When WhatsApp was first introduced, it received tremendous response and is now characterized by millions of worldwide users.

However, other apps have introduced new capabilities and as VoIP software continues to advance, it can only be expected that the trend will continue. There are quite a number of capabilities the original WhatsApp could not manage.

Fortunately, its developers have created WhatsApp Plus which comes with additional features such as ability to share music files, hide online status and last seen and the reputable stealth mode. The WhatsApp plus free download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is now available at Google Play and Apple stores where users of such gadgets can quickly install and use it.

Download and installation

Downloading WhatsApp plus is no different from the original or any other Google Play app for that matter. The process is very simple and quick. Simply access the Google play through any of the steps listed below;

Search http://www.play.google.com to access the store. Once you are on the site, type WhatsApp Plus in their search box and a list of results will be displayed. Choose the specific option and click install.

Search Google Play on any search engine and click on the result that displays their URL. This will take you to the above link. You can also search WhatsApp Plus on Google Play and the results will include an exact download page which is basically the page you get after searching the app on Google Play’s search box.

Search for Apple Store and WhatsApp in their search box.

Go to Android Market or Apple store and search the app from either search boxes. From the results, you can choose the appropriate option and click install or download.

To download WhatsApp, you must have a working Gmail address or Apple account. You will need to provide your phone number since the app is installed on one device and OS at a time. You must also agree to the terms and conditions. Once installed, WhatsApp will carry out a few startups that include prompting you to add a profile picture, update status and import previous messages from their databases. When this is done, you can start using your WhatsApp Plus and connect with other users worldwide. WhatsApp automatically syncs with your phonebook and you can invite users from your contact book just like with the original version.

Use and new features

Using WhatsApp plus on your iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone or Android smartphone is no different from the original app. You can send voice messages, text messages, video files and pictures to other users. You can now also send music files and other multimedia.

Additionally, you can hide online status and last seen details to allow you interact stealthily without being seen. It is also possible to disable Read Recipient which prevents double checking even for sent messages. Other additions include stealth mode and night mode.

Conclusion

WhatsApp is a favorite VoIP among many app users and the new upgrades for iOS8 now includes iPad, iPod and iPhone users. The app is simple to download and only takes a few seconds to be ready for immediate use. Ensure the app is downloaded from legit providers such as Google Play or Apple Store.

As long as piracy sites, scenes, and groups have existed, they get raided, shut down, and contributors feel the inescapable wrath of the law. Most piracy sites, even private community darlings like Demonoid, come to an end. The world’s most popular torrent site, The Pirate Bay, has been able to avoid its own demise for quite a while, but has now been raided by Swedish police and shut down — and TPB wasn’t the only popular casualty.

Torrent sites randomly go down for various reasons — attacks, legal issues, switching servers, or simple maintenance — but due to the nature of the service they provide, fans quickly become nervous when that service vanishes from the internet. The Pirate Bay — a (somehow) generally stable site — recently vanished from the internet, and it has been confirmed that it was the result of raid by law enforcement. Other popular torrent sites, like EZTV, were also hit by the raid.

The Swedish police seized TPB’s computers, servers, and other equipment. It has also been confirmed that the raid took an entire morning, and consisted of a sizable amount officers and digital forensics experts. It’s unclear if any arrests were made, but TorrentFreak suggests at least one man may have been.

Like Demonoid, most high profile piracy sites rise from the ashes after time, and The Pirate Bay and EZTV should be no different. It may take a while — it took Demonoid two years — but the brand of TPB (and to a lesser extent, EZTV) is big enough to make a comeback at some point. The Pirate Bay has been raided or forced to drop service before — the most major instance having taken place back in 2006 — and up until today, it was going strong.

In a statement, co-founder and former spokesperson for the TPB Peter Sunde hopes that the site stays down. He says that it has long since lost its soul and original vision, pointing toward the ever-growing number of ads placed on the site in favor of fixing bugs and cleaning up the code. Sunde also isn’t the only co-founder of the site that thinks it should stay dead.

For now, The Pirate Bay and EZTV are down, and we’ll see how long that holds. The raid took down some heavy hitters, but it won’t be long before those sites’ communities flock to other sites that can fill the now-gaping torrent hole.

UPDATE

However the Pirate Bay has made a rapid return on the web.

http://thepiratebay.cr/

http://thepiratebay.ee/

Microsoft Windows 10 event scheduled for January 21

Just yesterday we looked at a report mentioning Windows 10 for phones, and how it might bring, whenever it comes out (expected mid-2015), new ways to interact with Live Tiles. The aforementioned report claims that the new version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system will put the tiles on steroids, introducing a new kind of tile: the “exploding” or “flyout” tile, which is pretty much the same as the Mixview was in Microsoft’s Zune software. When we reported about this, we told you that nothing is certain at the moment, as there is a long way until we see something official from Microsoft, but, the Redmond-based company announced that it will hold a special event, a Windows 10 event, at the beginning of next year.

Early 2015 will be dominated by the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and all the cool gadgets that will see the light of day. Well, post CES, in January 21, to be more specific, Microsoft will be holding an event at its own campus in Redmond, where the company “will talk about the next chapter of Windows 10″. The details are scarce, but the official wording mentions that we’ll “hear directly from senior leaders from the Operating Systems Group including Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore and Phil Spencer who will talk about the Windows 10 consumer experience”. Now, at least one name on the list has a close relationship with Windows Phone, and we’re guessing that the smartphone experience will also be a part of this event.

Given the fact that the CEO will be present, alongside the aforementioned executives, coupled with the fact that the entire event will be live streamed, we can expect to see a rather extensive preview of what Windows 10 will be, and how it will look and behave across different platforms, from PCs to the Xbox One, smartphones, and tablets.

Previous rumors have anticipated the existence of the event, and, in six weeks from now, we’ll all know more. Until then, we can only hope that the event will be focused on the consumer-targeted features (as rumored), and, smartphones and tablets being part of it, we expect to see Windows 10 on Lumia phones and Surface tablets.

Source: Microsoft

It’s the Christmas season again, undoubtedly one of the most fun filled and loving periods of the year. A season is characterized mostly by gifts sharing, food and music. For the music, a lot of songs are sung during this time of the year annually and here we try to help you make a list of songs that must be in your collection this year.

1. Little Drummer Boy.

“Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum”. Just that line and you know the song i mean. Several singers have tried their voices on this one including a very recent one by American Acapella group Pentatonix. It would be really nice if you have more than one version to listen to this period. Look out for a duet version by Bing Crosby-David Bowie.

2. Happy Xmas The War is Over.

It is befitting that the love, joys and peace shared during the Christmas season will be shared and experienced by all throughout the year. This song urges for peace all through the world. That calmness, quietness and tangible love expressed should go beyond our families and loved ones to our neighbors and to all he world over.

3. I wish it could be Christmas Everyday.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t nurse this wish? A song by Wizzard that has become very popular with Children. Beyond just the very catchy tune, it is one of those songs people sing believing every line of the song.

4. Carol of the Bells.

You will not be surprised to meet people who say they find this song very difficult to sing, I have in fact met people who say it took them a while to even understand what is being sang. That notwithstanding has not in any way reduced its popularity.

5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

You cannot but love this song. Written in the 1930s, this one ranks among the most sung and most popular Christmas tunes. Little Children expectant of gifts from Santa cheer themselves up, “you better watch out, you better not cry better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to Town”. He always does.

6. Jingle Bells.

If there’s a Christmas song we know is most likely sang in every home every year, it’s this one. It’s one you’re sure it is sang with joy and excitement of Christmas. Even if there’s no one horse open sleigh for you to ride, you just go ahead and sing it with as much joy as you can muster.

7. White Christmas

Bing Crosby’s White Christmas bagged an Academy Award in “Holiday Inn” as the best song ever played in a motion picture. “Im dreaming of a white Christmas” it begins. “May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christ,asses be white”.

8. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

One outstanding thing about this song is the thousands of TV Commercials all through the years that typical how much people love this song, it surely is one song you want to listen to during this period.

9. All I Want for Christmas Is You

There’s hardly any Christmas gathering annually where this Mariah Carey’s classic will not be played. This just further buttresses the love and friendship this season brings,

10. We Wish You Merry Christmas

One of the most popular lines sang at Christmas. In churches, homes, gatherings, on radio, TV just name it, this one stretches just beyond the Christmas till the start of the New Year.

This is our Christmas 10 special compilation. Surely you will enjoy singing them this season as you share the love and joy this season brings, Merry Christmas

Apple has made some changes to the iOS system and this did away with the Pangu jailbreak. But as you might have expected hackers didn’t take too long to respond and find a way to get around the security measures that Apple added into the OS. Now a developer from China has come up with a jailbreak tool, but is it safe to jailbreak the iPhone?

When it first came out onto the scene the TaiG jailbreak did bring with it some controversy. Users were asking if the tool could be trusted and whether it was safe to jailbreak the iPhone. Now a well-known developer MuscleNerd has spoken up about the jailbreak. He has put in a good word for TaiG jailbreak and said that there is nothing suspicious about it.

At the moment the jailbreak for the iPhone is only for those using a Windows computer. The jailbreak isn’t just for iOS 8.1.1, it has been said to work on other versions and it works fast. However at the moment the tool doesn’t work with iOS 8.2.

So all in all it does look as though the TaiG jailbreak is safe to use on your iPhone and you can go ahead and free your phone once again.

Is your iphone 6 Jailbreaked?

Since Microsoft dropped the Nokia branding for Lumia smartphones we’ve been waiting to see the first high-end Microsoft Lumia appear. Hopefully there won’t be too much longer to wait, but in the meantime we can satisfy our curiosity with this look at a Microsoft flagship Lumia X design that comes with specs.

With CES 2015 coming up in January many are anticipating a flagship Lumia unveiling, though nothing has been confirmed yet. We’ve recently seen a growing amount of rumors about a device codenamed McLaren that could end up being titled the Microsoft Lumia 1030, and recent news on camera specs certainly suggests that this could be a top-notch handset.

For now though we’ll settle for this concept vision for the Microsoft Lumia X that you can see here. It comes from designer Nick Ludgate and gives some great tasters of possibilities for the real flagship when it’s finally launched. This Lumia X render is extremely slim and light and has been given a premium feel. The body is polycarbonate as you might expect and it has a self-healing finish. It also appears to have Windows Phone buttons on the display.

Specs-wise you’re looking at a Snapdragon 801 processor, a 5.2-inch Full HD display, 2GB of RAM, and storage models up to 128GB. It has a rather modest 13-megapixel rear camera (which would be surprising for a Lumia flagship), and a 3-megapixel front-facing camera. The operating system is Windows Phone 8.1 and the handset comes in a selection of vivid colors.

There’s something rather appealing about this Lumia X creation, although we think the specs could be ramped up a little if Microsoft really wants to make waves with the genuine Lumia flagship when it releases. For now though we’d like your opinions on this Lumia X design.What do you think Microsoft should include for specs and features?

Artificial intelligence eventually could bring about mankind's demise, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said in an interview published earlier this week.

The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have have proved very useful, but I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," Hawking told the BBC in an interview commemorating the launch of a new system designed to help him communicate.

"Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate," he added. "Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded."

The Technologies

Because he is almost entirely paralyzed by a motor neuron disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Hawking relies on technology to communicate. His new platform was created by Intel to replace a decades-old system.

Dubbed "ACAT" (Assistive Context Aware Toolkit), the new technology has doubled Hawking's typing speed and enabled a tenfold improvement in common tasks such as navigating the Web and sending emails.

Whereas previously conducting a Web search meant that Hawking had to go through multiple steps -- including exiting from his communication window, navigating a mouse to run the browser, navigating the mouse again to the search bar, and finally typing the search text -- the new system automates all of those steps for a seamless and swift process.

Newly integrated software from SwiftKey has delivered a particularly significant improvement in the system's ability to learn from Hawking to predict his next characters and words; as a result, he now must type less than 20 percent of all characters.

The open and customizable ACAT platform will be available to research and technology communities by January of next year, Intel said.

What A Scenario'

Hawking's cautionary statements about AI echo similar warnings recently delivered by Elon Musk, CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla Motors.

Musk, Hawking and futurist Ray Kurzweil "all share a vision of autonomous artificial intelligence that will begin evolving and adding capabilities at a rate that we mere humans can't keep up with," said Dan Miller, founder and lead analyst with Opus Research.

It is a nightmare scenario, and probably will have truth to it in the 2030 time frame," he told the media.

Today, however, what Hawking considers primitive AI supports all sorts of benign human activities, Miller added, such as the next-word prediction feature that Hawking now enjoys, as well as machine translation, intent recognition based on semantic understanding, and recommendation engines that improve search and shopping experiences.

A Matter of Framing'

In the near term, "a small group of deep-pocketed technology providers" are in the process of commercializing such capabilities via personal virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Nuance's NINA and "the unnamed assistant that responds to 'OK Google,'" he noted.

"Concerns that some form of artificially intelligent being or 'race' will subjugate mankind or simply grow bored with us are something that we don't have to worry about for a couple of decades," Miller said.

"In the meantime, we 'carbon-based life forms' can benefit -- as Hawking, Musk and Kurzweil already do -- from the primitive versions of AI by focusing on intelligent assistance of human activity," he added. "It's a matter of framing."

Continuing

Hawking seems most fearful of classes of machines capable of spontaneous or self-guided evolution, and "I believe that there are some good reasons for his concern," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Computers are already far better at many kinds of sustained, high-volume analysis than humans ever will be, King explains.

"If systems arose that could improve themselves how and when they pleased, it doesn't take much imagination to envision a dystopian future straight out of The Terminator," he said.

"Add to this the continuing dysfunction within the IT industry and global politics -- where many folks seem to believe that rules exist merely to be broken and simple pleas for polite behavior are subjected to storms of melodramatic bombast," King added. "In so poisonous an environment, it seems increasingly difficult for people to find common ground."

Lack of Controls

Several organizations already have begun formulating defenses for what Hawking is anticipating, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group.

"There are a number of folks who are very concerned that we're moving aggressively toward AI and there aren't a lot of controls.

AI could be incredibly dangerous," Enderle added. "It's not hard to imagine a scenario where someone might give an order without realizing that the path to that outcome.