Samsung Galaxy S5 may feature eye scanner

Samsung too is reportedly working on a rival to Apple's much-famed Touch ID feature. According to reports, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 will feature an eye scanning sensor. 

The security feature will allow users to lock or unlock their devices by simply gazing at it. Some previous reports too hinted at Samsung working on new security technology to match up iPhone 5S'fingerprint sensor. 

Earlier this week, there were reports that Samsung is planning move up the launch of Galaxy S5 to January 2014. A report by South Korean internet giant Naver says that the Galaxy S5 will be unveiled in January 2014 and will hit the shelves the following month. The dissapointing sales of Galaxy S4 are said to be behind the decision. 

Galaxy S5's January launch means that Galaxy S4 would spend the least amount of time at the top of the company's smartphone portfolio among all Galaxy S series phones. Both Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy S III remained on the top of the chain for a year each, while Galaxy S II was the flagship smartphone for 15 months. 

The report also says that the Galaxy S5 will have Samsung's 64-bit eight-core Exynos 5430 chipset. Samsung Galaxy S5 is also expected to have a 16MP camera with optical image stabilization and better performance in low-light conditions. The recently unveiled Isocell sensor is also expected to debut with this smartphone. 

Some rumours also point towards a waterproof and dust-resistant body and a curved and unbreakable screen. Samsung has also filed a patent for the metal body designed for smartphones, suggesting a change in material of construction for next year's top handset. 

Samsung recently unveiled the world's first smartphone with a curved screen, named Galaxy Round. 

Sony Xperia Z1 tipped to receive Android 4.4 KitKat update in November

A new rumour claims that Sony will release the Android 4.4 KitKat update for its flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1, in November.

As per AndroidSaS, the Japanese giant is working on its update platform based on Android's latest mobile and tablet iteration, which was announced a few months back. The site reveals that the company plans to roll out the update for the flagship in the first week of November, and further claims that November 7 might be the Android 4.4 update rollout date for Xperia Z1.

Moreover, the site expects that after rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat update for Xperia Z1, the company might roll out the latest Android update for a few other Xperia devices like, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z.

The update is also expected to come bundled with major fixes including bugs, security vulnerabilities, and improvements to the X-Reality Engine. For now, there is no official word from Sony on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update for any Xperia device.

Sony took the wraps off its flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1 at the IFA in Berlin. The device natively runs Android 4.2.2 out of the box and it seems the device might give a miss to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and directly be updated to Android 4.4 KitKat.

Recently, alleged leaked screenshots of Google's upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat were spotted online, revealing several new features and changes to Google's current Android 4.3 Jelly Bean iteration.

Earlier rumours have pointed to an October release date for the Android 4.4 KitKat update, as Nestle had revealed the first news about the launch of Android 4.4 KitKat on Facebook.

Codeigniter - Best PHP Framework

CodeIgniter (CI) is one of popular php framework. If you are already building PHP Application, CodeIgniter will help you to do it better and more easily. With CodeIgniter, you can save time, make your web more robust, your code will be easier to read and maintenance. It is free, lightweight, and simple to install.

Nice, CodeIgniter is small and lightweight framework. The Latest Codeigniter Framework version is 2.1.4. You don't need long time to download it. You can get it from http://www.codeigniter.com CI was written by Rick Ellis, rock musician turned programmer.

With CodeIgniter, you can cut down the amount of code you need to type. This is not just good for lazy, but: less type, fewer mistake, and less time for spend debugging.

But, CodeIgniter is not everything. We will not find 'engine generator' that can build page self. Several frameworks have features like that. For example, they can create web page (that to do basic Create, Read, Update, and Delete operation) automatically. CodeIgniter doesn't do this.

This, I copy from their help page: "Our goal for CodeIgniter is maximum performance, capability, and flexibility in the smallest, lightest possible package".


From an technical and architectural standpoint, CodeIgniter was created with the following objectives:

Dynamic Installation:

In CodeIgniter, components are loaded and routines executed only when requested, rather than globally. No assumptions are made by the system regarding what may be needed beyond the minimal core resources, so the system is very light-weight by default. The events, as triggered by the HTTP request, and the controllers and views you design will determine what is invoked. 

Loose Coupling:

Coupling is the degree to which components of a system rely on each other. The less components depend on each other the more reusable and flexible the system becomes. Our goal was a very loosely coupled system. 

Component Singularity:

Singularity is the degree to which components have a narrowly focused purpose. In CodeIgniter, each class and its functions are highly autonomous in order to allow maximum usefulness.

Nice feature, CodeIgniter is very flexible. We can apply at PHP 4.3.2 and above, or PHP 5. It will realy help us when our web hosting still don't support PHP 5. CI support serveral database: MySQL, MySQLi, MS SQL, Postgre, Oracle, SQLite, and ODBC.

Hope this post give you a nice information

Google's 5 Recent Innovations

Google has turned 15. Over the years, the internet giant has charmed us with its cool products. While some of these have changed the way we work, some the way we interact, and some others our lives. Though long past its startup days, the 'search company' still retains its innovative zeal.

Here is a look at 5  hottest Google innovations of recent times.

 

Google Glass

aGoogle unveiled its first wearable computing device Glass in 2012, bringing a product that had been relegated only to science fiction till now. This gadget is an extension of Android smartphones and tablets and can be used to capture photos and videos, make phone calls, check out maps, read emails and text messages and perform various other tasks with just voice commands.

First of its kind, Google Glass has captured the imagination of not just the tech community but also the fashion fraternity.

 

Google driverless cars

Driverless cars are said to be the next big thing in the world of automobiles and Google is taking this big idea out to the real world. An idea from Google’s X Lab, driverless cars are currently being tested by the company in Nevada, Florida and California in the US.

While Google has not announced any plans to commercialize these driverless cars, reports have said that the company may roll out the unmanned Robo-Taxi to ferry people.

 

Google Street View

Google’s Street View project started in 2007 and has gone in full swing over the past few years, with several innovative features. Under this project, the internet search company shows panoramic imagery of various places around the world right on their desktop. You can even view the Street View images in 3D, provided you have the requisite red/cyan glasses.

Not only are the Street View photos available from desktops and mobile devices, but also on the Nintendo Wii U.

 

Android

The Android mobile operating system has taken the world by storm and approximately 80% of smartphones today are powered by it. Though it is not an original product (Google has acquired the company that made the OS), it did add its own twist to the software. Android was meant to be an operating system for digital cameras, but Google decided to turn it into a mobile software even before Apple came out with the first iPhone.

Android has grown in popularity on the back of its easy-to-use interface, open source nature and wide range of free apps. Google offers the OS to manufacturers for free, giving them the option to update Android versions on their devices as and when they like. This free-to-use nature of Android has propelled the rise of several mobile companies, such as Samsung, Huawei, ZTE, Micromax and Xiaomi.

 

Password alternatives

Google has stepped up its efforts to kill passwords completely over the past few years. The company has announced its support to Fast IDentity Online Alliance (FIDO) and is working new novel means to verify users’ identity when they sign into their online accounts.

Dennis Woodside, CEO of Google’s Motorola unit, has spoken about flexible electronic circuits that are embedded into people’s skins much like tattoos and act as passwords. Motorola is also exploring the application of the Proteus Digital Health pill, which a unique ECG trace that can be used to identify users by external devices.

 

Thank You...

Fairfax to buy BlackBerry for $4.7 billion

BlackBerry has agreed to a $4.7 billion sale to a group led by its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., after new smartphones failed to turn the company around.

BlackBerry Ltd. said Monday that a letter of intent has been signed and that its shareholders will receive $9 in cash for each share. The deal comes just days after the Canadian company announced plans to lay off 40 percent of its global workforce.

The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, was once the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people and other consumers. It could be so addictive that it was nicknamed "the CrackBerry." President Barack Obama couldn't bear to part with his BlackBerry. Oprah Winfrey declared it one of her "favorite things."

But then came a new generation of competing smartphones, starting with Apple's iPhone in 2007. The BlackBerry, that game-changing breakthrough in personal connectedness, looked ancient suddenly.

Although BlackBerry was once Canada's most valuable company with a market value of $83 billion in June 2008, the stock has plummeted from more than $140 a share to less than $9, giving it a market value of $4.6 billion, just short of Fairfax's offer.

Anaylsts say that although BlackBerry's hardware business is not worth anything, its service business and patents are still valuable. At the end of the second quarter, the company also had total cash and investments of about $2.6 billion and no debt.

The deal follows a $7.2 billion offer that Microsoft Corp. made this month for the phones and services business of another troubled phone maker, Nokia Corp.

Fairfax head Prem Watsa, who owns 10 percent of BlackBerry, stepped down as a board member because of potential conflicts when BlackBerry announced it was considering a sale last month. The company would no longer be traded publicly once the sale goes through.

"We believe this transaction will open an exciting new private chapter for BlackBerry its customers, carriers and employees," Watsa said in a statement. "We can deliver immediate value to shareholders, while we continue the execution of a long-term strategy in a private company."

Watsa is one of Canada's best-known investors and is founder of Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. BlackBerry founder Mike Lazaridis recruited Watsa to join the company's board when Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie stepped aside as its co-CEOs in January 2012.

BlackBerry shares plunged 17 percent after the company announced Friday a loss of nearly $1 billion and layoffs of 4,500 workers. It gained 9 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $8.82 Monday.

BlackBerry said the general terms of the deal have been approved by its board and a special committee set up to look at options. The company said it will negotiate and execute a definitive transaction agreement with Fairfax by Nov. 4.

During that time, BlackBerry is entitled to continue to find other buyers, but if BlackBerry backs out of the deal, it would owe Fairfax about $157 million.

"The special committee is seeking the best available outcome for the company's constituents, including for shareholders," BlackBerry chairwoman Barbara Stymiest said in a statement.

Watsa is likely to keep current CEO Thorsten Heins in the job. He said in April that he's a big supporter of Heins and has called his promotion the right decision. He also said he's excited about the company's new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

This year's launch of BlackBerry 10 and fancier devices that use it was supposed to rejuvenate the brand and lure customers. But the much-delayed phones have failed to turn the company around. At their peak in the fall of 2009, BlackBerry's smartphones enjoyed global market share of more than 20 percent, says Mike Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity. That is now just 1.5 percent.

BlackBerry said Friday that it will lay off 4,500 employees as it tries to slash costs by 50 percent and shift its focus back to competing mainly for the business customers. That will bring its global headcount to 7,000. The company cut 5,000 jobs last year.

A week earlier than expected, BlackBerry surprised the market by reporting Friday that it lost nearly $1 billion in the second quarter. The company is booking over $900 million in charges to write down the value of its unsold smartphones.

The company also said Friday it plans to focus on offering only two high-end devices and two entry-level phones going forward, with emphasis on the business market.

The decline of BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd., is evoking memories of Nortel, another Canadian tech giant, which ended up declaring bankruptcy in 2009.

But BGC analyst Colin Gillis said taking BlackBerry private is the right move and said it's possible that BlackBerry could survive in a much smaller form. He noted that the $9-per-share offer is lower than the $12.32 average price that the stock traded over the past six months.

Anthony Michael Sabino, a professor at St. John's University's business school, said going private removes the burden of pleasing shareholders with short-term results, just as Michael Dell hopes to do with Dell Inc. after winning a bid to take the troubled computer maker private. He said Fairfax is known for patience in its investments, which would give BlackBerry time to regroup.

"In all honesty, its fate is still uncertain, but at least now it has a fighting chance," Sabino said.