Nokia Unveils Its First Windows Phone 8 Devices

Microsoft News:

NEW YORK CITY – Sept. 5, 2012 – Nokia revealed two new Windows Phone 8 Lumias at a press event in New York City this morning.

From the circuit board on up, the new phones – the Nokia Lumia 820 and the Nokia Lumia 920 — were designed to take full advantage of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s forthcoming phone operating system, says Terry Myerson, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Division. At the press event, Nokia showed off the two next-generation Lumias, available in a number of colors, as well as some accessories, including a wireless chargers and speakers.

“These are exciting times around Windows Phone,” Myerson says in a blog post. “In June we showed the first glimpses of Windows Phone 8, our most innovative release ever, and one we can’t wait to get in the hands of people around the world later this year.”

The Nokia Lumias are part of a wide lineup of Windows Phone 8 phones set to hit the market later this year.

Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia, says the Lumia 920 offers Nokia PureView, cutting-edge technology that makes it possible for smartphone cameras to take the kinds of images usually only seen on a standalone SLR camera.

“With the Nokia Lumia 920 we have made it possible to shoot pictures and video at home, outdoors, in a restaurant or even at night, and come out with professional-looking results,” Harlow says.

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BBC iPlayer launches mobile-download service

BBC News:

Users of BBC catch-up service iPlayer can now download programmes to watch on phones, tablets and other mobile devices at a later date.

They can save any programme for up to 30 days - but once they hit play, have to finish watching it within a week.

Available on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, the feature will be coming to Android devices soon.

Last month alone there were 30 million requests for iPlayer programmes via a mobile or tablet, according to the BBC.

"With mobile downloads for BBC iPlayer, you can now load up your mobile phone or tablet with hours and hours of BBC television programmes, then watch them on the road, on the Tube, on a plane, without worrying about having an internet connection or running up a mobile data bill," said Daniel Danker, general manager of programmes and on-demand for the BBC.

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BBC News - Google's anti-piracy move prompts file-sharers' reply

BBC NEWS:

Two file-sharing websites claim the new way in which Google is organising its search results will drive more traffic directly to their home pages.

Websites that have been flagged for aiding access to pirated content now automatically appear lower down on Google search lists.

The Pirate Bay and Isohunt both say that Google is not their main source of traffic in any case.

YouTube videos are also subject to the new rules, says the US search giant.

Isohunt's owner had suggested that the Google-owned video clip site would be given preferential treatment because it was excluded from the firm's Transparency Report list of sites that had provoked copyright removal requests.

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Adobe Flash Player "retire" from Google Play

Adobe has stopped development of the software for mobile devices. Back in November 2011 the company had announced that it would not be supported on mobile platforms, which meant the latest Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean too would be avoided.

This halt was a part of their attempt to focuses on HTML5. The Flash Player had been popular on Google Play - with two-thirds of users giving it a top score. It is also suggested that smartphone owners who had upgraded to the latest system, Android 4.1 should uninstall the Flash Player if it was already on their device.

The best way to ensure ongoing access to Flash Player on Android 4.0 or earlier devices is to use certified devices ensuring that the Flash Player is either pre-installed by the device manufacturer or installed from Google Play Store before August 15.

Commencing on August 15, Adobe will also use the configuration settings in the Google Play Store to limit continued access to Flash Player updates to those devices that already have the player installed, but only for older versions of Android Operating System.

Two New Storage Options from Toshiba.

Source: hothardware.com

Toshiba is expanding its storage portfolio with the announcement of the Canvio Desk Desktop External Hard Drive and the Solid State Drive (SSD) PC Upgrade Kit.

Canvio Desk

Toshiba’s Canvio Desk Desktop External Hard Drive comes in 1TB, 2TB and 3TB configurations and is designed to be used right out of the box. The Canvio Desk features a USB 3.0 interface and a fan-less design. This drive comes preloaded with NTI Backup Now EZ software.

Solid State Drive (SSD) PC Upgrade Kit.

Toshiba’s Solid State Drive PC Upgrade Kit supports capacities up to 240GB and comes with all of the tools you'll need to update the drive in your notebook or PC including a data migration cable and cloning software. Three Upgrade Kits are available, with prices starting at $109.99.

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