Apple’s New Brazilian Retail Store Opens Its Doors [iOS Blog]
Apple’s first retail store in Brazil opened in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, with approximately 1,700 customers waiting in line for the grand opening (via The Globe]. Customers started queueing up on Thursday night for the Saturday morning debut, with groups waiting both inside and outside the Village Mall.
The opening of the Rio de Janeiro store was announced last week on the company’s website and is Apple’s first store in Latin America. The store has a fairly unique single floor, pavilion-style design with a curved glass exterior. Unlike most other Apple retail stores, the Rio de Janeiro location features a split-concept layout where one half of the store is dedicated to product demonstrations while the other half is focused on accessory sales and services.
Speaking to Brazilian news site The Globe, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed that Brazil was an increasingly important market for Apple. The Rio de Janeiro store is part of a larger plan to tap into the Latin American market, which traditionally has been a weak market for Apple due to the high import taxes levied on electronic devices.
Apple will be selling its full product lineup in the Rio store, including the iPhone 5S starting at the equivalent of $1,174, with high taxes making it the most expensive Apple retail store for iPhone purchases (via Bloomberg).
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HTC set to unveil mid-tier Desire 8 on February 24th
Though we were quite smitten by leaked photos of HTC’s upcoming mid-range Desire 8, it’s always prudent to hold out for something that’s actually official. Now HTC has all but confirmed the phone’s existence on its Weibo page with the same image but a different announcement date of February 24th in Beijing. So far the rumor mill has pegged it as a 5.5-inch handset with on-screen buttons and a 13-megapixel rear/5-megapixel front camera, which seems to jibe with “super-super” camera tease (after the break). There’s no pricing or arrival date outside of China, but at this point, each new product seems critical for the beleaguered company.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)
Source: HTC (Weibo)
SlickLogin acquired by Google for sound-based authentication
Security is always a topic of hot discussion, and more so with a company like Google who host a lot of your information under one roof when it comes to Google+ and Gmail. It’s also of no secret that passwords are not secure, despite popular belief – every password can be brute-forced/guessed eventually.
With Google’s recent acquisition of SlickLogin, it seems Google are trying to move away from traditional passwords in an attempt to make logins and the information they protect more secure.
SlickLogin is a two-factor authentication system for your computer that uses your smartphone as the authenticator using inaudible tones to identify who you are. Your computer will play a series of tones that the human ear cannot distinguish, but your phone can, in order to authenticate you. Your device will analyse these tones and send back an authentication token back to the computer to proceed with the login.
Today we`re announcing that the SlickLogin team is joining Google, a company that shares our core beliefs that logging in should be easy instead of frustrating, and authentication should be effective without getting in the way. Google was the first company to offer 2-step verification to everyone, for free – and they’re working on some great ideas that will make the internet safer for everyone. We couldn`t be more excited to join their efforts.
Whilst this is not a move away from passwords completely – and it’ll probably be a while before this fully happens – it does show Google is taking security seriously and trying to find alternative ways of authenticating a user by using an additional secure peripheral.
I have a feeling security is going to play a big part in the next released version of Android 5.0.
The post SlickLogin acquired by Google for sound-based authentication appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The first limited edition PS4 is a regular PS4 with a gold sticker
Despite Japan’s rich gaming culture, the new consoles that’ve taken pride of place in your living room are still considered next-gen in the Land of the Rising Sun. While Microsoft still hasn’t offered a firm date for the Xbox One‘s arrival, Sony’s PlayStation 4 makes its Japanese debut this coming weekend. Now, as reparations for the three-month delay, Sony and the snake-charmers (read: game devs) at Kojima Productions have partnered on the first limited edition PS4 console that’ll launch exclusively in Japan on March 20th. This “Fox Edition” PS4 has been crafted to celebrate the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, a copy of which’ll be bundled with the console for 46,980 yen (around $462) — the regular console will retail for 41,979 yen (around $413) sans game, since you asked. Unfortunately, this first limited run PS4 is less impressive re-skinning effort, and more, well, boring sticker.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Kojima Productions (Twitter), Sony
IDC: Samsung dominated Greater China smartphone shipments again in Q4 2013
According to the latest IDC figures provided to Engadget, Samsung continued to perform well in Greater China — as in mainland China and Taiwan combined — in terms of smartphone shipment. In mainland China last quarter, the Korean giant topped the chart with a 19 percent market share, followed by Lenovo at 13 percent and Coolpad at 11 percent. IDC’s Senior Research Manager Melissa Chau pointed out that compared to a year ago, the top three vendors remained in the same positions, but ZTE has since slipped from fourth place to out of top five, thus letting Huawei and Apple move up one place. Chau added that Apple’s shipment was also boosted by the full rollout of the iPhone 5s and 5c to its other channels in China since late Q3.
While Xiaomi is nowhere to be seen in mainland China’s top five, it’s managed to nab three percent of the Taiwanese market to secure fifth place last quarter. This is no doubt thanks to the recent launch of the Redmi aka Hongmi budget phone there, with help from local carrier Far EasTone. But Chau cautioned that it’s still early days for Xiaomi, for it “just barely edged out LG” in Taiwan, plus it’s a long way behind HTC in fourth place. What’s more worrying is that Acer isn’t even in the top six in its home town, which is just one of the many signs showing how it desperately needed the restructuring.
With the full rollout of TD-LTE plus Lenovo bringing Motorola back into mainland China, it’ll be interesting to see how the landscape changes again a year from now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Apple SVP of Design Jony Ive Removed from Leadership Webpage
Apple Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive has been removed from Apple’s Leadership webpage in the past few hours with no explanation. However, his profile still remains at its original URL and can also be viewed on Apple’s last updated Leadership page through Google’s cache.
Ive currently oversees Apple’s Industrial Design Group and is the leader of the company’s Human Interface division, a position he took in October 2012 after then-Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall was forced out of the company. Ive spearheaded the effort behind iOS 7, which was released last September and featured a completely new design in addition to various other tweaks.
Last year, Apple Senior Vice President Bob Mansfield was removed from Apple’s website entirely, although it was revealed soon after that Mansfield would be stepping down from Apple’s executive team to work on special products and report directly to CEO Tim Cook.
Ive has been very instrumental in Apple’s success since assuming his role after the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, as he has designed Apple’s most successful products including the iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
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Importance of online tools for Website analysis
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Some ways to get your website validation
validator.w3.org
This is a modern tool for on-line web site validation for SEO and different functions. Checks websites for his or her entire markup, HTML/HTML for errors, syntax and website analysis as conjointly ASCII text file analysis. The tool is economical in providing deep analysis and thorough suggestions to the user.
accesskeys.org
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motoricerca.info
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webaim.org
This free internet accessibility analysis tool is named WebAIM. The tool provides a close internet accessibility report that’s straightforward. conjointly indicates the first webpage along with icons and indicators revealing accessibility of a given page. The tool is veritably effective for evaluating and providing decent report on webpage analysis for user.
The tools for navigating through webpage analysis Associate in Nursing validations are varied and supply an analytic finding of overall webpage and web site analysis. during this article, we’ve mentioned the ten on-line tools for web site validation. Readers of the article square measure invited to submit their comments and views. Though we are suggesting here with some sites but if you want to get more information on website analysis, I would refer to go and see webmarketingexperts.com.au reviews.
Is HTC planning to announce a HTC warranty plan on Feb 18th?
Something that many Android manufacturers lack is an extended warranty service; when compared to the Applecare service that Apple offers for all its products, Android OEMs might even appear like they shy away from post-release maintenance. One particular example of this is the well-documented outcry when Samsung refused to replace Galaxy S4 Active units that suffered water damage despite advertising that the unit had IP67 rating water protection. Well, HTC might be moving to rectify this with their own devices with a HTC warranty plan if their latest tweet is to be interpreted as such.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you a broken phone, look forward to what’s coming on 2/18. pic.twitter.com/pAK8qU8MW1
— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) February 16, 2014
While the metaphor in the tweet probably isn’t the most perfect one (what do you make with broken phones?), it does look like HTC is suggesting that they will be announcing some kind of repair or warranty service come the 18th of February. I think most of us can agree this is a move in the right direction for HTC, and hopefully, other manufacturers should they follow suit. The tweet did come from @HTCUSA which might suggest that the service will only be available in America at first, but we’ll see what they say in a few days.
What do you think HTC is about to announce on Feb 18th? Would you be more likely to buy HTC if they had a HTC warranty plan? Let us know what you think.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
Source: Twitter via Android Ice Cream Sandwich
[LEAK] Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 specs get leaked, could be getting even Thinner
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z was a very impressive release in May 2013, showing great hardware and typically premium Sony construction, but by now, the tablet is starting to show its age. Until recently, we have heard neither hide nor hair of a replacement Sony tablet, assumed to be called the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2, but @evleaks has given us something to mull over today. Evleaks has tweeted out today what could be the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 specs which include a quadcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and a 10.1-inch 1920×1200 Triluminos display.
Sony XPERIA Z2 tablet: SD800 (2.3GHz x4), 10.1″ 1920×1200 Triluminos, 3GB/16GB/microSD, 8MP/2MP, 6000mAh, 6.4mm, KK 4.4, waterproof.
— @evleaks (@evleaks) February 17, 2014
The rest of the specs are padded out by 3GB RAM, 16GB storage, 6,000mAh battery and Android KitKat. Quite notable is the reference to the alleged thickness of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 at 6.4mm which is another 0.5mm thinner than the already paper thin Sony Xperia Tablet Z; the tablet is also tipped to have the tell-tale water resistance of its Xperia Z compatriots. If these specs turn out to be true, this will make the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 a very compelling large screened option for the remainder of 2014.
Would you consider getting the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 if it had the specs leaked by evleaks? Let us know what you think below in the comments.
Source: Twitter
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