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Showing posts with label SMARTPHONES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SMARTPHONES. Show all posts

How to Set Up Email on a New Android Phone

Unless you rely on one of the majors like Yahoo and Gmail for email on your Android smartphone, one of the worst tasks in setting up a new device is surely configuring the email server. The key is to ignore the Android-device prompts for an automatic setup -- they won't work. Instead, plan to manually enter the data straightaway -- it's faster.
 
Setting up a brand-new phone can involve numerous aggravations, but if you don't rely on one of the majors like Yahoo and Gmail for email, one of the worst is surely the manual email server configuration. If you use a customized domain name, your Android device's email client is likely to need this extra step.

This could become an even more prevalent problem with the January U.S. launch of the reasonably priced and specified Moto G smartphone, enabling consumers to buy new devices willy-nilly and without contract. Buying such a new device might be easy, but it will likely remain a time-consuming hassle to configure it -- particularly if you're moving operating systems, like Apple iOS or Windows to Android.

In any case, the key is to ignore the Android-device prompts for an automatic setup -- they won't work. Instead, plan to manually enter the data straightaway -- it's faster. Begin by identifying your existing email settings: Open a currently functioning email client and choose the Settings menu. Then copy the settings syntactically character-by-character.

Microsoft Office's Outlook on the PC lets you leave the settings dialogs on-screen while you fiddle with the phone, but the settings can be copied from iPhones or other software clients too; look for the Settings button on the iPhone and drill down for email settings. 

Outlook 2013

Step 1: Open Outlook 2013 and choose the File tab. Then click or touch the Account Settings button and again, click or touch the resulting drop-down button.

Step 2: In the resulting Change Account dialog box, double-click on the listed email account that you want to use on your phone. The account type, incoming and outgoing servers, and incoming logon information will be listed.

Step 3: Choose the More Settings button on the dialog and then the Outgoing Server tab in order to see if the outgoing mail server is different from the incoming mail server listed in the previous step. Keep Outlook open.

Tip: Some, but not all, outgoing email servers use settings different from those of the incoming server.

Step 4: Find the email setup area on your new Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich") device by choosing Settings in the app drawer and then Accounts and Sync; then Add Account and then Email.
Tip: The newest Android operating system -- Android 4.4 "Kit Kat" -- sets up similarly.

Step 5: Follow the syntax precisely to enter server data, obtained in the earlier steps, into the Android device's email setup menu. Use the Next prompt button to progress forward through screens.

Tip: Check the server syntax, password and User ID if the Android device can't connect to the server. Required ports can be found in Outlook's More Settings. Look for the Advanced tab and copy the port numbers listed there.

Pay attention to outgoing server-required SSL encryption, which will be listed in that Outlook tab too. Outgoing encryption is more prevalent than incoming.

Step 6: On the last screen in the series of Android email setup prompts, choose the Android device's email account options such as inbox-checking frequency, default sending account, notification and syncing.
Posted by Michano at 3:27 AM, Add Comment
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Phonebloks: The smartphone for the rest of your life

What does 20 million tonnes of electronic waste look like? Well, it looks something like a large container train full of decaying technology stretched all the way around the world. Every year we dispose of at least that quantity of 'e-waste' and our phones are one of the biggest causes. The solution? Phonebloks -- the mobile phone you'll never need to throw away.

When electronics decide to give up it's usually just one component that's causing the problem. Enter Phonebloks: a fully customizable phone built from, you guessed it, blocks. Phone getting slow? Change the memory block. Like taking pictures? Update your camera. The blocks then attach easily to a base which connects them all together.
The designers at Phonebloks are not the only ones seeking a solution to the planet's growing e-waste problem. One of the zanier concepts by Daizi Zheng is a phone powered by a 'bio battery' that feeds on the sugars and enzymes in Coca Cola and it's supposed to last 3-4 times longer than a lithium battery.
What if you could buy a smartphone that would last you for the rest of your life?

This is the dream of Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, whose 'Phonebloks' concept has captured the public imagination and received celebrity endorsement from the most unexpected quarters.
Phonebloks is a radical cell phone idea that aims to dramatically reduce global electronic waste ('e-waste') by offering users the opportunity to upgrade parts -- or bloks -- of their cell phone rather than having to replace the entire device.
Hakkens says that he came up with Phonebloks as a response to the accelerating pace of technological waste: "I don't like the direction electronics are heading. They get more disposable and get a shorter life with every model. This gives a lot of e-waste."

 The environmental campaign organisation Greenpeace estimates that global e-waste now amounts to between 20 and 50 million tons a year. Put into perspective, they say that quantity of waste, loaded onto container trains, would stretch all the way around the world.

Speaking at the CleanUp 2013 conference in Melbourne Australia, Professor Ming Wong, director of the Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences at Hong Kong Baptist University, described the growing problem of e-waste as a "timebomb."
"[It] is the world's fastest growing waste stream, rising by 3 to 5% every year," said Wong.
The Phonebloks concept aims to decrease e-waste by offering consumers the opportunity to replace individual components of their phone, while retaining the device's basic frame.

Once constructed, Hakkens hopes that the Phonebloks handset will be built from components that can be 'clicked' together like Legos. Each component will have its own function e.g. Bluetooth, WiFi, battery, or camera. When a component stops working or needs to be upgraded, it can be quickly replaced with a new 'blok'.
In theory, Hakkens believes that choosing separate components could enable users to personalize their cell phone to their own specifications, adding an improved camera, increased storage or a larger battery.

"The idea is to set up a platform which, if used correctly, can reduce the amount of waste significantly," Hakkens says.
At present, Phonebloks is still a long way from reaching the market -- indeed its inventor hasn't even asked for any money to begin developing it. For now, Hakkers has simply been gathering support for the concept through the "crowd-speaking" platform Thunderclap.

At the time of writing, the Phonebloks concept video has received more than 12 million views on YouTube and been shared on social networks more than 650,000 times. The project has also received support from the actor Elijah Wood and television correspondent Jessica Northey.
The Phonebloks concept is not without its critics. Some argue that making a device that can more easily be upgraded will increase e-waste rather than reducing it. Others suggest that it would be 
impossible to build a functional smartphone in a modular way.

Hakkens says that at the very least his campaign has shown that there is an appetite for an environmentally friendly cell phone and that even though the concept was only officially launched a week ago "we are already having conversations with some serious players."
Tom Dowdall, a Climate and Energy spokesperson for Greenpeace, says that the interest in Phonebloks may be useful in underlining the growing prooblem of e-waste: "Hopefully the popularity of the Phonebloks concept will spark more action from the major manufacturers. It should not be beyond the innovative phone companies to make products that are upgradable and designed to last."

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Posted by Michano at 7:20 AM, Add Comment
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Steve Jobs' last gift

One of Steve Jobs' last gifts was left in a brown box and handed out at his memorial service.

Inside the brown box was a copy of "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Hindu guru Paramahansa Yogananda. The book was about self realization, Salesforce (CRM) CEO Mark Benioff told an audience at annual tech conference TechCrunch Disrupt. Benioff, who wrote some of the first code for the Macintosh, was one of Jobs' closest friends and colleagues.

"That was his message," Benioff said. "Actualize yourself.... He had this incredible realization that his intuition was his greatest gift, and he needed to look at the world from inside out."

Benioff emphasized the spiritual side of Jobs' personality, a trait he says is often lost in the books and movies recounting Jobs' legacy.

Before Jobs passed away in October 2011 , the Apple founder knew the people who would attend his memorial. Known for his vision and precision, Jobs organized the speakers, the attendees, and the performers, Bono and Yo-Yo Ma would play at a memorial service as planned, Benioff recounted. On the way out, each guest received the gift. 

 "I knew that this was a decision that he made that everyone was going to get this," Benioff, said. "Whatever this was, was the last thing he wanted us to all think about." 

Benioff suggested the tech giant do some of its own soul searching at a time when the company is no longer positioned as the clear front-runner in a market it once dominated.

Samsung and Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) Android devices are outselling Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) landmark products like the iPhone and iPad, and shares of the tech company have tumbled 30% over the last year. Benioff said Apple should understand the importance of the gift left to Jobs' friends and colleagues.
"For [Apple], they need to find themselves and be who they are," Benioff, said. "In many ways they're still trying to be him. They just need to be who they are truly. Respect the past, and, as Steve would say, 'Project the future.'"
Posted by Michano at 7:14 AM, Add Comment
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US NSA and UK GCHQ 'can spy on smartphones'

German privacy campaigners have welcomed Edward Snowden's disclosures about NSA surveillance
The US National Security Agency (NSA) is reported have cracked the security codes which protect data on iPhones, Blackberries and Android devices. 

German news weekly Der Spiegel says documents suggest the NSA and the British GCHQ made joint efforts to gather intelligence.
Teams looked at each phone to crack its privacy codes, Der Spiegel said.
Saturday saw thousands of demonstrators in Berlin demand that the NSA stop monitoring internet users.

 Codes unlocked

The documents Spiegel has seen do not show whether or not there has been mass surveillance of phone use.
Once the intelligence teams had unlocked the codes, agencies could read a user's contacts and lists of who had been called.
The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin says the reports do seem to indicate that the British and American security agencies have the ability to read private communications beyond what might have previously been thought possible - or desirable by those who fear the intrusion of the state.
The magazine did not explain how it had obtained the documents.

Protesters in Berlin demanded the NSA "stop watching us"

But one of the authors of the article, Laura Poitras, is an American filmmaker with close contacts to the NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

'Champagne'

According to the documents seen by Der Spiegel, the Canadian manufacturer of Blackberry phones began using a new method to compress the data in May 2009.
Intelligence agents were unable to access some information on BlackBerry phones for about a year afterwards, the Associated Press news agency said.
Der Spiegel's article said that GCHQ then cracked the problem, too - and analysts celebrated their achievement with the word "Champagne".
A stream of recent revelations about international data surveillance has ignited a heated debate in Germany about the country's co-operation with the United States in intelligence matters.

Posted by Michano at 10:54 AM, Add Comment
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BBM May Leave the Nest

Today in international tech news: BlackBerry might spin off its BlackBerry Messenger service. Also: The New York Times is hacked, apparently by the Syrian Electronic Army; Snowden is believed to have camped out at the Russian consulate in Hong Kong; and Facebook reveals information requests from governments around the globe (the U.S. wins... or loses, if you like).

 

BlackBerry is looking to spin off its BlackBerry Messenger service into a separate business to compete with other instant messaging apps.
The company announced in May that it would make BBM, once available only on BlackBerry devices, available to devices running on iOS and Android.
BlackBerry announced two weeks ago that it had hired a special committee to look into ways of revitalizing the reeling company.

New York Times Hacked; Syrian Electronic Army Apparently to Blame

The New York Times was knocked out for hours on Tuesday afternoon because of what Marc Frons, its chief information officer, called "a malicious external attack" on the company's domain name registrar.
The attack was executed by the Syrian Electronic Army, Frons said -- "or someone trying very hard to be them." The SEA has already wreaked havoc on websites belonging to The Washington Post, CNN and Time. The hacking group supports Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
The Times website first went down after 3 p.m. and then was knocked offline again after being temporarily restored. The newspaper's website was also inaccessible earlier this month, a day before the SEA went after the Post, CNN and Time, but the Times said that was caused by technical problems.
The New York Times' domain name registrar -- which manages a company's Internet domain names -- is Australia-based Melbourne IT. However, it was one of its resellers -- not Melbourne IT itself -- that was penetrated, the company said.
The SEA also claimed via Twitter that it had hacked Twitter's administrative contact information. Twitter confirmed that it had indeed experienced problems, but less than two hours later said that all systems had returned to normal.

Snowden Spent Two Days at Russian Consulate in Hong Kong

Edward Snowden spent two days at a Russian consulate in Hong Kong before flying to Moscow, where he was ultimately granted temporary asylum, Moscow-based newspaper Kommersant reported.
The paper also reported that Snowden aborted his plan to fly to Cuba after Havana, ceding to U.S. pressure, decided to disallow the plane to land with Snowden aboard. Snowden reportedly had a reservation on a Moscow-to-Havana flight.
Russian president Vladimir Putin was reportedly unaware of Snowden's plans to come to Russia.

Facebook Reveals Global Info Requests

Facebook published its first-ever "global government requests report," which chronicles government agencies' requests to access user information from the company.
More than half of the 38,000-plus requests came from the U.S., which made more than 10,000 requests for information on about 20,000 individuals. Facebook complied nearly 80 percent of the time.
The report, which details requests filed from the beginning of the year through June 30, says that India made the second-highest number of requests -- 3,245 requests on 4,144 users -- and that Facebook complied in 50 percent of the cases.
Facebook rejected each of Egypt's eight requests for information (on 11 account holders), while the company complied with 47 percent of Turkey's 96 requests (covering 170 account holders).
[Source: The Guardian]
Posted by Michano at 8:48 AM, Add Comment
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Report: Apple testing bigger iPhone screens


Apple is testing iPhone display screens as large as 6 inches, according to a new report.
The screens, ranging upward from 4.8 inches, would be a pretty massive leap from the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5. But don't expect to see them when Apple rolls out new iPhones next week.
Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that the bigger screens could signal a future move by Apple to offer iPhones of various sizes. That would put them more in line with their chief rival, Samsung, which has put a dent in the iPhone's dominance with devices like their Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines.
On Wednesday, Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Note 3, with a whopping 5.7-inch display that further blurs the boundary between large phone and small tablet.
 
On Tuesday, Apple is expected to roll out two different iPhones -- an update to the iPhone 5 and a cheaper model that would be designed to appeal to buyers in emerging markets like China and India.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has knocked Apple's rivals for making "trade-offs" in order to pack larger screens into phones, although he has not ruled out such a move for future iPhones.
Opinions are split on whether Apple will also introduce other products, like a new iPad or a much-anticipated smartwatch, next week.
The Journal report said the iPhones unveiled next Tuesday will likely have the same size screen as the current model. An Apple spokesperson, predictably, declined to comment.

Samsung's hefty 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2 is sort of a cross between a phone and a tablet and comes with a stylus for more precise navigation. The company is expected to unveil a new model September 4 that will boast an upgraded camera, better battery life and 3GB of RAM.

Fall is here, which means new smartphones are on the way. Apple will hold an event September 10 to launch the successor to its aging iPhone 5, seen here. The new iPhone is expected to have a faster processor, an improved camera, longer battery life and a fingerprint scanner for added security. Its screen size may remain the same, though.

BlackBerry, once the king of business-oriented phones, is now struggling to catch up. Unlike past BlackBerry models, its flagship Z10 smartphone has no physical keyboard. It also offers a feature that splits the phone into two separate devices -- one for work and one for personal use -- so IT departments can control the flow of sensitive data.

HTC's flagship phone, which runs the Android Jelly Bean operating system, has a 4.7-inch display screen and a souped-up camera with a countdown timer for better selfie pics. It's not available on Verizon, however.

This phone boasts a 5-inch display, a 13-megapixel camera and a feature that shuts down background activities to save battery life. And you can take it to the pool: Sony claims the phone can survive in shallow water for up to 30 minutes, providing all its ports are sealed. Available on T-Mobile only.

This big-screen, feature-laden phone has emerged as perhaps the top rival to the once-dominant iPhone. It boasts a 5-inch HD screen, a zippy quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera.

Geared to mobile photographers, the Nokia Lumia 1020 packs a whopping 41-megapixel camera that captures extremely high-resolution images. These features come with a price -- the Windows-based phone costs $300, about $100 more than most other high-end models.

The most ambitious smartphone from Motorola since Google bought the company, the Moto X also claims to be the first phone manufactured in the U.S. Hands-free voice controls allow you to operate the phone without touching it -- a handy trick if you're across the room. It's scheduled to go on sale in late August.
Posted by Michano at 8:11 AM, Add Comment
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Acer's Liquid S2 Phablet Arrives Early at 4K Party

There's no doubt the phablet trend is going strong in some parts of the world, but the widespread appeal of the Liquid S2's 4K video capabilities is much less clear. "There are only a handful of 4K TV sets or monitors available," said Roger Entner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics. "Also, what is the point? We are going beyond the capabilities of the eye to perceive differences."

 

Against the backdrop of the IFA 2013 trade show in Berlin on Monday, Acer introduced its new Liquid S2 smartphone, a six-inch full HD handset capable of capturing 4K video.
The Liquid S2 has the distinction of being the first smartphone with officially announced 4K Ultra HD recording capability. To support that high-resolution video, its six-inch screen offers full HD with IPS technology and 1080p resolution.

The Android phablet will run on 4G LTE networks and operate on the WiFi 802.11 ac standard. It also boasts dual speakers powered by Dolby Digital Plus.
Gorilla Glass 3.0 from Corning provides a scratch- and shatter-resistant curved screen that creates an edgeless feel around the rim of the smartphone. Its Zero Air Gap Display, meanwhile, removes air between the touch panel and the LCD module to improve the touchscreen function and make the screen more readable in sunlight.
Acer will release the Liquid S2 smartphone in Europe in the middle to end of October. While the company has not finalized deals with carriers, Acer currently sells smartphones in Germany, France, the UK, Russia, Italy, Spain and the Ukraine, and expects to distribute the Liquid S2 to most of that footprint.
The U.S. market might never see the Acer Liquid S2, or at least not until after other markets get the release. Acer currently does not sell smartphones in the U.S. market, Acer spokesperson Erin Davern told TechNewsWorld.

Phabulous Phablet

Phablets have recently overtaken both tablets and portable PCs in terms of shipments in Asia, IDC recently reported, but appeal in the U.S. is still limited.
"I think there is always a market for certain screen sizes," Manuel Linnig, spokesperson at Acer Europe, told TechNewsWorld. "If you look at Asia right now, there is a trend for big phones. In the U.S. and Europe, people say, 'I like it, but it's too big.' It's still in this gray area."
The category has been popularized by handset models such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z Ultra and LG Optimus G Pro.
"Phablets are going to have their uses, but we are still looking quite hard for them," said Roger Entner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics.

Ultra HD 4K Video

The Acer Liquid S2 is capable of capturing 4K video, also known as Ultra HD. While the details state that the phablet has a full HD screen, it's not yet clear whether the screen resolution matches the video capture capabilities. Full HD is typically 1080p, which is 1920 x 1080.
"If you're able to capture 4K video, what good is it if you can't see 4K video?" noted Carrie Sylvester, an analyst in the Consumer and Professional Imaging Group at InfoTrends.
4K is not widely available and therefore requires a larger investment -- such as an Ultra HD 4K television -- in order to view those high resolutions.
"If you want to watch video in 4K, you have to transfer or connect with a screen with 4K," said Linnig. "Of course, you can always watch [on the Liquid S2] in full HD."
Currently, "there are only a handful of 4K TV sets or monitors available," Entner told TechNewsWorld. "So going 4K video capturing is certainly ahead of its time. Also, what is the point? We are going beyond the capabilities of the eye to perceive differences."

'Out of Their Radar'

4K technology is still making its way to the mainstream, with just slow pickup among early adopters at this point.
"I can tell you that 4K isn't on the radar screen of most photographers or professional photographers right now," Sylvester told TechNewsWorld. "A lot of them don't know much about it unless they're tech-savvy and tend to be early adopters of technology. 4K is just a little out of their radar."
Cinematographers, in fact, may be the first to take advantage of the new capabilities.
"I think this will first appeal to cinematographers -- people who need that high-end capture and viewing," Sylvester suggested. "I think it's going to take a while before it starts to reach the masses."
Toward that end, Acer and other consumer electronics companies will have to educate consumers on 4K technology.
"It's going to take a lot of education and evangelism on the part of the vendors," said Sylvester. "They have to tell people what this is and why you need it."
Why would Acer make a phablet handset with 4K video capture capabilities at this point? The same reason LG upped the resolution on its forthcoming Quad HD smartphone panel -- to establish a market lead.
"Acer wants to show technology leadership," said Entner. "Even if it's beyond what really matters."
Posted by Michano at 7:23 AM, Add Comment
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4G: Is It Really Worth All The Hype?

We should probably take network providers' promises about 4G coverage with a cellar of salt.

There have been many pivotal moments in the ascent of man.
The invention of the wheel. The discovery of fire. The ability to Sky+ entire series of Man vs Food.
Might we soon add 4G mobile data transfer to that list?
Certainly we're increasingly using our phones as a gateway to the internet.
One survey showed an average nine-and-a-half hours per user per month of access via a mobile browser.

Another claims that by 2014 mobile web usage will surpass desktop browsing.
With 4G promising download speeds that will in some cases match or better that via wifi, surely it’s a no-brainer that 4G will soon be ubiquitous.
Well, no. Not yet anyway.
Imagine if you could only make fire in certain parts of the country. Or drive your car in certain towns.
Bit useless, eh?

For the time being, that's perhaps 4G's biggest problem.
Vodafone has launched, but only in London. O2 covers inside the M25, but also Leeds and Bradford.
Both of course promise far broader 4G access in the near future.
But take a look at EE, which launched late last year. Despite enjoying a monopoly, they currently have 637,000 users - a fraction of the estimated 82.7 million mobile phone subscriptions in the UK.

EE launched 4G late last year

It covers 60% of the population, and is available in over 100 towns and cities - not exactly comprehensive.
And it's a bit of a bummer if you’re not amongst that number.

Part of EE's problem may have been the lack of competition, not to mention the 4G-capable handset required nor the premium that all three network providers charge for access to fast data on the go.
I do wonder whether people actually are crying out for this service, particularly when the companies providing it claim it’s all about downloading entertainment on the move, streaming live HD TV wherever you are, and so on.
I'm still on a 3G handset. I have little interest in live events and instead download my media when at home, via broadband.

So, when out and about, 3G covers my web browsing and I have plenty stored on my devices if I find myself having a quiet moment.
Plus, 3G is more than capable of streaming live video, as the Sky News iPhone app demonstrates.
Of course, that only applies if you have a decent 3G signal in your area. Which isn’t always the case.
And which perhaps means we should take the network providers’ promises about coverage with a cellar of salt.

Most likely, increased data usage will eventually drive people to 4G services.
In general, whilst bigger isn’t better when it comes to mobiles - faster certainly is.
Posted by Michano at 7:11 AM, Add Comment
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