Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus official with HSPA+ - By Aby Benedict

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, a 7-inch dual-core Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet set to go on sale by the end of October. Slightly smaller – though thicker – than the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the new Tab 7.0 Plus has an unspecified 1.2GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+ for up to 21Mbps downloads and 5.76Mbps uploads, and twin cameras: 3-megapixels with autofocus and an LED flash on the back, and 2-megapixels up front.

The 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 mm tablet tips the scales at 345g with its 4,000 mAh Li-Ion battery, and will be available with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage; a microSD card slot will accept up to 32GB cards. In addition to triband (900/1900/2100) HSPA+ there’s WiFi a/b/g/n with 2.4GHz and 5GHz support, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 (including Host support) and both WiFi Channel Bonding and WiFi Direct.

Samsung’s usual TouchWiz interface – as seen on the Galaxy Tab 8.9 we unboxed earlier this week - makes an appearance, complete with the various hubs for ereading, social media and video/music downloads, and there’s Android Market access too. No word on pricing at this stage, though we’re assuming it’ll be cheaper than the faster Tab 7.7 with its improved display.

Samsung says the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will drop in Indonesia and Austria from the end of next month before a gradual global roll-out that will see it launch inSoutheast and Southwest Asia, US, Europe, CIS, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Japan and China.

India's $35 tablet said to ship in October, do dreams really come true?

This mysterious $35 tablet has broken our hearts, crushed our fantasies and even made unicorns cry with delay after delay. Today, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal assured us that the much anticipated slate will be released on October 5th -- promising that this time, "[It's] not just a dream." Evidently, the tablet has overcome the manufacturing problems that plagued the project previously and now production is proceeding according to a new plan. That means that five, seven and nine inch slates are said to be shipping to lucky Indian students in early October -- sadly, both the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot have advised us not to hold our breath.

Nokia slashes 3,500 more jobs, shutters factory

Nokia has announced it is slashing its workforce by 3,500, shutting its Romanian production facility by the end of the year while also shuttering the Location & Commerce sites in Bonn, Germany and Malvern, US. The reductions – which are expected to be completed by the end of 2012 – are described by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop as “painful, yet necessary, steps to align our workforce and operations with our path forward,” and come before the company has even officially unveiled its first Windows Phone handset.

The company suggests that the Romanian manufacturing plant was unable to keep up with the high-volume production from its Asian plants, hence the marching orders for the staff there. Meanwhile, Nokia will be reviewing its Salo, Finland, Komarom, Hungary, and Reynosa, Mexico plants, with the expectation that they will “shift their focus to customer and market-specific software and sales package customization.” That will likely result in more staff cuts next year, it’s warned.

As for the Location & Commerce business, which pulls together Nokia’s various NAVTEQ, social location services and other developments and acquisitions, it seems that just as in the industrial revolution, staff are being replaced by machines. Nokia has supposedly spotted ways to “increase effectiveness through automation” though doesn’t specify what, exactly, they are.

Consultations with Sales, Marketing and Corporate Functions are beginning now, with regards to the job trimming announced back in April. Still, there’s at least one place Nokia is taking on new staff – or one new staff member, anyway. Jesper Ovesen has been brought on as new Executive Chairman for Nokia Siemens Networks, with Oli-Pekka Kallasvuo stepping down as non-Executive Chairman, and Nokia and Siemens announcing they will each be investing €500m in capital to help the company find its feet as an “independent entity.”

iPhone 5 Will Be An HSPA+ Capable Device With Support For Up To 21 Mbps Download Speeds [PHOTO]

If the rumors were not frantic enough before Apple announced the impending iPhone event, then they’re really going to take off the closer we get to October 4th. The latest rumor to start doing the rounds comes after Japanese blog Macotakara reported that a China Unicom executive apparently confirmed that the next generation iPhone, labeled the iPhone 5, will support HSPA+.

HSPA+, while not quite 4G, and often dubbed 3.5G by those using it, offers a theoretical downloadspeed of 21 Mbps, up from the current limit of 7.2Mbps. It’s worth remembering that those two numbers are very much a best case scenario – don’t be expecting speeds quite that fast!
The China Unicom executive let the information slip on a slide during a presentation at Macworld Asia, with PC Watch managing to get a sneaky photograph of it.
Of course, that is far from a guarantee that we’ll be seeing high speed network access in the iPhone 5, especially given Apple’s reluctance to move to standards that aren’t fully developed. The originaliPhone, released back in 2007, didn’t ship with 3G capabilities, even though most phones from other manufacturers already did. The company cited an underdeveloped 3G network in the United States as the reason for their hesitance, and many pundits believe the same reason is keeping Apple from making the jump to 4G. With HSPA+ very much a stopgap between 3G and 4G, would Apple really bother with it?
There is another reason we can’t see Apple using HSPA+, and that’s carrier parity. As things stand, Apple’s two US carrier partners have the same iPhone, bar the obvious differences in radios. Given the differences in both AT&T and Verizon’s networks, a move to HSPA+ would effectively give the former an advantage over the latter, with AT&T having used HSPA+ as its ‘faux-4G’ in lieu of making the push to LTE 4G. Verizon on the other hand supports LTE, and not HSPA+. Would Apple want to give one partner a very real advantage over another? We’re not so sure.
So, what it all boils down to is this: we’d recommend a good chunk of salt be taken with this rumor, but we’d love to be wrong.
We’ll find out come the 4th, won’t we? Stay tuned and we’ll cover all the announcements as they happen on said day.

Windows 8 reactions on Twitter visualized - By Aby Benedict

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is getting very positive reactions according to a new infographic put together by social media tracking company MashWork. The company has been tracking tweets about the revamped Windows platform since its first limited preview back in June with a good portion of the reactions collected from the recent Microsoft Build developer conference. Continue after the cut for the full infographic.

The data include 65,968 messages shared on Twitter between June 15 and September 22. About half of the tweets favored the Windows 8 Metro UI when compared to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. The tweets also generally focused on Windows 8′s fast boot times, Xbox Live integration, and the new Windows App Store.

“The most interesting thing I found was that people were so receptive to Windows 8 on a tablet,” said MashWork founder Jared Feldman in an interview with VentureBeat, noting that the data skewed towards the tech savvy. “A lot of times when you get very well-educated people, who know all the products on the market, they evaluate new things and immediately start hating and ripping it apart.

“What we found for the most part was that people are genuinely excited about Windows on a tablet — so much so that we actually have developer clients who are using this infographic to drum up excitement for Windows 8 before getting their hands on a developer kit to create apps (for the new platform),” added Feldman.

For more details on the recent Windows 8 developer preview, make sure to check out our complete guide as well as our hands-on with the Windows 8 tablet.

Apple Officially Confirms iPhone 5 Event On October 4th.. - By Aby Benedict

Hey look at that! The rumors were true. Apple today has officially announced that it’s holding an iPhone 5 event on October 4th. Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has received an invitation today from Apple confirming that Apple’s iPhone 5 event will be held on October 4 at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif. campus. The event will begin at 10:00 am PT.

It’s pretty clear from the image above (sent with the invite) that the event is all about the iPhone. We’ll be covering the whole thing. Stay tuned!

We don’t have much details about the iPhone 5 but here’s what we know: the iPhone 5 will have a curved design with 8MP camera, larger screen, dual-core A5 processor, 1GB RAM, Qualcomm GSM/CDMA Dual-Band radio, Nuance-based Dictation for voice-to-text and more.

There are also some rumors which claim that Facebook will play an important role during this event. Facebook is expected to launch the long-waited official iPad app during that event along with iPhone app update and Facebook integration into iOS 5.

New Mac Trojan Pretends to Be Flash - By Aby Benedict

Mac malware is still quite rare, but there is one new threat floating around that you should be aware of. A new Trojan for Mac OS X disquises itself as an installer for the Adobe Flash Player browser plug-in, according to security software company Intego. The good news (if you want to call it that)? This new malware doesn't appear to have spread very far as of yet.

According to Intego, this Trojan spreads via malicious sites that feature links asking you to download Flash Player (recent versions of Mac OS X don't come with Flash Player pre-installed). Instead of being taken to the Adobe Flash site when clicking the link, you'll inadvertantly download the Trojan instead. The Trojan looks and acts like any typical Mac installer package--in fact, if you have the "Open 'safe' files after downloading" box checked in Safari, the installer will open automatically.

Intego is still trying to learn more about this particur Trojan, but the company says that "the installer for this Trojan horse will deactivate some network security software, and, after installation, will delete the installation package itself." From there, the Trojan "installs a dyld (dynamic loader) library and auto-launch code, allowing it to inject code into applications the user launches." Put in English, it basically turns good apps bad by making them run malicious tasks.

The malware then gathers information about your Mac, including its MAC address, and sends it to a server, which, according to Intego, "will allow the malware to detect if a Mac is infected."

But there's no need to panic: Intego says they've received only one report of this malware in the wild, so as of right now, this particular Trojan doesn't appear to have spread very far.

To keep it from spreading further, and to keep from becoming its next victim, there are a couple steps you can take. First, only download and install the version of Flash available directly from Adobe. Not only does it ensure that you'll get the real thing, but it ensures that you'll get the latest version, complete with the newest security fixes.

Also, if you use Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu, click General, then un-check the box labeled "Open 'safe' files after downloading". This will prevent installers and other files (images, text documents, etc...) from opening automatically when you download them. In addition, don't open any downloads that you weren't expecting--this will prevent you from being taken advantage of by so-called drive-by downloads and other threats.

Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank gives your cats another reason to hate your iPad (video) - By Aby Benedict

If the only thing standing between you and the purchase of an iPad is the existence of a large, remote controlled spy tank, we've got some rough news for your bank account. Brookstone is offering up the Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank, an iPad / iPhone / iPod touch-controlled toy tank that can capture audio and video and send it back to your iOS device. The tank can be controlled at distances of up to 200 feet and works around walls. The app is available as a free download and the tank will run you $150. That price includes six AA batteries, but apparently won't cover therapy for distressed house pets. 

Apple Planing To Curved Glass iDevices - By Aby Benedict

Why? What's the advantage of having a curved glass display? What kind of devices Apple will use this curved glass? No answer, but till it comes, we can confirm the news via DigiTimes and the date is in early 2012.

“…Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad.”

Anyway, many other sites (via source close to Apple and other companies) added that other companies were expected to use curved cover glass in “attempts to gain a competitive edge” over Apple in the current iPhone and iPad dominated smarpthone and tablet markets.

Are You Upgrading To The iPhone 5? (INFOGRAPHIC) - By Aby Benedict

The iPhone 5 is just around the corner and it’s time for many people to ask theirselves if they’re going to upgrade to the iPhone 5 or stay on their current iOS device. This infographic will show you what should you exactly do.

The infographic takes a look on how many apps you’re currently installing on the iPhone 4 and its predecessors, what features you’re using and what new features you would see in the iPhone 5.
The below infographic is just the first one of three. It’s talking a lot about the carriers, apps, features and more.

Well, I’m upgrading. What about you?

How To Change Background Of Mission Control And Dashboard In OS X Lion - By Aby Benedict

If you use OS X Lion, you’re probably aware of Mission Control: a new feature that displays all your currently open windows, as well as Spaces. While this feature is functional, it’s not at all customizable, but thanks to a few file edits, you’ll be able to change Mission Control’s standard fabric background to something else more personal.

These steps require nothing but a full copy of OS X Lion and some basic Finder skills. As you can tell from the steps below, you’ll be up and running in a matter of minutes:
How To Change Background Of OS X Lion Mission Control:
Step 1: launch Finder and navigate over to System/Library/CoreServices and locate Dock.app.
Step 2: right-click that app and select "Show Package Contents". This will allow you to actually edit the files within the app.
Step 3: from within Dock.app, navigate over to Contents/Resources. Locate defaultdesktop.png and rename it to anything else you want.

Once we’ve removed that fabric pattern, Mission Control should now display OS X Lion’s standarddesktop background: the Andromeda Galaxy many of us have stared at for hours. If you want to spice this up, you must replace this file as well. Don’t worry, it won’t take long:
Step 4: leave Dock.app as it is and navigate over to /System/Library/CoreServices. Back up DefaultDesktop.jpg and replace it with the file you’d like to set as the background for Mission Control.
Step 5: log out and log back in to see the changes! You can alternatively just launch the Terminal (Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app), type in killall Dock and press the Enter key. This will restart your dock.
How To Change Background Of OS X Lion Dashboard:
In previous versions of Mac OS X, the Dashboard would be displayed as a semitransparent layer over the standard desktop, but now in OS X Lion, the widgets have a background of their own. This, too, is so simple that an 8-year-old could do it:
Step 1: locate Dock.app in System/Library/CoreServices. Right-click on it and select "Show Package Contents".
Step 2: navigate over to /Contents/Resources and locate pirelli.png. Just back it up and change it to anything else you’d like. If the file isn’t large enough, it will be displayed as a pattern.
Step 3: as with the previous steps, you’ll need to log out and log back in to see the changes you’ve just made, or just perform the Terminal command we mentioned above.

How To Downgrade OS X Lion To Snow Leopard: The Complete Tutorial - By Aby Benedict

OS X Lion, which was finally released to the public last month, includes many improvements, such as support for full-screen apps and reliability additions such as AutoSave. Yet, if you’re finding it hard to cope with such a radical change or some apps that are essential to you aren’t yet compatible with the new system, it might be a good idea to move back to Snow Leopard. If you’re wondering how, this guide is for you.

Before getting started, keep in mind that this guide will not work on Mac hardware introduced after the final version of Lion was released. At the time of this writing, the mid-2011 Mac Mini and the MacBook Air from the same time period are both incapable of running Snow Leopard.
If you’re ready to get started, begin by backing up all your relevant data, since some or all of it will be lost during this process. You can either back up individual files to an external medium, use an automated back up tool such as the built-in Time Machine or back up the whole drive using DiskUtility.
1st Method: Restore A Time Machine Backup
If you have a Time Machine backup dating back to before your Lion upgrade, good news: you can downgrade back to Snow Leopard in a matter of minutes.
Step 1: boot up your Mac and press the Alt key once you hear the boot chime. From there, selectRestore HD to boot Lion in Recovery Mode.

Step 2: once your Mac is done booting up, select the first option: Restore From Time Machine Backup. If your Time Machine backups are stored on an external drive, insert it now, then hitContinue and follow the on-screen instructions.

Restart your computer. If everything went as expected, you should now be back running Snow Leopard.

2nd Method: Restore From A Backup Using Disk Utility
If you have backed up your whole startup disk to another drive using Disk Utility’s Backup feature, it’s rather easy to get them back.
Step 1: boot up your Mac and press the Alt key once you hear the boot chime. From there, selectRestore HD to boot Lion in Recovery Mode. (picture shown in 1st method)
Step 2: Once your computer is done booting up, insert your backup drive if needed.
Step 3: select Disk Utility. Once said utility pops up, select your backup partition from the sidebar and navigate over to the Restore Tab. From there, select your startup drive as Destination by dragging it from the sidebar to the Destination field. Now click Restore.

Once you boot back from your startup drive, you should be running Snow Leopard.
3rd Method: Reinstall From Scratch
If you have saved no backups of your operating system, the only way to get Snow Leopard back is to reinstall it from scratch. In order to do this, simply use Snow Leopard’s installation DVD, or the restore disc that was provided with your Mac.

Simply insert the installation DVD into your Mac, restart it, press Alt when you hear the startup chime and select Mac OS X Install DVD. Follow the on-screen installation instructions while making sure the partition with Lion installed has been completely erased.
Once you have downgraded using any of these methods, it’s always recommended that you check for the latest updates for Mac OS X using the built-in Software Update app, in order to stay protected from security vulnerabilities and to be able to upgrade to Lion in the future.