Nokia with First Windows Phone Handsets

Nokia unveiled a new crop of smartphones that could put the company back in the smartphone race with rivals iPhone and Android. It could also mark a turnaround for Microsoft's unpopular Windows Phone 7 software.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop unveiled the company's new partnership with Windows Phone 7 today in the form of the Nokia Lumia 800 - a hi-tech, mid-priced handset running the latest version of Microsoft's operating system.

The phone costs £364. The cheaper, lower specced Lumia 710 model will cost just £234. Both will go on sale across Europe in November.

The pricing in particular could be crucial in putting Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 back in competition with its smartphone rivals. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the Windows giant would cut prices to drive sales.

The partnership is predicted to capture 12.3 per cent of the European market for Microsoft over the coming year, said analysts Strategic Analytics this week.

Killer features from the future: Siri vs. Android Beam and Face Unlock

Both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 have a futuristic touch — and we're not just talking glowing blue tones either. With iOS 5, Apple introduced us to Siri, a voice command and search app that's almost eerily sophisticated. You can speak into your iPhone 4S and ask Siri anything you want (really, anything!) and Siri speaks the information you need — or least a quirky retort. Android has boasted handy built-in voice commands for longer, but Siri is far more comprehensive and far closer to being sentient.

Paired with the futurescape of its new look, Android 4.0 introduces two very cool little bonus features: Android Beam and Face Unlock. If you've ever used the clever app Bump to swap phone numbers, Beam is the exact same idea, but expanded. With Beam, you can tap two phones together and watch as websites, videos, directions, and apps are zapped from one phone to the other.

Face Unlock for Android 4.0 is a trick that could prove pretty useful in securing your phone from prying eyes. Using Google's face recognition technology, you can unlock your phone just by peering into the front-facing camera and having your face recognized.

Winner: Siri Both Apple and Android's new futuristic features have some inherent limitations. Siri is only available for the iPhone 4S, and isn't open to all iOS 5 users. Android Beam will debut on the new flagship Galaxy Nexus phone, and then be possible between any two Android 4.0 phones that have a Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip or sticker. Unfortunately, knowing Google's checkered past with Android updates and its ongoing struggles with its grab bag of Android makers, it's hard to say how long it'll be before the stars will align for Beam.

The World's First Bendable Cell Phone

Demonstrations of 'bendable' screens have been a staple of technology shows ever since there were screens small enough for us to carry. This week, Samsung has given the strongest sign yet that the hi-tech devices might become reality.

The company demonstrated 'bendable' AMOLED screens 4.5 inches across and just 0.3mm thick in January this year. Reports this week hint that phones using the technology - which can be 'rolled up' and survive hammer blows - will appear in the second quarter of next year.

The technology relies on atom-thick layers of 'graphene' - sheets of carbon atoms - sandwiched together, protecting a layer of liquid crystal 'screen'.

Earlier this year, reports leaked that Samsung had the capacity to manufacture large amounts of the screen by 'early 2012' - but no one knew what they might be for.

Samsung later released pictures of a concept phone using the technology - the Galaxy Skin.The phone would be no mere novelty.

Phones using Graphene screens would be practically unbreakable, and offer an instant advantage over every other smartphone on the market. Now, according to reports in the International Business Times, the handsets could be on sale early next year.

The report was remarkably specific, stating that the handset would offer specifications including a high-resolution 800×480 flexible AMOLED screen, eight megapixel camera and 1Gb of RAM as well as a 1.2GHz processor.

The All-new Windows 8 is Unveiled by Microsoft

The long awaited Windows 8 was fully unveiled at the Windows Build Conference on Tuesday. It may have the start-bar-and-icon Desktop look that Windows users are familiar with, but as the crowd at Anaheim, California, saw, any similarities with Windows 7 end there.

The new system has a new, touchscreen-optimized interface called 'Metro,' which looks more like the Windows Phone operating system. That, industry experts believe, looks like the future of Microsoft Windows from here on.

The touch-optimized interface was all Stephen Sinofsky, President of Windows, and Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President of Windows, were talking about when they showed off Windows 8 to developers at the conference.

They did not, however, say when the new operating system would be available to users. Speculation, however, points to some time in early 2012.

Options for using the operating system include two views: the PC-friendly classic Desktop View and the tablet and touchscreen-friendly Metro View. According to Mr Sinofsky, Windows 8 offers 'hundreds' of new features.

With the new system, notifications such as new email alerts, Wi-Fi availability and other user-chosen information will show up on the new lock screen. In the Metro view, users can scroll from side to side, much as they would on an iOS or Android phone, for different groups of applications.

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Apple's iPhone 5 Could Launch Worldwide on Oct 21

The word within the world of technology is that an October release for Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone handset is now almost certain, after continued silence from the company about when the handset will appear.

A screenshot submitted to American technology blog This Is My Next seems to confirm the day might well be October 21. The screenshot, sent to American blogger Chris Ziegler by an anonymous employee of the Best Buy electronics chain, which recently launched stores in the UK, shows an email sent to American Best Buy employees regarding an upcoming Apple launch.

It requests that a manager be present at 6am on October 21 to install a 'large Apple fixture' on the big screens in the American electronics store. The tantalising aspect to this detail is that 6am is the time at which Apple requested managers attend for the launch of iPhone 4 last year - also to install screens.

The Best Buy employee also revealed that an event was scheduled for October 10 for managers to discuss upcoming 'big releases' - which would fit with an iPhone 5 launch a fortnight later. Last year's iPhone 4 launch saw the device released in the UK and the US simultaneously, with other countries following rapidly afterwards.

Apple Loses Another 'Unreleased iPhone'

Apple has reportedly lost an unreleased iPhone prototype - potentially the iPhone 5 - in a bar for the second time in as many years.

Is a second incident too much of a coincidence to be anything other than an Apple stunt? Australian PR and marketing professionals say stunts like that are not in Apple's DNA and in any case, they weren't necessary for Apple to create buzz about its products.

Citing a source "familiar with the investigation", CNET reports that the unreleased iPhone went missing in late July at the Cava 22 "tequila lounge" in San Francisco's Mission district, sparking a scramble by security to recover the device.

Apple has not yet acknowledged the development of the iPhone 5 but a string of reports have said it will be unveiled in September or October. It is rumoured to feature a bigger 4-inch edge-to-edge display, better camera and a faster processor.

In a bizarrely similar occurrence, last year an Apple computer engineer missplaced a prototype iPhone 4 in a German beer garden. It was found and sold on to gadget blog Gizmodo for $US5000.

A warrant to search the home of the Gizmodo editor, Jason Chen, was obtained and prosecutors indicated they may charge him, but decided against this. However, the two men accused of selling him the prototype, Brian Hogan and Sage Wallower, are due to appear in court tomorrow.

Best Smartphone for Business

While most professionals know about the BlackBerry, the business phone that deserves more attention and runs on a familiar Microsoft platform is the Dell Venue Pro. This enterprise-focused smartphone, which is available for T-Mobile and AT&T subscribers, is an elegant-looking device with its 4.1-inch AMOLED display and slide-out keyboard. With sizable buttons and pronounced tactile feedback, the Dell Venue Pro is great for typing emails and taking extensive notes on the fly.

The phone’s Windows Phone 7 software may not be the most exciting mobile operating system, but it is arguably the most reliable. Further, if you or your business already run Windows products like Microsoft Office, the WP7 platform offers the most seamless integration. The Dell Venue Pro is currently the best device available on that platform, which also has its share of fun and games. When you're waiting for a flight at the airport or killing time between meetings, the Dell Venue Pro offers thousands of apps and even Xbox Live integration.

Of course, there is no denying that the BlackBerry is a top-dog for many business-focused smartphone users. With its robust operating system, advanced messaging capabilities, efficient keyboard and no-nonsense approach, manufacturer Research In Motion still has a strong grip on the corporate market. Another important benefit of BlackBerry smartphones is that they are available to customers of all major carriers including Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Increasingly, business users are also embracing iPhones and select Android devices. Just make sure to get the green light from your company’s technology managers before making the purchase.

Facebook's New Look to Combat Google

Facebook has today launched a significant privacy-led revamp of the social networking site in a move that's being interpreted as a direct response to the threat posed by Google+.

The site said the changes, designed to make it easier for users to control what personal details are revealed on the site and to whom, would be rolled out to users "in the coming days". Rectifying a major privacy flaw, Facebook users can now approve photos they are tagged in before they appear on their profile

Google+ is still in its early stages - 25 million members at last count compared to Facebook's 750 million - so Facebook isn't in immediate danger but many have remarked about how the Google social network, by grouping friends in "circles", makes it easier to control who you share with.

Tiphereth Gloria, social media strategist at George Patterson Y&R, said Facebook had finally taken onboard criticisms around the clunkiness of its privacy settings.

She said the changes were a way of rectifying some of the privacy issues that resulted from modifications to the Facebook platform including in 2009 which saw much private information become public by default.

"It puts the content sharing or 'publishing' rights back into the hands of the person who's the subject of the content, by removing the rigidity of the platform," she said.

"With Facebook's new share options, many of the privacy concerns reasons to leave Facebook for Google+ have been removed."

The main change revolves around bringing privacy controls out from the cover of the settings pages and placing them next to the posts, photos and tags they affect. Almost all content on your profile will have an icon and a drop-down menu next to it allowing you to manage who can see each specific piece of content.

Facebook Could Become Adults Only

In Australia, there are ways to force Facebook to give parents access to their kids' profiles, and this has been discussed by state and federal attorneys-general in a meeting that will also examine an 18+ Facebook age limit.

The idea was first proposed by a South Australian Family First MP, Dennis Hood, and is being championed by South Australian Attorney-General John Rau. Rau argued that giving parents assistance to supervise their children on Facebook would help protect against online predators and limit access to unsuitable material.

Facebook's terms of use currently requires users to be aged at least 13 but there is no proof of age requirement and kids regularly lie to gain access.

At their meeting today, the country's top lawmakers will consider requiring proof of age checks and even raising the age limit to 18, federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland confirmed.

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OMG, Entire Fake Apple Store in China

China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone — fake Apple stores.

An American who lives in Kunming in southern Yunnan province said Thursday that she and her husband stumbled on three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city a few days ago.

She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog that show staff in blue T-shirts with the Apple logo chatting to customers in a white-walled shop with minimalist decor and signs advertising the iPad 2.

The three stores are not among the authorized resellers listed on Apple Inc.'s website. The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China — two in Beijing and two in Shanghai — and various official resellers. Apple's Beijing office declined to comment.

The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China's government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.

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Is It Safe to Bank Online?

Bank Online is one transaction that many could not resist as it offers many benefits nowadays, but is it safe to do this type of transaction? Here are 10 steps consumers to take to make sure their information is safe:

1. Don't talk to cyber-strangers, and don't click on hyperlinks within emails from strangers. "That's the easiest way to download malware to your computer," says McNelley.

2. Treat your smartphone like the computer it is. Downloaded apps can contain malicious codes, warns McNelley. "You have no idea who created that app, and very little code-checking goes on," she says.

3. Treat social networks like dark street corners. You never know who's lurking among your friends and acquaintances. Hackers have targeted Gmail, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and users of those sites should be especially wary of clicking on embedded links, even those "recommended" by friends.

4. Use the Net to your own advantage. If you bank online, you don't have to wait until the end of the month to check your statement. You can log in anytime and make sure nothing is amiss. An errant charge is often one of the first signs of identity theft, so check statements carefully and alert your bank immediately of any problems.

5. Get free help. Many credit card issuers offer free and automatic identify-theft protection to customers. (That's one advantage credit cards have over debit cards.) If you see erroneous charges on your statement, call your credit card company, which should investigate on your behalf.

6. Think of a new word. Consumers are tasked with remembering dozens of passwords for various retailers, banks, and accounts, making it almost impossible to remember them all, especially since they often include mixes of numbers and letters.
7. Never, ever give your Social Security number to anyone online. If a site asks for it during the checkout process, it's probably a scam site.

8. Shred or safely store financial mail. Bank statements, investment documents, and other financial paperwork can give thieves clues about account numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal information.

9. Fight back quickly. If you are hacked, step one is calling your bank, says McNelley. That's because banks have sophisticated systems in place that can immediately begin closely monitoring your account for signs of identity theft.

10. Trust your gut. "You often hear, after consumers used an ATM with a skimming device, they had a bad feeling about it. If you do have that feeling, listen to it," says McNelley, and remove yourself from the situation.

Taking these simple steps is like remembering to lock your door at night, or turn on your alarm system. Says McNelley, "Bad guys go for the house that's unprotected. If you take the basic measures, then generally you have less risk about getting compromised."

The Next iPhone: iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4S?

The Wall Street Journal independently confirmed reports that the next generation iPhone will be on the way in the third quarter of this year. According to sources close to the supply line, Apple's next iPhone is expected to trim down the famously svelte iPhone 4, making it both lighter and thinner than the current model. While plenty of other technology outlets had published similar details previously, the credible new report solidifies what we can expect from Apple's next generation smartphone.

While we still don't know if the device will be named the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4S, such significant improvements point to the former, which would make it an entirely new model, unlike the upgrade from iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS.

The report also suggests that the next iPhone will have a camera upgraded to 8 megapixels, a resolution boost up from the iPhone 4's 5-megapixel sensor and a confirmation of an earlier rumor from Bloomberg. Bloomberg's sources also suggested that the smartphone will sport the same powerful A5 processor as the iPad, which would yield a significant a speed boost for the device.

How to Defeat The Thieves after Your iPad

With your iPad, the place to start is to enable the iOS Passcode Lock under Settings. This will force you to enter a four-digit code when you start your device. If you don't want to be prompted to enter your code every time, you can use the auto-lock setting to only require the code if your device is off for a certain period of time.

You can also choose to have all the data and applications wiped from the iPad if the code is entered incorrectly 10 times. If you think a four-digit PIN is too simple, you can turn the simple passcode off and use a stronger alphanumeric passcode.

Apple has made the Find My iPad and Find My iPhone services available for free to all iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch owners. This uses your iPad's GPS to send the device's location to Apple so the device can be tracked.

This service requires that you enable the Find My iDevice option in Settings/ Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Once that's done, you need to download the free Find my iPhone app from the App Store. The only problem with this is that you need access to a second iOS device to find a lost device.

For MobileMe subscribers, access to tracking lost devices is available through any web browser. MobileMe costs $99 a year. Another option is to look at apps such as GadgetTrak and Security System.

Mind-controlled gaming becoming a reality

Controlling a video game with your mind might seem the stuff of science fiction, but then again, so did the idea of motion controls.

While still a ways from being a mainstream phenomenon, mind-controlled games are already on store shelves -- and more are coming.

Leading the charge is Neurosky. The San Jose, CA-based company is the, well, brains behind Mattel's Mindflex (Buy|Search) children's game -- which lets kids raise and lower a small foam ball solely by focusing their concentration -- as well as the Star Wars Force Trainer (Buy|Search), which basically does the same thing, only with a heavier geek vibe.

The company has slowly been branching out into the video game sector, though. At the recent Game Developers Conference, Neurosky showed off its MindWave headset, a gadget that monitors brainwave impulses from your forehead and categorizes them into different mental states, like relaxed or stressed. Using a device from tech company Puzzlebox, developers can learn more about how people play the game, seeing their levels of concentration and relaxation in real time.

For the player, that could mean titles with more emotional impact, as game makers can use the device to fine-tune their games.

Google Issues Hacking Alert

Google yesterday admitted that up to 260,000 smartphones have been hacked after handset users unwittingly downloaded virus-infected apps. The threat came to light last week when the technology giant was forced to withdraw at least 50 apps from its official Android Market.

Google operated a ‘killswitch’ and remotely removed all of the affected apps from peoples’ phones. The firm has now sent text messages warning those affected that the malicious applications could access their personal information and take control of their handset.

Studies have found that the dodgy applications were downloaded after they had been repackaged with a code that corrupted them. Google Android is an open-source software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.

The deadly apps were simply copies of existing programs which had malware DroidDream found in them, and were swiftly taken off the site and recalled - but not before affecting hundreds of thousands of users.

DroidDream fires sensitive data, such as a phone's unique ID number, to a remote server. In addition the malware will check if the phone has been infected already. If it hasn't the program bypasses security controls and hands its creator access to the handset.

This means that the user can access information, including passwords for other personal things. Security expert Mikko Hypponen said the incident is embarrassing for Google because it shows the firm hasn't fully tested the safety of its apps.

Piracy concerns over Apple's new Mac download store

Several groups claim to have found security flaws in the company's new Mac App Store, which launched on Thursday. The new service allows people to find and download approved applications to their Apple computers.

However pirates suggest that the loopholes mean many pieces of paid-for software are vulnerable to unauthorised copying. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs had hailed the launch as "innovative", but the company has yet to respond to the claims.

While Mac users have been able to purchase and install programs on their computers for many years, the Californian technology giant hopes the new system can emulate the success of its music and mobile download services.

The store has more than 1,000 programs for download, including best sellers such as Angry Birds.

Overtaking IE, Firefox Is Now the Most Popular Browser in Europe

Firefox has something to celebrate in the new year, according to data from StatCounter, it is now the most popular browser across all of Europe, surpassing Internet Explorer in aggregate market share.

Firefox has long been one of the most popular browsers in many European countries, it has long passed IE in Germany for example, but it is now the biggest on the whole continent.

Firefox was preferred by 38.11 percent of internet users in December 2010, according to the data, while Internet Explorer was used by only 37.52 percent. But, Firefox's market share is actually smaller than it was a year ago, it had 40.8 percent in December 2009, so it's a bit strange that it managed to overtake IE.

Mozilla has Google Chrome to thank for this, while Google's browser has been taking away some market share from Firefox, it's done a lot more damage to IE's. In the past year, Chrome has tripled its market share in Europe, going from 5.06 percent to 14.58 percent, mostly by getting people to switch from Internet Explorer.

Sony And Google To Launch PlayStation Phone Soon

Sony hopes to take on Apple's iPhone, Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Nokia devices by offering the first smartphone that is based on a portable game console, with a set of controls that allows very advanced gaming.

Sony's long-rumoured PlayStation Portable smartphone is set to be launched in North America and Europe as early as the first half of 2011, according to a Japanese newspaper report.

The device would likely be based on Sony's handheld PSP Go game console, would be made by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and run Google's Android operating system, said the Asahi Shimbun's English edition, citing unnamed sources.

The PSP Go, launched in November 2009, already features software downloads through a wireless connection, allowing players to also browse the internet, watch movies, play music and read books and comics. The new PlayStation handset would similarly work with Sony's online media platform, the company's answer to Apple's iTunes.

SkyFire for iPhone?

SkyFire is the smart phone browser that was chewing through Flash video and other rich media long before any of the built-in browsers were supporting such things — and on a number of platforms, it’s still the only option.

We’ve known that SkyFire Labs was crackin’ away at an iPhone port for some time now — the company confirmed it after Opera got a surprise App Store thumbs up. But when would it be done? More importantly, when would it be submitted for that oh-so-important stamp of approval? Soon, according to reliable sources.

It’s by no means official just yet, but a pair of much-trusted little birdies have just informed me that SkyFire has just entered the final testing phase of what they intend to be the first public iPhone build, with plans to submit to Apple early next week.

Latest Installment of Medal of Honor Stirs Controversy

Medal of Honor and its developers have found themselves in the news a lot recently for many reasons. There is good press, which they are getting because of announcements made at GamesCom, and then there is bad press, which they are getting from the continent of Europe.

This installment of the Medal of Honor has been no stranger to controversy. Similar to some recent movies which despict the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Medal of Honor has garnered some critics who say that the exploitation of the current situation in the middle east is in poor taste.

That had, however, blown of, due in part to the announcement of certain improvements at GamesCom. Amid the excitement over the promise of better graphics and weapons and game realisticness, Europe, and specifically Britain has gotten up in arms over the game.

The sticking point is that in the upcoming game you have the option to play as either NATO forces or a member of the Taliban. Now, as a member of the Taliban, you would of course be shooting, and killing British troops.

This even has the British Minister of Defense, Liam Fox, chiming in about the game. Mr. Fox stated that, "the game is totally against the British, and it is mocking the families who lost their husbands and fathers in the War."