LG G Flex: First impressions

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.

We got a chance to play with the LG G Flex at the event however, and sum up our first impressions below.

When we first held the G Flex in our hands, we were definitely a bit taken aback by its ergonomic curved design, which definitely is the device's USP. 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'sXperia 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.

You can expect more detailed observations and testing when we review the LG G Flex. 

sources:

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/reviews/lg-g-flex-first-impressions-457723

NSA Reportedly Uses Google Cookies To Target Suspects

According to information once again leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency secretly targets suspects using the same tool that allows advertisers to target consumers — small files known as “cookies.” In fact, the Washington Post has released more classified slides, revealing that the NSA has found a way to use Google’s own cookies (“GooglePREF”) to pinpoint users.

According to The Post, Google’s cookies don’t track personal information, such as name or email address. However, they can identify a user’s browser activity, which is why some users may see an ad for a product they’ve searched for previously on the web.

In response to privacy concerns, Google allows users to opt-out of some cookie-tracking (instructions here).

“On a macro level, ‘we need to track everyone everywhere for advertising’ translates into ‘the government being able to track everyone everywhere,” UC Berkeley Law Lecturer Chris Hoofnagle told The Post. “It’s hard to avoid.”

As with many of the revelations about NSA spying, the impacts to individual users are uncertain. While the NSA does collect user information in bulk, it often requires a judge’s approval to query the database and analyze it. However, there have been several instances of privacy violations, including agents spying on ex-lovers and targeting suspects that judgeswould later find to be unreasonable.

Cookies would potentially allow the NSA to track individuals’ surfing habits and, perhaps, use of Google products, such as Maps. The slides show that the NSA shares this targeted information with a handful of internal divisions and with its British counterpart, GCHQ. By combining information from cellphone location data logs, call logs, and email habits, the agency might be able to better target suspects from the volumes of information it collects every day.

It is unclear whether pending federal legislation would impact this particular tactic. A suite of laws propose to end bulk information collection, create more oversight, and release gag orders. However, leveraging Google cookies appears more targeted than previous leaks about indiscriminate collection of user data.

In any case, Congress goes on holiday break soon, so any reforms will have to compete for attention in the busy new year. Good luck with that.

source:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/11/nsa-reportedly-uses-google-cookies-to-target-suspects/

RCom to offer new iPhones under contract, starting from Rs 2,599

Apple’s new iPhones, the iPhone 5s and the 5c are hitting the Indian market today. With the new devices comes a hefty price tag, as the “budget” iPhone will be starting at Rs 41,900 and the high-end 5s will start at Rs 53,500.  While the launch price may be a tad bit much for most users, prospective buyers can now opt for an alternative. 

Reliance Communications has now signed a deal with Apple wherein a user can pick up the 16GB version of the 5c and the 5s at a zero upfront cost, according to the Hindu. RCom will now be selling the device at a subsidised rate ranging from Rs 2,599 (for the 5c) to Rs 2,999 (for the 5s) per month. The company, in the deal, is offering unlimited voice calling, SMS and 3G data for the fixed monthly fee. The only catch: the user will be locked in to RCom’s network for two years under contract, a system that has been prevelant in countries like the US for some time now. 

Aspiring users wanting to pick up the 64GB version of the 5s will have to pay Rs 19,992 up front. There seems to be some discrepancies with the amount that users have to pay for the subsidised 32GB version of the new devices, so it would be advisable to wait for the official word. The company, to ensure that the new devices aren’t misused or sold in the grey market before the contract is over, will only be offering this deal to users who have an ICICI or HDFC credit card.

This is notably the first time that an Indian telecom company has agreed to subsidise an iPhone. In the past, most Indian operators have shied away from the prospect for fear that subscribers would dishonour the phone for use on another operator’s network or resell it on the grey market. The high number of pre-paid customers in the Indian mobile market has also been another reason why operators have been wary of tracking down defaulters.

While RCom has been tightlipped about the deal, the source claims that the offer will be officially announced today, although the company’s website still says that the new devices are “coming soon.” Telecom rival Airtel will also be selling the new iPhones in the market, although there is no mention of a subsidy being involved. Interestingly, the 5s listing on the company's sitealready shows that the device is "out of stock".

sources:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/rcom-to-offer-new-iphones-for-rs-2500-under-2year-contract/article5301772.ece

http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/rcom-to-offer-new-iphones-under-contract-starting-from-rs-2599/919330

iPhone 5S' fingerprint security can be easily broken, hackers show

Apple says that the new iPhone 5S' fingerprint sensor is "a convenient and highly secure way to access your phone." The former is true. The latter, not so much. The fingerprint security can be easily broken. Jealous spouses and industrial spies, rejoice!

While the usual Apple sycophants bought into the company's claims without even questioning them, the hackers from the Chaos Computer Club in Germany have demonstrated that you can steal the fingerprint from any drinking glass and access anyone's iPhone 5S without any difficulty.

The biometrics hacking team of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple's TouchID using easy everyday means. A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with TouchID.

[...]

First, the fingerprint of the enroled user is photographed with 2400 dpi resolution. The resulting image is then cleaned up, inverted and laser printed with 1200 dpi onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting. Finally, pink latex milk or white woodglue is smeared into the pattern created by the toner onto the transparent sheet. After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone. This process has been used with minor refinements and variations against the vast majority of fingerprint sensors on the market.

The video above demonstrates that the hack works perfectly. So no, contrary to Apple's corpo speak and all the echoes from the Cupertino chorus line, your iPhone's fingerprint security can be broken with a camera, a laser printer, and some wood glue. Just like every other fingerprint sensor in the world.

So yes, the fingerprint sensor is convenient but don't depend on it to protect any sensitive information in your iPhone. If you think someone may be interested in accessing it for whatever reason, they will be able to do it easily.

sources:

http://www.gizmodo.in/news/iPhone-5S-fingerprint-sensor-hacked/articleshow/22907110.cms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM8b8d8kSNQ

Sony

A day after Samsung announced the launch of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Sony getting its act together launched the second generation Smartwatch 2 in India yesterday.

Compared to its predecessor, this device comes with a bigger 1.6-inch screen with higher resolution 220x176 pixels resolution. Priced at Rs.14,990, Sony positioned this watch as "The world's first Android-compatible SmartWatch with One-touch NFC."

Water resistant, this device, comes with a 1.6-inch Transflective LCD display and is compatible with devices running on Android 4.0 and later. Chargeable through the micro-USB port, the device battery according to Sony, can last for up to 3- 4 days of usage.

Along with functioning as a notification device for missed calls, messages and event reminders, Sony claims that it is also compatible with a good number of apps, such as such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google+, RSS, Music player and a remote camera shutter available on the Play Store. 

It is hard not to pit the Sony's smartwatch against the Samsung Galaxy Gear. From, the first impressions Sony's device will win hands down. The Sony Smartwatch is sleeker and has managed to get its pricing right.

However, it wouldn't be surprising if Apple and Google also dug their pockets deeper and pulled out similar devices in future. We would love to see the competition then.

sources:

http://www.gizmodo.in/news/Sony-Smartwatch-2-launch-india-price-specifications/articleshow/22761395.cms

Microsoft updates Bing with new logo, interface and features

Microsoft has rolled out a revamped Bing logo, bringing it more in line with the company's new redesigned product branding. The redesigned logo drops the curly blue design and features an angular 'B' and switches to the Segoe font, also used in Microsoft’s logo.

Microsoft says it had conducted various studies to review the motion, font, colour, size and form. The company also experimented with mock ads and fake billboards before finalising the logo.

Microsoft retained the lowercase ‘b’ as a tribute to its Bing logo heritage and to provide a slightly less obtrusive stance. The descender on the ‘g’ has been slightly modified to curve upward in a friendlier manner and the cut on the top of the ‘b’ mirrors the angle on the cut of the ‘t’ in our Microsoft logo. The kerning pairs of the ‘i’ and the ‘n’ are exactly the same as the ‘i’ and the ‘n’ in the Windows wordmark.

The company says the symbol, a stylized ‘b’, evokes a sense of movement, direction and energy. The orange-gold colour is inspired by the orange dot in the previous Bing logo and quadrant of the corporate flag logo.

“A logo alone doesn’t make a brand and Bing has been a colorful antidote to boring search pages for years. Bing has provided a new homepage image every single day since it was launched. Our tradition of showcasing inspiring and interesting photography will continue and full-color, full-bleed imagery will remain a mainstay of our visual personality. You’ll continue to see Bing images on the web, on phones and in Xbox and you can download the daily images to your desktop,” says Bing in a blog post.

“The new Bing identity is more than a new logo and color palette - it’s a system of brand architecture that allows us to strategically and visually evolve Bing in line with our mission and our products. We didn’t set out to just provide data via blue links on the web. We set out to provide clarity, decisions and insights.

Bing is no longer just a search engine on a web page. It’s a brand that combines search technology across products you use every day to help empower you with insights. It’s time we all stepped out of the confines of the search box to stop searching and start finding.”

Bing gets new interface

Alongside the new logo, Microsoft has also improved the interface of Bing.com. The new interface is faster, cleaner and visually appealing.

“We believe that search can be beautiful as well as functional and efficient. With that as our goal, we evaluated fonts, spacing, color, visual scan patterns, the search box and even the underlying code. We’re excited about the final result and to give you a glimpse, we have created a destination at www.bing.com/newwhere you can learn more about the new face of search,” says the company in a post.

Microsoft has also integrated Snapshot and Sidebar in the new Bing update.

 

sources:

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Microsoft-updates-Bing-with-new-logo-interface_17630.html

http://www.bing.com/blogs/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2013/09/16/next-phase.aspx

10 sites offering free Linux courses online

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Free online Linux courses, whether affiliated with universities or not, are generally intended for self-study and aren't offered for academic credit. Some material is offered through the schools' OpenCourseWare (OCW) projects.

Most Linux course materials include PDF, video and screenshots. Though content is usually directed toward first time users of Linux systems, the IBM and the University of California at Davis' offerings cater to intermediate users. Students may need to have access to their own computers running Linux in order to complete some lessons.

Free online Linux course list

Back to Basics: Linux Fundamentals at Novell
This free tutorial is geared towards individuals interested in learning Linux fundamentals through self-directed study. This course focuses on functions such as restarting and shutting down the Open Enterprise Server, logging in and out and managing the Linux desktop. Students can access a cheat sheet with the most common command terms used in Linux.

Building Dynamic Websites at Harvard University
This online OCW course covers the knowledge needed to build a website. Consisting of various video lectures, this tutorial instructs individuals on how to build a website using Linux, as well as various other frameworks. Students learn how to set up domains, design databases, program with Java and build web pages using CSS (cascading style sheets) and XHTML (extensible hypertext markup language). There are sample projects in PDF format.

Computational Physics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
The focus of this course is to teach students how to do physics calculations using a computer as a calculator. They also learn Java programming in a Linux environment. Through external website links, this online course teaches students about using algorithms and working within the Linux operating system.

The Embedded Linux Quick Start Guide through YouTube
The free tutorial, which lasts less than an hour, provides learners with an introduction to the Linux environment. Narrated by Chris Simmonds at a 2010 Embedded Linux Conference Europe, this video is the first in a 3-part series on Linux. Students learn the four basic elements of Linux: toolchain, boot loader, kernel and user space.

Introduction to Linux at the University of South Carolina
A simple introductory tutorial of slides in PDF format, this course material shares basic information about what Linux is, the different versions - or distributions - available, and how to use it. Files, folders, pages, commands and writing script are some of the topics and tools this course covers.

The Linux Effect: 20th Anniversary at The Open University
Offered as an online podcast training, the Linux Effect offers information on the Linux operating system and how it's advanced through the years. Students learn the origin of Linux, how Linux is used in our daily lives and the connection between Linux and cloud computing. Students need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe Reader, to complete this course.

LPI Exam 201 Prep: Linux Kernel at IBM
In this free tutorial series, users prepare for the Linux Professional Institute Intermediate Level Administration (LPIC-2) Exam 201. The first tutorial guides students through the components, compiling, patching and customizing of a Linux kernel. Other topics in the series include system maintenance, web services, hardware and troubleshooting.

Programming Technique II: Introduction to Linux at Universiti Teknologi MalaysiaThis free OCW course provides students with an understanding of the Linux operating system, as well as how it interacts with computer hardware and various computer programs. It also introduces basic commands used in Linux programming and how to set up files and directories.

UNIX and Linux Tutorial Center at the University of California at Davis
These materials aim to equip novice and intermediate students with a large variety of UNIX and Linux information. PDF files cover beginner to intermediate levels, including the definition and application of shells, as well as how to create, view and modify files and directories. Tutorials include text editors and C programming. The site also has useful links to other software tutorials for related programs such as Java and Perl.

UNIX / Linux Tutorial for Beginners at the University of Surrey
This school offers eight free tutorials on fundamental definitions and exercises for UNIX and Linux systems. Useful tasks students may learn include using directories, copying and moving files, killing a process, stripping needless code, getting help, file system security and redirection. Each tutorial provides a helpful summary of commands and their meanings.

sources:

 Education Portal, USA.

http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/196230/sites-offering-free-linux-courses-online