PIA's Corruption Exposed, Who's Responsible?

 

 

MicroVision SHOWWX+ HDMI is first RIM pico projector

by Edwin

So you are still one of those who decide to stick with your BlackBerry, even though the rest of your corporate mates have made the jump over to the iOS and Android operating systems? Well, here is a little bit of good news for you – the MicroVision SHOWWX+ HDMI is first pico projector for Research In Motion (RIM) customers, and it will soon be up for sale. Guess making business presentations will be a whole lot easier now with this particular pico projector, no?

The SHOWWX+ HDMI is said to be able to easily connect to a wide range of devices such as computers, mobile gizmos as well as other compatible pieces of consumer electronics, including RIM’s very own Blackberry Playbook of course, letting you display your presentation content at more than 100″ in diagonal image size on any type of surface – preferably one that is flat and white, as your eyes (as well as those of your viewers) will greatly appreciate such a background.

This particular pico projector is diminutive enough in size to slip into a shirt pocket easily, where it delivers two hours of battery life thereabouts – pretty much the industry standard, really, making it ideal for just about all mobile applications that range from sharing business documents in between meetings or to playing a wall-sized version of Angry Birds while waiting for your public transport.

Alexander Tokman, president and CEO, MicroVision, says, “Partnering with GlobalWare dramatically expands the global availability of SHOWWX+ HDMI, and gives us a strong foothold into business audiences where the ability to visually collaborate anywhere is increasingly important. It’s rewarding to join forces with companies like GlobalWare to enable people to see bigger – whether they are on the road, at the office or home.”

Each purchase of the SHOWWX+ HDMI pico projector will come bundled with an iBOLT holder for the Blackberry Playbook. There is no pricing detail on the product page, so we will leave it at that for the moment.

Press Release

The New World's Thinnest Phone: The Motorola Droid RAZR

By Dan Nosowitz

At an event in New York City, Motorola just unveiled their newest, fastest, thinnest phone, with a name you might remember fondly, or not so fondly: the Droid RAZR. It'll be the thinnest phone in the world, running on the country's fastest network, with a huge battery and waterproof coating and all kinds of other goodies that'll probably make it seem so tough you'll forget about its extreme thinness.

The newest RAZR slash newest Droid is a 4.3-inch Android phone running Gingerbread (which is soon to be replaced by Ice Cream Sandwich), outfitted with Verizon's 4G LTE, a massive 1,800 mAh battery, a Gorilla Glass screen and Kevlar back, and some kind of water-resistant coating to make it splashproof. That battery is definitely notable; phones on Verizon's 4G network may be fast, but they're also notoriously harsh on battery life, so the extra juice will go a long way. The RAZR is 7.1mm thick at its thinnest point, making it even thinner than the 9.3mm-thick iPhone 4S. Optional accessories will include the laptop dock Motorola's been pushing with the Droid Bionic and Atrix 4G. We're just hoping the screen is better than the pixelly qHD screen used in the Droid Bionic.

Interestingly, Motorola also introduced the similarly-capitalized MotoACTV, pictured above, which, if we're being honest, is basically an iPod Nano ripoff. But the Nano's nice, and the ACTV has some cool features. Worn as a watch, it can not only play music but also connect via Bluetooth to the Droid RAZR, letting you know when someone's calling or texting without having to pull your phone out of your bag or whatever. 

The ACTV will be available on November 6th for a rather steep $250 and $300 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, respectively, while the Droid RAZR will be available to pre-order on October 27th for a cost of $300 with a 2-year contract. The RAZR is Verizon-only.

5 INTERNET SPEED TEST TOOLS YOU CAN USE TO TEST YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION

By Paul T.

Knowing how fast your internet connection is very important as an internet user, because besides the fact that it lets you know if your ISP isn’t delivering on their promises, it also makes it easy for you to know when something is wrong with your internet connection. While it is easy for you to calculate your internet speed based on how fast websites you are visiting are loading, or based on the download speeds you are getting, it is important for you to know that doing so is always going to be flawed. However, there are a lot of quality tools online that give you an accurate representation of the internet speed you are getting – this article will be listing 5 internet speed test tools you can use to test your internet connection.

1. Speedtest.net
Speedtest.net is currently the most popular speed testing website available on the internet. It has a lot of speed testing servers that can be used to determine your internet speed, and based on your preference, it automatically connects to the best server to help you determine your internet speed. Speedtest.net also has a mobile speed testing option that allows you to speed test your mobile internet connection.

2. BandwidthPlace.com
Bandwidthplace.com is currently my favorite speed testing tool. Aside from the great interface it offers, and how it measures your internet speed, Bandwidth Place also has a small chart below your speed test showing you the various kinds of internet connection available, the category yours fall into, and how good it is.

3. Internet Frog
The speed testing tool provided by Internetfrog.com is another great online speed test tool. It helps you test your internet download and upload speed, it shows you the quality of your internet connection and also gives an estimate on how long it will take your internet connection to download files online.

If you use a popular internet service provider the speed test tool at Internet Frog also shows you the speed gotten by other people using the same ISP as you who have used it for their speed testing while at the same time showing you the ratings of your ISP and what other users have to say about it.

4. TestMySpeed.com
If you’re looking for a simple speed testing tool that does nothing else other than to show you how fast your internet connection is the tool you need is the one provided by TestYourSpeed.com. It is currently the fastest and most simple speed testing tool I have seen online. It also gives a few tips on how to get an accurate internet speed test result.

5. Speakeasy
The 5th speed test tool on this list is the one provided by Speak Easy. It provides you with servers in 8 different locations. You can easily select any server in any location to determine how fast your internet connection will be.

The 12 Best Facebook Games

By Joel Fernandes

With over 800 million users and counting, Facebook without any doubt is the number one and most used social networking site existing. And it’s much hyped competitor Google Plus, is significantly sloping down the graph in terms of user activity, which makes more room for the social networking giant to expand its boundaries. But what makes Facebook so interesting? Is it friends? Or Wall posts? Possibly yes, but not as much as games. It’s the games on Facebook that makes a user stay connected to Facebook for a longer period of time.

Although I’m against games in Facebook, I explicitly recon that these games have taken Facebook to Himalayan heights. At least 60% of Facebook’s popularity is because of its games. And talking about addiction or Facebook Addiction Disorder (sometimes called as FAD), games are a main integral part of it. Users on Facebook not just login to check what their friends are up to or check photo albums or videos, but also are addicted to Facebook Games.

In a study that was done a year ago by US National Gamers Surveys indicated that out of 160 million gamers in America, 41 percent of them played social games on Facebook and other social networking sites. The question of “other networking sites” can be avoided for obvious reasons, but what makes these online gamers so hard to resist? Bizarrely yet entertainingly, these gamers spend hours together in building restaurants, milking cows, turning into mafias, coddling pets, and so on. Whatsoever the reason is, these games are certainly addictive.

Best Facebook Games

To know more about it, The Tech Labs brings you some of the most popular and best Facebook games, which indicate what exactly these games are about. Mind you, they are not just popular, but addictive too.

CityVille

I hope you readers have heard of CityVille. If you haven’t, then you must be one busy working bloke. CityVille is one such addictive game on Facebook, which let you create a perfect city in your way. You’re the mayor and you just know what you have to do. The game lets you start your city by growing corps and supplying goods to stores and foodies. Not just that, it also lets you collect rent from the houses that you own. And to expand your business, be sure to look into your friends’ cities with franchise.

Worth mentioning, Zynga’s CityVille has got over 55 million MAU (Most Active Users). It is now ranked 1 in terms of MAU. Make the most of your creativity and refine your city in a most feasible way.

FarmVille

If you haven’t had any chances of visiting a farm, then worry not. Here’s Zynga’s second most best Facebook games called FarmVille – a virtual farming game, which gives you virtual experience of a farm and lets you virtually labor on a plot of land, where you are supposed to plant, harvest crops and breed animals. Just basically what a farmer does. Farmville is a virtual force to be reckoned with, and has a whopping 11 million daily players. However, the MAU rates the game 4 with 28 million active users.

The interesting part is that you can earn virtual money with which you can buy, or help unlock new levels with better crops.

Empires & Allies

Empires & Allies is inspired by the CityVille game, however unlike CityVille, you can use guns here. The game is about a mysterious being known as The Raven who has assembled powerful forces and used them to devastate you nation. Now it is your job to put things right by collecting resources like oil and wood, constructing new homes, and most importantly reassembling the military base to battle against your rival, The Raven.

The game has been gaining a lot of exposure of late and has recorded a striking 20 million active users.

The Sims Social

The Sims Social is a Facebook addition to the Sims series of videogames, which was introduced during the EA’s 2011 E3 press conference. The game is all about building and decorating a home and looking after your sim’s more basic needs. It’s very similar to Sims gameplay. It enables interaction in a more interactive way (including such as kicking their trashcan, fighting the other sim, and slapping them) and lets you forge relationships.The Sims Social is the second most popular and best Facebook game tagged by MAU with over 41 million active users.

Adventure World

Have you watched the movie Indiana Jones? If you liked that movie, then I assure that you would fall in love with this game. Adventure World is another popular Facebook game by Zynga which currently has over 16 million MAU. It is Zynga’s most ambitious games till date, and very different from the games we have mentioned in the list.

The game takes you in a more exciting and adventurous world where you challenged to take on multiple quests, exploring on an expansive world filled with traps and treasures. You will also face challenges with rivals like snakes to battle with.

Jersey Shore

The Jersey Shore Facebook game is MTV’s latest flick attracting approximately 14 million active users and 1.7 million unique players and perhaps you need no introduction to people like Snooki, Mike The Situation or Pauly D. The show is a bit hysterical and MTV decided to make the most of its popularity by creating a game.

Jersey Shore on Facebook is relatively simple, reminiscent of Zynga’s FarmVille, and there’s isn’t much action or strategy involved. You can earn virtual coins by completing tasks, including GTL-ing (the show’s signature activities of gym, tan, laundry). They can also challenge other virtual Shore denizens in the game’s “Battle Dome,” using moves like throwing grenades or spray tanning their opponents.

Café World

Café World is yet another game by Zynga which it launched since the massive success of FarmVille. The gameplay style is very well influenced by FarmVille. The game is about managing a cafe where you would be serving food and brewages to customers and performing tasks which will earn you enough money to expand your “little” cafe into a larger restaurant.

In Café World your dishes are rightly available to you and you don’t need to buy ingredients to make them. As you level up you can prepare new dishes for your patrons. Preparing a dish is as simple as pie. All you need to do is click on the dis you want to make and your avatar will start creating the dish. However, creating a dish may take anywhere from few minutes to several hours. In other words, the more the dish is complicated, the more the time it takes.

The game is about keeping your customers satisfied, and here’s the breakthrough of the points –

• - One satisfied customer: + 0.1 Buzz point
• - Customer can’t find a seat: – 1.0 Buzz point
• - Customer doesn’t get served in time: – 1.0 Buzz point
• - Customer sits at a table with an empty plate = – 1.0 Buzz point

Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em is a poker game more suitable for novice players, since the game lets you play for free and no actual currency is being exchanged. Playing Texas Hold’em poker for money requires some basic understanding of the game and skills along with a set of unwritten or unofficial rules.

The game not only gives you a chance to enhance your skills, but also enjoy the game in a fun and exciting way. You can join a tournament at any time, so long as you invite some friends. The game has over 29 million MAU and about 5.8 million unique players from all over the world. You can risk big and win big, provided you possess those skills, but it isn’t really about risking your money, since it’s virtual. The largest win so far? Eight billion virtual dollars.

Bubble Island

This classic arcade game Bubble Island is about popping colorful bubbles to discover the secrets behind them. The game features two basic takes on the type of match-3 gameplay where you shoot colored spheres up at a wall of colored round objects that slowly descends toward you.

The game has two modes – A weekly game where you race to a high score in under 60 seconds and then a full-features story mode which beings in a very easy level, but tough challenges emerge as you level up in the game. The game currently has over 9 million MAUs.

Gardens of Time

As the name indicates, there is a garden filled with history, and your job is to protect and preserve it by joining as a potential new recruit for the Time Society: a group that travels back and forth through time, exploring important moments in history.

Gardens of Time is divided into several chapters, each of which has a number of things to explore. And every puzzle reveals a set of amount of energy to play. In each puzzle, players search for objects that are not native to the time period, and depending on the number of objects discovered, they score some points. And the better the player scores, the higher the Star Ratings goes at the end of the puzzle. The game currently has over 11 million active players.

Diamond Dash

Diamond Dash is a match-3 fun and addictive game. You are job is to clear away groups of three or more blocks, which are presented on your screen. Clearing the boxes can be done by simply clicking on them. All cleared boxes will disappear, causing the rest of the boxes to collapse down, and simultaneously accommodating more boxes from the top. The ultimatum is to clear away as many groups of colored boxes as possible.

However, the game restricts you to clear the boxes in less than 60 seconds. The entire set-up is greatly addictive, since the given time limit is very short. And the more number of boxes you clear, then more the points you gain. There’s also a high-score leader board from which you can compare your scores with your friends.

Pet Society

Pet Society is a 2D virtual pet simulation game. Players enter a virtual pet town where adorable creatures live and play. And all you have to do is raise a virtual per of your own creation. The game also allows you to raise e multiple pets under one roof. You will have to compete against other players in the game to win trophies and prove that your virtual per the is one heck of pet in Pet Society. The game currently has over 6.3 million active players.

Windows 8 Features & Release Date

By Joel Fernandes 

Windows, being one of the most used OS, brings great challenges for Microsoft to keep its users impressed in the next version of Windows.

Although Windows 7 has done exceptionally well since its release, Microsoft has been constantly working to make the next version of Windows a better one by further improving upon the existing features, and have added new impressive Windows 8 features along with a stunning UI.

Microsoft released the early version of Windows 8 on a prototype tablet last week. Those of you who would like to taste and experience the all new Windows 8, you can download the Developer Preview, which is currently in pre-beta version. The developer version shows off the current stage of the OS. It is available for free download, and comes in three different packages:

• (1) 64-bit version – Only the OS
• (2) 32-bit version – Only the OS
• (3) 64-bit version with developer tools

Windows 8 Features

Windows 8 offers a number of new Windows 8 features from its all new UI to Windows App Store and improvised security features. Here’s a list of new features and improvements which will arrive with Windows 8:

Support for both x86 PCs and ARM tablets

Windows 8 is the first edition of Windows which will work on both ARM based tablets and traditional x86 (as well as x32 and x64) PCs based on ARM processors from Intel and AMD.

“Support for ARM-based chipsets, touch, and sensors makes Windows 8 work beautifully on your choice of a full spectrum of devices, such as 10-inch slates with all-day battery life, ultra-lightweight laptops, and powerful all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition screens,” Microsoft contends, in a Windows 8 Guide distributed with Windows Developer Preview

Windows To Go

The “Windows To Go” seems to be an exciting feature that basically allows Windows 8 to boot from a USB device (called as Live USB), including user’s programs, settings and files. The feature is designed to work with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, and on both legacy NIOS and UDFI firmware. However, Microsoft says that a user will not be able to “Hibernate” with this feature.

“Windows To Go is a new feature in Windows 8 that enables enterprise administrators to create USB drives containing complete, managed Windows images that users can use to boot and run Windows on any Windows 7 or Windows 8 capable computer. Windows To Go makes it possible for employees to use a managed device whether they work from home, a client office or in a free seating environment. This session will discuss Windows To Go, its hardware requirements and building compatible and complementary software.”

Another interesting thing about this feature is that, if the USB drive is removed, Windows will automatically freeze, but will continue to operate if the USB drive is inserted back in the next 60 seconds after removal.

Windows Store

To compete with Apple, Windows has confirmed the introduction of a Windows Store, similar to Mac App Store, which allows users to browse through Windows applications, while developers can publish their Metro-style apps on Windows 8 devices.

Few days back, Microsoft gave a strategic view of its app store, and gave a quick demo on how it works. Microsoft revealed that the Windows App Store will be the only place where users can access the Metro-styled apps. Here’s a quick demo that shows how users will be able to buy their apps:

Windows 8 User Interface

Speaking about the UI, Windows 8 certainly has got a mind blowing interactive UI, which has been extensively redesigned to a “Metro-style” design, which shows the most important information to you, embodies simplicity, and gives you full control over it. The UI is designed to provide a fluid and intuitive interaction and navigation with touch, or a mouse and keyboard.

Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President, Windows who stated: “Everything that’s great about Windows 7, is better in Windows 8,” gave a quick hands on look at the Windows 8 user-interface. Here are some of the screenshots she released:

Windows Logon Screen – Unlike the traditional way of entering a password to unlock the screen, Windows 8 can be unlocked by just tapping on the right areas of the screen.

Windows 8 Start Screen – The Start screen is yet another impressive UI. The screen basically groups all your applications together, which you can easily drag and drop, or add new things.

Improved Windows Defender

The Windows Defender which was first released with Windows Vista is getting a security upgrade with the upcoming Windows 8. This would probably edge-our third-party antivirus and anti-malware programs. Windows Defender will become a full-fledged anti-malware solution for Windows 8. This will include protection against all types of malware such as virus, worms, trojans and rootkits.

In addition to that, Windows Defender will provide real-time detection and protection from malware threats using a file system filter, and will interface with Windows secured boot, which is another security feature.

Internet Explorer 10

The developer preview of Windows 8 comes with a Metro version of Internet Explore (IE) 10. Since it is a preview version, it does not support any browser plugins and extension – including Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight. However, it will feature full screen browsing mode by default, implements several new HTML5 capabilities, turbocharges HTML5 performance, and adds some security options for Web applications.

Windows 8 Minimum System Requirements

It is reported that Windows 8 is expected to have the same system requirements as Windows 7, and will run on existing PCs/laptops that run Windows 7. Here are the following minimum system requirements to run Windows 8:

Processor: 1GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor

RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)

HD Space: 16GB for 32-bit (or 20GB for 64-bit)

Windows 8 Release Date

We can expect Windows 8 to be launched sometime in mid-late 2012, however, it’s too early to predict the Windows 8 release date, since it is still under development. Nevertheless, the only question that haunts each and every one of us – Will Windows 8 win the battle against Apple which it had lost several years back?

HTC Elegant Windows Phone Concept Has a Bit of Nokia In It

by Thrystan

The HTC Elegant Windows Phone concept has a lower side that greatly reminds of devices such as the Nokia N8. Not that it’s a bad thing, since handsets like the N8 and E7 were very much appreciated for their design and less for their software. These images look as if they were taken with a leaked smartphone, but that’s not the case here…

Instead we get 3D renders of a nifty HTC concept phones that keeps a simple design of the back case, with the logo on, dual speakers, a 5-8 megapixel camera with LED flash and a front display that could be anywhere between 3. 8 inch and 4.3 inch in diagonal. The typical Windows Phone buttons under the screen are capacitive ones and this certainly looks like solid Windows Phone Mango material.
Not so sure about, the color, as some people would love to see this phone in black or maybe a shade of blue. Also, one must notice the grille at the top, next to the front camera, reminding me of the HTC Desire S and Incredible S. Would you buy such a device if it were real?

Nokia Asha 303

The Nokia Asha 303 is a stunning phone designed with sophisticated materials and metallic finishes. It combines a large 2.6" capacitive touch screen with a high quality QWERTY keypad. The Nokia Asha 303 is built with Internet and social networks ease in mind. The device harnesses a powerful 1Ghz engine, 3G and WLAN to deliver a fast Internet experience. Social networks, email and IM are at the center of the experience, easily accessible from the homescreen. The Nokia Asha 303 is powered by the cloud-based Nokia Browser, which by compressing the web by up to 90%, provides higher speeds and a more affordable access to the Internet. 

Entertainment and applications are also a core part of the Nokia Asha 303 offering. Angry Birds Lite, the popular mobile game, comes preinstalled, together with support for other globally relevant applications such as Facebook Chat, Whatsapp messaging and the latest release of Nokia Maps for Series 40 (in selected markets). The price will vary from market to market and operator to operator. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 303 will be approximately 115 EUR, excluding taxes and subsidies. It is expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Official Press Release

Samsung Nexus Prime Render Probably Looks Better Than The Real Thing

Considering the recent leak of the Samsung Nexus Prime, it seems a bit pointless to show you a render of a device you’ve already seen in live images. However, these renders of the first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone look too good to be missed. 

The pics show Nexus Prime’s face and that extremely curved profile we’ve seen in a Samsung teaser published recently. Presumed specs are a 4.65 inch 720p display, a dual core 1.5GHz, a 5 or 8 megapixel camera and at least 16GB of internal memory. Of course we’re dealing with a fake here, since usually concepts look better than the actual smartphones.

There’s also a sneak glance at Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the image below, in case you want it. It’s strange to see the virtual buttons from Honeycomb on a phone and a dock with such beautiful apps, that remind me of custom ROMs. I’m really curios how thin this curved smartphone is and how round are its curves in comparison with the Xperia Arc and Nexus S.

[via intomobile and nexusprimer]

Samsung announces next Google flagship – the Galaxy Nexus

By: Edwin

Google’s flagship smartphones used to hail from HTC, but it seemed as though somewhere along the way, they switched to Samsung’s camp. That is not necessarily a bad thing though, as Samsung did a pretty good job so far – and the recently revealed Samsung Galaxy Nexus further cements the South Korean company’s reputation as a prime handset manufacturer, coming a long way since its humble beginnings. I still remember the cheap, plastic handsets that Samsung used to roll out, until the unique Blue ‘i’ model hit the market – now that was certainly a beauty, barring its build quality.

Fast forward to today, and you have the Galaxy Nexus, being the first smartphone in the world that is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest release of the Android platform. In addition, your eyes will certainly appreciate what the 4.65″ HD Super AMOLED display technology is able to deliver – we’re talking about 720p resolution alongside a 1.2GHz dual core processor running proceedings from within, now how about that?

Just what does Ice Cream Sandwich bring to the table? We’re talking about a totally redesigned user interface that comes complete with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full web browsing experience. Not only that, you will have software navigation buttons – which is also another first for Android smartphones. Basically, the entire gamut, ranging from the lock screen to the home screen, phone app, and just about everything else in between has been rethought and redesigned in order to make Android, dare I say it, more iOS-like. In spirit, of course – simple, beautiful, and useful.

Not only that, Ice Cream Sandwich boasts of a new People app so that you can browse friends, family, and coworkers while checking out their social network updates and view their photos in high resolution. A camera at the back captures Full HD resolution video, sporting zero-shutter lag to make it the Android smartphone to beat at the moment. Do look out for the Galaxy Nexus from November onwards in the US, Europe and Asia.

Press Release

Sprint expands range with new HTC EVO Design 4G

By: Edwin

The HTC EVO family has just gotten larger – thanks to the introduction of the HTC EVO Design 4G. Making its way to the market via Sprint, this will be the first EVO family member that boasts of World Phone capabilities. Of course, being able to use this phone just about anywhere you go in the world is not the only good thing – as the HTC EVO Design 4G will also come with many other “must-have†features that are found in its predecessors, ranging from Sprint’s 4G connectivity to a generous touchscreen display so that your fingers can dance all over the virtual keyboard with ease, spending more time composing correct text messages than making correction.

The HTC EVO Design 4G comes in a slim, pocket-friendly aluminum unibody design that will not burn a huge hole in your pocket at the end of the day, either, which you can read about after the jump. In between, let us take a look at the kind of specifications that the EVO Design 4G offers, shall we not? With Android 2.3 Gingerbread running right out of the box, you need not mope around the home and wait for a software update to be released by the vendor – perhaps it is forwards compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich, but that is another issue altogether at the moment. A 1.2GHz processor should be able to work just fine, handling all the demanding tasks without missing a beat, while the 4″ qHD resolution capacitive touchscreen display offers a “can do” attitude that will surely be able to charm perhaps even iPhone fans.

Throw in a 5-megapixel rear camera that does HD resolution video recording alongside a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera for decent self-portrait shots and video calls and you’ve got a phone that can mingle around comfortably with other mid-range to high-end models. Not only that, it can support up to 8 Wi-Fi enabled devices over the Sprint 3G or 4G network thanks to the Mobile Hotspot capability, making you the newest “best friend” among your data hungry mates. Just how much will the HTC EVO Design 4G cost? It hits the market this coming October 23rd for $99.99 prior to taxes, where you will obviously need to agree to a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade.

Press Release

iPod Designer Builds the World's Most Beautiful Thermostat

By Sarah Kessler

Tony Fadell, the man who oversaw the first 18 generations of the iPod, announced the first product of his stealth startup Nest Labs Tuesday: a sexy, world-saving ... thermostat. "Nest" is a $249 programmable thermostat that can also program itself. At first, users might frequently adjust the thermometer when they get up in the morning, leave for work, get home from work and go to sleep. Eventually, however, it will learn their patterns and adjust the temperature to appropriate levels automatically. If they leave on a trip, the thermostat will figure out the house is empty and turn the heat and air conditioning to an energy-saving mode. 90% of programmable thermostats are rarely or never programmed, even though the EPA estimates that programming a thermostat to reduce heating or cooling while out of the house can cut 15% off of a heating and cooling bill. By making it easier to "program" temperature, Fadell's thermostat could put a much bigger dent reducing energy waste and bills than its traditional counterpart. He has told several publications that users can expect to cut up to 30% of their utility bills. All this, and Nest is a looker, too. “If you don’t make it look beautiful, people don’t cherish it,” Fadell told Wired. “I want it to be a jewel on the wall so that it’s a conversation piece. People come over and they go, ‘What’s that on your wall?’ and you go, ‘Oh, you’ve got to check this out.’"

The thermostat is round like a jewel. Instead of faint numbers that make users squint, the temperature on Nest is bold and large, front and center. To adjust, you twist the rim around the "jewel." It turns blue when it's cooling things down and red when it's heating them up. A small leaf image discreetly points users toward energy efficient settings. Should users forget to make a temperature adjustment before they leave the house, they can control the thermostat with any Internet-connected device, an iPhone app or an Android app. "The Nest is the iPod of thermostats," says Levy. And it is. But it's also still a thermostat, and a thermostat that costs about $100 more than most competitorst. Can an Apple-eye for design turn a traditionally boring product into something for which people pay a premium to display? We likely won't begin to find out until November, when the device goes on sale. Best Buy and Nest Labs's website are taking pre-orders.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Nokia unveils 2 Windows smartphones

HELSINKI (AP) — Nokia Corp. on Wednesday unveiled its first Windows cell phones, in a bid to recapture lost ground to chief rivals in the tough top-end smartphone market. Nokia's Lumia 800, priced at some euro420 ($580), and Lumia 710 with a price tag of euro270, are the Finnish cell phone maker's first models based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows software after the two companies announced they would team up in February. The company also introduced four other smartphone models aimed at emerging markets.

Nokia stock was up more than 1 percent at euro4.89 ($6.81) in early afternoon trading in Helsinki.Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said the Lumia 800, with Carl Zeiss optics and 16GB of internal memory, will be available in some European countries in November, including France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Britain. It shipped in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan before the year-end. The Lumia 710, with a 1.4 GHz processor, navigational applications and Nokia Music — a free, mobile music-streaming app — will first be available in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan toward the end of the year.

"Eight months ago, we shared our new strategy and today we are demonstrating clear progress of this strategy in action," Elop said at a Nokia presentation in London. "We're driving innovation throughout our entire portfolio, from new smartphone experiences to ever smarter mobile phones." The world's top cell phone maker launched four smartphones aimed at emerging markets, with QWERTY keyboards and touch screens, aimed at helping "the next billion" users connect to the Internet, Elop said. The new Asha range, priced at euro60 to euro115, some with twin SIM cards, music features, interactive maps and the popular Angry Birds game pre-loaded, will be shipped globally in the fourth quarter or early 2012. Nokia, which claims 1.3 billion daily users, has steadily been losing the smartphone race as it is squeezed in the low end by Asian manufacturers like ZTE and in the high end by Apple Inc.'s Phone, Research in Motion's Blackberry and Google's Android devices.

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Source:

Nokia: http://www.nokia.com.