Cyanogen refuses Google's offer

Cyanogen

Cyanogen has refused the google's money in order to keep the Android 'open'.

For a lot of start ups, winning Google's interest is the goal. Not Cyanogen. According toThe Information, the Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster told shareholders that it recently shrugged off Google SVP of Android Sundar Pichai's interest in purchasing the company -- choosing instead to focus on obtaining a $1 billion valuation to aid in its third round of funding. The company's grounds for that number, and perhaps Google's interest for the company, lie with its long-term goal: to become the third most popular mobile ecosystem. Considering the fact that Cyanogen's third-tier mobile OS is essentially a more "open" version of Android, it's no surprise the company has Mountain View's attention.

Even so, dismissing Google's interest is a pretty bold move -- especially considering that the company is now looking for more funding on top of the $30 million it collected last year. There's confidence there, however: Cyanogen investors are being told that the company has struck a deal with Micromax to build Cyanogen-based phones, echoing its partnership with OnePlus to bake its flavor of Android into the One. It's still too early to say if Cyanogen's efforts will pay off in the long term, but the company is definitely on Google's radar, and that's something.

SOURCE: The Information

Top 6 Windows 10 features

Windows is about to get a big upgrade.From a resurrected Start Menu to new multitasking tools, the latest Microsoft operating system is designed to remedy the frustrations caused by the confusing Windows 8. Here’s the best of what you can look forward to in Windows 10 when it comes to market in mid-2015.  
1) Start Menu Returns

It’s what Windows 8 detractors have been clamoring for, and Microsoft has finally brought back the Start Menu. Now, when you click on the Start button at the bottom left of the screen, you get two panels side by side, with the left column showing pinned, recently and most-used apps.

You also get a power button at the top for options such as Hibernate, Standby and Shutdown, and an all apps option a la Windows 7. The right column features a selection of live tiles that you can customize, resize and reorganize. 

2) Universal Search in Start menu

The Search tool at the bottom of the Start menu now not only searches your programs and files (as it does on Windows 7), but also looks up related results on the Internet. Presumably powered by Microsoft’s web search engine Bing, this means you won’t have to open up a browser to find a particular Wikipedia entry. It’s not entirely clear yet what other sources this Universal Search will pull from.

3) Multiple Desktops

Think of it as having a different monitor on which you run another set of windows, but without the physical monitor. The Multiple Desktops feature is similar to Apple’s Spaces feature on OS X, and helps you manage your multitude of open windows and apps.

Now, instead of having multiple windows open on top of each other on one desktop, you can set up a whole other virtual desktop for those programs to reside in. Set up one specifically for home and leave your apps such as Netflix and Amazon open, and create another desktop for work on which you keep Word, Excel and Internet Explorer open. 

4) Task View Multitasking

With the new desktops comes a new way to keep track of your open apps on Windows 10. On the new operating system, you can either hit the new Task View button on the task bar or swipe in from the left edge of the screen to pull up a one-page view of all your open apps and files. It’s not much different from using the Alt-Tab combination shortcut on your keyboard, but this presents a convenient way for touch-oriented users to get an overview of what’s running.

5) Improved Start Screen
The new Start screen, which is the touch-optimized page for all the live tiles and apps Windows 8 has come to be known for, now comes with a persistent taskbar and a list of programs and folders on the left. This lets you get easy access to locations such as My Documents or PC Settings directly from the home screen and makes it easy to find a specific app, thanks to the All Apps option at the bottom.

 6) Quadrant-style Split Screen Multitasking

Microsoft’s Snap View multitasking feature has been improved to now let you dock windows to the four corners of your screen. While you could split your display between up to four apps at a go before, the number of apps you could have side-by-side was limited by your device’s screen resolution.

It’s not clear yet whether this quadrant snap view is dependent on your resolution, but this new way of docking will make for far more efficient multitasking. The system will even suggest what other open apps you can use to fill up available space.

We expect more features to be announced as Microsoft gets closer to publicly releasing Windows 10, so stay tuned for more info.

Introducing the best one yet. #Windows10

  Mcrosoft has jumped the much expected windows9,as the company's next platform upgrade will be the windows 10.Microsoft is said to be providing similarities like that of windows 7,as still some of the customers love to use it.The company said "We want all these windows 7 users to have a sentiment that yesterday they were driving a first generation Pirius,and now with windows 10 its like Tesla".Windows 10 is said to be much more comfortable to use than the windows 8.

 Microsoft claims the os will be for a large set of devices,in addition to that the developers can create universal apps that will run everywhere.Here is the way the company claimed about their future goals.

"Windows 10 will run across an incredibly broad set of devices – from the Internet of Things, to servers in enterprise datacenters worldwide. Some of these devices have 4 inch screens – some have 80 inch screens – and some don’t have screens at all. Some of these devices you hold in your hand, others are ten feet away. Some of these devices you primarily use touch/pen, others mouse/keyboard, others controller/gesture – and some devices can switch between input types."

Can it be the best windows platform?Let's see ....... 

Android L phones will shut out NSA for increased privacy!

The next version of Google's Android operating system, known as Android L, will automatically encrypt user data out of the box, making it more difficult for law enforcement officials and security personnel to access your personal data. Though Android has had optional encryption for devices for some time now, next month's Android software update will be the first time that encryption will be turned on out of the box for all users.

Google's announcement follows Apple's announcement that it neither stores nor has access to personal information from its iOS and Mac OS X users. Both companies are feeling public pressure in an era of increased NSA surveillance, and Google's announcement will help it distance itself from government snooping, a move that could help Android gain further adoption in the government and enterprise space.

The negative consequence, according to the Washington Post, is that law enforcement officials warn that it may be difficult to solve crime.
Expanded deployment of encryption by Google and Apple, however, will have the largest effect on law enforcement officials, who have long warned that restrictions on their access to electronic devices makes it much harder for them to prevent and solve crimes.

Additionally, due to the fact that Google's software update releases trickle down to users, it may take some time for older devices to benefit from the encryption. New devices, like the rumored HTC Nexus 9 tablet and the much-speculated Motorola-made Nexus phone, should ship with Android L out of the box and will have encryption automatically enabled.

Microsoft removes 1,500 fake apps from Windows Store

The cesspool that is the Windows Store available in Windows 8 is finally getting a clean up. Microsoft is finally purging the store of 1,500 fake apps and will refund your money if you fell for a scam.

In a blog post titled "How we're addressing misleading apps in Windows Store", Microsoft's Todd Brix writes that the company is modifying the Windows Store app certification requirements to put an end to fake apps masquerading as the real deal and trying to bait innocent customers. The changes include:

- Naming: to clearly and accurately reflect the functionality of the app. - Categories: to ensure apps are categorized according to the app function and purpose. - Icons: must be differentiated to avoid being mistaken with others. - The issue was first pointed out by How-To Geek, which discovered that it was in fact totally not hard to run into obviously fake copies of legit apps, as you can see in the image below, for instance.

"Within half an hour we managed to find fake paid versions of Adobe Flash Player, Firefox, Pandora, IMDB, Candy Crush Saga, Wechat, WhatsApp, uTorrent, Picasa, Bluestacks, Minecraft, Spotify, Google Hangouts, Picasa, Clash of Clans, Blender 3D, and a lot more", writes How-To Geek.

Microsoft's new measures should hopefully keep the Store scam-free. Now we just need the same thing to happen for the Windows Phone Store.

Cyanogen and Nextbit on a mysterious project

The best custom ROM provider Cyanogen is trying to create a whole new thing with Nextbit.
We’ve got all the
companies teasing their IFA announcements , and while many aren’t
outright announcing new products already ( except you , LG – you’re
a kook), they’re pretty much doing everything but . And while there’s
still a lot of uncertainty around products like the new iPhones, few
of us are doubting that the phones themselves exist. How about
some news that’s quite a bit more open-ended? We’ve got just the
thing, as there’s something going on right now between Cyanogen
and Nextbit, but no one seems to have a good idea of just what that
could be.
Cyanogen and who? We haven’t discussed Nextbit in a long while,
but the company popped up on our radar back at the start of the
year with bold talk about doing something really big for mobile
devices. It’s got a great-looking staff full of industry veterans, but
it’s not entirely clear what the group intends to make.
Then yesterday, Cyanogen posted an announcement to its Google+
page inviting users to help the company test something, which the
sign-up page describes as a “Cyanogen/Nextbit Private Alpha.” The
questions it asks of potential participants looks for users who
already own a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 and talks about flashing their
devices, making it clear that there’s a big software component to
this project – though if Nextbit’s also working on its own hardware,
we can’t say. Right now, the best description we have of Nextbit’s
mission is that it’s creating “breakthrough technology that allows
for deeper integration between the cloud and mobile devices.”
But that’s where the trail runs cold, leaving us not much closer to
working out Nextbit’s goals. Hopefully once that alpha gets started
we’ll hear whispers of what it entails from some of the testers
involved. In the meantime, anyone got any theories?
-Cyanogen (Google+)

Windows 9: Huge Changes to Metro UI Revealed

Windows 9 : Welcome to Modern UI 2.0

The Start Screen is a feature available in Windows 8.x and is loved by many. Admittedly, it had a rough start when it first entered the market thanks to Microsoft and its idea that the Start Screen was suitable for devices that didn't support touch. The Start Screen and Modern UI has come a long way since it's original debut with Windows 8.0, and it's about to get a lot better with Threshold.

WinBeta can reveal that Windows Threshold will include an updated Modern UI when it launches in 2015. The new Modern UI is set to include a whole bunch of new features which is aimed to align it with competing tablet operating systems like iOS and Android. The Modern UI (being the Start Screen and related apps) will be front and center with tablets, and will remove the desktop for tablets devices which do not need it.

There is no middle ground between devices that have the Modern UI and devices that have the desktop. You either have the desktop or you have the Modern UI, you cannot have both. As reported around a month ago, the Start Menu for desktop users in Windows Threshold can 'act' like a full screen Start Menu however, meaning if you want that functionality you can have it on the desktop. This will be helpful for devices like the Surface Pro 3.

The removal of the desktop has been talked about about in the past, and will be mostly apparent with Windows RT devices. Current Win32 applications are being replaced with Modern UI alternatives which means the desktop will have no real use. Of course, the removal of the desktop isn't for all devices, so don't be alarmed fellow desktop users.

The idea with Threshold on tablets is to make it an immersive experience. The inclusion of the Desktop with Windows RT was a huge mistake for Microsoft. It's a jarring transition between both environments and consumers never really knew which one they wanted to use. With Threshold, Microsoft wants to make sure that devices which run the Modern UI and devices which run the desktop and distinctly different, and the way they're doing this is simple.

Consumers shouldn't be able to tell that it's Windows underlying the UI. This means no registry, desktop icons, close buttons, win32 applications or windows. The Modern UI is front and center and the only thing users should have to deal with.

The Start Screen in Windows Threshold sports a few new features. The first being interactive live tiles. Microsoft demoed an early version of this functionality before, and in Threshold this feature allows users to interact with live tiles without needing to open the app. Not all apps support this feature right now, and not all of them have to, but we expect the main ones will. Developers will need to update their apps to support the new interactive live tiles too. The interactive tiles aren't as 'feature rich' as seen in the Microsoft Research project, meaning you can't tap your phone on them and stuff, at least not yet.

The next notable feature with the Modern UI is the inclusion of a notification center. Details are still scarce regarding this feature in it's entirety, but we do know it's in the works. It's likely that it will act very similar to the Windows Phone 8.1 version, as both Windows Phone and Windows RT are set to be merged with Threshold.

Of course, considering Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 includes live folders, Windows Threshold must have them too right? We understand that the feature is being worked on for tablets, however we're not sure whether this feature will make the final cut. Considering the Start Screen allows for 'groups' already with Windows 8.1, Microsoft may opt to keep that strategy instead.

Cortana will have her own live tile on the Start Screen too. The Cortana app is similar to the Windows Phone version, which means there's a search box at the bottom of the app and the Cortana circle is in the middle and bouncing around. We're currently unsure whether Cortana will be accessible via a hardware command such as holding the Start button, we'll have to wait and see.

We've already spoken about the removal of the Charms bar. The removal of said feature means developers are required to update their apps to include Charm functionality. Although the Charms bar has been removed, the 'contracts' are still there meaning developers can still utilize things such as Play To and Share.

Rather obviously there will be more customization options too, which will allow you to further make your Start Screen personal.

Not all of these features may make the final cut for RTM however, some of them may end up appearing in updates post-RTM of Windows Threshold, and others may not ever make it, so bare that in mind.

Now since the Modern UI and desktop is separated with Windows Threshold, we're not entirely sure if the upcoming technical preview of Threshold will allow us to see any of these updates. Microsoft most likely will not release a technical preview of Windows RT Threshold, however you never know. Microsoft could opt to talk about Windows RT and Windows Phone Threshold this September too, we'll just have to wait and see.

Current internal builds of Windows Threshold are no longer branded as 'Windows 8', which means things are beginning to change marketing wise. Windows 8 is in the rear-view mirror for Microsoft, and Threshold is the next big thing that Microsoft wishes to focus on. The most recent internal builds of Threshold are also much more stable than they were previously, which is evidence towards Microsoft preparing a technical preview, and is rumored to be hitting the public at the end of September.

Windows 9 Unveiling set for Sept 30

Microsoft has been rumored to be working on the launch of a new
preview version of Windows 9 toward the end of September or early
October.

Microsoft's Windows 9, the successor to the widely panned
Windows 8, could be shown off at the end of next month, according
to a new report.
Microsoft is planning to hold a special press event on September 30
to show off Windows 9, The Verge is reporting , citing people who
claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. The date is
currently "tentative," according to the report.
It's not yet clear whether Windows 9 will actually be known as
Windows 9. The operating system is currently code-named Windows
Threshold, though it's highly likely that Microsoft will keep its
numbering scheme with the next platform.
Last week, CNET sister site ZDNet reported that Microsoft is
planning to launch a "technology preview" of Threshold at the end
of September or early October. The report from Mary Jo Foley
indicated that users would be able to try out the operating system,
but would need to have software updates automatically downloaded
to the platform each month.
Whenever Threshold makes an appearance, it's expected to come
with a wide range of improvements, including a "mini" Smart Menu,
separate windows for Metro-style applications running on the
desktop, and support for virtual desktops.
According to The Verge's sources, Microsoft will be showcasing
some of those improvements and new features at the event on
September 30. The operating system should launch as a beta
preview soon thereafter.
In a statement to CNET, Microsoft was succinct in its response to
the news, saying only that it has "nothing to share" at this point.

There are totally 18,796 Distinct Android Devices According to the latest Fragmentation Report

The much-maligned Android fragmentation problem has blighted
the mobile operating system for years, though Google has been
steadily taking corrective measures in recent times. The issue? So
many different devices and form-factors, running a multitude of
Android versions which purportedly cause developers no-end of
pain when striving to cater for the increasingly-dominant mobile
platform.
But how serious is the problem? OpenSignal sheds some light on
this today, with its 2014 Android fragmentation report .
OpenSignal on Android
To recap, OpenSignal is the company behind the eponymous app
that creates maps of mobile phone network coverage based on
information crowdsourced from smartphone users. It has been
available on Android for a while already, though it finally launched a
version for iPhone users in 2013.
OpenSignal has emerged as one of the biggest independent sources
of data on the speed and coverage of mobile phone carriers around
the world. Rather than relying on coverage maps provided by
networks themselves, OpenSignal gathers this information directly
from users and opens it to anyone, so they can see for themselves
which ones offer the best coverage where they are. However, a by-
product of this is that OpenSignal garners a lot of additional data
that offers significant insight into the state-of-play across the
mobile realm. This includes things like 4G coverage , and the number
of different device-types. Fragmentation, in other words.
According to OpenSignal's data, it has seen 18,796 'distinct Android
devices' this year, up from 11,868 last year. To garner this data, it
surveyed the last 682,000 devices to install the app, so this should
be fairly representative of the Android ecosystem. But it also
perhaps goes without saying that this number would naturally
increase – after all, a myraid of new Android devices have been
launched in the past 12 months, and the existing devices aren't
going to disappear off the face of the Earth.
It may come as little surprise that Samsung claims dominance in the
Android realm from a brand perspective with 43 percent (down from
47.5 percent last year), while Sony ranked second with a mere 4
percent, which helps illustrate the gulf between Samsung and the
rest. LG, Motorola and Huawei were also among the next most
popular Android handsets. OpenSignal's data reveals 12 of the 13
most common Android devices are Samsung.
Devices are just one facet of the fragmentation fiasco though.
OpenSignal pulls together data from both Google and Apple,
providing a side-by-side glance of the state-of-play. For example,
20.9 percent of Android users are on KitKat (4.4), and most Android
users are on at least Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), with a little more
than 14 perent persevering with Gingerbread or Froyo.
For comparitivie purposes, according to Apple's own data, iOS 7 sits
at 91 percent, iOS 6 at 8 percent, while a mere 1 percent are still
using an antiquated incarnation of Apple's mobile oeprating system.
It is worth adding here that while OpenSignal's data is fairly
extensive, it is still restricted to devices that have installed the
OpenSignal app – which is a lot, but may not represent the whole
smartphone-using spectrum and thus might not reveal the full
picture.
At any rate, OpenSignal's report makes for an interesting read, and
pulls on additional existing data provided by third-party sources,
including the correlation between fragmentation and GDP per
capita.

- OpenSignal 2014

Linux based Operating Systems Other than Android.

You may be aware of iOS, Android,
BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone, but there are quite a few less-talked
lesser-known mobile operating systems that are really impressive.
And what's even better is that they are all open source. Operating
systems based on Linux are a lot different than typical linux
distribution for PC, except for Ubuntu for phone, which was recently
launched by Canonical.
Let’s take a look at the Linux-based mobile operating systems, that
are worth a try:
1. Ubuntu Phone
Canonical has developed open source Ubuntu for phone with
intention of bringing standardisation in desktop and mobile
operating systems. Ubuntu phone is a version of Linux distribution.
It is the only mobile OS which is close to typical Linux distributions.
User can install this OS on any device like, smartphone, tablet, TV,
desktop PC. The OS is optimised for all types of gadgets, the
interface automatically changes from device to device. Like, you will
see interface optimised for keyboard, mouse, large display when
installed on PC. This version of Ubuntu is similar to Unity desktop,
which automatically resizes to adapt screen size and devices.
User can simply dock Ubuntu phone and use full fledge Linux on PC.
It’s a bit similar to Microsoft’s vision of combining Windows Phone
and Windows 8 OS. Canonical has same vision, they want to create
a platform which runs same apps optimised for different devices
and interfaces.
2. HP webOS
We have seen webOS running devices in market. webOS originally
belonged to Palm but, HP acquired Palm in 2010. HP had broad
vision for webOS. They had planned to launch smartphone, tablet,
printer and even PCs running webOS.
However, webOS didn't do well in the consumer market. So, HP
moved it’s focus from webOS devices and moved back to
manufacturing business of PCs. HP had launched overhyped HP
TouchPad tablet running webOS. The tablet was priced at $500, but
it couldn't survive in its fight with Apple’s iPad. HP even slashed
down price of TouchPad to $99 but still, it didn't do well in market.
The source code is now made available publicly by HP. It is called
as “webOS Community Edition.”
Last year, HP implemented webOS on LG Smart TVs. This was new
initiative as compared to old, complex interfaces on other smart
TVs. LG has no plans to bring back webOS to smartphones as of
now. webOS runs different web apps. Many of webOS’s features
were innovatory, webOS’s multitasking cards is now seen in iOS7’s
multitasking interface. webOS’s features were not marketed
properly. LG is now promoting Open webOS Project.
3. Samsung Tizen
Samsung’s open source mobile operating system, Tizen is based on
Linux foundation. Samsung’s custom UI for their Android products,
TouchWiz is inspired from Tizen’s UI. The main issue with Tizen is,
it has no apps or app store. Samsung can promote developers to
develop apps for Tizen if they ever decide to end their partnership
with Google for Android smartphones. Tizen is designed to run
Android apps. Samsung’s Gear 2 smartwatch runs Tizen OS.
Samsung doesn't have any big plans with Tizen as of now. It’s just
their backup plan after Android. Tizen looks and feels exactly same
as interface on Samsung’s Galaxy phones. Tizen is kind of a
bargaining chip for Samsung to deal with Google.
4. Jolla Sailfish
Nokia has worked on Linux based smartphones called Maemo
before Microsoft. Maemo later became a part of Intel’s MeeGo OS
platform. The only MeeGo phone ever released was Nokia N9, which
gained good popularity amongst developers. Nokia closed the
MeeGo project to focus on Windows Phones.
Many key people involved in MeeGo development, left the company
when Nokia closed MeeGo project. These people started a company
named Jolla. Jolla Sailfish is based on source codes of MeeGo.
MeeGo is still owned by Nokia. In a way, Sailfish is a continuation of
MeeGo but yet, not a successor of it. Sailfish can run apps created
using Qt, it can run some Android apps too. Both MeeGo and
Sailfish are based on Linux platform.
5. Amazon Fire
We have seen Amazon Fire OS on Amazon’s touchscreen Kindle
eBook readers. Fire OS is based on Android OS. It is Amazon’s build
of Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Earlier, Amazon marketed
Kindle Fire Touch as Android based tablet. Now a days, Amazon is
calling it as ‘compatible with Android.’ This clearly shows Amazon’s
moto of promoting own proprietary OS.
Amazon’s own app store has large number of Android based apps.
Amazon has replaced Google Play Store with Amazon App Store in
Fire OS. Google services and apps are missing in Fire OS. The Fire
OS has unique OS bundled features that are lot different than
Google’s Android. Like, Mayday video chat support lets you chat
with Amazon representative within fifteen seconds if user needs
some help.
6. Firefox OS
Mozilla also tried creating own smartphone OS recently. The OS is
highly integrated and based on Gecko rendering and Firefox web
browser. All apps supporting the OS are based on web technologies
like HTML5. Mozilla believes that web is the future platform. PC
users rely on web browser and apps for most activities. Mozilla has
vision to replace native smartphone apps with web apps.
7. Nokia X
This is newly emerging platform that Microsoft is working on. The
platform is based on Google Android but it is designed to look like
Windows Phone’s UI. Nokia X is basically a Android Open Source
Project (AOSP) build. Microsoft has replaced Google play store and
services with own app store.

- EFY

Android Continues to Dominate Over iOS and Windows!

Android may just be the most successful operating system of all
time, and a recent study from the International Data Corporation
(IDC) shows just how quickly Google’s mobile OS is growing. While
every competing OS lost market share over the past 12 months,
Android continued to surge and now runs on almost 85 percent of
all smartphones on earth.

Android shot up from a 79.6 percent share of the smartphone
market a year ago to 84.7 percent today, but the rest of the industry
didn’t do quite as well. Apple’s iOS dropped from 13 percent of the
market to 11.7 percent in the same 12 months, while Windows
Phone dropped from 3.4 percent to 2.5 percent and BlackBerry
slipped from 2.8 percent of the smartphone market all the way
down to 0.5 percent. iOS and Android did see gains in shipment
volume, however. The study also breaks down Android, iOS and
Windows Phone by price tier, revealing that Google and Microsoft
are fighting over the low-end while Apple continues to largely ignore
the sub-$200 category.

For Google, the big question now is how much more room for
growth Android has left. We doubt the most die-hard Apple fans will
ever consider switching over, but both Windows Phone and
BlackBerry’s remaining market share seems like an easy target for
future Android growth. Google also recently announced plans to
expand its mobile OS into cars, TVs and wearable devices , giving
Android plenty more room to grow in outside of mobile.
SOURCE : IDC