We have been hearing a lot of rumours surrounding what Samsung is planning for its upcoming flagship smartphones this year specification wise, but there has also been some leaks regarding its redesigned operating system coming soon, and the new Samsung Galaxy TouchWiz  UI appears again.

We have seen a couple of leaks recently regarding a new redesigned Samsung TouchWiz  UI that is also expected to come on the Samsung Galaxy S5, and now tech tipster Eldar Murtazin has provided the image that you can see on this page that is showing a new Samsung Status bar.

It is supposedly coming with the Android 4.4 KitKat update but it is not clear if this is with the version that is already rolling out to the likes of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3, or if it will make its debut later this month at the Samsung Unpacked vent.

The new TouchWiz NatureUX seems to appear flatter and the status bar icons are white and more uniform on a transparent status bar, and he states that the new Samsung KitKat status bar has no colour and is “Only white”.

We have already heard about some new features that the company is supposedly working on that included the Samsung Life Times app, which is like a daily journal created from users actions throughout the day. The new software is also expected to find its way onto the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 at some point in the future.

What would you most like to see in a new Samsung TouchWiz UI?

MTN introduced a new product called " XtraTime

This product allows you to request for airtime from 
the network on credit when you have run out of 
airtime and pay later. 
The airtime once received, can 
be used on any billable activity on the network 
regardless of whether it is voice, data or a Value 
Added Service. 
The service is available to prepaid customers that 
have between 0-12 Naira on their account balance, 
and meet an unspecified including tenure on the 
network, and recharge frequency. 
To access the service, dial *606# and use the 
displayed menu to check eligibility, request 
airtime, check balance or see your Xtratime 
transaction history.
The service attracts a 10% charge, meaning you only 
get 90% of what you are requesting for and can only
be used again after the initial credit is paid up. 
What you have used up shows as a negative value on your balance and it is deducted next time you top up. 
 Before MTN launched Xtra Time in Nigeria, the service has already got 
running in Ghana, Uganda and Zambia.

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Adobe Flash Player 13 –100% For a Faster PC

New images of the new version for Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8.1area leaking on the Internet. The images refer to an organized Notifications Center, detailed and customizable depending on the desired applications.

Microsoft officially works with this version of Windows Phone, a version that is rumored to be distributed to users somewhere in July 2014.

Notification Center is heavily requested by users of Windows Phone 8, and to their joy, it seems that the requirements have been answered. In the picture below you can see the looks of the new Notification Center, or “Action Center” as Microsoft labels it. Using this function is via a Slide from top to bottom across the screen, the same like from Android.

Showing 4 quick and basic settings that are commands to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other system settings. All four are customizable and as you will see, the battery level is displayed just below the battery icon and below the clock, the date with the day and month.

We can see the applications notifications, organized and detailed as Facebook for example. In short, instead of notifications to appear in the header of the screen, as we were used on Windows Phone 8, all of them will appear in the notification center. It’s a function that simplifies your work by viewing the notifications, especially when you have many active applications that send notifications.

Windows Phone 8.1 Secured And Advanced

Slowly, Microsoft begins to show professionalism in the operating system, making it feared before Android or iOS. For example, Microsoft can boast with the most secure mobile operating system at the moment as proof that the Windows Phone Store has no antivirus.

Microsoft CEO Nadella Declares Primary Focus: Software For Mobile & Cloud

In spite of all the speculation surrounding the next Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella did come out the victor. I’m not sure if  bets on the side were made regarding this, but if you were part of one and put your money on Nadella, then you’re probably one very happy person right now. But maybe not as happy as Nadella, who is reported to be receiving a $1.2 million salary. On top of that, he’ll have a stock award worth $13.2 million and is eligible for an annual bonus up to $3.6 million.

While Nadella may have the brightest outlook in terms of financial compensation, it seems things are even brighter for him in terms of what the company is going to focus on in the future.

According to a report by AP, Nadella has declared the company’s focus: mobile-first, cloud-first world.

It’s not really that surprising considering that prior to being promoted to CEO, Nadella was known as the “cloud guy”. Elaborating a little on his declaration:

“The question for us is how do we thrive in that world. What innovation can we bring? Everything is going to be connected to cloud and data…All of this will be mediated by software. To me, the heritage that this company has is still very relevant. We have to renew it. We have to do new things. But at the same time we should be very, very confident of  in our capability around software as it comes to these new experiences.”

That does exude confidence, especially considering that Nadella has requested Bill Gates to play a hands-on role as the new CEO’s adviser. And with Gates agreeing to leave his position as Chairman of the Board, this shows solidarity – which can only result in good things.

Maybe a new Microsoft era is indeed dawning.

Innovation vs. Execution

ere has been a lot of discussion on the differences between Steve Jobs' Apple and Steve Ballmer's Microsoft, with a common argument being that Apple innovated and Microsoft didn't. I don't think the facts support that. I'd argue that Microsoft out-innovated Apple during Ballmer's tenure, but Apple out-executed Microsoft.

It wasn't Ballmer vs. Jobs, though -- it was Jobs vs. Gates. During the last decade, Gates proved to be more of a liability than an asset to Microsoft. This isn't to pile on Bill but to point out the brilliance of Satya Nadella's move to change Bill Gates from a problem to part of the solution.



Apple vs. Microsoft


Neither Apple nor Microsoft was first with MP3 players -- S3, Sony and Creative were in market sooner. Microsoft had video first on its devices (Jobs argued video was stupid). It also made them wireless first and figured out how to do music-sharing legally. However, Apple made it simple first and got people to accept the iPod as a standard. That isn't innovation -- that's execution.

Neither Apple nor Microsoft did smartphones first. Ironically IBM was far earlier. However, Microsoft had them before Apple. It got email sorted first, made them manageable first, got developers first -- and for the most part, made a better phone. Apple basically added phone features to an iPod. It got apps right first and got the market -- which had rejected screen phones up until the iPhone -- to accept the iPhone as a standard.

That's not innovation -- that is incredible execution.

Neither Apple nor Microsoft had tablets first. In fact, in a stage appearance with Bill Gates, Jobs once argued that building a PC without a keyboard was stupid.

Microsoft had convertible tablets that would turn into laptops and vice-versa. It got touch and pen input working first, and it got handwriting to work first (though Apple had it first with the Newton). Apple made the tablet make sense by basically making the iPod bigger and got the market to accept the iPad as the standard. It later made it smaller. That's not really innovation either -- it is brilliant execution.

In fact, Apple actually was more innovative before Jobs came back. It had more-varied PC forms, it had printers and cameras, and it was first to market with a PDA: the Newton. Yet it couldn't execute worth a damn and was failing. Jobs realized it wasn't about innovation. It was about refining good ideas that others had -- mostly simplifying them so they'd be easier to sell -- and then resourcing the efforts to success.

Jobs realized that Edison was right and that 1 percent was inspiration (innovation) and that the rest was working your butt off to be successful. If you came up with a lot of innovative products, you wouldn't have the resources to make any successful. Microsoft had more innovation -- but as a result, it didn't resource many things adequately, and most of them failed.

In short, Microsoft needed fewer good ideas so it could adequately resource the ones that were left. Xbox, Azure, SkyDrive and other Microsoft products were successful because they were well resourced. It's execution, not innovation, that is the key to success.



The Gates Theory

Here is my working theory about what happened to Steve Ballmer and Microsoft last decade. Gates hired Ballmer, who graduated at the top of his class at Harvard, to do the things he couldn't in terms of building the business. Gates was the product guy, Ballmer the business guy, and Microsoft's rise showcases just how incredibly well that partnership worked.

Then Microsoft got really arrogant and thought that it was above the law and kind of lost track of its customers at the same time. Bill was taped in a deposition where he clearly thought he was smarter than the attorneys and they made Bill look stupid. Now if you've ever met Bill, you'd know that in his mind, stupid is as low as it gets.

He lost heart and effectively moved on. He seemingly passed the baton to Steve Ballmer, while retaining the product role of chief architect, but he kind of checked out at an increasing rate. The only thing was, he wasn't gone -- so he wasn't really backfilled. Eventually, Microsoft hired Ray Ozzie, but Ray didn't work well with large teams and he wasn't really a consumer product guy. Bill was still chairman so he wasn't gone either.

Steve was still doing his job very well, and Microsoft looked like it had a product guy -- but it didn't, and products just didn't get the focus and resources they needed. They failed one after the other. Put another way, Ballmer got the title of CEO but he didn't get a critical part -- the product part -- and he arguably lacked the skills to do that part of the job. He couldn't fix the problem, because it looked like someone still had the job. (This is often referred to as retiring in place).

In short, because Gates was and wasn't there, it was his side of the business that suffered. There were a couple of exceptions: the Yahoo acquisition, which was a massive mistake; and Ballmer's decision to defund most of the corporate image programs (AR/PR/marketing). Still, most of the problems can be traced not to a lack of innovation or bad core business practices, but to an inability to execute -- or create -- a winning product strategy. Gates' old job just wasn't getting done.

There were a lot of related causes: the forced ranking policy that pit employee against employee; horrid internal and external intelligence, which effectively blinded Steve Ballmer; no real CEO mentoring; and some incredibly bad advice on how Steve should behave in public. The biggest issue, though, was that Microsoft never seemed to grasp that Gates was gone because it looked like he -- or someone like him -- was still there.





Conclutions: Satya Nadella's Brilliance



This is what makes Satya Nadella's move with Gates brilliant. With Gates stepping down as chairman, Satya gets a trained mentor in John Thompson. (IBM formally trains executives, including mentoring -- and like me, Thompson is ex-IBM.) Gates is focused back on products, so that whatever his influence is, it is targeted at the problem.

However, Gates is part-time, leaving Satya free to backfill him -- and Satya is a product guy himself. Thompson helps him pick up the skills he loses when Ballmer leaves, and he doubles up on the product skills Ballmer's Microsoft lacked (Satya + Gates). Oh, and forced ranking is gone, the company appears to be resourcing corporate AR/PR and marketing again, and Thompson should be able to call BS effectively on the bad advice.

Rather than Ballmer without Gates, you get Gates + Satya -- and Thompson filling in for Ballmer until Satya is trained and the team is again complete. That looks pretty brilliant to me, and it should eventually turn Microsoft back into the power many of us knew it could be. I wonder if it will take Apple a decade to figure out it actually needs to backfill Steve Jobs?

iPhone Sets on Fire in School Girl’s Pocket

There have been previous reports of  iPhones causing death due to battery charging issues but the latest story comes from a 14-year old school girl, whose iPhone 5c set on fire in her pocket.

The Morning Sentinel reports how the school girl from Kennebunk, Maine had to be treated for second-degree burns after her iPhone 5c caught fire in her pocket. According to the report, both she and her friends heard a popping sound from the Apple device that she had been given only two months previous.

Immediately, smoke starts billowing from around the student,” said Jeff Rodman, principal of the Middle School of the Kennebunks. “She knew right away something was wrong and, in a panic, knew her pants were on fire caused by the cellphone.”

The girl sensibly dropped to the floor and rolled in an attempt to put the fire out. In the process the iPhone 5c fell from her pocket. She was helped by classmates and her teacher in removing the clothes which were still on fire.

There has been no confirmation on what exactly caused the phone to ignite but it is known that the lithium-batteries used in iPhones can have a fault, which can lead to fire but only in very rare and extreme cases.

Apple has not responded to this yet.

Airport Deploys Body Smell Security Machine

If we didn’t already have enough to worry about when boarding a plane, now we may also have to make sure our deodorant hasn’t worn off before we stepped in line. If you’ve ever grown tired of digging out countless ID’s, passports, and Lord knows what else, you may be in for some good news.

Some scientists from Madrid have recently discovered that each person has a very unique smell, and that smell can correctly identify a person 85% of the time. So, in theory, a machine can smell you and correctly identify who you are 85% of the time. How does that smell to you? If the identification rate could be brought up to 100%, this technology could change the way we do a lot of things, including airport security.

Check Your Pits

Just imagine this if you will – instead of having a TSA officer scan your ID and check your passport the next time you get ready to fly, all you have to do is walk through a machine that takes a whiff of you and completes the identification process. No fingerprints, no eye scanners, none of that – just your body odor.

Before this could even get close to becoming a reality, everyone would somehow have to register their own unique body odor in a process that I can’t even imagine right now. What would you have to do – get finished with a workout and have someone swipe your armpit?

Can you visualize the day when we’re mostly identified by our smells over everything else? I realize we have the technology to do all kinds of amazing things in the world, but this smells a bit off to me. What do you think? Would you be completely comfortable with getting smelled each and every time you wanted to get on a plane?

Blackberry 10.2.1 Goes Live Now, Brings a Full Android Runtime for Installing APKs

We typically try to avoid Blackberry talk as much as we can on DL, but this latest update to Blackberry 10 brings in all sorts of Android fun. We grabbed the update’s changelog for  Blackberry Z10, there is a reference to it including a full Android Runtime that includes support for running native versions of Android apps that are APKs.

In the past, there was some half-baked trickery involved that needed to be performed in order for Android apps to run on a Blackberry device, but now with Blackberry 10.2.1, there is full support for Android apps. APK files can even be directly installed through a browser, with an inbuilt installer wizard walking you through the setup. 

ANDROID RUNTIME

• New Android Native Support adds support for running native versions of Android JellyBean applications in APK format without the need to convert
• Applications using Android Bluetooth® SPI’s are now supported
• Android application can integrate with BlackBerry Share Targets

APK INSTALLATION

• Install APK files directly from the browser, email or File Manager
• Tap APK file to install, and the wizard will walk you through installation

I’m not sure this should make you want a Blackberry 10 device any more than you did yesterday, but hey, Android! The update should be available to all Blackberry 10 devices

There is more to 10.2.1 than updating the runtime from Gingerbread 2.3 to Jelly Bean 4.2.2  -- this is also the update that allows BlackBerry app developers to build headless apps -- a much sought after feature by native BlackBerry app developers and BlackBerry 10 owners alike.

That said, the deeper integration between BlackBerry 10 and Android in 10.2.1 is garnering a massive amount of attention from users, as with this update BlackBerry 10 owners can now install Android .apk files (actual Android apps) directly onto their phone. 

With a high percentage of Android apps compatible and working flawlessly on BlackBerry 10.2.1, this update basically means the perceived "app gap" in the BlackBerry ecosystem has been closed, with only a little crack remaining. Looking at the top 50 Android apps in the Google Play store, nearly all of them will work perfectly on BB10, as will tens and literally hundreds of thousands more. 

Keep in mind that this is only for OS 10.2.1.1055, so if you're not running the leaked OS (or a higher version we'd imagine) then this won't work at all.

How to Install

All you need to do is download the APK to your device memory or media card, then tap it to install.

If downloading a file from your device, when it's complete just tap the file in the downloads view and then tap install to begin. If you're transferring the APK files to your device, use the File Manager to locate the APK then tap it to open and tap Install to begin.

Microsoft Invest $15 Million To Foursquare PLUS Licensing Deal

Microsoft seems to be in the midst of exciting times in spite of the not-so-good response it has received because of its decision to kill XP (albeit prolonging things, it seems). Then there is the new CEO, with Bill Gates even making a comeback. But that’s not all! While the company may have the image of a floundering beast, it seems that it is not without funds: Microsoft just gave Foursquare 15 million dollars on top of a licensing deal.

So what’s this money for?

Early this week, Foursquare announced that they have entered into a partnership with Microsoft, a partnership that has resulted in a $15 million dollar funding that involves Foursquare lending a hand to Bing (yes, there is life outside of Google). Specifically, Foursquare will be contributing in terms of location and context layers both for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

That’s not a small amount of money, but what is more significant in this partnership is the amount of information that Microsoft will be getting from Foursquare. There aren’t too many details released about the location licensing deal, but that will surely cost Microsoft as well.

While the Foursquare has an API that other parties have access to, the newly sealed partnership will open the floodgates for Microsoft; that is, they will have a much deeper access to the data that Foursquare has; and seeing just how big Foursquare has become, that data is surely worth $15 million (and the other undisclosed amounts).

Of course, Foursquare users will now have to face the fact that your information – location included – will be scrutinized even more.

This move is obviously in the direction of contextual ads, predictive calculation, and proactive computing – all buzzwords that merely tell us that the big boys want to know what consumers are doing, where, and when, so that they can push products and services; with the data they gather, they hope to do so with a higher chance of actually grabbing our attention and making conversions.

And that’s not being judgemental – just stating a fact. After all, we know that’s where every major tech player wants to go in the future.

Get Ready Your Survival Kit, The End Of The World Draws Near

I don’t know when or how it exactly it will happen, but one thing’s for sure – this world is going to one day begin to end and we all need to be ready for the apocalypse. Maybe this world will meet its end at the hands of aliens, or maybe Hollywood will finally get something right and it will be zombies that finally send uS to the great hereafter. Not so surprising would be that all of the world’s drones would one day decide to go “rogue” and take all of us out. If none of those options suits your fancy, there’s always global warming – just ask Al Gore. Maybe it will all happen at once, or maybe it will be spread out over years and look something like I Am Legend.

However it’s going to happen, like the Boy Scouts always say, it’s good to be prepared. And when it comes to the end of the world as we know it, one can never be too prepared, especially if you’re planning to hide out in some kind of a shelter and wait for better days – assuming of course that you survive at all. If you do want to be prepared, the Wolfram Survival Kit is just the thing you need.

Not Your Everyday Closet

This survival kit claims to have all that you need to survive for a good long while in the event of any kind of apocalypse. It has over 170 items within its doors, from food, to water, to various tools, to cleaning supplies. In case you’re thinking about putting this monster on your Christmas list, you might want to check out the price – $14,500. Wow. That’s a whole lot of preparedness.

While I am all about being prepared for the inevitable, that price seems a wee bit steep for my liking. What normal person could justify keeping that closet around the house? Maybe if it transformed into an escape shuttle the price would be worth it, but as it stands, I think I’ll pass.

In case you do have an extra 15 grand around the house, here’s a link where you can purchase it.

North Korea maybe seen as one of the world’s most oppressive governmental regimes, but when it comes to technology it appears as though they are making a effort to keep up with the times.  Red Star OS is the country’s national operating system, and recently some screenshots have surfaced that the OS is looking decidedly like a copy of Apple’s Mac OSX.  Prior to this Red Star OS looked a great deal like Microsoft’s Windows OS. (See Image)

North Korea Tech is a blog that covers technology and computing in the country.  They have posted images of Red Star OS 3.0, stating that the software is based on the open-source Linux, operating system.

The South China Morning Post stated that the software is used only by North Korea’s elite, and that it is installed in “some universities and state-run industries as a means of accessing Kwangmyong, the country’s domestic and heavily censored public intranet.”

Previously, a Russian student leaked an earlier version of Red Star online in 2010, with this latest update however, being first reported by an American computer scientist, Will Scott, who was lecturing at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology in late 2013.  This previous version of Red Star looked a lot more like a version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Despite the extreme poverty that is suffered by a large number of its citizens, North Korea does have lots of modern technology. However, most of its gadgets are rebranded imports from neighbouring countries.  North Korea’s answer to the iPad, the Samjiyon, runs on the Android operating system and features a 7-inch screen, a 4GB of hard drive space and 1GB of RAM. Although some investigating by North Korea Tech has revealed that the tablet was most likely built in China, the Samjiyon and tablets like it are still of interest to many technology collectors, recently one such unopened unit was sold for $546 on eBay last November.

No Porn Apps For Chromecast

Google has said it will not allow porn on its Chromecast. As well as releasing the Chromecast SDK, the company also issued the Terms of Service that developers are obliged to adhere to if they want their apps to be used on Chromecast. One condition of the terms is that there be no explicit content.

The terms state: “We don’t allow content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material.”

As well as no porn, developers are required to include protections against screen burn-in and must not allow rooting of the device.

Google has stipulated in the terms that hate speech, violence, bullying and on-line gambling are not acceptable and any such content will be subject to “de-registration”, which presumably means the apps won’t work on Chromecast devices.

These new policies could prove to be a blow to Mindgeek, which was working on an Android app for Playboy TV that included the option to stream content to a Chromecast adapter. Following Google’s announcement, it is unlikely that Mindgeek will go ahead with the distribution of the app.

Happy BlackBerry Valentine’s Day celebration with free apps

If you have a phone that runs BB10 then there’s a nice bit of news for you today. BlackBerry is marking Valentines Day celebrations with an offer of free apps from BlackBerry World. Here is what you need to know

This BlackBerry promotion kicks off on February 8 and lasts through to the big event, Valentine’s Day on February 14. We should point out from the off that the news comes from a Singapore BlackBerry site so at this stage we’re not sure if this is a regional promotion, although we’d imagine it would be worldwide.

While you may think that the free apps offered would be all about love, romance and Valentine themed, that’s not the case and there should be something for everyone. The promotion will give BlackBerry 10 device users a free app each day while it lasts.

Apps included are Better Body Yoga, Call Recorder 10, InstaVenue, Max Contact Manager, Mega Emoji – Premium Messages Gadget, Talking Animated Smileys for BBM, Wallpaper Sky Pro, and WhatsApp and Line.

This is a nice offer from BlackBerry and we wonder how many readers will be taking part in this Valentine’s Day offer and grabbing those free apps, if of course this giveaway is available in all regions.

What do you think of BlackBerry’s Valentine Day offer with free apps on the table? Do you have a BlackBerry 10 device so that you can take advantage of this promotion? Send us your comments to let us know, and we wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day 2014!

While some handset manufacturers provide early details about their upgrade plans for their mobile devices, Samsung always keeps its cards close to its chest and can be pretty stingy when it comes to information about upcoming new software. Now a supposed Samsung Galaxy Android 4.4 update list brings optimism to owners of a number of different devices.

A list of hardware has been provided to the guys over at Phandroid that has come from a source claiming to be close to the company, which details a number of devices that are claimed to eventually receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Of course this list includes handsets that many would already assume are in line to receive the later firmware such as the Galaxy S4, which also includes the Zoom and Active variants. The list also features the Galaxy Note 3 that has already begun receiving the new operating system, but a number of  average and lower spec devices are also included.

These include the Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Mega, and the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 that have already been tipped to receive the Android 4.4 update at some point with recent rumours suggesting by the end of next month.

The likes of the Galaxy S3 Mini and Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 are also listed which is currently running on the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system, so it remains to be seen if this gets treated to some KitKat.

Back in December/January we saw another list that had a number of these devices down for the update but also included the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3, but until something official is announced we won’t know for sure if these devices will get treated to the Android 4.4 update.

Do you think these devices will get treated to KitKat?

Blackberry10 Owners Can Get Their Android apps From Snap

Snap gets updated with a bunch of fixes

Chances are that if you have been lucky enough to update to BlackBerry 10.2.1 (yes, some carriers are still lagging behind) you more than likely have followed our advice and installed Snap - the Google Play client for BlackBerry 10 - allowing for simple installation of Android APK's onto your BlackBerry. 

The app has been updated - fixing a bunch of stuff that threw a spanner in the works for some folk, firstly to version 2.0.0.1 and then quickly to version 2.0.0.2. 

Heading over to the developers website things are a little confusing as the update is listed as v2.0.0.1, yet when you download the .bar file it will in fact be v2.0.0.2. 

New and improved:

• Fix for password with special characters
• Fix for generic Network Error while downloading
• Fix for crash after download completion or choosing save folder
• Fix for Post-install behavior setting dropdown reverting to "Delete APK"
• Fix for Email address clearing out on unsuccessful sign-in
• Fix for some Apps not loading description/details
• Added notification for users with OS version that does not include Android installer

If you haven't yet tried Snap out you can follow the 'How to' guide here to get up and running. 

Download Snap  Download Latest v2.0.0.1*

No Apple logos should be seen during the 2014 Winter Olympic games

As part of giving free devices to athletes, Samsung is insisting that no Apple logos appear during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics. A sponsor for the games, Samsung gave athletes Galaxy Note 3 smartphones in their gift bags, with the condition that, even if they used an Apple device, the logo could not be displayed during the opening ceremonies. The Galaxy Note 3 is apparently the primary device being pushed by Samsung during the games, according to media:

Samsung is pushing the Note 3 hard at the Olympics, equipping what it's describing as its "Galaxy Team" athletes with the pen-enabled smartphone to demonstrate how their training and their trip abroad can be better documented.

It should be noted that these sorts of restrictions aren't uncommon. Companies pay a lot of money to sponsor teams at the Olympics, and they don't want their competitors advertised for free. Panasonic had just that very situation on their hands durning the 2012 Olympics in London, having given athletes free headphones, only to find that some of their sponsored teams openly wearing custom Beats headphones, violating their deal with Panasonic.

Are Samsung's restrictions are unreasonable, or do sponsors have the right to expect that their competitors won't get free advertising? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Update: It appears that athletes are allowed to display the logos of non-sponsored products. While there are specific rules against the mention of non-sponsored products by athletes during the games, the appearance of logos is an exception to the rule. The International Olympic Committee is still applying the rules normally, according to MacRumors:

No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games.

While it is still possible that Samsung requested that athletes cover competitor's logos, athletes that don't will face no penalty from the IOC.

An Australian family went to the beach to collect seashells, but tripped over a giant jellyfish that has aroused the interest of scientists.

The pancake-like creature measured 4ft 11in across and was previously unknown to science, according to Australia's federal-run Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

The denizen of the deep was found by Josie Lim and her family as they walked along a beach near Hobart on the island of Tasmania.

"This was something else. We've just never seen anything like it," Lim told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Scientist Lisa-Ann Gershwin told the paper that the Lims' find was "amazing". She believes it was a previously undiscovered type of lion's mane jellyfish.

A new version of Google Maps for iPhone and iPad

The new version of Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad hit the App Store Tuesday. Added to the app's repertoire is the ability to notify a driver when a faster alternative route is available.

When Google Maps' navigation feature is running, traffic conditions will be monitored by the app. When it determines that an alternative route can get you to your destination faster, it will notify you, display how much time you can save, and offer you the option of changing your route.

Google Maps previously displayed several routes to choose from at the start of a trip, but it stopped monitoring alternatives once the driver made a selection.

The faster-route feature has been available for some time on the Android version of Google Maps. The additional functionality may be thanks to the incorporation of Waze technology, but Google would not confirm that to The press

Google purchased the crowdsourcing traffic app Waze for an estimated US$1.3 billion last year. Waze has remained independent, but Google has been tapping into the company's tech to improve its maps products.

For example, Google has incorporated Waze traffic reports, which display events such as accidents and road closures, into its desktop and mobile apps map products.

Waze

With this update, Google continues to distinguish its maps functionality from Apple's native maps offering.

"Waze is a premiere navigation product and as its features are brought into Google Maps, it will improve that product significantly," said Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst with the Enderle Group.

"That will make it hard for Apple or anyone else to keep up," he told The press

Waze's social feature and its very loyal customer base allow it to have high-quality and current information about everything going on around you -- from traffic cops to accidents and suggested reroutes," Enderle said.

"As long as Google doesn't break Waze, Maps will continue to advance," he continued, "but at some point, it may try to merge the two offerings -- and if it does that, it may pull the plug on their competitive advantage."

Google Maps has another advantage over Apple Maps, which has been recovering from its disastrous launch in 2012. The Google product spans both mobile and desktop products.

The fact that it's captured multiple endpoints really helps Google for sure," said Gartner Vice President for Mobile Computing Ken Dulaney.

"Apple is in catch-up mode here, and we'll have to see how quickly it catches up

Google Maps is on the iPhone," he continued. "If you don't like Apple's maps, you can use Google's. There's no downside there for user expectations, so it shouldn't affect the choice between buying an Android or iPhone."

Advantages

Nevertheless, Apple still controls the operating system for its smartphone, which means it can give its apps an edge over others on its devices.

"When you do any default location functions on the iPhone, Apple Maps is triggered, and that's driven a lot of usage," explained Opus Research Analyst Greg Sterling.

"You have to make a special effort to get Google Maps," he told the press, "so Google has to make a case to users for why Maps should be used."

That said, some users might not need much persuasion to make the effort to use Google Maps. Apple has had to dig its mapping reputation out of a deep hole it dug for itself when its native Maps app first launched.

"Initially, Apple got very negative coverage for a lot of errors, but it's improved substantially since that time," Sterling recalled.

"Google built up its Maps database over years, and Apple tried to do it in a very compressed time frame," he said. "It didn't understand the scope of what it was trying to do."

Apple's efforts to improve have been spurred by a number of acquisitions the company made last year: WiFiSlam, an indoor mapping app; HopStop, a transit mapping app; Locationary, a location wiki; and Embark, another transit app.

Apple Maps still suffers from a stigma among some users, though.

Google Maps is significantly better than Apple's performance," Josh Carr, founder of Rocky Mountain Mac Repair, told The press. "I've tried to use Apple Maps recently, and I would miss turns just because it was such a poorly written application.

The wonder material Graphene – a two-dimensional layer one atom thick – could be poised to replace silicon technology as the backbone of the mobile technology industry. The material, successfully isolated using a lead pencil and sticky tape back in 2002 by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov won them the Nobel Prize in 2010. The incredible strength, near-transparency, conductivity and flexibility of the material make it perfect for technological applications like mobile devices. IBM has just demoed a graphene-based integrated circuit that functions 10,000 times better than their previous attempts.

In case you don't realize the scale of what graphene means for the technology sector, it could revolutionize internet speeds and make components near-indestructible. Its honeycomb-lattice structure is stronger than diamond so that seems feasible, and did I mention it's also flexible? The fact that it is one atom thin means it is actually two-dimensional, a quality not shared by any other material we know of (there are other contenders though), so it's not only thin but almost transparent too, making it perfect for touchscreens. Google is already using Graphene in its smart contact lenses.

Graphene also conducts electricity and heat better than any three-dimensional material we currently have. So you can see how the combination of strength, conductivity, flexibility and transparency just scream mobile devices. At least, sooner or later. I suspect Samsung won't start investing in Sello Tape plants to manufacture the stuff this year, but IBM's new manufacturing method fully preserves the transistor quality, something that let down IBM's previous prototypes back in 2011, so we may see it appearing sooner than you might think. IBM demoed the circuit by sending a three-letter SMS: IBM. Something tells me this isn't the last time we'll be receiving messages about Graphene.

What do you think about graphene? What impact do you think it could have on the mobile industry?

How Scientists Manage To Grow Hair From Stem Cells

Scientists have revealed that they have discovered a breakthrough in hair science. It is now possbile to turn mature skin cells into stem cells, which then develop into hair follicles.

This is said to be the first time that researchers have been able to transform adult cells into the certain type of stem cell that creates hair follicles.

Scientists have demonstrated “functional hair regeneration from adult stem cells.” (Credit: Copyright : Tokyo University of Science)

The study, published in Nature Communications, explains how the scientists started with dermal fibroblasts or human skin cells, and then added genes that turn into pluripotent stem cells. After some genetic manipulation, these change into epithelial stem cells, which are necessary for hair follicles. These epithelial cells were transplanted on to mice and incredibly the cells grew in to human skin that grew in to human hair shafts.

However before you throw away the toupee or sweep the comb-over back in to place, it is worth noting that there are two different types of cell that are affected by hair loss. As well as the epithelial cells, hair loss also affects dermal papillae cells, which unfortunately have not been regenerated by the scientists. Not yet anyway.

The fact still remains though that this is interesting news is a step forward. The potential here could be further reaching than just those with a receding hair line. The research could be used in the future treatment of accident and burn victims.

Nokia X Android phone launching in March

The much-awaited but yet-to-be-announced Nokia X, aka the Nokia Normandy budget Android smartphone, is once again in the news, this time, with a report of the device being set to launch in March in India, under the Asha line-up.

The report, by GoAndroid, quotes an unnamed senior executive officer from Nokia India, who reportedly also confirmed that the much-rumoured dual-SIM Windows Phone device, aka Moneypenny, would be launched in the country at the same time. 

The numerous rumours (some from established tipsters) surrounding the speculated first Android phone from Nokia are slightly difficult to believe, what with Microsoft's takeover of Nokia's mobile devices and services division - why would the Redmond giant allow Nokia to offer a device on a competing platform? We'll have to wait to see if such a device actually arrives.

The alleged Nokia X aka Nokia Normandy was previously reported to be introduced at the upcoming MWC 2014 event held in Barcelona, starting from 24 February. The March launch timeline is therefore in line with this report. 

Last week, the rumoured Nokia X has been leaked in live images, revealing design of the alleged device. A French publication, No Where Else, has posted three images of the alleged Nokia X, showing the front panel, the rear panel, and the side panel.

Also last week, a new leak via Browsermark 2 benchmark's database purportedly revealed the alleged Nokia X phone to come with model number RM-980. Unfortunately, the listing did not reveal any details about the device, but includes an image that purportedly showed Nokia X wearing Nexus 5's wallpaper and home screen icons. However, the current image contradicted earlier reports that claimed that Nokia, following the lead of Amazon, has been working on a fully-tailored or forked version of Android, like the software on the online retail giant's Kindle Fire tablet range.

The alleged Nokia X was also recently listed at a Vietnamese online retailer that revealed most of the specifications, including a 4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480x854 (FWVGA) pixels; a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor; 5-megapixel rear camera; microSD card support and Android 4.4 KitKat.

Further, the Vietnamese retailer listing seemingly confirmed that the rumoured Nokia X would come with dual-SIM support, while connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, AGPS and Micro-USB. Other specifications include 4GB of inbuilt storage and Adreno 302 GPU. Notably, the listing claimed that the alleged Nokia X supports Google services like Google Play store, Google Search, Google Now, Google Maps, Calendar and YouTube.