Monday, 18 November 2013

Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 11-18-2013

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In Depth: Make sure your reading experience is out of this GALAXY, with My Magazine
Nov 18th 2013, 13:17, by Your Mobile Life

In Depth: Make sure your reading experience is out of this GALAXY, with My Magazine

My Magazine on the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 is one of the most beautiful apps around.

Taking stories from all aspects of the web, the service is your go-to place for news and information. But this isn't just any old RSS reader – each article found in My Magazine is presented in a, you've guessed it, magazine format.

So instead of clicking through different stories, you flip through them as you would the pages of a mag.

Flipboard on board

My Magazine, developed by Samsung in partnership with Flipboard, provides the ultimate lean-back reading experience on the go and it's one that can be personalised easily.

In this feature we will explain how you can make your very own digital magazine, using the stories you love – all accessible with just an upward flick from your GALAXY Note 3's homescreen.

One of the main reasons that you might want to create a digital magazine on your Note 3 is to bring all the articles relating to your favourite hobby, author or movie together into one place.

Each magazine that you create can be shared online and others can subscribe to your magazine, so you will want to make a mag that stands out from the digital crowd – and that's where we come in.

Read on to see how to make the perfect magazine on your GALAXY Note 3.

My Magazine

1. Flipping out

It's really easy to find My Magazine on the GALAXY Note 3 – simply flick upwards on the homescreen and it will appear.

You can also find My Magazine by clicking the Home button once as well.

The app is completely embedded into the handset, so you can access it from most screens at any time.

My Magazine

2. Read all about it

Before we create a magazine, it's best to get yourself acquainted with how My Magazine works.

Flip on to it and you will see a lovely grid-like structure of news stories from curated web content.

Click the three lines on the top left and you will see three categories where feeds come from: news, social and personal.

You can toggle these on and off if you wish.

My Magazine

3. Let's get personal

While this specially chosen content is great for keeping up with what is happening in the world, making the service a bit more personal will help you get more out of My Magazine.

To do this, click on any article and head to the + button. Click this and you will be asked to sign into Flipboard, the service that is powering My Magazine.

If you already have a Flipboard account then simply log in. If you don't, follow the on-screen instructions and create one.

My Magazine

4. Choose your content

Once signed in, you will find that any article that you click the + on can be added to your very own magazine.

Go to Learn More and you will be talked through the processes of making your own mag – something that we are also kindly doing for you right here!

Click Next and you will be asked to name your magazine. Name it what you want, just don't go for anything too rude! You can also add a description of your magazine as well, if you wish.

My Magazine

5. Many a mag

The beauty of My Magazine is that you're not restricted to just one title – you can create as many magazines as you want.

When you create your first magazine, right next to it you'll see an empty magazine with a + symbol in the middle of it, ready to be filled with a new title whenever you wish.

It's probably best if you create magazines based by theme – one dedicated to your hobbies, maybe, and another for politics or film reviews.

That way you won't be confused as to what the content relates to when you come back to reading them and sharing them with friends.

My Magazine

6. Finding articles

The simplest way to find articles within My Magazine is to go to the app from the homescreen and choose your favourites from the curated content.

You can keep swiping up to view all of the content – there is so much available we doubt you will get to the end.

As before, to add an article into one of your magazines you just need to click the + icon and choose the magazine, then press Add. You will be notified that the article has been 'flipped' into your magazine.

Now, moving articles from the curated sections in the app is all very good, but the real fun is in searching for articles yourself, which we'll come to now.

My Magazine

7. The search is on

To find content that suits your magazine, click on an article that is in a genre you want to search.

You will see the genre label at the top of the article – click on this and you will be given a list of websites to chose from.

Click on any of these and you will be given a whole host of other content. Now you have a whole new choice of articles to add to your magazine.

Click on the + icon to add the articles to your magazines – you'll find it at the bottom right of the screen.

My Magazine

8. Searching a little deeper

If you still can't find the right content for your magazine, then you can use the search box.

Click on any article again and click on the top category tag once more – now on the top right you will see a three-line icon.

Click on this and you will find the search box. You can search for topics, magazines made by others and even hashtags.

Type what you want into the search box and then you will be given a selection of other articles to search through.

My Magazine

9. Fill up your magazine

As with any magazine you'd buy in the shops, you want as much content and as many features as possible, so you don't want to short change yourself by only adding a few articles to each magazine.

As you add more and more great content the experience becomes much better.

Each time you add an article the magazine will automatically choose the best image to go on the front cover, and will present the magazine contents in such a way that you can easily get to the articles within.

My Magazine

10. Edit your magazine

Don't worry if you have added an article into My Magazine that you didn't really want.

Each article can be deleted by long pressing anywhere on the article and choosing Remove from Magazine.

Plus, if you don't like the cover of your magazine you can also long press on your favourite image and choose to Promote To Cover.

And that's it – we promise that once you have created one magazine, you will want to create many more.


    






Could the Nexus 5 have been called the Nexus G?
Nov 18th 2013, 12:57, by Thomas Thorn

Could the Nexus 5 have been called the Nexus G?

Romeo Montague once asked "What's in a name?"... turns out quite a lot according to Google, as it appears it blocked LG's request to call its latest Nexus device, the Nexus G.

According to Korean media, the search giant denied a request that would have put the LG's second Nexus device in line with Samsung's second, the Galaxy Nexus.

Under the moniker 'Nexus G', the newest addition to the Nexus family would have been more in line with the existing range of LG Android products; the LG G2, G Pad and G Flex.

LG and Google, star-cross'd lovers?

As the Mountain View firm are keen to not show favourites, Google clearly preferred to keep the Nexus 5 in line with other Nexus devices, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets.

So what is in a name? Would the Google Nexus 5 still smell as sweet as the Nexus G? Does it really matter?

It certainly would have made the Moto G make a lot more sense as the Nexus' little brother...

Via G4Games.


    






Want a longer battery in your phone? Self-healing could be the answer
Nov 18th 2013, 12:34, by Thomas Thorn

Want a longer battery in your phone? Self-healing could be the answer

Researchers at Stanford University might have made the batteries that sit behind the screens of our mobiles and tablets a lot better. They'll soon be able to repair themselves.

You won't be able to physically smash them to pieces then watch them reform before your eyes, but inside the new batteries, something very similar happens.

This is a result of the techniques developed in chasing larger power packs, increasing the energy density while allowing retention of the same form factor that we are all used to.

One of these techniques has been to incorporate silicon into the cathode. This allows more energy, but leads to an unusable battery after a few discharge cycles.

Silicon is prone to cracking, as it expands when packed with electrons to increase power. Once cracked, the broken silicon is unable to hold charge. This has been remedied with a newly developed polymer coating.

It's a chemical attraction

Research from Chao Wang at Stanford University, California, and Hui Wu of Tsinghua University, Beijing, led to the realisation that by deliberately breaking certain bonds, the chemical bonds would be attracted back.

According to Stanford Professor Zhenan Bao, they "found that silicon electrodes lasted 10 times longer when coated with the self-healing polymer, which repaired any cracks within just a few hours".

At the moment, electrodes are only working without fail for around 100 charges, although the hope is that this technology will be able to cope with 500 cycles in phones.

Advancements in battery tech will be blessing as we've noticed that modern smartphones demand more power than ever.

This can be seen by looking at HTC's two 5-star flagships. Advanced technology coupled with an increase in screen size mean that the HTC One's power pack is around 65% bigger than that of the original HTC Desire.

We're hoping this soon becomes reality, although we're more sceptical about the designs of transparent batteries.


    






In Depth: Video sharing on Group Play: a communal view on the GALAXY Note 3
Nov 18th 2013, 11:13, by Your Mobile Life

In Depth: Video sharing on Group Play: a communal view on the GALAXY Note 3

Group Play on the Samsung GALAXY S4 has proven to be a big hit, allowing you to share music as well as pictures with friends – and now things get even better on the GALAXY Note 3, with Group Play offering the ability to share video content with friends and family who also own a compatible GALAXY device.

Or, with your devices combined, you can even choose to create a super-sized screen. It's multimedia at its most sociable, and definitely at its coolest.

Group Play

Enter video

Samsung GALAXY S4 users have been taking advantage of Group Play for some time now, but things get really serious on the GALAXY Note 3 with the introduction of Group Play video sharing.

You can now stream your videos to other Note 3 devices, and it couldn't be simpler. In fact, from touching on the pre-installed app it takes just seconds to set up, and you'll be mightily impressed with the seamless connectivity Group Play offers.

Group Play

The right screen for the job

For quality viewing, you need crystal clarity. The Samsung GALAXY Note 3's 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen is the highest quality screen ever fitted to a GALAXY Note device.

Capable of playing back at Full HD quality, the GALAXY Note 3 and Group Play video sharing go hand in hand.

Plus with the brand new S Pen, zipping around the Note 3's user interface – and gliding over that impressive screen – has never been easier or more enjoyable.

Group Play

Share the moment

That video of a gorilla on a skateboard has just gone viral and there's no other option – you have to show everyone.

Or perhaps you've just captured an incredible bit of footage of your own and want to show off your skills.

Either way, this is where you'll be glad to have Group Play at hand, letting you and your friends experience the same content together in real-time.

Group Play

Easy peasy Samsung squeezy

So here's the even better news: Group Play video sharing is super easy to set up. All you need to do is open the Group Play app and select whether you want to create a group or join one.

Then you need to select what type of content you want to share (in this case, video) before choosing the video or videos you want to play. And that's it.

One final word of advice: remember to set a group password if you don't want any strangers hijacking your gorilla skateboarding fun.

Group Play

Joining in the fun

Now all your friends need to do is join in with their Samsung GALAXY Note 3 devices.

Once your GALAXY Note 3 is streaming the good stuff, everyone else can hop in straight away.

Simply open Group Play, select "Join group" and the Note 3 will scan for mobile access points. Once it's locked onto the source device, the fun begins.

Group Play

Go big or go home

Not only can you stream the same video content to each screen separately, but if you've got your GALAXY Note 3 devices sat side by side you can combine them to form a super-sized screen.

Great for those long train journeys where you and your friends are stuck for something to do.

Doing this couldn't be easier – all you have to do is align your GALAXY Note 3 devices next to one another, enter Group Play and then swipe across the screens. They'll instantly combine into one super Note 3 display without interrupting the video.

Group Play

Snap and show

The GALAXY Note 3's 13-megapixel camera promises to give you gorgeous, crystal-clear shots.

It can also shoot 1080p video at 60fps so you certainly won't have any qualms when it comes to quality.

So with all that power, you're going to want to show off your expert videography skills, right? That's exactly what Group Play is here to help you with.

Group Play

Stay smart

The Samsung GALAXY Note 3 also offers the same Smart Pause feature as the GALAXY S4 which, when active, will track your eye movements. If you're watching a video and look away, the Note 3 will pause the video automatically.

It's a nifty feature to have, but if you're all crowded around one device to watch a video it could cause some problems.

That's where Group Play is particularly useful, allowing everyone to use their own smartphone to share in the video.

Also, having to all crowd around one device is pretty annoying anyway, so that's even more reason to take advantage of this feature.

Group Play

Power to the playlist

Not only can you stream content from one GALAXY Note 3 to others, but you can even create playlists of videos for when you're sharing content with friends.

When you first hit "Share video" you'll be given the option to add any number of your videos to the playlist – but if you forget, just tap the playlist icon at the bottom right corner of the screen when a video is playing and you can then add or remove as necessary.

Group Play

Everything else is just as you remember

Of course, while the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 introduces the awesome new Group Play video sharing feature, you're also able to share music, pictures and documents between Note 3 handsets using Group Play as well, just as you can with the GALAXY S4.

Group Play is a great way to share content with friends and family who own Samsung GALAXY Note 3 devices, while the ability to combine your Note 3s and form a larger screen really makes the most of those Super AMOLED displays.

So grab your Note 3 and some friends and get swapping videos today!


    






Nokia Music app planning an Android and iOS invasion?
Nov 17th 2013, 18:41, by Chris Smith

Nokia Music app planning an Android and iOS invasion?

Nokia is apparently planning to roll out its Nokia Music application to iOS, Android, according to a leaked internal document

The Spotify-like radio streaming service offers Nokia Lumia users free access to genre-themed stations and specially-curated playlists, while for a monthly fee users can also save tracks for offline playback.

So far it is limited to the company's own devices and web browsers, but a leaked training document speaks of availability on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows PCs.

The launch would be somewhat of a surprise given speculation that Nokia Music will either be shuttered, or merged with Xbox Music when Microsoft completes its Nokia takeover.

Not 'Here' yet

A roll out across other smartphone platforms wouldn't be a first for Nokia. It's Here maps apps are available for iOS devices, as well as within the web browser of other smartphones and tablets.

The leaked document offered little indication of when the Nokia Music roll-out for Android and iOS takes place, but we'll keep you posted.


    






Apple reportedly buying PrimeSense - the company behind the first Kinect sensor
Nov 17th 2013, 17:36, by Chris Smith

Apple reportedly buying PrimeSense - the company behind the first Kinect sensor

Apple could be preparing to announce a major acquisition, with reports claiming it has struck a deal to buy the company behind the technology in the first Microsoft Kinect sensor.

According to Israeli newspaper Calcalist, Apple has snapped up PrimeSense for approximately $345m (around £214m, AU$368m), with the deal to be finalised within the next few days.

The news comes months after PrimeSense dismissed reports of Apple's interest and the rumoured $280m price tag.

However, it appears that negotiations may have been ongoing since the initial story broke in July, with an official announcement expected within the next two weeks.

Apple iTV integration?

What would Apple look to do with a motion tracking company all of its own? Well, much of the speculation surrounding the Apple iTV set has hinted at a motion controlled user interface along with Siri integration.

Calaclist's report says Apple's primary intention is to use PrimeSense's technology to power such an interface, but it could also make its way into future iPhone and iPad devices.

After playing a big role in the first sensor, PrimeSense technology is not being implemented within the new Xbox One Kinect. However, the company has continued to push the envelope with its motion sensing units.

According to the report Apple will implement the company's new Capri sensor, which is much smaller than earlier iterations, within the Apple iTV.

There's nothing official on this from either side yet, but as soon as something concrete comes out, we'll be sure to let you know.


    






In Depth: 4G could ruin your TV: here's what will save it
Nov 17th 2013, 13:00, by Jon Mundy

In Depth: 4G could ruin your TV: here's what will save it

Though EE has been offering a limited 4G service for about a year now, the true UK 4G revolution has only just kicked off.

Both O2 and Vodafone joined the 4G market at the end of August, and when Three joins the party in December it will mean that Britain is fully 4G at last.

But there's a problem. Or rather, there's a potential problem for a small minority of the UK population.

Disruptive technology

All four 4G-capable networks face a clash with the UK's Freeview television service that could interfere with a number of UK residents' TV signals. This disruption may involve a loss of sound, a blocky picture, or at worst a complete loss of some TV channels for certain people using Freeview.

At800 is the name of the company that has been established to manage this potential issue. It's entirely funded by the four UK networks mentioned above - EE, O2, Vodafone and 3 - who have contributed a total of £180 million to that end.

So what's the source of this potential signal disruption? Much of this new 4G data traffic will operate on the 800MHz spectrum, which was freed up with the end of UK TV analogue broadcasts last year and promptly auctioned off by the UK government for 4G usage. Each of the four major UK networks took a slice.

With the extra headroom afforded by this freeing up process - as the well as the use of two other frequencies, 2600MHz and 1800MHz - UK operators are able to offer (or will eventually) mobile phone data speeds that are roughly equivalent to a decent broadband service.

4G killed the TV star

The trouble that the UK faces is that our Freeview TV service operates on the nearby 700MHz spectrum. In most cases these two adjacent signals play nicely. "4G provides a very clean signal that only occupies that spectrum it has been allocated," explains at800 CEO Simon Beresford-Wylie.

In certain areas around Britain, though, these two adjacent spectrums overlap, causing the aforementioned disruption to Freeview TV services. As Beresford-Wylie explains it, "the issues can arise when systems are overloaded by too strong a combined signal from DTT and 4G that can cause amplifiers or tuners to fail."

This essentially boils down to those households that are located very close to a 4G mast, and who also use Freeview as their primary means of watching TV. As you can imagine, this is a relatively small number of people.

Back at the beginning of June, at800 announced that no more than 90,000 households would be at risk of this 800MHz disruption. We asked the company if these projections remained accurate some three months on, and they confirmed that they were.

Mobile phone mast

Enter at800

Fortunately, there's a contingency plan in place to deal with any clashes between these two UK services.

In addition to supplying the funding, each UK network operator has a representative on the 4G/TV Co-existence Oversight Board that oversees at800's work.

This close cooperation helps at800 pinpoint exactly where help is needed. "The four operators share with us their rollout plans in terms of mast activation to allow us to target our mailing to households that could be affected within the next three to twelve weeks by a new mast being activated," explains Beresford-Wylie.

So what do you do if you're one of these affected 90,000 households? As mentioned, steps have been taken to help you out, and it shouldn't cost you a penny.

For most people affected by the clash, a simple signal filter will be sufficient to restore your Freeview signal to full strength. These will be mailed out to affected households in advance of 4G masts being activated in their area, alongside further instructions on its installation.

"So far, any instances of disruption caused by 4G at 800 MHz have been completely fixed with a filter," claims Beresford-Wylie.

Extreme measures

For an even smaller minority, however, this measure may not prove sufficient. Such ones can make use of the at800 Accredited Installer Scheme, which was announced on July 17, by calling the number listed at the bottom of this article.

This scheme involves at800 working along with the wider aerial installation industry to appoint approved technicians to visit affected houses and formulate a plan to overcome any lingering difficulties.

We asked Beresford-Wylie what exactly these accredited installers would be able to do in the worst-hit locations. It seems that they will mostly be used to install the aforementioned filters in locations that prove hazardous or inaccessible for customers, "such as on a roof in front of an amplifier, or in a lift before the aerial cable reaches a splitter."

"Installers can also assess the state of existing aerial and cable set-ups to help provide the best TV signal and overcome disruption from 4G," he said. "Further steps include the possibility of a change of platform," he adds, which could involve establishing a cable-based TV service alternative.

"However we have not seen any cases yet where this has been necessary," notes Beresford-Wylie.

4G mast

Signals from the future

It appears as if at800 has the 800MHz situation covered for now, then, but you may be worried as to how long this support will last. After all, each UK network's 4G offering is going to expand drastically over the coming months and years. O2 has committed to attaining 98 percent UK 4G coverage by 2017, so the UK 4G revolution won't be achieved overnight.

"At800 will exist until 12 months after the condition of 98 percent population coverage has been achieved," Beresford-Wylie assures us. "The licence condition should be met by the end of 2017, so in that scenario at800 would exist until the end of 2018."

However, the question remains: could the need for at800 have been avoided? Was anyone at fault?

Beresford-Wylie believes it's simply an inevitable result of constantly progressing network technologies and the limited signal spectrum they have to operate in.

"As spectrum use changes - and bands are re-allocated for different uses - there will always be some need for changes or adaptation to equipment," he says, "but that has to be viewed in the context of making the best use of the spectrum we have available."

----

If you think that your Freeview TV experience has been affected by 4G, contact 0808 13 13 800 free from a landline or 0333 31 31 800 on your mobile phone.


    

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