MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES THE NEXT VERSION OF WINDOWS

Microsoft has announced the next version of Windows. It is not being called as Windows One or Windows 9, instead Microsoft has decided to call it Windows 10.

At the press event, happening in San Francisco, Microsoft shared its goals with Windows 10, and how this new operating system focuses heavily on the desktop. Windows 10 will include the return of the beloved Start Menu, now with live-tiles included as well as Modern UI (Metro) apps, multiple desktops, a notification centre, an improved CMD and much more.

Windows 10 will run on broadest types of devices and it offers single application platform for all the devices. There is one store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased, and updated across all of these devices.

Microsoft will launch a public technical preview of the new Windows 10 on Wednesday, October 1 with their new Windows Insider Program.

Are you excited about the new Windows? What do you think about name of new Windows?

Sources: Multiple

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5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A SMARTPHONE

I came across this article and decided to share it with my readers.

Smartphones generally make our lives easier. They help us make calls, get directions, take photos, share information, listen to music and more. But there is one thing they definitely don’t make easier – choosing the right smartphone. What is the best operating system? What features and specs are important? Is a bigger display better? In this article we try to answer all of these questions, and help you choose the suitable smartphone for you.

#1 – Operating System

In today’s world of smartphones there are really only three options when it comes to the operating system – Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Android is certainly the most popular option. Apple’s iOS, on the other hand, is available only on iPhones. Windows Phone is finally rising up.

#2 – Specs

When you are looking at specs, you need to pay attention to two main things – processor and system memory (RAM).A fast processor will enable you to open apps easily and play games smoothly. More RAM will help you use multiple applications at once, and switch between them faster.

#3 – Storage

Now a days, every smartphone comes with at least a little amount of internal storage. Some phones come with only internal storage (i.e. Apple’s iPhone), while some other smartphones come with the possibility of using SD cards as external storage. However, New versions of Android don't allow apps to be installed on SD cards but Windows Phone does.

#4 – Size

Bigger phones are supposed to be heavier and harder to carry around. In my opinion, the perfect size for a smartphone screen, today, is between 4-5 inches.

#5 – Camera

When choosing a smartphone, make sure that it has a pretty good camera, as it is one of the features you’ll probably use the most. Opting for a higher-megapixel camera is the easiest way to make sure it’s decent. This doesn’t always mean that a camera with less megapixels is always worse. Many users agree that iPhone 5s’s 8 MP camera is better than Samsung Galaxy S4′s 13 MP camera.

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MICROSOFT ROLLING OUT UPDATE FOR PREVIEW FOR DEVELOPERS USERS

 A new update is now live. Version 14176 of Windows Phone 8.1.1 is the new update.

The Windows Blog has posted details about the update:

"Build 8.10.14176 starts rolling today to developer preview participants, and provides a bunch of performance improvements and general fixes. One of the important fixes addresses an issue some folks were seeing during the update process – the 80188308 error – which resulted from running out of storage space in the system partition during update. We expect this fix to solve the update issue for most users."

For the Update:

Microsoft is also delivering Lumia Cyan Update to the Preview for Developers who are waiting for the update since the released. If you don't know, Microsoft halted the over-the-air update to the Preview for Developers users because of a bug - caused by BitLocker Encryption that prevented the phone from being updated to Cyan.

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MICROSOFT CONFIRMS "WINDOWS 9" IS COMING SOON

Alain Crozier, President of Microsoft France said yesterday "Last year, we were with a Windows 8 release, in a few hours, a few days we will release our new OS, Windows 9"

Nicolas Petit - Director, Marketing and Operations at Microsoft France -  corrected Croziers comment by saying "We look forward to seeing you in late September, in San Francisco, for the future of Windows, which actually at this stage does not have a name as such."

Microsoft will release a public preview of "Windows 9" in early October for Enterprises and Enthusiasts.

Should Microsoft name the new Windows OS as Windows 9 or opt for a new naming scheme?

Source: winbeta

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LATEST ANDROID ZERO-DAY HACK - IS IT TIME TO SWITCH THE PLATFORM?

Android is not well known for being the most secure OS. A newly discovered flaw in the Android browser could means hundreds of millions of Android users’ private or financially sensitive data can be used by hackers.

Ars Technica reported a bug  on the 1st September which allows cross site scripting in the Android browser, used by between 40-50% of Android users. Google initially denied the hack but later admitted the issue. They said that they would be working on a fix.

The bug can easily be used to steal PayPal cookies, allowing hackers to log into your account.

Browser flaws are common, especially on Windows. But what makes the issue very dangerous for Android users is that the vast majority of Android handsets are no longer supported by OEMs. The Android browser being an OS module, not a Google store app, these handsets will need a firmware update to fix.

Research has revealed that Android malware infections now outnumber Windows Phone infections. More than 97% of malware targets Android. Microsoft believe security is a major differentiator for Windows Phone. Android users should be asking themselves if it’s time to switch to a safer platform that is still affordable and offers a wide range of form factors and features.

Source: wmpoweruser

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ONEDRIVE STORAGE HAS INCREASED

Microsoft is offering 30 GB to the Apple and Android users. Users just need to install the OneDrive app on their devices. This is also available to people with Windows PC, Tablet or Phone.

All that is needed is enabling the automatic upload of photos from the camera roll. Microsoft's Douglas Pearce stated that it is a limited time offer.Are you excited about the bump in the storage capacity of OneDrive?

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WINDOWS PHONE 8.1 IS BETTER THAN WINDOWS PHONE 8

Windows Phone 8.1 update is still rolling out to the users, and many people have reported increased lagging and the Resuming screen (may be because of new Live Lock Screen beta). W7tutorials has done a comprehensive benchmarking of four handsets before and after the update to clarify the confusion.

They updated the Nokia Lumia 525, Lumia 620, Lumia 625 and Lumia 1320 and in most handsets found a significant improvement in basics such as CPU performance, data transfer rates from storage and data transfer in memory.

Windows Phone 8.1 delivers clear performance improvements in the following areas: data transfers to and from the storage space and boot timings. Did you get any performance benefits on your smartphone after upgrading?

Source: wmpoweruser

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LUMIA 530: REVIEW

Lumia 530 Dual SIM - Review

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GTA V PC DELAYED TILL JANUARY OF NEXT YEAR

Rockstar Games has today announced that Grand Theft Auto V will hit next-gen consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, on November 18. PC gamers having to wait until January 27.

Here's a quick list to detail just some of the new additions to these new releases:

• New weapons, vehicles and activities
• Additional wildlife
• Denser traffic
• New foliage system
• Enhanced damage and weather effects

That's not all. GTA V will also feature enhanced radio selections with over 100 new songs along with what's already available and new DJs to boot. If you have pre-ordered the game on either the consoles or PC, you'll receive $1,000,000 in cash to spend in both story mode and GTA Online ($500,000 split).

Source: wpcentral

Are you excited about GTA V on PC?

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ONEDRIVE GETS MAJOR UPDATES

Earlier reports suggested that Microsoft had increased OneDrive's upload file size restrictions from 2 GB to an unknown size limit. Now, Microsoft has revealed new updates to OneDrive.

The updated OneDrive allows you to upload files up to 10 GB in size, via the desktop apps, mobile apps and OneDrive website.

Also OneDrive now syncs faster than before by increasing the number of files that can be downloaded or uploaded at a given time.

The newly updated OneDrive allows the user to drag folders directly into OneDrive website from any browser that supports dragging/dropping.

Which cloud storage do you use?

-Source: Winbeta

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APPLE IPHONE 6 vs NOKIA LUMIA 830

Apple has now announced the detail of the iPhone 6. Let's compare it to a similar mid-range Windows Phone device.

     

	iPhone 6	Nokia Lumia 830
Screen Size	4.7 inches	5 inches
Resolution	750 x 1334 pixels	720×1280
Dimensions	138 x 67 x 6.8 mm	139.4mm x 70.7 mmx 8.5mm
Camera	8 MP, F2.2, no OISf	10 MP, F2.2, Optical Image Stabilization
Front Facing camera	1.2 MP	0.9 MP
Wireless charging	No	Yes
Fingerprint Reader	Yes	No
RAM	1GB	1GB
Weight	113g	150g
NFC	Yes	Yes
Storage	16 GB	16 GB, up to 128 GB microSD expansion
battery life	14 h 3G talk time, 10 days standby time	14.8 h 3G talk time, 22 days standby time
Price	$799 off contract	$426 off contact

Which phone will you buy? Let me know below in the comments

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AGE OF EMPIRES: CASTLE SIEGE NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM WINDOWS PHONE STORE

The new mobile game Age of Empires: Castle Siege is now available for download from Windows Phone Store.

Game Description:

Age of Empires®: Castle Siege invites you to guide your empire through the Medieval Era on your Windows PC or touch screen device. Choose from one of several civilizations, including the Britons, Teutons, and Kievan Rus. Upgrade your keep, fortify your walls, and garrison defensive troops to protect yourself from marauders. Then, train an army to raid other cities, and command them in battle to dismantle your opponents’ defenses.

Over the ages, you’ll research technology, live through famous battles, and recruit a variety of heroes to your side, including Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, and Joan of Arc. Outsmart your attackers and outplay your victims to earn achievements and climb to the top of the leaderboards.

Take command, and make your mark on history!

Download it here from Windows Phone Store for free. However, few users have reported problem with downloading the game.

Are you excited?

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OPERA MINI BROWSER FOR WINDOWS PHONE NOW AVAILABLE

Opera has now launched the beta version of its Opera Mini web browser for Windows Phone.

Opera seemed to suggest that only people who signed up for the beta testing would have access to this early release. However, this first version is available for anyone to download. Keep in mind that this is a beta release, so there are bound to be some bugs and issues.

Here's a quick list of the Opera Mini's features:

• Speed Dial - Set all your favourite websites on the home screen of the browser.
• Smart Page - Smart Page gives you instant updates from all your social sites on one screen.
• Tabs – Have more webpages open at the same time.
• Save pages - Save pages you like for later reading.

What do you think about Opera Mini for Windows Phone?

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ALCATEL POP 2 WINDOWS PHONE IS THE FIRST WINDOWS PHONE WITH A 64BIT PROCESSOR

The Alcatel Pop 2 is a Windows Phone version of the Android handset of the same name, and like the HTC One for Windows has exactly the same specs as the Android version.

The device comes with 1 GB of RAM. It has a 4.5 inch FWVGA screen, and the latest Snapdragon 410 processor running at 1.2 Ghz, and the Adreno 306 GPU.

The device also features 8GB storage, a 4 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, VGA front camera, 2000 mAh battery and most importantly LTE support.

The handset is 9.9mm thick and weighs 147g and will be available in white, blue, purple, green, red and yellow. It will also be available in Dual-SIM.

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DON’T USE THE SAME EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR BOTH BACKUP AND STORAGE

Technically speaking, there’s no reason why you couldn't use the same hard drive for backing up your internal drive and storing overflow data that doesn't fit on your internal drive. But in reality, doing so is a really bad idea.

First of all, if there are files you’re storing exclusively on the external hard drive, you need to back up those files. Remember the two primary rules of backup:

• One, you should never have just one copy of anything.
• Two, you should never keep the original and the copy on the same drive—or even the same computer.

Ideally, your internal storage should be large enough for all of your files. If it isn’t, consider one of these options:

• Install a second internal drive
• Replace your internal drive with a bigger one
• Use two external hard drives

Have any suggestion? Tell me in the comments.

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ONE ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM IS BETTER THAN TWO

Running two antivirus programs is a bit like mixing a fine, vintage Cabernet with breakfast cereal. Each is good in its own right, but the combination may have unpleasant side effects.

Two antivirus programs, loaded and running simultaneously, will be redundant. And in this case, you don’t want redundancy. Every program that is running uses RAM and clock cycles. A well-made antivirus program has a very small footprint, and doesn't slow things down significantly. But two such programs running together will slow it down twice as much.

If you’re worried that one antivirus program isn't enough, you can enhance it with an on-demand malware scanner. Unlike antivirus programs, they don’t keep running in the background. You start one, update it, scan your computer, and close it when finished.

I use the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Once a week, I scan my hard drive with it.

Which program do you use? Let me know in the comments

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MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES LUMIA DENIM UPDATE

Microsoft has announced the next firmware update for Nokia Lumia handsets. It follows Lumia Cyan update and strives to offer a better camera integration with a faster shooting process and of course a better Cortana!

The Lumia Denim update will first launch on Lumia 930, Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon by the end of Q4 this year. It will be expanded over the entire compatible Lumia range late on.


Are you excited for the next Firmware update? Let me know in the comments.

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NEW POSTS AND UPDATES

I am reviving this Blog. I was busy but now I will find time to post and I hope that this Blog will be helpful to the readers.

-Nabeel

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