Microsoft Band 2

Interestingly, though, it’s slapped with a slightly higher introductory price of $249.99, up from its predecessor’s initial cost of $199.99. That’s a hefty offering considering what it’s competing against in the space, but let’s put it through the paces to see if it can win over that precious real estate on your wrist. 

n the process of giving it a more uniform body, they’ve also improved its fit and comfort around our wrist. This time around, it contours our wrist better because the new display here is now curved, offering a better ergonomic shape for it to rest on our wrist. However, if you happen to have that boney hump protruding from your wrist, the Band 2 can sometimes cause a little bit of discomfort because there’s very little leeway for it to naturally expand. Despite that, it’s still nice knowing that they’ve trimmed off a lot of the fat off this one.

Wanna know what’s most improved about the Band 2? Well, it’s none other than its design, which thankfully doesn’t look as hulky or gargantuan as last year’s model. That’s certainly a relief! Although it’s sporting the same design language as before, an adjustable rubbery band worn on the wrist, it’s comforting to see Microsoft streamlining it considerably – whereby its thickest point is now situated on the clasp. The material employed here is technically thermal plastic elastomer silicone vulcanite (TPSV), which has that rubbery texture feel to it.

Even with the sleeker design, the Band 2 houses all the components and sensors found with its predecessor – so that includes a 3-axis accelerometer, gyrometer, GPS, ambient light sensor, skin temperature sensor, capacitive sensor, galvanic skin response sensor, and a microphone. Two new additions to note, however, include the new barometer that can measure changes in altitude, which is useful if you’re into step climbing, and the UV sensor embedded into the clasp that can measure the amount of ambient UV light. Of course, that’s useful for those who have stronger sensitivity to light.

Much like most other fitness trackers, the Band 2 has some degree of water resistance. As Microsoft puts it, the IP67 certified construction of the Band 2 technically ensures that it’s dust resistant and offers protection against temporary immersion in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In reality, however, Microsoft refrains users wearing the Band while swimming or in the shower. That’s unfortunate because we were hoping to see its water-resistance improved, but instead, we still need to be mindful of what occasions to not wear it.


And finally, when it comes to charging the Band 2, Microsoft improves the process by embedding the charging pins into the end of the clasp – where the accompanying magnetic USB charger quickly establishes the connection.

Android Security, Slow Updates Make Users Shift to iOS; Beats Pill+ App Gets Poor Reviews

Android users struggle with slow updates, poor security and carrier interference; hence, irate users lookout for a better alternative, which most of the time is the iPhone.

As smartphone markets in the West get to be immersed, the most common question that is becoming more imperative is "where do you discover new users for your mobile platform?"

Many Android users struggle with slow updates and this has driven Apple to do everything it can to make their iOS platform more appealing and user friendly for these users. Apple's aim is that when users would want to buy a new phone, Apple swoops in and takes the user away from the Android ecosystem into their own.

While Brazil, Russia, India, and China offer new users the potential for accelerating adoption numbers, there is still an immense amount of value to be found in well established territories. Users are becoming more affluent, offering more third-party revenue and better opportunities for accessories through App Stores. Aside from these, there is also an increased ancillary revenue through support and sale costs. This can only happen if you lure them to consider your platform.

iPhone, as a valid alternative, is making moves to make it more visible to Android users. The move to the iOS application allows users to transfer their address book, personal data, and even the camera roll of images. Currently, Google Play reports that there are five million users who have downloaded Apple's Android Beats Pill+ app, 9to5 Mac reported.

Apple Music, on the other hand, is going to open up the ears of Android users and have them consider Apple with its feasible use of an iCloud account for backup and synchronization. With the hope to release Apple Music before the end of the year to Google's platform, Apple continues to give Android users that subtle message.

"One day after launching the app for both iOS and Android, 40 Google Play users have posted given it five stars, while an overwhelming 60 have posted one star reviews, dripping with anger and claiming that the software gave them cancer, AIDS or causes retardation," Apple Insider reported.

THE WEEK IN APPLE NEWS: APPLE TV NOW AVAILABLE, APPLE Q4 2015 RESULTS

The new Apple TV made its debut on Friday. You can go to the Apple Store to buy one, or you can go to Best Buy. Be sure to follow our advice on the six things you need to do first with your new Apple TV. While you’re waiting for your Apple TV to set up, you can catch up on all the important Apple-related headlines here in this sideshow. Just click the link to get more information on a story.

The new Microsoft Band With More comfort, more tech & more data

• Barometer
• Optical heart rate sensor
• 3-axis accelerometer
• Gyrometer
• GPS
• Ambient light sensor
• Skin temperature sensor
• UV sensor
• Capacitive sensor
• Galvanic skin response
• Microphone                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The new Microsoft Band is not designed as a smartwatch, but as a health tracking device. While it can serve both functions, I am pleased to see Microsoft focusing on the health aspects with the vast array of sensors present in the device.You can use the microphone to speak to Cortana, but only with a Windows Phone device. While Cortana is also present on Android, it is not supported through the Microsoft Band.

There are 11 sensors in the Microsoft Band 2. While this is very impressive and blows away the competition, 10 of these were in the first Microsoft Band as well. A barometer has been added to the new Band. The barometer adds the ability to measure elevation, which is a huge deal for me as that motivates me to take the stairs more often and over a long period of time can contribute to a healthier lifestyle

Specifications for the Microsoft Band 2 include:

• Band material: Thermal plastic elastomer silicone vulcanite (TPSV)
• Display type and size: 32 x 12.8 mm AMOLED at 320x128 pixels
• Battery life: 48 hours, GPS use will lessen
• Charge time: Full in less than 1.5 hours
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• Supported phones: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android

The new Microsoft Band offers even more than the first generation model with a more attractive, refined design that is also intended to provide a more comfortable fit. It is available for pre-order now from the Microsoft Store for $249.99 with a 30 October estimated ship date.

NOW You can get an iPhone 6s with Putin’s gold head .

Last year Caviar, a luxury Russian jewelry company, announced a ‘special edition’ of the iPhone 5s with Vladimir Putin’s face on the back.

Today, it’s updated the Putinphone to the iPhone 6s, with an all new homage to Russian leader on the back.

Luckily, Caviar isn’t offering the 16 GB model of the iPhone 6s, even though Apple still does.

If you’ve been pining after a phone with Putin’s gaze etched into the back, this is the device for you. Or, just point and laugh at the fact that there’s probably 63 people out there who will buy this thing.

For just $3193 USD, you’ll get a specially designed “anniversary” iPhone 6s, with Putin’s face encrusted in gold on the back, along with a titanium texture that reflects an apparently “strong, invincible” leader.

That price also gets you a lovely velvet wooden case, for storing your purchase and a free charger for your car. Bargain!

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL With Removable Battery

The leaked image posted on Twitter by @stagueve, a tipster, on Monday suggests the Lumia 950 XLwould sport a removable 3340mAh battery. The SIM card/ microSD card slot is placed just above the battery. It appears as if the battery would have to be removed in order to insert a SIM card or a microSD card. It the leaked image is any indication, the removable battery would be a change from the recently launched Microsoft handsets with sealed back panels.

According to a recent leak, both the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL and the Lumia 950 would feature triple-LED flash modules at the rear and will come with optional dual-SIM variants. Microsoft can be expected to only launch the dual-SIM models of the upcoming Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL in India. The live images also suggest that both the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL will feature a rubber-like back panel. Also tipped is that the Lumia 950 will pack front-facing flash as well. Separately, a purported press render of the Lumia 550 has also been leaked on the Web

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL has once again made it into the news as it shows up in a live shot just ahead of its launch. The image shows the upcoming smartphone's battery and camera module in a unit without a back shell.

As for the leaked specifications, which have been reiterated by multiple sources over the past few months, the Lumia 950 sports a 5.2-inch QHD display and is powered by Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and a 3000mAh battery. The Lumia 950 XL, on the other hand, is said to equip a 5.7-inch QHD display, and is powered by a Snapdragon 810 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM. Both the handsets are reportedly going to have a 21-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie sensor.

Besides the three smartphones, the company is widely expected to reveal the Surface Pro 4 tablet, the successor to the Surface Pro 3 at the Tuesday event.

LG G4, LG G3 Update Appear Set to Receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow

The company has updated the support documents (first report by GforGames) on its Korean website to list information about Android 6.0 Marshmallow, suggesting an imminent release of the new Android software update.

HTC also recently listed the smartphones it would roll out the forthcoming update to. The list included HTC Desire 816, HTC Desire 820, HTC One M8, HTC One E8, and HTC One M9 among others.

Unlike Nexus and Android One handsets that receive software updates directly from Google, other smartphones have to wait for their respective Android smartphone manufacturers and carriers to approve the update and mould it to add some customised features. Usually smartphone manufacturers take months to release the latest version of Android to their handsets, but things have improved over the last two years.

LG's flagship smartphones could be among the first handsets outside Google's Nexus and Android Onedevices to receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow software update, the latest iteration of company's Google's mobile operating system.

Facebook could assign fingerprints to cameras

According to a new “image fingerprinting” patent application filed by the company in January (that’s Patent Publication US 20150124107) with the US Patents and Trademarks Office, Facebook seeks to associate “cameras with users and objects in a social networking system.” The patent application says the technology would analyse images uploaded by Facebook users “to determine signatures of cameras used to capture the images.”

Combined with other pieces of information such as location data and facial recognition, which is used in the US but not in Europe, it could identify photos taken by a user if they are uploaded to someone else’s account.

Each individual camera (be it on a phone or a standalone camera) will be recognized by its ‘fingerprint’ that will be present on every image taken by that camera and can even differentiate it from other cameras of the same make and model.

Facebook will then connect the camera to specific users “based on actions relating users with the cameras, for example, users uploading images, users being tagged in images captured with a camera, and the like.

Facebook says the technology could be used to suggest new friends and events, but also be used to track down multiple accounts owned by a single user, or fraudulent accounts. It could also probably stop people from hiding behind false identities and ‘catfishing’ other users, for example and settle copyright disputes

While this is still only a patent application, we will have to just wait and wonder until Facebook decides exactly what it wants to do with the technology.

Now you can experience Force-Touch on Older iPhones With 3D Touch

The 3D Touch Display interface trick is far more subtle. By sensing pressure applied on the surface of the Apple Watch, the new MacBook trackpad, and the new iPhones, Apple has added a new layer to the touchscreen experience. In short, they have gone deep, allowing us to move past surfaces and into more dynamic menu systems and even UI tactics. As it stands 3D touch is pretty boring right now but imagine 3D touching into an MRI scan or anatomy textbook. Imagine 3D touching through the cosmos. Imagine 3D touching in games where you focus with a little pressure. T

3D Touch isn’t an incremental update. It is a real tool and you can be sure that, by CES time, manufacturers from Samsung to Xiaomi will be offering stuff called Push Touch, Deep Finger, and Insert UI for their phones. But right now it is only available on Apple devices.

The app is compatible with Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPod Touch, provided they are jailbroken on iOS 8 (or iOS 8.4/8.4.1) with Cydia.

Apple had announce new iPhone 6S Earlier in the week with many new features like refreshed camera, RAM capacity, faster and a more efficient Apple A9 dual-core processor. However the standout feature in the new iPhone 6S is the 3D Touch. 3D Touch Display is an advanced version of the Force Touch feature seen in the Apple Watch.

Bill Gates said Control-Alt-Delete for Login in to Windows was a mistake.

During the interview, Gates also claimed the two companies did some clever things too. “We were able to experiment with a lot of stuff, but more on the software side than the hardware,” said Gates.

“We could have had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn’t want to give us our single button … and so we programmed at a low level … it was a mistake,” said Gates.

Gates attended Harvard as an undergraduate. However, he dropped out to start Microsoft. Decades later, the university awarded him an honorary degree.
During an hour-long interview with David Rubenstein, Gates also spoke about his early days at Microsoft, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and his friendship with Warren Buffet.

David Bradley, a designer of the original IBM PC, is said to have invented the Control-Alt-Delete. During IBM’s 20th anniversary of the IBM PC, Bradley had reportedly said he may have invented alt-control-delete combination for login, but it was Gates who made it famous.

Apple TV just about to get a major upgrade

Rumours that Apple TV is "just about to get a major upgrade" have been swirling around the ailing device for years. The current generation of the small black set-top box was released in March 2012 and has seen several price drops as it struggled to maintain market share against challenges from Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast and Roku.

So if there is an update, how will it differ from its predecessors?

Original content

Apple is reported to have made an audacious but unsuccessful bid for Jeremy Clarkson's new car show, which ultimately ended up going to Amazon Prime. But some industry analysts said that even the fact that the company pitched for the programme was a signal of intent.

At the Apple Watch launch event in March, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was already in talks with entertainment giants Walt Disney and 21st Century Fox to launch an online streaming TV service.

"Apple TV will reinvent the way that you watch television," Cook promised. "This is just the beginning."

Producing original content would be a "major step" for Apple, says technology news site Alphr: "For Apple, original programming makes a lot of sense… it fits in with the approach the company had with Apple Music. Although it hasn't launched its own record company, it did hire Zane Lowe to set up Beats 1 to give Apple Music something more than just the same catalogue everyone else has. Hiring 'talent' is something Apple has been doing a lot of lately, and it clearly sees it as a way of bootstrapping its entertainment services." 

Gaming

"I think Apple's going to create a big new category in gaming, one that others have tried and failed to create before," tech analyst Jan Dawson told the New York Times. "What the Apple TV has the potential to do is to bring casual gaming to the living room and make it a much more social activity."

According to a report by the New York Times, gaming will be at the heart of the updated Apple TV. Apple already created a multi-billion dollar industry for mobile games when it "stumbled into the games business almost by accident", the paper says. It is possible therefore that it could mount an equal assault on the console gaming market by turning Apple TV into a games device.

Wireless router

9to5Mac also suggests that the fourth-generation Apple TV may come with built-in AirPort Express, eliminating the need for a separate wireless router.

App Store

Many tech sites believe that Apple may create its own fully fledged App Store to support Apple TV. 9to5Mac reports that the company may be planning to allow content providers to make their own channels and apps for the device. The site also suggests that the App Store will house games built specifically for Apple TV.

Home controls

Could Apple TV become a "smart hub" that will allow users to control heating and lights around the home? According to Pocket Lint an addition called HomeKit could make that possible: "It appears you'll use Siri through Apple TV to control your HomeKit-compatible devices when away from home," the site says, adding that "Apple TV will be able to act as an intermediary, letting you issue Siri voice commands to your home from a remote location."

What do you get for a £50 tablet?

Tired of running out of juice when you're out and about? Fire offers you seven-hour battery life. It also boasts a 1024 x 600 resolution touchscreen and has front- and rear-facing cameras.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos boasts: "Fire sets a new bar for what customers should expect from a low-cost tablet."

It has already won plaudits from technology critics. "If you're loDaily Express's technology editor David Snelling, while Digital Spy declares it "surprisingly good".

oking for a budget tablet, this is now the one to beat," said the

The seven-inch IPS display causes, according to Digital Spy, "some notable pixellation to text, making reading a little tricky, but image-viewing and movie-watching is perfectly acceptable for casual use".

But what do you get for your money?

The budget tablet has a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor with 8GB of storage - this is expandable up to 128GB via microSD.

However you also get advertisements, as Digital Spy explains: "Purchasing options are always at the fore, and despite giving you cut-price hardware, Amazon is very clearly, one way or another, after your cash."

A customer service option called Mayday Screen Sharing. This lets an Amazon expert guide you remotely through any feature on your screen, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

iPHONE 6S & 6S PLUS NEW FEAATURES WITH COSTLY PRICE

"Early evidence is suggesting demand for the iPhone 6S may be meaningfully lower than last year's model, according to a top-ranked technology analyst," says CNBC.

Apple will make less money on each iPhone 6S it sells, according to research published last week, which claims that the new phone is more expensive to build than its predecessor.

And conflicting signals are emerging about how many handsets Apple is likely to shift. While the company has said that it's on course to beat last year's record, independent reports suggest that interest in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is comparatively weak.

According to Hargreaves, the number of people searching for the term "iPhone 6S" after the launch of the new phone was 75 per cent below search volumes for the iPhone 6 last year. It was also below the numbers seen searching for the iPhone 5S in 2013.

The report is based on work by Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest, "one of the top analysts on Wall Street", according to CNBC. He has analysed the quantity of devices already shipped, the volume of searches for "iPhone 6S" on Google and information collected by independent surveyors.

Although many have questioned Hargreaves' analytical techniques, his work has drawn attention to the lack of specific detail provided by Apple and the mobile networks.

GOOD NEWS FOR MICROSOFT OFFICE USERS

Next week. on Sept. 22,  Microsoft will release te final version of office 2016 with an eye toward making co-authoring in Microsoft Word even easier. I really like how this release, which I’ve tested using a preview version, shows a colored flag next to the person who is co-authoring. You can not only see what someone is typing, but even see their cursor position.

There’s something really satisfying about working on a business document with another person or in a group. The thoughts often come together in unison. One person adds a paragraph, another person makes a quick correction. It’s about as close to having a video chat as you can get, minus the awkward pauses, bad lighting and jittery video when one person connects from a coffee shop.

I’ve been using Google Docs for a few years now, and brainstorming sessions with a few writers in one document working in tandem is an enjoyable and highly productive experience. You can chat using inline messaging and let one person take a crack at a few lines of text while you see exactly what they’re doing. It’s amazing to be so collaborative.

Of course, there’s a reason this is such big news. As a former corporate manager, I remember the days of having to use the approved apps in a company. My team sometimes bucked the system and tried to use a Mac loaded with some weird document editing program, but we were quickly corralled back into the fold. Many large companies only use Microsoft productivity apps for the desktop, and it saves a lot of headaches with compatibility and support. The online versions of Office already support co-authoring, but that suite is not as feature-rich or as widely used.

This may be the tipping point for co-authoring. The desktop apps have stood the test of time — I still have a few friends in the enterprise space who swear by them and don’t like the clunky nature of using Web apps for real productivity work like creating a business plan. When they get their hands on co-authoring next week, it might be a real game-changer for them.

It’s worth noting that there are a few limitations to how co-authoring in Office 2016 works. First, you need to store the document on OneDrive or SharePoint Online, and those who want to co-author with you also need to use Office 2016. In my preview version, co-authoring was only available in Word 2016, although I’ve heard the features will roll out to PowerPoint and Excel eventually. You also have to make sure the additional users have edit permissions.

SOFTWARE UPDATE DELAYED FOR APPLE WATCH

Apple has delayed the rollout of the first significant software update for its smartwatch, which had been intended to fix some of the biggest complaints from early adopters.WatchOS 2 was scheduled to go live on Wednesday but has been held back for an unspecified time because of a problem with the software that was discovered in last-minute testing, Apple said.“We have discovered a bug in development of watchOS 2 that is taking a bit longer to fix than we expected,” the company added. “We will not release watchOS 2 today but will shortly.”The announcement was made just two hours before the update was due to be pushed out to customers.

WatchOS 2 represents a substantial overhaul of Apple’s latest device. It had been slated to include the ability for third-party apps to run “natively” on the device, helping to address a widespread complaint that non-Apple software runs too slowly.App developers would also be able to tap into data from the wearable device’s sensors, including its heart-rate monitor. The update will also add new watch faces and other ways to personalise the device.

While Apple did not provide details, some developers speculated that the bug was related to problems that were reported running some new watchOS 2 apps after they had been downloaded from the App Store — a bug that would only have emerged as the first compatible apps were published late on Tuesday.

Apple was later forced to apologise for the “great inconvenience” to some iPhone owners who lost wireless connectivity after installing iOS 8 last September.It is rare for Apple to miss its deadlines. Last year, a bug in iOS 8 forced it to delay a rollout of apps that plugged in to its Healthkit platform, which tracks health and fitness data.

Some developers reported that their updated apps failed to launch on a Watch running the new software. Such an issue could take days rather than weeks for Apple to resolve, developers say.The release on Wednesday of iOS 9, the annual update of the iPhone and iPad’s operating system, is not affected by the delay to watchOS 2. The latest iOS brings improvements to overall stability and usability, as well as adding a News app.

Apple Watch, the first launch into a new device category of the Tim Cook era, has made a slower start than some analysts expected. Estimates for first-quarter sales have hovered at about 3m units.In recent weeks, the company has expanded distribution of the Watch to new retailers including Best Buy in the US and John Lewis in the UK, while also announcing a partnership with luxury brand Hermès, offering custom straps and