Samsung smart watch to be called Galaxy Gear?

Samsung smart watch to be called Galaxy Gear?

Though Samsung has not said anything officially about its smart watch, it has filed a trademark for an accessory under the name 'Galaxy Gear,' which is now speculated to be a smart watch. The trademark has been spotted on the website of USPTO (United States Patent and Trade Office). Samsung's smart watch is also expected to come with newer functionality like a miniature IR remote control.

Key features of the SmartWatch:

Dimensions: 1.42 X 1.42 X 0.3 in 

Display: 1.3" OLED display, 128 x 128 pixels 

Compatibility: Bluetooth™ 3.0 and Android 2.1 or above

Connectivity: Standard USB charging 

Battery life: Up to 4 days

1. Display: 1.3" OLED display, 128 x 128 pixels
   

   Compatibility: Bluetooth™ 3.0 and Android 2.1 or above

   Connectivity: Standard USB charging

   Battery life: Up to 4 Compatibility: Bluetooth™ 3.0 and Android 2.1 or above

1. Connectivity: Standard USB charging
   Battery life: Up to 4 days

   Key features of the SmartWatch:
   Dimensions: 1.42 X 1.42 X 0.3 in
   Display: 1.3" OLED display, 128 x 128 pixels
   Compatibility: Bluetooth™ 3.0 and Android 2.1 or above
   Connectivity: Standard USB charging
   Battery life: Up to 4 days

BlackBerry joins hands with Samsung; to bring BBM for Galaxy devices

The app will be available from the Google Play store and will be a part of the Samsung messaging hub as well.

World's No 1 smartphone maker, Samsung has now joined hands with BlackBerry to bring the later's BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service for its Galaxy range of devices. Notably, BlackBerry is expected to launch the BBM service on Android and iOS platforms this year itself. However, by this move, Samsung is perhaps hoping to give some early mover advantage to its Galaxy range of devices.

The app will be available from the Google Play store and will be a part of the Samsung messaging hub as well.

Announcing the partnership, Samsung Electronics' Africa vice president and chief operating officer, George Ferreira said: "At Samsung we are all about collaboration, innovation and driving consumer experience based on choice, value and customization to suit every lifestyle. As such, bringing a top tier messaging service such as BBM is another way that we are expanding the catalogue of our messaging services and offering customers an amazing way to stay instantly connected with colleagues, friends and family."

The BBM application for Samsung Galaxy devices will first be made available in Africa and gradually in other parts of the world but Samsung has not cited any particular reason for the same. Samsung has also not said much about the BBM service that is to be made available for Galaxy devices.

However, as reported earlier, the BBM Android version is expected to bring chatting facility with multi-person chats and voice note sharing or voice messaging. Along with that the applications will also include BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users would be able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more with rest of the participants in one go. So all in all the BBM application aims at competing with Whatsapp and other similar apps.

Yahoo buys social Web browser-maker Rockmelt

Yahoo has acquired Rockmelt, a Silicon Valley startup that built a Web browser tied to Facebook's social network.

Terms of the deal announced Friday weren't disclosed. It's the 20th acquisition that Yahoo Inc. has completed since Marissa Mayer became the Sunnyvale, Calif., company's CEO nearly 13 months ago.

Rockmelt has raised about $40 million from venture capitalists and other investors since its inception. That makes it likely Yahoo had to be above that amount to buy Rockmelt.

Most of Yahoo's purchases have been for relatively small amounts of money. There has been one notable exception so far: Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition of Internet blogging service Tumblr.

Rockmelt unveiled its Facebook-focused Web browser in late 2010, but it never gained traction. The Mountain View, Calif., startup later introduced a version designed for smartphones and tablets.

Some of that technology could help Yahoo in its effort to bring in more traffic and revenue from mobile devices, one of Mayer's top priorities. Most of the other startups snapped up by Mayer also have been focused on mobile computing.

Although small, Rockmelt attracted a fair amount of attention because of its pedigree. The company's financial backer include Web browser Marc Andreessen, who has established himself as one of Silicon Valley's top venture capitalists since first making his mark as a co-founder of Netscape Communications.

WeChat 5.0 brings in-app Sticker purchase, location based friend finder and more

Mobile instant messaging app, WeChat, has received a major update, offering new features like in-app purchase for stickers, a location based friend finder service and revamped official accounts, among others.

The new version (version 5.0) is now live on the App Store for iPhones, while the Android version will be available at a later date, according to the company.

WeChat 5.0 includes Sticker Shop, an in-app purchase mechanism for downloading and paying for stickers. This essentially means that users will be able to buy sticker packs within the app through their iTunes accounts. Mobile messengers are increasingly using Stickers as differentiators to build engagement among users and for monetization.

"The new WeChat 5.0, we are aiming at taking the platform to the next level making it more than just a simple chatting app and enriching the user experience by being a truly mobile social platform. Users not only meet, chat and share moments, pictures and videos, they do it in a dynamic and intuitive fashion," said Poshu Yeung, Vice President at International Business Group at Tencent, the company behind the WeChat app.

WeChat 5.0 also features 'Hold Together,' a location based service that allows users to find and connect friends who are in close proximity. It also offers 'Shake' and 'People Nearby' (previously called "Look Around"), to connect with friends.

The updated app also makes sharing web pages to Facebook easier for users who have linked their Facebook account to their WeChat accounts. It also brings a revamped 'Official Accounts' user interface with brand accounts grouped into one single category to reduce clutter on chat screens. It also allows users to save text, voice messages and photos, following the update.

"While WeChat users enjoy connecting with friends and meeting new people; WeChat's comprehensive privacy settings allow users to limit and control who is able to communicate with them, who can view information and manage how they can be found. For added security and control, protection mechanisms such as the two-way authentication to initiate a chat, ability to hide contact details, create a 'black list' to block users and allowing users to turn off LBS features. This means they can share experiences only with the people they trust," continued Yeung.

Google announces Android Device Manager to help you track a lost phone

Google has announced a new tool that will let users track their lost Android phones on a map, ring them and remotely erase all the data on the phone. 

Google has informed that the service will be available later this month on devices running Android 2.2 or above. To use the service, users will need to be signed into their Google Accounts. Google will also offer an Android app to allow users to track and manage their Android devices.

In a blog post, Google mentions that Android Device Manager, can quickly ring a linked phone at maximum volume so that users can find it (even if it's been silenced), or locate it on a map, in real time. It mentions, "If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device to keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands."

We're not sure why Google jumped the gun early and made the announcement, even though the service is still awaiting a launch. It could have announced it when the service was ready.

Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry have been offering online utilities, namely Find My iPhone, BlackBerry Protect, and Find My Phone, respectively, that let owners of phones track the location of their handsets, lock them, trigger an alarm and wipe data remotely, for a long time.

Google is late to the party, however, making the utility a part of Android would benefit a large number of users. Handset makers like Samsung and HTC already offer similar tools with their Android phones. Sony had also started rolling out its remote security service "my Xperia," in July.

While third-party services offered by companies like McAfee, Norton, Quickheal and Kaspersky, among others also offer mobile security services, they charge users a one time or recurring fee
.

Paid $1200 for two iPhones, received two apples. Literally.

A 21-year-old Australian woman who was trying to buy Apple smartphones online was conned into paying USD 1,200 for two edible apples!

The woman, who has not been named, had posted an ad on website Gumtree asking to buy two Apple smartphones.

She was soon contacted by another woman who said she had 'two Apples' for sale.

They met at a McDonald's restaurant where the woman handed over the money for what she thought were two new smartphone boxes. The buyer did not check inside the boxes and on arriving home found they contained real apples.

Senior Constable Jess Hopkin of the Crime Prevention Unit in Upper Mt Gravatt, near Brisbane, warned people to be careful when buying things online, according to 'Herald Sun'.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It's really just common sense," said Hopkin.

Gumtree spokeswoman Niki Hennessy said the company took the safety and security of its users seriously.

"We are continually improving processes and user education to make Gumtree the safest possible platform for buying and selling," she said.

Samsung confirms Galaxy Note III launch event for September 4

While rumours surrounding Samsung's next generation Galaxy Note smartphones have been floating for a long time, Samsung has now officially sent invitations for an event scheduled on September 4 in Berlin, where it's expected to finally unveil the large screen device.

The South Korean electronics major has gone a bit creative with the invitation and has sent it in a handwritten design that says, "Note the date 04.09.2013 Berlin".

The company calls it an 'Unpacked' event, which is scheduled to take place just ahead of the IFA show and it's likely to unveil its rumoured smart watch at the event, as well.

The company has been using the IFA trade show in Berlin to unveil its Galaxy Note phablet devices in the past. Last year, it unveiled the Galaxy Note II device at the event.

The official invite is inline with previous rumours. We had earlier reported that the South Korean giant was planning to unveil the Note III at an event scheduled for September 4 in Berlin.

The Galaxy Note III is likely to feature a 5.7-inch display and the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS. Other leaked specifications suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note III could sport a Super AMOLED panel similar to Samsung's other high-end devices with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. In terms of camera, Samsung's latest phablet is expected to sport a 13-megapixel rear shooter. It will reportedly be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 3GB of RAM

There have been reports about Samsung testing different screen sizes for the Note III but the company is rumoured to have finalised the 5.7-inch device, considering the market response to the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3.

The company is also expected to use the event to unveil its wearable computing device, most likely a smart watch, giving it a head start over arch rival Apple, which is widely tipped to unveil its iWatch soon. Sony had also recently unveiled SmartWatch 2, a wearable companion for Android devices.