Facebook Inc's purchase of fast-growing messaging startup WhatsApp for an eye-popping $19 billion largely won approval from analysts, who said the deal made strategic sense as it will solidify the social network's position as a leader in mobile.

Facebook shares closed up 2.3 percent at $69.63 after falling as much as 3 percent in early trading as investors got over the initial sticker shock of the deal value.

At least two brokerages downgraded their recommendations on Facebook to "hold" but the overwhelming majority of analysts remain positive on the stock.

Facebook is paying more than double its annual revenue for a chat program that has little revenue. The purchase price is slightly more than the market value of Sony Corp.

But analysts noted that WhatsApp has over 450 million users and boasts a higher level of engagement than Facebook.

"Facebook is the leading global social-sharing utility. Now, it has a significant opportunity to be the leading global communications utility," RBC Capital Markets said in a note.

WhatsApp is much stronger than Facebook Messenger in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Australia and has attracted users at a time when it appears that young people are turning away from Facebook.

Analysts said the price tag for WhatsApp, founded in 2009 by former Yahoo Inc employees Jan Koum and Brian Acton, seemed reasonable from the point of view of value per user.

Facebook is paying $42 per user, compared with a market value per user of $170 for Facebook and $212 for Twitter, Deutsche Bank's Ross Sandler said.

WhatsApp's user base is less than half that of Facebook's 1.2 billion but the chat program's users are more active. On any given day, 70 percent of WhatsApp users are active, compared with 62 percent for Facebook. WhatsApp's users are expected to reach 1 billion by 2015, according to many analysts.

"Looking past the sticker shock of $19 billion ... We view (the deal) as an offensive move to gain additional share of the consumer's time spent," Credit Suisse analysts said, noting that Facebook was paying about 11 percent of its market value to gain a 30 percent rise in engagement.

 MONEY FACTOR

Of the 44 analysts who cover Facebook, 37 have a "buy" or a "strong buy" rating on the stock

Analysts have commended Facebook's ability to make money from its mobile app. Now they will want to see how it will earn money from the chat app's huge number of users.

While we don't expect messaging to be a meaningful near-term or even long-term revenue driver, the real value could be the evolution of the platform to incorporate new functionality such as payments, app distribution, social features ...," Macquarie Equities Research analyst Ben Schachter said.

Facebook has fallen behind in mobile phone messaging apps in emerging markets, where many are accessing the Internet on fast-growing 3G mobile networks for the first time on smartphones.

Asian rivals such as Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, Naver Corp's Line and Rakuten Inc's Viber are well ahead of Facebook messenger across much of Asia.

Facebook has been buying apps with large numbers of young users as part of Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's strategy of helping users share any kind of content with anyone.

The company's $1 billion deal to buy photo-sharing application Instagram in 2012 and its recent $3 billion failed overture to buy SnapChat - used by teenagers to send texts and photos that disappear after a few seconds - followed unsuccessful attempts to develop rival apps.

"Large-scale networks like WhatsApp are rare and provide (a) significant monetization opportunity (i.e. YouTube) justifying valuation over time," SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's Robert Peck said in a note.

Analysts estimate WhatsApp users share 19 billion messages, 600 million photos, 200 million voice messages, and 100 million video messages per day.

Still, some analysts said Facebook was paying a high price to keep WhatsApp from being snapped up by a rival such as Google Inc.

Facebook shares would have been pressured by more than single-digit percentages in after-market trading if Google had purchased WhatsApp instead," Stifel analyst Jordan Rohan said in a note.

Pivotal Research's Brian Wieser, who downgraded his rating on Facebook shares to "hold" from "buy," said he expects Facebook shares to face pressure in the near-term as investors come to terms with the risk of future acquisitions.

What does this mean to BlackBerry

Facebook Inc's $19 billion bid for fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp sent shares of BlackBerry Ltd higher before the opening bell on Thursday as investors placed bets that the smartphone maker's own messaging platform has been undervalued.

BlackBerry shares were up as much as 9 percent in trading after the bell on Wednesday as the deal boosts valuation metrics around the company's own BlackBerry Messaging service.

BlackBerry Messaging, or BBM, was a pioneering mobile-messaging service, but its user base has failed to keep pace with that of WhatsApp and other upstarts, in part because BlackBerry had long refused to open the service to users on other platforms.

WhatsApp, with a user base of about 450 million, has grown rapidly. Its service works on Apple Inc's iOS platform, Google Inc's market-dominating Android operating system and with devices powered by both the Windows and BlackBerry operating systems.

BBM remains popular, even though BlackBerry devices have waned in popularity. Late last year, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company finally opened the messaging platform to users of iPhones and Android devices, and the number of the service's active users has grown to more than 80 million.

However, investors have attributed little value to the asset within the company. In a note to clients on Tuesday, Raymond James analyst Steven Li broke out a sum-of-parts valuation of BlackBerry and pegged the value of BBM at merely $240 million, or $3 per user.

Facebook's valuation of WhatsApp translates into roughly $42 per user, and that could lead investors and analysts to rethink their valuation of the asset within BlackBerry.

BlackBerry has given no indication of interest in selling the asset. While there has been some speculation that the company might try to carve out the unit, or even sell it, new Chief Executive John Chen has so far hinted that BBM remains a core asset.

Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um said the Facebook-WhatsApp deal presents potential upside to his own valuation of BBM.

"However, unless management plans to sell the unit, it is, in our opinion, difficult to add the incremental value given the unit is likely loss-making and will require investments," Um said in a note to clients on Thursday.

Facebook's acquisition prompted TD Securities analyst Scott Penner to boost his own valuation on BBM to $800 million, or $10 per user, from $400 million, or $5 per user.

"Engagement metrics of BBM stack up well with WhatsApp," Penner said in a note to clients. "And this deal does highlight the value of messaging platforms."

Sam Mobile are ‘confirming’ the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S5, quoting Samsung ‘insiders’ as always. The Galaxy S5, which will be announced (unless we have all completely misinterpreted Samsung’s rather obvious hints) next week at Mobile World Congress during their Unpacked 5 event, and will reportedly house the fingerprint scanner in the Home buttonand display your fingerprint on screen for some sexy security visuals. 

This is interesting for two reasons: it means it won’t be an on-screen or rear-mounted scanner and it also means the Galaxy S5 will have the good old physical Home button, a feature many of us were hoping to have seen the last of. According to Sam Mobile’s sources, the same physical button configuration we already know from the Galaxy S4 and S3 will reappear on the next flagship. The Home button scanner apparently works similarly to the HTC One Max – with a swipe gesture rather than a brief press like the iPhone 5s’s TouchID scanner.

Galaxy S5 owners will reportedly be able to register up to eight individual fingerprints on one device and attach to each of them a default task or app shortcut. It is uncertain whether this means you could let other people use your phone but only to access a particular app or action without completely unlocking the device. A sandboxed guest mode like this would be great for girlfriends or little brothers who simply must play with your phone. You could set it up so your little bro could unlock your S5 and play Angry Birds, but nothing else. But this is just me speculating.

However, Sam Mobile’s insiders have told them that Samsung has developed a Personal Folder and Private Mode which is controlled with fingerprints (but can also be unlocked using more traditional methods like a PIN or password). Apparently it will allow you to fingerprint lock your private apps, widgets and other sensitive content. Furthermore, you will be able to sign into certain websites using just your fingerprint and access your Samsung account the same way.

For some peculiar reason, Sam Mobile declined to share any images of the process in action, claiming they want to keep something for Samsung to surprise us with next week. As always, don't believe everything you read, but if this confirmation is indeed true, then Samsung are putting fingerprint control front and center like nobody else has before, and if the whole process is as seamless and responsive as we would hope, then we may be looking at a whole new way of interacting with our phones – putting more digits to work than just our thumbs. I guess now we get to speculate on an iris scanner in the Galaxy Note 4...

You can try out paid Android apps for free

Ever want to just try out a paid Android app first before you shell out the money for it? There’s been a few that I’ve been on the fence about spending the money, seeing as I’m unsure of whether I’ll use the app of whether it does exactly what I need it to do. Well, with a few tricks you can within a 48-hour time period. 

There are actually two methods that you can use to “try out” paid apps without having to commit the charges to your credit card. The first method can be used to try out an app and then receive a refund within 15 minutes of “purchasing” the app. The second method can extend that time to about 48 hours.

Please note: these only work for apps purchased officially through the Google Play Store.

15 minutes of fame

• 1- Purchase an Android app through Google Play
• 2- Play/Use the app for less than 15 minutes..
• 3- Head back to Google Play.
• 4- Press the Menu button and choose My Apps.
• 5- Scroll down and select the app in question.
• 6- Select Uninstall and Refund. If you haven’t even installed the app yet, you’ll only get the Refund option.

There you go! There app will now uninstall from your device and a refund will be issued for the original amount of app. However, if you’ve accidentally gone past 15 minutes, you’ll have to try out the second method. 

48 hours

It is important to note that for this method to work, the app in question must fall under the umbrella of Section 3.4 of the Android Developer Distribution agreement:

3.4 Special Refund Requirements. The Payment Processor’s standard terms and conditions regarding refunds will apply except the following terms apply to your distribution of Products on the Market.

Products that can be previewed by the buyer (such as ringtones and wallpapers): No refund is required or allowed.

Products that cannot be previewed by the buyer (such as applications): You authorize Google to give the buyer a full refund of the Product price if the buyer requests the refund within 48 hours after purchase.

 The gist of it: You can get a refund up to 48 hours after you’ve purchased an app as long it’s not something you can preview, such as a wallpaper or a ringtone.

• 1- Go to your account for Google Play from your PC/Mac. (https://play.google.com/store/account)
• 2- Log onto your Google Account
• 3- Under the Options for the individual item you want refunded, click Report a problem
• 4- From the options presented, select I’d like to request a refund
• 5- Fill out the reason that you’d like to request a refund and click Send Report
All done! Google does however note that they will be “only able to make exceptions to our refund policy in cases where there are extenuating circumstances.” And as such, we cannot guarantee that the method will work all the time. However, in all our tests, we’ve received a refund for purchased content.
Have you tried out this method? 

Microsoft To Support XP Anti-Malware

I guess we can say that Microsoft does monitor the pulse of its community of users. While the pressure to continue support for Windows XP has not really yielded any practical results, it seems that the noise surrounding the “death” of Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP has prompted Microsoft think twice. Not long after the official announcement, Microsoft backtracked, saying the XP anti-malware support is going to continue in spite of the end-of-life date having been determined for the popular operating system.

This is certainly reason for Windows XP users to rejoice, but we cannot deny that the end-of-life date for XP is not going to disappear into thin air. That stands, and the XP anti-malware support is also on its deathbed.

For now, XP users have to be satisfied with the fact that Microsoft will continue to release signatures that will protect computers running on XP from malware. Until July 2015, that is.

These signatures covers Microsoft Security Essentials, among other things.

Again, this is but a respite for Windows XP users. Support for the widespread operating system will still end on April 8 of this year. Additionally, existing Windows XP users will NOT be able to download Microsoft Security Essentials after the said date. As such, if you do not have any plans of ditching Windows XP any time soon, you ought to make sure you have Microsoft Security Essentials downloaded before April 8. After that, you will continue to receive the updated signatures, keeping you at least safe from malware, which we know seem to favor Windows.

Another piece of positive, related news: third party anti-malware software will continue to be supported, and they will have updates on XP for the next year. Just how long that will last, we don’t really know.

So, dear Microsoft XP loyalists, your week is off to a (somehow) good start!

New Wireless Networking Breakthrough

Technologist and serial entrepreneur Steve Perlman on Wednesday announced his new company, Artemis, and demoed its pCell technology.

pCell technology "consistently delivers full-speed mobile data to every mobile device concurrently, regardless of how many users are sharing the same spectrum at once," he claimed.

The theory is legitimate, but "you certainly do not have the whole network's capacity available to an unlimited number of users," Philip Solis, a research director at ABI Research, told The media.

"The more users the network would try to communicate with simultaneously, the more complicated the signals would become," Solis continued.

How pCell Technology Works

Instead of trying to suppress interference, the pCell exploits it -- combining radio signals transmitted from multiple pCell base stations to, in effect, create a personalized wireless network around each mobile device. Think of it as a globe that accompanies the device. This gives each user the full capacity of the pCell.

The pCell's underlying technology is what Perlman's company,Rearden, calls Distributed Input-Output Technology, or DIDO.

DIDO's capacity has been demonstrated to reach 10x the limit prescribed by Shannon-Hartley calculations -- and it might be able to hit 1,000x that capacity, claimed Reardon. That's because, instead of users and access points all sharing the same channel, each user and access point (AP) gets, in effect, a personalized channel.

When a user clicks on a streaming video website in a DIDO setup, the data is sent to the DIDO data center, which processes the video data into a radio signal waveform and sends it to the DIDO AP. The characteristics of the waveform are determined by algorithms on the back-end servers. That lets each PC making a request pick out its own video stream. The response uses the full bandwidth of the channel.

Uploaded data also gets the full channel bandwidth.

DIDO is cloud-based. The technology has been successfully tested at frequencies from 1 MHz to 1 GHz.

DIDO APs indoors have a transmission range of more than one mile. In outdoor configurations, DIDO APs have used Near-Vertical Incidence Skywave to provide coverage of an area 500 miles in diameter.

The pCell technology works in all mobile bands, as well as in unlicensed spectrum -- such as 900 MHz in the Americas -- sharing spectrum with other unlicensed devices.

Benefits of pCell

pCell is compatible with standard, unmodified out-of-the box LTE devices such as iPhone 5s and 5c, Samsung Galaxy S4, LTE dongles and MiFi devices, Perlman said. Standard LTE devices can run at full LTE speed throughout pCell coverage areas, and they can hand off to conventional cellular where there's no pCell coverage.

Wireless carriers and independent ISPs can deploy pCell far faster and at lower cost than conventional cellular, using base stations called "pWave radios" instead of building cell towers. Those stations can be placed anywhere convenient.

pCell currently is in trials with Artemis' partners in San Francisco. It will be ready for first commercial deployment in one market at the end of 2014.

Issues with pCell Technology

Wireless carriers reportedly have not expressed any interest in the pCell, and that might prove its undoing.

"You need both wireless carriers and consumers to agree to install access points and share bandwidth, even through devices users are carrying,

But this would still not eliminate the need for cell towers mask as a means for back-haul connectivity.

While many users are put off with the Windows Phone operating system that is running on Nokia smartphones, there is no getting away from the fact that the devices feature market leading cameras, and now it seems that the Nokia OIS camera tech is going to be open to all handset manufacturers.

For a long time now Nokia has provided customers with a great experience in terms of the main camera provided, and is something we found out ourselves recently with the Nokia Lumia 925.

The company has been improving this further with a recent firmware update, but the exclusive deal that the Finnish manufacturer had on the ST Microelectronics L2G2IS two-axis gyro component has apparently ended.

This helps video capture remain stable even if the user has unsteady hands and is used in the likes of the Nokia Lumia 1520, Lumia 1020, Lumia 925, and Lumia 920. This system is superior to what is used in the likes of the Nexus 5 or HTC One, but now that the deal has expired the company is allowing the optical image stabilization technology to go onto the open market for anyone to use.

The component is not cheap and costs $1.70 on the condition that it is purchased in bulk orders, but with big companies getting on board should see the price come down, and this could see the likes of Apple and Samsung finally offering OIS inside their smartphone cameras.

Whats-App New update with new and interesting functions

The WhatsApp app has just received a mega update with new and interesting functions in addition to two widgets that will significantly enhance user experience. Here are the most significant changes in WhatsApp that is released on the app through Google Play.

The number 1 instant messaging service received a significant upgrade with many striking improvements and changes and it's about time if you ask me. The new version should arrived to Google Play, but if you are in a hurry like I was, you can download the WhatsApp APK.

Pay for someone

As we all know or soon discover, WhatsApp is a paid app, which many people dislike having to pay for (but there are very good reasons for paying for WhatsApp). For some users, it seems like they only needed to cough up a single down payment. The rest of us have to renew this service every year with a fee of 99 cents. The developers have now added an interesting feature: you can buy a subscription for a friend, just like inviting them out for coffee. And if you are feeling extra generous, you can even buy them a subscription for one, three or even five years. This I’m sure will be really useful for those who have neither a Google Wallet nor a Paypal account.

In order to view this function, go to Settings then Account Information, Payment information and once there click on the menu to see the new option to pay for a friend.

New Camera and widgets

The improvements don’t stop there either. There are also two new widgets and one of them in fact hints at another of the changes that I consider the main and most important in the history of WhatsApp updates: they’ve now included the possibility to take pictures directly from the application.

There’s a new WhatsApp Camera widget that is basically a shortcut icon. This function is also included within each chat, found under the paperclip icon. When opening the camera viewfinder, a message will say "Send WhatsApp photo or video". After pressing the shutter, you will be redirected to your WhatsApp contacts for sharing. What’s more, the preview video or photo after sharing is much better.

Finally, there is a new widget allowing you to read the latest unread messages in much more detail than in the notification bar.

What do you think of the update?

It looks almost certain now that Nokia is going to release a low cost handset in the coming weeks that has an operating system that is based on the Android platform, and now ahead of any official launch the Nokia X is at the centre of a supposed spec confirmation claim.

There have long been rumours and leaks about Nokia working on a new handset that will run some form of Android software, and while the company is almost under the full control of Microsoft these rumours continue to emerge.

Now serial tipster’s evleaks that has already provided both images and specs for the handset that started with the title of Nokia Normandy, has taken to Twitter again to provide some more details about the handset.

A lot of the information we have already heard such as the dual core processor clocked at 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage expandable by microSD card, 1,500 mAh battery, and 5-megapixel rear facing camera.

There are also claims now that Android applications will be available from a special Nokia Store along with other 3rd party stores, which fits in with all the other rumours that have long suggested the device will have a special version of the Android operating system onboard.

We have even seen the handset listed on a retailer’s website in Vietnam, but more recently there has been talk of some higher end Nokia Android handsets coming later this year.

Android smartphones, dominance continues

One subject that we often find sparks an influx of comments from Phones Review readers is the Android vs. iOS debate. Fans of devices using each operating system can be pretty passionate about which platform they favor. However, the latest figures show that Android smartphones rule the world, as the dominance of the platform grows further.

A market intelligence firm has just gathered the latest data for the mobile market and Android very clearly takes top spot in smartphone operating system market share. In 2012 Android devices made up 69% of global smartphone unit shipments and this increased further to a massive 78.6% for 2013. Compare this to the 49.2% figure for 2011 and that’s a substantial rise.

However, the iOS platform market share for smartphones fell to 15.2% in 2013, as opposed to 18.7% in 2012. This might surprise many people as the iPhone is so popular, but its success is more evident in some regions than others.

Of course others would point out that there are a huge variety of Android smartphones available when compared to iPhones. Nevertheless the fact remains that Android devices globally are most popular, and that their dominance is still gathering pace.

BlackBerry’s share of the market also fell, with BlackBerry 10 failing to rejuvenate the platform as had been hoped. In 2011 the BlackBerry platform smartphone market share was 10.3% but this fell to 4.5% in 2012 and dropped further still to just 1.9% in 2013.

The smartphone operating system market share for Windows Phone handsets rose slightly. The figure in 2011 was 1.8% and in 2012 this rose slightly to 2.4% and for 2013 to 3.3%. Not a substantial gain, but a rise all the same. You can check out the image below from Statista for all of the figur

We really welcome your comments on this, as we’re always interested to hear what you have to say. Which platform is your choice of smartphone operating system? Are you surprised at just how far Android is stretching away from the rest of the competition?

After releasing its BlackBerry Messenger chat app for Android and iOS devices to considerable fanfare last fall, BlackBerry on Thursday announced that it had expanded the app's functionality on those platforms with two key features.

Previously available only to users of BlackBerry's own mobile platform, BBM Voice and BBM Channels are now part of the company's offerings for Android and iPhone users as well, giving those customers the ability to make free voice calls to BBM contacts over a WiFi or data connection, as well as chat with other BBM users about topics of mutual interest.

"The update announcement gives Android and iPhone customers two great ways to connect with friends, family and colleagues, to build out communities around shared interests, and to follow favorite people and brands," said John Sims, BlackBerry's president of Global Enterprise Solutions.

 The BBM Channels

BBM channels can be created by brands, businesses or individual users and are designed to help people share common interests in the broader BBM community.

"BBM Channels is like a hybrid between instant messaging, with one-to-one communication, and Twitter, in the sense that you can follow a celebrity or brand

A user could set up an Olympics-focused channel using the feature, for example, and the resulting conversation could include multimedia elements, as well as offer the potential for moderation by the channel owner.

Dropbox Integration/File Sharing

In addition to BBM Channels and the calling functionality enabled by BBM Voice, the new version of the BBM app for Android and iOS includes one-click file and photo sharing, location sharing, more than 100 new emoticons, and Dropbox integration.

The new location-sharing feature, for example, powered by Glympse, gives BBM users a way to share their real-time location with one or several BBM contacts for a specified amount of time. Designed for situations when someone might be running late or out with friends, for instance, the feature allows users to specify precisely how long they want to share their location.

Built-in support for Dropbox, meanwhile, aims to make it easy to send large files like presentations and videos. BBM users on Android and iOS can send a file from their personal cloud directly to a BBM contact. At the other end, they can save the file directly to their smartphone or add it to their Dropbox account.

Comparising

"By making all the functionality available across operating systems, this really shows that BBM is a messaging platform rather than just a marketing tool or gimmick the company is using to get more device sales, Moreover, "if the initial launch of iOS and Android support is any indication, it should be very well received by both consumers and business users -- probably the Voice feature more than Channels, BlackBerry has shown that it's very responsive to the needs of the market -- it continues to update and innovate on the platform

Where's the Money?'

Indeed, the addition of the new features is a natural progression, Chris Silva, a research director with Gartner explains.

It seems like a continuation of their strategy to bring BlackBerry features to other platforms and use BBM as an enticement," Silva explained. "They've continued to play competitively and get on par with competitors."

There is "probably a bit of uncertainty on what happens with the product from here, given that the person in charge recently left," he noted, referring to the recent departure of Andrew Bocking, the executive vice president in charge of BBM.

Meanwhile, "the bigger question I have is, how does this play out as a revenue stream?" Silva said. In other words, "where's the money? since the app is free.

Dirty Android Secrets Leaked

The Android operating system, which Google touts as open, isn't.

Google imposes strict restrictions on smartphone manufacturers and app developers in its Android mobile application distribution agreement, or MADA, according to excerpts of documents revealed by Ben Edelman, an associate professor at the Harvard Business School.

The information was obtained from two MADAs -- one with HTC and one with Samsung -- that were admitted in open court in Oracle's lawsuit against Google over Java.

"Under pressure, Google may well have to lift these restrictions, letting competitors get a better chance to offer their apps and services," Edelman, who states up front that he's a consultant to some of Google's competitors, told the media.

Google did not respond to our request to comment for this story.

The MADAs' Restrictions

In sum, smartphone manufacturers must agree to install all apps Google specifies, with the prominence Google requires, including setting those apps as a default per the company's instructions, if they want to get key mobile apps including Google Search, Maps and YouTube, Edelman said.

It's an all-or-nothing proposition -- installing one Google app means having to install them all. Since smartphone manufacturers need Google Play and YouTube, they must accept Google Search, Maps, Network Location Provider and other apps, regardless of whether they prefer alternatives.

The Google Search and Google Play icons must be placed at least on the panel immediately adjacent to the default home screen, and phone manufacturers must set Google Search as the default search provider for all Web search access points.

All other Google applications must be placed no more than one level below the phone's top level.

Google's Network Location Provider must be preloaded as the default.

Stifling the Opposition

These provisions restrict competition, Edelman charged.

Smartphone manufacturers can install third-party search, map or email apps in addition to the Google apps they must include, Edelman said. However, multiple apps are duplicative, confusing to users, and a drain on device batteries.

Further, manufacturers cannot install third-party apps in exchange for a subsidy that would lower the cost of the device.

Competitors are likely to be less willing to pay for preinstallation of their apps because Google apps must be the default, and its search and app store apps must be placed prominently.

"Google enjoys a position of dominance in the market for mobile phone operating systems," Edelman said. Android and Windows Phone "are the only commercially viable options" for smartphone manufacturers.

Android's position "is tenfold larger," Edelman continued. "Antitrust law applies higher standards for companies in this position."

The Possible MADA Backlash

It's possible that the revelations might spark the interest of antitrust regulators and a negative reaction from the open source community, Edelman said.

The disclosures "will upset developers," said Nick Spencer, a senior director of research at ABI Research.

"They are quite religious about open source stuff, and they're quite annoyed about Apple not having a transparent certification program to get on the App Store, and this is not dissimilar to that," he told the media.

"Another possibility is further investigation by the Senate Antitrust Committee; one imagines they might be disappointed to learn that [Google CEO Eric] Schmidt's response was less than forthright," Edelman suggested.

He was referring to a September 2011 committee hearing, where Schmidt reportedly said Google did not demand that smartphone manufacturers make it the default search engine as a condition of using the Android OS.

A shocke?

"It is no secret that Google has always intended to monetize Android with back-end services," Al Hilwa, a program director at IDC, told the press. "I really am not sure why everyone is shocked, shocked at this."

With the MADA restrictions, Google is "trying to keep control," surmised ABI's Spencer. "They've seen all this fragmentation and are very worried about forked versions coming out of China and India -- these forks constituted 25 percent of Android sales.

If you were thinking of buying an electric or hybrid car in order to do your bit for the environment, then you might want to read the new research printed in the Environmental Science & Technology journal first.

The research claims that even if we see a great increase in the number of people using hybrid or fully electric cars, it still won’t drastically reduce the amount of harmful gases emitted in the United States.

The researchers from North Carolina State University explain that “passenger vehicles make up a relatively small share of total emissions”, so even if everyone drove an electric car, it still wouldn’t solve the pollution problem. The study also highlights again the issue with producing electric cars, that they cause an increase in pollution, not from emissions but from the power plants that have to produce their energy.

The study was conducted by modelling gas emission patterns and battery costs through to 2050, creating 108 different scenarios. The results showed that oil prices and battery costs are what will have the biggest impact on electric drive vehicles. It suggests that by 2050 up to 40 percent of the cars in the U.S. would be electric or hybrid. Yet despite that optimistic number the researchers still  “do not see a noticeable reduction compared to even 0 percent EDV deployment.”

So as a result of this new research, should we conclude that it is pointless buying hybrid or electric cars? Well lead authour for the research, Joseph DeCarolis, says that we should not be discouraged from buying them because they can still be useful in helping to relieve a country from oil dependency and can improve air pollution in urban areas.

The key thing to take away from this study is that it’s not the cars themselves that are the issue but rather how we generate the electricity to power them. If a better solution can be found in producing that electricity, then that will improve the environment in the long run.

In the last little while, we encountered some leaks of Samsung's operating system Tizen which appeared on an alleged up-and-coming smartphone called the ZEQ 9000. The Tizen user interface from what we saw looked a lot like a Windows Phone/TouchWiz Magazine UX/stock Android knock-off, which has many people either excited or simply saying meh!

Tizen was shown in a leaked picture of the Samsung ZYQ 905 with the UI in clear sight (as seen on this page), and appeared to boast some sort of Flipboard/Windows Phone set up. Then the phone appeared on eBay very briefly under the name of ‘‘New Tizen Samsung SM-Z9005 smartphone for apps development’’ and for a price of 300 USD before disappearing out of sight.

Afterwards, there were comments from a Japanese mobile provider where they said that there simply isn’t enough room for a third operating system in Japan right now, when in fact, Samsung could probably make it happen single-handedly seeing as they have such a strong hold on smartphone distribution anyway. There were talks about Samsung presenting a version of the OS at the MWC this month which we will be attending in Barcelona.

Olympic app offers live streaming

As the Winter Olympics 2014 progresses there seems to be an increasing amount of interest in following all the winter sports events. If you’re enjoying the Games then you might be interested in the CBC Olympics Sochi app, which offers live streaming, news of Olympics standings, results and more.

The CBC Olympics coverage is extensive and this app has plenty to offer. It has real-time coverage of the Winter Olympic Games with live streaming of all of the sporting events in their entirety and with enhanced stats. The coverage is also available on demand later, as well as highlights, news and analysis.

This app comes from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and offers a choice of French or English languages, and Canadian athletes’ performances in real time as well as results and the medal count. There’s also a CBC Olympic Feed to keep you up to date with what’s happening on social media.

Another feature is live commentary from athletes and journalists and a detailed event schedule and programming guide for CBC. If you want the Android version of the app head here to Google Play. This is a free app and it’s compatible with devices running Android 2.3 or later.

Alternatively for the iOS version of the CBC Olympics app head to iTunes. This is also a free app and it’s suitable for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad running iOS 6.0 or later.

ASUS Vivo Note 8 Review

Something new has come up at the Microsoft Store, and it might catch the interest of people who are in the market for a new tablet. The ASUS VivoTab Note 8, which have been talked about with interest, is now available in the Microsoft Store.

The ASUS VivoTab Note 8 runs on Windows 8.1, and the product description says that the tablet will bring the operating system to life. Big promise?

With a tag price of $329, what’s to convince consumers to buy the ASUS VivoTab Note 8?

Here are a few things that might work for you.

• All day battery life; technically 8 hours, really. Of course, there is the small print: “Battery life varies by configuration, operating conditions, and other factors. Maximum battery capacity decreases with time and use.“
• Wacom Digital Stylus. For people who regularly use stylii, this is a huge plus – we know Wacom is pretty much the best out there.
• Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office Home and Student are preloaded on the tablet, making for some significant savings ($139).

Other important specs:

• Display: 8.0 in IPS LED-backlit WXGA touchscreen (800 x 1280), 5-finger multi-touch support
• Processor: Intel Atom Z3740 1.33 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 1.86 GHz
• Memory: 2GB 1600 MHz LPDDR3
• Storage: 32GB eMMC/Micro SD card slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
• Ports: Micro USB 2.0; Headphone output/Microphone input combo
• Camera: 5 MP rear, 1.2 MP front
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n (Miracast enabled); Bluetooth
• Dimensions: 8.70 x 5.20 x 0.40 in (220.98 x 132.08 x 10.16 mm)
• Weight: 0.85 lbs (0.38 kg)

And, just like other Microsoft tablets, you can opt for Microsoft Complete for an extended warranty for two years.

Compared to other tablets in the same range – especially with how Microsoft has slashed prices on select tablets, the price of the ASUS VivoTab Note 8 is a little steep, but if you absolutely rely on Microsoft Office, this offer might actually be a good one.

There’s the good news, but here’s some bad news if you’re impatient: from the looks of it, the offer has attracted a lot of attention, and as of this writing, the Store is currently out of stock!