Secusmart develops Vodafone anti-eavesdropping Secure Call Service
Secusmart, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, announced today that it has collaborated with Vodafone Germany to deliver a service that offers corporate users a new, powerful encryption solution for maximum voice communications security. This collaboration demonstrates BlackBerry’s continued commitment to focus on highly secure and cross-platform solutions.
Samsung and IKEA will bring wireless charging to your couch. Literally
IKEA has plans to include this technology INSIDE its furniture! Futuristic indeed!
Despite the fact that wireless charging has been included on Android devices for some time now, it’s never really taken off in perhaps the same way phone and accessory manufacturers hoped. There are a number of possible reasons for this, including the costs associated with buying a Qi-compatible charger, or the very cases we keep our phones in to protect them that negate the battery replenishing feature. Perhaps it’s simply that your wireless charger is at your desk but you want to top-up while on the sofa. Samsung and Ikea hear you.
Announced at MWC in Barcelona, Korea’s largest OEM and Sweden’s most famous furniture store are bring a brand new partnership to your living room. And bedroom. And well, just about any room in your house or office. Starting next month, IKEA will begin selling furniture with wireless charging capabilities in Europe and North America, with a global rollout thereafter. This coincides nicely with the April 10th release date of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
Just imagine all the places where wireless charging could be embedded: the sofa, the table, the carpet…
The possibilities are endless really. Imagine a table with one-or-more corners containing a “hot spot” to place your phone for power regeneration. Consider a sofa with a wireless charging module built into the arm.
While IKEA has not specified just what wireless standard it will be using in its furniture (is it the aforementioned Qi? Something different perhaps?), both of Samsung’s new flagships support the world’s first universally compatible embedded wireless charging capabilities thus it really doesn’t even matter. (Of course, those with Qi-only compatibility will want to pay close attention when additional details are provided.)
Barcelona, Spain, March 1, 2015 –Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and IKEA of Sweden usher in a new era of connectivity, expanding charging capabilities beyond fixed outlets in homes or work environments through their involvement with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). With the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge– featuring the world’s first, universally compatible embedded wireless charging technology –and IKEA’s new home furniture range for wireless charging, users will enjoy a fully plug-free charging environment at home.
Today, consumers are demanding simple and efficient charging methods to make their lives easier and more convenient. IKEA is addressing this by building wireless charging technology directly into its home furnishings, effectively turning bedside tables, lamps and desks into charging spots. This is a perfect match for the Galaxy S6 and its groundbreaking wireless technology, compatible with any wireless pad in the market, including the new furniture from IKEA. Through this, Samsung and IKEA are helping customer live a more comfortable life at home.
“Mobile devices have become a natural part of our lives – our ability to pair a simple wireless charging process with IKEA’s household furniture gives everyone the opportunity to more comfortable and conveniently enjoy their smartphone experience like never before,” said Jean-Daniel Ayme, Deputy President of European Telecommunication Operations at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung strives to deliver the best mobile experiences for consumers, especially in the comfort of their own home or office, and we have a long-term commitment to innovative charging solutions.”
”Through research and home visits, we know that people hate cable mess. They worry about not finding the charger and running out of power. Our new innovative solutions, which integrate wireless charging into home furnishings, will make life at home simpler”, says Jeanette Skjelmose, Business Area Manager Lighting and Wireless Charging, at IKEA.
The new wireless charging collection from IKEA will be available in Europe and North America in April 2015 followed by a global roll-out. Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge is announced today at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona and will be launched in the global markets starting from April 10th.
About IKEA Group
Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people and we offer well designed, functional and affordable, high quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. The IKEA Group has 319 stores in 28 countries. The IKEA Group had 716 million visits during FY14 and more than 1.5 billion visits to ikea.com. In addition there are more than 46 stores in 21 countries run by franchisees outside the IKEA Group. Some countries have two franchisees so the total number of countries with IKEA stores in February 2015 is 46.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Smart Home and Digital Health initiatives. We employ 307,000 people across 84 countries with annual sales of US $196 billion. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com
Amazon’s Echo wireless speaker will soon run custom apps
Amazon’s voice-savvy Echo speaker is only handy for a few tasks right now, but it’s about to become much more flexible. The online giant is now taking sign-ups for a beta developer kit that will let people create apps for the gadget. There aren’t many details as to what coders can do with the Echo, but it won’t be surprising if they’ll let you ask new questions, play games or take control of apps on your mobile devices. Just be patient if you aren’t a programmer — there’s no mention of when a regular developer kit will be available, and it’ll likely take a while after that before you’re using speaker-friendly software.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Cyanogen has a new look, and a new business collaborator in Qualcomm
In a huge win for Cyanogen, they have teamed up with Qualcomm to deliver the next generation of Qualcomm’s Reference Devices.
This news comes out of Mobile World Congress, taking place in Barcelona this week, and is only one of the many announcements expected to land during what is possibly the biggest news week of the year for mobile technology.
In addition to this new partnership, Cyanogen has again re-invented themselves in the graphics department. Their new identity brings at least new logo, with more to come soon.
The partnership with Qualcomm means that future Snapdragon powered Qualcomm Reference Devices, or QRDs, will ship to manufacturers running Cyanogen’s operating system. This deal covers the Snapdragon 200, 400 and 600 series QRDs, which allow manufacturers to quickly develop their own hardware, or just place their own branding on the QRD, and ship to consumer.
Previous QRDs shipped with a rather bare bones version of AOSP stream Android, with just the necessary software enhancements to support the installed hardware. Cyanogen OS will change this up a little, providing a user experience that many in the Android community deem to be among the best, indeed, one of the more popular phones of 2014, the OnePlus One, shipped with a version of Android built by Cyanogen.
This is a partnership that we will be keeping a close eye on, we are always eager to see what the next round of Snapdragon SoCs look like, and interested to see what Cyanogen will bring to the table.
What do you think is the best aspect to this partnership between Cyanogen and Qualcomm?
Cyanogen and Qualcomm Collaborate to Raise the Bar on User Experience
Cyanogen, Powers New Offering for Snapdragon Processors
Palo Alto, CA. — March 1, 2014 — At Mobile World Congress today, Cyanogen Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced details of a collaboration that will provide support for the best features and UI enhancements of the Cyanogen Operating System on certain Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors. This will be available for the upcoming release of Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) planned for April.
Cyanogen is widely known through the industry for its commercially distributed Cyanogen OS and the CyanogenMod community distribution. Through the enhanced solution, Cyanogen brings a number of feature-rich enhancements, including a new launcher and personal information management apps across dialer, messaging, contacts, and calendar. The Cyanogen OS experience arrives on the most current Android™ 5.0 Lollipop release, and will be available to device makers globally.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Qualcomm on their QRD program,” said Kirt McMaster, CEO, Cyanogen Inc. “We’re addressing the needs of device makers in developed and developing markets looking for a truly differentiated software experience that matter to consumers.”
The features and UI enhancements will be available from Cyanogen Inc. for Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors in the 200, 400 and 600 series, bringing the Cyanogen experience across multiple device tiers. Additionally, Cyanogen features such as the new Launcher will also be available for the QRD program across these tiers of Snapdragon processors. The QRD program is designed to streamline the rapid introduction of devices at lower development costs — drawing on the technical innovation and product quality that have made Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. an industry leader.
“We chose to work with Cyanogen based on their deep Android expertise and innovative approach to enhancing smartphone software,” said Jason Bremner, SVP of Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies . “By collaborating with Cyanogen, we are able to offer unique experiences to users of Snapdragon based devices.”
Through this ongoing collaboration, Cyanogen will be adding exciting new features and services in future releases as the company continues to drive advancements in mobile computing across a range of devices that incorporate Snapdragon processors.
We go hands-on with the Acer Liquid Leap+ smart activeband
Today at MWC 2015, Acer has announced their Liquid Leap+ smart wearable. It can track the user’s steps, running distance and calories burned. It also supports notifications and playback control. What’s also great is that it can sync and connect with Androis, iOS, and Windows Phone devices. See it in action in our hands-on video.
Want a slim case for your BlackBerry Classic? Give the Amzer Pudding TPU Case a try
Cases are an important part of my BlackBerry experience. Rarely will you see me leave me the house without having some kind of protection on my device. Be it a rugged, heavy-duty model, a slim profile one, or something in-between there is always a case out there for everyone. This time around I decided to go with a hybrid hard and soft gel case by Amzer. The Amzer TPU Pudding case offers the flexibility of a soft shell case but the shock absorbing power of a hard shell case.
The HP Spectre x360 is a 2-in-1 laptop that’s thin, light and has long battery life
HP has officially announced its latest Windows 8.1 laptop, the HP Spectre x360. Some information about the notebook got leaked in January, and today’s official reveal confirms most of the leak’s information, including its 2-in-1 design and a long battery life.
New OS market share data shows slight gain for Windows 8.1, Windows XP
Net Applications has posted its desktop operating system market share numbers for February 2015, showing a slight gain for Windows 8.1 worldwide. However, it also shows that the 13 year old Windows XP also went up in its market share, 10 months after Microsoft cut support for the OS.
Apple constructing new building outside Yerba Buena Center ahead of March 9 event
Ahead of their special event on March 9, Apple seems to be constructing a building outside the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. While the purpose of the building is as yet unknown, it could serve as a hands-on demonstration area.
Apple’s upcoming “Sprint Forward” event is expected to focus on the Apple Watch. The new construct outside of Yerba Buena is guarded by people identified as Apple Security, according to 9to5 Mac:
We have received images of a white building under construction behind the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts, the venue for Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event on March 9th. The tipster said that security guards are patrolling the scene, wearing ‘Apple Security’ shirts, confirming the connection between the building and Apple.
Apple built something similar outside of the Flint Center in September 2014 ahead of their event for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which also saw the debut of the Apple Watch. While this new building could serve a similar purpose, it should be noted that Apple has simply used other spaces in the Yerba Buena Center for demos at past events.
We’ll know more after the event. iMore’s own Rene Ritchie and Serenity Caldwell will be on hand on March 9 with the latest on Apple’s announcements.
Source: 9to5Mac
How to find anything on your Mac with Spotlight
Whatever you’re looking for on your Mac is only a few keystrokes away. Spotlight is a huge time saver!
You can clutter up your Dock up with icons, create aliases and click on the Applications menu in your Favorites sidebar in the Finder. But the quickest way to find what you’re looking for doesn’t require you to click at all: You can do everything right from the keyboard with Spotlight. Here’s how.
How to find stuff fast with Spotlight
- Hold down the command key and the space bar. That brings up the Spotlight search field, which looks like it appears here in Yosemite.
- Type the first few letters of the app or file you’re looking for. Spotlight scours your hard disk and pops up a list of matching files.
You have control over the order Spotlight reports results matching your search criteria. You can open the Spotlight System Preference to reorder results.
How to reorder Spotlight search results
- Press command and space.
- Type the first few letters of “spotlight.” Spotlight should find its own system preference. Open it once you see it in the menu, you can use your Mac’s cursor keys to select it, then hit return to open it.
- The Spotlight system preference shows search result order by default. Reorder it however you want.
There are times you may not want Spotlight to index certain files. Files that contain sensitive personal information you don’t want exposed accidentally. Boudoir photos. Whatever the case, you can configure Spotlight’s Privacy setting to exclude content you don’t want to be able to search for.
How to keep Spotlight out of your private files
- Open the Spotlight system preference as in the steps above.
- Click on the Privacy tab.
- Select the folder or folders you’d like to exclude. To select non-contiguous folders, hold down the command key.
- If you decide later that it’s safe for Spotlight to index the contents of these folders, simply click on the name or names of the folders you want Spotlight to index and click on the – button.
Need more tips?
Any questions? Let me know.
AIVAnet 