BlackBerry Z10 officially announced today

Today RIM which renamed itself to "BlackBerry" officially unveiled two new devices, one of which we’ve already heard about plenty of times the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Q10.  The devices is said to be running on the new BlackBerry 10 OS.

The BlackBerry Z10 comes with a full touch display with a 4.2-inch display, with a pixel density of 356 ppi and a 1280 x 756 resolution. It’s a slightly smaller display than most other Android devices out on the market currently, but the impressive pixel density will surely please any BlackBerry user. The back of the device has a “textured surface” that makes it “really comfortable to hold.”

The device will come in both black and white models, It has overall rectangular shape with the rounded corners, as well as the camera and LED flash up in the top-left corner.It has what’s called Time Shift Mode, in which it allows users to take a photo, and then go back in time to find the exact moment of a particular facial reaction

The BlackBerry Z10 goes on sale January 31 in the U.K., February 5 in Canada ($149.99 on contract,) and February 10 in the UAE. Expect U.S. carriers to sell the smartphone for about $199 on contract (about $599 unlocked) in March, with official pricing announcements slated for the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more BB10 news!

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Great News The Nexus 4 returns to the Google Play Store

After a long, long wait, the much-loved Nexus 4 is back in stock at the Google Play Store. Google and LG have been experiencing some stock issues with the handset due to incredibly high demand, leaving potential buyers without many more options. The phone has been available at T-Mobile, but those who wanted to go straight through Google had to wait weeks for the handset to become available again.

Luckily, today’s the day, so if you’ve been holding out for it to return to the Google Play Store, you’ll probably want to head over there sooner rather than later. After all, there’s no telling if the Nexus 4 will sell out again, but with so many people waiting to buy one, it might not be long before stock is tight. At the time of this writing, the listings for both the 8GB and 16GB variants say orders will be shipping out in 1-2 weeks.

Hopefully that shipping time doesn’t get extended as more people order a Nexus 4, but you never know. The Nexus 4 proved to be incredibly popular upon release, packing in solid hardware at a price that’s too hard to ignore for many smartphone users. The 8GB Nexus 4 only costs $299.99, while the 16GB model is $349.99 – keep in mind that you’re getting an unlocked Nexus 4 when you order directly from Google, so that sweetens the deal further.

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128GB iPad 4 With Retina Display

Apple today announced that its fourth-gen iPad will offer up to 128GB of internal storage – double the previous maximum configuration of 64GB.

The new 128GB versions of the fourth-gen iPad will be available as of next Tuesday, February 5th. Both the black and white, Wi-Fi + Cellular and Wi-Fi-only models will be available with the increased capacity, with prices starting at $799 for the iPad with Wi-Fi version. Meanwhile, the iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular model will retail at $929 stateside, and both will be available in-store as well as online and through Apple’s resell partners.

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Windows 8 Overtakes Mountain Lion

Just three months after the initial release of windows 8, it surpassed Apple’s OS X Mountain Lion in terms of market share. The figures compiled, which take into account desktop computers and notebooks, show that for the week of January 20th (last week), Windows 8 was installed on 2.45% of PCs worldwide. This is equal to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, but when one takes into consideration “Windows 8 Touch” (RT) at 0.08%, Windows 8′s market share just shades it.

Many still seem happy to languish on Windows 7, which isn’t too much of a shock at such an early stage, and the market share of the seventh Windows edition sits at a very healthy 45.77%. Windows XP, which has been around for well over a decade, remains very popular, with well over a third (38.18%) still running it on their machine. While much newer software may no longer be compatible with Windows XP, the OS is perfect for those running antiquated hardware, and with many businesses content with it, that market share will remain high despite the efforts of Microsoft to nudge them towards Windows 7+.

Windows Vista still clutches on to a 5.01% share, and although this data hasn’t yet been verified by a ‘Quality Assurance’ team, it gives a fairly accurate, provisional idea of the current state of play. We’ll have a better idea of what’s what this coming Friday, when PC market share numbers for the entire month of January is released.

The Surface Pro, which is set to launch on Feb. 9th, will be a very significant advertisement for Windows 8, and although it will be seen by many as a tablet, its Intel processor and support of legacy apps mean it’s every bit the Notebook / Laptop / Ultrabook / Computer.

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Microsoft preparing to "relaunch" Windows 8 in February

It's no secret that Microsoft is blaming PC manufacturers for the weak sales of Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system. Now, new details have emerged indicating that Microsoft is preparing to "relaunch" Windows 8 in February with the launch of the Surface Pro.

"Now Microsoft is planning to reboot its launch of Windows 8 next month. On Tuesday the company gave 9 February as the date for the US and Canada unveiling of the Intel-powered Surface Pro tablets. But sources tell us Microsoft is actually preparing for a February 'relaunch' of Windows 8," the report claims. Microsoft is apparently upset that manufactures did not follow guidelines for creating Windows 8 PCs while manufacturers argued that high-end and expensive devices would have been created and consumers would be confused and would not want it. As for this so-called relaunch of Windows 8, Microsoft could be planning a massive media campaign highlighting everything great about Windows 8 and the Surface Pro. We will just have to wait and see exactly what Microsoft has up its sleeve when the Surface Pro is launched on February 9th.

We've already heard from several different PC manufactures such as Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, and Samsung regarding sales of Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system. HP even offered an opinion explaining the weak Windows 8 sales: "Clearly it's as been reported, it was a slower start than many people expected. But I think as we've gone through January, as we look at retail sales week to week, as we look at web sales week to week, we see continued momentum and continued growth. So, I think the combination of a very new experience, a very touch driven experience, and lots of choices over the holidays, it's not to be unexpected," HP stated in a recent interview. It's pretty funny to see Microsoft blaming PC manufacturers for the weak Windows 8 sales, while PC manufacturers blame Windows 8 for weak PC sales. Will a correctly timed "relaunch" of Windows 8 fix the problem?

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Microsoft confirms Windows Live Messenger service retirement on March 15th

Microsoft previously confirmed its plans to retire its Windows Live Messenger service in favor of Skype, but the company now says this will take place on March 15th. In an email to Messenger users this week, Microsoft says the service will retire globally except for mainland China where it will continue to be made available. Microsoft urges existing users to move to Skype for instant messages and video chats where the company has been improving its Windows support recently.

The Windows Live Messenger retirement means over 100 million Messenger users will move to Skype as part of the discontinuation. Microsoft has released and updated its Skype for Windows 8 client and also made a Windows Phone 8 preview version available. The future of Skype at Microsoft includes Outlook.com support and an Xbox client that will likely make its debut on a future console planned for later this year.

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LG Nexus 5 and Nexus 7.7 Rumors [More Soon]

Rumors about the next generation of the Nexus has already started leaking from Korean forums. The next version of the Nexus which is the Nexus 5 is claimed to be an LG affair again, but this time around, it comes with a 5" Full HD screen, the new NVIDIA Tegra 4 Processor, 2 GB of RAM, 13 MP camera, as well as 3 MP front-facer, and 8 or 16 GB of storage. The price for the 8 GB versions is said to start off at $299, like the current edition.

Not only that, but the rumor mill spat out the next Google tablet, informing us that it might be a Nexus 7.7 this time, with a higher 1920x1200 resolution (294ppi), Tegra 4 Processor, 8 GB of starting storage, as well as front and rear HD cameras. Interestingly enough, the manufacturer mentioned here is again LG, whereas it was Asus doing the Nexus tablet gear for 2012.



At CES 2013 Event which happened last week, LG's Senior Vice President James Fisher said: "Through our collaboration with Google, we launched the LG Nexus 4 smartphone. This is the first of many devices to come from our growing partnership with this very selective company."

Two rumors that are not hard to believe at all, given the 2013 hardware trends, and the source claims these will be announced at the Google I/O conference in mid-May, alongside the next Key Lime Pie Android 5 version that is expected there too.


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Microsoft signs licensing agreement with BMW for use of exFAT file system

Microsoft has announced that BMW will be another company to jump on board the exFAT band-wagon to provide customers the cutting edge features in its vehicles. BMW can be added to a list of several other big name companies who will now pay Microsoft to use this file system technology for their products.

"Microsoft Corp. and BMW have signed a patent licensing agreement that gives BMW broad access to the latest Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT). BMW will utilize exFAT technology to enhance the digital entertainment offerings in its line of automobiles," Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

For those that didn't know, exFAT is a modern file system that handles large files and enables seamless data portability. exFAT is pretty cool because it improves upon the FAT file system by expanding the capability of flash drives handling larger files as well as increasing the speed in which those files are accessed. Microsoft already has agreements with Panasonic, Canon, Sony, as well as Research in Motion for the exFAT file system.

Google Glass announces 2 upcoming developer events

Last summer, Google offered a $1,500 pre-order for its Google Glass at the I/O conference. Now, a little less than six months later, the company has invited those who signed up to attend one of two developer events it has planned at the end of the month. The two events are being held in New York City and San Francisco.

The email invite that went out reads: “Join us for an early look at Glass and two full days of hacking on the upcoming Google Mirror API in San Francisco or New York. These hackathons are just for developers in the Explorer program and we’re calling them the Glass Foundry. It’s the first opportunity for a group of developers to get together and develop for Glass.”


According to the invite, the first day will kick off with an introduction to Google Glass, with attendees receiving a unit to use during the Foundry. After the introduction, developers will then be given a look at the Mirror API, followed by development. Google engineers will be available on-site to lend a hand.

The second day will be wrapped up with special guest judges and a round of demonstrations. Those who wish to attend must register for the Foundry of their choice by January 18 at 4PM PST. Don’t delay, space is limited. Those who get a slot will then receive their confirmation letter with instructions on how to proceed from there. The San Francisco Foundry is being held on January 28 and 29, while the New York City Foundry is being held on February 1 and 2.

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Kingston to release the World's First 1TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Kingston introduced what they claim is the world's first 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive. The DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0.

it has read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s, boasting SuperSpeed USB 3.0 certification.

The drive is available in 512GB capacity right now, while the 1TB version is expected to hit the market in Q1 2013.

The price for the 512GB is $1,750, meaning the 1TB variant will likely be too expensive for almost everyone.

Kingston has also launched slower and smaller USB drives, with capacities of 32GB and 64GB and read/write speeds of 150MB/s and 70MB/s respectively.

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Downgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 7

Before you downgrading to Windows 7
Ensure the computer actually supports Windows 7. Check the manufacturer’s website for Windows 7 drivers for your computer.
Create a recovery drive that contains a copy of your new PC’s recovery partition. This will allow you to restore the original Windows 8 system if you wipe the recovery partition.

Downgrading to Windows 7
To downgrade Windows, you’ll need a Windows 7 Professional installation disc and a valid license key for it. Neither Microsoft nor your computer manufacturer will provide this disc or key for you – you’re on your own when finding it, although Microsoft insists you should find a legitimate copy instead of downloading one from an illicit website. Downgrade rights are intended for businesses, who will likely have a disc and key on hand.

Once you’ve found the disc, insert it into your new computer and restart into the Windows 7 installer. Install Windows 7 Professional as you normally would, providing the legitimate Windows 7 Pro key during the installation process. Note that you can use this same key to downgrade multiple Windows 8 computers – you’ll just need this key to get past the mandatory key check during the installation process.



After Windows 7 finishes installing, the online activation will fail because your product key is already in use. If you don’t see an “activation failed” message, you can press Start, type Activate, and click Activate Windows. You’ll need to activate by phone. Call up the phone number displayed in the activation window and explain that you’re exercising your Windows 8 Pro downgrade rights. Have your Windows 8 Pro key ready; you’ll need it to prove your PC has downgrade rights.


After explaining this, you’ll be given a long, single-use activation code. Enter that activation code into the window and your Windows 7 Professional installation will be activated.

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Ubuntu Mobile OS Announced

Ubuntu's developer Canonical has announced their entry into the smartphone business with first public glimpses and features of upcoming Ubuntu for Phones. The Linux-based operating system will offer users an seamless experience on Desktop, PC and Mobile with some exciting features and an "android compatible kernel" so existing Google Android users can simply install and use Ubuntu on their phones. While Ubuntu for Phones will be available in 2013 for users to install on existing hardware, handsets powered by the OS will hit shelves in 2014.

Canonical released an extensive video preview and this looks really promising.

Take a look below;

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