‘Asphalt 8: Airborne’ now available on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8

Gameloft has released their latest hit game, Asphalt 8: Airborne, on two new platforms. Launched initially on iOS and Android, the game is now also available on Windows Phone 8 and even Windows 8.1.

We reviewed Asphalt 8 when it was initially released and found it to be pretty enjoyable, although in some ways, not as much as its predecessor, which is still a really fun game. Having said that, Asphalt 8 is a marked improvement in terms of visuals and should be great on Windows 8.1 with a powerful desktop GPU (it wasn’t very smooth on mobile).
Asphalt 8: Airborne is available for a dollar on Windows Phone 8 and for two on Windows 8.1. The pricing for the WP8 version comes as a surprise since the game recently went free on iOS and Android. You can download both versions from the links below.
Windows Phone 8 • Windows 8.1

AT&T sale sees iPhone 5s and Lumia 1520 prices drop to $99

AT&T has started a sale on its website, slashing the prices of a number of hot smartphones. The Apple iPhone 5s and 5c got price cuts and so did the Lumia lineup offered by the carrier. Several Samsung smartphones also got discounted, but unfortunately the Galaxy Note 3 wasn’t among them.
If iOS is your thing, you can now have a shiny new 16GB iPhone 5s in a color of your choice for $99 on contract. Unfortunately the 32GB and 64GB versions are still at their old $299 and $399 prices. The Apple iPhone 5c is now $49 for 16GB and $99 for its 32GB version. In fact the $150 discount on the latter is the biggest in the AT&T sale.
If you’ve been planning to get one of the recent Lumia flagships on the AT&T network, you’d be glad to find out that the carrier has started a promotion cutting their on-contract prices in half. This means that right now you can pre-order the Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet for just $99. Of course it will take until November 19 to get your order shipped, but that’s just three days away now.
The price reduction gives the Nokia Lumia 1520 a considerable advantage over its main rivals – the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the HTC One Max, which cost $299 and $249 respectively. Packing the much younger WP8 OS, the Lumia 1520 certainly needs all the help it can get if it to make a serious impact in the phablet market and this sale suggests AT&T and Nokia are taking it very seriously.


Two more WP8-powered Nokia handsets got price cuts, too. The Lumia 1020 with its humongous 1/1.5” 41MP sensor is also now offered for $99, while the Lumia 925 has its price slashed to $49. If you don’t mind a little extra heft and would appreciate built-in wireless charging capabilities you can grab the Lumia 920 former flagship for 49 cents.
Of course you’ll also have to sign a new two-year contract with the carrier, but even so some of the offers are quite tempting. The deals are available online and come with free shipping so you don’t even have to get off your chair to take advantage of it. You can check out all the AT&T promo deals and place your orders by following the source link below.
Source | Via

Apple to spend $10.5 billion on manufacturing equipment

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple will be putting the pilies of cash it is sitting on to good use.The Cupertino giant is said to invest $10.5 billion in manufacturing equipment.

Apple’s massive investment will include a host of new equipment, ranging from assembly robots, all the way to precision milling machines. They will cover tasks like polishing iPhone 5c bodies, carving the aluminum bodies of Apple’s family of Mac computers, testing the camera units for iOS devices, etc.
Many of the equipment deals struck by Apple will include exclusive rights to the machinery, thus helping the company maintain an edge over its rivals in the manufacturing process. They include cutting edge tech previously exclusive only to the aerospace industry.
Apple’s huge investment is outlined in the company’s fiscal 2014 capital expenditure forecast. It is however, a relatively small fraction of the $171 billion the compamy had in sales in the fiscal 2013.
Source

Android 4.4 KitKat update for HTC One GPE now ready

When the Google Play Editions of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 came out everyone was wondering if those two will get future Android revisions as quickly as the Nexus lineup. Now obviously they didn’t quite match the speed of the Google purebreds, but it appears that the HTC One GPE won’t be too far behind either.
The company has officially announced that the Android 4.4 KitKat ROM for the smartphone has been fully developed and submitted to Google. It’s now up to the search giant to approve the code and start seeding it to the actual smartphones. It certainly shouldn’t take too long, although we haven’t been given a specific time frame.
Android 4.4 KitKat brings Project Svelte performance optimizations, bigger UI icons, removes the widgets from the app drawer and comes with the new Hangouts SMS/MMS/Gtalks unified hub. There’s also the new Email app, new Phone app with nearby search that should be coming to the HTC One GPE.
Samsung is yet to announce when the Galaxy S4 GPE gets the Android 4.4 KitKat treatment, but we are hoping the Koreans won’t take too long to release the update.

Good news, we've delivered KitKat code to Google for HTC One GPE. Timing of push via PlayStore to be determined by Google.
— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) November 15, 2013

Special thanks to Raj for sending this in!
Source

Acer C720-2848 Chromebook announced for $199

Acer has released a slightly stripped down version of the previous Acer C720 Chromebook. Technically the C720-2848, the new model is still referred to as the C720 on Google and Acer’s website.

In terms of changes, there is just one. The new model comes with 2GB instead of 4GB of RAM, which has allowed Acer to drop the price down from $249 to $199 in the US.
The rest of the hardware is identical and includes the same 11.6-inch, 1366×768 resolution display, Intel fourth generation Celeron processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 16GB flash memory, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, one USB 3.0 and 2.0 port each, HDMI out, VGA camera, and 8.5 hours of claimed battery life. It also comes with 100GB Google Drive storage and 30-day Google Play Music All Access trial.
Source

Sony PlayStation 4 scores high for repairability

The PlayStation 4 is a hot piece of tech and as such it simply couldn’t avoid being torn to bits and pieces by the ifixit team.

While you probably wouldn’t have guessed it given the relatively modest size, the latest Sony console is quite easy to repair at home. No adhesive was used for putting the PS4 together, which means taking it apart and putting it back together is quite easy (although it does void your warranty).
The only problem was that the metal mid-plane is very sharp – an issue the teardown guy found the hard way. If you can get past that however you will be able to replace just about every component of your console without taking it to a service center.
Source | Via

Google Search update for Android brings some KitKat goodness to older smartphones

Another thing that came along the Motorola Moto G announcement yesterday is the update to the Google Search app for Android. The latest version of Google Search is now available on the Google Play Store. The update brings to Android smartphones all the latest developments of Google Search, including prettier search results and a smarter Google Now. Of course, Google Now, as before, is only available to devices running Android 4.1 and above.

The new version of Google Search will allow you to have short dialogues with Google Now when you are conducting searches. In these dialogues, Google Now should be able to understand when you referring to your search term by an indirect pronoun instead of using the full name. It will also answer back when there are several options for action.
Another perk of the new version is that you can now activate the Google Now voice commands handsfree by simply starting with a “Ok, Google” instead of pressing the Mic button. This however, should only work in US locales. This has been available to iOS users for a little more than a week now.
Google Now now also taps into the crowd-sourced real-time traffic information by Waze – a popular smart navigation app project that Google purchased earlier this year.
There will also be more location-based information. When you visit certain places of interest such as tourist sights, Google Now will come up automatically to supply you with information.
There are also several new cards, which allow you to subscribe to updates from a website, a news topic or a notable people.
The new Google Search app also comes with compatibility with the Google Experience Launcher, the Nexus 5 stock Android home UI, which recently got leaked, so now you can install the Launcher on any v4.1+ Jelly Bean device.
There’s surely a lot more to it and a lot we still haven’t discovered, so if you have already updated, you can tune in the comments below and add other new feature you may have noticed.
Google Play • Via

Street View goes on a gondola ride in Venice

Google’s Street View in Maps is a great way to explore the world around us. It has 360-degree coverage of a large part of the world and let’s you talking viral strolls without leaving your desk.

As part of its Street View Trekker tech, which allowed Google to bring Street View to the Galapagos Islands, Mounts Fuji and Everest, the Eiffel Tower, and even underwater in the Great Barrier Reef, we now have the chance to trek through the Venetian channels

Kindle Fire HDX 7 now on sale in UK

Today Amazon UK started the sales the sales of the Kindle Fire HDX 7 slate. It is available for purchase at the retailer’s website and costs £199 for the 16GB ad-supported version.

If you add £10 more you can get the ad-free model.
An LTE-enabled Kindle Fire HDX 7 is available too. It costs £269 (ad-supported), but you’ll have to wait until November 27 for it.
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX has a 7″ IPS display of 1920x1200px resolution and is powered by the latest and greatest Snapdragon 800 chipset. The Amazon’s OS is based on Android Jelly Bean, but is highly customized and has lots of restrictions, most notable of which is the lack of Play Store access.
So if having the Amazon Appstore as you solitary app repository doesn’t bother you and you If you live in the UK, now is the time to get one. Its HDX 8.9 sibling is coming on November 19, starting at £329.
Source | Via

Nokia Refocus comes to revolutionize mobile photography

Nokia has released its Refocus app in the Windows Phone app store. The app captures a series of images (2-8 to be precise) with different focus points and then allows you to create the coveted selective focus effect of large-sensor cameras.

In order to get the app you’ll need to own a PureView Lumia (920, 925, 928 or 1020 quality) with the Amber software update installed. The Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet will be joining the list, too, once it hits the shelves.

Facebook Messenger app gets a complete overhaul

Facebook has released an update to the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that brings with it a complete overhaul of the UI. The design clearly looks like it was made for the new iOS 7 but carries over to the Android version as well.

At launch you’ll notice that the older dull gray and Facebook blue colors have been replaced by bright white and a brilliant blue combination. There are no more gradients and drop shadows anymore and the UI has a clean, flat UI that is consistent with the rest of iOS 7.
The new app makes it easy to see who is online and who isn’t. It also lets you send messages to people who are not on Facebook over SMS but you will have to sync your contacts with the app for them to appear in your list. Most of the other features remain the same.
The new design is available on both iOS and Android and even though it is optimized for iOS 7 it still looks great on Android. I’m hoping the main Facebook app also gets this updated UI shortly as it is long overdue. You can download the Facebook Messenger update from the links below.
App Store • Play Store

Facebook Messenger app gets a complete overhaul

Facebook has released an update to the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that brings with it a complete overhaul of the UI. The design clearly looks like it was made for the new iOS 7 but carries over to the Android version as well.

At launch you’ll notice that the older dull gray and Facebook blue colors have been replaced by bright white and a brilliant blue combination. There are no more gradients and drop shadows anymore and the UI has a clean, flat UI that is consistent with the rest of iOS 7.
The new app makes it easy to see who is online and who isn’t. It also lets you send messages to people who are not on Facebook over SMS but you will have to sync your contacts with the app for them to appear in your list. Most of the other features remain the same.
The new design is available on both iOS and Android and even though it is optimized for iOS 7 it still looks great on Android. I’m hoping the main Facebook app also gets this updated UI shortly as it is long overdue. You can download the Facebook Messenger update from the links below.
App Store • Play Store

Apple iPad mini 2 bares it all in an iFixit teardown, gets a low repairability score

A day after it hit the store shelves, the iPad mini 2 unsurprisingly paid a visit to the folks at iFixit. As expected, Apple’s slate got a proper teardown to go with the traditional iFixit repairability score.

The first thing to grab the attention under the hood of the second generation iPad mini is a beefy 24.3Whr battery. The latter is a massive upgrade over the 16.3Whr unit of the first generation – hardly a surprise as it has a lot more pixels to light up than the previous model.
The larger battery of the new iPad mini allows Apple to quote the same battery life as that of the first generation. Impressively, its size hasn’t affected the waistline of the slate – it has only grown by .3mm.
Going forward, the teardown reveals an LG-made display, Toshiba flash memory, as well as silicon from the likes of Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Fairchild, and USI.
The second generation iPad mini got the lowly repairability score of 2 by iFixit. The reason for it was the huge amount of adhesive found inside the tablet. It holds all major components inside the tablet, thus making repairs difficult.

Jolla smartphones to feature Nokia HERE maps

Jolla announced today it has successfully integrated Nokia HERE maps as the default navigation app of Sailfish OS. The Finnish company also says its OS will get access to thousands of Android apps thanks to the Yandex.Store marketplace

Just yesterday, the Tizen Association got the word out that the Samsung and Intel co-developed Tizen OS will also incorporate Nokia HERE maps as the navigation of choice. The Jolla agreement to license the Nokia HERE business will provide map data as well as local information from over 190 countries.
“We are excited that HERE is providing its leading positioning services for Sailfish OS and that our maps application will be powered by HERE cloud services. This will help us deliver the optimal mobile maps experience to our customers,” says Jolla CEO, Tomi Pienimäki.
As for the support for Android applications, Jolla said that the Yandex.Store has over 85,000 apps in over 17 categories. Some important and popular apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Viber and games like Angry Birds are available there.
Jolla recently unveiled more specifications of its upcoming smartphone. The global pre-order for the Jolla phone is over, but Finns can still book one for €100. The total price of the handset is €400 (including VAT, the phone is unlocked).
Source

Apple to spend $10.5 billion on manufacturing equipment

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple will be putting the pilies of cash it is sitting on to good use.The Cupertino giant is said to invest $10.5 billion in manufacturing equipment.

Apple’s massive investment will include a host of new equipment, ranging from assembly robots, all the way to precision milling machines. They will cover tasks like polishing iPhone 5c bodies, carving the aluminum bodies of Apple’s family of Mac computers, testing the camera units for iOS devices, etc.
Many of the equipment deals struck by Apple will include exclusive rights to the machinery, thus helping the company maintain an edge over its rivals in the manufacturing process. They include cutting edge tech previously exclusive only to the aerospace industry.
Apple’s huge investment is outlined in the company’s fiscal 2014 capital expenditure forecast. It is however, a relatively small fraction of the $171 billion the compamy had in sales in the fiscal 2013.
Source

Sony releases PlayStation App for iOS and Android

Sony has released a new PlayStation App for iOS and Android devices, designed to help you connect with your PS4 console from anywhere. With this app you can see your PlayStation Network friends, see what they are playing, compare trophies and also chat with them.

You can also receive notifications, game alerts and invitations on the app and can use your phone as a mobile keyboard to enter text on your PS4, much better than doing it through the controller.
But by far the best feature is being able to browse the PlayStation store and being able to check prices and even purchase games from within the app. The purchased games are then pushed to your PS4 and downloaded for you, so you can purchase a game when you’re out and if you have a fast enough connection it would be downloaded and ready to play when you get home.
The PlayStation App is a similar attempt as Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass app but both apps feature some things that the other lacks.
The PlayStation App is currently only available in North America and Europe (basically where the PS4 is available) for free on the App Store and Play Store.
Source • App Store • Play Store

Official CyanogenMod installer is now available in the Google Play Store

As promised, the developers from CyanogenMod Inc. released an installer to help users with flashing the company’s popular Android ROMs on their device. The app is currently available for free in the Google Play Store.

The app requires companion desktop software which is available to download on Windows PCs for free. Combined, the desktop software and mobile app should make installing a CyanogenMod ROM a breeze. Of course, the user’s Android smartphone must be on the list compatible devices to get the special treatment.
You can download the CyanogenMod installer in the Google Play Store right now. Feel free to share your experience with us by dropping us a line in the comments section.
Source

Upcoming BlackBerry update to allow Android app installs but no Play Store access

Rumors surrounding the upcoming BlackBerry update have made quite a stir in recent days, as it was speculated that it would allow access to the Google Play store to install Android apps.

A BlackBerry spokesman has recently quashed allegations that BlackBerry is planning any sort of Google Play access. Nevertheless, insiders have revealed that the update will include the Android runtime, which means that you’ll be able to install and run Android apps.
The official line from BlackBerry to n4bb goes like this:

“We can confirm that there is no planned support for Google Play on BlackBerry. BlackBerry World remains the primary source for trusted and curated BlackBerry applications and we continue to support open standards and open source tools so BlackBerry developers can continue to create apps on any of the development platforms we support.”

Meanwhile, folks over at the CrackBerry forums have revealed that the Android runtime will, in fact, be included with the upcoming BlackBerry 10.2.1.1055 update, which will allow you to sideload Android .APK files and install them right from the file manager.
You can also use various .APK downloaders to make the task easier, and you obviously won’t have to convert them to BlackBerry’s native .BAR files beforehand. Currently, Android widgets won’t be supported, but we’re hopeful that complete Android implementation will be available before long – BlackBerry stock would certainly appreciate it.
Via

Android 4.4 KitKat update for Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 is now seeding

Google began rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat for Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets. The good news arrived on Android’s official Google+ account.

The latest Android version is currently seeding to Wi-Fi only 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 tablets. Nexus 4 users, as well as those with Nexus 7 tablets which have mobile data will get treated to some KitKat goodness soon.
Source

Vine for Windows Phone is finally here

The much-awaited Vine for Windows Phone platform has finally launched and you can now capture and share moments in short video clips from your WP powered smartphone.

The popular service, which is owned by Twitter, allows you to create looped videos by just tapping and holding your finger against the screen of your WP device. Much like the features on the other platforms, the Vine app for WP brings the camera tools and the option to shoot with the front-facing camera.
With the dedicated app, Windows Phone users can now explore all the popular posts, browse through channels or keep an eye on what’s trending. Furthermore, you can pin your Vine accounts to your home screen and with Pivots, you can switch between apps without any hassle.
Vine for Windows Phone app can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Store.
Source

Tizen OS gets 36 new partners

The Tizen Association announced today it is has started partnering with 36 major companies, which will bring a broader support for the Tizen OS at launch. The list includes notable tech companies, game publishers, electronic giants and mobile carriers.

This is great news for the Tizen platform and gives it a lot of potential for when it finally becomes commercially available. Yesterday, news broke that Tizen 3.0 will be available in the third quarter of 2014, so there’s quite some time remaining until it gets adoption beyond developers.
The mobile operating system that is jointly developed by Samsung and Intel is currently powering the Samsung NX300M mirrorless camera, with the first Tizen smartphone yet to get its announcement.
Here’s the full list of the 36 companies in question:

• 11 Bit Studios
• ACCESS
• appbackr
• AppCarousel
• ArtSpark Holdings
• Celsys Inc.
• Citymaps
• Crucial Tec
• eBay
• F@N Communications
• Goo Technologies
• HERE, a Nokia business
• HI Corporation
• Igalia S.L.
• KeyPoint Technologies
• KONAMI
• Konantech
• McAfee Mobica
• Monotype Imaging Inc.
• Mutecsoft
• Neos Corporation
• NTT Data MSE
• Open Mobile
• Panasonic
• PCPhase
• Quixey
• Reaktor Fusion
• Sharp
• Symphony Teleca
• Systena
• The Weather Channel
• Tieto
• TrendMicro
• TuneIn Radio
• YoYo Games

As you can see, there are some important players in this list like Panasonic, eBay, Sharp and McAfee. By the look of things, Tizen seems to be gaining more and more traction by the day. Sadly, it’s taking longer than expected to materialize in a consumer-oriented device and that might turn out to be a very costly delay.
Source | Via

Windows Store boasts 1.7 million daily downloads in October

Microsoft has released the latest Windows Store marketplace statistics, which show the number of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 app downloaded daily has averaged 1.7 million.

This includes both free and paid apps and show a 38.5% increase over June. The result is a total of 51.2 million apps downloaded in October alone – 15 million more than recorded in June.
Paid apps saw a smaller bump – 31% from 1.06 million downloaded June to 1.36 million in October, while free apps rose 39% from 35.9 million to 49.8 million. However, Microsoft hasn’t specified the total number of available apps.It’s unclear how those stats compare to the Apple’s Mac App Store, as the Cupertino based company hasn’t given us any recent stats on its official app repository.
Via

Apple Maps usage rises as Google Maps drops sharply

Last year, when Apple replaced the Google Maps application on iOS with their own Apple Maps, the company was blasted by everyone, including Apple fans, to the point where Apple had to issue an apology to customers and highlight other mapping apps in the App Store. A year later, however, things are looking a bit better.

Over the past year, Apple Maps usage has increased sharply whereas Google Maps has seen a corresponding drop, according to a survey by comScore. Apple Maps now has 35 million users to its credit in the US. Google Maps, on the other hand, has dropped down to 58.7 million, which includes both iOS as well as Android users. Compare this to 81 million users that Google Maps had last year and you can see that it has dropped by a significant 22.3 million in just a span of a year.
Out of the 58.7 million Google Maps users, only 6 million iOS users downloaded the app from the App Store and out of those 6 million are 2 million who cannot or have not yet updated to iOS 6 or above (so they can’t use Apple Maps).
There could be various factors responsible for this. First of all, built-in apps trump downloadable apps any day as far as usage is considered. Most people just use the apps that come pre-installed with their devices and third party apps that replicate that functionality can’t compete with that unless they offer a service not available by default on the device.
Secondly, Apple Maps has improved over the last year, as reported by several users. It’s still nowhere near as good as Google’s app, which has had several years of head start, but is slowly getting there. With more people using it, the service can improve faster through more user submitted data.
With Apple Maps now also available on Macs through Mavericks, you can expect a further bump in usage and higher user base a year later.
Source

Devices with NVidia’s Tegra 5 and Tegra 4i chipsets coming in Q1 next year

NVidia’s Tegra 4 didn’t get the wide adoption the Tegra 3 saw and the company is already looking to 2014′s models. The Tegra 5 and the Tegra 4i already have certifications by AT&T and should bet certified by other carriers soon.

The Tegra 4i aims at the mid-range market and the first devices with it should be announced in Q1 and ship in Q2 (basically, we should see them at CES and MWC next year). NVidia’s CEO says people will be “delighted by the OEM that it comes from.” Still, it’s coming a little late since it was announced as far back as February this year.
The Tegra 4i is a mix between the Tegra 3 and the Tegra 4. It uses four Cortex-A9 CPU cores and a fifth power-saver core (similar to the Tegra 3) and packs a slightly cut down version of the Tegra 4 GPU (60 GPU cores instead of 72).
Note that this is a new revision of the A9 CPU core (the 2.3GHz clock speed also helps), which should provide 30-40% performance boost over current A9 designs and be more power-efficient than the A15s. Also, the A9 cores are smaller than the A15, which means smaller and cheaper chipsets. The Tegra 4i has an LTE modem built-in, so we can expect it to power mid-range, LTE-enabled phones and tablets next year.
The Tegra 5 will not come with a built-in modem, instead manufacturers will have to use an additional chip like NVidia’s Icera i500 (the same modem that’s in the 4i). Both the Tegra 5 and Icera i500 are certified by AT&T.

The Tegra 5 will use a Kepler-based GPU, that’s the tech NVidia uses for its desktop and mobile GeForce 6xx GPUs. This should bring massive graphics performance – we’ll see when the Tegra 5 devices are announced in Q1 next year (quite likely at the MWC again).
Source 1 • Source 2

Samsung NX-300M mirrorless camera runs Tizen, new OS features revealed

At the Tizen OS Developer Summit in Seoul, Samsung’s executive vice president Jong-Deok Choi revealed that the company’s NX-300M mirrorless camera actually runs Tizen. The camera has been on sale for a month now, but Samsung is just now breaking the news.

Moreover, at the summit Samsung also announced some of the major new features that’ll be coming with Tizen 3.0. The major ones are the updated Core and ToolChain of the OS, as well as the support for 64-bit processors. As you can see from the image below, Samsung states Tizen 3.0 supports IA and ARM chips, while the 64-bit support will have a positive impact on performance and bring larger memory address space.
Among the new features are also a new 3D user interface framework, WayLand based compositor and the ability to run HTML5 applications thanks to the Crosswalk runtime platform.

And if that wasn’t enough, Nokia boasted on its Twitter account that it will be bringing its HERE Maps service to Tizen. This further drives Tizen away from Google’s services and shows the Koreans are trying to an alternative to Android rather than aiming to recreate it under another platform.
Tizen 3.0 will be ready for showtime in Q3 of 2014, so by then we would hopefully hear more regarding the first official smartphone to run the OS.
Source • Source (2)

Microsoft fixes mouse lag issue in Windows 8.1

The Windows 8.1 update released a new DPI framework that caused problems in games that don’t read raw mouse data. The result was significant mouse lag across several titles like Call of Duty.

Microsoft has released a hotfix that addresses the issue, and has included a list of affected games. There are also instructions on how to extend the update to other games.
Here is a list of games that are officially affected by the Windows 8.1 mouse lag issue:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops – Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Zombies
• Call of Duty: Ghosts – Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW2
• Call of Duty: MW2 – Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW3
• Call of Duty: MW3 – Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW
• Call of Duty: MW – Multiplayer
• Counter Strike: Global Offensive
• Counter Strike: Source
• Deus Ex : Human Revolution
• Deus Ex : Human Revolution Director’s Cut
• Hitman Absolution
• Hitman Sniper Challenge
• Half Life 2
• Metro 2033
• Portal
• Tomb Raider

If you suffer from mouse lag or inconsistent responsiveness in any of the above titles, check out the hotfix here.
There are also instructions on how to apply this additional games if you feel the need, although this involves editing registry entries.
Thanks, sharang, for the tip!
Via

Sony Xperia Z1S leaks again posing next to its bigger brother

The upcoming Sony Xperia Z1S made yet another appearance this week. This time around the smartphone got caught on camera next to its bigger brother, the 5” display toting Sony Xperia Z1.

A juicy bit regarding the specs of the Sony Xperia Z1S came alongside the photo you seen above. Allegedly, the pocket-friendly Android powerhouse will feature an IPS display panel. Should the report pan out to be the real deal, the Z1S display is certain to be a massive improvement over the far from perfect TFT displays Sony currently uses.
The Sony Xperia Z1S is expected to bring the powerful internals and camera of the Xperia Z1 in a smaller form factor. It will swap the 5” display of the flagship for a 4.3” unit.
Previous reports have pointed that the Xperia Z1S might launch in late November.
Source | Via

T&T has announced today the availability of the Nokia Lumia 2520 slate. It will hit the carrier's online and walk-in stores on November 22.

The Lumia 2520 is going to cost $399 with a two-year contact with AT&T. You can also get it for $199 with a two-year agreement if you choose to bundle it with a Nokia Lumia 925, 1020 or 1520 (also on contract, of course). You will of course also have to pay the on-contract price of the smartphones themselves - $100 for the Lumia 925 and $200 for the other two

Samsung Galaxy S III mini gets Crystal Edition in Germany

Samsung has introduced a brand new Crystal Edition of the last year's Galaxy S III mini smartphone. The new lady phone is headed to the German market and there is no info on international availability.
The Samsung Galaxy S III mini Crystal Edition is completely identical to the standard handset, but comes with 166 Swarovski crystals embedded into its battery cover.

There is no other difference in the specs of the S III mini. It still comes with a 4.0 Super AMOLED WVGA display and runs on a dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor. Android Jelly Bean ticks inside the Galaxy S III mini Crystal Edition and we doubt Samsung is going to release KitKat for this particular device.

Xolo launches new Q1000 Opus with Broadcom chipset

Okay, so Indian smartphone maker Xolo just announced the Q1000 Opus, a version of the already available Xolo Q1000. It has a 5" 720p screen and a quad-core chipset. The Opus doesn’t seem to be a dual-SIM phone like the regular Q1000.
Another difference is that the chipset used is made by Broadcom rather than MediaTek, though both feature quad-core Cortex-A7 CPUs running at 1.2GHz. There is a difference in the GPUs though, the Broadcom chipset uses a VideoCore GPU rather than a PowerVR SGX544.
The Xolo Q1000 Opus has HSPA+, Wi-Fi connectivity with Miracast for wireless TV-out, plus GPS and GLONASS positioning. Unfortunately, that's all the info available on the phone right now.
The Opus will be available for sale by the end of this month, pricing info is not available yet.
Xolo is keen to point out that this marks a new partnership for chipset supply – the company also has devices with MediaTek, Nvidia and Intel chipsets

Huawei Ascend P6 gets Android 4.4 KitKat in January

Huawei Ascend P6 was announced and released in June with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean in charge of operations. Due to its incredibly slim profile and older generation quad-core processor, it was plagued with over-heating issues. We are not sure if those were resolved by Huawei, but if not, now is a good time for the company to make some optimizations and improvements.
The Huawei Ascend P6 was just officially confirmed to get the Android 4.4 KitKat treatment. The Chinese have taken it to Baidu to announce that the super slim smartphone will be getting the latest major Android release in January. Alongside it will come the new version of the company's proprietary Emotion UI.
Huawei is among the first to announce its KitKat upgrade plans, but is surely not the only one to skip Android 4.3 and move straight to the new KitKat version.
Android 4.4 KitKat was announced on the last day of October. It brings Project Svelte UI optimizations, bigger UI icons, removes the widgets from the app drawer, new Hangouts SMS/MMS/Gtalks unified hub, new Email app, new Phone app with nearby search and more. It even lowers the hardware requirements for the Android OS.
And the Ascend P6 owners will be able to enjoy all of these new features in just two months.
Source | Via

HTC M8 chipset and screen information leaks

A week ago we got to see the HTC M8 - the successor of the HTC One flagship - for the first time. The leak only brought images of the rear casing of the device, but no information on its itnernals.

Luckily now, thanks to @evleaks, we get to learn the first HTC M8 specs. The company's next flagship will come with a 5" 1080p display and will be the first HTC device running on the Snapdragon 800 chipset. The Android version in charge will be 4.4 KitKat, of course.

Sounds like the HTC M8 is -- and you could probably predict -- a 5-inch, 1080p handset powered by KitKat and a Snapdragon 800.
— @evleaks (@evleaks) November 15, 2013

Those specs seem relevant today, but we are not sure how they will stack up next year when the HTC M8 a.k.a. HTC Two will get official. HTC might end up a generation late, as it was the case with HTC One Max, because Samsung is already developing its next-gen 64-bit processors for the Galaxy S5.
We guess only time will tell if those rumors will pan out and if the HTC M8 will have enough to serve its flagship purpose for HTC the way it should.
Source | Via

News iPhone 5c fails to make impact in China, 5s compensates

The iPhone 5c isn't doing all that good in China. According to CTechCN, who first reported Apple's cutting iPhone 5c production, Apple is still reducing orders of the plastic iPhone.
Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory, which once churned out 50 thousand units weekly is now down to 8 to 9 thousand. Protek, component manufacturer for iPhone 5c, has seen an order cut of 75%.


Retailer Dixons reports 78.6% of iPhone sales come from the premier 5s and just 21.4% are due to the iPhone 5c. The smartphone's price is also falling on retailer Taobao, which imported units from Hong-Kong at prices between 3000 to 3500 Chinese Yuan a month ago, now down to between 2500 to 3000 (around $400 to $500).
Some retailers are reportedly selling their iPhone 5c units at a loss just to clear stock.
Still there's no threat to Apple's financial health in hindsight as the iPhone 5s is selling handsomely. The question is whether Apple will keep making plastic iPhones with year-old hardware and flagship costs, reduce pricing, or scrap the sidekick project altogether.
Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Via

Samsung said to launch a device with wraparound screen next year

According to a report released by Bloomberg, Samsung has plans to release a smartphone with wraparound display at some point next year. The new screen tech will allow users to look up messages or stocks from an angle.

The upcoming device is said to use updated version of proprietary Samsung technology called Youm. It was showcased during CES this year, and is currently featured in the Samsung Galaxy Round.
Speculation points that the new three-sided display can be seen in ether a Galaxy S, or a Galaxy Note device. An altogether new model family is also not out of question.
Curiously, the report about the yet to be released Samsung smartphone comes hot on the heels of similar news about Apple. A few days ago, word got out that Apple itself is working on two large-screen iPhone models with curved display.
Source | Via

Apple iOS 7.0.4 update is now seeding to compatible devices

Apple began seeding an iOS 7 update to users of compatible devices. Numbered 7.0.4, the latest iOS version offers minor improvements compared to 7.0.3 which was released last month.

The update fixes the FaceTime issue which bothered some iOS 7 users (an iOS 6 update has addressed the same problem for owners of older devices). The usual host of improvements and bug fixes has also been included in iOS 7.0.4.
Alongside the iOS update, Apple also refreshed its iBooks and iTunes U apps today. The applications now feature a complete redesign in line with the look of iOS 7.
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Samsung on Region lock: you need 5 min of voice calls

Samsung introduced the controversial Region lock with its Galaxy Note 3 phablet and that caused quite a stir – the idea of being unable to use your unlocked device with some SIM cards sounded most unpleasant.
Samsung quickly clarified that this Region lock has been implemented to stem the grey market imports and that it goes away if the first SIM card you use is from the region you bought the device from. After that you can pop in a SIM card from a different region and it should work as expected.
It turned out this wasn’t quite all there is to it, though. Samsung Germany added the additional clarification that you have to use the SIM card from the correct region to make at least 5 minutes worth of voice calls (it doesn’t matter if it's incoming or outgoing calls).
It doesn’t have to be a SIM from the country where you got your Note 3 either, what's important is that a European Note 3 does 5 minutes of voice calling using a SIM from a European carrier (here "Europe" refers to the EU and the European Economic Area, not the geography term, see below).
If you're still having problems with the Region lock, you can visit the regional Samsung Care center to have it deactivated. You can call the center at €0.60/minute from a cell, €0.20/minute from a landline, but it's not clear if the actual unlocking will cost anything and if yes, how much.
Note that the Region lock is implemented in the Android 4.3 software that many Samsung phones are receiving at the moment, including the Galaxy S4, S4 mini, S III and Note II. So, keep that in mind before you hit Update.
If you already have and for some reason the official unlock method isn't working (and you can't visit a Samsung Care center), you can also go the XDA route if you have a rooted phone.
Countries in the European Economic Area (EEA):
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania , Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK, Switzerland, Croatia
Non-EU/EEA countries:
Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Vatican City
Source (in German) | Via

Jolla to go on sale on November 27

The Jolla phone is finally coming to the market. Starting from November 27, you will be able to snatch the first Sailfish OS smartphone as long as you live in Helsinki, Finland.
The smartphone will cost €399, which is a little steep but brings a refreshing, gesture-based UI, open operating system, fresh color options (9 in total), the ability to choose which apps come preinstalled and more.


Jolla announced the news on Twitter, where it also confirmed that it has selected Finnish carrier DNA as partner for the Jolla phone launch.

"The world's first #Jolla phone will be sold on Nov 27 in Helsinki" by @DNA_fi
— Jolla (@JollaHQ) November 14, 2013

The Jolla will rocka 4.5" qHD (960 x 540) display, dual-core 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, LTE, expandable 16 GB storage and 8 MP camera among other things. The handset went through the BrowserMark 2 benchmark, scoring a higher-than-expected 1370 points. The Jolla packs the Sailfish Browser 1, which uses the Gecko Engine 20.0, on which Firefox for mobile is based too. According to the authors of the benchmark, the Gecko engine isn't particularly great in the test, so the higher than expected score points to great efficiency of the underlying Sailfish OS

Samsung Galaxy S4 for AT&T receiving Android 4.3 update

The Android 4.3 update rollout to Samsung Galaxy phones continues – this night AT&T users may have seen their Galaxy S4 handsets notify them of a new update available. The download is a hefty 720MB, but it's well worth it.
If you haven’t gotten a notification yet, you can manually check for an update (from About in the Settings menu). The build number is JSS15J.1337UCUEMJ9. You'll have to be patient though, users are reporting that the update takes a while to download.


The changelog includes support for the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, speed improvements (TRIM support, less lag in the launcher, better RAM management), KNOX enterprise security, better color reproduction on the screen and a new camera software.
By the way, the open source code has already been uploaded here (the MJ9 file).
Source | Via

LG G Flex to hit at least 3 carriers in the US

Flexible displays may not be here in the way everyone expected them to be just yet, but that hasn't prevented Samsung and LG to out curved display smartphones this year. While both devices have since launched in their native Korea, it looks like the LG offering will be making its way to the US as well.
The rumor comes by way of the popular source for smartphone related leaks, @evleaks.

LG G Flex confirmed for AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
— @evleaks (@evleaks) November 13, 2013

The LG G Flex was launched in Korea this Tuesday, featuring a self-healing plastic back panel and a nifty dynamic wallpaper which shifts according to your viewing angle. The Flex's curved 6-inch display runs at 720p, which means it should manage higher framerates than smartphones with higher-fidelity screens, as the recent AnTuTu benchmarks have shown.
While the display is not flexible in the direct sense of the word, the Flex will undoubtedly be a good conversation starter and LG has it deemed worthy of a US release. Let's see how it does.
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E-Ink display toting YotaPhone will begin shipping in December

Announced late last year, YotaPhone captured our attention with its dual-screen configuration which consisted of a 4.3” 720p LCD display, and an energy-sipping E-Ink unit. Today, a word arrived that the Android smartphone from Russia will begin shipping internationally before Christmas.

YotaPhone has teamed up with the Singaporean manufacturer Hi-P for its smartphone’s mass production. An official word on the device’s pricing is yet to arrive from YotaPhone’s representatives.
In addition to its curious dual-screen setup, YotaPhone sports a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of non-expandable storage, and a 2,100mAh battery. You can check out our quick hands-on with the device from MWC 2013 over here.
Source | Via

Moto X getting Android 4.4 in a matter of weeks

The Motorola Moto G got all of the attention today so this juicy tidbit almost slipped by unnoticed – the Moto X will receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update "in a matter of weeks". Motorola's presenters weren’t any more concrete than that.
The Moto X launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which was mostly clean of maker customizations (though not quite a Nexus). The Moto G also launches with Android 4.3, its own 4.4 KitKat update will come in January next year.
This info was announced during the Moto G event, you can watch the replay here. The Moto X update is mentioned at 1:14:35 and the Moto G update info comes at 1:41:00.

Exclusive: CM-powered beast to steal the Nexus 5's thunder

We've received a report that Mr. Cyanogen himself, Steve Kondik, has been working with a hardware partner on a handset that will run his popular Android ROM directly out of box. Not only that, but its set to pack a new Snapdragon 8974AC chipset, with a quad-core CPU running at the unprecedented 2.5 GHz.
Given CyanogenMod's recent history with Oppo in the form of a limited edition N1 flagship with CyanogenMod out of box, it doesn't take much figuring out that the hardware partner will be Oppo itself. In fact, Steve Kondik was recently seen with Oppo's Vice President Pete Lau on Lau's Google+ profile, with Lau "look[ing] forward to what's coming."

Steve Kondik pictured with Oppo's VP Pete Lau
Our trustworthy source indicates the upcoming flagship will be able to match the LG Nexus 5 in terms of pricing, and is set to run CyanogenMod right out of box. Kondik and the CM team are also expected to introduce new software content with the new device. Whether it'll be exclusive to this handset is still a mystery, though.
We've no word yet on expected availability

Sony Xperia Z1S photographed in the wild

The Sony Xperia Z1S just refuses to stay out of trouble and has leaked yet again. This time we got live photos and some early impressions of the device.
The Xperia Z1S was photographed next to a ruler, which seems to confirm the rumored measurements of 127 x 64.9mm. The device also reports a model number D5503, which matches the one found in the EXIF info from the leaked photo yesterday.

Sony Xperia Z1S live photos
Other than that, the Sony Xperia Z1S in the photo differs slightly from the leaked press image, specifically in the front-facing camera and the 3.5mm audio jack.
The tipster that took the photo reported that almost everything worked smoothly except for the occasional hiccup in the launcher (but this is early pre-release software). The design was praised, though the volume rocker and the flap that covers the microUSB port (that's for the IP58 water-resistant specification) were criticized.
The side of the phone has two pogo pins (visible in the fourth photo above) for charging via a dock, similar to those on the Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra.

Xperia Z1S screenshots
The Sony Xperia Z1S runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sony's custom skin on top, powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset and a 2,300mAh battery. The phone has a 4.3" 720p screen and the 20.7MP camera from the big Xperia Z1.
The Xperia Z1S announcement date is not clear – one rumor pointed to yesterday, a new one from today points to November 26. There's nothing official from Sony yet though.
Source (in Russian)