New Android malware (Which makes calls, steals photos when phone is off)

A new bug that is capable of making calls, sending messages and taking pictures while the phone appears to be off, is hitting Android phones at a fast rate, according to a report by AVG.

The malware, known as PowerOffHijack, was first discovered in China, and prompts a fake dialogue box when the user presses the power button. Once the user taps 'OK' in this dialogue box, the phone appears to be switching off with the regular procedure, and the screen goes dark.

But in reality, the phone remains turned on and the malware comes into effect. During this time, apart from exploiting the basic functions of the phone, the malware can also access sensitive information off the device.

PowerOffHijack is mainly targeting phones with Android Lollipop, and has already infected more than 10,000 phones worldwide.

But PowerOffHijack only affects phones that have been rooted, thus limiting the potential pool of infected Android 5.0 smartphones. Google Play also weeds out malicious content, so it is highly unlikely that the malware can enter someone's phone through it. AVG has also said that its app can detect the malware.

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Acer Two In One ( Laptop And Tablet)

Acer today launched its 2-in-1 Acer One notebook-cum-tablet device at Rs 19,999 on Amazon.in. The device sports a magnetic detachable Acer Snap Hinge design for transition between modes along with a latch-free keyboard docking.

The Acer One with up to 32GB of storage in the detachable screen, is powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor. It comes in two variants- 1GB RAM and 2GB RAM versions. The 2GB RAM variant costs Rs 21,999.

The device comes pre-installed with Windows 8.1 operating system. There is an optional keyboard dock with integrated hard-disk with up to 500GB of storage. Also included is 1TB of storage with a free one-year subscription to OneDrive.

Specs:

1.33 GHz with Turbo Boost upto 1.83 GHz Intel Quad Core Baytrail Z3735F Processor

1GB2GB DDR3L RAM

32GB eMMC ROM for tablet and 500GB Hard Disk integrated in Keyboard dock

10-inch Touchscreen Display (Multi-Touch) with Gorilla Glass protection

0.3 MP web cam and 2 MP Camera

Windows 8.1 Operating System

2 x USB2.0 ports

1 HDMI port

MicroSD card slot

6000mAh battery

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Motorola to open ‘experience centres’ in India

Motorola, the first company to take the online route for sales of its handsets in India, on Thursday said it is looking at setting up offline experience centres in the country that would double as service centres.

Motorola India General Manager Amit Boni said, “We are looking at setting up about 5-10 experience centres across various metros this year, starting with Bangalore.”

These centres are aimed at enabling customers to experience the touch and feel of the device before they make their buying decision, he added. Asked if the company will sell devices via the offline route, Mr. Boni replied in negative.

Motorola, which sells devices in India through e-commerce major Flipkart, currently sells three handsets in the country - Moto E, Moto G and Moto X in the market, beside a smartwatch, Moto 360.

The company also announced that it has sold over 3 million devices in the country.

“We have crossed the three million device sales milestone. The three handsets are priced differently, but the Moto E and Moto G make up a large chunk of the sales, almost 80-85 per cent,” Mr. Boni said.

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Why thieves no longer love smartphones

Smartphones, particularly iPhones, are no longer the favourites of discerning lifters, recent data shows. The reason: the “kill switch” is proving the killjoy for the thieves.

The number of thefts and robberies of smartphones, particularly iPhones, is on the fall in New York, London and San Francisco, according to fresh data.

Law enforcement officials, who have been at the forefront of demands to include a “kill switch” in all smartphones, hailed the news as proof that the technology is working as a deterrent, PCWorld reported.

“The huge drops in smartphone theft that have occurred since the kill switch has been on the market are evidence that our strategy is making people safer in our cities, and across the world,” New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

The kill switch is a software lock that can be remotely activated when a phone is lost or stolen. It can wipe personal data from a phone and “brick it” so it can’t be reused or reprogrammed.

Law enforcement officials campaigned to make the technology standard in reaction to a growing numbers of thefts of robberies of smartphones on city streets across the U.S. and beyond. The assumption was that phones would be much less desirable targets if they could quickly be made useless.

Apple added a kill switch, called Activation Lock, to its iPhone in September 2013. Samsung followed in April 2014 with its Galaxy S5 and Google made it a standard feature of Android with the release of Lollipop.

In San Francisco, overall robberies and thefts dropped 22 per cent from 2013 to 2014, but those involving smartphones were down 27 per cent. Thefts and robberies of iPhones fell 40 per cent.

In New York, smartphone theft dropped 16 per cent overall with iPhone figures down 25 per cent. And London saw smartphone thefts from persons drop 40 per cent in a year.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 with curved screens on three sides, 20 MP Camera and Better battery withstanding

Samsung's new Galaxy S6 is expected to have screens covering the sides that will curve round to cover three of the four sides.

The new flagship phone is expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Samsung's event is scheduled for March 1.

Samsung uses a curved screen on its Galaxy Note Edge, where it bends around just one corner. That screen works like a "ticker", the company has said, with users able to have notifications displayed down the side.

The new phone will also allow users to add favourite contacts and other important shortcuts to the screen on the side, allowing users to quickly access them.

The company will release two versions of the phone, one of which will feature the curved screen, according to a Bloomberg report. Both will have metal bodies and 5.1 inch screens, as revealed in previous leaks.

Samsung's next flagship phone Galaxy S6 and its curved variant are expected to be unveiled next month on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. The rumour mill is busy churning out something new every other day and it gets difficult to keep track of all the leaks. 

The phones are also set to feature a 50% faster CPU and a 20 megapixel camera. Its battery might be able to last for four hours on just a 10 minute charge, and it will be able to be recharged using wireless technology, according to reports.

The three-sided screen could also be a part of the mysterious bulge seen on the silver line in the invites to the event, which it has been speculated could be a reference towards a curved screen or the return of the "chin" that used to jut out the bottom of many phones.

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Free Wifi In Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party has begun it's talk with companies, including Facebook, for setting up free Wi-Fi facility across Delhi, at a total cost of about Rs 150-200 crore, sources said.

The initial talks are being held by party volunteers, many of them holding senior positions in IT companies, to make the process easy for the bureaucrats once the new government starts implementing the promises made by AAP.

"We have had a round of talks with Facebook, which has installed such a service in Mumbai. Similarly, we are also holding talks with other companies and will try to get a better deal," said a party volunteer.

The volunteers said that the free service will come with an advertisment for thirty seconds, a feature which they were not sure that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would agree to, and which would enable the government to earn around Rs 100 crore.

"We are not sure whether Arvind (Kejriwal) will agree with advertisments coming on a government launched programme even if it fetches revenue. We will brief him with all the aspects and let him take a call on this," they said.

AAP leader Manish Siodia said that they will strive to implement the party's 70 point programme.

The party, in its manifesto, has promised to give free Wi-Fi across the national capital for first 30 minutes, after which users have to pay for the services. The issue helped the party attract a lot of youth, considering the number of smartphone users in the national capital.

The party also intends to launch a mobile application for the security of women, who can press the button when in distress and seek police help. It also wants to make internet an important medium of governance and a free Wi-Fi service will help execute the party's plan.

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Samsung delays Tizen phone launch

Samsung had planned to release the phone with Tizen OS named “Samsung Z” in Russia but the plan stands postponed for now.

Samsung Electronics will delay the release of its first smartphone running the new Tizen operating system (OS), reports said.

No timeline was given for a new launch.

The Tizen OS is an open source, Linux-based system.

The “Samsung Z” prototype was introduced at a developers’ conference in San Francisco this year.

Currently, the Samsung camera and smartwatch series use Tizen operating system.

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Instagram's New Messageing App

Instagram has launched its messaging app called ‘Bolt’ which makes sending visuals easy. The easy to use app allows you to tap once to send a photo and long press to send a video. Undoing a send is done by shaking your phone.

Now, Bolt is available only in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa, reported the Verge. “We are going to other regions soon.

You can send one message to a friend at one time, and the app also allows you to add text over your image or video and the app, users can now share their Instagram stuff with the specific users they want, one at a time.

Instagram’s parent company and popular social networking site Facebook recently launched its own messaging app called “Slingshot”.

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Land Rover announces Range Rover updates

Land Rover has revealed a series of up‐grades for its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models including new info‐tainment system, cosmetic revisions, and upgraded diesel engine that would keep the cars going sharp into 2015.

Starting today, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will feature Land Rover’s

system.

infotainment

InControl

new

Users can connect up to eight devices using the in-car Wi-Fi. The system also has the ability to display the screen of your smartphone on the infotainment’s screen.

Further, InControl also has the ability to track the car in case its stolen and can also place SOS calls in case there is an accident.

Two new colors Aruba Silver and Kai‐joura Stone have been included under cosmetic updates. Both models gets the 19-inch alloys with the Satin Grey finish, while the long wheelbase Range Rover gets optional 22-inch alloy wheels.

Land Rover announces Range Rover updates - Techie News http://tinyurl.com/o7sxqe7 shared via www.newshog.co

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Is Google planning to launch a Nexus 10 refresh soon?

Rumours around a new refreshed Nexus 10 have been doing rounds for quite some time now. News has it, yet again, that Google will be launching its new Nexus tablet anytime soon. According to a report by CNET, Google Play Store has changed the “out of inventory” status of the tablet to “Coming soon”, which leads to speculation that a new Nexus 10 could be on its way.


The device had gone ‘out of stock’ late last year, and Google had confirmed to TechnoBlimp that it won’t be getting fresh Nexus 10s, once it runs out of stock. In July 2013, there were rumours about Samsung-built Nexus 10 while in August it was believed to be Asus who would be crafting the 10-inch Nexus tablet. Later, new leaks showed a 2013 variant of the Nexus 10 built by LG. Several leaks of the LG Nexus 10 had started surfacing on Reddit from UK retailer Tesco, a Telefonica employee and a Korean user . The leaks clearly showed LG V510 as the newest iteration of the upcoming Nexus 10.


Going by the previous leaks, the upcoming Nexus 10 could sport a 10-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels. Under the hood, one can expect it to be powered by a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. Some other specs revealed by the retailer include Android 4.4 KitKat, a 4-megapixel front camera and a 10-megapixel rear camera. On the storage front, it will come in 16GB and 32GB variants. However, a lot of water is flown since we heard these rumoured specs. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some changes in the specs listed earlier. On the other hand, it is also widely speculated that this time around, Google may come with an 8- or 9-inch Nexus tablet instead of a 10-inch.


The original Nexus 10 came with a 10.1-inch display with a 2560×1600 pixel resolution, dual-core 1.7GHz Exynos 5250 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Mali-T604 GPU chipset.

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