Rich, HD video. Beautiful, vivid photos. Crisp, detailed text. Kindle Fire HD features a new 1280×800 high definition LCD display that brings your content to life.

It uses a fast dual-core processor with an Imagination PowerVR graphics core that can process 6.2 billion floating-point operations per second, so even graphically intensive games run smoothly and render stunning imagery.

And Kindle Fire HD uses the power of Dolby Digital Plus to create a world class audio experience, with or without headphones.

Kindle Fire HD is optimised to deliver high performance with low battery consumption, delivering over 11 hours of watching videos, browsing the web, playing music, or reading.

Kindle Fire HD also has access to over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, and magazines, plus tens of thousands of popular apps and games such as Cut the Rope HD, Angry Birds Space HD, Skyscanner, Jamie’s 20-minute meals and Auto Trader. There’s even a one month trial of LOVEFiLM Instant video streaming for unlimited access to thousands of movies and TV series.

Find out more about Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD.

Windows 8 (not the RT version) love it or hate it -  for those that inherit the tiled start screen as part of a new purchase and need to use applications for their work or gaming pleasure may find that the Start screen and its tiles more of a hindrance than a help.

To get around the new tiled layout and the traditional Desktop layout its a good idea to learn about the new shortcuts available in this new Windows Operating System.

Pressing the Windows and D keys will take you to the traditional Windows desktop, while Windows + B takes you from the new tiled interface to the currently active traditional desktop application. Finally, Windows + M loads the traditional Windows desktop from the start screen, and minimises all applications.

Right now these shortcuts are the only way to get around the newly styled interface but they still don’t give you the flexibility of the Start Button when accessing traditional applications such as Outlook 2010, PhotoShop CS5, iTunes, TweetDeck, an accounts package, CAD and other essential programs.

Millions of people are using Android apps that can be tricked into revealing personal data, research indicates.

Scientists tested 13,500 Android apps and found almost 8% failed to protect bank account and social media logins.

These apps failed to implement standard scrambling systems, allowing “man-in-the-middle” attacks to reveal data that passes back and forth when devices communicate with websites. Google has yet to comment on the research and its findings.

Researchers from the security group at the University of Leibniz in Hanover and the computer science department at the Philipps University of Marburg tested the most popular apps in Google’s Play store. By creating a fake wi-fi hot-spot and using a specially created attack tool to spy on the data the apps sent via that route, the researchers were able to: capture login details for online bank accounts, email services, social media sites and corporate networks disable security programs or fool them into labelling secure apps as infected inject computer code into the data stream that made apps carry out specific commands. An attacker could even re-direct a request to transfer funds, while making it look to the app user like the transaction was proceeding unchanged.

Some of the apps tested had been downloaded millions of times, the researchers said.

BBC Tech News

With the PC market receding ahead of the launch of Windows 8, is this the right time to launch a new laptop?

Samsung and Google reckon so, announcing a new ultrabook-style Chromebook laptop which will cost $249 (£155) in the US and rely on the search company’s cloud-based Chrome OS.

With an 11.6in screen – smaller than the previous $449 model – and based on an ARM rather than Intel CPU and with minimal onboard storage of about 16GB and 2GB of RAM, the newest Chromebook is a fresh attempt by Google to attract businesses and users which want to store their data in the cloud rather than on their computer.

In effect, the new Chromebook is a laptop only useful when it is connected to the internet – and particularly to Google’s cloud services.

The search giant is offering 100GB of storage on its servers to go with each device.

Source: The Guardian

If you want to get the most out of your Windows 8 installation when you’re at your work desk, or working on your PC at home, having multiple displays is a tremendous productivity aid. Putting your email, social chat, and Web browser on a secondary display while editing documents on the primary one amplifies your ability to get work done.

Although Windows 7 offers multiple display support, Windows 8 takes it to the next level. All you need to do is plug in a second display, then dive into your applications.

However it’s well worth taking a look at specific aspects of Windows 8′s multi-display support.

Customize the Taskbar
Windows 8 now allows you to have individual taskbars on separate monitors. The default is to replicate pinned icons on all display taskbars. Two other options exist, which you access by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Properties. If you prefer the Windows 7 method, you can even set up the taskbar so that it shows up only on the primary monitor.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows 8 adds a pair of new keyboard shortcuts to manage Windows 8 style apps in multiple displays, as well as supporting the Windows 7 shortcuts used for multiple displays. The Windows (or Win) + arrow keys still snap windows to one side or another. Win + PageDn (or PageUp) swaps full-screen Windows 8 apps to different displays.

Inside Edge Detection
Windows 7 had limited support for edge detection in single-display mode. In the case of a multi-monitor display, edge detection treated the entire display surface as one monitor. So if you wanted to throw a window to the side of the screen to take up exactly half the display, that wouldn’t work if the edge was the “inside” of a two-display setup.

Windows 8 now supports edge detection at the edge of all displays. For example, if you hover over the left edge of the right display (the inside edge), you’ll still see the sidebar thumbnails of running applications. If you hover the icon on the upper right corner of the left display, you’ll see the Charms bar. Just remember to hover the mouse cursor for a second or two at inside edges or corners to activate the effect.

Note that shared corners or inside edge detection areas are only six pixels wide. You really need to be in that small area for edge detection to occur, as well as hovering the cursor for a few seconds.

Nicola and Maddie get a first look at the brand new iPhone 5 and run us through some of its key features.

Some Windows 8 laptops and PCs could end up running more Android apps than ones written for Microsoft’s software.

Gadgets built around chips made by AMD will come optimised to run the Android apps. A collaboration between AMD and software firm Bluestacks lets the devices run the 500,000 apps more usually found on Android phones.

By contrast, Microsoft reportedly only has a few thousand apps written specifically for next months Windows 8 launch.

The Android apps will be available on Windows 8 devices via AMD’s AppZone player. Inside this is code from Bluestacks that acts as a wrapper around the mobile phone programs so they can run on desktops, laptops and tablets.

AMD has made changes to the core code that runs its processors and graphics cards to ensure apps built for the small screens on mobile phones look good and run well on larger displays.

Source BBC Tech

Apple faces a barrage of criticism over omissions and errors in its new Maps app for the iPhone, which it created to replace Google Maps in the newly-released iOS6.

Developers and reviewers noticed and commented on the problems in the run up to the release of the new mobile operating system, expecting improvements, but they were not resolved in the version Apple introduced on Wednesday evening, ahead of the retail launch of the iPhone 5 on Friday.

The new Maps app often displays shops and restaurants streets away from their true location, important sites including some train stations are missing, and the search function appears unable to understand simple requests. In Britain, satellite images are not as sharp and data on local businesses, sourced from the review website Yelp, is sometimes years out of date, too.

Apple announced it would replace Google Maps as the default iOS mapping app at its WWDC developer conference in June. It was the clearest sign yet of the growing hostility between the two technology giants as they battle for the booming smartphone market and clash in patent courts around the world. Apple acquired three mapping companies as it prepared to oust Google Maps.

Souce: Telegraph News

With Windows 8 soon to be launched many people may be wondering what to do about upgrading to this new Operating System or just need to know the dates when support ends for Microsoft’s various Operating Systems.

Being armed with this information may help you to decide whether to stay with your current set up or move up to Windows 8.

Here are the various dates that Microsoft have set in stone

So, if you currently have Windows 7 on your PC you can keep using it, instead of Windows 8, for the next 11 years!

Interestingly, Microsoft says PC Sellers (OEM’s) can sell Windows 7 pre-loaded on their PC’s until 25th October 2014 and boxed copies of Windows 7 will be on sale until at least 25th October 2013.

It seems Microsoft suspect that Windows 7 users will not upgrade to Windows 8 but wait for Windows 9 (or whatever it might be called).

GALAXY Note 10.1 places the power to create great things into your hands. Allowing you to write, paint, design, explore and discover a world of inspiration, all through the generous 10.1-inch display and advanced S Pen.

Opening up a whole new world of digital possibilities for how we think about pen and paper, there’ll only be one thing left to find out. What will you create?

If you manage WordPress based websites, you know how important it is to keep your content fresh and up-to-date. It’s also crucial to guide your users towards your new content, without messing up your site design.

WpSmartApps.com has just launched ‘Header Bar Domination‘ (a WordPress plugin), which is a customizable bar that positions itself at the top of your site and displays messages and links. To see its effect just look above. It stays put as your vistors scroll down to read your bog posts.

The most important features of ‘Header Bar Domination’ are…

1. Create Unlimited notification bars.

2. Specific Page Targeting for your created bar.

3. A/B (Split) Testing (Optimize your results).

4. 360° Analytics View (Analyze DAILY clicks).

5. Plus more..

Grab the complete full featured version (unlimited License) for only $77 [this offer expires on 13 September @ midnight!] In less than 72 hours the price goes back to its original $97 – so you don’t want to miss out!

Keep your content fresh and up-to-date… fight low-traffic, low-sales “turbulence” with ‘Header Bar Domination‘ and add “rocket fuel” to your blog!

The UK’s first fourth generation (4G) mobile service will launch in 16 UK cities before the end of the year.

Everything Everywhere, which will now be known as just EE, will continue the roll-out into the new year, and aims to provide 4G to 98% of the UK by 2014.

4G coverage in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol is currently being tested ahead of launch.

Rivals have voiced concerns that EE had been given an unfair head-start by launching first.

Other cities to get the high-speed connectivity are Belfast, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton.

4G mobile technology will mean all of these locations will benefit from improved network access speeds, even indoors.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, hailed the company’s promise to give London ”the greatest 4G network in the world”.

EE will offer Nokia, Huawei and other devices when it launches next month, and Olaf Swantee, the chief executive, hinted heavily that the iPhone 5, to be launched tomorrow, will be available too.

Source: BBC

Are you one of those who is losing extra sales and traffic via your WordPress blog? How important is it to display a critical message on your blog in such a way that your visitors’ will never miss it and therefore provide extra sales and traffic for your site? Because these special messages are so important in marketing your products or services you will be pleased to know that WpSmartApps have launched a brand new WordPress plug-in called ‘Header Bar Domination‘.

So what is Header Bar Domination?

It’s a plug-in that highlights important messages and acts as a clever advertising tool to induce sales or readership of your blog posts. It allows you to customize and deliver the posting of the messages as you think best.

Some of it’s most important features include:

1. Unlimited Header Bar Notifications: You can create multiple header bars and place them across many different pages as per your need i.e you can display a header bar targeted to a specific post/page or category.

2. A/B Split Testing: You can style and customize one bar from the other. Hence you can check the one most clicked and use it at several places.

3. 360 deg analytics view: You can analyze DAILY clicks, views and overall click-through rate with your stats panel. (Know your bars’ overall effectiveness and get a feedback from every angle)

4. Plus many more features…

Well for those who are thinking about plug-in interface and time interval to setup important message using ‘Header Bar Domination’ let me tell you that it has a really cool, simple to use interface and you can setup and display your important message in no time by just following 3 simple steps.

1. Target Your Header Bar: Target specific post/pages, and categories for your Header Bar to appear. It will help you to Maximize click-throughs for more sales, for getting more email subscribers and for getting more visitors to your website.

2. Schedule Your Header Bar Display: Boost your sales by displaying your Header Bar at a set time after your visitor lands on your page. The idea behind it is to gently appear and register the message on your visitors’ mind.

3. Create & Craft Your Header Bar: Add your message and completely customize the appearance of your Header Bar without any CSS or HTML knowledge. You can change the Font Style, Bar Color, the Texture, Text Color, etc… by playing with the easy-to-use interface, that also provides a live preview of your changes.

But you might be worried about one more thing – the PRICE. Well you don’t have to be! Although the plug-in includes more features than you could have ever imagined in a single package, ‘Header Bar Domination’ is really affordable. Plus the plug-in offers a 100% No-Risk, 60-Day Money Back Guarantee Plan! Also, you get a lifetime of FREE UPGRADES & SUPPORT.

So What Are You Waiting For? The Solution Is Simple!

GRAB “HEADER BAR DOMINATION” now and gain more attraction and sales by promoting your most important blog and website content.

To ensure drivers no longer have to contend with beeps, flashing lights and ringtones while behind the wheel, esure insurance has created a new mobile application for smartphones.

The application automatically blocks all visible and audible notifications to mobile devices when it detects the car is in motion (travelling above 10mph).
Drivers who find the temptation of social media and incoming messages too hard to resist can simply opt to opt-out of distraction with DriveOFF.

DriveOFF is simple, effective and a potential life-saver.

Microsoft is set to charge UK consumers £24.99 to upgrade to the latest version of its Windows Operating System – Windows 8.

The company announced in July that users would be charged $39.99 to upgrade from any version of Windows to Windows 8 Pro. Yesterday it revealed the UK pricing for a downloaded update will be almost identical, avoiding fears that the firm would ‘rip off’ British consumers, as it has done in the past.

Microsoft is providing a UK English version of Windows 8 Pro, as well as special versions that don’t include Windows Media Player, to comply with the 2004 European Commission ruling.

Microsoft’s download store is registered in Germany, which applies VAT at a rate of 19% – 1% lower than the current UK rate.

The move comes just days after Microsoft revealed it has updated its corporate logo for the first time in 25 years as it prepares for the Windows 8 launch.

Source: Daily Mail Tech News

GALAXY Note 10.1 is designed to simplify idea capturing, information access, and multi-tasking, making each easier and faster.
For more information visit: http://unr.ly/PBoBX3

Microsoft will require that new computers bearing the Windows 8 logo must use a new boot solution called Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which will significantly improve the boot process and experience. It replaces the archaic Basic Input Output System (BIOS) that we’ve used for decades, in all the previous versions of Windows.

With UEFI you’ll see a much faster boot time from pressing the power button to being in fully logged into Windows. The likely speed improvement could be around 8 seconds. This boost to log in speed, along with less need for restarts, can help increase productivity in the office and save IT personnel time when applying upgrades or installing software.

The safeguards built into UEFI can also help save the IT department time and resources over the long term. Secure Boot prevents unauthorized operating systems from loading, and Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) protects against boot loader attacks. UEFI will also allow remote diagnostics and repair of computers within the Pre-OS environment. So instead of physically sending a technician to visit a PC experiencing boot issues, it might be possible to repair and restore the machine over a network.

Although many will enjoy the benefits of UEFI, there has been some controversy over the Secure Boot feature that Microsoft is requiring PC makers to turn on by default. At the moment it’s not totally clear, but Secure Boot may have to be manually disabled for those who want to install or dual boot to another OS such as Linux, adding an extra step to the process.

Microsoft has announced that August’s Patch Tuesday will contain nine security bulletins, with some fixes rectifying vulnerabilities that allow attackers to install malware without permission.

The programs that are affected by the update are Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, SQL Server, Microsoft Server, Microsoft Developer Tools and Microsoft Exchange.

According to Microsoft’s Security Bulletin Advance Notification, five of the patches are rated as “critical”. The bulletin will fix the vulnerabilities in the software that runs the risk of an attack from remote code execution.

The four bulletins that are given the “important” rating by Microsoft affect Windows and Office. Three of these fixes also focus on the remote execution problems, while one covers an elevation of privilege.

PC Advisor

Today’s Smartphone users often say that their phones seem to need charging far too often, sometimes even daily.

A few years ago you could expect a mobile phone to last 3 to 5 days without needing a re-charge so what’s going on?

Battery technology has not regressed, its our Smartphones that have become much more demanding, with vastly more powerful CPU’s, huge power grabbing screens and dozens of processes running in the background at all times. In fact modern Smartphones have now become mini computers in their own right.

To save power and cut down on the frequency of recharging try dimming the screen and turning off wireless and bluetooth connections and the GPS receiver when they are not needed. You can also save power by reducing the amount of power used by the radio unit and by preventing apps from automatically polling for
updates, or by making them do this far less often.

If you want some help with cutting down your phones power requirements a free app may well be able to help. In fact Android users can install a battery saving app that will automatically switch various features and services on and off to a specified schedule. A really good app that I use is called Juice Defender and this automates the whole power saving routine for you. JuiceDefender does this by automatically managing the most power-draining components of your phone, so that they are used only when needed, rather than left running all the time for no particular purpose – like when the phone is idle and is not being used.

On top of that, users who like to tweak their Smartphones power profiles will need to upgrade the free version of this app to JuiceDefender Plus (costing EUR 1.99) or JuiceDefender Ultimate (costing EUR 4.99). These upgrades can supply you with even more control over a plethora of specific energy saving settings.

Here’s a table of the benefits for each version of JuiceDefender:

To find out more about JuiceDefender just visit the apps web site – http://www.juicedefender.com

GALAXY Note 10.1 is outfitted with the functionality and precision of a pen and paper on a 10.1-inch-large-display, providing endless possibilities to elevate your creativity and productivity.

Featuring an intuitive user experience and armed with superior hardware performance, GALAXY Note 10.1 is designed to simplify idea capturing, information access, and multi-tasking, making each easier and faster.