11 Best iPad Apps of 2013

Disney Animated

There’s something very special about the Disney Animated iPad app, which brings a series of never-before-seen items from its archives right into your hands. More than 750 animation clips, 150 images and early-stage character sketches fill the screen; a color map takes the frames from each Disney movie and shrinks them down into interactive images. Even non-Disney enthusiasts will be entertained for hours. But the magic will cost you $13.99.


Heads Up!

This app ($0.99), which was created by Ellen DeGeneres, gained popularity when she started playing it with guests on her talk show. From naming celebrities and animals to singing songs and assuming different accents, players must name the card shown on the screen.

The Particles


The Particles iPad app ($7.99), created by Science Photo Library, is a physic geek’s dream, but it's not intimating to a more general audience. The app is packed with information about the five types of particles in science and organizes them into a colorful pie chart that responds to touch.

Lords of Waterdeep

This The Dungeons & Dragons board game debuted on iOS in November, bringing its strategy-intensive game to app form for $6.99. The plot centers on a city run by a society of masked lords who rule with shady political power. Each player is a lord who recruits characters to complete requests for him and gain influence over the land.

QuizUp

QuizUp recently launched in November and has already taken over most of our free time. The free and addictive trivia game lets you challenge friends and strangers on topics ranging from British royals, baseball and wine to Star Trek, zombies and romantic comedies.

Infinity Blade III

This third installment of Infinity Blade ($6.99) was announced on stage during an Apple event in September because it takes full advantage of the device’s new A7 64-bit processor -- and now, the iPad Air’s chip, too. Either way, though, iPad users will be entranced by the quest to hunt down the missing infinity weapons.

1Password

The popular app 1Password got a reboot in 2013, so it's now easier for you to remember just one master password. (The app stores all your longer, more complicated passwords.) It also comes with a built-in browser, so you can go online, log into different sites and access your vault data without ever leaving the app. Security simplified for $17.99.

Amateur Surgeon 3

This free app, created by cable network Adult Swim, turns you into a rookie surgeon who saves lives with tools like a pizza cutter, stapler and car battery. Your patients include a mutant bear with a chainsaw, radioactive bats and inept criminals.

Ridiculous Fishing

Ridiculous Fishing ($2.99), once a flash-based PC game, arrived for iOS this year with its unique, charming graphics and simple concept: shooting sea creatures. You'll won't want to stop playing until you beat the game.

Duolingo

Duolingo (free) adds gaming elements to learning new languages, which proves more challenging with age. You win rewards by passing levels, and an adorable furry creature coaches and keeps you on track. Languages include Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English.

The company also recently launched a language incubator platform, which is a crowdsourced teaching platform with free online classes.

Angry Birds Star Wars

Sure, Angry Birds apps are hardly new, but the Star Wars edition ($0.99) breathes new life into the franchise. You'll power up lightsabers and use Jedi powers to take on the Empire's evil Pigtroopers and, of course, Darth Vader -- the Dark Lord of the Pigs. So long, productivity!

Hotel Tonight

Last-minute hotel booking app Hotel Tonight launched in 2011, but didn't gain significant traction until this year. It not only gained $45 million in funding, but also expanded its international presence, especially in Europe. The free app is simple to navigate and offers travelers a way to check hotel pricing and availability for same-night stays nearby.

Re.mu

Remember Plurk, the social network once considered a rival to Twitter, along with other microblogging sites like Heello, FriendFeed and the late Rejaw? Plurk is still trucking along with 10 million users (and recent funding from W.I. Harper) and now its founder, Alvin Woon, is working on Re.mu, his new fashion-based startup.

Re.mu is a mobile- and web-based social network that is targeted at the kind of style lover who would rather browse thrift stores and Etsy than covet high-end designer items. Woon says he wanted to create a site that would attract users who are already showing off their daily outfits on platforms like Instagram. Re.mu’s seed investors include Taipei-based TMI Holdings and KAMIA.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 - Curved Display

The Samsung Galaxy S5 incorporating a 5.25in AMOLED display has entered mass production, according to the Korean DDaily. Besides, the display will feature QHD (Quad HD) resolution, at 2560 x 1440 pixels, giving it a pixel density of 560 pixels per inch (ppi). The resolution of QHD display is twice higher than that of the HD display (1280 x 720 pixels).

The QHD display of Galaxy S5 has a diamond pixel arrangement like the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3, which is green pixels interleaved with alternating red and blue pixels, but each red and blue pixels shaped like a diamond for better sharpeness and pixel density, explains Sammobile.

The latest revelation also suggests an LCD variant of the next Galaxy S smartphone might be in the works.

As for other features, the Galaxy S5 has been rumoured to be equipped with Snapdragon 800/805 processor or 64-bit Exynos processor and paired with 3GB RAM. It is expected to pack a 16 megapixel rear-camera. It will run on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Earlier, Samsung has been reported to be planning for a metal build for its upcoming flagship. Catcher, a Taiwanese company was expected to supply a certain amount of the required metal housings (which is about 10 to 30 million units) this month, while Chinese company BYD and Taiwan's Ju Teng would be contracted for supply of the remaining units.

Samsung is expected to make an announcement about the Galaxy S5 at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC) event, scheduled to be held in February.

Kate Middleton Pregnant With Baby No. 2

She looked absolutely beautiful and glowing, and her hand rested only on her stomach for most of the night,” . “There was definitely what seemed to be a little bump showing already. And William was so tentative to her, quietly whispering to Kate and asking if she wanted to sit down or needed a sip of water. It was so sweet"



Kate’s only about three months along, so she hasn’t told many people yet, a source added, claiming that she’s only just confirmed it with her doctor.


Their immediate families are obviously thrilled beyond words when the couple told them news,” a Palace insider adds. “The other royals, including William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, were let in on Kate’s wonderful secret during their Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 18 — and the entire family is now sworn to keeping it quiet so that an official announcement can be made in the New Year.

Will & Kate’s Baby Name Choices

Kate is hoping for a little girl, and if she gets her wish they will of course choose a family name.

“Kate’s mum Carole Middleton, has already been pushing for the baby to be named after William’s late mother, Diana, as a beautiful tribute,” the source told Star. “But Kate and William would also consider Elizabeth or Philippa. If it’s a boy however, they’re thinking Charles, Henry, Philip or Spencer.”

The royal couple isn't only expanding their family but also their living space, While they currently live in a 20-room apartment in Kensington Palace, they will most likely move to Anmer Hall, a larger space on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Miley Cyrus Writhes On Bed, Caresses Self in "Adore You"

Microsoft offers 20GB free SkyDrive

During the festive season, Microsoft is playing Santa to all Windows Phone customers as the company has announced that it will be offering 20GB of free SKY DRIVE storage to them. But it should be noted that the online space will only be available to you for about a year, after which the Redmond-based company may even ask you to return it back to them.

Nevertheless, you at least will have additional space to store your digital content on the cloud, without having to pay anything extra for the same. Windows Phone users already get 7GB of SKY DRIVE storage with their respective handheld devices and this 20GB space will be in addition to this. The offer is valid only for a limited period of time.

Microsoft sent out emails to all of its customers to inform them about their Christmas gift. Interested customers will have to click on the link in the email in order to activate the extra storage. And as we said, it is a limited time offer, so people are requested to get the storage before January 31.

As you may already know, SKY DRIVE has been built into all WP devices and can easily be launched on the phone. Users can choose to save all of their digital content like music, pictures, videos, documents and more directly to the cloud service by changing the settings on the phone. Also, it can be accessed via a web browser through any internet-enabled gadget or via dedicated Sky Drive apps on phones running other platforms.

LG Nexus 5

PRICE : Rs 28 k to 30k


GENERAL :- 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions
                                        CDMA 800 / 1900 - North America version
                     3G Network HSDPA 800 / 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 900 - North America version
                    HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
                   4G Network LTE 700 / 800 / 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - North America version
                   LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

SIM    :-  Micro-SIM

Announced :- 2013, October

Status Available. Released 2013, November

BODY :- Dimensions 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm (5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 in)
Weight 130 g (4.59 oz)

DISPLAY :- Type True HD IPS+ capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 1080 x 1920 pixels, 4.95 inches (~445 ppi pixel density)

Multitouch :- Yes

Protection :- Corning Gorilla Glass 3

SOUND :- Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones

Loudspeaker :- Yes

3.5mm jack :-Yes

MEMORY Card slot :- No

Internal 16/32 GB, 2 GB RAM

DATA :- GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 ,EDGE Class 12

Speed :-  DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL

WLAN :- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth :- Yes, v4.0 with A2DP

NFC :- Yes

USB :- Yes, microUSB (SlimPort) v2.0, USB Host, USB On-the-go

CAMERA :- Primary 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, optical image stabilization, LED flash, check quality
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere, HDR, dual recording
Secondary Yes, 1.3 MP

Video :- Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality

 OS :  Android OS, v4.4 (KitKat), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)

Chipset : - Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800

CPU :-Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400

GPU :- Adreno 330

Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS

Browser :- HTML5

Radio :- No

GPS :- Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Colors Black, White
  - Wireless charging
- SNS integration
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP4/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document editor
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input

BATTERY  :- Non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery
Stand-by (2G) / Up to 300 h (3G)
Talk time (2G) / Up to 17 h (3G)
MISC SAR US 0.92 W/kg (head)     1.23 W/kg (body)  
SAR EU 0.49 W/kg (head)     0.48 W/kg (body)
TESTS Display Contrast ratio: 967:1 (nominal) / 2.228:1 (sunlight)
Loudspeaker Voice 65dB / Noise 64dB / Ring 65dB
Audio quality Noise -93.3dB / Crosstalk -94.3dB
Camera Photo / Video
Battery life Endurance rating 40h

OKdothis

Take a picture of footprints. Take a photo of something that represents your life right now. Throw a glass of water in your face.

These are among the several thousand ideas offered on OKdothis, a new mobile app created by celebrity photographer and humanitarian Jeremy Cowart and Nashville app company Aloompa. By prompting users to post ideas, or “dos,” and to post photos in response to the prompts of others, the app sets out to conquer creative block.

“It’s a community of ideas,” said Cowart, a Nashville native whose portfolio includes photos of Taylor Swift, Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others in the entertainment industry.

OKdothis is not just for photographers, but much like photo-sharing service Instagram, it gives anyone with an iPhone the chance to enjoy photos and create visuals. The app includes several categories and idea threads.

It might offer up quotes or lyrics that allow people to illustrate given lines with images. Cowart said one person described it as similar to a photo caption coming before the photo, allowing app users to translate what the words mean to them.

The idea stems from Cowart’s experience teaching photography classes, as people often ask him how he comes up with ideas for what his subjects should do. While most people know a good photo idea when they see it, coming up with actions or poses for subjects can be a difficult part of the process. He thought about creating a “Jeremy Cowart idea app,” through which he would share his approach to photos, but quickly determined that, given his limited pool of ideas, “that would be the worst app ever.”

“Instead, we decided it should be an idea pool where anybody can add ideas and anybody else can do those ideas,” he said. “Most people aren’t super conceptually driven, you could say. This is a place to get your creative mind going.”

App is now free

Cowart partnered with Aloompa — which creates festival apps for concert events, including Bonnaroo and the CMA Music Festival — to begin working on the app in 2010. They launched the iPhone version in November, the week of Thanksgiving. It was ranked fourth among paid apps in Apple’s iTunes the day after it was released, and the app has since become free.

“It was really fun to see all the photos pour in,” Kurt Nelson, president of Aloompa, said of the release week.

Thousands of photos were uploaded on Thanksgiving Day, some 1,500 responding to an “I’m thankful for” prompt. Others posted photos with a grandparent based on another, more specific “do.” Those yielded special family photos that may not have been taken without the OKdothis prompt, Nelson said.

Cowart also pointed to the community that develops with each “do” as friends, family members or even fellow sports team fans connect through the app by following the prompts in a creative way. “Literally, every ‘do’ is creating a community,” he said.

Cowart has created about 300 “dos” that others can follow, and those that generated his favorite responses include instructions to capture a mother/daughter or father/son moment, to “take a photo of a circle” and to post the image that comes to mind if they were going down in a plane crash. It was, admittedly, a morbid idea that yielded some beautiful images, he said.

In addition to making a living taking professional photos, Cowart founded Help-Portrait, a organization of volunteer photographers that portrays communities in Nashville and around the world, giving those photos to the subjects. He decided to enter the app-development industry, as well, after seeing the interest in photo sharing and the pervasive use of mobile phones for taking photos.

“The mobile community is really where photography is going,” he said. “I really embrace the idea of everybody having a camera and everybody being able to document their lives. It’s really an exciting time, and I wanted to be a part of that movement.”

Justin Bieber announces his retirement

Just last week, Bieber had told a Los Angeles radio station he planned to quit. "After the new album, I'm actually retiring, man. I'm retiring," he told Power 106 on December 17. However, he then suggested that was not, in fact, the case. "I want to grow as an artist, and I'm taking a step out, I want my music to mature," he added

Justin Bieber        ✔ @justinbieber

Follow

My beloved beliebers I'm officially retiring

8:50 AM - 25 Dec 2013

Samsung GALAXY S4

Network/Bearer and Wireless Connectivity

2G 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz
3G 850/900/1,900/2,100MHz
Wi-Fi Direct Yes
OS
Android
Display
Color Depth 16M
Size 12.7cm
Resolution 1920 x 1080
Chipset
CPU Type 1.6GHz Quad Core + 1.2GHz Quad Core Processor
Camera
Camera Resolution(Front) CMOS, 2MP
Camera Resolution(Rear) CMOS, 13MP
Flash Power LED (1EA)
Auto Focus Yes
Sensors
Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic, Gyro-sensor, Light Sensor, Pressure sensor, Proximity Sensor, Gesture Sensor
Physical Specification
Dimension(HxWxD) 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm
Weight 130g
Connectors
Earjack 3.5mm
External Memory Slot MicroSD Slot (up to 64GB)
Connector Micro USB (5V, 2A)
Battery
Standard Battery 2,600mAh
Internet Usage Time(3G) Up to 8 hours
Internet Usage Time(WI-FI) Up to 10 hours
Video Playback Time Up to 11 hours
Audio Playback Time Up to 62 hours
USB Chargeable Yes
Talk Time(W-CDMA) Up to 17 hours
Standby Time(W-CDMA) Up to 370 hours
Services and Applications
Samsung Apps Yes
ActiveSync Yes  

Dhoom 3

Dhoom 3 box office collections at record breaking Rs 200 cr in just 4 days

Dhoom 3 has fulfilled forecasts of the industry pundits to complete record breaking five days at the at the box office as the action thriller film, starring Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif, crossed the coveted Rs 200 crore mark in worldwide collections in just four days.

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Security Flaw

Samsung Galaxy S4 has a big security flaw: Israeli researchers

Israeli researchers have identified a vulnerability in Samsung's Galaxy S4 that allegedly allows a hacker to easily intercept secure data.

The Israeli security team said vulnerability in Samsung's Knox security platform enables malicious software to track e-mails and record data communications.

According to CNET, the Knox software offers high-level encryption, a VPN feature, and a way to separate personal data from work data.

It also enables IT administrators to manage a mobile device through specific policies.

Knox-enabled devices have already been approved by the Pentagon for government use.

The alleged vulnerability was discovered earlier this month by researchers at Ben-Gurion University's Cyber Security Labs.

According to the report, they said that while the Knox is the most advanced security-driven infrastructure for mobile phones, the alleged flaw enables malicious software to track e-mails and record data communications.

The flaw was uncovered by Ph. D. student Mordechai Guri during an unrelated research task.

How To DELETE FACEBOOK Account

STEP BY STEP

Save any data you need. Before you delete your account, save any photos and contact information you need from your account. You will lose access to all of this when you delete your account.

• You can download a copy of all of your Facebook data through the Account Settings. Click on the Gear icon in the upper-right corner to access it. Click the link that says “Download a copy of your Facebook data”.
  
• Download individual pictures by clicking the Download link at the bottom when you open them.

Clear your Facebook history. You can open the Activity Log to undo all of your previous actions on Facebook, such as liking posts and comments you’ve made. This will help ensure that as little data about you remains as possible after your account is deleted.

• To access the Activity Log, click the Privacy button in the top-right corner. Select “Who can see my stuff?” Click the link for the Activity Log. Here you can choose which parts of your activity you would like to delete.

Visit the Delete Account page. This page cannot be accessed through Facebook unless you search for it. You can also follow this link. Click the “Delete my Account” button to start the account deletion process

Enter your password and the CAPTCHA. Once you have entered these, press “Okay” to permanently delete your account. You will need to wait 14 days for the deletion to take effect.

• You need to have access to your Facebook account in order to delete it this way. If you can’t remember your password, use Facebook’s password reset service before deleting your account.

Try a temporary deactivation instead of deleting your account.

• Click the Settings icon and select Account Settings.
  
• Open the Security section from the left menu.
  
• Click the “Deactivate your account” link
  
• Fill out the form for deactivating your account. You will still be able to be linked in posts and messaged, though you will not receive notifications about it.

Hike Last Seen

HIKE

However, unlike other apps, we don’t expose your last online data to just about everyone. Only people you've added to your“Friends” list can see when you were last seen, and vice versa. You can turn OFF/ON the last seen from your Settings anytime!

However, unlike other apps, we don’t expose your last online data to just about everyone. Only people you've added to your“Friends” list can see when you were last seen, and vice versa. You can turn OFF/ON the last seen from your Settings anytime!

How to Turn off Last Seen:

For Android:

Tap on menu options > Settings > Privacy > Un-tick 'Show Last Seen'

For iOS:

To turn off Last Seen, open your left drawer > Settings > Account > turn off 'Last Seen'

Normandy NOKIA X

The Normandy, previously known as the 'Asha on Linux project' and "MView", is a low-end Andriod  device under development by Nokia.

Nokia may not have officially revealed plans for making Android devices, but rumors about the company's first Android-powered smartphone, thought to be code named Normandy, are buzzing again.

 Nokia's alleged first Android smartphone, Normandy in various color variants. The tweet reads, "Nokia Normandy, 2013" and includes the purported render of the device. It also indicates that Nokia might launch the alleged Normandy by end of this year.

The Nokia Normandy's leaked render shows the yet-to-announced device sporting a similar design to the Asha touch range of phones. There is a physical back button on the front panel of the alleged Normandy, as seen in leaked render. The rear panel is seen with the camera accompanied by the Nokia logo branding in the middle. The rumored Nokia Normandy can be expected to come in Black, Cyan, Mint Green, Red, Yellow and White colors, if the leaked render is believed.

If the rumors turn out to be true, Nokia, which has been supporting the Windows Phone platform like a lone ranger, might be finally changing gears and entering Android segment with its first device.

Earlier, a report had claimed that the NORMANDY in 2014 and described the Nokia Normandy efforts as 'full steam ahead'. The report also revealed that Nokia, following the lead of Amazon, has been working on a fully-tailored or forked version of Android, like the software on the online retail giant's Kindle Fire tablet range.

Further, the alleged Nokia low  segment as an Asha-equivalent smartphone, but with access to more traditional smartphone apps - a benefit that the report suggested has been missing in Nokia's dated Series 40-based Asha phones.