| Exclusive: Samsung admits Outlook sync issue with Android 4.3 update Nov 29th 2013, 09:43, by John McCann 
If you're rocking a Samsung device which hasn't yet been upgraded to Android 4.3 you might want to count your blessings, as it appears the Korean firm is still having issues with the latest version of Jelly Bean. Samsung has admitted to TechRadar there is a new issue, which we were tipped off about. Our tipster highlighted that since the Android 4.3 update on his Galaxy S4, Outlook no longer syncs with the Samsung Kies desktop software or the handset. It appears that this problem isn't restricted to just S4 handsets, with many Samsung owners reporting similar issues over on the Android Central and XDA forums. What does this mean for users? Well anyone who relies on Outlook for contacts, calendars and email will be unable to sync these details with their Samsung handset - if it's running Android 4.3 that is. Fix coming in "near future"We contacted Samsung to try and find out more, and a spokesperson for the firm told us: "In the near future, an improved Kies tool which will also support 'Outlook sync' will be released. "This new version of Kies 3.0 will be available in due course from www.samsung.com." Unfortunately Samsung was unable to tell us an exact date for the new Kies tools, but it's yet another embarrassing turn of events for the Korean firm, so surely it won't be too far off. - Are you having issues with your Samsung post-Android 4.3 update? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or via Twitter.
       |  | No Apple Store Black Friday discounts; have a gift card instead Nov 29th 2013, 00:17, by Michael Rougeau 
Apple stores will offer gift cards on Black Friday instead of the discounts expected by shoppers. The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, is a day of blissful debauchery for eager shoppers, who swarm retail stores in the wee hours of the morning and all through the day in search of unprecedented once-a-year deals. But unlike years past, Apple won't offer discounts this time. Instead, shoppers will receive Apple Store gift cards with select purchases. The coupons are available to shoppers both in Apple's retail stores and online, including in regions outside the US. In fact, Australian shoppers can see them now. Raw dealsWe won't know the exact values of the coupons being offered outside Australia until the promotion goes live in other regions, but shoppers down under who buy any MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac will get an AU$150 ($136, £83) gift card. The iPad Air, on the other hand, comes with an AU$75 ($68, £41) gift card, while the iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPod touch come with a mere AU$50 ($46, £27). Even further down the ladder is the iPod nano, which comes with just AU$25 ($23, £13). Gift cards also come with third-party products like the Olloclip, Parrot AR.Drone, the Fitbit Flex, and Beats headphones. Apple no doubt figures it will make out just fine tomorrow anyway, what with the hordes of shoppers who will inevitably appear with cash in hand ready to make a purchase. Hopefully Apple Stores survive the ire of those mobs of shoppers when employees try to hand them gift cards instead of discounts. Of course, if you really want a discounted Apple product, plenty of other retailers will no doubt be offering the deals Black Friday shoppers expect.        | | Eight-core Huawei G750 joins the festivities in photo leak Nov 28th 2013, 21:42, by Michael Rougeau 
It seems Huawei has some Android tricks up its sleeves, one of them being the newly leaked eight-core Huawei G750. The previously unheard of device reportedly packs MediaTek's powerful new octa-core processor, according to the photos and info that leaked on the Chinese site MyDrivers. That's the same monster MediaTek processor rumored to be coming in Sony's next batch of Xperia phones. However, it's unclear whether the G750 is merely the codename or model number for the Huawei Honor 4/Glory 4, which are also rumored to be powered by the new MediaTek chip, or a separate device entirely. Bragging rights MediaTek has been vocal about its new 1.7 GHz MT6592 System on a Chip (SoC), which it claims is the "world's first true octa-core mobile platform."
The Taiwanese chip maker says in addition to the eight-core chip's raw processing power, it has the advantage of being fully scalable and consuming less battery power than the quad-core processors that are currently popular in various flagship smartphones. Other than that juicy tidbit, based on the specs pictured in this leak it seems the Huawei G750 will sport a big but disappointing 720p 5.5-inch display, 2GB of memory, 32GB of storage, and 13- and 5-megapixel cameras. It will also reportedly come with the slightly outdated Android 4.2.2 and be available on China's three big carriers, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom.        | | That didn't last long: CyanogenMod app pulled from Google Play Nov 28th 2013, 20:42, by Michael Rougeau 
CyanogenMod's brief stint in the official Google Play store ended November 27, when Google forced the company to remove its newly minted app. The unofficial Android installer debuted in the app marketplace with its first ever official release on November 12. It was rather a surprise that Google approved it in the first place, considering the very nature of CyanogenMod. With the app's removal it seems CyanogenMod is destined to remain underground for now. Outside the boxThere may be hope for the future of CyanogenMod, though. In a blog post announcing that the app had been pulled from the Google Play store the company said it was installed hundreds of thousands of times in the two weeks or so it was officially available. CyanogenMod is an alternate Android installation tool whose makers aren't afraid to push Android hardware in new and sometimes unexpected directions. It's a versatile tool, but Google reportedly forced the company to take down its official app because it "encourages users to void their warranty." And sure enough, the app's Google Play page is no longer available. Android, huh? So much for open source. Maybe Firefox OS has a chance after all. CyanogenMod is of course still available through cyanogenmod.org, which promises that despite this setback "installing CyanogenMod has never been easier."        | | Geeksphone announces high-end Firefox OS phone with Android too Nov 28th 2013, 19:34, by Michael Rougeau 
Geeksphone said "Happy Thanksgiving" today with the announcement of a new, reportedly higher-end Firefox OS device, the Revolution. There's a catch, though: the mysterious new smartphone isn't technically running Firefox OS. According to CNET, the Geeksphone Revolution actually runs Boot2Gecko, an identical Mozilla OS with a different name, because the Firefox OS brand is apparently unavailable to telecoms companies not associated with specific carriers. Regardless, the Revolution has one very interesting feature: the hardware is capable of running either B2G/Firefox OS or Android. Split personalityGeeksphone said when customers order the Revolution they'll be able to choose whether they want Mozilla's OS or Android. The Spanish company dealt in Android phones before throwing its support behind Firefox OS. Besides that literally no details about the new hybrid phone are known, but Geeksphone's new teaser website at geeksphone.com/revolution teases "a creation with a powerful heart" (is that an amoeba? Nope, looks like a processor!) and recommends we "stay tuned." (The meaning behind the site's prominent imagery of a very pregnant woman is not quite clear.) "We are...confident that we will surprise everyone by its very high performance," Geeksphone co-founder Javier Aguera said in a statement. "And it's very competitively priced." Join the RevolutionDespite the apparent restrictions, Geeksphone is fully behind Mozilla's web-powered OS initiatives. It was one of the earliest supporters of Firefox OS, releasing two phones, the Keon and the Peak, to developers earlier this year. An upgraded Peak model, the Peak+, is also reportedly in the works, though customers who ordered the Peak+ already can switch to the Revolution at no additional cost. It sounds like the Revolution will drop first. As CNET noted, the Norwegian company Telenor today launched another Firefox OS device, the Alcatel One Touch Fire, which will be available in regions including Serbia, Hungary, and Montenegro by Christmas. No word yet on whether the low end One Touch Fire will hit the US or UK, but as always we'll keep an eye out. Huawei, LG, ZTE, and Sony are also committed to Firefox OS to varying degrees.        | | iPhone 5S proving more popular than the iPhone 5 Nov 28th 2013, 14:38, by Kate Solomon 
Despite being a relatively minor upgrade, the iPhone 5S is selling better than its predecessor, the iPhone 5, did. That's what's inferred by some new stats released by Fiksu, which has been keeping an eye on "millions of iPhones" using its clients' apps (Fiksu offers app marketing and counts Coca Cola, Groupon, Zynga and Disney among its clients). The stats show that in the 69 days since the iPhone 5S hit the shelves, it has taken over 7.98% of all iPhone usage. The iPhone 5 only managed 6.94% in its first 69 days. As for the iPhone 5C - well, let's not even talk about the iPhone 5C languishing on 2.78% on day 69. iPad flair The findings also show that the majority of iPhone owners now are rocking iPhone 5 handsets but that has dropped slowly over the last few months as people upgrade to the iPhone 5S. Interestingly, 2.1% of the iPhones tracked by Fisku are pre-iPhone 4, which means there are some people out there still working their iPhone 3Gs. Respect. The same firm is also tracking iPad uptake, and the iPad Air is flying by Fisku's reckoning, with 2.8% of iPads now Airs after just 27 days on sale.        | |
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