With the news the other day that BlackBerry has been sold for 4.7 billion dollars, we wondered what's behind all the sales of smartphone companies right now? Nokia sold recently to Microsoft and the rumors persist that HTC's Robert Downey Jr-led ''Here's To Change'' campaign is a last ditch effort to avoid hitting the auction block too. Let's take a look at what's going on, and why

BlackBerry

BlackBerry, after lackluster sales of its newest devices, the Z10 and Q10, and slow uptake of its 10 OS has ''agreed in principle'' to be bought out by its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited for $4.7 billion. The consortium is led by the ''Canadian Warren Buffet,'' Prem Watsa, who is also the chancellor of the university in BlackBerry's home town of Waterloo, a position BlackBerry's founder, Mike Lazaridis, also held previously.

Born in the Indian cyber-centre of Hyderabad, Watsa has grown up recognizing good business opportunities. He worked his way through the stock market, life insurance and asset management worlds before founding his own investment council which was eventually snapped up by Fairfax, of which he became the Chairman and Chief Executive. He successfully predicted the sub-prime mortgage blow-out back in 2007 and made billions for Fairfax. Now he'll be in charge of turning BlackBerry into a profitable entity, but it won't be quick, and it won't be with the same business model either.

Watsa knows BlackBerry, having sat on the board until Fairfax started sniffing around, and remaining close friends with BlackBerry's founder. Keeping BlackBerry Canadian, and in the hands of such a polished profiteer could be BlackBerry's saving grace. Although it is not yet known what will happen to BlackBerry if the sale goes ahead, there's not much hope for the 40% of the workforce currently being laid off in the face of a $1 billion loss for the quarter. In any case, BlackBerry will retreat from the consumer market, currently dominated by Samsung and Apple, and instead focus on its core business of providing enterprise business solutions to its corporate partners. If it's not dismembered and sold off as scrap, that is.

Nokia becomes Microsoft's

You'll also remember that just last month Nokia announced its sale to Microsoft for $7.18 billion, in the face of less-than-amazing sales of its flagship Lumia devices and the limited reach of Windows phones. Funnily enough, the markets Nokia lost ground in were those dominated by BlackBerry, who has suffered the same fate regardless. As Forbes recently noted, the same thing happened back in 2000-2001, when Siemens, Panasonic and Philips all performed poorly compared to market leaders and ended up pulling out of the consumer mass market arms race. The dominance of Apple and Samsung along with iOS and Android, a weakening market for high-end smartphones generally and a minor slip-up are all it seems to take to topple once-mighty companies these days.

Is HTC next?

Which brings us to HTC. Facing the same stiff competition as BlackBerry and Nokia, HTC put up a relatively poor showing with the HTC One series, and are certainly not enjoying the smartphone market slump and increase in cheaper Chinese manufacturers either. Sure, they might finally be working on a beefier version of the HTC One, a move I thought they should have made back at the beginning of their ''Here's To Change'' campaign, but it may be too little too late. Speaking of which, have you heard anything much lately from HTC's record-breaking campaign? No, neither have we.

HTC denies they're looking at selling out, but a merger or sale might be the only way to keep their head above water too, especially if their $12 million gamble doesn't start paying off soon. Perhaps the only reason they're still going is because they're on Android for starters, and are also looking at other ways to expand their appeal, like making a custom ROM for the Chinese market. Where there's a will, there could just be a way, and change is the way to get there.

So it seems this autumn may just be the best time to snap up a new smartphone...company

Cell phones have gone a long, long way since the days when they were too bulky to carry around. Back in the day, it was such an uncommon sight to see people staring intensely at a small (or rather huge) block of plastic, pressing buttons, or doing whatever it is they did on their mobile phones. Today, cell phones are more ubiquitous than sliced bread, and they can do practically everything – from sending text messages to taking pictures to browsing the Internet to playing games. But what do we really use cell phones for

Respected research entity, has released the results of a study, which takes a look at just how people use their cell phones in 2013. The results are not exactly intuitive, with sending and receiving text messages topping the list.
According to the results, 91% of  adults own a cell phone, and yes, they do more with their devices than make calls. The break down of cell phone use in 2013

• 81% of cell phone owners send or receive text messages
• 60% of cell phone owners access the internet
• 52% send or receive email
• 50% download apps
• 49% use directions, recommendations, or other location-based information
• 48% listen to music
• 21% participate in a video call or video chat
• 8% “check in” or share their location/chat on social media services

It is worth noting that that Internet use is not that far away of sending and receiving text messages. With the trend of going mobile for email and Internet browsing, I don’t think that anyone will be surprised to see those numbers go up in the next few years. Another important factor here is the cost, availability, and efficiency of  data services, which should only improve in the coming years.

We should also not overlook the fact that this study was conducted in April/May of this year. Who knows what changes have happened since then?

What do you do on your cell phone most?

In recent years, FIFA has benefitted from big changes. Tactical Defending, Player Impact Engine, First Touch: they all advanced the series by rewriting the fundamentals. But FIFA 14 doesn’t really have a big marquee feature. It feels more like a consolidation than a reinvention – an opportunity to cement what has already been successfully laid down. This year’s changes are smaller, more subtle, but they bring out the very best in FIFA, which is already a fantastic experience. This time around it's more attacking, more polished, and will keep you coming back throughout the season.

Initially, most of FIFA 14’s innovations appear superficial. The way players move and shoot have both been dramatically improved, and there’s a new level of realism to the animation on the pitch (cutscenes look a bit robotic in comparison). But the longer I played, the more I realised these additions subtly affected how matches played out, and the style in which I played.
And though it’s tricky to separate them out – it’s really a cumulative effect – I think it all starts with the more natural way 
players move and interact with each other and the 
ball. They’ve become much more physical entities in the last few years – evident in tackles and collisions – but now that’s finally seeped in the way they move. Players transfer their weight convincingly when they suddenly change direction, they have a sense of momentum once they’ve built up speed, and they caress the ball with the inside and outside of their boot when they pivot or cut inside. It looks great, making games much 
more attractive to watch, yet it also shapes the general style of play.
Given the improvements made to animations, it’s slightly disappointing that the overall graphics haven’t been improved, though. On the pitch, it looks like it has for the last few years, and it’s on the verge of becoming stale. That said, the overall presentation continues to improve. The pre-match build up is impeccably directed, doing a great job of imitating the the spectacle and glitz that’s synonymous with modern sports broadcasting.

The improved animation has a deeper impact. FIFA’s dribbling has been something of a work in progress, improving incrementally over the last few years, but Precision Movement (that's how EA's referring to the new animation system) really feels like the missing piece of that puzzle. It’s more liberated and expressive than ever before. You can really skin players on the wings, and the ball has more distance from the player, making running with it feel much faster and mercurial. Dribbling also works well in tandem with the new ability to protect the ball manually using the left trigger or L2. It helps you retain possession in key situations – if the opposition tries to pick your pocket, you can hold out an arm to fend them off. But I found myself using it more productively in attacking situation, since it’s perfect for turning defenders when bearing down on goal.

Improvements have also been made to shooting. Pulling the trigger now produces a range of different shots – balls dip at the last minute, gradually rise into the top corner, or are thumped low and hard. Combined with the improved ball physics, I found myself scoring types of goals that I never saw in FIFA 13: there are more rebounds, more balls falling marginally over the line, more deflections, more venom. It adds pleasing visual variety, but it’s ultimately determined by factors largely out of your control.

Meanwhile, passing definitely feels like it’s in need of some attention. It’s just not as clean or as precise as it is PES. Playing a cross-field pass should feel more graceful than it currently does and close, one-touch passing should be faster. It’s never really been as central to the style FIFA has tried to recreate, and this year it definitely feels a touch behind its other fundamentals.

My favourite aspect of FIFA 14, though, is unquestionably the improved AI of teammates. When going forward, I always had plenty of options. Players intelligently run into space, demanding the ball played into their feet or down the line. I’ve always been a fan of the lobbed-through ball, and in FIFA 13 I obstinately use it to no great effect. But in FIFA 14 there’s someone there, making the run I always wanted. And I find putting them through just as satisfying as scoring a goal. This intelligence is also present when defending (players don’t get sucked towards the ball so easily), but I definitely found it more useful going forward. Perhaps it’s a consequence of having a more inquisitive forward line, but I experienced more dubious offside decisions than in previous seasons.

Of late, FIFA’s tried to encourage thoughtful, build-up play, but the improvements made to the movement of your fellow teammates really foster more end-to-end, thrilling encounters. It’s the side of football FIFA has always excelled at portraying: taking early leads, a frantic tempo, and plenty of last-minute goals. That’s not to say there isn’t a tactical element, but it’s not FIFA’s real strength, and this year it feels like it’s more comfortable with that identity.

FIFA 14 is even more tightly stitched into the rhythms of the real-life game. Stats continue to be updated, using information from the most recent round of real-world fixtures, and pundits again single out players experiencing a patch of good form. Yet it's all integrated much better this year, with the commentary less crowbarred into the opening of matches. This year it even extends to the presentation prefacing games. For instance, when I played as Real Madrid, the pre-match buildup focussed closely on Gareth Bale, following his recent record-breaking transfer. They’re little touches, but together it raises the level of presentation and ensures that FIFA stays relevant for the duration of the season.

It also has unparalleled variety for a sports game. There are just so many different ways to consume it. From one-off fixtures to ongoing seasons, online friendlies, a selection of that week’s games, a career mode, and skill games (there’s a whole new suite of addictive mini-games to grapple with). And that’s all before we get to Ultimate Team, which is increasingly the most popular way to enjoy FIFA. There are lot of minor but very welcome additions – online Single Matches thankfully return after last year’s absence, meaning you can contribute to FUT even if you’re pressed for time and without the pressure of a season-long campaign. And the number of divisions to scale has been taken up to 10, making the challenge even greater.

THE VERDICT

FIFA 14 isn’t a major landmark for the series in terms of innovation. Unlike recent iterations, it doesn’t ask you to relearn key skills. But the changes have made FIFA more attacking, fun, welcoming, and attractive, and ultimately it’s a stronger experience. PES presents a credible alternative in terms of gameplay – FIFA can’t replicate it’s artful passing style – but when it comes to exciting gameplay, impeccable presentation, and a generous year-long experience, FIFA is still in a league of its own.

BBM for Android and iPhone Won’t Launch This Week

BBM has created a lot of hype since its announcement to privatize. Beforehand, the company announced that BBM for Android and iOS would hit the respective App Stores over the weekend — which didn’t happen because the leaked APK went online a day before the official launch and was downloaded by over a million people. This affected the servers in an abnormal way and as a result, the company decided to delay the launch of the application.
The company has also confirmed that they are working around the clock to release the application for Android and iOS, especially after the overwhelming response that the leaked APK received. Now, in a recent update, head of BBM at Blackberry Andre Bocking addressed the users in a blog post, with all the same reasons.

Last week, an unreleased, older version of the BBM for Android app was posted on numerous file sharing sites. We were aware of an issue with this unreleased version of the BBM for Android app. This older version resulted in volumes of data traffic orders of magnitude higher than normal for each active user and impacted the system in abnormal ways. The version we were planning to release on Saturday addressed these issues, however we could not block users of the unreleased version if we went ahead with the launch.

We attempted to address the problems caused by the unreleased version throughout the day on Saturday, but as active users of the unreleased app neared a million – and accelerated – it became clear that the only way to address the issue was to pause the rollout for both Android and iPhone.

The team is now focused on adjusting the system to completely block this unreleased version of the Android app when we go live with the official BBM for Android app. We are also making sure that the system is reinforced to handle this kind of scenario in the future. While this may sound like a simple task – it’s not. This will take some time and I do not anticipate launching this week.

Bocking did confirm one thing which most of us didn’t want to hear; that is, the application will not launch this week. We waited for such a long time, so waiting a bit more time shouldn’t be a problem, right? Anyway, we’ll let you know if we hear anything about the launch of the much-anticipated BBM for Android and iPhone.

Record Your Dreams With ‘Shadow’ App

How many dreams can you remember these days? How familiar is the feeling that you’ve had an extraordinary dream but the more you focus on it the faster it slips away? The new mobile application titled ‘Shadow’ aims to change all of that by enabling you to track and record your dreams.

There has always been an interest in finding out just exactly what goes on in our brains when we’re not thinking about it. It seems that the ‘Shadow’ app will help us to find out exactly what sneaky our subconscious mind is trying to tell us, or hide from us during our sleep.

The Vision

The interest in sleep patterns is by no means new to the scientific community. The neurology of sleep has been explored for years but scientists are no closer to discovering how our dreams and their content affects us in day to day life or vice versa. It’s known that we are able to access information during our sleep that we can’t during our awakened state. Unfortunately, 95% of that information disappears within 5 minutes of waking up. It is the opinion of many people that thebenefits of remembering our dreams could range from increased self-awareness to acting as a self-guide through difficult times.

Shadow aims to build a real time data base of people’s dreams. By doing so, users are able to learn any patterns to their dreams. They will find out whether their dreams are affected by social, physical or environmental factors.

How It Works

In the basic sense, the Shadow app is an alarm clock. Yet instead of waking the user abruptly like a traditional alarm clock would, the app brings us round from the sleeping state at a reduced rate. On awakening the user will:

• De-activate the alarm
• Record their dream via audio recording or by typing the text into the phone
• Shadow will store the recording in a dream journal which you can keep private or share with other shadow users.

Shadow hopes to enlighten people in self-awareness and explore the possibility of connection through dreams.

3 ways to bypass Apple's fingerprint scanner

It didn't take long for hackers to bypass the iPhone 5s fingerprint scanner. As soon as the new devices and iOS7 were launched with the added security feature, hack-minded folk got busy finding ways to bypass or render obsolete the much-lauded new security enhancement. So far there's been three interesting ways to get past the fingerprint scanner, some more serious than others, with varying degrees of success. But considering the new feature has only been out for a couple of weeks we expect to see a lot more soon.

Make a fake finger

Perhaps the most problematic and high tech of the ways to hack the iPhone fingerprint scanner, is the fake fingerprint made by German hacker group, Chaos Computer Club. The group demonstrates in a YouTube video how to create a fake fingerprint from a photograph of the user's finger – something not hard to come by in this world of shiny fingerprint-loving surfaces, like the front of the iPhone for example.Link to Video.

The following description of the process comes from the group's website:

First, the fingerprint of the enrolled user is photographed with 2400 dpi resolution. The resulting image is then cleaned up, inverted and laser printed with 1200 dpi onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting. Finally, pink latex milk or white woodglue is smeared into the pattern created by the toner onto the transparent sheet. After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone.

Use an iOS7 loophole

It was only out for a few hours when this major security loophole in iOS7 was revealed. First, Jose Rodriguez found that the new operating system was not so secure after all. He discovered a way to bypass the fingerprint scanner and get to the phone's contacts and photos through a mildly convoluted series of button presses: Control Center > Clock > hold Power button > Cancel on shutdown screen > double-tap Home button to bring up multitasking view and access contacts, camera/gallery and more. It worked, despite taking a few attempts, and has been replicated by plenty more people since his discovery. Until Apple fixes it, the only way to secure this flaw is by disabling the Control Center option to ''Access on Lock Screen'' in Settings.Link to Video.

Then just a couple of days ago, YouTuber Karam Daoud posted a video demonstrating the ability to make normal calls from the emergency-only dialer screen. Simply repeatedly trying to make a call resulted in the phone blacking out and making the call anyway. So much for additional security.
Link to Video.

What do you think about these?tell us what,s on your mind

Here is Android 4.4 KitKat home screen plus ui

The first glimpse of Android 4.4 in action. Now we've got some much better images of the new operating system version, with a build number of KWS62B, showing the messaging app, the phone dialer and some other interesting tidbits.

So, what do the images reveal? Here's the basic information we know so far:

• There's a color-coded status bar that changes depending on the app you're in: light gray standard, blue for the dialer, green for messaging.
• The messaging app has a slick look (reminiscent of WhatsApp and the Play Store) with a green status bar. There are no messages in the photos so we can't yet tell if there will be any changes to how they are displayed.
• The phone dialer is pretty similar to Android 4.3 but gets a light blue scheme with a white background.
• The keyboard (from the Korean IME in the Play Store) has a black status bar with light gray scheme, the same thing we've seen in other leaks and the bar-room video. The image also shows a Key Lime Pie debug icon which apparently hadn't been changed to KitKat when the screen caps were taken.
• There are no functionality changes to be seen yet, but these won't be far away. With the Nexus 5 pretty much confirmed to be releasing next month with Android 4.4 KitKat, it won't be long before we get more leaks and confirmations. For now though, this new flat, Holo-standard, color-coded interface is enough to wet our whistles in anticipation of the big reveal next month.

For a long time, “iPhone” was synonymous with “smartphone”. Android’s steady rise to power in the smartphone market puts them up there, and most times, exceeds the standard that was set by Apple. As such, there have been more people jumping over to the Android side of things from iOS. We’ve got ten good reasons for you to make the change.

Price

Let the numbers speak for themselves: the iPhone 5S  with 64 gigabytes of internal storage will run you near $850 dollars off-contract from Apple. The current Android flagships keep up to iOS devices are often much cheaper. In this case, the Galaxy S4 from Samsung can be bought for around $600 dollars online. As well, you can grab a 64 gigabyte microSD online for another 50 dollars.

Personalization

With Android, you can rearrange and customize  your smartphone to your heart’s desire. It starts with the backgrounds, heads over to your app icons and widgets, and then finally your home screen and lock screen. You can even decide what kind of keyboard that you want to use on it, for example Swype or TouchPal X. You can install different launchers, you can root your device and install a custom ROM. There’s a ton of things you can do for your Android device.

For the iPhone, it’s a little tricker. You can change the background and some stuff, but in order to realize somewhat of the same control you get on your Android, you need to jailbreak it.

Product Variety

With a variety of options having to deal with your software, Android has a good selection when it comes to the hardware side of things as well. While iPhone users can currently choose through a handful of Apple devices, there are hundreds of smartphone that are running the Android system, from high-end flagships to entry level mobile devices. While many of the older mid-range devices had a hard time keeping with an iPhone, this year there have been a plethora of offerings in that class that have been giving the iPhone for a run for its money.  As well, the higher end models blow the iPhone out of the water.

For example, if you were to throw in the Samsung Galaxy, the HTC One, the Sony Xperia, LG G2, and Huawei Ascend P6. All of the before-mentioned cell phones combine different approaches towards design and software. The HTC One has been getting rave reviews for its superior design, the Galaxy S4 is generally regarded as the best all around solution, and Sony and LG have been upping their game in terms of devices with their latest releases. Finally, the Ascend P6 is making a huge splash into the market, stealing design ideas from Apple and applying them in an Android settings.

Large displays

As an iPhone owner, you can’t freely choose the display size. You’ve got two options: 3.5 to 4 inches. For Android smartphones, you can get quality devices with a screen size  both smaller and larger than the iPhones. And if you’ve experienced using a smartphone with a display larger than 4.5-inches, it’s hard to go back to the iPhone.

NFC

NFC technology hasn’t been fully embraced in all markets, but it’s definitely on the rise with more merchants accepting to use it. We have given tips as to why NFC is a benefit in the past and are hoping to see a better integration of the technology over the next few years. As such, many of the best Android smartphones include a NFC chip, with Apple missing the mark with its iPhone 5S this time around.

Google services

When it comes to organizing your everyday life, Google is your friend. At your finger tips you’ve got access to your contacts, calendar, e-mail., browser, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google+, YouTube, Google Now and more. All of this is integrated closely into the Android operating system and you can truly take advantage of the number of services that Google offers.

Apps

For a long time, the app selection category has gone to Apple time and time again. Their App Store had a huge variety of apps to choose from and was the haven for most mobile developers the first few years. However, the quality and attractiveness of the Google Play Store has exploded over the last few years. Android Apps are priced cheaper, more often, compared to their iOS counterparts.Statistics have even show the Play Store taking on the App Store in many different areas now.

No iTunes

Most people found iTunes incredibly awkward and annoying when They tried it out, with this mindset,  Furthermore, being tied down to using this service in order to sync iOS devices makes it even more frustrating. With Android phones, you’re not tied down by those chains. If you want to transfer music over to your smartphone, simply connect your device via USB and drag your files over to the appropriate folder. The Play Store can also be used to buy music online, find a better music player in their app store, and a ton of options for Internet Radio.

Diversity of ROMS: stock, custom, and manufacturer firmware

Apple has just released iOS7 and has completely redesigned their user interface (UI). While this has been graced as a god send for iOS users since it’s the first big UI change since the emergence of first version of iOS, it’s really non-news for Android users. Being able to change UI, either with a custom ROM or launcher, has been common place for some time now.  As well, they got a ton of options to choose from when it comes to how they want their device to work and look like.

Stock Android is the pure Android with any manufacturer customizations to the OS. You can find this on all Nexus devices and also the Google Editions of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Most smartphones, however, come installed with a customized version of the OS that feature extra apps and features unique to the manufacturer. You can do some comparisons between these different types of Android and stock Android.

As well, you can also install alternative firmware if you so choose. From there, you can install one of the more popular ROMS, such as CyanogenMod, on your device. One upside to stock Android and custom ROMs over the manufacturer ones? You most likely will receive an update to a new Android version if it should come out, often it takes the manufacturers some time to get the updates rolling.

Root

One of the basic requirements for installing a custom ROM on your device, is that you have to have it rooted. By rooting, you get administrator rights for your device and can do and install whatever you want. You can install and delete apps at will, screw around with the performance on your device, or, in this case, install a new firmware. However, rooting and playing around without knowing what you’re doing can have some negative consequences, either by soft bricking the device or deleting a necessary file system.

Android is the way to go if you’re looking for as much flexibility as possible when it comes to software and hardware.

Terminator” Regenerating Polymer

 Robots’ self-healing abilites in the Terminator films are the inspiration behind the name of a new self-healing polymer that has been discovered by researchers at the CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in San Sebastian, Spain.

Synthetic polymers, which can be found in all kinds of materials, are different from natural polymers like skin because they are unable to repair damaged cross-linking bonds that held the material together; that is until now.

A new polymer, named “Terminator“, discovered by the researchers has the potential to lengthen the life of many different objects thanks to its self-healing ability. The team from CIDETEC sliced a cylinder made from the polymer and then put the ends back together. Within the hour it began to heal and within two hour it had regenerated by 97%. When the researchers tried to pull the repaired cylinder apart, they were unable, showing the structure to be as strong as it was origianlly.There have been many attempts to discover such a polymer but this self-healing polymer is the first one to work without a catalyst. It does not need UV light or pressure in order for the regeneration to be started.

So what are the practical applications of this discovery. Well imagine a water pipe bursts. In the future, instead of waiting on a plumber who thinks he has all the time in the world while you stand in water, you could potentially hold the pieces of pipe together and watch them repair before your eyes.

How would you apply this new material

SAN FRANCISCO — BlackBerry on Saturday hit pause on the rollout of iPhone and Android apps for its popular BlackBerry Messenger mobile social messaging service after an unreleased version of the Android app was posted online.

That version saw 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours, the company said, but the unofficial version "caused issues," which the company continued to address throughout the day.

The company did not specify what the issues were.

Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use it.

"As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone," the company said in a release.

The unreleased version of the Android app will be disabled, the company said. Those interested in the official Android app can visit the BBM.com site to register for updates on availability or follow @BBM on Twitter.

Part2 of the story

BBM for Android Gets Leaked, However Doesn’t Work

So many people are waiting to get their hands on BBM for Android and iOS. This morning a leaked BBM APK file for Android was seen over in the CrackBerry Forums. However the leak doesn’t work very well.  BBM will load up to the setup screen but will not work once you try to enter your BBID.  Turns out that BBM for Android is still locked down and can’t be accessed unless your BBID is a part of the beta testers.

Statement from BlackBerry:

The excitement around the upcoming launch of BBM for Android and iPhone users is amazing. We want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm, but wanted to let people know that the program is structured so that only those in the beta will be able to use the app. The version we’ve seen on the Web in the last couple of days can be downloaded, but will not work on devices that are not approved in the beta program

 So if you want to give it a try, feel free to do so, however you won’t get to far. BBM I am sure is right around the corner for being available on both Android and iOS!

Part3

                      BBM Not on Google Play 

Despite all the negative news from BlackBerry, the BBM launch on Android was supposed to be one of the big happenings in the tech world on 21 September. At 12:00 AM EST (4:30 PM), BBM was supposed to go live on the official Android app store, Google Play.
After the deadline, the official BBM has not yet appeared on Google Play. What did appear were tens of fake apps, some purportedly coming from developers like BlackBerry Inc, etc.

On BlackBerry fan sites like Crackberry.com, chat rooms were choked with thousands of users venting their frustration. To make things worse, as New Zealand moved from 21 September to 22 September at 12:00 AM, BBM dropped on to the Apple App Store there. Then a bit later on to the App Stores in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, India and so on.
Remember, BBM on iOS was supposed to come after BBM on Android was launched globally

BBM was trending on Twitter and Android users were exchanging links from where they could download a leaked BBM on an Android .apk file using which they could load BBM on their Android devices. And everyone reported it as working fine. BlackBerry today claimed that more than 1.1 million Android users started using BBM through this leaked Android .apk file in the first eight hours (As of 22 September, 12:30 am IST

In what is now typical, bumbling BlackBerry communication strategy, there was no news from BlackBerry. To make things worse, @BBM, the official Twitter ID for BBM actually tried to ease the tension by cracking what was a rather insensitive joke to the millions who were waiting for BBM on Android and getting angrier by the minute: “Hey, at least waiting at home is better than waiting in line.


13 hours after the launch deadline for BBM on Android passed, @BBM finally had some real information to share, and also announced that after UAE, the BBM on iPhone rollout was also on hold as they tackled the BBM on Android problem. This means that Europe and the Americas will not get BBM on iOS till the BBM on Android problem is licked.

An official blog post by Luke Reimer, Business Social Media Manager at BlackBerry explained: “Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the da
y

While Reimer went on to say that the unreleased BBM app would be disabled, we don’t buy this explanation. If the .apk was a leaked version of BBM on Android, there is no real reason why it should create problems. Surely the 1.1 million user number was no problem either as BlackBerry certainly expected far more than that number to download BBM from Google Play. So, what gives? As we saw on Google Play today, we suddenly realised that most of the fake BBM apps, by developers like ‘BlackBerry Inc.’ have disappeared. This seems to be the real reason. Many of these apps already had tens of thousands of downloads within a few hours, so obviously many users downloaded the fake apps (that could even be malware) despite the descriptions of these apps being unprofessional and unclear
.

Google Play is like the Wild West and yesterday millions of users waiting for BBM on Android seemed to have paid the price for Google’s poor standards for Google Play, where I can pretend to be any company and upload useless apps with exactly the same name and users can be conned and will download the fake app till the real company in question asks Google to take the fake app down. So why didn’t BlackBerry open up about this? One, perhaps BlackBerry didn’t expect this, which to be fair is BlackBerry’s fault—they are not a tiny company and even if they have not released an app of BBM’s magnitude of appeal on Google Play earlier (they have three enterprise apps on Google Play), they should know how a competing app store works.

Two, at this stage where BlackBerry is desperate to make BBM big as it goes cross-platform, BlackBerry needs Google more than Google needs BlackBerry. They need Google to promote BBM on the app store, despite the fact that BlackBerry is also signing promotional deals with Samsung and even home-grown Micromax. We have no clue on when the official BBM app will finally come to Google Play, but seeing that Google seems to be weeding out the fakes, we estimate it should happen soon. But just in case you want to be safe rather than sorry, use this link, the page for official BlackBerry apps on Google Play to find out when BBM is really live

Get a first look at the new Android OS.

Google inadvertently leaked the first screen shot of the upcoming Android 4.4 Kit Kat today.
In related news, a new report suggests Android 4.4 "KitKat" will launch Oct. 14 alongside the Nexus 5 smartphone, Google's rumored follow up to the hit Nexus 4 handset. The release date would be in line with Google's October Android update schedule in previous years.

Google has not yet confirmed the date and some experts say to take the rumors with a grain of salt, the International Business Times reports.

Though it was previously rumored to be codenamed "Key Lime Pie," Android 4.4 will in fact be called "Kit Kat" after the famous chocolate wafer candy bar.

Android chief Sundar Pichai announced the name earlier this month on Twitter.

 Google is also teaming up with Nestle to release several Android-themed Kit Kat Bars, ABC Newsreports. They even launched a promotional website for the treats.

When you buy a bar you will be able to enter to win Google prizes like a Nexus 7 tablet. A limited number of Android robot-shaped bars will also be released.

Meanwhile, a Kit Kat statue in the shape of the Android logo has been erected in front of the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California to stand alongside statues commemorating other major Android releases.

Each of the versions has been named after a sweet treat, starting with Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean and now Kit Kat.

News about new features remains scarce, but the Wall Street Journal reports Kit Kat will be compatible with a broader range of Android phones than previous versions.

Other reports suggest the OS will be versatile enough to run on other gadgets like high-tech dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines.

Check out a teaser video for Android 4.4 Kit Kat below:

Android Latest OS version 4.4.''confirmed'' for October release

Ok, this ''confirmation'' may have come from Nestlé and not Google or the Android team, but we kind of figure Nestlé are pretty chummy with the Android version that bears their candy bar's name, so we'll assume they know something we don't. Well, at least until they leaked the KitKat launch on their Facebook page, that,s it.

The German KitKat team responded to a question on their Facebook page inquiring about the release date of KitKat and they responded: ''Android.4.4 KIT KAT is available in October''. For the bi-lingual out there who don't like translations, the official message was: '' Android 4.4 KIT KAT ist ab Oktober verfügbar.'' 'Ab' in German actually means 'from' in English but let's not get into the nitty gritty, anytime in October works for us. Having said that, the KitKat team later added the term ''erwartet'' which means ''anticipated.'' Hmmm. Not so easy to stuff that cat back into the bag.

Here's the posts from the KitKat team's Facebook page

We've already seen plenty of ''leaks'' of the Nexus 5, which will launch in NYC next month, and theFCC documentation we've seen pretty much confirms the Nexus 5 will launch pre-loaded with KitKat, which, for some strange reason, is still being called Key Lime Pie in the paperwork (Key Lime Pie was the 4.4 codename until recently). But this latest snippet from Nestlé seems pretty much as good as we're likely to get before Google makes the official announcement which can't be all that far away. The KitKat team's latest admission: ''in October. The KitKat Android has a break that KitKat is almost here!

In a roundtable interview at Tokyo Game Show today, Sony's Shuhei Yoshida talked about the typical post-launch release lull that typically accompanies a new wave of consoles, and how the PlayStation 4 hopes to avoid it.

After the launch of the PS3, Xbox 360 and more recently the Wii U, there has been a drought of releases lasting anywhere from three to six months, during which time new console owners sometimes became rather less enamoured with their new purchase. This is largely down to perfectly natural strategic decisions on the behalf of the large publishers, said Yoshida. "By nature publishers see opportunities, especially very large publishers, and will always be there with five or six games at the launch of any platform," he says.

"Large publishers typically target that date, not two months or six months after, so it’s natural that the first peak comes at launch and then there will be a drought."

Asked whether the PlayStation 4 might avoid this drought, Yoshida placed faith in the many indie developers working with Sony to fill in potential gaps in the release schedule. "Now there are so many games developed by indie teams," he says. "Of course money is important to these teams, but it is often not the primary motivation, and so they will spend extra time [in development] if they need to. So these games will be continuously released through next year. That is my expectation."

Earlier in the roundtable discussion, Yoshida offered further reasoning behind Sony's determined courtship of independent developers over recent years. "We do think indie games are very very important, and we do think indie games can sell hardware," he said. "Games like Journey and Walking Dead showed a very strong message to the industry and consumers as well when they won various game awards. Small games can make a huge impact."

The Top Best Computer Hardware Companies 2013 AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Computers and their use have become so common that almost every individual knows the basic about them. To start with, let me elaborate two essential components of computer at the very grass root level. These two components are called Hardware and Software. Hardware is the comprehensive term for all the physical parts of the computer. It is on which the computer software runs. Keyboards, Mouse, printer, scanner, wireless communication methodology are some of the examples of computer hardware. There are many companies which manufacture computer and also along with manufacture computer hardware peripherals and provide support and services. In fact these hardware offering and services sometimes serve as distinguishable factor between companies. The reason for this is better the hardware, better is the reliability of the customer. Every aspect is directly proportional in this business and because of such a great impact many companies are researching and evolving more in the computer hardware domain.
1. Hewlett Packard (HP)
From the day the word desktops or computers came into existence and people started using it, I think from that day we are very well known with the name Hewlett Packard better known as HP. From desktops to touch screen laptops they have been ruling since a very long time. They are managing 200 data centers, 380,000 servers, 5.4 million desktops and 17 million IP addresses. One out of every three servers shipped worldwide is from HP. Such a big company had a very small start with just $538 capital including the equipment by Stanford graduates William Hewlett and David Packard. Many few would know that one of the early customers of this company was Walt Disney studios. They used HP oscillators to make the film Fantasia. They brought in first mass-market laser printer was brought to market in 1989 by HP. Mergers with Compaq and EDS helped HP grown enormously. Another domain where HP Company has emerged a innovator is the management style and employment facilities. Casual work culture, On site recreational facilities, health insurance plans and other different benefits were provided to HP employees which started the trend. HP has been and still retains its number one position in the market of computers.
2. Apple
Apple is one of the most admired companies even by its own competitors. They have proved themselves a challenger to convention. It is the company which has changed the people expectation from consumer electronics. In 2011, Apple made and sold 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads, and 59 million other products. Last year Apple sold 40 million iPhones. If you can’t imagine it, let me break it for you. 40 million phones per year means 110,000 iPhones sold every day, further, 76 iPhones per minute. I suppose now you can imagine the revenue the company is generating and the position company enjoys in the technology market. Each iPhone contains hundreds of parts: semiconductors from Germany and Taiwan, memory from Korea and Japan, display panels and circuitry from Korea and Taiwan, chipsets from Europe and rare metals from Africa and Asia. And all of that is assembled in China. Apple made the first mass market color digital camera which could be connected to Mac via a serial cable. In the current market , and also in the future Apple is going to be the most valuable technology company in the world and would definitely be called digital powerhouse.
They are also known for retina display screen and recently launch the iPhone5s with finger print scan.
3. Samsung
Samsung – a word considered synonym to the Smartphone. This is how well Samsung has established in telecommunication industry. But very few know that along with smart phones, Samsung is also a very well-known brand in computers, laptops, and its hardware components. The success of Samsung has been very surprising and completely contradictory to the style of success and failure usually seen in the graph chart of companies. They focus on handful of products and emerge as winners. Samsung has been into 80 different businesses since its inception in 1938. They make skyscrapers, big ships, television, refrigerators to name a few. Burj Khalifa the tallest building in world which is in Dubai is the product of Samsung construction division. In the computer domain, they have been the leading producer of memory chips since 1993. The reason for such a tremendous success of Samsung is hard work, commitment and desire for perfection.
4. Dell Inc.
Step in any house or office you are sure to find one of the Dell offerings of Personal Computers. Almost everyone who has sat down to use a computer has likely used a Dell at some point in time. Millions of individuals, libraries and business use Dell computers to get tasks accomplished on a daily basis. Started with just $1000, Michael Dell has brought his company as number one supplier to U.S businesses both large and small for 10 years. This includes the 10 largest U.S companies the top six internet service companies and top five U.S commercial banks all of whom use Dell computers. Dell is a company which does business with all the companies ranked among the fortune 500 and its own ranking is 33. Dell was the first company to equip corporate systems with the Red Hat Linux. With leading technology and competitive pricing, Dell is the best in class service and support.

Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 204,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 6.3 trillion yen (US$68 billion).
Toshiba is a leading and world-class innovator of Notebook PC's since 1985

The world's largest cell phone maker, with a market share over 30%. Nokia cell phones enjoy a good reputation among fans of smart phone personalization.
Nokia is the world leading mobile phone supplier during the days of its symbian OS, they ruled and dominate the
world of smart phones for years, until the advent of the iOS and android OS,recently haven been purchased by
microsoft, Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications and information technology corporation that is headquartered in Espoo, Finland. (the word Finnish also means perfect) 




Others are:
BlackBerry Ltd

IntelHTCNVIDIA

LG 
Motorola
Sony
The rest wouldn't make the list

The HP Slate 8 Pro might garner some quick comparisons with other 8-inch tablets, like Apple's iPad Mini -- thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio -- orSamsung's Galaxy Note 8 -- due to its sleek all-white body -- but the superficial resemblances end there. The HP tablet one-ups its fellow 8-inchers, with its sharp 1,600x1,200-pixel resolution IPS display, Nvidia's speedy Tegra 4 CPU, and a healthy 2GB of RAM.

In comparison to the Galaxy Note 8's average 1,280x800-pixel-resolution screen with 189 ppi (pixels-per-inch) (also the same resolution as Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3) and the iPad Mini's shamefully low 1,024x768-pixel display and 163 ppi, the Slate 8 Pro's 253 ppi blows them out of the water, making its screen the sharpest out of the high-end 8-inch tablet models.

A look at HP's first 8-inch Android tablet (pictures)

According to HP, the Slate 8 Pro has a high color gamut, promising a wide range of color for a more dynamic multimedia experience. Unfortunately, thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio, the 8-inch tablet is best used for browsing and reading rather than video watching.

The tablet houses a Micro-HDMI port and microSD card expansion slot, as well as an 8-megapixel rear- and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and audio enhancement features courtesy of HP's partnership with Beats Audio.

Despite its slightly-bigger-than-7-inch size, the HP Slate 8 Pro manages to fit comfortably in one hand. The smooth texture of its back tactilely felt nice, but I personally prefer the grippy texture seen To be sure, the pearly white matte finish does give the device a high-end luxurious feel that is perfectly accented by the Beats Audio-inspired red trimming.

Navigating between apps was smooth, with little lag time and the tablet quickly responded to touch according to youtube. Text and video on the screen looked sharp, however, letter-boxing on widescreen video was unavoidable thanks to the screen's 4:3 aspect ratio.

The HP Slate 8 Pro has smooth, curved edges, which make it comfortable to hold.

The HP Slate 8 Pro is expected to hit stores in November. Pricing information hasn't been announced, so check back with us for updates and a full review once the tablet becomes available.