LG G Flex: First Look

LG finally introduced its first curved display smartphone in India, the G Flex, at an event in New Delhi. Indian consumers will have to wait till next year to get their hands on the device, as the G Flex will be available in India only in February 2014.

The G Flex is curved on its horizontal axis which gives the device's top and bottom edges a curl shape. The biggest perceived advantage of the G Flex's curve in our limited period usage, is while talking on the device - the design definitely better hugs your face, much like an old landline phone. In terms of gripping, the curve also helps to comfortably hold the device, but the rear is made of plastic, so it can also slip out during long usage. When compared to some of its close competitors like HTC One Max and the Galaxy Mega 6.3, the G Flex (160.5x81.6x8.7mm) is better to hold and move around thanks to the curve design. 

Next big thing which is very much noticeable in the G Flex is its size, the 6-inch display does puts it in the phablet category and does looks like a large device in hands. Notably, we were unable to easily use the G Flex with one hand, as we found it difficult to stretch our thumb across the device. When talking about phablets, we still believe that Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 (151.2x79.2x8.3mm) and Sony's Xperia Z Ultra (179.4x92.2x6.5mm) were better in terms of daily usage because of a more lightweight and sleeker profile.

At the event, we were told that the G Flex can actually 'flex' until it's totally flat, and one of the company representatives even claimed that the South Korean manufacturer has tested the flexibility of the G Flex up to 100 times with about 40 kilograms of weight putting on the device without damaging the G Flex's screen. Let's say in the case, when accidentally sitting on the G Flex. While we couldn't test it with 40 kilograms of weight, we did press the curve of the G Flex, and it did stretch to be flat. While the display didn't crack, it's not really advisable to do this on a daily basis.

Following closely on the lines of LG's current flagship smartphone, the LG G2, G Flex also features rear physical keys for power and volume controls. LG has equipped the LED light on the rear power key which comes handy for notifications and while taking a selfie. The keys are metallic and offer good tactile feedback, very much like the LG G2. The volume-up button also doubles up as a shortcut key to launch the Quickmemo app on long press and the volume-down button acts as a camera shortcut key on long press when the phone is locked.

The G Flex also includes a number of ports around the edges including the 3.5mm audio jack and the charging port that sits at the bottom panel, while the micro-SIM card slot sits at the left panel of the G Flex. The rear panel includes the primary 13-megapixel camera with an LED flash, which is accompanied by an IR Blaster.

It would be unfair to end the design part without talking about G Flex's self-healing back that has been creating a buzz worldwide. When we wanted to test the self-healing capability of the G Flex, we were sure we needed a scratchy material; unfortunately we didn't carry a knife so we tried our key chain to rub the rear panel and gave it a surface level scratch which was very much visible initially. After some time, we noticed that the scratches were reduced but not completely eliminated. While looking the G Flex from a certain angle, it looked that the scratches were gone, although it was pretty much noticeable. However, we must confess we were impressed and believe that the G Flex can easily handle day-to-day bruises. Coming to the hardware of the G Flex, it is powered by a quad-core 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with an Adreno 330 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. The G Flex easily handled multitasking with ease, and the apps opened and closed instantaneously. Performance wise, the G Flex fared well in our limited testing.

The G Flex sports a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. During our usage, the camera app opened instantly and did click at good speed without any shutter lag. The G Flex is powered by a 3,500mAh battery and weighs 177 grams. The LG G Flex comes with 32GB inbuilt storage, which is non-expandable. The LG G Flex runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which is a disappointment as we expected LG to ship Android 4.3, the most recent iteration of the OS with the phone. However, with LG finally revealing plans for rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the flagship smartphone, the G2, we expect that the G Flex will also get the KitKat treatment soon.On the software department, the G Flex borrows many things from the G2. The company has added the same LG G2 UI layer on top of the G Flex, majorly changing the look and feel of the interface and enabling users to customise the phone according to their liking.

The LG G Flex also features the KnockON, which is LG's version of double tap to unlock and even lock the smartphone. In our limited testing, we found that at times while trying to unlock the phone it didn't register our taps. In fact, it was annoying at times. 

Other features on the G Flex include Slide Aside which is a way to multitask by moving between three apps at once via a three-finger swipe gesture; Guest mode, which allows you to create a guest mode with pre-selected apps for times when your friends or family want to use your phone; Dual Window, which divides the screen into two panels for multitasking and QuickTheatre that gives direct access to gallery, videos and YouTube icons.

HTC ONE GPE will get Android Kitkat 4.4 Update

After the Google Nexus the HTC has made it for Android Latest version i.e Kitkat. The HTC has officially announced that the code is been fully developed and submited to google. Its all on Google to approve to approve the code and start seeding the code.

Samsung to Launch Wraparound Displays Next Year

The bloomberg tv has released a report saying that the samsung may launch a wraparound display somewhere in next year, the screen will allow the users to look up for messages from thier side angels.

Speculation points that the new three-sided display can be seen in ether a Galaxy S, or a Galaxy Note device. An altogether new model family is also not out of question.

Ascend P6S to have Octa-Core confirmed by Huawei

It is the best looking phone and the slimmest in its family of smartphones. Everything is very cool except the chipset part which gets quickly heated up with its processor.

The Chinese Manufacturer has obviously acknowledged the world that it is coming to the game of smartphones with the bang of Octa-Core CPU. So the powering of the Octa-Core CPU comes with advantage that all the 8 Cores will work simultaneously at the same time, just as like the Exynos chipset of Samsung which allows 4 cores to work simultaneously.

BharatMatrimony launches app for Android

Online matrimony service site BharatMatrimony has reportedly come up with an Android app to help users find their soulmates in an easier manner. 
The BharatMatrimony app is compatible with 4,000 devices and members can easily shortlist, express interest to prospects, send mails and edit profiles with a simple swipe. 

The app has array of features such as new user interface, new gestures, shake to view matching profiles, chat and the option of 'action button' in search results. 

The BharatMatrimony app is the first of its kind in the matrimony domain in India, is user-friendly and highly secure. 

Chief portal and mobile officer, BharatMatrimony, Saichithra said that there are 738 million mobile users currently in India, 94 million people have access to internet, of this 23 million access the net through mobile phones, and that is the company's primary focus. 

The app also has new features such as search results with action buttons, push notification with member photos, action buttons and sound, complete registration with instant login, chat with enhanced UI, full profile with backgrounds that change according to the time of day. 

Saichithra further said that the company is early adopter of mobile and have moved to a mobile first strategy now, adding that the initial feedbackusers has been good.

Samsung Galaxy S5 & Note 4 to have 16MP cameras

After not-so-impressive sales of Galaxy S4, Samsung seemsset to start 2014 with a bang. The company will launch the world's first smartphone with a bendable screen next year, but that's not all.

The top-tier Samsung handsets will get a camera upgrade next year and will feature a 16MP Isocell sensor. Thus, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 4 - the company's top two models - will get this high resolution camera at launch. This was revealed at Samsung's recent Analyst Day conference,the company also revealed the roadmap for other technologiesdisplays, processors and memory.

Isocell technology ensures better light sensitivity on backside illuminated (BSI) sensors and delivers more natural colours as well as better low-light performance. The company has also revealed that its 16MP Isocell sensors will have 1.12micron pixels, lower than the ones in the new Apple iPhone 5S.

Currently, the only Samsung smartphone to have a 16MP camera is Galaxy S4 zoom. Among other smartphone makers, Nokia and Sony are the two companies with plus-16MP cameras in their portfolio.

This also means the end of the road for 13MP cameras as a premium feature in Samsung's line-up. The manufacturer used the 13MP sensor for the first time in 2013 when it debuted Galaxy S4. It was later also used in Galaxy Note 3. ManufacturersLG and Sony also use 13MP camera sensors in their top-end phones.

At the Analyst Day conference, co-CEO JK Shin said that the Galaxy Note series will touch sales of 100 million units by the end of 2013. Samsung also said that the smartphone race is now transitioninga competition between hardware specs to software features.

The company's roadmap has also revealed that it plans to introduce the first foldable screen phones in late-2015.

Google launches new commerce platform

Google today launched a new online service called "Helpouts," aiming to connect businesses and consumers to solve problems or get advice on a range of issues.

The service is similar to Google's "Hangouts" with live video for paid services in areas rangingcomputer tech support to weight loss.

"What if getting help for a computer glitch, a leaky pipe, or a homework problem was as easy as clicking a button?" Google's Udi Manber said in a blog post announcing the new service.

"What if you could get someone knowledgeable to get you 'unstuck' when you really need it?"

Manber said some of the services now are "how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project,building a deck. "

But he added that "today is just the beginning. We're starting small and in a few categories."

The categories being offered initially include art and music, computers, cooking, education and careers, fashion and beauty, fitness and nutrition, health and home and garden.

The Helpouts rangefree to USD 240 or more. Some examples include chemistry tutoring and homework, learning to play guitar, yoga instruction, French language lessons, fixing computer problems or refrigerator repair.

"With Helpouts, you can choose who you get helpbased on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews," Manber said. 

Unbreakable Security Passwords

Scientists, including one of India-origin, claim to have developed a new 'inkblot' password system that could provide near-unbreakable layer of security against on-line password thefts. 

The new password system called GOTCHA developed at the Carnegie Mellon Universitycould secure high-value information such as bank accounts - even if the password leaks as part of a large-scale site breach. 

To create a GOTCHA, a user chooses a password and a computer then generates several random, multi-coloured inkblots. 

The user describes each inkblot with a text phrase. These phrases are then stored in a random order along with the password. 

When the user returns to the site and signs in with the password, the inkblots are displayed again along with the list of descriptive phrases; the user then matches each phrase with the appropriate inkblot. 

"These are puzzles that are easy for a human to solve, but hard for a computer to solve, even if it has the random bits used to generate the puzzle," said Jeremiah Blocki, who worked on the system along with professor Manuel Blum, and Anupam Datta, associate professor of computer science. 

These puzzles would prove significant when security breaches of websites result in the loss of millions of user passwords - a common occurrence that has plagued such companies as LinkedIn, Sony and Gawker. 

These passwords are stored as cryptographic hash functions, in which passwords of any length are converted into strings of bits of uniform length. 

A thief can't readily decipher these hashes, but can mount what's called an automated offline dictionary attack. 

Computers today can evaluate as many as 250 million possible hash values every second, Blocki noted. 

Given the continued popularity of easy passwords, such as "123456" or "password," it's not always difficult to crack these hashes. But even hard passwords are vulnerable to the latest brute force methods, Blocki said. 

In the case of a GOTCHA, however, a computer programme alone wouldn't be enough to break into an account. 

"To crack the user's password offline, the adversary must simultaneously guess the user's password and the answer to the corresponding puzzle," Datta said. 

"A computer can't do that alone. And if the computer must constantly interact with a human to solve the puzzle, it no longer can bring its brute force to bear to crack hashes," said Datta. 

Because the user's descriptive phrases for inkblots are stored, users don't have to memorise their descriptions, but have to be able to pick them outa list.

Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7

Microsoft has officially announced the launch of Internet Explorer 11 especially for Windows 8 Platform.

Microsoft has said that it has made its latest browser,   Internet Explorer 11, available to users of Windows 7 machines. 
The new browser had already been part of the Windows 8.1 upgrade the company released last month. 

The browser, available as a free download, improves the performance of websites that use JavaScript. Microsoft says the browser is 9% faster than Internet Explorer 10. 

It also enables better 3D graphics rendering in websites, allowing users to manipulate 3D objects on-screen.

Adobe hacking may be biggest ever

A computer security firm has uncovered data it says belongs to some 152 million Adobe user accounts, suggesting that a breach reported a month ago is far bigger than Adobe has so far disclosed and is one of the largest on record. 
LastPass, a password security firm, said that it has found email addresses, encrypted passwords and password hints stored in clear textAdobe user accounts on an underground website frequented by cybercriminals. 

Adobe said last week that attackers had stolen data on more than 38 million customer accounts, on top of the theft of information on nearly 3 million accounts that it disclosed nearly a month earlier. 

The maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software confirmed that LastPass had found records stolenits data centre, but downplayed the significance of the security firm's findings. 

While the new findingsLastPass indicate that the Adobe breach is far bigger than previously known, company spokeswoman Heather Edell said it was not accurate to say 152 million customer accounts had been compromised because the database attacked was a backup system about to be decommissioned. 

She said the records include some 25 million records containing invalid email addresses, 18 million with invalid passwords. She added that "a large percentage" of the accounts were fictitious, having been set up for one-time use so that their creators could get free software or other perks. 

She also said that the company is continuing to work with law enforcement and outside investigators to determine the cost and scope of the breach, which resulted in the theft of customer data as well as source code to several software titles. 

The company has notified some 38 million active Adobe ID users and is now contacting holders of inactive accounts, she said. 

Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said information in an inactive database is often useful to criminals. 

He said they might use it to engage in "phishing" scams or attempt to figure out passwords using the hints provided for some of the accounts in the database. In some cases, people whose data was exposed might not be aware of it because they have not accessed the out-of-date accounts, he said. 

"Potentially it's the website you've forgotten about that poses the greater risk," he said. "What if somebody set up an account with Adobe ten years ago and forgot about it and they use the same password there that they use on other sites?" 

Forgot the salt?
LastPass chief executive Joe Siegrist said that Adobe failed to use best practices for securing the stolen passwords. 

The ones in the database were not protected with a technique known as " salting," which means adding a secret code to every password after it is scrambled and before it is stored in the database. That way multiple encrypted versions of the same password never look the same. 

Because the passwords were not salted, Siegrist said he was able to identify the most frequently used password in the group, which was used 1.9 million times. The database has 108 million email addresses with passwords shared in multiple accounts. 

"I'd say 108 million people fall into the range of likely very easily guessable passwords," he said. 

The number of records stolen appears to be the largest taken in any publicly disclosed cyberattack to date. 

The largest cyberbreach previously reported was a 2009 attack on Heartland Payment Systems in which more than 130 million credit card numbers were stolen, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse data. Hackers accessed more than 100 million recordsthe Sony PlayStation Network in 2011 in another notorious attack. 

Mike Spanbauer, managing director of research at the security firm NSS Labs, noted that the impact of the Adobe breach might not be as significant as oneslarge numbers of financial records were stolen. 

Still, he said that the attack was a strong reminder that consumers and businesses need to be vigilant about making sure they do not reuse passwords.