Android 4.4.1 KitKat update improves the Nexus 5 camera

Google's Director of Engineering for Android David Burke has told in an interview for The Verge that Android 4.4.1 KitKat update is coming and it's bringing several improvement for the Nexus 5 camera.

He confirmed that the smartphone's camera will now focus faster and will aim to select faster shutter speeds, not relying as heavily on its OIS as it does now.

This means that post-update images produced with the Nexus 5 will have less motion blur and camera shake, but will probably be noisier than they are now. The white balance and exposure algorithms have also reportedly been improved. Check out a comparison shot showing the same photo taken before and after the update.

Besides the improved image quality, the camera app itself will launch quicker, too. In fact, it does so a full second quicker than prior to the update. The app packs a new progress indicator in HDR+ mode, which shows you how the photo processing progresses.

Burke says the update took his team 5 weeks to complete and in that time they've managed to pull off a lot of work. Check out some more comparison shots below. To see more images taken with the new Android 4.4.1 software update for the Nexus 5, check out the source link below.

  
Comparison shots taken with the Nexus 5 camera

The update is also fixing the face unlock bug of the Nexus 5. Currently, using facial recognition occasionally causes a bug with the camera app, which requires a reboot in order to start running normally.

 -Source

NVIDIA Shield pre-orders start on May 20 for $349

NVIDIA Shield (previously known as Project Shield) is inching closer to the official release. According to a press release issued by the company, Shield pre-orders will begin on May 20 at shield.nvidia.com. The consumers, who had earlier registered on the Shield website, will be able to pre-order this handheld game console today itself.

According to NVIDIA, Shield has been priced at $349 and will also be sold at Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers apart from the official website. The shipping will begin in June 2013.

For those of unaware of NVIDIA Shield, it is a portable gaming console with Tegra 4 at core. It supports not only the Tegra optimised games as well as regular Android games along with Android applications. The company however notes that some applications, which don’t work in landscape mode, might not be supported on the device.

“SHIELD is the one device that taps into the planet’s largest ecosystem of games — spanning NVIDIA TegraZone, Google Play and Steam. Rediscover your Android games with the mobility, control and performance of SHIELD. Connect to your Google Play account to enjoy your favorite movies, music and apps,” noted NVIDIA in the press release.

Here are the key features of NVIDIA Shield

• NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM


• Console-grade controller – dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons


• 5-inch, 720p multi-touch display


• Integrated speakers, Wi-Fi 802.11n 2X2 MIMO, Stock Android 4.2.1


• 16 GB memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, micro-USB 2.0, a microSD storage slot, a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack


• 579 grams, 158mm (w) x 135mm (D) x 57mm (H)


• Pre-loaded Google Play, TegraZone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed, Hulu Plus, TwitchTV

Oppo to launch smartphone to take on Xperia Z, HTC One in India

Oppo Find 5 comes with Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5Ghz processor, 5-inch full HD display and 13 megapixel camera.

Yet another Chinese brand, Oppo is entering India and is planning to launch its flagship smartphone, Find 5, with specification similar to the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4.

AndroidGuruz, which will distribute the phone in India, has informed The Mobile Indian that the phone will be priced at Rs 27,445 for 16GB version and Rs 31,259 for 32GB version and will be available by end of this month.

The phone is based on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 pro chipset with 1.5 GHz quad core processor and 2GB RAM, this is the same as the most premium phones like the ones mentioned above come with.

On the display front it will have a 5 inch IPS display panel with 1920x1080 pixel full HD resolution. The display uses OGS (one glass solution) technology for better viewing angle and readability in sun light.

In the camera department the phone comes with 13 megapixel camera which the company claims can capture 120 frames per second video about four time the normal video frame rate and can be used for super slow motion videos. The camera uses CMOS sensor and f2.2 aperture and supports HDR (high dynamic ration) for better contrast ratio.

Oppo Find 5 also uses Direct HD sound system for better audio experience. Oppo has overlaid the Android 4.2 operating system with its own user interface, which it claims adds to the phone's functionality.

In terms of connectivity phone is feature packed with NFC, DLNA, WiFi Direct (can connect with any other WiFi device wirelessly to offer same experience as HDMI), 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 there too.

The phone is slim and compact with dimensions of 141.8 x 68.8 x 8.86 mm which compares very well with dimensions of Sony Xperia Z which comes with 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm measurement. The phone looks very attractive in a minimalist but elegant design.

International press has showered lot praise on the phone for its top notch quality and performance. However in India we feel that selling Oppo Find 5 will be a challenge as the brand is completely unknown and its Chinese origins means people will find it hard to trust the quality.

CyanogenMod 10.1 officially coming to HTC One

Good news, HTC One users – the official CyanogenMod 10.1 (Android 4.2 Jelly Bean based) will soon become available on your smartphones.

The CyanogenMod 10.1 will support the GSM version of the metallic beauty along with the Sprint variant of the device. The ROMs are still in the alpha stage and the Nightly builds will be ready for download very soon.

The CyanogenMod 10.1 brings few new options, which include system settings, themes settings, lock screen settings, launcher settings and of course the Super-user settings. This comes along with the goodness of latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Meanwhile, you can have a sneak peak at the features of CyanogenMod 10.1 for HTC One in the below video:

Next-gen Oppo Find rumored to sport Snapdragon 800 CPU

Rumors are floating around of the next-generation Oppo Find smartphone, predictably dubbed the Find 6. According to "trusted sources over in China", Oppo's next smartphone is going to pack the nerdgasmic quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM.

Other features that are speculated at this stage are a screen that matches the one of Oppo 5 (5" unit of 1080p resolution) and a 13MP camera. Interestingly, the sources claim that the company is testing out an 8MP front-facing camera.

The rumors also mention NFC functionality but don't say anything about microSD card support and removable battery - two things the Find 5 misses.Reportedly, we should expect the Oppo Find 6 to make its debut this fall, but a specific time frame or a price haven't been talked about just yet.Oppo made quite a splash and definitely placed its name on many people's watchlist with its Find 5 smartphone, which sadly is taking too long to make its international debut

Nokia Lumia 928-bringing PureView to Verizon

You’ve waited…you’ve been asking for it…here it is! We’re happy to introduce the Nokia Lumia 928, the newest expression of the world’s most innovative smartphone exclusively for Verizon Wireless.

The Nokia Lumia 928 is the latest installment of the Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 line-up and comes equipped with everything you need to capture summer memories as they unfold.

Imaging is king

The Nokia Lumia 928 features Nokia’s powerful PureView imaging technology, including Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which makes it easy to capture blur-free pictures and videos every time, even in low-light. Along with OIS, the Nokia Lumia 928 features a Carl Zeiss lens – and photo buffs will love that a xenon flash is on board.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRuXQk8g250?enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&fs=0&rel=0&wmode=window]

With a camera like this on the Nokia Lumia 928, you can leave your digital SLR at home this summer as you head out and about.

Make a lot of noise

To go along with the stunning imaging capabilities of the Nokia Lumia 928, we’ve built in three high-audio-amplitude-capture microphones to make sure you can capture high-end, distortion-free audio even in the noisiest environments.

It doesn’t matter if you’re at a monster truck rally, rock concert or summer party, you’ll have the best audio possible on a mobile with the Nokia Lumia 928 thanks to these high-performance microphones that record sound naturally and distortion-free, up to 140db.

Stunning design

This phone was built to perform, but it’s also is a joy to hold. The front of the Nokia Lumia 928 is dominated by a 4.5-inch OLED display covered by Gorilla Glass that extends all the way to the edge of the phone, bringing a quality feel. This phone is perfect for summer because the screen is easily readable, even in bright sunlight and the touchscreen works even if your fingertips are covered up.

For added convenience, the Nokia Lumia 928 features wireless charging built-in. Simply place your phone on the Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy, JBL PlayUp or one of our other wireless charging accessories and power up.

Nokia exclusive experiences built-in

The software and services that make the Nokia Lumia unique are included out of the box with the Nokia Lumia 928. First of all, the HERE Suite brings intuitive location services that ensure you’re never lost or wondering what to do when in a new city. You can count on HERE Maps, HERE Drive+ and HERE City Lens to help you navigate your environment each and every day.

Looking for some tunes to get your groove on? Nokia Music features unlimited streaming of free music playlists that you can even take offline.

To extend the functionality of the Nokia Lumia 928, you can count on the 145,000 apps in the Windows Phone store. Getting things done on-the-go is easy with Internet Explorer 10 for faster, safer browsing and Microsoft Office mobile integration.

We’re excited to bring these stunning features accompanied by Windows Phone 8 to Verizon’s ubiquitous 4G LTE network, the largest in the United States.

The Nokia Lumia 928 will be available on May 16th atVerizonWireless.com and at your local Verizon Wireless Store for a price of $99 after a $50 mail in rebate. Also, a new 2-year service agreement is required.

As a sweet bonus – for a limited time – buyers of the Nokia Lumia 928 will get a $25 credit for Windows Phone apps and games with the purchase of the phone.

Skype App for New BlackBerry Q10 Now Available!

We first tipped our hat that Skype was coming to BlackBerry 10 back at the global launch event on January 30th. Now I’m happy to announce that Skype is available for the newly launched BlackBerry Q10.BlackBerry Q10 and Skype are the perfect pair allowing you to chat with other Skype users from the palm of your hand.

While you’re on the go with your BlackBerry Q10 and the Skype app, you’ll enjoy the ability to have:

• Free face to face video and voice calls


• Instant messages


• low cost voice calls and text messages to landlines and mobiles over WiFi® or wireless network connections.

New BlackBerry Q10 is Now Available and the Tech Reviews are In !

Today is THE day that the first customers will start to get their hands on the new BlackBerry Q10 in the UKand next week, in Canada, on May 1. Throughout the week we’ve let you know where and when it will be available first, what went into the design and what our favorite features are. Now it’s time to hear from the tech media.

Like me, they’ve had their hands on the beautiful BlackBerry Q10 with full QWERTY keyboard. Turns out I’m not the only one who was impressed by the device and how well it performs as a daily driver. Physical keyboard lovers, meet your new match! Here’s what the press had to say:

BlackBerry Q10 Reviews:

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  “The Q10′s superb keyboard and message-handling capabilities make it a perfect match. Its long battery life and comfortable keyboard may be what you’ve been holding out for, and the inclusion of BlackBerry 10.1 is extra icing on the cake.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  CNET

  
  


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  “The BlackBerry Q10 is clearly the top smartphone for people who want QWERTY physical keyboards. It is no question the most refined device in the class. This is the BlackBerry 10 device physical keyboard lovers have been waiting for.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  BerryReview.com

  
  


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  “BlackBerry has done well by QWERTY fans by bringing a handset to market with a killer keyboard and modern operating system.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  LAPTOP Magazine

  
  


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  “I’ll come right out and say it: no phone on the market offers a better combination of speed and accuracy for entering text.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  New York Times

  
  

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  “an email, messaging, and productivity beast.”… “It’s a delight to type on. I haven’t used a physical keyboard in ages, but the keys are designed so well that I was flying.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  Business Insider

  
  


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  “BlackBerry has a lot of experience making keyboard phones, and it shows in the Q10.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  Mashable

  
  


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  “In terms of smartphones with a physical keyboard, the Q10 is in a class of its own.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  ITBusiness

  
  


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  “Perhaps the most interesting surprise about the Q10 is how insanely fast it is.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  The Globe And Mail

  
  


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  “This is a modern day smartphone with a keyboard that people will be PROUD to carry, use and show off.” –
  

  
  

  
  

  CrackBerry.com

  
  

The press have had their say — now it’s time to have yours, #TeamBlackBerry. Be sure to leave your comments about the new BlackBerry Q10 below.

Next version of Android to be 4.3,will retain Jelly Bean name

Google I/O 2013 is less than a month away and if history is any indication, we are in for a new version of Android. But those waiting for Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie just might be in for a bit of disappointment.

According to some damning evidence from Android Police, Google is working on the next version of Android, but it's Android 4.3, not 5.0. Also, the build number is JWR23B, which suggests the update will continue to use the Jelly Bean moniker (the first letter of the build corresponds to the name of the update).

This particular update has reportedly shown up in server logs and was successfully traced back to Google employees. It has also shown up in comments in the Chromium bug tracker by a Chromium developer.

There is no evidence that suggests that Key Lime Pie won't be announced during this year's I/O but so far it hasn't shown up anywhere yet. On the other hand, 4.3 has made numerous appearances and the fact that it has a build number suggests that it is close to release. That Google would release a new version of Android this close to I/O and it not be the main highlight of the event would be strange, as would announcing two versions of Android simultaneously.

This leads us to believe that Key Lime Pie might be a bit further away than we imagined. Hopefully, it should be sometime this year, if not at this I/O.

You can find more information about this in the source link below::

Source

Samsung India eStore teaser says Galaxy S4 will be available tomorrow!

Samsung is not just hosting the Galaxy S 4 launch event in Delhi tomorrow but it seems it will be possible for users to buy the smartphone tomorrow itself. While Reliance Digital is taking pre-orders hosting its own launch event on April 27, Samsung India’s eStore is now showing the Galaxy S 4 will be available there from tomorrow itself. This is a big deal considering HTC, which announced the One in India as early as April 8 but it is still not available in stores.

Our sources in the unorganized trade are also claiming they will have retail units of the Galaxy S 4 as early as Saturday or latest by Monday. Add to this Samsung’s marketing muscle and it seems to be headed for another best-selling phone. HTC, despite having a brilliant product (read our review here) will lose out on all the great work they have done with the One by not bringing it to market sooner. Once people get the Galaxy S 4, with word of mouth and aggressive marketing across media, it will be difficult for HTC to sell in numbers worthy of the One.

WhatsApp is coming to BB10 in March!

One of the world’s most popular mobile IM clients, WhatsApp, is coming to BlackBerry 10 operating system in March. WhatsApp’s Neeraj Arora revealed the launch timeline on Twitter while responding to queries from BlackBerry 10 (BB10) users.

Interestingly, it was non-BlackBerry users who lapped up WhatsApp as an alternative to BlackBerry Messenger, which still remains exclusive to BlackBerry operating system. However, WhatsApp’s popularity ensured even BlackBerry users started using the service to send messages to their non-BlackBerry using contacts.

The Rise of the RIMpire Part-2

Ya this is the 2nd part but it's the same story continued.As different people encouraged me,i thought of why i am so encourag-able.
I loved finding new things on computer internet,and like everyone i was very much excited and wished like person with a lottery.As the people near me started to encourage,i thought of the wish that i got
....thT god gave me....now i am in the same situation as when i got PlayBook.Waiting for my BB10 Limited Edition during my exams...


[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="710" caption="Waiting for this beauty..."][/caption]