and the G Pad 8.3 appear to have played a part in giving the company a boost. According to the company's figures, it managed to sell 3.05 trillion Korean wan's worth of mobile devices in the period - which is around US$2.75 billion, £1.69 million or AU$2.85 million. This joy was tempered somewhat by the admission that the home entertainment division, which of course houses LG's televisions and is still a significantly larger part of the company's profits, saw a 7 per cent decline year on year. What's in it for us?So what does that actually mean? Well LG's desire to make an impact in mobile devices should certainly be welcomed, pushing competitors like Apple, Nokia, HTC and, of course, Korean rival Samsung. As our LG G2 review shows, there is certainly a desire to prove that the company can produce phones that compete at the highest level, picking up four-and-a-half stars and winning plaudits for its 'amazing' screen. But, it also glosses over the fact that TV sales are not in a good place globally, which does at least lead to a competitive price market. LG is looking to the rise of OLED and Ultra HD as potential big sellers in the home entertainment market in the coming months.        | | opinion: Aldi cut its mobile data allowance, but does it actually matter? Oct 24th 2013, 01:00, by Farrha Khan 
MVNO Aldi Mobile has cut the data allowance on its unlimited plan by 50%, taking it down to 2.5GB from 5GB. Working on Telstra's 3G network, Aldi Mobile's unlimited plan gives customers unlimited calls, SMS, voicemail and, now, 2.5GB of data. Aldi Mobile's biggest competitor remains Amaysim, which has been on the market for longer, runs on Optus' 3G network and offers an unlimited plan for $39.90 for 30 days, giving you unlimited calls and SMS, but with 4GB of data. It is certainly important to question Aldi's decision to drop its data allowance by half without touching its $35 price tag – but that is another argument for another day. After all, TPG cut its data allowance by 75%, from 1GB to 250MB, which is a lot lower and a lot more alarming than what Aldi Mobile is now offering. With the closure of Kogan Mobile, as well as PennyTel, Woolworths and Red Bull Mobile over the last few months, this change has again brought to light the fragility of the MVNO market. Data costsComing into the market in March 2013, Aldi Mobile was able to survive the debacle between Telstra and ISPOne a few months back. Aldi has said that the changes to its unlimited plan were due to prepaid data costs. "With market-wide increases in the cost of prepaid data, this change has been made to ensure the Aldi Mobile service remains affordable for our customers," it said in a statement. Previously, Vodafone CEO Bill Morrow said to TechRadar: "I know the cost of the [data] network… You can't stay in business if you can't recover the cost of what the network is." We could perhaps draw our eyes to the fact that Kogan had lowered its data allowances too as it started to have trouble with ISPOne. We could then suggest that lowering its data allowance could be the beginning of the end for Aldi Mobile, which went into a new deal with Telstra when ISPOne went into voluntary administration. But it all may not be so damning. It may just be the market realigning itself. How much do you data? Increasingly, telcos and MVNOs are offering more talk and SMS allowances for less, with plan and price differences hinging on data allowances. Vodafone's Morrow has said that with a progressively "data-centric" environment, there "is a fundamentally different market place for MVNOs" – and we agree. Aldi Mobile has attributed the latest changes to research showing that users were not using that much data anyway. "Our research shows the majority of Aldi Mobile customers use less than 1GB of data monthly and as such, the reduction in data allowance should have minimal impact on our existing customers," Aldi Mobile said in a statement. If this is the case, then lowering data allowances should not sound an alarm bell – especially considering all of its other options remain untouched and the allowance has not dropped below 2GB. Data the deciding factorIf the plan allows the majority of users to continue receiving an unlimited calls and SMS option with enough data, then it really is only the super-power-hungry user that will be affected. It should be noted that Aldi Mobile only works on Telstra's 3G network, not offering the super speeds of 4G – and presumably, the super-data-hungry user would be looking toward a faster data service anyway. 2.5GB is really enough to browse the internet, be on logged on Facebook and be uploading to Instagram, as well as check your map to get to places, without exceeding your limit. You could even FaceTime or Skype every now and then (estimated to be about 3-5MB per minute) and only then worry about your 2.5GB limit - though with 3G, it's probably best to do this on a Wi-Fi connection anyway. We can't imagine how much music or video you'd want to stream on a 3G connection, either. So if unlimited calls and SMS with a reasonable amount of data is what you want, then Aldi Mobile's unlimited offering is still a good deal on Telstra's 3G network. TPG's 250MB still worries us, however.        | | Blip: Hulu launches free clips site for mobile devices Oct 23rd 2013, 21:02, by Michael Rougeau 
Hulu announced today that its new, free mobile site at Hulu.com now features "a curated collection" of clips from popular and trending TV shows. The free clips are "hand-picked & crafted by our editorial team just waiting for you to snack on," Hulu Senior Product Manager Karan Nischol wrote today in a blog post on the company's site. "It is a daily portal of what's going on in TV, pop culture and news, all in the form of easily watched clips," he continued. The site opens to a "trending" tab, but users can also browse clips in five other categories: Trailers, Comedy, News, Celebrity and Latino. Viewers can also see clips from specific shows. We asked Nischol whether the new site is available outside the U.S., and we'll update this blip if we hear back. More blips!Check out more of TechRadar's blips if you can tear yourself away from watching clips of The Voice long enough.        | | German chancellor calls Obama over alleged US spying of her phone Oct 23rd 2013, 20:18, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
President Barack Obama got a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel today, and it wasn't to see how things were in Washington post-government shutdown. Merkel rang Obama after receiving information that the National Security Agency may have spied on her communications, specifically on her private mobile phone, for years. Merkel also made clear her expectation that US officials "provide an explanation about the possible extent of such surveillance practices, and thus answer questions that the German government already posed months ago," a spokesman for the chancellor told Der Spiegel. The spokesman added that if the US did spy on the chancellor's phone, "This would be a grave breach of trust." Past, present, future?A statement posted on the White House website about the call between the heads of state read: "The president assured the chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel." The statement reflects other assurances from White House Spokesman Jay Carney and the US National Security Council, but none addressed the past. So don't worry, Ms. Merkel, the US isn't currently spying on your cell and won't in the future, but as for previous instances ... let's sidestep that one. Spreading accusationsAccording to the White House statement, Obama and Merkel "agreed to intensify further the cooperation between our intelligence services" as a result of their conversation. Germany wouldn't divulge how it received information that Merkel's communications were being monitored, but Der Spiegel said the call was spurred by its own research. "After the information was examined by the country's foreign intelligence agency ... Berlin seems to have found their suspicions plausible enough to confront the US government," Der Spiegel wrote in its report. The Merkel/Obama convo comes a day after James Clapper, US director of national intelligence, denied a report from Le Monde that the US intercepted more than 70 million phone calls in France in the last 30 days.        | | LG takes a match to Fireweb, its first Firefox OS phone Oct 23rd 2013, 19:53, by Michael Rougeau 
Firefox OS continues to heat up, and this week LG unveiled its first entry in the fray: the LG Fireweb, available now in Brazil. The Fireweb is more advanced than previous Firefox OS handsets like the ZTE Open and the Alcatel Onetouch Fire, but that comes at a cost. LG is selling the Fireweb for $449 BRL (about $205/£127/AU$213) for pay-as-you-go customers or $129 BRL (about $59/£36/AU$61) for subscribers. That's more expensive than other Firefox OS phones, and even more expensive than LG's cheapest Android phone, the Optimus L3 II for $399 BRL ($184, £90 SIM free, about AU$191). YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_7sTP7IRn4&feature=youtu.beSay cheeseFirefox OS is an open mobile operating system designed by Mozilla to be powered by HTML5 and the web rather than apps purchased in walled-off marketplaces. But are the LG Fireweb's superior specs worth the extra dough compared to its alternatives? LG's first Firefox OS device has a 4-inch HVGA TFT display, a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 2GB of memory, 4GB of storage, 3G support, and a 5-megapixel camera. Those five megapixels and slightly bigger screen are what sets it apart from the other Firefox OS phones on the market. The Fireweb is also the first Firefox OS phone with both LED flash and autofocus, according to Engadget. Entry-level freedomBut clearly it's still an entry-level device, and Mozilla isn't being shy about that fact. "Considering its features and price, Firefox OS offers a great value package for customers looking for their first smartphone," reads a press release the company sent out today. It continues, "The launch of Firefox OS in Brazil is a milestone for the country's mobile industry, increasing the number of design options for intelligent devices [smartphones] and operating systems at affordable prices, based on open standards." In addition to Brazil, Telefônica Vivo will launch Firefox OS devices in Peru, Uruguay and Mexico "in the coming days," according to this week's announcement. Meanwhile the first Firefox OS device from Sony is expected next year. We asked LG if they have any more images of the Fireweb, and we'll add them here if it does.        | | LinkedIn gets a makeover for iPad, plus 'Intro' for iPhone Mail app Oct 23rd 2013, 19:27, by Lily Prasuethsut 
With all the recent iPad Air and iPad mini 2 madness, people are probably experiencing Apple-fatigue. The folks at LinkedIn aren't in that group. The professional networking site today refreshed its app for the iPad. Taking cues from Facebook, the new interface of the app now focuses on the LinkedIn activity feed, where users can now like, comment, share, follow and join right from the feed. Don't feel browsing the feed? Don't worry 'bout it - LinkedIn wants you to feel like the app is specially personalized towards your needs, so the search bar remembers the places you visit the most and keeps them at the ready for quick access. 
There are a few other new tidbits but you can check it out yourself since the app is ready to download now from the iTunes store. Get introducedLinkedIn is also releasing "Intro," a new feature that shows you LinkedIn profiles in your iPhone Mail app when writing emails. Intro essentially lets you screen unknown emails by showing you a summary of the person's LinkedIn profile - assuming they're on the network and have the program installed as well. We've asked the company for info on the possibility of Intro for Android or Windows phones and if a refreshed tablet app will head to non-iOS devices, and will update this article when we hear back. - Undecided about Apple's latest tablet? Here are 7 things you'll love and hate about the iPad Air.
       | | Samsung may kill off unlicensed third-party accessories with ID chip Oct 23rd 2013, 18:56, by JR Bookwalter 
Samsung and Apple are frequently at each others throats over patents, but great minds apparently think alike when it comes to potential profits from third-party accessory makers. Samsung is reportedly exploring the use of ID chips for future devices as a method of warding off an ever increasing number of faulty third-party accessories. Like Apple, Samsung has seen bad publicity over poorly made accessories such as chargers and batteries from unlicensed vendors, which occasionally malfunction when used with the Korean manufacturer's devices. In the most extreme example, such accessories can cause a device to burn or explode, which certainly isn't in the best interest of Samsung or its customers. Extreme measures?According to Korean news agency ETNews (via Google Translate), Samsung is apparently considering the use of "a dedicated ID chip" for future devices, which would simply reject accessories that aren't deemed kosher for use with smartphone or tablet. While such a tactic may seem extreme, Samsung may simply be following in the footsteps of rival Apple, which incorporated similar security measures into the Lightning port used with all of the company's current iPhone and iPad products. Thanks to the increasing popularity of mobile devices, third-party accessories are a booming business with the potential for huge profit margins - especially when knockoff makers can circumvent paying royalties to company actually making the devices. Of course, Samsung is also likely eyeing ways to keep such profits for itself by limiting the sale of accessories to licensed vendors, and such ID chips could be their way of doing just that.        | | Galaxy S4 Mini coming to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular next month Oct 23rd 2013, 18:53, by Matt Swider 
There's a mini wait for the Galaxy S4 Mini that weighs just 3.77 oz. The Samsung smartphone is due out on four U.S. carriers next month. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular will start selling the company's Galaxy S4 flagship variant in November, according to a press release today. The compact phone still features that 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display and Android 4.2.2 overlayed with Samsung's own TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 interface. Galaxy S4 Mini colors in the U.S. include Black Mist and Frost White, the same two hues that the Korean manufacturer released internationally back in May. Good specs for those who waitIt'll have taken between five and six months for Samsung to release the Galaxy S4 Mini in the U.S., depending on when it releases in November. That's been enough time to double the storage to 16GB, up from the international version's 8GB. Also in that time, Samsung launched its first wearable, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The Galaxy S4 Mini is expected to be compatible with the Android-based watch soon after the phone launches in the U.S. It'll happen via a software update, promised the company. By the end of November, smartphone buyers will have the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Mini and more rugged Galaxy S4 Active to choose from in the U.S. We're still waiting on the camera-focused Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom to make it stateside.        | | In Depth: Where phone meets body Oct 23rd 2013, 15:13, by David Nield 
Apple's decision to include a fingerprint scanner in the new iPhone 5S may or may not have convinced you to buy one, but it marks another step forward in biometrics and the fusion of phone and user. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that the next decade could see advances that feel like they're straight out of the pages of a sci-fi novel. Imagine taking a hands-free call without a headset, for example. Or feeling your temple buzz when you enter an open Wi-Fi zone. Or swallowing a pill that can report your body temperature and health back to a dedicated phone app. This sort of tech is not a distant pipe dream: it's being developed right now, and could be in mainstream use more quickly than you might think. Pills and implantsIt's going to take some time before we're happy to have electronic chips embedded into our wrists or jaws, and much of the sensory tech currently in development is in a more natural form. The CorTemp pill from HQInc is powered by a tiny built-in battery and can measure your temperature, heart rate and other data. The pill reports back wirelessly to another device (such as your phone). It can be used to help spot health problems and check on the effectiveness of medicine in the same way that Windows reports back on the health of your hard drive. 
HQInc's Lee Carbonelli explains: "Sensor innovations can be used as diagnostic tools, as well as in wellness and prevention, and apps will play a prominent role in data recording and for transmission of data to medical professionals." You may balk at the idea of popping a super-smart pill that reports back to your doctor, but as Google's Eric Schmidt said in 2012: "If it makes the difference between health and death, you're going to want this thing." Grindhouse Wetware is another outfit that devotes itself to biohacking in a variety of forms. One of the projects it's working on is Circadia, a small implantable circuit board that measures your vital statistics and reports back wirelessly. Via its integrated LED lights you can glance at your arm to check for notifications from your Android phone. "Circadia has a Bluetooth module that takes your biological data and uploads it to your phone," Grindhouse's Tim Cannon told us. "You can also make the device sing 'peanut butter jelly time' to your phone, and the LED on the device blinks rapidly as it does that!" 
The usefulness and application of the collected data is just as just as important as the devices themselves. "I think in the next 10-20 years we will be using the data we are collecting now to make more intelligent choices about our lives," says Tim, "and we'll be replacing pieces of our bio that are unnecessary or undesirable (arms, hearts, etcetera). We will hopefully be having a conversation about life and life extension and what the ramifications are culturally." Built-in audioDevices like Google Glass have brought notifications, search results and driving directions closer to our eyeballs than ever before, but through the power of bone conduction you can have calls or notifications beamed straight into your head, no Bluetooth headset required. The technology has already been trialed in Germany, where commuters resting their heads against a train window were treated to targeted advertising. Passengers were "surprised" and "enjoyed this new form of advertising", if you take the word of the agency who carried out the experiment. Your mileage may vary. In recent weeks we've also seen a team from Disney Research pass audio messages through the touch of a finger. 
This tech uses low electrical pulses rather than bone conduction, but the implications are the same: you may soon be able to take calls, listen to podcasts and hear alerts while your phone stays in your pocket, with no headphones required. SecurityApple's Touch ID has grabbed most of the headlines over the past few weeks, and security is another area where our bodies will almost certainly be playing a larger role in the future. We've already seen some possibilities bounced around various tech conferences — Motorola's Regina Dugan floated the idea of pills or an electronic tattoo as authentication methods at the Wall Street Journal's D11 conference this year. Essentially, you become the password. It's not all pie-in-the-sky, either: MC10's Biostamp tattoo is built from stretchable silicon and contains very small circuits and antennae that can be used to prove you are who you say you are. Don't be surprised if you see it appearing alongside the iPhone 7 or Nexus 8 — one day, your phone will respond to your touch and your voice alone. 
In the near term at least, it seems that smart body monitors are the most realistic next step, building on the fitness tracker wristbands of today to help us learn more and more about our sleep, diet and general health. Dave Asprey is one of the pioneers of the fledgling trend of biohacking - author, entrepreneur, investor and currently employed at Trend Micro, Asprey has spent more than a decade using body monitors and training devices to improve his diet, IQ and lifestyle. He told TechRadar he thinks the data from the next wave of biosensors will open up countless opportunities: "The insight we glean from this new use of big data will teach us more about what it means to be human than we've ever known before. "Hidden in the everyday biological and sociological behaviors of people, are the keys to unlocking the complex interaction between the environment and ourselves. In order to know what small changes to make, we must get the data. And then, we must use it wisely. That is the new frontier of biohacking." You might think Google and Apple know a lot about you now, but it won't be long before our phones are monitoring us and offering feedback in even more intimate ways. Other innovations are still some distance off: while it would be useful to capture every great moment we see automatically, for now you'll have to make do with a lifelogger device such as Memento. Unless, that is, you have a space for a prosthetic eye, in which case check out the work the Eyeborg Project team are doing. However these phone+body technologies pan out, the gap between them will get smaller and smaller.        | | Moto G trademark spotted, could this be the Google smartwatch? Oct 23rd 2013, 10:02, by Thomas Thorn 
The Google smartwatch, known to some as Google Gem, is something that we have been hearing a lot of speculation about in recent weeks. Hearing that Motorola has gained ownership of the trademark 'Moto G' may well go some way to confirming that there is something in the works. There has been some speculation as to what this could be, given that it could just as easily be a variant of the Moto X. Lets get speculating!Everybody has their own ideas as to what it could be, Phandroid speculate that it could be a Google Play edition of the Moto X, a la Samsung Galaxy S4 Play. 
We're a little more skeptical on that, as it would put the new handset in direct competition with the upcoming Nexus 5. Whatever the Google owned brand has in mind, we won't know for certain until, or should that be if, Motorola officially announce the device. Either way we might not be far off this smart phone/watch as Droid-life reveals it's spoken to a rep from US carrier Verizon who claims it's heard the Moto G is "coming soon." Until then, we might as well say that it is a Motorola grapefruit. Now that would be tasty... Why not let us know what you think it could be in the comments below?   | | Galaxy Gear gets Galaxy S3, Note 2 and S4 variants support Oct 23rd 2013, 08:49, by Thomas Thorn 
Samsung has announced that the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update will hit the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 handsets from the end of October and bring with it support for the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. We'd already heard that the Galaxy S4 would see the latest version of Jelly Bean (and with it Gear support) by the end of the month and it's good to see Samsung is finally adding more handsets to the roster. The Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4 Zoom, as well as both the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3 will gain a separate software update to add Gear functionality. The 4.3 Jelly Bean update brings easier text input as well as enhanced graphics and multimedia to the brands ageing handsets. It also means that they gain Samsung's Knox business solution, Smart Switch, HomeSync and Group Play 2.5. Galaxy Gear... but not 4.3?JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile division at Samsung said "Extending the Galaxy Gear compatibility to more Galaxy devices reflects our deep commitment to continuing to deliver our consumers enriched mobile experiences" Unfortunately for those using any of the aforementioned S4 variants, or the Galaxy Mega handsets, there is still no word - if indeed there ever will be - on a 4.3 update. Instead, the S4 handsets are being treated to an internal update to address lack of Gear functionality. Samsung has said that the Gear update should land from the end of the month, although this will obviously vary depending on market and mobile network.   | |
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