SSD Market to Put a Good Show in 2H12, SanDisk Says

The storage industry hasn't exactly been flourishing lately, as a whole, but when PC sales slump, so does everything else on the IT front, so it's not a shock.

Either way, since I haven't heard of any company going bankrupt lately, I can only surmise they have been doing as well as they could under the circumstances.

SanDisk is one of the names I write more often about. As it happens, the company VP for Asia Pacific Gavin Wu has recently expressed his expectations for the second half of 2013.

According to what he told Digitimes, the PC DIY market and the ultrabook segment will encourage SSD sales.

That way, while HDDs slide down in terms of shipments, SSDs will rise over the course of the rest of the year.

SanDisk will work together with Toshiba to develop new memory chips.

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ViStart Button Running on Windows 8.1 Preview – Photo Gallery

ViStart is yet another third-party Start button supposed to bring back the utterly-popular feature on Windows 8 machines, but the app works quite fine on 8.1 Preview too.

Even though some optimizations are still needed to perfectly align the Start button on the Taskbar, ViStart comes with the essential features that should prove handy to many users out there.

It doesn’t provide the same feature-rich package as some of its rivals and the available UI customization options aren’t quite impressive, but it deserves a try especially because it’s offered free of charge.

In addition, it also packs a boot to desktop option specifically aimed at Windows 8 users, but given the fact that such a setting was already implemented in 8.1 Preview, it’s pretty useless right now.

Download ViStart 8.1 Build 5132

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GNOME 3.9.4 Is Now Available for Testing

The great Matthias Clasen from the GNOME development team was proud to announce a few hours ago, July 12, that the fourth development release of the upcoming GNOME 3.10 desktop environment is ready for download and testing from the usual places. 
GNOME 3.9.4 brings numerous updated core components and libraries, as well as several improvements to basic applications (see below for a detailed list). This fourth development release towards GNOME 3.10 also squashed many bugs found in the GNOME 3.9.3 version, and updates several important translations.

At this moment, the GNOME developers are preparing for the upcoming GUADEC – The GNOME Conference event, which will take place in Brno, Czech Republic, August 1-8.

 More details can be found here.

Therefore, the GNOME 3.9.4 updates the following main applications: Anjuta, Bijiben, Cheese, Devhelp, Evolution, File Roller, Gedit, GNOME Chess, GNOME Documents, Orca, and Vinagre.

The following core components were updated in GNOME 3.9.4: GTK+, Glib2, Gvfs, Clutter, Mutter, Glib Networking, GNOME Calculator, GNOME Contacts, GNOME Disk Utility, GNOME Online Accounts, GNOME Screenshot, GNOME Shell, GNOME Terminal, Vino, VTE, Cogl, Folks, GJS, Gmime, Pango, GtkSourceView, and GObject introspection.

Many of the aforementioned packages have detailed articles on Softpedia, so read them if you want to know what's new in each one. Also, you can read the entire GNOME 3.9.4 raw changelogs, here andhere.

The next development release will be GNOME 3.9.5, which should be available for testing sometime at the end of the month, followed by the first Beta release at the end of August, 2013. The final version of GNOME 3.10 will be officially released on September 25, 2013.

Download GNOME 3.9.4 sources right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a development release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only

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Karbonn launches the 5.5-inch Titanium S9 for Rs 19,990

Karbonn has launched its new flagship device, dubbed the Titanium S9. The handset has a large 5.5-inch IPS display with an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which gives it a pixel density of 267 ppi. This makes it a direct competitor to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Note 2.  The handset runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean right out of the box.

Bears quite a resemblance to the Galaxy Note 2

For photographers, the phablet is equipped with a 13 megapixel camera on the back with an LED flash. The front has a 5 megapixel camera. It has 16GB of internal memory, which is expandable through a microSD card up to 32GB. Connectivity options include the standard 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is a dual-SIM handset and is equipped with three sensors—an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor—which are standard in smartphones nowadays.

Runs on Android 4.2 right out of the box

Under the hood, the Titanium S9 runs on a quad-core MediaTek MTK 6589 chip clocked at 1.2GHz. This along with 1GB of RAM should make the device work without any major hiccups. All of this is kept alive by a 2600 mAh battery. The phone is also equipped with power-saving features which the company claims improves the phablet’s standby time.

The Karbonn Titanium S9 comes with a flip cover

Visually, the Titanium S9 bears quite a resemblance to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, even following the same button layout under the screen—Menu, Home and Back.

The handset comes bundled with a flip cover that Karbonn claims can protect the device from falls, cuts, chips and mishandling. The handset will be hitting store shelves soon and will be priced at Rs 19,990.

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How To: Root the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500

You just bought yourself a new Samsung Galaxy S4 i9500 and you are impressed with your investment. The smartphone was shipped to you with an older operating system version of Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and the shopkeeper informed you to go ahead and update it from the Internet. You readily agreed and went home to start the phone and set up the email accounts and all the necessary applications on it. You also noticed the update from Samsung available and went ahead to install it. Now that you are pleased with the performance, you want to root it. Uh-oh! You went through a lot of websites online to find a method to root it and got the easiest one out. But it happened to be working on the older version of the operating system. Unfortunately, you have already updated to the latest firmware version from the Internet. Now your smartphone shows you the version or build number as "I9500XXUAMDK", which is not being rooted with the older method. So, how do you root your S4?

There are a lot of websites helping users out on rooting the Samsung Galaxy S4, but most of these are methods to root the older version of the operating system, which has been blocked by Samsung. The new version for the S4 states build number "XXUAMDK" and cannot be rooted as easily with the older method. We show you how you can root this version with great ease. So let’s get started.

First, confirm that the Galaxy S4 you are using is the I9500 (Exynos version) and not the I9505(qualcomm version). You can confirm this at the booting screen itself or via "Settings -> More -> About Device". Check your build number here too – it should reflect "XXUAMDK" as the last few digits. Now you need to get your phone ready for the rooting. And for this you need to enable the USB Debugging mode. But the newer operating system does not have the "Developer options" visible or enabled in the settings by default. To enable it, click on "About Device" and scroll down till you see the "Build number". Now keep tapping continuously on the Build number field till  you see some messages on the screen counting down to enable the Developer options. After a while, you will see a message informing you that the "Developer mode" is enabled. Hit the back button and you will find the Developer options field available. Click on it and enable it with the toggle switch on the top right. Now head below to the "Debugging" section and enable "USB debugging". Finally, go back to the "Security" options and click on the field "Unknown sources" to allow third-party apps to be installed. Your phone is now ready for being rooted. Now all we need are two files and a simple utility to be downloaded from the Internet. Download the files from the links below.

Enable Developer options, USB debugging and Unknown sources

Samsung SGS4 drivers. These are drivers required for the PC to recognise your phone. 

Odin. This is the utility that will help you flash the above two files to your phone. 

Adam’s kernel. This is an insecure kernel that needs to be replaced with the Samsung SGS4 kernel; it will also root the phone for you in a single step. It has a built-in auto rooting feature.

ClockworkMod Recovery. This is a recovery utility that you need to install on your phone to flash ROMs and take backups of your existing operating system. 

The entire rooting takes around 10 minutes (even less actually) once you have everything in place. So let’s begin.

Preparing the phone: Make a folder on your desktop and unzip the files you downloaded into this folder. Switch off your SGS4 and wait for a few seconds. Now press the "Volume down" button and the "Home button" together and keeping the two buttons held down, press the power button. Release the buttons when you see the Samsung logo on the screen. You shall see a message stating that the phone is in download mode and asking you to continue by pressing the "Volume Up" button. Go ahead and press the Volume Up button once. Your phone is now in download mode and ready for being flashed with new files.

Put the phone in download mode by pressing the Volume down+Home+Power buttons simultaneously

Flashing and rooting: Plug in the USB cable to the phone and the PC. Windows will now be seen installing the necessary drivers for the phone. Wait for a while till all the driver installation work is done. Now open the folder where you have your files you downloaded for the rooting. Double-click on the Odin executable file. Odin will start up and you should see the phone connected to the utility and ready for flashing. To confirm this, the field "ID:COM" should have a light blue colour with "0:(ComXX)" written in it. (Please note that XX can be any number and will vary from PC to PC). This states that your phone is recognised by Odin and is ready. Now click on the button "PDA" and choose the file "GT-I9500_AdamKernel.V1.2.Odin.tar" from the folder where you stored the downloaded files on your desktop. Next, ensure that the check boxes "Auto Reboot", "F. Reset Time" and "PDA" are the only check boxes checked and the rest are not. Double check and hit the "Start Button". Watch the "Message" box on the lower left side to see if everything runs fine and there are no errors. This process will take a few seconds and Viola! The phone should reboot on its own. After the phone restarts, you should see the "Superuser" app installed and the phone already rooted automatically by this kernel. To confirm that the phone is successfully rooted, download any app that needs superuser permissions (such as Titanuim backup, ROM manager  or Root explorer) and you should be prompted for the root access.

Flash the kernel by choosing the PDA option and the .tar file

Flash the CWM Recovery: Now that your phone is rooted, you will need the recovery utility to be flashed. The procedure is very simple and involves similar steps that you followed earlier. Proceed similarly as above—shut down the phone and put it in download mode and start Odin. This time, click the PDA button and choose the file "recovery-clockwork-6.0.3.2-i9500.tar.md5". Once again, ensure that the check boxes "Auto Reboot", "F. Reset Time" and "PDA" are the only check boxes checked and the rest are not. Hit the "Start" button and wait a few seconds till it gets done and the phone restarts automatically. Disconnect the phone from the PC and shut down the phone. This time, press the Volume Up button and the Home button together, and keeping the two buttons held down, press the power button. The phone should now enter the recovery mode automatically.

Congratulations! Your phone has now been rooted and you are free to install root-level applications and flash your own custom ROMs. For starters, go ahead and make a complete backup (Nandroid) of your existing operating system from the recovery mode to ensure that the operating system can be safely restored in case of a mishap. 

Flash the recovery by choosing the PDA option and the .md5 recovery file

Note: Rooting your phone is considered risky and can brick or damage your phone permanently. Rooting also will void any and all warranty on your phone. Proceed with the steps mentioned above with extreme caution. We are not responsible for any damage to your phone. The steps in the workshop are limited to the mentioned build version only. Do confirm this before you proceed. Root your SGS4 at your own risk.

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How To: Weed out bloatware from your Galaxy S4

The wealth of features on the Samsung Galaxy S4 combined with super good looks make the smartphone a very tempting option, but the downside is that  there are a few unwanted applications that might not be welcome by many. For example, you don’t want the stock live wallpapers, such as phase beam and bubbles, floating around inside your phone for no reason; or the printing services waiting to be used in the background. While most might not be active every time you switch on your Galaxy S4, they are dormant and unnecessarily hog useful space. Some features like maps, social networking apps, widgets, weather apps and a few more run in the background even though you don’t use them – eating into your system resources and feasting on the battery life. Why not get rid of these and make your phone’s system lighter and enhance the battery life? 

You can safely delete some of these apps and even restore them using a simple trick. But you need the phone to be rooted for this. So, if you already have a rooted phone, you may proceed to read this workshop, while those looking to root their newly acquired SGS4 can read this workshopbefore heading back here. 

The method to get rid of the bloatware was put up on the XDA forums a while ago and is pretty straightforward. All you need is a rooted phone with a root-enabled file explorer to enter into the system area and delete the unwanted applications from there. It is advisable to make a backup before you do so, just in case you accidentally delete something you didn't intend to. Reinstalling the app is simple—copy the app you want back into the original location and set the permissions to "Rw-R-R" (see screenshot) and reboot the phone.

Note: Do not install these system apps as you would install any regular app, as it could crash the operating system. Before you do any changes to the operating  system files, we strongly advise you to take a complete backup (Nandroid) using the recovery mode and then proceed. In case you mistakenly delete something important, you can simply recover the entire operating system from the backup. 

Backup, uninstall, freeze and defrost apps easily with Titanium Backup

You can also get rid of the bloatware using Titanium Backup  by either freezing the app or uninstalling it. Titanium Backup also features automatic backup of the app you are uninstalling, so you are safe here too. To get the app back, you can simply defrost it or restore it using Titanium Backup. This is definitely the safest method to remove bloatware, but you won’t be freeing up any space. However, you would be reducing the unwanted load on the operating system for sure. You can also remove bloatware with apps such as "NoBloat" and "Root Uninstaller" available on Google Play. These apps can also back up and restore the apps at a later stage. It won't free up any memory on your phone, but will hide the apps from your app drawer and keep them from running in the background or popping up notifications. 

Delete and replace apps within the system folder with a root-enabled file explorer

For many, the pre-installed system apps are named differently and are hard to tell by their names itself. For example, who would ever imagine that “peel.apk” is Samsung’s WatchON app that uses the IR module as an infrared remote controller? To make things a little more simpler, we have grabbed a list from the XDA Development Forums which highlights the app and its actual use so that you can safely decide what is safe for you to uninstall. Here is the list:

List of bloatware that can be safely removed (Click to enlarge)

Please note: In order to keep the deleted apps from reinstalling automatically after rebooting, make sure you have deleted the app "PreloadIndtaller.apk" from the "/system/app" folder. If you forget to delete this app, the bloatware will reappear again after rebooting.

Once you have picked what you want to remove and what you want to keep, make a note, list down the apps, take a complete backup using the recovery (Nandroid), Titanium Backup and Root Explorer and finally proceed with the deleting. We advise you to take backups in the three methods just to be safe and sure that you can restore things back to normal incase of any mishaps. In case you have messed up the entire operating system, don’t panic; head on to the S4 development section on the XDA forums to procure the original firmware for your phone and flash it using the ODIN utility. Your phone should be back to normal (factory default). Those who prefer to be on the safe side and want to avoid deleting the apps can also choose to disable the apps from the operating system. To do this, go to “Settings -> More -> Application Manager -> All” and click on the app you want disabled. Others who prefer living on the edge can simply back up the existing ROM and flash a custom ROM called “Doc's Barebone”, which can be downloaded from the XDA forums. It is a barebone Android 4.2.2 version with an entire stock Android look and feel. Though this ROM might not give you additional eye-candy and features that Samsung originally offers, it is a great ROM for those looking for a clean ROM, which is great for battery life, storage space and multi-tasking.

Disable apps from the system settings to safely tuck them away

Note: Rooting and flashing your phone is considered risky and can brick or damage your phone permanently. Rooting and flashing also will void any and all warranty on your phone. This workshop is created with inputs from various developers on the XDA forums. The above method might not completely work for your phone or operating system version. Proceed with the steps mentioned above with extreme caution. We are not responsible for any damage to your phone. Deleting apps from your smartphone can cause loss of certain or most features. Please choose the required apps to be removed sensibly. This is based on a few XDA Forum developers and various other followers. We have simply compiled it into this article. For more information and clarifications, please head over to the XDA Forums. If you have doubts on any apps listed here, or if you feel any more apps can be added to the list, please give your suggestions in the comments below.

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Xbox One may eventually get support for Windows 8 apps

Microsoft seems to have big plans for the Xbox One. According to The Verge, at the Build conference, Microsoft's Developer and Platform Evangelism group's Vice President Steve Guggenheimer has hinted that the next-gen console may get support to run Windows 8 apps eventually.

"Xbox One has two engines, it's got a gaming engine and it essentially has a Windows 8 engine,"Guggenheimer said. "Nothing to announce today, but when I talk about that common core you're seeing that common core in action, being able to target other devices over time that run the Windows 8 engine."

Guggenheimer then went on to demonstrate remote debugging of a web app that seemed to be running on an Xbox One. This strongly hints towards Microsoft eventually opening up something like the Windows 8 Store for Xbox One owners. This will open up a whole new world for app developers where they will be able to make use of the Xbox SmartGlass app and the Kinect for unique web apps.

Microsoft has also mentioned that along with web apps, the Xbox One will also be capable of supporting native apps. The development tools for Xbox One apps are said to be almost identical to that of Windows 8.

At the event, the company had also announced a partnership with Unity for bringing its engine to the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.

Unity will be developing new tools that will support Microsoft's next-gen console and a lot of its new features, including multiplayer matchmaking, SmartGlass, Kinect gesture recognition and Microsoft's Azure cloud technology. Developers that work under Microsoft Studios will get access to the developer tools at no cost.

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Apple taking back some new Macbook Air units with Wi-Fi issues

As expected Apple has given the Macbook Air a dose of Haswell. The Cupertino based tech major has announced a refreshed range of the Macbook Air. The new notebooks will be available in the same 11.6 and 13.3-inch variants, like before. This round of upgrades is all under the hood.

Apple has gone in for Intel's latest Haswell line of processors, which were unveiled at Computex earlier this month, to power the Air. As expected the Haswell upgrade is said to give a major power boost the notebooks. The 11-inch Air is said to have a 9 hour battery, doubling its life from the 5 hours earlier, while the refreshed 13-inch Macbook Air will keep humming for 12 long hours as opposed to the 7 hours the earlier version had. Both the variants come with support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The 11-inch Macbook Air starts at $999 and the 13-inch one at $1,099. Both start shipping today.

Apple's not stopping just at Air. At WWDC 2013, the Cupertino brand has also teased the Mac Pro, its tiny desktop PC. According to Phil Schiller, Sr. VP, Marketing at Apple, the PRO is "without doubt the future of the pro desktop." The new Mac Pro will be assembled in the United States. The circular tube shaped computer is scheduled to arrive later this year and comes with four USB 3.0 ports, 6 Thunderbolt ports and dual AMD GPUs all packed into 1/8th the volume of the previous model

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A new technology to help you control your Windows 8 PC with your eyes

This new accessory Rex enables users to perform tasks such as scrolling; it's not meant to replace a keyboard or mouse.

According to Engadget, "the device, slightly larger than a pen, adheres to the base of any PC monitor and can be integrated with other existing controls such as the keyboard, mouse or touchpad.

The company has not divulged any information related to pricing and availability. Tobii plans to offer 5,000 units to consumers before the end of 2013. However, for developers, a special edition is available starting today at $995.

Tobii will show its eye tracker, called the REX, next week at the CES 2013. At last year's CES the company previewed Gaze UI, an interface that allowed users to navigate, zoom, select and scroll on a proprietary Windows 8-enabled laptop with their pupils and a touchpad.

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Yahoo: Astrid to Stop Working Next Month

 

A service bought by Yahoo a few months ago, Astrid, has announced that it will go dark on August 5.

Like many other companies that have been bought by Yahoo recently, the task management service will go dark in less than a month from now, TechCrunch reports.

The news comes two months after the company’s CEO and co-founder Jon Parris announced the Yahoo takeover.

At the time, he noted that Astrid will continue to work for about another 90 days, leaving users to hope that Yahoo will make an exception and let the service carry on.

As always in the case with this type of acquisitions, Yahoo is painted as the bad guy by Astrid fans who don’t want to let the service go.

Yahoo has bought three more companies this past week, namely Qwiki, Xobni and Bignoggins.

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NETGEAR's Latest R6100 WiFi Router Gets Firmware Version 1.0.0.24

NETGEAR has unveiled firmware version 1.0.0.24 targeted at its latest wireless router, namely the R6100 device, which fixes the wireless IOT issue with the A6200 WiFi adapter.

In addition to that, the newly released package resolves the WAN detection problem that would not recognize the DHCP connection in Comcast.

As for installing the firmware, log into the router’s GUI, and go to Advanced Tab → Administration → Firmware Upgrade. There, click on the “Browse” button, select the firmware file located within the downloadable archive, and click the “Upload” button.

At this point the update process starts, so make sure you don’t interrupt it in any way. The process completes when the progress bar comes to an end.

In the unlikely event that the progress bar isn’t properly displayed, the process can be tracked using the LED lights. If the LED blinks amber, this means that the update is in progress; if it changes to steady amber, it means that the upgrade is complete.

When the installation finishes, you should load the default factory settings (a good idea after any firmware update), and go verify if the current version matches the one that you’ve just installed.

That being said, follow the link below, and download the package that contains the firmware file needed in order to update the R6100 wireless router.
 

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How to Boot Directly to “All Apps” View in Windows 8.1 Preview

As you probably heard by now, Windows 8.1 Preview comes with a dedicated option that allows users to boot directly to desktop and skip the Start screen.

In addition, a separate setting gives them the possibility to launch a so-called “All Apps” view mode on the Start screen that provides one click access to all installed tools on a specific computer.

We’ve heard that many users are actually trying to keep the default boot to Start screen option turned on, but instead of the live tile interface, they want to get straight to the All Apps view.

The only thing you need to do in order to tweak the operating system in such a way that it would take you to the All Apps view after boot is to set this mode as the default style on the Start screen.

So simply right click the Taskbar, hit “Properties,” go over to the “Navigation” tab and look into the Start screen section at the bottom of the screen.

Enable the “Show the Apps view automatically when I go to Start” and you’re ready to go. Make sure you do NOT enable the “Go to desktop instead of Start when I sign in” option, as this configuration would automatically take you to the desktop instead of the Start screen.

Reboot your computer and try out the new customization.

Keep in mind that while the “All Apps” view is indeed helpful in some cases, the Start screen could easily get cluttered as you install more apps.

The live tile interface, on the other hand, was designed to be easier to manage, while also providing real-time updates on weather, mail, tweets, and any other content you might access.

If you wish to go back to the default Start screen mode, simply disable the option and reboot the computer.

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Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10 Now Available in Maori Language

Microsoft has recently announced that New Zealand's Maori language is now supported by its key products, including Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10, and Outlook.com.
Even though it's spoken by only 157,000 people, Maori can now be applied to the Modern and desktop interfaces of Windows 8, while also supporting built-in Metro apps such as Mail, People, Weather, Maps, Music, and Windows Defender.

"We are thrilled to continue our support for te reo Maori," said Paul Muckleston, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand Limited. "We are grateful for the hard work that so many people have done to make it possible to weave this taonga into the very latest of tablet, smartphone, PC, and cloud technologies."

In addition, IE10 can be configured to display menus and options in Maori on both Windows 7 and Windows 8, while Office 2013 users need to download a stand-alone language pack to set it up

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