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March 1 2013 5 01 /03 /March /2013 09:44

Sony’s Xperia T is also known as the James Bond phone following its appearance in Skyfall. Yes, of course the world’s best secret agent needs a smartphone endorsement. In the world of the fiction in which Bond lives, he’s more likely to have a handset that can double up as a super-high-tech Q-engineered multitool than any of the current crop of smartphones. But in the real world of onscreen endorsements he gets to handle the Xperia T. C'est la vie, Bondy.

 

The Xperia T is being pushed by Sony as 'the ultimate HD experience'. That refers to the handset’s large screen, a 4.6in beast with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. That really is quite impressive. It rivals the Samsung Galaxy S3’s pixel count and is just 0.2in smaller.

 So how good is the screen? Well, colours are quite rich and it certainly does enough to make me think you could spend a pleasant hour or two watching videos. Viewing angles aren’t great, but I'm being picky there.

 

One interesting feature about the screen is if you put the brightness slider in a certain position this seems to act as a base point for the auto brightness setting. I found cranking the slider right up near the top of the range worked well.

 

Sony has commandeered a small strip of the screen for the three Android touch buttons: Home, Back and Recent Apps. This means there’s a little less of the screen available for viewing information. For instance, you lose about a row of data in the settings area; a bit is chopped off the calendar; the bottom of any webpages you browse (or the right edge if you switch to landscape mode regardless of which way up you are actually holding the phone), and so on. The buttons do disappear at times, becoming three small dots that transform into the buttons if tapped when you’re using the camera, for example, but the space they occupy is still set aside.

 

 

 

On the plus side, the buttons themselves rotate as you twist the screen so they are always the right way up – something I really liked on the backlit, sub-screen touch buttons of the HTC Incredible S. And they are extremely responsive to the touch, as is the screen in general.


The other key feature of the Xperia T is its 13-megapixel camera. Yes, megapixel counts are not everything. Here, though, Sony has tried to provide more than just lots of megapixels. The touch focus works well and means you can take some smart, and relatively arty shots, for example. Sweep panorama does the job of clicking the shutter for you and produces reasonable results too. There’s also a front camera, with a more typical 1.3-megapixel capability.

 

 

The Xperia T is powered by a mere dual-core processor – the 1.5GHz Qualcomm Krait MSM8260-A. It is capable, though, and with 1GB of RAM doubtless helping, I found performance to be smooth and responsive. There’s DLNA support and NFC on board too. And the micro-USB connector supports HDMI – though you’ll need to buy an adaptor to take advantage. There is 16GB of built-in memory.

 

As usual, Sony gets into heavy skinning of Android (4.0 in this case). The lock screen lets you do a left sweep to get directly to the camera, and you can control music playback from here too. Add-on apps are plentiful and there are many widgets including Sony’s once much-maligned but improving messaging aggregator Timescape. Sony also pushes its own Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited apps, among others, and it has renamed the music player as Walkman (and given it an appropriate icon design).

 

 

Sometimes these apps double-up on Google offerings, and there’s one, Wisepoint, a navigation app, which needs to be ignored in favour of Google Maps. Taken overall, it adds up to an Android styling that looks too disjointed for my taste, and an oversupply of apps that might fox the newcomer.

 

Much better are the 'Small Apps'. Hit the Recent Apps button and you can call up a calculator, note taker, timer, and voice notes recorder. It’s a great idea, and one I hope Sony develops further.

 

 

One area where the Xperia T is let down is the build. There is a slight curve in the back so that the middle is thinner than the outer edges. I’ve seen this before from Sony, of course, in the Xperia Arc, and Sony clearly likes the idea, but I’m not convinced. To me it just makes the outer edges look bulging and oversized. Nor does it help me get over the feeling that this is a very blocky handset. It feels thicker in the hand than its 9.4mm; the fact that the back has a slightly bigger footprint than the front does it no favours in the looks department; and the rubberised back looks like it might scratch easily. Actually, I found it does scratch fairly easily. And the whole phone bends and flexes quite readily in the hand too.

 

\.

You can’t remove the backplate to get to the battery, and the microSIM and a microSD card slots are both located under a large hinged flap on the right edge.

 

Verdict

 

The Sony Xperia T has a very nice screen and delivers good quality video. I’m not that big a fan of the build (and nor, I suspect, would our fictional Mr Bond be), and while I like the Small Apps concept, overall Sony’s plentiful app extras make Android feel too busy out-of-the-box for me.



Original Source: http://www.itproportal.com/reviews/mobile-phones/sony-xperia-t-review/#ixzz2MJ7Yd4Mn

 

More Tips:

How to Watch iTunes DRM Protected Movies on Sony Xperia T

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March 1 2013 5 01 /03 /March /2013 07:55

Nokia played it safe at MWC this year, with two new midrange Lumia phones designed to offer a "high-end" experience.

 

"We are bringing elements of our high-end Lumia devices to more price points, and therefore more people," Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop, said at the company's press conference. These may not be the most dazzling new phones on display at MWC, but it was certainly worth spending some hands-on time with them when we got the opportunity.

 

 

 

Let's start with the Lumia 520, which is Nokia's most affordable Windows Phone 8 device yet. Available in all of the company's signature colours, this certainly doesn't look or feel like a budget phone, which is nice. There's a decent amount of power under the hood as well, in the form of a 1GHz dual-core processor. Considering the Windows Phone OS feels buttery smooth in general, I didn't experience any hint of lag while swiping my way around the phone and opening up apps.

 

 You can tell this isn't a high-end device, however, when it comes to the 4in, 800 x 480 resolution display. It looks perfectly serviceable, and even pretty nice if you're a new smartphone user. But there's just no comparison with higher-end phones, especially Nokia's gorgeous Lumia 920, which features a 4.5in, 1,280 x 768 display.

 

Still, you get plenty here for the money, including a 5-megapixel autofocus camera that has many of the same software features of the Lumia 920, such as cinemagraph, panorama, and smart shoot. There's also 8GB of internal storage, along with a microSD card slot expandable up to an additional 64GB. And you get Nokia's Here suite of software, which offers maps, voice-guided turn-by-turn driving navigation, as well as transit directions.

 


The European release date is slated as the second quarter, and the Lumia 520 is being pitched at the low price of 139 Euros (£120).

 

Nokia Lumia 720

 

Nokia's other new Lumia, the 720, is sort of like a step between the Lumia 920 and the Lumia 620. Once again, its high quality build and bright colours are very Nokia. There's no mistaking this phone for something from Motorola or Samsung.

 


It has a 4.3in curved glass Clear Black display, but again, the resolution is on the low side, at just 800 x 480 pixels. And since this display is larger than the 520's, it's actually less sharp. This is Nokia's first unibody phone with microSD support, which is hopefully something that will be adopted in future designs – the option for additional storage is always a big plus in my book.

 

 

The Lumia 720 features a 6.7-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and f/1.9 aperture. Nokia made a bigger deal of the front camera, which features an f/2.4 aperture and a wide enough viewing angle to capture up to four people in one shot. In the demo I saw, everyone fit in comfortably.

 

 

Nokia is pushing its apps hard, touting Place Tag, which is a beta application that can tag any of your pictures with where and when it was taken, and make the snap look like a postcard. Also, Here is being upgraded, with an augmented reality-style overlay that can place locations (or directions) on-screen over where you are in real time. Additionally, Nokia plans to make the Here apps available to non-Nokia phones, in order to acquire more user-generated data for a better overall experience, though it claims the apps themselves will work best on Lumia devices.

 

 

 

The 720 has NFC support, as well as the same battery as the Lumia 920. And like the 920, it is capable of wireless charging with a special snap-on cover. It's also powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, like the lower-end 520. All in all, the handset seems like a nice middle ground in Nokia's steadily increasing stable of Windows Phone 8 devices. It’s expected to retail at 249 Euros (£215), and again should arrive in Q2.


Source from: http://www.itproportal.com/2013/02/26/mwc-2013-nokia-lumia-520-and-720-hands-on-preview/#ixzz2MIgFHivj


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March 1 2013 5 01 /03 /March /2013 07:16

 

The long-awaited launch of BlackBerry 10 stands out as a key moment in the mobile industry this year, and initial impressions of the platform have been broadly positive. BlackBerry's new full-touchscreen flagship, the Z10, has also been generally well received since its arrival back in January. Concurrently, Google's Nexus 4 handset has returned to the headlines, receiving an incremental update in the form of Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and improved availability. How does the precocious BlackBerry handset match up to Google's market-disrupting Q4 2012 effort? Let's take a look.

 

Size and Weight

 

The BlackBerry Z10 and Nexus 4 are  similarly proportioned devices. The former sizes up at 9mm in depth and tips the scales to the tune of 136g, while the Google handset has a girth of 9.1mm and weighs 139g. 

 

Display

 

BlackBerry's Z10 features a sensibly sized 4.2in IPS LCD screen, with an HD resolution of 1,280 x 768 pixels and a density of 356ppi. The 4.7in Nexus 4 comes with similar specifications: its LCD display offers an identical HD resolution, though its extra 0.5in means that sharpness drops to 318ppi.

 

 Camera

 

Both the Z10 and Nexus 4 sport an 8-megapixel primary camera. The BlackBerry handset's 2-megapixel front snapper bests the 1.3-megapixel auxiliary shooter found on the Google handset. Both products offer 1080p video at 30fps.

 

Processor and Battery

 

Featuring a quad-core Snapdragon S4 chipset clocked at 1.5GHz and supported by Adreno 320 graphics, the Nexus 4 is one of the most powerful Android devices currently available. The BlackBerry Z10 also sports a Snapdragon S4 SoC with a 1.5GHz clock speed, though its CPU configuration is dual-core, and its Adreno 225 GPU is older than the 320 and packs less of a punch. The Google handset's 2,100 mAh battery bests the Z10's 1,800 mAh offering - our BlackBerry Z10 review found battery life to be one of the handset's biggest failings.

 

Software

 

As Google's flagship Android smartphone, the Nexus 4 is a seductive proposition for fans of the little green robot. It ships with the latest Jelly Bean flavour, version 4.2 and will surely be first in line for an update to Key Lime Pie when that rolls around later in the year. The Z10 shows off BlackBerry's new BB10 OS - a slick, impressive interface that's slightly compromised by a lack of apps at present.

 

 

Storage and Memory

 

The Z10 and Nexus 4 both feature a hefty 2GB of RAM under the hood. Google's smartphone can be had with 8GB or 16GB of on-board storage, while the latest BlackBerry handset comes with a standard 16GB capacity. Media buffs may favour the Z10, as - unlike the Nexus 4 - it comes equipped with a microSD card slot, so storage can be cheaply and easily boosted.

 

Connectivity and Wireless

 

The BlackBerry Z10 supports the LTE standard and has already landed on EE's UK 4G network. The Google Nexus 4 offers HSPA+ speeds, while both devices feature NFC technology.

 

Extras

 

The Nexus 4 features integrated wireless charging, and Google has finally started flogging the official 'Orb' Qi inductive charger accessory through the Play store - just not in the UK yet, unfortunately. The BlackBerry Z10 doesn't offer any extras that are out of the ordinary, though the BB10 platform offers some unique features that will appeal to enterprise users.

 

Price, Availability and Opinion

 

The BlackBerry Z10 is available and can be had with no strings attached for £480 via O2. Google has struggled to keep up with demand for the Nexus 4 at times, but the device is currently listed as shipping in "less than one week" and can be had for £239 and £279 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, respectively.

 

 With some £200 separating comparable models, there's a fair bit for buyers  to contemplate when sizing up whether to part with their hard-earned loot for the Z10 or Nexus 4. BlackBerry's new full-touchscreen handset has by and large impressed, and it's refreshing to see a manufacturer bucking the current trend for 5in-plus devices in favour of an easy-to-handle 4.2in display. The Z10's microSD card slot means that content hoarders have plenty of room to play with, while 4G LTE support means that downloads should come through at a healthy rate if you're using a 4G network . BlackBerry 10 itself offers a number of tangible user benefits, not least the Balance feature that allows you to toggle between dedicated work and play environments - a real boon for professional types.

 

But for the price, there's nary a handset more capable than the LG-manufactured Google offering. Its 1.5GHz quad-core chipset and 2GB of RAM align it with the high-end segment, yet it comes at a fraction of the price and is likely to stay relevant throughout 2013 thanks to its privileged position at the top of the Android refresh queue. Lack of 4G LTE support is a shortcoming, but HSPA+ shouldn't be sniffed at, and integrated wireless charging gives the Nexus 4 a bit of added 'wow' factor. App availability via Google Play is another obvious strength, and poor battery life doesn't detract from the overall user experience as with the Z10. Then there's the £200-odd saving itself - a fairly hefty pot of gravy and a rare opportunity to save money whilst still obtaining a top-quality product. 

 

For more, why not check out how the BlackBerry Z10 squares up against the Apple iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3?

 


Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2013/02/27/blackberry-z10-vs-google-nexus-4-spec-comparison/#ixzz2MIW7DYyM

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February 27 2013 3 27 /02 /February /2013 10:41
Argo Coronate Best Picture    Ang Lee Won Another Oscar


full list of 2013 Oscar Winners

The 85th Oscar Academy Awards has finished and the result came out, which totally proved that I am a bad predictor.

"Argo" which directed and coproduced by Ben Affleck has won the Best Film, By virtue of "Life of Pi", the Chinese director Ang Lee has beat Michael Haneke and Steven Spielberg, and once again gains the Best Director.

"Life of Pi" won a total of four awards. "Les Miserables" and "Argo" tied with three awards. It is worth mentioning that, Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln", which was nominated for 12 awards, but only gains Best Actor and Best Art Direction Award.

In term of the acting categories, Daniel Day - Lewis, by virtue of extraordinary performance of "Lincoln" won his third Best Actor Oscar, which is the first "Triple Crown" actor winner in Oscar history (his last two are from "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood"); And Jennifer Lawrence has become the first 90's Best Actress in Oscar history by virtue of "Silver Linings Playbook".

In term of the technical categories, no one film stood out and, but each had a harvest. And Best Sound Editing Award had even give birth of "double-yolked egg": "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall" tied for the award winning.


Let's take a look at the complete list of winners.

 


 

2013 Oscar Best Picture: Argo

Best Picture: Argo   Amour

   Beasts of the Southern Wild

   Django Unchained

   Les Miserables

   Life of Pi

   Lincoln

   Silver Linings Playbook

   Zero Dark Thirty

 

2013 Oscar Best Director: Ang Lee

Best Director: Ang Lee   Michael Haneke - Amour

   Ben Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

   Steven Spielberg – Lincoln

   David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

 

2013 Oscar Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis   Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

   Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

   Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

   Denzel Washington - Flight

 

2013 Oscar Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence   Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

   Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

   Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

   Naomi Watts - The Impossible

 

2013 Oscar Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz   Alan Arkin - Argo

   Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook

   Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

   Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master

 

2013 Oscar Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway   Amy Adams - The Master

   Sally Field - Lincoln

   Helen Hunt - The Sessions

   Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

 

2013 Oscar Best Animated Feature Film: Brave

Brave   Frankenweenie

   ParaNorman

   The Pirates! Band of Misfits

   Wreck-It Ralph

 

2013 Oscar Best Writing – Original Screenplay: Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino

2013 Oscar Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay: Argo - Chris Terrio

2013 Oscar Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

2013 Oscar Best Editing: Argo

2013 Oscar Best Production Design: Lincoln

2013 Oscar Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi

2013 Oscar Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina

2013 Oscar Best Sound Mixing: Les Miserables

2013 Oscar Best Sound Editing: Skyfall & Zero Dark Thirty

2013 Oscar Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Miserables

2013 Oscar Best Original Score: Life of Pi

2013 Oscar Best Original Song: Skyfall

2013 Oscar Best Documentary - Features: Searching for Sugar Man

2013 Oscar Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

2013 Oscar Best Short Film – Live Action: Curfew

2013 Oscar Best Short Film – Animated: Paperman

2013 Oscar Best Documentary – Short Subject: Inocente

2013 Oscar Honorary Award: D.A. Pennebaker & Hal Needham & George Stevens Jr.

2013 Oscar Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jeffrey Katzenberg

 


 

Tips for you to Enjoy the Oscar Movies from iTunes to your Devices:

• The most direct way to get down the iTunes rented or purchased iTunes movies to your non-Apple devices, is to rip the DRM protection. For the purpose, Tune4mac iTunes Video Converter is a good one. Here is a tutorial. [More]

Tune4mac iTunes Video Converter Platinum

    1. Download and install DRM Removal.

    2. Click the "Add" button to import your iTunes purchases and rentals.

    3. Click Profile to select a video format.

    4. Click "Convert" button from the top to start the conversion and rip DRM protection.


• Also, we can record iTunes videos and Netflix movies, Tune4mac Video Converter could record video with audio, and detect recording area manually.

• To download iTunes trailers and clips, with Firefox Browser, download the add-on DownloadHelper, when videos start to play, it will spin and which means the video is available for downloading. [More]

Download Mac iTunes M4V videos Converter      Purchase iTune Video Converter Platinum
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February 27 2013 3 27 /02 /February /2013 09:57

The 85th installment of Sunday night’s Academy Awards was an evening of raw creative talent and highly emotional speeches. With hundreds of millions of people watching worldwide, every Oscar winner announced became progressively more unpredictable.

“Argo,” directed by and starring Ben Affleck, won three awards, including the Oscar for best picture, while the film adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel “Life of Pi” took home four awards, the most of the evening.

“Life of Pi” was another big winner during the 85th Oscars ceremony as it claimed four awards, including the best director statue for Ang Lee.

Here is a list of the 85th annual Academy Award winners announced Sunday in Los Angeles:

1. Best Picture: "Argo."

2. Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln."

3. Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook."

4. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained."

5. Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables."

6. Directing: Ang Lee, "Life of Pi."

7. Foreign Language Film: "Amour."

8. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo."

9. Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Brave."

11. Production Design: "Lincoln."

12. Cinematography: "Life of Pi."

13. Sound Mixing: "Les Miserables."

14. Sound Editing (tie): "Skyfall," ''Zero Dark Thirty."

15. Original Score: "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna.

16. Original Song: "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth.

17. Costume: "Anna Karenina."

18. Documentary Feature: "Searching for Sugar Man."

19. Documentary (short subject): "Inocente."

20. Film Editing: "Argo."

21. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Les Miserables."

22. Animated Short Film: "Paperman."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Curfew."

24. Visual Effects: "Life of Pi."

View the 85th Academy Awards Movies on iTunes

Haven't enjoyed part of 85th Oscar Winner Movies? You can easily find them on iTunes Store, including the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. You can decide to purchase them or rent them for enjoying on your computer. But sometimes iTunes movies have limitations that you can't play them on Non-Apple devices such as Android phones and tablets. You may need to remove the DRM protection from those iTunes movies and transfer them into any portable devices you've got, such as Samsung Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Note 2, HTC One X, Nokia Lumia 920, Kindle Fire HD, etc. NoteBurner M4V Converter Plus for Mac is the best iTunes DRM Video Converter on Mac to strip the DRM off from those 85th Oscar on iTunes and convert them into MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV video formats as you like.

As for Windows users, you should use iTunes DRM Video Converter for Windows.

What's next? Download Noteburner iTunes DRM Video Converter now!

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February 22 2013 5 22 /02 /February /2013 06:18

convert itunes drm movies to top smartphones

Movies you purchased or rented from Apple iTunes Store are all in protected M4V format, which are limited to play on Apple's devices only, such as Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, etc. But if you got non-Apple smartphones, like Samsung Galaxy S3, Lumia 920, Motorola Razr and you just want to watch your iTunes DRM movie collection on those smartphones, what to do then? Here we are going to show you a simple way to transfer your iTunes DRM M4V movies to the top 5 smartphones for watching. Firstly, let's take a look at the top 5 smartphones of 2012 and 2013.




Top 5 Best Buy Smartphones of 2012

2012 was definitely a year of smartphones. Big smartphone brands like Samsung, Apple, Nokia, HTC have unveiled high quality packed devices. So you may have already made your own list of the top 5 smartphones of 2012. Here we are just listing ours below.

samsung galaxy s3Top 1. Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung unveiled the S III on May 3, 2012 in London. More than 20 million units of the S III were sold within the first 100 days of release. The smartphone was launched with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and can be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

apple iphone 5Top 2. Apple iPhone 5

Apple finally introduced its 2012 flagship phone the iPhone 5 last September 12. Some of its amazing features are 4G LTE connectivity, 4-inch screen display and iOS 6 operating system. It's also equipped with the fast A6 chipset processor, twice as fast and doubles the graphics performance of its predecessor A5.

nokia lumia 920Top 3. Nokia Lumia 920

The latest smartphone from Nokia is packed with 4.5 screen display with 1280x768 pixel resolution, 1.5 GHz dualcore Snapdragon S4 processor. Most of all, the Nokia Lumia 920 is run by Windows Phone 8 that promises great features.

motorola razr mTop 4. Motorola Razr M

Being the smaller successor to the Droid Razr, the Droid Razr M is 4G LTE capable and announced on September 5, 2012. It's equipped with 4.3 inch screen display an powered by 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor.

htc one xTop 5. HTC One X

HTC One X is the first HTC phone to be equipped with a quad-core processor and made it the fastest HTC phone to date. It features a 4.7 inch, 1280x720 pixel Super LCD 2 display and an 1,800 mAh battery.




Top 5 Smartphones to be Launched in 2013

2012 came to an end and now it's time for 2013. Do you have any smartphone to anticipate in 2013? Here we will discuss those top 5 smartphones to be launched in the year 2013 based on rumors.

Top 1. Samsung Galaxy S4

samsung galaxy s4After successful launching of Galaxy S3, Samsung is ready to hit world with its new flagship device dubbed Samsung Galaxy S4. Many geeks have predicted that it's going to have a wide 5 inch OLED display and will powered by Cortex A15 quad core with 4 memory models options(16/32/64/128GB). It's rumored to be launched at MWC event during February 2013.

iphone 5sTop 2. Apple iPhone 5S

It's reported that Apple may launch iPhone 5 successor named iPhone 5S in the first quarter of 2013. But till now, no reports or leaks about iPhone 5S specifications are available. Let's wait and see. We hope it will change everything, again.

blackberry z10Top 3. BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry finally came back into smartphone boom with releasing its newest BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 running the BlackBerry 10 OS on January 30, 2013. And one thing for sure is that there is going to be a hard battle of BlackBerry 10 with the other top smartphones, like iPhone 5S, Galaxy S4, etc.

nokia lumia 830 zealTop 4. Nokia Lumia 830 Zeal

According to reports till now, Nokia Lumia 830 Zeal is going to be similar to Lumia 920 and 820 with 5 color options, including Yellow, White, Green, Black and Read. It's rumored that the 830 Zeal will run on Windows Phone 8 OS and house a 4.3 inch screen with WVGA display.

htc opear ulTop 5. HTC Opera UL

HTC Opera UL is widely discussed. It's expected to have 1280x720 pixel HD display with major connectivity tools like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Reports said it may come with 1.4 GHz chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with dual core CPU and Adreno 305 graphics for enhancing graphic experience.




Steps to Convert iTunes DRM Movies to Top Smartphones

If you are just looking for a way to transfer and sync your iTunes DRM movie collection to your smartphones, you should try Tune4mac DRM iTunes to Smartphone Converter. It will help you to remove the DRM protection off the iTunes movie rentals and purchases and convert the M4V movies to video format supported by most smartphones on the market. Here is the tutorial of converting iTunes M4V movies to top smartphones with Tune4mac application.

Install Tune4mac
1
Download and Launch Tune4mac

Download and install the Tune4mac DRM Remover(direct download). Then launch the allocation.

Add iTunes TV Series to Tune4mac
2
Add iTunes Videos

Add iTunes DRM protected movie purchases or rentals by clicking the "Add" button. This will bring up a list of movies or TV episodes in iTunes, and then choose anything you like to convert.

Choose output format for your smartphone
3
Choose Output Format for Smartphone

The program provides different video formats for multiple smartphones, such as iPhone, Android phone, etc.

Choose a Format for “Gossip Girl”
4
Set Video Parameters

Avoiding losing image quality during the conversion, we could set up the video size and bit rate to keep the quality high.

Start Conversion
5
Start Converting iTunes M4V to Smartphones

Click the "Convert" button to remove DRM and convert video to compatible format at the same time.

If you are using Windows OS, you may need iTunes to Smartphone Converter for Windows to help you to convert your iTunes DRM movies to your smartphones on Windows.

Download Mac iTunes M4V videos Converter      Purchase iTune Video Converter Platinum
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February 22 2013 5 22 /02 /February /2013 04:28

Do you sometimes get tired of YouTube? No, I don’t mean of YouTube’s content – it’s so diverse you can always find something new and exciting to watch – I’m talking about YouTube’s interface, with its suggestions, comments, and clutter. For me, YouTube’s interface is sometimes a reason all by itself to not watch videos at all – it’s just too messy.

In the past, we’ve covered many browser extensions for a better YouTube experience, extensions that dim the light for better YouTube watching, and others that simply get rid of annoyances and make YouTube better. These are all browser extensions that take the existing interface and tweak it around to it’s not as annoying, but did you know YouTube’s interface is not a must to enjoy YouTube videos? Heck, even a browser is not always a must. Wondering how? Check out this list of alternative interfaces and ways to watch YouTube. Happy watching!

Desktube

 

Desktube is a YouTube viewer for desktop, iOS, and Web, and provides an alternative experience to the one you get on YouTube. You can use Desktube anonymously, or log in with your Google account to like, comment, etc. Desktube comes with its own built-in search, so you don’t have to go through YouTube at all – you can simply launch Desktube and find your daily dose of videos. It also supports playlists, subscriptions and favorites (requires a log in), and group viewing for when you want to enjoy a video with friends. If you opt for the iOS or desktop version (requires Adobe AIR), you don’t even need a browser to enjoy your YouTube videos.

Toogles

Toogles is a super-fast and minimalist alternative interface for YouTube, with a touch of Modern (Metro) UI feeling. When I say it’s super-fast, I really mean it. This is probably the fastest way to watch YouTube I’ve seen to date, with a beautiful and useful interface to boot. The main page offers trending videos in various categories, but you can also search for specific videos, which load instantly. The viewing interface for individual videos is, you guessed it, fast. There are no comments, but you can choose to view related videos (or hide them), and view the video’s information (which you can also hide). If you’re often running out of patience waiting for YouTube to load, this is a must-try. There’s also a Chrome extension.

ViewPure

viewpure

On paper, ViewPure is a YouTube viewer that offers some interesting options on top of simple YouTube viewing. In reality, none of ViewPure’s extra options actually work, but it managed to squeeze through on this list because its main function does work: minimalistic YouTube viewing. Copy and paste any URL or video ID from YouTube into ViewPure, and watch it on a white screen with no comments, suggestions, or other distractions. You can try playing with the extra options such as custom URL, password protection, and background color, but for me these didn’t work at all. The provided bookmarklet also returned a warning instead of a video. You can, however, toggle between a white and black background while already watching the video on ViewPure.

YTInstant

YTInstant is a great place to search for videos if you’re looking for a quick fix and not something specific. It excels in taking your query and instantly getting search results that match it, before you even finish typing. Start typing a word, and see YouTube results change and form as you type. When you finish typing, YTInstant will immediately start playing the first result for this query on YouTube, and display the next ones on the sidebar. There are no comments, and the interface is pretty minimalistic compared to YouTube. You can easily share a link to your search, embed the video, or share it on social networks.

VLC

vlc-youtube

This is a really neat way to watch YouTube videos without using a browser. Many don’t know this, but you can actually watch almost any YouTube video on VLC player. In order to use VLC to watch YouTube videos, all you need is the video URL without all the junk appended at the end (likewww.youtube.com/watch?v=7ak4950FQX8, for example). Now open VLC, and go to Media –> Open Network Stream, paste the URL and click Play. Your video should start playing in VLC.

Make sure your URL is http and not https, otherwise this trick will not work.

XBMC

xbmc-youtube

XMBC is another way you can watch YouTube videos outside your browser, and even on your TV. XBMC is a free media player, or media center if you wish, that comes with plenty of cool add-ons you can try. One of these add-ons is for YouTube, and enables you to watch any YouTube video in your XBMC media center.  Installing the add-on is simple, and there’s not much to setting it up. 

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-watch-youtube-without-going-to-youtube/

More About YouTube:

How to Watch YouTube on iPhone

4 Ways to Download YouTube Videos

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February 21 2013 4 21 /02 /February /2013 03:51

From all the doom and gloom surrounding Apple as of late you’d never know that people are still buying  iPhones and iPads in droves. A few weeks ago, after two years of Android ownership, I decided to become part of that hoard.

The transition was less painful than I feared it would be, but there were still changes I had no choice but to adjust to. Android can do things that iOS simply can’t, and vice-versa. Here’s what you should know about before making the switch yourself.

Unlocked devices are available

You don’t have to buy an iPhone on contract if you’d rather not. Apple does sell unlocked phones both in its stores and online.

There are really three models of iPhone to worry about. Two of them are listed as GSM models (the technology used by most carriers across the globe) and the third is for CDMA, which is used by a handful of carriers like Verizon. If you wanted unlocked, you either need to buy the unlocked GSM model from Apple or a CDMA model. That’s because the CDMA model actually supports GSM networks as well.

 

Pricing starts at $649 for the 16GB iPhone 5 and is $100 more for each step up in capacity. That’s a lot, but on par with unlocked high-end Android phones. Google’s $300 Nexus 4 is an exception, not the rule.

All iPads currently sold with mobile data support are unlocked and can work with GSM networks worldwide. However, users on a CDMA network (like Sprint or Verizon) will want to buy the version built for their carrier. The GSM-only models won’t function on a CDMA network.

Other Apple devices aren’t required

android to ios

Many users worry that a Mac might be required to get the most from any iOS. That’s absolutely not the case. You will need to use iTunes, as that software is used to sync music and media with the phone and also can be used to backup the device, but that’s it.

Only Linux users are in trouble. Apple has never developed iTunes for that operating system.

Your contacts will be fine

Before I went to my local carrier’s store to transition from my Android phone I made sure to write down all my important contacts. Would my contacts be fine? I didn’t know. Google would have saved me a lot of time but alas, I didn’t think to search.

It turns out there’s no need to worry. Your carrier should be able to back up your contacts from your old phone and then transfer them to a new iPhone. If you’re still concerned, call your carrier to find specifics about how the transition is handled.

You’ll need an Apple ID

Android devices need a Google account to be fully functional. Apple devices are no different. You’ll also need to tie the account to your credit card to make any app or digital content purchases.

You can’t port your apps

A lot of apps available on Android are also sold on iOS, but that doesn’t mean you can use them on your new iPhone or iPad. With a few exceptions, like the Humble Indie Bundle, any purchase only gives you access to the app on a single platform. You’ll need to buy the app again on your new iOS device.

Google’s iOS apps are great

moving from android to iphone

Jumping from Android to iOS doesn’t mean you’re going to lose access to the apps that you’ve come to know and love on Android.

In fact, in a strange twist of fate, Google’s apps on iOS are often better than those found on Android. The Gmail app available for the iPhone and iPad is much more attractive than that on Android and even Google admitted that Maps was better on iOS.

So don’t worry about being stuck in a Google ghetto. Buying an Apple device may even improve your experience!

Multi-tasking is more difficult

moving from android to iphone

One feature that’s not improved, however, is multi-tasking. It’s both un-intuitive and less powerful on Apple’s products.

To open the multi-task pane you need to double-tap your iPhone or iPad’s home button. This will cause the icons of your four most recently closed apps to appear. Additional apps can be revealed by swiping left. A swipe to the right will reveal controls for the Music app.

And that’s it. You can’t view a thumbnail of apps like you can on new Android devices, and apps shown in the multi-tasking pane usually aren’t running in the background.  You’ll obtain the same results by opening an app from the homescreen.

You’ll need to make new ringtones

Apple’s iPhone only recognizes ringtones that are formatted in a special “.m4r” format. This means that all of your old ringtones will not automatically work when transferred over from your Android device.

But it’s not all bad news. You can take your ringtones and make them into compatible tones with iTunes. You also can automatically sync those tones and make new ones out of any audio file that iTunes will recognize. 

Your USB peripherals won’t work

All of Apple’s new iPhone and iPad devices use the Lightning connector. It’s a nice piece of kit, but also not compatible with USB. That means your new iOS devices are not going to work with any of your existing chargers, docks or most other peripherals. The only exception are devices that connect wirelessly – they should still function.

Apps are tightly integrated with iOS

android to ios

Apps on Android are often their own little fiefdoms. With a few exceptions, like the universal sharing menu, apps rely on their own settings. Want to change notifications, for example? You’ll generally need to visit the settings for that specific app.

In some ways iOS treats apps more like an extension of the operating system. Many apps install their own control panel in the Settings menu and notifications are controlled from Settings -> Notifications. Apple also has baked in tight support for Facebook and Twitter, both of which can be updated directly from the iOS notifications screen.

This means some apps lack an obvious settings menu of their own, which can be confusing to Android exiles. Remember, if you can’t find the setting you want to change in an app, look in the Settings menu instead.

Conclusion

Moving from any operating system to another can be difficult. Habits so ingrained that they’d become invisible suddenly work against you, making both entertainment and productivity more difficult. With that said, the simplicity of a mobile OS makes the transition easier than it is on a desktop. I felt at home within a week.

Source: www.makeuseof.com

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February 21 2013 4 21 /02 /February /2013 03:32

Windows 8 brings quite a few password-related changes. It uses Microsoft accounts by default, which means that your log in password is the same as the password for your Microsoft account online. You can reset this password online if you ever forget it. Windows 8 also allows you to create picture passwords, an ideal feature for touchscreen tablets.

The new version of Windows also has many of the features built into previous versions of Windows, such as the hidden ability to log on automatically. Features such as picture passwords can be used by any type of user account, but you’ll have to reset your Windows password the old-fashioned way if you’re using a local user account and forget its password.

Automatically Log Into Windows

Passwords are an important security feature, but you may not want to bother with them. If you have a desktop computer in a secure location, you can choose to skip the password prompt entirely and have Windows log in automatically.

To do so, press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Type netplwiz into the dialog box and press Enter.

change windows 8 password

Uncheck the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” checkbox and click OK.

reset windows 8 password

You’ll be asked to enter your password. Windows will remember this password and use it to sign you in automatically.

reset windows 8 password

Change Your Password

To change your password, open the Settings charm (press Windows Key + I to quickly open the Settings charm) and select Change PC settings.

reset windows 8 password

Select the Users category and click the Change your password button. You’ll be asked to provide your current password and a new password.

windows 8 password reset

Note that you can’t change a Microsoft account’s password from the desktop version of the Control Panel. You’ll just see a link taking you to the PC settings application. IF you’re using a local user account instead of a Microsoft account, you can change the password from the Control Panel normally.

windows 8 password reset

Reset a Microsoft Account Password

There are a number of ways to receive a reset link, including via email to the address associated with your account, a code sent via SMS message to a phone you’ve associated with your account, and a PC you’ve trusted to access your Microsoft account.

windows 8 password reset

Reset a Local Account Password

If you’re using a local user account, you’ll have to use the traditional methods to gain access if you forget your password.

Like Windows 7, Windows 8 includes a tool that allows you to create a password reset disk. If you create a password reset disk ahead of time, you can use it in the future if you ever forget your password. To open the tool, press the Windows key to access the Start screen, type password reset disk, and tap the Settings category. Open the Create a password reset disk tool.

windows-8-create-password-reset-disk

Of course, you can always reinstall Windows 8 and create a new local user account to regain access to your computer.

windows login

Create a Picture Password

Windows 8 also allows you to log in with a picture password. Like a lot of things on Windows 8, this feature is designed for a touch screen, It’s easier to log into a touch-based Windows system with a few gestures on a picture instead of tapping away on a virtual keyboard. However, bear in mind that these aren't as secure as real passwords. It’s often possible to see where you’ve touched a touch screen by the residue your fingers leave behind.

Picture passwords don’t replace your current password. They’re an alternative method you can use to log in. You’ll still be able to log in with your current password.

To create a picture password, click or tap the Create a picture password button in the Users section of the PC settings application. (You can also choose to create a PIN from here. The PIN will allow you to unlock a tablet by tapping a few numbers instead of entering a password, but it’s obviously less secure than a proper password that can incorporate more than just numbers.)

windows-8-create-a-picture-password-button

You’ll have to enter your current password before creating a picture password. After you do, you’ll be able to choose your own picture.

The picture password will incorporate a number of circles, straight lines, and taps at locations you choose on the picture. Windows remembers the size, position, and direction of the gestures. For example, a simple picture password could be a family photo where you tap people’s faces in a certain order. However, that would be rather obvious. Try to create a less obvious one incorporating other elements, such as circles or lines.

change windows 8 password

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-change-reset-and-picturize-your-windows-8-password/

For more information about Windows 8, you can visit: How to Install Windows 8 in Simple Steps .

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February 21 2013 4 21 /02 /February /2013 03:01

Tablet is a bridge between laptop and smartphone. It's bigger than smartphone but smaller and more portable than laptop. Nowadays more and more people are tending to choose tablets because of their portability and functionality. Because with a tablet, you can do almost anything as you do on a PC, like searching the internet, watching video, listening to music, taking notes, capture images, playing games, etc. The most amazing part is that you can do all those things by controlling the device using touchscreen display or stylus pen while on the go.

best tablet of 2013

The year 2012 was definitely a year of tablet. Apple iPad, Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire HD dominated the main tablets market. And it seems that the purchasing trend is still rising. So here we will list the top 10 tablets of 2013 in order to help you to figure out which one is better and which one is the best tablet choice for you.




Best 10 Tablets of 2013 Reviews


  apple ipad 4th generation amazon kindle fire hd google nexus 7 microsoft surface windows rt samsung galaxy tab 10.1 nook hd motorola xoom blackberry playbook asus transformer pad infinity hp slate 2
Name iPad4

KindleFire HD 8.9''

Nexus 7 Surface RT Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Nook HD

Motorola Xoom BlackBerry Playbook Asus Pad

HP Slate 2

Ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings ratings
Lowest Price $499.00 $299.00 $278.2 $699.00 $499.99 $199.00 $379.95 $199.99 $499.00 $657.98
OS Apple iOS 6

Android 3.0

Android 3.0 Microsoft Windows RT Android 3.0

Android 4.0

Android 3.1 BlackBerry Android 4.0 Windows 7
Battery 10 hours 9.5 hours 10 hours 8 hours 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours 9.5 hours 7.5 hours
CPU Apple A6X Texas OMAP4470 Dual-Core nVidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core nVidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core Samsung Exynos Texas OMAP4470 Dual-Core Dual-Core Cortex-A9 Dual-Core Cortex-A9 nVidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core Intel Atom Z670
Speed 1.4 GHz 1.5 GHz 1.2 GHz 1.3 GHz 1.4 GHz 1.3 GHz 1 GHz 1 GHz 1.6 GHz 1.5 GHz
Dimension 9.5 x 7.31 x 0.37 inches 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.35 inches 7.8 x 4.7 x 0.4 inches 7 x 11 x 0.37 inches 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.35 inches

7.65 x 5 x 0.43 inches

9.8 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches 10.35 x 7.11 x 0.33 inches 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
Screen Size 9.7 8.9 7 10.6 10.1 7 10.1 7.6 10.1 8.9
Screen Resolution 2048 x 1536 1920 x 1200 1280 x 800 1366 x 768 1280 x 800 1440 x 900 1280 x 800 1024 x 600 1920 x 1200 1024 x 600
Storage 16/32/64 GB 32 GB 8/16 GB 32/64 GB 16/32 GB 8 GB 32 GB 16/32/64 GB 32/64 GB 64 GB
Built-in eReader yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes  
USB   yes yes yes     yes yes yes yes
Music Player yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes


Useful Tips for You: Sync iTunes DRM Movies to Tablets

convert itunes movies to tablets

Once you got any of the best 10 tablets above, one of the things you will do is to watch movies on the tablet, right? But some of you may meet a problem to sync your iTunes movie downloads to tablet for watching. You should know that movies, in M4V extension, purchased or rented from iTunes are protected by Apple's DRM policy, which limits the use of the movies on non-Apple devices. So if you want to watch iTunes DRM-protected movies on your tablets, such as Kindle Fire, Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab, you should firstly remove the DRM protection from those iTunes M4V movies. One of the most professional iTunes DRM M4V Converter is Noteburner M4V to Tablet Converter for Mac, which will get rid of the DRM control from iTunes movies and convert the movies to MP4, MOV formats that are supported by any tablet devices. And for iPad users, if you have collection of iTunes rentals, you can use Noteburner M4V to Tablet Converter to remove the DRM protection and keep the movies on your iPad for a long time.

free download of noteburner M4V to tablet converter plus for Mac       purchase noteburner M4V to tablet converter plus online

To view the tutorial of converting iTunes DRM movies to tablets, you can visit: How to Put iTunes M4V Movies on Nexus 7 Android Tablet.

Note: Windows users need Noteburner M4V to Tablet Converter for Windows.




More Tablets Topics:

Transfer iTunes Movie Rentals to Kindle Fire HD | Sync iTunes Rented Movies to iPad Mini

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