Google’s latest OS android 4.0.3

Till now galaxy Nexus is the only handset running Google’s latest OS android 4.0.
But Google recently announced its latest OS Android 4.0.3 which is an advanced release of Ice cream sandwich.
From the side of Android developers it is declared that the new OS will come with new optimization and bug fixes for android based tablets and smartphones.Apart from this optimization,there’s a small amount of new API’S for developers.Android 4.0.3 bring optimization and bug fixes to ICS.Google has listed some of the new API’S in ICE CREAM sandwich. Which includes a social stream API in contacts provider, calender provider enhancement, new and defined camera quality and accessibility refinements.This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying along with photos and other contacts information.New camera capabilities enables the apps to manage video stabilization.There is also improvement in graphics ,spelling checking and many more.

Here's How To Get iOS 6 Right Now

First make your way to Apple's developer center website. It's at developer.apple.com. Go to the iOS Dev Center.




 

Then you'll want to register a free account. Go through the process and put in all your information.



Once you have your account, log in on the iOS Dev Center.

Click on the iOS 6 button on the iOS developer center page.

 



If you aren't a registered developer, you'll have to spend $99 a year to sign up.

From there, jump to the downloads page...

...and download the appropriate version of iOS 6 for your device. We have an iPhone 4S, so we went with that.

Bang! Here we go.

 

This is the file you'll get. It's useless if you click on it, so go to iTunes.




Find your phone on the iTunes navigation bar.




With your phone plugged in, hold the option/alt key on the keyboard and press "restore." We advise that you back your phone up first.




Go to the file you unpacked for iOS 6, and select that one.




 

It'll give you one final warning before installing iOS 6 on your iPhone.

 

And you're done! It'll take a few minutes to install and update, and you'll be good to go



 

If you can't wait to try it out.

aLunch

aLunch is a very lightweight but powerful application that does what it is supposed to do and nothing more: a handy launcher that runs from within the menu bar. The application was written back in 2007, and two years later it still proves to be a strong contender.



aLunch helps you get all your apps organized and get an uncluttered dock. You can customize a hot key combination so a launcher window shows and let’s you choose either a Launcher window or go to the Launcher Menu. You can use this application with a Mac running OSX 10.4 or higher. If you have an earlier OS X such as 10.3, you need to update to version 10.3.9 to use an earlier version of the application.

Samsung unveils Windows 8-based tablets, notebooks

South Korea's Samsung Electronicsunveiled notebook and tablet computers running on Windows 8, the latest firm to showcase products that use Microsoft's eagerly-awaited new operating system.

On the opening day of Asia's leading IT fair inTaipei, Samsung showcased the products, including the Series 5 Hybrid which has features of both a laptop and a tablet, in a low-key display.

"Visitors should be able to see the tight partnership between Samsung and Microsoft and Intel," said Lorraine Tsao, a spokeswoman for Samsung in Taiwan.

It came a day after Taiwanese rivals Acer and Asus unveiled products running on Windows 8, which is the focus of the annual Computex fair, in its 32nd year.

A new survey meanwhile showed that Samsung overtook Amazon in the first three months of the year to take second spot in the global market for tablet sales, but still lagged far behind Apple with its ever-popular iPad.

Windows 8 is touted as Microsoft's long-awaited riposte to the rise of Apple and mobile devices powered by Google's Android operating system. There is no official release date but reports have predicted an October launch.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says that Windows 8 will support a wider range of devices including touch- and stylus-based smartphones and tablet PCs, as well as desktops and laptops.

The ABI Research survey, out Monday, showed that the iPad extended its lead in the global market for tablets in the first three months of the year, holding 65 per cent of the market with 11.8 million shipments of the device.

Samsung grabbed the number two spot with 1.1 million shipments, or six percent of the market, overtaking Amazon, which saw an 80 per cent quarter-over-quarter drop in sales of the Kindle Fire, according to ABI.

Computex features more than 1,800 exhibitors registering 5,400 booths, up two per cent from a year ago.

The organisers estimate that the IT fair will draw 36,000 foreign buyers who may place bulk orders worth up to $28 billion.

Motorola’s smart watch gets social with improvements

Motorola’s wearable Android, the MotoActv, may bemarketed as a fitness tracker, but with each new software update, it becomes a smarter smart watch. The company has released software upgrade version 7.2which improves tracking for golf shots, fitness zones via heart rate monitors and map views after a workout. After installing the software update, owners will also have direct access to Facebook wall posts and Twitter messages from their Bluetooth connected Android phone.

I like Motorola’s approach to this class of device because while I’ve seen and tested a number of wearable connected devices, few have delivered either a positive experience, wide range of useful features, or both. Instead of putting out a half-baked product, Motorola designed and marketed the MotoActv to fitness enthusiasts from the beginning and recently added golf functions while a few smart watch functions went along for the ride. And even those — notifications for email, text messages and caller ID — were first limited to Motorola-branded phones.

 

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Eventually, the smart watch features were extended to all Android phones, not just those made by Motorola. The company also fixed initial battery issues and at that point, I bought myself a MotoActv for my daily running: The integrated GPS provides route, elevation, pace and time. Once I realized the accelerometer could track steps, I ended up wearing the MotoActv every day, and I still do. But I haven’t been using the phone notification feature. Now that the updated device includes support for Facebook and Twitter, I may enable that feature.

I’ll also be taking full advantage of the more detailed golf tracking included in this software update. Ironically, I just played 9 holes with the watch yesterday, using it to track every shot on the course (and there were quite a few of them!). Here’s an example of the data tracking:



But I had commented to a fellow golfer during the round that I wish the MotoActv didn’t treat all putts the same: It only captures how many putts used on each hole. Lo and behold, just a day later, the new software update allows putt tracking for short, medium and long putts, making the data capture even more useful.

Interesting to me is how Motorola still isn’t positioning the MotoActv as a smart watch, although I think most would consider it one if they knew the capabilities. Then again, many people haven’t yet heard of smart watches. It’s a clever move to instead market the device as a known item — a fitness tracker — and then keep adding smartphone-assisted functions and other improvements. Motorola’s MotoActv may be the best smart watch to date; just don’t call it a smart watch!

Samsung Galaxy S3 hits store shelves in India

Samsung Electronics launched its flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone in India on Thursday, making an aggressive push to counter Apple's popular iPhones in a competitive market.

The 16 GB smartphone, priced at 43,180 rupees in India, runs on the Android 4.0 platform and features a 4.8 inch screen.

The Galaxy S3, powered by Samsung's quad-core microprocessor, also tracks the user's eye movements to keep the screen from dimming or turning off while in use.

Samsung packs new features such as the S Voice, its equivalent of Apple's Siri, and launched its own music service on the device. The S3 also boasts of an 8 megapixel rear camera.

"India is one of the top three strategic markets in the world for Samsung," a company release quoted H.C. Ryu, Samsung's vice president of sales and marketing, as saying at the phone's launch in India.

The company is aiming to outsell its previous model S2 that helped the South Korean firm topple Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker.

10 Things Google Should do with Motorola

2. Do not hurt the other android venders:

 
Google came up with android and changed the market dynamic. Android devices have a huge market which keeps increasing day by day. The android platform is used by several vendors. The merger between Google and Motorola could send waves of fear in the market that Motorola would have undue advantage since it now officially belongs to the birth house of android.

 
The smart step here would be for Google to maintain a safe distance from Motorola to reassure the other vendors that there would be no undue advantage given to Motorola.


3. Use the patents wisely:

 
Google had to shell $12.5 billion for Motorola. They are now the proud owners of the 17000 Motorola patents. This is bound to come handy in this season for patent lawsuits. These patents will help Google against oracle, apple and other such companies. Google could also use these patents to improve the android platform and thus help the various android vendors.


4. Software expertise:

 
The Amazon Kindle story is known to all. They took android and gave it the Amazon touch and made kindle an instant success. Motorola also followed the same path. They took android and modified it to suit their own handsets.

 
Let us also keep in mind here that Motorola is a software genius. Their software expertise must be utilized by Google to come up with something extraordinary.

5. Utilize the talent:

 
Google acquired several valuable assets after it took over Motorola. Although the company is not doing very well at the time they were once a force to reckon with. Known for their innovative products they are home to some very talented developers.

 
Google can benefit largely if they recognize the talents in the company and shift them over.

6. Revive the Chromebook:

 
The chrome book is a personal computer running on Google Chrome OS. It is a cross between a cloud and a personal laptop. It runs on a Linux kernel and Google Chrome web browser with an integrated media player. The product received mixed reviews and it soon slipped from the consumer memory and also from Google’s priority list.

 
It is a promising product and hopefully Motorola can work to better the design and relaunch it. All they need is one successful launch and Chromebooks can be back in business.

7. Better the Motorola lineup:



Motorola was earlier known for its sleek phones and they pioneered the flip phones but made the mistake of coming up with too many handsets. The markets were flooded with too many choices for the consumers.



They must focus on fewer products to come up with better choices for the consumers. Apple follows this policy and is at the top position in the market. Hopefully Google will help Motorola make smarter choices and simplify their product list. Too much of anything is not good.




8. Avoid layoffs:

 
The market is filled with hushed rumors that layoffs are inevitable after the acquisition. When Google had taken over DoubleClick, 40 percent of their employees were laid off. Motorola employees may see the same fate. The company had recently fired 800 employees in the name of reconstruction.

 
Google does not know yet what it has taken over. They should take some time to consider the possibilities here. The search giants can utilize the talented workforce to come up with newer and better products. They certainly have the resources to do so.

9. Innovation is the key:



Motorola owned the market with its flip phones and then clam phones. Its set top box business is iconic in itself. Motorola’s legacy of being an innovator has been lost in the recent past. They could not keep up with the rapidly changing communications and electronic market.



We can expect Google to come to Motorola’s rescue and resurrect them. Google has the cash and Motorola’s investment budget can also be used to make breakthrough inventions. Google needs to bring back the innovation streak in Motorola to justify the high price they paid.




10. Stand up to Microsoft:
Motorola is currently caught in a nasty lawsuit with Microsoft over patents. Motorola has subsequently sued Microsoft in the US and European courts. Such cases usually end peacefully in patent cross-licensing deals. But this time the companies involved are not looking for settling. Motorola wants Xbox 360 and Windows 7 to be banned in US markets. Recently a judge commented in Motorola’s favor saying that 4 of their patents were being violated by Microsoft.
Google can try to be the bigger person here by letting the lawsuit go or they can take the bull at its horns. It is completely their choice.

Should Facebook Make a Smartphone?

Rumors have resurfaced that Facebook is working on a project to develop its own smartphone. There are clues and leaks suggesting that Facebook is exploring its mobile options with a possible device launch in 2013. The big question, though, is whether or not it makes any sensefor Facebook to do so.

Facebook is king of the social networks. It has already surpassed Google to become the online destination where users spend the majority of their time. Nearly a billion people around the world rely on Facebook to share photos, status updates, check-ins, and just stay connected with their networks of friends and family.

Does Facebook need to be in the smartphone platform/hardware business?For many users Facebook has become synonymous with the Internet. With as much clout as Facebook already has, what would it gain from jumping into the highly competitive smartphone market?

An article by Nick Bilton in the New York Times quotes an unnamed Facebook employee explaining, “Mark [Zuckerberg] is worried that if he doesn’t create a mobile phone in the near future that Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms.”

Would that be so bad? Or, to rephrase—isn’t that a worthwhile goal that other businesses would love to achieve?

My PCWorld peer Daniel Ionescu describes the crux of Facebook’s dilemma. “While the social network uses several kinds of targeted ads to make money, it has difficulties monetizing some 200 million users who use Facebook from their mobiles.”

Facebook is already one of the most popular and widely used apps on the iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone mobile platforms. Rather than building its own smartphone, Facebook should focus on ways to monetize the massive mobile user base it already has. No matter how successful a Facebook smartphone could be, there will still be tens (or hundreds) of millions of Facebook users on other mobile platforms.

There are two significant risks if Facebook is, in fact, developing its own smartphone. First, if it’s not a success it becomes a blemish Facebook’s reputation and brand. If it works, however, Facebook could run the risk of alienating other platforms--or favoring its own platform in a way that weakens the Facebook app on other platforms--and end up diluting its overall base.

The ultimate solution may lie with other currently circulating rumors. There are suggestions that Facebook may be developing its own Web browser, or just buying Opera and turning it into a Facebook browser, and persistent hints that Facebook may expand into online search--pitting it more directly against its archrival Google.

Having a Facebook-centric browser and Facebook-centric search would put the social network in a position to funnel the online activities of Facebook users to get ads in front of more people. It would make Facebook more valuable as a marketing resource, and generate revenue for Facebook following a similar model to Google.

Alone, the browser and search may not be enough. Facebook would still be dependent on users to choose its browser or search engine, or for other mobile platforms to employ them as the default browser or search--which is highly unlikely. But, if Facebook combines all three—browser, search, and smartphone—it may have a winner.

Without a Facebook-centric browser and search function, though, there would be little—if any—benefit from a Facebook smartphone. It would still rely on a third-party browser and search and wouldn’t really generate any more revenue.

The smartphone business is tough, but it’s not impossible. When the iPhone debuted, Apple’s rivals didn’t take it seriously. A few years ago there was no Android, and now it is the dominant smartphone platform.

If the rumors are true we’ll have to wait and see if a Facebook smartphone platform can become the next iOS or Android, or if it ends up struggling like Windows Phone, or fizzling into obscurity like webOS.