Thursday, May 16, 2013

Nexus 4 launches in India @ Rs 25,999


Nexus 4 launches in India @ Rs 25,999
LG and Google announced that Nexus 4, the official Android phone, would be available in India in the coming days at an MRP of Rs 25,999.


NEW DELHI: LG and Google announced that Nexus 4, the official Android phone, would be available in India in the coming days at an MRP of Rs 25,999. Yesterday, the device became available for pre-order on Flipkart, an e-commerce site, starting at a price of Rs 25,990.

Sources said that the pre-order was part of an exclusive deal that Flipkart had struck with LG.

"LG Electronics is pleased to partner Google on the release of the Nexus 4 in India," shared Soon Kwon, managing director, LG Electronics India. "We added the best of our talent to our strength, and the result is a feature-packed smartphone that packs superb hardware under a slim hood."

For now, LG had announced details about only the model with 16GB internal storage and not about the 8GB one, which could be cheaper by at least a few thousands rupees.

Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch screen with 720P resolution. The phone is powered by a quad-core processor and has 2GB RAM. It has a 8MP primary camera and a 1.3MP front camera. The phone doesn't support microSD card and has a battery that cannot be replaced by users.

The real appeal of the Nexus 4 lies in the software it runs. Like all Nexus devices, it is powered by an unmodified version of Android and is guaranteed to get quick updates whenever Google comes out with the new version of the OS.

This is in stark contrast to other devices that get updates several months after Google had introduced the new version of Android. In an interview to Wired, Sundar Pichai, Android division head at Google, acknowledged that the company was working to fix the update process.

Google usually sells Nexus devices online through its Play Store. But sources said that Nexus 4 would be sold only by LG and its retail partners.

The phone was launched in the global markets last year. At that time an LG executive claimed that it would be available in India in October. But the plans to launch it didn't materialize.

So far Google has made six Nexus phones and tablets. Nexus 4 is the third from the series to hit India. The other two are Nexus S and Nexus 7.

Panasonic launches 5-inch smartphone @ Rs 26,990


NEW DELHI: Panasonic today re-entered the smartphone market with the global launch of its new P51 smartphone in India. The phone runs on a quad-core processor and has a 5-inch display, a feature seen in many top-end models nowadays. It has been priced at Rs 26,990 in the Indian market and will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X and LG Optimus 4X HD, among others.

The company said it has inked a partnership deal with Times Internet Limited, the online division of The Times Of India Group, and the new handset will come preloaded with TOI and ET apps.

The all-new Panasonic P51 features an IPS display with 1280x720p resolution and 295ppi pixel density; the touchscreen boasts of Asahi DragonTrail scratchproof and damage-proof glass for added durability. This device runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest iteration of Google's free mobile operating system. It has a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU under the hood and packs 1GB RAM and 4GB onboard storage, along with microSD card support up to 32GB.

The connectivity suite of this dual-sim phone comprises features like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB. An 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash is placed on the back of the phone, while a 1.3MP HD unit is used in the front. Powered by a 2,500mAh battery, Panasonic P51comes with a free magnetic flip cover and supports input via stylus. This phone measures 8.5mm along the waistline, weighs 135gram and will be available in white and black colours.

The Japanese manufacturer has roped in Student Of The Year star Varun Dhawan as the brand ambassador for its smartphone range. He joins Katrina Kaif, who is the brand ambassador for the company's air conditioners, in endorsing the company's products.

Panasonic has joined hands with Jaina Marketing for the distribution, marketing and customer care support of its P51 smartphone. It has said that it will invest Rs 200 crore over the next year in brand building for the mobile range. Panasonic is eyeing an 8% share of the Indian smartphone market in the first year

Daizo Ito, president, Panasonic India, said, "We are now launching our innovative smartphone which will redefine the Indian smartphone consumer experience. We are confident that our product will provide the Indian consumer a great multimedia experience and the 'best value for money' proposition."

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The radio is making a comeback this summer with Windows Phone 8 update


Update also includes Google's new sync protocols


The radio is making a comeback this summer with Windows Phone 8 update

Following Tuesday's Nokia Lumia 925 launch, Microsoft revealed the device will be running an updated version of Windows Phone 8 that brings back one feature and adds a few more for good measure.
Coming this summer to Windows Phone 8 devices, the software update will see the return of the FM radio, which had been laying dormant in the current generation of devices.
As well as access to the airwaves, Windows Phone users who rely on Google accounts will be pleased to know that Microsoft is updating the OS to keep up with Google's new syncing tech.
In a post on the Windows Phone blog, the company said "the update also ensures Windows Phone continues to work with Google services by adding support for the company's newest sync protocols - CalDAV and CardDAV."

Hundreds of improvements

The update will bring "hundreds" of small improvements to the OS, including some tweaks for Xbox Music that improves the accuracy of song data.
Owners of the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 can also expect to receive the 'double tap to wake' feature announced alongside the impressive Lumia 925 today.
With high profile Android and iOS launches expected to arrive in the next few months, will these modest improvements to Windows Phone 8 be enough to satisfy fans of the OS?
Let us know in the comments section below.

BlackBerry Launches New Mid-tier Smartphone

BlackBerry Launches New Mid-tier Smartphone


BlackBerry has launched a new mid-tier smartphone, with the classical BlackBerry keyboard, targeting consumers from emerging markets. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company also said its BBM messenger service will be offered on iOS and Android devices.
The BlackBerry Live conference was kicked off on Tuesday with the launch of BlackBerry Q5, which is slated to ship in summer in the emerging markets, in several colors including pink, red and white. It is the third smartphone from BlackBerry, which will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system. The new phone has a 3.1-inch touch screen with a QWERTY keyboard, and looks almost the same as the BlackBerry Q10.
In addition to the new phone, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins also announced the release of BlackBerry 10.1, the update to its latest smartphone operating system, for existing Z10 phones. Heins also said US carriers will start selling Q10 in early June. Q10 is already available in Canada and several other countries.
BlackBerry expects its new devices powered by its new BB10 OS to boost its revenues and bring it back in black. BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion, once had been the dominant force in the smartphone industry, but lost its position to Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy series phones running on Google's Android platform.

In a surprise move, Heins also said its BBM messenger service will go cross-platform to iOS and Android devices. He said BBM would be available for free download this summer on iPhone and Android devices, if approved by Google Play store and Apple's App store.

New Android Boss Finally Reveals Plans for World’s Most Popular Mobile OS




For the past few years, Sundar Pichai has been part of a tag-team routine staged at Google’s annual I/O developer conference. Pichai, a Googler since 2004, would present on behalf of Google’s Chrome division, including its browser and cloud-based operating system. His counterpart was Andy Rubin, head of Google’s Android division. As Android grew to the world’s most popular mobile OS (it’s now on 750 million devices worldwide, with 1.5 million new activations every day), people wondered what was the sense of Google having two operating systems. Meanwhile, Andy Rubin was the unofficial king of I/O.
That won’t be the case this year. In March, Google announced Rubin was stepping down from Android to pursue unspecified moon shots elsewhere in the company. Pichai would take over Rubin’s duties at Android. He immediately went from being an important Google executive (in addition to Chrome, he was also in charge of Google’s apps efforts) to perhaps the most pivotal member of Larry Page’s “L-team” of top executives. So far Pichai, a 40-year old grad of the fabled Indian Institute of Technology and later Stanford, has kept his head down and refused all press. But as this week’s I/O event approached, he granted WIRED his first interview since taking over Android.
WIRED: The Android handover from Andy Rubin to you seemed sudden and mysterious to us on the outside. Was it long in the works?
PICHAI: I got to know only towards the end of the process of Andy deciding to step back. It played out in a rapid time fashion over the couple weeks prior to the actual announcement. I am passionate about computing and so to me, it was very exciting to be in a position where I could make an impact on that scale.
Now that you’re in this new position, have your views evolved in terms of the coexistence of Chrome and Android?
I don’t think my views have changed much. Android and Chrome are both large, open platforms, growing very fast. I think that they will play a strong role, not merely exist. I see this as part of friendly innovation and choice for both users and developers.
But can’t it be confusing having two operating systems?
Users care about applications and services they use, not operating systems. Very few people will ask you, “Hey, how come MacBooks are on Mac OS-X and iPhone and iPad are on iOS? Why is this?” They think of Apple as iTunes, iCloud, iPhoto. Developers are people, too. They want to write applications one time, but they also want choice. What excites me in this new role is that I can try do the right thing for users and developers — without worrying about the fact that we have two things. We embrace both and we are continuing to invest in both. So in the short run, nothing changes. In the long run, computing itself will dictate the changes. We’re living through a pivotal moment. It’s a world of multiple screens, smart displays, with tons of low-cost computing, with big sensors built into devices. At Google we ask how to bring together something seamless and beautiful and intuitive across all these screens. The picture may look different a year or two from from now, but in the short term, we have Android and we have Chrome, and we are not changing course.
Still, it’s a huge use of resources to have two operating systems as opposed to one. This has to be an issue you wrestle with.
It’s a fair question. We want to do the right things at each stage, for users and developers. We are trying to find commonalities. On the browser layer, we share a lot of stuff. We will increasingly do more things like that. And maybe there’s a more synergistic answer down the line.
As Android’s new head, what do you see as the biggest challenge?
First let me talk about the opportunities. The scale and scope is even bigger than what I had internalized. The momentum — in terms of new phones and new tablets — is breathtaking. I see huge opportunity, because it is just shocking how much of the world doesn’t have access to computing. In his book Eric [Schmidt] talks about the next 5 billion [the people on earth who aren’t connected to the internet who soon will be]. That’s genuinely true and it excites me. One of the great things about an open system like Android is it addresses all ends of the spectrum. Getting great low-cost computing devices at scale to the developing world is especially meaningful to me.
Now what about the challenges?
Here’s the challenge: without changing the open nature of Android, how do we help improve the whole world’s end-user experience? For all your users, no matter where they are, or what phone or tablet they are buying or what tablet they are buying.
What does that mean when a company like Facebook comes out with Home, which changes that experience?
It’s exciting that Facebook thought of Android first in this case. Android was intended to be very customizable. And we welcome innovations. As for the specific product, my personal take on it is that time will tell. To Mark [Zuckerberg], people are the center of everything. I take a slightly different approach. I think life is multifaceted: people are a huge part of it, but not the center and be-all of everything.
Some people worry that Google might respond to Facebook Home by blocking this kind of approach in a future release.
We want to be a very, very open platform, but we want a way by which end users are getting a good experience overall. We have to figure out a way to rationalize things, and do it so that it makes sense for users and developers. There’s always a balance there. It’s no different from the kind of decisions that Facebook has to make about its own platform. But right now, we don’t plan to make any changes — we are excited they’ve done good work.
Hold on. You’re saying that you like innovation like Home–but at some point in the future you might decide that an invasive software approach like this isn’t good for users and can’t be done in a future Android release?
No. Let me clarify. Users get to decide what apps and what choices they want. Some users really want this. We don’t want to get in the way of that. [But] in the end, we have to provide a consistent experience. As part of that, with every release of Android, we do go through changes. So we may make changes over time. But if this is what users want, I think Facebook will be able to do it. We want it to be possible for users to get what they want.
What about something more drastic like Kindle Fire, which actually forks the Android experience into something quite different?
Under the rules of the license, Amazon can do that. In general, we at Google would love everyone to work on one version of Android, because I think it benefits everyone better. But this is not the kind of stuff we’re trying to prevent. Our focus is not on Facebook Home or Kindle Fire. Computing is going through a once in a lifetime explosion. Our opportunity is making sure that this works well for people and solves important problems for them. For example, you are going to have computing which can potentially warn you before you have a heart attack.
Is it a problem for Google that Samsung is so dominant, and makes almost all the money on the platform?
I realize this gets played up in the press a lot. Samsung is a great partner to work with. We work with them on pretty much almost all our important products. Here’s my Samsung Galaxy S4. [Pichai holds up the phone.]
How’s that eye-tracking thing working out?
I actually never used it. Look, Samsung plays a critical role in helping Android be successful. To ship great experiences, you need hardware and software together. The relationship is very strong on a day-to-day basis and on a tactical basis. So I’m not that concerned. Historically the industry has had long stable structures. Look at Microsoft and Intel. They were very codependent on one another, but it served both of them well. When I look at where computing needs to go, we need innovation in displays, in batteries. Samsung is a world leader in those technologies.
One benefit of Samsung being so dominant is that you don’t hear much concern that Google might show favoritism to Motorola, which it now owns.
For the purposes of the Android ecosystem, Motorola is [just another] partner.
What’s the future of Google-branded hardware?
You will see a continuation of what we have tried to do with Nexus and Chromebooks. Any hardware projects we do will be to push the ecosystem forward.
One reason that people think that Chrome might step back in favor of Android is that the Open Web might not be able to deliver what users need on their devices. As head of Chrome you have promoted the vision of cloud-based apps, based on technologies like HTML 5, saying that they will be as powerful and fast as native apps written to run directly on specific machines. But last year Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook’s biggest mistake was trying to use HTML 5 and the open web for its mobile apps. He said it simply didn’t have the quality and speed to serve his users. Was that a blow to your vision of Chrome?
I think the reality is a bit different. I managed Chrome and apps even before Android. Some of our large applications are now written directly to the device — for instance, we have native Gmail apps. But I disagree with the opinion that all of Facebook’s mobile issues can be blamed on HTML 5. I just don’t think that was true. There are other companies with very successful apps that have taken an HTML 5 approach on mobile and done really well. For instance, a lot of magazines have switched from native back to HTML 5 for the mobile apps. Financial Times did it, and they’ve blogged that their user engagement and traction has increased significantly. It’s the reverse of what Facebook said. And this is the beauty. Each developer’s needs are unique.
In terms of numbers, Android sells more than Apple, but Apple makes more money from its platform. Is your mandate to generate more revenue from Android?
We’re very comfortable with our business model. All our core services–Search YouTube, Maps, etc.– are used on phones, and Android helps people to use those services. So fundamentally there’s a business model there. And services, like Google Play, are obviously a source of revenue. We saw payouts to developers on Play quadruple in 2012. I think we are barely beginning to get started. We’re in the early beginnings of a sea change in computing. Think about education and enterprise — incredible opportunities. We’re much more focused now on the consumer end of the experience, but we think the right things will happen from a business sense.
Were you surprised to see a Firefox OS?
Not at all. The web is an important platform, and I don’t think it’s going change ’til I die. It’s another reason why if we don’t do Chrome OS, someone else will.
A lot of people have complained about Android’s update process. How does Google make sure that people will get updated with the latest version?
We are thinking about how to make Android handle updates better. We see ways we can do this. It’s early days. We’re talking with our partners and working our way through it. We need time to figure out the mechanics, but it’s definitely an area of focus for me and for the team.
What can we expect from I/O this year?
It’s going to be different. It’s not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system. Both on Android and Chrome, we’re going to focus this I/O on all of the kinds of things we’re doing for developers, so that they can write better things. We will show how Google services are doing amazing things on top of these two platforms.
As Android head, what are your marching orders from Larry Page?
Larry wants to make sure we are driving innovation and doing amazing things for users and developers. That’s what I want too. So there’s a melding of minds– his marching orders are, “Please go and do Google-scale things.”
Finally, you had a pretty full plate with Chrome and Apps, and now you’re handling the world’s biggest phone platform in addition. How are you managing?
I have a secret project which adds four hours every day to the 24 hours we have. There’s a bit of time travel involved.

Nokia 925 review: first look



Nokia Lumia 925Nokia has a new flagship Windows phone 8 handset in the shape of the Nokia Lumia 925, and it looks like a big step forward. The Lumia 925, which was launched in London, hot on the heels of the US launch of the 928 earlier this week, is far slimmer at 8.5mm and lighter than its predecessor, the Lumia 920, and eschews that phone’s bulbous rear in favour of a sharper, sleeker, more modern look.
Nokia Lumia 925 vs Nokia Lumia 920
With the phones pictured side by side, the difference between the two handsets is clear to see. The new handset’s display is the same size and resolution at 4.5in and 768 x 1,280, but the chassis has been completely redesigned.
For the most part it’s still constructed from the same sensible and hard-wearing solid polycarbonate as before (in a variety of more muted colours), but with the Lumia 925 it’s framed with a curved, matte-finish aluminium rim, which also acts  as the phone’s antenna.
Nokia Lumia 925
Physically, it’s a huge improvement over the Lumia 920, and it’s the phone we’d rather have in our pocket, although we’d have appreciated the addition of a microSD slot. Just like the 920, the 925 isn’t expandable, storage-wise, and you can’t replace the battery either.
Most noticeable about the 925 is how much lighter it is when you pick it up; at 139g, it weighs 46g less than the hefty 920. It looks fantastic, too; we only hope that the aluminium surround proves as durable as we’ve found the fully polycarbonate Lumia handsets to be.
The other key difference  is that the 925’s display is an AMOLED unit instead of the IPS screen of old. It looks as bright and saturated as you’d expect of an AMOLED screen, but we’ll only be able to tell if it’s an advance when we get an official review unit; AMOLED displays tend to have lower brightness than IPS screens, making it more difficult to read in bright sunlight, so this may well represent a small downgrade.
Nokia Lumia 925
For snaps, Nokia claims to have improved the camera technology, in particular the lens, which now consists of six elements instead of five, and the software processing. The resolution remains the same at 8.7 megapixels and it retains the optical image stabilisation technology from the Lumia 920, the f/2 aperture and the Carl Zeiss branding.
The phone also comes preloaded with a raft of new camera features. The Nokia Smart Camera app adds several new features, including Best Shot – where the camera shoots multiple frames that  you can choose between afterwards– and Action Shot, which is similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4’s Drama Shot. It shoots a burst of shots then overlays them on top of each other. Motion blur keeps foreground objects in sharp focus, while blurring the background dramatically.
Nokia Lumia 925
Change Faces is similar to the S4’s Best Face function, taking multiple shots of a group of people, allowing you to pick the most smiley mugs from a range of facial expressions. And there’s also a tool that will use the burst mode to remove annoying moving objects for you, for times when someone walks across the frame while you’re trying to snap a picture in a crowded space. Again, this is similar to a Samsung Galaxy S4 feature – called Eraser.
Aside from that, it’s typical Lumia fare. The Lumia 925 comes loaded with all the usual Nokia software bells and whistles, from Nokia Music for streamed music mixes to Here Maps, which offers free worldwide navigation with downloadable maps.
Nokia Lumia 925
And, lastly, the CPU powering the 925 hasn’t changed: a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 and 1GB of RAM taking pride of place. This should prove perfectly sufficient for Windows Phone 8, which felt extremely slick and smooth on the new phone.
So when will the new Nokia Lumia 925 appear? In June, when it will cost around €469; the 32GB model will be available on contract exclusively from Vodafone.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Apple iPhone 6 ‘appears’ on Vodafone UK

While there have been a lot of rumours about the upcoming iPhone model, there have been very few evidences about the device's existence. Now, technology website Stuff has revealed that it received an image which shows that the next Apple smartphone will be called iPhone 6, not iPhone 5S.
 The report says that the image is of Vodafone UK's till system, showing an inventory that clearly names the model as '4G iPhone 6'.
 Recently, French website Nowhereelse.fr released the image of an internal document of Japanese telecom operator KDDI. This document states that the upcoming iPhone will be announced on June 20 and hit the stores in July. This internal document states that the device will get an upgraded 13MP camera, as compared to the 8MP unit used in its predecessor. The phone will run on iOS 7, it states.
 A Chinese website previously leaked what it claimed to be the first photos of the next-generation iPhone in production. From the photos, it appears Apple will retain the design theme it introduced with iPhone 4 three years ago.
 KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, citing supply chain sources, said the upcoming smartphone will feature a 13MP camera, snappier processor, fingerprint recognition sensor and more powerful LED flash. Various analysts, including Kuo, Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster and Peter Misek of Jeffries, expect Apple to launch the device in the third quarter of 2013.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom with 16MP camera coming soon: Report

NEW DELHI: Rumours have been flying thick and fast about Samsung readying to launch a smaller version of its Galaxy S4, and there may be more than one versions of the phone on the anvil. Recent reports have claimed that the South Korean mobile titan is preparing at least two variants of the rumoured Galaxy S4 Mini.
 A report in SamMobile, which has a stellar record in Samsung leaks, says that Samsung is developing Galaxy S4 Zoom. This phone has a 16MP autofocus camera with optical image stabilisation and 10X optical zoom. Galaxy S4 has a 13MP camera, offering the highest resolution among the phones in its portfolio, while other top-of-the-line devices like Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III feature 8MP units.
 The report says that Galaxy S4 Zoom will have a 4.3-inch display with 960x540p resolution and 256ppi pixel density. It will pack 8GB onboard storage, support microSD card up 64GB and run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system with TouchWiz Nature UX. Other details about the device include Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi for connectivity and white and black colour options. Processor and RAM of the phone have not been decided yet.
 According to the report, the phone's code name is SM-C1010. Recently, Bluetooth certification documents have revealed the existence of an announced Samsung phone with the code name SM-C101 that will come with Bluetooth 4.0.
 Rumours say that the other version of Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will share the display with the Zoom variant. It is expected to run on a 1.6GHz dual-core processor and have the manufacturer's proprietary Nature UX 2.0 over the stock operating system. The South Korean manufacturer will reportedly launch single-sim as well as dual-sim variants of Galaxy S4 Mini. This phone will be rolled out in June or July this year, says a report. Leaked photos of the allegedly upcoming smartphone have already appeared online.
 Another phone in the works is the rugged version of Galaxy S4, according to rumours. In an interview, Samsung Gulf president Young Soo Kim revealed that the company is readying a dustproof, waterproof variant of the current flagship model that will be announced in a few weeks. Currently, the company offers only mid-range rugged phones under the Galaxy Xcover series. Sony has the only phone with top-end specs that can withstand water, dust and shocks.

Nokia Lumia 928: Verizon gets another high-end Windows smartphone

option for Prime Minister: Rajnath
Nokia will sell a new high-end smartphone through US carrier Verizon Wireless, it said on Friday, aiming to expand its share in the high-margin premium market after years of falling behind Samsung and Apple Inc.
The new Lumia 928, priced at $99 if customers mail-in a $50 rebate and agree to a two-year deal with Verizon Wireless, is similar to the 920 model currently sold through AT&T , but is lighter and slightly different in appearance.
It weighs 162 grams compared with 185 grams for the 920, which some critics had said was too heavy.
The 928's 4.5-inch screen also extends to the edge of the phone, giving a sharper impression than the curved edges of the 920. The new models also come in black and white compared with the colourful options of the earlier Lumia range.
Most other features, such as a 8.7 megapixel camera and 1.5-gigahertz dual core processor by Qualcomm, are the same as the 920's.
The 928 is the latest in Nokia's Lumia range of smartphones which use Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software.
Nokia switched to Windows in 2011, aiming to compete with Apple's iPhones and rivals using Google's Android system. Sales of Lumia phones have grown in recent quarters, but at 5.6 million in first quarter, they still account for only around 5 percent of the market.
The company has recently launched new products in the lower and mid-tier range to protect its position in emerging markets, but analysts have said its success in the high-margin smartphone market will be crucial for its long-term survival.
Nokia is due to unveil its new Lumia strategy at an event in London next Tuesday.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Working gun made with 3D printer


The controversial group which created the firearm, Defense Distributed, plans to make the blueprints available online.
The group has spent a year trying to create the firearm, which was successfully tested on Saturday at a firing range south of Austin, Texas.
Anti-gun campaigners have criticised the project.
Europe's law enforcement agency said it was monitoring developments.
Victoria Baines, from Europol's cybercrime centre, said that at present criminals were more likely to pursue traditional routes to obtain firearms.
She added, however: "But as time goes on and as this technology becomes more user friendly and more cost effective, it is possible that some of these risks will emerge."
Defense Distributed is headed by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas.
Mr Wilson said: "I think a lot of people weren't expecting that this could be done."
3D-printed gun partsThe gun was assembled from separate printed components made from ABS plastic - only the firing pin was made from metal
3D printing has been hailed as the future of manufacturing.
The technology works by building up layer upon layer of material - typically plastic - to build complex solid objects.
The idea is that as the printers become cheaper, instead of buying goods from shops, consumers will instead be able to download designs and print out the items at home.
But as with all new technologies, there are risks as well as benefits.
Personal liberties
The gun was made on a 3D printer that cost $8,000 (£5,140) from the online auction site eBay.
It was assembled from separate printed components made from ABS plastic - only the firing pin was made from metal.
Mr Wilson, who describes himself as a crypto-anarchist, said his plans to make the design available were "about liberty".
He told the BBC: "There is a demand of guns - there just is. There are states all over the world that say you can't own firearms - and that's not true anymore.
"I'm seeing a world where technology says you can pretty much be able to have whatever you want. It's not up to the political players any more."
Asked if he felt any sense of responsibility about whose hands the gun might fall into, he told the BBC: "I recognise the tool might be used to harm other people - that's what the tool is - it's a gun.
"But I don't think that's a reason to not do it - or a reason not to put it out there."
Gun control
To make the gun, Mr Wilson received a manufacturing and seller's licence from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Donna Sellers, from the ATF, told BBC News that the 3D-printed gun, as long as it was not a National Firearms Act weapon (an automatic gun, for example), was legal in the US.
She said: "[In the US] a person can manufacture a firearm for their own use. However, if they engage in the business of manufacture to sell a gun, they need a licence."
Amid America's ongoing gun debate in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, US congressman Steve Israel recently called for a ban on 3D guns under the Undetectable Firearms Act.
Groups looking to tighten US gun laws have also expressed concern.
Leah Gunn Barrett, from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, has said: "These guns could fall into the hands of people who should not have guns - criminals, people who are seriously mentally ill, people who are convicted of domestic violence, even children."
3D printing technology has already been used by some criminal organisations to create card readers - "skimmers" - that are inserted into bank machines.
Many law enforcement agencies around the world now have people dedicated to monitoring cybercrime and emerging technologies such as 3D printers.
Ms Baines from Europol said: "What we know is that technology proceeds much more quickly than we expect it to. So by getting one step ahead of the technological developments, we hope and believe we will be able to get one step ahead of the criminals as well."

New LG Smartphone Images Leak: LG Optimus 2? Nexus 5?


LG Optimus 2 leak?
LG Optimus 2? Google Nexus 5? No idea. As in, we have absolutely no clue as to what phone is being shown off in the latest leak from "evleaks," of Twitter and Facebook smartphone-leaking fame.
While it's thought that the recent pictures evleaks posted are from a next-gen Optimus G2 device, there's also talk that a rumored expanded partnership between Google and LG – not to mention the similarities between LG's Optimus G smartphone and the Nexus 4 – could lead to an LG-branded Nexus 5 device.
There's also been a trickle of numbers hitting the AnTuTu benchmark database in the form of mysterious, unknown LG handsets. Some speculate that these are indeed different versions of the LG Optimus G2 being tested out. The smartphones – the LG-F340L, Lg-F320L, and LG-F320K – were seen running 1.5GHz or 2GHz processors and either Android 4.1.2 or Android 4.2.2. The nomenclature of the handsets themselves suggests that the devices are Korean versions of LG's mysterious phones but, as reported by Android Authority's Chris Smith, figuring out a device's specifics just by the model number can be quite a guessing game.
Smith also reports that it's likely that the mystery phone, sporting an approximately 5.5-inch-display, will hit in the fourth quarter of this year since LG just recently announced its current flagship LG Optimus G Pro in the U.S. — an $199 AT&T exclusive.
As for the smartphone's specifics, the first thing avid phone-watchers might catch is that the mystery device doesn't have any hardware buttons on it whatsoever. There's also a slight bezel to the phone up-top and, as one might expect, it's (likely) charged via a USB 2.0 connection down below.
Compared to the LG Optimus G Pro, LG's mystery phone moves around the position of the phone's included sensors and flash from the device's top-right to its top-left. The familiar LG logo jumps to the phone's bottom instead of its top, and the primary speaker is located a wee bit lower compared to the phone's top border than what's seen on the LG Optimus G Pro.
In total, the phone comes in at a size of around 2.5 by 5 inches, giving it the aforementioned 5.5-inch screen display (measured diagonally).

Stock manipulation: Why Sebi may monitor BBM, WhatsApp


Amid a large-scale usage of smartphone messaging services like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and WhatsApp by manipulators to spread sensitive information about their target stocks, market watchdog Sebi is mulling over steps it can take to check risks being posed by these new-age mobile applications.
To strengthen its probe and oversight on stock market transactions, Sebi has already got software tools in place along with IT experts to analyse discussions on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
However, applications like WhatsApp and BBM are proving to be too tricky for Sebi, given the multi-level difficulties faced in tracking the source and spread of market-sensitive information through these mass-messaging platforms, a senior official said.
Image of Android app for Whatsapp. Used for representational purposes only.
Image of Android app for Whatsapp. Used for representational purposes only.
While these applications use the Internet servers of smartphones, the transmission of messages through these platforms happen in a highly encoded manner and it is very difficult for a third party to decode them.
The official said that the market manipulators started using blogs and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter in a big way a couple of years ago whenever they wanted to spread a word for influencing some stocks.
However, most of the information shared on blogs and social media platforms can be easily tracked, given the highly public nature of such platforms.
After finding out that the source and spread of any sensitive information through social media platforms could be apprehended easily by the regulators, the manipulators are nowadays mostly using BBM and WhatsApp.
The free messaging services available on these platforms seem to have added to their attractiveness among the manipulators.
The official said that Sebi is as such finding it difficult to get details like Call Data Records from telecom companies and it would not be easy to get information on messages shared through mobile apps a commonly used term for such applications.
Sebi investigations into a number of insider trading and market manipulation cases during the recent months have shown that apps like BBM and WhatsApp were used. However, any tangible solution for knowing the source of messages being spread through these platforms has proven elusive so far.
Last year, Sebi had hired specialist IT officers for keeping an eye on the discussions taking place at these platforms.

Friday, May 3, 2013

HTC to Launch HTC One Mini?

HTC M4

HTC sure got a winner on their hands with the design and features of the HTC One. The unibody metal design coupled with the ultra-pixel camera had jaws dropping at the launch.

However, one thing HTC still needs to learn is pleasing the budget conscious buyers. While Samsung has mastered the art with the launch of a complete budget-range portfolio, HTC is still grappling with the higher-mid-range and premium phones.

However, if HTC gets it right with this one, the HTC One Mini could be to the Taiwanese phone-maker what Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini is to Samsung. 

The minute a premium phone with high-end features is launched, the desire to own the phone crops up. The intensity to lay the hands on the premium gadget is perhaps the highest in minds of budget-restrained people. A budget version of the flagship model sure helps as people are able to avail most of the features and the look of the high end device at a lower cost.

HTC is supposedly ready to launch a brand new device along the lines of the HTC One. The device is code-named M4 once again similar to the HTC One M7 Codename. The phone will resemble the HTC One in most factors but HTC might give the aluminium casing a skip considering the phone is a budget model. Apart from a non-aluminium body, the phone might also come with a smaller screen. Somewhere around a 4.5-inches would be our bet. The device looks pretty similar to the HTC One with the same dual loudspeaker placement, volume buttons and MicroSD card slot. One change on the back panel is the placement of the flash. Unlike the HTC One, the M4 comes with the flash placed above the camera. 

On the specifications front, HTC might do away with a quad-core processor and stick to the dual-core variant. Also, the RAM might be downgraded to 1 GB instead of 2 GB of the HTC One. However, according to reports, HTC will retain the 2 GB RAM (we’re sceptical). The phone is expected to come with the Ultrapixel camera. We just hope HTC doesn’t bring down the camera resolution to 2 Ultrapixels from the present 4. So far, we’re disappointed on just one front and that is the battery life. The HTC M4 is expected to come with a 1700 mAh battery which might be less than sufficient.

The software looks to be the same as the HTC One with all the enhancements. We hope that HTC releases the M4 with Jelly Bean. With looks and features closely resembling the HTC One, we see no reason why budget-conscious HTC One lovers won’t snap this phone off the shelves!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Google Glass review

Google Glass review Explorer Edition


Stand in a line of people in just about any major metropolitan area in the world and you'll see the same thing: slouched shoulders and down-turned faces staring glumly at smartphone screens. Some people never look away, completely immersed in whatever is happening in the palm of their hands, while others get stuck in a loop of pulling phones from pockets or purses and popping on the screens for just a moment before putting them away again for just a minute or two.
Smartphones are amazing things, but for those who have become addicted to messaging instant gratification, they are a bit unwieldy. This annoyance gets even worse as these devices grow larger and larger. One approach would be to relax a little and stop feeling so compelled to check for Facebook notifications every 30 seconds. Those fully immersed in the information age, however, will be more inclined to fix the physical inconveniences presented by the problem. A heads-up display seems like a natural fit, and thus we have Google Glass. It's a headset with a projected display, a camera and a data connection that could revolutionize the mobile device industry. It could also cause a public uproar over privacy concerns. Is the potential worth the risk? Join us after the break to see.

HARDWARE


First, a bit of grammatical clarification is needed. While we of the English language typically (and confusingly) refer to eyeglasses as a "pair" despite actually being one thing, here we'll be referring to Google Glass as a singular item. So, it's not a pair of Google Glasses, but a single Google Glass headset.
Glass has a very simple, clean design that, in some regards, is beautiful and elegant; in others, crude and clumsy. We'll start with the elegant bits, most compelling being the plastic-backed titanium band that sweeps around and forms the frame. It's a single piece that grows very subtly thinner in the middle and thicker on the edges, deceptively simple from a distance and strongly defining the overall look.
From here, two nose grippers (also titanium) arc down, each one terminating with a clear silicone pad. These pads are replaceable and tacky enough to keep the whole assembly from immediately sliding down your nose. That's not to say they stay completely in place -- in fact they will slowly, but surely migrate lower, particularly if your nose is anything but perfectly dry.
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The continuous titanium band plus the two arcing grippers provide a beautifully simple, basic shape, an innate symmetry that is wholly ruined by the plastic assembly that looks crudely slung from the right side. Admittedly, this is a huge step forward from the original "Android smartphone duct-taped to Sergey's sunglasses" concept, and in many ways its functional styling has its own techy appeal. But, in the grand scheme of consumer electronics design, the overall aesthetic here leans far closer to prototype than polished.
All the circuitry for the device lies in two plastic housings, one that rests behind your ear (containing the battery and bone conductive speaker) and a second that's up front (with the processor, camera and display assembly). The side of the forward portion is also touch-sensitive, forming a bit of a slender trackpad. This division does a good job of hiding the bulky battery from sight and ostensibly balances the whole contraption evenly, with the battery mass offsetting that of everything on the front.
In practice, though, this editor had a hard time getting Glass to sit evenly for long periods of time. The right side (with all the equipment) tended to shift lower than the left. That does pose a bit of a problem, as Glass is supposed to be positioned such that the display is arranged high enough above your right eye that it isn't a distraction. Google's (incredibly helpful) Glass trainers will ensure you've got it perfectly positioned before you walk out the door, but keeping it there required constant fiddling.
Google Glass can and will fit over most eyeglasses, but rarely will it do so comfortably.
Overall, though, Google Glass is no more or less uncomfortable to wear than your average pair of glasses. The overly flexible nature of the band means it can be a bit tricky to put on without using both hands, but once positioned properly, it manages to be quite comfortable on both large and small heads. Those not used to wearing non-Google glasses will probably find the nose grippers uncomfortable at first, but those who are used to wearing glasses have their own sets of troubles ahead.
Google Glass can and will fit over most eyeglasses, but rarely will it do so comfortably. And, depending on the size and shape of those glasses, the eyepiece may be partially blocked by the frame. Finally, after letting dozens of people briefly try these on, a few with eyesight difficulties were simply unable to focus on the display at all. Before Glass goes mainstream, it will require an adjustable focal depth.
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In fact, very little is adjustable in Glass. You can modify the wake angle (how far back you must tilt your head for the display to pop on) and enable or disable head detection, which automatically turns off the headset if you remove it. That's about it. You can't adjust volume levels or display brightness, can't disable WiFi or Bluetooth (both appear to be always on), can't re-arrange the application cards in the interface or set their priority, can't modify the default screen timeout length and you can't enable a silent or do not disturb mode -- though it could be argued that simply taking Glass off serves the same purpose.
Unfortunately, that act of taking off the headset can be rather inconvenient. That unbroken titanium band looks nice and provides flexibility, but it also means that Glass doesn't fold up like a traditional pair of glasses, so it won't dangle from the front of a shirt or slide easily into a pocket. That's made worse by the seeming fragility of the exposed refractive display, which we were told shouldn't be touched. Google thoughtfully includes a microfiber carrying case with a hard plastic insert to protect everything sensitive, but the resulting package is hugely bulky. Better bring your big purse.
Battery size is unknown, but battery life is known: it's poor.
Crack the case open (which we do not recommend) and you will find an aging TI OMAP 4430 processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (12GB available). Content will push to your Google+ account wirelessly by default, but you can pull it off through the micro-USB port if you like -- which is also how Glass charges. Battery size is unknown, but battery life is: it's poor. In what we'd consider average usage, reading emails and taking short pictures and videos, we got about five hours before the headset unceremoniously shut itself down. With lengthier filming of videos, which can be demanding enough to make your temple warm, we're sure you could deplete the headset's power reserves in a couple of hours. For a device that you'd want to set on your face and forget about, having to remember to charge it in the middle of the day is a definite disappointment.

WIRELESS AND CONNECTIVITY

When Glass was first introduced, many made the assumption that it would be wholly dependent on a smartphone (particularly, one of the Android variety) to function at all. As it turns out, that's not the case. The thing can function quite happily with a WiFi (802.11b/g) or Bluetooth data connection -- yes, even if that data is coming through an iPhone.
Glass is a fully independent device. This means you can leave your phone behind and walk around anywhere with WiFi without losing connection. But, that poses an unfortunate problem. Since Glass is independent, not pulling data through a dedicated app or the like, your wireless carrier will treat it just like any other tablet or laptop. If your current plan doesn't include Bluetooth data tethering, there's a good chance you'll have to pay to add it. That could make an already pricey device even more expensive to run.

DISPLAY

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The display in Glass is an interesting one. When wearing the headset, you can look straight through the transparent part and barely even see it. It only minimally refracts the light that's beaming toward your eye. But, if you look at it from above, you can clearly see the reflective surface embedded inside at a 45-degree angle, forming the display your eyes see.
The panel itself is off to the right, built into the headset and beaming light into the clear piece from the side, which then hits that sliver of material and reflects into your eye. It's an interesting arrangement and the net result is, indeed, a glowing image that appears to be floating in space. Google says it's "the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away" and that sounds about right -- except that we're not sure about the high-definition part.
Google isn't talking specifics about resolution, but we do know that developers are advised to work with an array of 640 x 360 pixels. Individual pixels aren't immediately apparent, but the level of detail of the display doesn't come anywhere near your average, high-PPI smartphone display these days. You'll rarely see more than six rows of text at a time.
Colors, too, aren't exactly consistent and the whole thing similarly lacks the accuracy of a modern LCD or OLED panel. It almost has the look of an old-school, passive-matrix LCD, with its occasionally murky hues. And there's another problem, too: rainbowing. If you had the misfortune of owning a DLP television a few years back, you'll be familiar with the rainbow effect caused by the spinning color wheel. Moving your eyes side-to-side quickly on those sets created a dazzling, chromatic demonstration that would make a unicorn dizzy. The problem is less problematic here, but it is immediately apparent.
Finally, while contrast is reasonably good, seeing the display in bright sunlight can be a problem. That's doubly true if you use the included sunglasses attachment, which slots in between your eyes and the Glass display. In this way, Glass actually makes for nice sunglasses, but the insert has the effect of further reducing brightness and contrast of the display.

SETUP AND USER INTERFACE


Setting up a Google Glass headset is trivially easy. Install the MyGlass app (which requires Android 4.0.3 or above) on your phone and tap a few choices to pair a new headset. Bluetooth will be enabled and a massive QR code appears. Hold that code in front of your face (while wearing Glass, of course) and, hey presto, Glass is now signed into your account.
It takes a few minutes to learn the basics, but once you do, it's easy to get around.
Once that's done you can use the app or go to Google.com/MyGlass to configure your headset. As mentioned above, setup is limited, but through a big, tiled interface you can select which contacts are accessible by name (only 10 are possible now), which of your Google+ circles you'd like to have the option of sharing content with, which Glass apps are enabled (Google+, Gmail, Google Now and Path are there by default) and which WiFi networks you want your headset to connect to.
Through here you can also bring up a Google Maps display of the current location of the headset, useful if it should be unwittingly removed from your face. That is disappointingly about the limit of the security features of Glass. You can also remotely wipe it, but there's no way of setting any kind of protection on the thing itself, meaning if you should set it on your desk and walk away, anybody can pick it up, put it on and start sending uncouth emails and pictures to your contacts.
Once you throw Glass on your face the interface is actually much the same, just flattened down to two dimensions. It's a bit like Sony's XrossMediaBar, in that you move left and right across a grid of options. Unlike XMB, you can't travel up and down. Instead, each icon in the row represents something and you tap to dive into it. Swipe downward to exit and jump back up a level, or to turn off the Glass display if you're already at the top.
You can activate the display in two ways: tilting your head up or tapping the capacitive touch portion on the side. The default display is a clock with "ok glass" written below. This is actually quite useful, as tipping your head up is a quick and easy way to check the time, though it'd be nice if you could turn off the "ok glass" bit. It's not that hard to remember.
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If using the touch controls, you can swipe forward or backward. Swiping forward takes you back in time, with all recently captured photos and videos mixed in chronologically with emails, messages and notifications from apps. Swipe backward from the start screen and you'll get Google Now cards and, ultimately, a screen showing connection status and battery life. Flick your finger and you'll move one screen at a time, but slide it more quickly along the length of Glass and you'll cycle across multiple.
Tap on any of these options to bring up a context menu. For example, tapping on a photo or video lets you share or delete it. Tapping on an email lets you read more of it or reply. It takes a few minutes to learn the basics, but once you do, it's easy to get around.
VOICE COMMANDS
If you're trying to operate in a hands-free mode, your key is "Okay, Glass." This initiating command must come before any other command, but it's worth noting that Glass itself must be enabled first. So, you can't just say "Okay, Glass." You have to tilt your head up or tap the side first. Only then is it willing to obey your commands.
What sort of commands? The most basic ones are "take a picture" or "record a video." Googling is also a very handy one, where you can say "Google, what's 20 percent of 30" to calculate a tip at dinner, or "what year was Brave New Worldpublished?" If you ask a simple question like the above, you're likely to get a result you can read on Glass. If you ask for something more detailed, like "Google a list of Tom Cruise movies," you'll only be able to read the first few results.
Hangouts are of course a big part of Glass, and you can start one by saying "start a hangout with" followed by the individual or Circle. Note that you sadly can't start a public Hangout, so make sure you build those Circles now. You can also call any of your earlier-designated contacts by name, assuming Glass is connected to your phone as a Bluetooth headset.
Glass knows the weather, too, defaulting to your current location, but letting you ask about other places, too. Do this enough and Google Now will thoughtfully include a persistent weather screen, which will slot in to the left. Navigation is also a big feature, with a command like "give directions to 125 State Street." Disappointingly, you can't use commands like "give directions home" and expect Glass to remember where your home is, neither can you get directions to your contacts. You'll have to speak the address, or do a business lookup by name or category. You can, for example, say "find me the closest pizza" and it will bring up a card showing a result, which you can tap on to call or get navigation directions.
There are some other miscellaneous commands, including translation ("say hello in Spanish"), photo search ("Google photos of Ferraris") and flight information ("what time does flight 123 depart from ALB?"). In general, all are received and understood without fault, but the broader voice recognition definitely leaves a bit to be desired, as we'll discuss shortly.
TAKING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
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Again, there are two ways to capture imagery with Glass: by voice (as described above) or by hitting the shutter release on the top-right of Glass. Click it once to take a picture, and whether you do it by voice or with the button, there's a momentary delay. This is important, as it gives you time to take your finger off, helping to stabilize things.
For video, hold the button down for a moment. By default, Glass captures 10-second videos, but if you want longer, you can tap on the side twice and it will record until you run out of storage -- or battery. Once captured, you can swipe forward or backward through what you've seen. Videos play automatically in this way, but with a few taps, you can either share them on Google+ (with the public, or with certain Circles) or delete them.
Sadly, though, you can't add any text. Anything shared has the hashtag "#throughglass," but nothing else to describe it. This does add a bit of mystery to your photo stream, but it would be nice if you could optionally speak a caption. Photos are synced with your Google+ account, so you can share them later at your leisure, but photos shared after the fact are rather less fun than those pushed online instantly.
Although, it must be said, the photos we shared often took minutes or sometimes even hours to get online. If your connection is anything less than very solid, you could be looking at a substantial lag. Larger videos will naturally take even longer.
GOOGLE NOW
Google Now is an increasingly powerful part of the Android operating system, making recommendations based on where you go and what you do, and it's reasonably well-integrated to Glass. Weather is the easiest demonstration, showing an icon representing the current weather, along with temperature and high / low temps.
Get directions from Penn Station to a location and, once you get there, you're likely to find Now suggesting how to get back to Penn.
Now will also suggest directions based on where it's tracked you going. Get directions from Penn Station to a location and, once you get there, you're likely to find Now suggesting how to get back to Penn. It'll also throw up lists of nearby restaurants at dinnertime and, while suggestions are far from perfect, Now regularly surprises with its almost prescient understanding of what you're up to.
Of course, each of these screens can be interacted with. Tap on the current weather to get the forecast. Tap on a restaurant to call or get directions. Tap on a recommended destination to get navigation. All very helpful stuff, but we do wish we could manually pre-configure a bit more -- namely important locations and flights.
NAVIGATION
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Navigation is one of the best features in Glass. You can speak an address, find a business or tap on a Google Now suggestion and get turn-by-turn directions there. If you have the MyGlass app, it will also configure itself as capable of handling navigation, so you'll get the option of sending directions from your phone to Glass once you select a destination.
Directions look more or less as they do on an Android smartphone using Google Navigation. If you were hoping for a fully augmented reality experience, with a 3D arrow hovering in the distance over your next turn, that is sadly not the reality of the situation. But, it certainly seems like such a thing could be built in, as Glass does offer a degree of head tracking.
As with Google Nav, spoken directions are sent into your ear as you drive. However, unlike Google Nav on the smartphone, you can't disable that audio. Thankfully the voice used here is of the friendly, supportive type -- not the seemingly angry, short-tempered types that come along with some GPS units. Also, you're not able to choose navigation using public transport. It's driving, walking or biking for now.
MESSAGING
Messaging is an area of huge promise with Glass, but one that's a bit clumsy right now. When you get an email or a text, you'll hear a chime. To see the message, just tilt your head up. You'll see only the first few lines of the message, which is a bit unfortunate, but it's enough to know if you want to see more. If you do, it's two taps: one to bring up the menu, another to select "Read More." From there, it's another tap and a few swipes if you want to have the email read to you. You can also reply, reply all, archive or star the message.
It would be nice to be able to read an entire email just by tilting your head up and down to scroll.
An ideal use-case for this is getting emails read to you while in the car and then replying back by voice. Unfortunately, as it takes two taps and two swipes just to get to the "Read aloud" option, it's not exactly something you should be doing while driving. Even if you're sitting on the train, it would be nice to be able to read an entire email just by tilting your head up and down to scroll. The technology is in there, and hopefully Google will enable it eventually.
It's also worth noting that you cannot compose a new email. And, all responses must be performed by voice ... and all will have the text "Sent through Glass" inserted on the bottom, whether you like it or not. Speech-to-text is passable, but not good enough for anything other than a quick response. For example, it struggles to differentiate between things like "was" and "wasn't," which can definitely cause some unintended consequences, and complicated place names are a bit hit-or-miss. (Glass got "Schenectady" just fine, but "Azerbaijan" was heard as "our body John.")
If you speak slowly, clearly and avoid grammatical contractions you have a chance of sending a correct email. Should Glass hear you incorrectly, you have to cancel the entire message and start again. All the more reason to keep those responses short.
SEARCHING
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Google lets you search for lots of things, and indeed you can do the same through Glass. But, with the low-resolution display you're limited in terms of what you can receive. You'll basically get the "I'm feeling lucky" result for any query, which may or may not be what you're looking for and, even if it is, may or may not contain any actual information you want.
Asking "Google how many ounces in a cup" will get the answer spoken to you.
For example, say "Google Engadget" and you'll see the description of Engadget -- but not the page itself or indeed any gadget news. But, say "Google Paul Allen" and you'll get his Wikipedia result. Glass will even thoughtfully read the first sentence for you: "According to Wikipedia, Paul Gardner Allen is an American investor..." After that, you can swipe through a few pages of information about him, including a photo.
So, Googling is of mixed usefulness through Glass. Anything that hits Wikipedia is great, as is asking for simple math and conversions (asking "Google how many ounces in a cup" will get the answer spoken to you), but anything more complex may result in disappointment.
HANGOUTS
Video calling from a smartphone or tablet, where you need to hold that device up in front of your face, is a far-from-compelling experience that we generally avoid for anything longer than a quick "howdy." With Glass, we actually found it quite compelling. Now you can look straight ahead and see the face of the person (or people) you're talking to hovering out in space.
Of course, they won't see your face, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking at -- and how you feel about your face. We had a lot of fun trying impromptu Hangouts while walking through busy crowds or riding a motorcycle, and it definitely makes for a great way to show someone something if they're not able to be there in person. It's easy to envision touring a museum with someone who's stuck at home. It's also easy to envision museums not being happy about such a scenario.
However, the usability of this is hugely dependent on connection quality. You'll need to be on a solid LTE signal to have a hope of transmitting decent-quality video and audio without terrible lag. WiFi is obviously the better choice, where available.
APPS
The New York Times app is the most notable to be released to the public yet. It is very limited, pushing updates to Glass about every hour, more frequently if there's breaking news. Tap on any and Glass will read the headline and the first sentence of the article to you. And that's it. There's no "Would you like to know more?" prompt or any way to get to the full story.
We're incredibly eager to see what's coming next, as the potential here is, of course, huge. Right now, we'd be happy to post pictures straight to Twitter and Facebook.

CAMERA

The camera pointing out the front of Glass is a 5-megapixel unit capable of recording 720p video. Resulting photos range from very good to very poor, largely depending on the amount of light available. On a bright, sunny day, Glass can capture some genuinely good shots, with bright, accurate colors and good contrast. In mediocre lighting, shots can be acceptable, but they very definitely fall into the "mediocre cameraphone" quality, with murky colors and often subtly blurred results. In low light, photos will likely be a mess. No Ultrapixels here, folks.
One thing that helps is that the camera waits a few seconds after you press the button to capture the shot. This could theoretically mean you miss some incredibly fast-paced moment, but more helpfully, it gives you time to take your hand from the headset and steady yourself before the shutter fires. Annoyingly, though, the way the shutter button pokes out of the top of the frame, you're more likely than not to take a picture when you set Glass down upside-down. We had dozens of unintentional upside-down photos clogging our storage.
After the picture is taken, it's shown to you for a few moments, a useful feature since there's no viewfinder at all and the angle of the picture won't line up exactly with where you're looking. Also, if Glass isn't perched perfectly on your face, there's a good chance the picture will be at an angle, meaning you may need to cock your head one way or the other.
The same can be true for video capture, but here you get a real-time view of what's being recorded. Quality is generally quite good, again largely dependent on the amount of available light. You do have to be careful to be steady while walking, but in general we were able to capture smooth video without too much trouble. The biggest issue? Remembering not to nod when having a conversation with someone.

REAL-WORLD USABILITY

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How does all that come together when the world stops being polite? It's a series of highs and lows. Navigation was an immediate high point, and while not being able to say things like "home" or "work" is a disappointment, we found using Glass for turn-by-turn directions was actually less distracting than looking down at the dash of the car, or a window-mounted smartphone.
Hangouts, when they worked, were a great experience too. Being able to quickly and easily share something you're seeing with friends is an experience that will make you smile. We also enjoyed wowing friends over dinner by looking up the authors of obscure books or doing complex conversions just by asking Glass. And, snapping pictures of impromptu moments is far easier than with a smartphone. Business travelers, you'll enjoy grabbing pictures of receipts and having them all synced (privately) to the cloud.
But, there were plenty of lows, too. We were surprised to find that Glass makes a pretty mediocre Bluetooth headset. One would think calling someone would be an easy thing given everything else that the headset can do, but the audio capture seems far more focused on grabbing audio of the environment than the wearer. People we called constantly had issues understanding us in even mildly noisy environments, like a car on the highway.
The bone-conducting speaker occasionally leaves a bit to be desired as well. In noisy areas, like airports or city streets, you'll struggle to hear anything. Plugging your ears with your fingers helps a lot, but also makes you look a little funny. Thankfully, wearing earbuds is similarly effective. In fact, we'd love to see a 3.5mm headphone jack on a future set of Glass so that you could wear your own earbuds and listen to music -- which, by the way, you can't do on Glass right now.
Additionally, the short battery life means you can't spend a day on the town -- not without a charging pit stop, anyway. The photography in low light is a mess, having emails read to you is far too cumbersome and the general lack of customization options is surprising. There's also another challenge that affects not only those who wear Glass, but everyone else around: privacy.

PRIVACY CONCERNS

We can't talk about Glass without addressing the privacy concerns of the thing. There are many, and they are troubling.
We can't talk about Glass without addressing the privacy concerns of the thing. There are many, and they are troubling. The most disconcerting bit is that you can be recording video at anytime and there's really no way for anyone else to tell. Google made the unfortunate decision to not include something like a red LED on the front to indicate when Glass is recording, which would have been a limited (and easily defeated) step -- but it would have beensomething. (Granted, the Glass display is always on when you're recording, which if you look closely can certainly be seen from the outside, but a red light would be a far more comforting indicator to the world at large.)
The point can certainly be made that it's possible to take a picture or video of someone these days without their knowledge, but the situation here is a bit reversed: nobody knows if you're not taking a picture or video of them. This will, at first, result in some good-natured "Are you recording this?" comments in conversations but, as time goes on, as a wearer, you'll notice that people will be acting a little more cautiously around you. (As an aside, they'll also struggle to maintain eye contact. One person told us that Glass looked like a "third eye" that he couldn't stop staring at.)
People can and should be a bit concerned about someone walking in a public restroom with Glass on and, since you can't fold them up and stick them in your pocket, finding something to do with them while you do your business is a challenge. You can easily imagine plenty of other situations where Glass owners would innocently wear their headsets much to the discomfort of others and as of now, there's no way to assure them that you aren't recording them.

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DNP Google Glass review Explorer EditionRight now, the Explorer Edition of Google Glass is very difficult to get. To have a realistic shot of getting one, you had to pre-register at Google I/O last year, and even then, the headsets have been slow to ship. Ignoring that for a moment, if you could buy a pair today, is Google Glass worth $1,500 for casual gadget fans? Absolutely not. Don't even consider it -- unless your pockets are deep enough that you routinely spend that much on watches, sunglasses or jewelry. Future iterations of Glass will have to get far cheaper before we'd begin to consider this good value, although much of that value proposition depends on future developer support.
In reality, this Explorer Edition isn't supposed to be thought of in that way. The current version of Glass is basically an early prototype, intended for developers and a lucky few others. As a research project, it is a fascinating one. Developers will want to get their hands on this ASAP and, frankly, we hope that they do because we can't wait to see what they can do with it. The potential here is phenomenal, and while we're looking to Google to drive much of that, the unexpected things that developers do will really move Glass forward as a platform.
However, we're also looking to Google to address the privacy concern. Right now, this issue is largely floating under the radar and will likely continue to do so until Glass headsets start appearing in public in greater numbers. If Google doesn't get ahead of this now, the story of Glass could very quickly become one of fear, uncertainty and doubt by the public at large. The future is incredibly bright for Google's Project Glass and it'd be a damn shame if it were dimmed by public outcry.
Update: As a few of you have pointed out, the Glass display is always on when recording, which would be something of an indication to anyone looking from the outside that video is being recorded. However, we still feel that some sort of a red light would be a very comforting addition to the front of future Glass iterations. (And we're sure there will be future iterations. Glass is still at its very early stages of development and there's lots more to come.)
Additionally, we're getting about a million people wondering how they can get their own Google Glass headset. Ours was pre-ordered at last year's Google I/O and delivered as part of that process. Sorry, no, we can't help you get some for yourself!