Google unveils Nexus 5 Android KitKat smartphone

Google on Thursday unveiled its Nexus 5 smartphone, the newest of own branded devices in the space and a champion for the latest version of its Android operating system.

The hotly anticipated addition to Google`s Nexus line is powered by a new “KitKat” version of Android, which was redesigned to work across the wide range of handsets built with the Internet titan`s free software inside.

“Now you have one version of the Android operating system that can ship across all versions of smartphones in 2014,” Sundar Pichai, head of the Android and Chrome teams, said while providing a look at the new software and Nexus 5.

“As we get on our way to reach the next billion people, we want to do it with the latest version of Android.”

The move sets out to address the problem that the wide variety of Android systems being used around the world make it challenging for makers of fun, functional or hip smarpthone or tablet apps to design programs that work on all devices.

Being stuck with old versions of Android also means that users don`t get access to upgrades or improvements cranked out by Google.

Apple executives routinely boast about how most users of its iPhones, iPads and iPod touches are on the latest version of the iOS operating system while many Android users are stuck with old versions.

Changes in KitKat included fine tuning it to work with the limited memory capacities of Android smartphones priced for markets in developing countries or other places where buyers are on tight budgets.

“It is important to us to get the same version of Android to scale across all versions of devices,” Pichai said.

Google partnered with South Korean consumer electronics giant LG to make the Nexus 5 smartphone to showcase the prowess of KitKat.

The Nexus 5 was available for purchase in 10 countries through Google`s online Play shop, priced at USD 349 for a 16-gigabyte model and USD 399 for a version with 32 gigabytes of memory.

KitKat was released to handset makers to begin building their own smartphones using the software, according to Pichai.

“It is a cutting-edge operating system meant to run on cutting-edge phones, but it can run on older phones as well,” Pichai said.

Rockstar updates something called GTA 5

Rockstar has released a fix for what we assume are long running problems with the online aspects of Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5).

We have lost count of the number of times that Rockstar has issued updates for its couple of weeks old game, but this one, which applies to both Sony playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360consoles, looks comprehensive.

It certainly promises to fix a load of issues, and anyone who is still suffering GTA Online gaming problems would be well advised to apply it.

“The latest automatic title update for GTA Online is now available for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. As promised, this update addresses the remaining issues where some people’s vehicles or vehicle modifications were disappearing due to a cloud save failure,” said Rockstar.

Some people might still be having problems, and if you are one of them Rockstar still wants to hear from you.

“Of course, if you’re still experiencing any other technical problems, please visit our support website and subscribe to the GTA Online Launch Status article,” it added.

For now, a range of problems should be fixed. This includes what has become a perennial issue with lost cars and lost car upgrades. Basically it fixes either specific issues or multiple issues, with everything from long load times to job setups getting a polish.

Rockstar is well aware of the problems and has already lined up a sweetener for people that either want to play it and can’t or people that have and have not been pleased by what they saw.

Because of a blocky gaming experience Rockstar has promised to give all players $500,000 in virtual cash. Anyone who accessed GTA Online during October should expect two cash deposits of $250,000.

Microsoft’s phone update to feature driving mode

NEW YORK: Microsoft is updating its Windows software for cellphones to accommodate larger devices and make it easier for motorists to reduce distractions while driving.

It’s the third update to Windows Phone 8 software since the system’s release a year ago. Devices with this update will start appearing in the coming weeks, and older phones will be eligible for a free upgrade, too.

Something that may appeal to motorists: a new Driving Mode will automatically silence incoming calls and texts so that you can focus on the road. You also can configure the feature to automatically send out a reply to say that you’re driving.

It can be activated automatically when the phone is linked wirelessly with a Bluetooth device in the car, such as a headset. Apple has a Do Not Disturb feature for iPhones, but that needs to be turned on manually.

What the Driving Mode won’t do, however, is block outgoing calls or texts. And there will be ways to override it. The feature won’t stop a teenager from texting while driving, but it will help reduce distractions for those who want that, says Greg Sullivan, director for Microsoft’s Windows Phone business.

The new update also will allow for better resolution to accommodate larger phones. Currently, the system supports a maximum resolution of 1280 pixels by 768 pixels, which is adequate for phones with screens no larger than 5 inches on the diagonal. But video and image quality degrades when stretched out on larger phones, such as a 6.3-inch Android phone from Samsung Electronics Co.

The layout for larger phones also will change. Phones may now sport a third column of tiles, for instance. Contact lists and other features will be able to fit in more information. That’s a contrast to Android, where text and images simply get bigger with larger screens, without actually fitting in more content.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone software holds a distant third place behind Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, with a worldwide market share of 3.7 percent in the second quarter, according to research firm IDC. But shipments of Windows Phone devices grew 78 percent to 8.7 million in the April-to-June period, compared with the same time a year ago. The tile-based layout in Windows Phone is the inspiration for the Windows 8 software powering tablets and personal computers.

There are a few ways Microsoft Corp. will catch up to the iPhone and Android phones with the new update.

For the first time, Windows phones will have a rotation lock function, so that the screen won’t switch back and forth between horizontal and vertical mode while you’re curled up in bed. There also will be a central way to close open apps. Before, you had to go into each open app and press and hold the back button.

And Microsoft is launching a program to give app developers early access to the new software. Apple has had a similar program for the iOS software behind iPhones and iPads, while Google often has worked with selected developers on unreleased features.

Samsung’s first ‘curved’ smartphone hits S. Korea market

Samsung’s first smartphone with a curved display screen enter the South Korean market on Thursday, as the electronics giant seeks to maintain its lead in the increasingly saturated market.

Galaxy Round — a 5.7-inch handset with a display that is slightly rounded on both sides — will hit stores in South Korea by Thursday afternoon, said SK Telecom, the country’s top wireless operator that carries the device.

Curved screens — said to be lighter and thinner than current display panels — are at a nascent stage in display technology, which is shifting towards flexible panels that are bendable or can even be rolled or folded.

The new phone is priced at about 1.08 million won ($1,000), Samsung said on Wednesday.

It did not say when the new phone — powered by Google’s Android system and which offers a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor — would be available globally.

“The display (of Galaxy Round) is ergonomically shaped to fit the curve of a hand and comfortably embrace an ear and cheek during a phone conversation,” SK Telecom said in a statement.

The latest device arrived as global smartphone makers vie for growth in the increasingly saturated market.

Samsung — the world’s top maker of smartphones and mobile phones in general — unveiled in January the prototype of a bendable display called “Youm”.

Samsung’s smaller rival LG said last week it had started mass production of curved display panels for smartphones and is reportedly set to unveil its own curved smartphone this month.

But companies still face a major challenge in making other handset components — such as batteries — that can bend with the rest of the unit.

Curved displays are already commercially available in large-screen televisions offered by companies including Samsung and LG.

The displays are supposed to offer a more immersive viewing experience but are significantly more expensive than standard screens.

Samsung’s New Bright Spot: Memory Chips

While there are concerns that growth of Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartphone business will slow, the South Korean technology giant’s memory-chip business may become its new bright spot.

Samsung is best known for consumer electronics such as its Galaxy smartphones and television sets, but the company is also the world’s biggest supplier of memory chips used to save data in various electronic devices.

“The strong outlook for the memory-chip business more than makes up for concerns about a slowdown in smartphones,” said Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Mark Newman, who has an “outperform” rating for Samsung shares.

A major factor behind the bullish view on Samsung’s memory-chip business is the rise in chip prices, due in part to a fire that broke out last month at a factory that produces dynamic random access memory chips.   DRAM chips are widely used in personal computers, tablets and smartphones, and Samsung is the largest supplier of such chips. SK Hynix Inc., the South Korean chip maker that runs the factory, has said that it expects the plant to return to normal operations by November.

DRAMeXchange, which tracks the chip market, said last week that the rise in DRAM prices will likely persist in the coming months amid tighter supply.

The fire has spurred expectations of a possible shortage of not only DRAM chips but also of another type of memory chip called NAND flash memory. Hynix has said it may use some of its NAND chip production capacity to produce DRAM chips instead to make up for lost output after the fire. NAND chip contract prices rose between 3% and 6% in the second half of September, according to DRAMeXchange.

Solid chip pricing is not just a temporary outcome of the fire, but also a longer-term trend as a result of consolidation in the chip industry, Mr. Newman said. In the DRAM market, for example, U.S. chip maker Micron Technology Inc.’s acquisition of Japanese rival Elpida Memory Inc. last year, as well as the decline of Taiwanese DRAM chip suppliers, has resulted in more restrained supply and better pricing, he said.

Increasingly, investors are wondering whether Samsung’s smartphone business can sustain its profit growth even if the percentage of cheaper handsets — typically sold at lower margins — increases in Samsung’s overall smartphone sales volume.

As of Monday afternoon in Asia, Samsung shares were up 1.3%.

85% of internet users worldwide choose mobile: Report

ISLAMABAD: Recent reports have shown that 85% of users around the world name mobile as their first choice, making it the preferred channel for accessing the Internet.

Further findings revealed that not only does the vast majority prefer to go online via their mobile devices but 11% also choose them at home as an alternative to turning on their personal computers, Live Science Website Reported.

The reason for mobile devices’ massive popularity is that they allow users to stay connected at all times and in all places, but the results also show a tendency for multiple device utilization.

Users are likely to combine browsing on smartphones with Internet activities carried out via PCs and tablets. PCs are used as a complementary device by 6% of respondents, while tablets are used by 0.48%.

Communication with friends is still the most popular activity for mobile Internet users, as stated by 61%, followed by entertainment, at 35%. The survey also found that demand for media and financial services is still high, with these categories scoring 31% and 23% respectively.

’World’s first’ bitcoin ATM opens in Canada

Three young entrepreneurs opened an automated teller Tuesday in this western Canadian city, calling it the world’s first ATM able to exchange bitcoins for any official currency.

The machine, delivered to Vancouver by Robocoin, an American manufacturer, stands against a wall of a popular coffee shop, and resembles an ordinary cash ATM.

However, instead of cash transactions it swaps Canadian dollars for bitcoins, the virtual currency of the Internet invented in 2008 by an anonymous computer scientist known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Customers lined up here Tuesday to use the ATM, then used their smart phones to buy coffee and muffins at the Waves coffee shop.

The ATM is the world’s first, said co-owner Mitchel Demeter, a local entrepreneur who started trading in bitcoins several years ago, then earlier this year with two partners set up Bitcoiniacs, a Vancouver storefront money exchange.

He and his friends, who were high school students together, said they saw ATMs as a business opportunity. “Nobody had an ATM, everyone was buying and selling on websites,” said Demeter. Customers use a private key – like a bank PIN number – to access their online account of bitcoins on the ATM.

They withdraw cash equivalents (the conversion rate is currently about one bitcoin for $200) from their bitcoins, or deposit cash bills.

The machine transfers the money on the Internet via the Canadian VirtEx exchange. Users can then spend their bitcoins with a smartphone, in a similar way to the way interact or credit cards are used, or by transferring the money to purchase goods online.

“It’s the currency of the Internet, as real as any other,” said Demeter.

The volatile currency is as yet unregulated by any government in the world, and it has had a share of notoriety by being used in the drug trade.

Germany, however, became the first country in the world earlier this year to declare bitcoins a “private currency.” And earlier this month investors were startled when a senior investment officer with giant hedge fund Fortress Investment Group said bitcoins could be used as a cheaper way of transferring money in countries with weak banking systems, reported the Financial Times.

In Vancouver, bitcoins are accepted by some 15 local businesses, from coffee shops to a landscaping business. Bitcoins are also increasingly common in several hotspots around the world, especially San Francisco, Berlin, and Argentina, and accepted by online companies such as WordPress.

David Lowy, a city businessman who used his smart phone to transfer .0101 bitcoins to the Waves barista, for a cup of dark coffee worth $2 (Canadian), said Vancouver was a likely candidate to claim the first bitcoin ATM because the wealthy city is popular with Internet entrepreneurs.

One of the ATM’s first customers was Mike Yeung, a business student at the city campus of Simon Fraser University, where he helped set up a university bitcoin club, one of a handful of such clubs in the world.

The club’s mission “is to educate people about bitcoin so they can adopt bitcoins in their everyday lives,” he said. “I think bitcoins are the wave of the future, because they provide maximum value and efficiency,” said Yeung.

Once bitcoins are more established, Yeung predicted, they will commonly be used to send money around the world cheaply, the way the Internet allows people to talk with each other on apps such as Skype.

He gestured at the new machine in the coffee shop. “The ATM is a step forward.”