Even the original creator of BBM where not able to use dual bbm on blackberry device at first, but Android devices where the first to broke the embargo of using only one bbm on your android device with the use of BBM3.

BBM3 is the secondary app of BBM that can be run on the same device bbm is installed. It will allow you to have two different Pin in one device. In short, you can run up to 5 bbm on one device. 

Requirements:
>Make sure you’ve installed the original bbm
>Make sure you are running android 4.0 and above 

Installation steps

1. Download BBM3 Here:   
2. Run and install it,
3. Sign in or Create a new/different Blackberry ID (Recommended)
4. Wait until it finishes and you will have 2bbm running on one android device.

Can I run more than one bbm on Iphone/iPad or Blackberry Device ? Yes with the new Blackberry 10 OS update you can do magical things.

Blackberry 10 owners can run upto 3 bbm apps on their phones,  how?

1-  Update your Blackberry Z10 to the latest OS 10.2.1.1055

2-   Download Snap  Download Latest v2.0.0.1*

and sideload it to your z10   If you haven't yet tried Snap out you can follow the 'How to' guide here to get up and running. 

3-  Run Snap and sign in with your gmail ID

Snap is like google play store, so you can download the android version of  bbm through Snap

and install it to your z10, remember you have to enable installation of app from unknown source

on your z10,

4-  Download BBM3 Here:  run and install it

Now you have 3 bbm on your z10

In the same way you can have  double of almost every apps on your z10, like skype, whats-app and even more, who knows, you can even triple

things up 

The post Multiple BBM on one Device appeared first on jonesarena.blogspot.com

Android and iphone Tips

Our Android devices hold a large amount of information about the hardware and system that an average user might find difficult to access. But if you know the secret codes that Android uses to bring up this information, you can find out all sorts of hidden stuff about your device. For example, if the IMEI number – used to uniquely identify your device and block its use if stolen - has rubbed off the back of your phone and it isn't printed inside the battery cover, a simple button combination can bring it up on screen.  

The code entry procedure is very simple and only requires you to bring up your dialer keypad and enter the appropriate number sequence. Not every code works on every device or every version of Android, so don't despair if a particular code doesn't work for you: it's not you, it's the code. Here are the best-known codes for Android.

If you want to get your IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number, which is essential in case your device is stolen and you want to block the thief from accessing your network, all you have to do is dial *#06#

Ever wanted your Power button to just turn off your phone without bringing up the menu first? Enter *#*#7594#*#* to enable direct power off.

Maybe you just want to know your country code (Country Services Code or CSC), which is of course useful if you're having any problems displaying notifications or data that's based on your country, like map content. Just enter *#1234# and apparently you can change your CSC with *#272*<insert IMEI number here>* - this may not work for some

If you want your PDA, Phone, CSC, Build Time and Changelist number (useful for flashing Samsung devices in Odin for example), just enter *#*#44336#*#*

However, if you need additional testing information about your device, like phone or battery information, your usage statistics or Wi-Fi information, you can simply enter *#*#4636#*#*

Maybe you just need your Wi-Fi MAC address instead? Just enter *#*#232338#*#*

And if you want to factory reset your device (do not take this lightly – this will erase all of your data and apps) enter *#*#7780#*#* or for a hard reset (all apps, data, full reformatting of your phone, including firmware) enter *2767*3855#

Some others you might want to try:

*#*#8255#*#* to access GTalk Service Monitor
*#*#36245#*#* to access Email debug info Email
*#*#225#*#* events calendar
*#*#426#*#* debug info for Google Play Service
*#*#759#*#* to access Google Partner Setup

The list goes on, there are many other codes for all sorts of tests, resets and more - codes that allow you to quickly reach the farthest corners of your device. Here, in addition to those mentioned above, you'll find a substantial list of codes for Samsung and HTC models.

Maybe you'll never actually need them, but if one day you do you know where to find them!

Coming from the Apple side of things myself, one of the biggest issues I had when I was making the speculations was not really knowing whether Android could live up to the things that I had come to rely on with iOS. Thankfully, a little bit of research made things much simpler. In fact, I found that not only did Android have features that performed the same function as many iOS features, but in many cases, Android did it better. Here’s a list of a few common iOS features that Android can do.

Notification Center

iOS: I think it’s safe to say that Android got it right long before iOS decided to incorporate the Notification Center. While it was a nice addition to give users much more information at-a-glance, providing users with three tabs in which notifications could be sorted: Today, All, and Missed. Sure, it’s a step forward, but still relatively clunky and encumbered.

Android: The notification shade covers most of your notifications, but misses a few items. However, with the addition of Google Now, you have access to all this information and more. Super customizable, it offers you information in regards to reminders, traffic information, sports scores (depending on what you want to see), stock prices, and many more. Plus, it’s got an awesome overload of voice recognition software and the power of Google at its fingertips.

iOS: With the revamp of the Control Center in iOS 7, Apple users finally had access to a ton of quick toggle settings with a flick of their finger. Simply swiping up, you could toggle your WiFI and Bluetooth, change musical tracks, change the brightness of the display, and more.

Android: Beat iOS to the punch a long time ago with their Quick Settings. Simply swiping down from the top right corner of the screen brings up your Quick Settings notification shade that incorporates all the same settings as the iOS control center and more. Get yourself a custom ROM, such as CyanogenMod, and you can customize it even further by adding app icons/shortcuts in this space as well.

AirDrop

iOS: As long as you’ve got an iPhone 5 or later, you can use this “groundbreaking” feature. You can share photos and videos with other friends’ devices, as long as you’re close by.

Android: Available since Android 4.0, Android Beam does the exactly same thing utilizing NFC/Bluetooth. In fact, you can send maps, photos, web links, contacts, and more by just holding two NFC enabled devices back to back. As well, Samsung offers its own version of the same thing via their S Beam feature: while utilizing NFC to create the connection, it jumps over to Wi-Fi to complete the transfer.

Integrated VOIP

iOS: While many people didn’t know about this update (I sure didn’t), you could make audio only calls over Apple’s Facetime using your 4G or Wi-Fi connection. Sure, you can save money when making phone calls and not having to use your minutes, but you needed to make sure that whoever you were calling had an compatible iOS device as well.

Android: Apps. Tons and tons of Apps. While there was no integrated service that allowed for VOIP natively on Android, you could easily get a ton of different software that would do the same thing.Skype and Viber are two of the most popular apps that come to mind when using this service, and I’ve all but switched over to Skype to make long distance calls. Sure, to truly take advantage of the software, you’ll need to make sure that whoever you’re calling has the same software installed, but at least it’s cross compatible across various operating systems: Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile.

Nokia will unveil a low-cost smartphone running a version of Google Inc's Android operating system, despite the company's close partnership with Microsoft Corp and its competing Windows system, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The handset division of the Finnish company, which is in the final stages of being acquired by Microsoft, will show off the new phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, the report said on Monday, citing unidentified sources who were familiar with the matter.

Nokia and Microsoft declined to comment.

The new Android phone will be aimed at emerging markets and will not feature some of Google's higher-end, custom Android features.

Microsoft and its main handset partner Nokia have struggled to make an impression in the smartphone market dominated by Samsung's Android devices and Apple Inc's iPhone.

According to technology research firm, Strategy Analytics, 79 percent of smartphones shipped worldwide last year ran on Android, 15 percent were iPhones running Apple's iOS and only 4 percent ran Windows Phone software.

New Samsung TouchWiz UI for Galaxy Devices

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?