Google launched Chromecast to stream videos directly from your phone to HDTV

In yesterday's event Google launched Chromecast, a $35 USB dongle. What it does is that it can stream YouTube, Netflix, music, Google Chrome tabs and more all, from your Android and iOS devices to your HDTV. Your device works like a remote controller. It is developed by Google and Netflix to compete with Apple TV and works on DIAL wireless streaming protocol. 

You can not only cast videos but also webpages from Chrome Browser. Google has recently launched Chromecast extension for Chrome which can be downloaded from Chrome Web Store. Though Chromecast comes with manual but there are 3 simple steps: 1.) Plug it in 2.) Switch input 3.) Set it up. 

It is a 2 inches long USB dongle having a bulbous circular end opposite the necessary HDMI port. It is black in color and has Chrome printed in white on its top. It runs on a basic version of Chrome. This dongle is made of firm textured plastic and has gold plated HDMI post on the one end while other end has a micro USB port to connect it to USB slot of your TV or the small AC Adapter which is bundled with the box.

The worth noting point is that the content you stream actually doesn't stream directly between your device and your HDTV. First it is uploaded to a cloud from where it is downloaded to Chromecast. You can use other apps while casting a video such as opening browser, sending messages. Even you can lock the phone and videos will be streamed flawlessly. You can stream 1080p videos easily. 

Chromecast is a perfect successor to failed Nexus Q which was launched for same purpose. Chromecast dongle generates its own Wi-Fi hotspot, and can be connected to it with an Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac OS X app. It needs a Wi-fi router to provide it internet connectivity. It is different from Apple TV which streams or mirrors videos directly from iOS device or Mac to Apple TV. Google has also announced SDK for Chromecast. That means third party developers can make their apps optimized for Chromecast.

At the price of $35 it is available on Amazon to buy. You can also buy it from Google Play Store. It requires Android 2.3 and up, iOS 6 and up, Windows 7, Mac OSX 10.7 or a Chromebook Pixel. With Chromecast, Google seems to patch up the work that was failed by Nexus Q. 

Images Via: Engadget, The Verge

After Nexus 7 we may see Nexus 10 soon in future

Yesterday was the day when Google launched Android 4.3 and Nexus 7 2013 edition. If we believe on rumors then it is possible to see Google launching Nexus 10 soon. According to The Wall Street Journal’s Amir Efrati, who got chatting to Android chief Sundar Pichai after the press event in San Francisco. Efrati says next Nexus 10 will be manufactured by Samsung like the last model and will have quad core Snapdragon S4 processor and Adreno 320 GPU. And ofcourse Nexus 10 will be loaded with Android 4.3

Android 4.3 upgrade rollout plans confirmed by SONY

Yesterday Google launched Android 4.3. Today Sony announces to rollout Android 4.3 update for Xperia Z, ZL, ZR, Z Ultra, Tablet Z and Xperia SP. It is just a day later after the launch of Android 4.3. Some Sony devices will not get Jelly Bean 4.2 update, they will directly be updated to Jelly Bean 4.3 which is according to Google, the sweeter version of android. Sony has not provided any time table for rolling out the updates, but we expect it to be rolling soon as Android 4.3 code has hit AOSP yesterday and factory images for Nexus 4 are already available to download. Sony has also said that Jelly Bean 4.2 updates for Xperia ZR and Tablet Z will be pushed by early August. 

Google announces Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Finally the wait is over. Most widely used mobile operating system, Android was rumored and waited to be launched from a long time. Today, Google has officially announced Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Google also announced new Nexus 7 on the stage. 

Multi User settings are added so that tablet users can make settings for each account. It is like Microsoft Kid's Corner of Windows Phone 8.

As described on on official Android developers blog post, Android 4.3 has following major changes. 

• OpenGL ES 3.0 — Game developers can now take advantage of OpenGL ES 3.0 and EGL extensions as standard features of Android, with access from either framework or native APIs.
• Bluetooth Smart — Now your apps can communicate with the many types of low-power Bluetooth Smart devices and sensors available today, to provide new features for fitness, medical, location, proximity, and more.
• Restricted profiles — Tablet owners can create restricted profiles to limit access to apps, for family, friends, kiosks, and more. Your app can offer various types of restrictions to let tablet owners control its capabilities in each profile.
• New media capabilities — A modular DRM framework enables media application developers to more easily integrate DRM into their own streaming protocols such as MPEG DASH. Apps can also access a built-in VP8 encoder from framework or native APIs for high-quality video capture.
• Notification access — Your apps can now access and interact with the stream of status bar notifications as they are posted. You can display them in any way you want, including routing them to nearby Bluetooth devices, and you can update and dismiss notifications as needed.
• Improved profiling tools — New tags in the Systrace tool and on-screen GPU profiling give you new ways to build great performance into your app.

This Android 4.3 will be rolling out today for Nexus devices i.e. Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Galaxy Nexus HSPA+, worldwide. 

One more render of Moto X leaked in White color

Yesterday we saw a render of Moto X leaked which was shown in Black. Today one more image of Moto X is leaked which shows handset in white color. It is also leaked by renowned leak source "evleaks". The details and bezels are exactly same as that of black one. 

Which one would you prefer? Black or White?

Moto X press images leaked, show slim and eye catchy design

Everyone is waiting for Moto X. We saw Eric Schmidt using this phone couple of days ago, a lot of rumors and leaks have hit the web, images leaked, even a promo video from telecom carrier Rogers also got leaked. This time renowned leaker "evleaks" has leaked the renders of Moto X and these images are similar to those as we saw in earlier leaks. It has a textured back with a curvy back design. Similar to that of Nexus 4, Moto X have virtual keys for back, home and recent apps. It has a transparent menu bar. 

Back of the device shows camera, LED flash and new announced Moto logo in a bottom down alignment. The display bezels look nice, curves on the phone make it more eye catchy. Headphone jack is on the center of top edge, while the power button and volume rocker keys are on the right hand side. Top of the front side contains front camera and speaker grill. 

Motorola has set an event for 1st of August and we think that Motorola is ready to officially announce this much awaited phone there. 

How To: Forgot your Android Pattern lock? Don't worry, here's how to bypass it

Android has quite good security options such as pattern lock, password lock, pin lock, face recognition etc. Pattern lock is one of the popular locks among these. But sometimes it becomes a mess. Due to some glitch, a lot of users have reported that pattern lock got failed. It doesn't open if limited no. of trials are done, then user needs to enter Google account. Sometimes it doesn't work and in that situation, user has to wipe the phone as the last option. Even my brother and my close friend also faced it. Their phones got locked and finally they wiped their phones to get the access. But it's not good.

So, today I am telling you how to bypass your Android security pattern lock. If you've accidentally forgotten your pattern then you can take help of this method. A XDA Develoepers member m.sabra found this method to crack the security pattern. 

So let's get started. It works for both rooted and non-rooted phones, but some users reported that it does not work on non-rooted phones, so it is recommend to root your phone. If you don't know how to root then you can follow this link (and also do some Google). You will need Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and also Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) installed. You can read tutorials to how to install Android SDK and ADB. 

Warning

• This tutorial is only for educational purposes and not for getting unauthorized access. So if you are thinking to get unauthorized privileges, then I will not be responsible for anything. 
• There are no guarantee that whether these instructions will work or not. So do everything on your own risk. 
• Read all instructions carefully.

Requirements

• Any Android device with USB Debugging enabled, preferably rooted; or, if not rooted, the device must be running a kernel that grants root access to the adb shell.
• To enable USB Debugging on devices running Android 4.0 and up, go to Settings > Developer Options. Check the box beside the USB Debugging option.
• For devices running on older versions of Android, go to Settings > Applications > Development. Check the box beside the USB Debugging option.
• A computer with ADB installed (tutorial for ADB)
• Your device’s USB cable
• Make sure your device’s battery is charged 75% or more to avoid interruptions during the process.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.

Instructions

1. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.
2. On your computer, open a terminal window (or command prompt on Windows-based machines).
3. Type in the following commands at the terminal or command prompt window. Press Enter after every line:
   • adb shell
     • The prompt should display a # rather than a $.  Otherwise, enter su to switch to the root user.
   • cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
   • sqlite3 settings.db
   • update system set value=0 where name='lock_pattern_autolock';
   • update system set value=0 where name='lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';
   • .quit
   • exit
   • adb reboot
4. After your device has rebooted, enter the following commands at the terminal:
   • adb shell
     • The prompt should display a # rather than a $.  Otherwise, enter su to switch to the root user.
   • rm /data/system/gesture.key
   • exit
   • adb reboot
5. Your device will reboot.  After it reboots and asks for a security pattern, you can use any pattern and the device will still unlock.
6. Once you regain access to your device, make sure to change the system security settings to re-select another unlock pattern.

So, you have now successfully bypassed the pattern unlock of your Android device. You can use it again like you used to do. 

Thanks to Android Authority

Android hits 1.5 million daily activations, Play Store downloads reach 50 billion

Google always has something impressive to share with us. It usually releases the figures of total Android activations, Android versions market share, daily Android activations etc. In I/O 2013, Google announced that 900 million Android devices have been activated yet. This time Google exec Eric Schmidt spoke in "Dive Into Mobile" conference that each day 1.5 million Android devices are activated. This figure is more than last month's 1.4 million daily activations. Eric Shcmidt stated that company is focusing on 1 billion Android activations by the end of the year. 

It doesn't end here. During Q2 earnings of company, Google's CEO Larry Page said that company has earned revenue of $14.11 USD billion, which was a 19% increase over Q2 last year.  Also the Play Store downloads have crossed 50 billion apps. 

In I/O 2012, there were 400 million total devices activated while in I/O 2013 there are 900 million activated Android devices. Don't you think that Android is growing at a rapid rate, more than we expect? 

Google Play Music All Access comes out of USA and joins Australia and New Zealand

Google Play Music All Access is a well known music streaming service. Launched in I/O 2013 in May, it is available only for the Us residents. Google has said that more countries will be added later. Today Google seems to be working to keep its promise.

It's a good news for folks from New Zealand and Australia. Play Music All Access is coming to your countries. Although it is still not available in other parts of the world, but it is a start of something good. Google offers a one month trial subscription of All Access. After the trial ends user needs to pay $9.99 per month. If someone registers after August 31, then his subscription cost will be $11.99 per month. Google Play Music All Access competes with Spotify, Pandora, Rdio and Apple's very own music streaming service iTunes Radio that was announced this year in June in WWDC 2013. 

Google hasn't said that when other countries will get All Access for Play Music. 

Play Store 4.2.3 leaked with Android 4.3 ROM for Nexus 4

It was a little time ago when we reported that a ROM of Android 4.3 hit a Nexus 4. Though it was not official update, but it brought an update to Play Store also. Play Store version on this leaked ROM is 4.2.3. System dump of Android 4.3 is available to download via XDA developers.

For those who are interested, they can download and upgrade their Play Store. There is not any significant changes in this and last version. Google may push this to your devices soon. If you are waiting for official rollout then wait, take your time, or if you want it to test it ASAP then you can download the file from links below.

• Mirror 1
• Mirror 2

Read: Android 4.3 ROM leaks for Nexus 4, system dump available to install

Android 4.3 ROM leaks for Nexus 4, system dump available to install

Today we saw a fascinating news. A Google+ user named "Jeff Williams" uploaded a screenshot of settings page of his Nexus 4 on his profile. It was showing Nexus 4 is running on Android 4.3. Is Android 4..3 already out?

Jeff Willams bought a Nexus 4 from Craigslist. At that time he did not know that he has ordered the latest version of Android that will be supplied on his Nexus 4. As soon as he found it, he took a screenshot and uploaded it to Google+. Now, at the time of writing, post has got 433 +1s including mine. Jeff is now a star on Google+. The screenshot shows build version JWR66N and the recently leaked Android 4.3 ROM for Galaxy S4 Play edition has same build version.

Jeff has managed to get a system dump of the phone. These dump files can be downloaded from here. Though these are not easy to use for daily life, but installation is easy. We all are waiting for official release of Android 4.3, and we may see it on July 24. 

Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa is going to see an upgrade

Exynos Octa, world's so called Octa core mobile processor from Samsung. It hit the market with galaxy S4. Now it is going to get an upgrade. Samsung has recently announced that it is going to release an enhanced version of Exynos 5 Octa SoC. 

If you don't know then, Exynos 5 Octa is not a real Octa core-processor. Though it has eight cores, but they are divided in two groups of four. One group has 4 1.6-1.8 GHz ARM Cortex A15 cores while the other one has 4 1.2-1.4 GHz ARM Cortex A7 cores. This is known as big.LITTLE architecture. While the four "big" ARM Cortex-A15 cores would process computation-intensive tasks such as extensive gaming and media-rich browsing, the four "LITTLE" ARM Cortex-A7 cores would handle the lighter workloads. All of the eight cores are not working at the same time. 

It is expected to see boosted speed, clock frequency and performance in "Evolved" Exynos 5 Octa. Leaked Specs say that next generations Exynos 5 Octa will have name Samsung Exynos 5420. It seems that Samsung will launch rumored Galaxy Note III with this next generation Exynos 5 SoC, in IFA 2013.

HTC One Mini hands on videos by different Tech gropus

So, HTC One mini is official. It is a beautiful phone having same metal body with design similar to HTC One. It is loaded with 1 GHz dual core Snapdragon 400, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB of storage. Camera is also similar to that of HTC One i.e. 4 Ultrapixels. Front camera is of 1.6 MP. Display size is of 4.3" with 720p at 341 ppi. It runs on Android 4.2.2 and Sense UI is also present. This phone doesn't have NFC and IR blaster, but this is done to reduce the costs. 

Two color shades will be available same as that of One, Glacial Silver and Stealth Black. It is a perfect phone to beat Samsung Galaxy S4. This announcement probably had made Samsung to think and research more. HTC says that it will hit market in August. 

Let's have a look at the hands on videos

1. Android Central: HTC One Mini hands-on preview 

2. TechnoBuffalo: HTC One Mini Hands-On 

3. The Verge: HTC One Mini Hands-On

4. Engadget: HTC One mini: Flagship looks, UltraPixel camera and 4.3-inch 720p display hands-on 

5. Slashgear: HTC One mini hands-on SlashGear

HTC officially announces flagship device One mini

HTC on Thursday has finally announced its latest flagship smartphone, One Mini, officially. This puts end to the rumors about the device. It's not a surprise as we've already a teaser infographic hinting about the arrival of HTC One Mini. Mini version of HTC One has smaller specs than its elder brother, but this is done due to cut the costs, as said by HTC.

It has same design like One and has same BoomBox sound dual speaker grills on front panel. It has screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 341 pixels-per-inch or ppi. Display size is reduced to 4.3 inches. One Mini is powered by 1.4 GHz dual core Snapdragon 400 processor which has already shown its specialty in Galaxy S4 Mini. The point to be noted is Galaxy S4 and HTC One are powered by Snapdragon S4 processor while Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini are loaded with Snapdragon 400. Instead of 2 GB RAM on One, HTC has added 1 GB DDR2 RAM on One Mini. One Mini has same unibody metal design like that of One. Back of the device is little more curvy than elder brother. It has smaller memory option as 16 GB is the internal memory without option to expand. 

It has same 4 Ultrapixel camera as elder brother with 1/3" BSI sensor. It is capable of shooting 1080p videos. Front camera is of 1.6 MP. Zoe is also present to take 30 seconds of videos that consist of consisted shoot photos. LED flash is placed on the top alignment of the camera instead of that side placement on One. Optical Zoom is not present so it will take more effort by the users to take stable pictures. Well, a software support is added to let users capture stable images. NFC and IR blaster have said good bye. 

Connectivity options are as Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-FI a/b/g/n with DLNA and GPS + GLONASS. One Mini weighs 122 gm and measures 132 x 63.2 x 9.25. Battery capacity of the phone is 1,800 mAh. HTC has added gyro, accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors.

On talking about Software side, it runs on Android 4.2.2 with HTC's very own Sense 5.0 UI. Blinkfeed, the feed service from HTC One is also present. According to the company users will feel the same experience on using HTC One. 

There will be two color options: Glacial Silver and Stealth Black, like regular One. Company said that it will hit the market in August. The first countries to get it in Europe will be the "key markets" of Germany and the UK.

Key specs of HTC One Mini

• Dimensions: 132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm
• 4.3" 720p display at 341 ppi
• 1.4 GHz dual core Snapdragon 400
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5.0 UI
• Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-FI a/b/g/n, DLNA
• 16 GB internal memory (non-expandable)
• 4 Ultrapixel rear camera
• 1.6 MP front camera
• Battery 1,800 mAH
• Weighs 122 gm

Images via The Verge (Click to get full view)

Next Nexus 7 leaked images and video hit the web

Here's a good news guys. First probable images of purported Nexus 7 have hit the web. thanks to Android Central, who brought us these pics, and these look, ehm, nice. ASUS will be manufacturer of it and next Nexus 7 will be sold  alongside original Nexus 7. It will not replace its predecessor. 

Google hasn't officially announced it. Remember it's just a leak. So the specs are not confirmatory. As shown in the labels the device will be manufactured by ASUS as ME571K_PR1_SKU2. It should be the one of the 16 GB and 32 GB, as we reported earlier that there will be two version of Nexus 7. Next Nexus 7 has 7" LCD display with a new pair of cameras. This time a rear camera is also added, of course it was a requirement. Front camera is of 1.2 MP by LITEONMOBILE and rear is of 5 MP by Chicony. It has a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. We're not sure about the RAM, but most probably it will be 2 GB.

It is not sure that how much storage will it have, but we expect to have 16 GB and 32 GB onboard. MicroUSB slot is in the center of bottom edge. 3.5 mm headphone jack is in the same corner as rear camera. Power button and volume rocker keys aren't dis-positioned, they are at their earlier place. One more thing is added- Dual Speakers, or upper and lower speakers as mentioned in specs. These speakers are on the rear side of Nexus 7. 

Now talking about the Operating System it has Android 4.3 loaded. It's no surprise as we've seen a lot of rumors, leaks and reports about Android 4.3. Google has also sent invites for 24th June event. We hope it to be launched there. 

Leaked video

LG puts end to the rumors, confirms the name G2 of upcoming flagship phone

Wait has reached its end. LG has finally confirmed the name of upcoming flagship smartphone "G2". It has put an end to all the rumors of name. LG has dropped Optimus branding with this handset. Further flagship phones will have name in G series. The branding of the phones that have been already launched or announced will not be changed, they will carry their same name. LG has also confirmed that its 4:3 display phones will be branded as "Vu:" series. 

After all this re-branding scene, it doesn't mean that Optimus series is going to be stopped. A source has reported that LG will use Optimus brand fro other phones such as F & L series, except only for G series. 

Well, G2 name is confirmed only. No official specs have been revealed. As the rumors are floating on the web, it may have 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3 GB RAM, 13 MP camera and Full HD IPS display which LG has released recently. We expect it to be officially announced on August 7 event in New York. 

Leaked pics of G2 (Click to get full view)

Leaked video

Popular messaging service WhatsApp goes free for iOS

Popular messaging service Whatsapp has gone free for iOS. It's Android version was free already but the iOS versions used to cost $0.99. Whatsapp is leader among the chatting and messaging services such as Ebuddy, Line, Path, WeChat etc. It has claimed 250 million active users and every single day 27 billion messages are sent. This is really a great news for iOS users as they need to pay $0.99 for it. Whatsapp was launched in 2009 ad it earned a warm response as it freed users from sending text messages on higher carrier rates but also provided a way to send multimedia messages such as photos, videos, audio files, emoticons etc. 

Official WhatsApp Blog post

Samsung is going to launch flip-phone Galaxy Folder in South Korea

Do you remember that around 10 years ago we had clamshell phones or better known as flip phones? They were like today's smartphone for us. When the talk comes to flip phones, first phone comes in mind is Moto Razr. But today these phone are outdated. Don't you think so? f yes, then think again.

Samsung, the leading Android smartphone manufacturer is reported to be making a flip phone with a numeric keypad. According to the reports, Samsung is planning to launch this flip phone with name Galaxy Folder. It will be launched in home of Samsung that is, South Korea. It will have a touchscreen display of 800 x 480 pixels and will run on Android 4.2.2. Galaxy Folder will be loaded with dual core Snapdragon S4 processor and even will be equipped with LTE radio. 

It is a totally different move from the Samsung. Even it is risky. Samsung has contracted Jackie Chan for the branding as shown in the above picture. There's no word for the official launch. Do you think Samsung will change the game with launch of Galaxy Folder? Will it again rise the era of flip phones? Share with us below.

HTC One Max specs leaked, may be launched in IFA 2013

I think it is the time for large screen phones or popularly called as phablets. Don't you? Ok, let us have a look. Samsung has massive screen phones: Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Mega 5.8, Galaxy Mega 6.3. Sony also have a latest launched Xperia Z Ultra with 6.4" display. HTC seems to be joining the class with it's upcoming rumored smartphone HTC One Max which is said to have 6" screen.

According to the German website Mobile Geeks, HTC is planning to launch a 6" screen size phablet named as HTC One  Max. It is expected to hit the official announcement in September when IFA 2013 will take place in Berlin, Germany. HTC One Max will have few different specs from its predecessor. It will be loaded with 2.3 Ghz Snapdragon 800 CPU with Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB RAM. It will ofcourse feature Ultrapixel camera and a 2.1 MP front facing camera. Storage options will be as 32 and 64 GB internal memory without option of expanding via SD card. Battery will be of 3,200 mAh. 

HTC ONE Max will give Tough Competition to Galaxy Note III

Rumors also report that it wil be dual SIM phone. Undoubtedly Sense 5 will be present on the top of Android OS. It may be possible that we'll see a Play Edition of this phone. IFA 2013 will see launch of lot of new phones such as Sony Xperia i1 or Honami, Samsung Galaxy Note III, HTC One Max and more.