How to Get and Install Windows 10

Rumors about the next-gen Windows started shortly after Microsoft Build 2014, where the company released Windows 8.1 Update. Will it be called "Threshold" or "Windows 9" or simply "Windows"? Well, most of that was wrong: Windows 10 was announced at an enterprise computing event in San Francisco this week, and a technical preview followed the next day.

You can get Windows 10 now, but beware, it's a very early and unstable software build. I tested it and not only did I see stability problems such as error messages when trying to run standard programs, but some features didn't work as expected. For example, the Charms no longer appeared when I pointed the mouse to the top-right corner of the screen (even though I'd set this option in Control Panel), and some window arrangements didn't look right.
Installing Windows 10 Technical Preview
Getting and installing the new OS was surprisingly simple, when starting from a Windows 8.1 PC. No going to the Windows Store or installing preliminary Windows Update packs as previous preview versions have required. And it's not as time-consuming as Windows installations have been in the past. It took less than 20 minutes. Ready? Lets begin!
1. Choose a PC you don't need for everyday use. Windows 10 Technical Preview is a very preliminary build, so you should not install it on a PC you need to use regularly. It's just for trying out the operating system and sending feedback to Microsoft so that the company can improve the final release. On that note, don't expect privacy on the test Windows 10 PC: Microsoft will examine system files in trying to rectify the problem code. Back up any files on the test PC that you may need. The OS doesn't require a touch screen, though it does support them, albeit Microsoft claims touch support is unpolished. Also note that you may not be able to revert to an earlier version of Windows after this installation.
2. Check the specs for your test PC. If you're running Windows 8.1, there should be no problem. You can test for compatibility by downloading and running theWindows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant. In general, requirements aren't at all arduous. Here are Microsoft's minimum system specs:
• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

3. Head to preview.windows.com and sign up for the Windows Insider Program. You'll need to sign in to a Microsoft account, such as an Outlook.com email account. Once you're signed in, click the "Get started" button. You'll need to accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Statement. The next page tells you, "Congrats, you're an Insider." On the next page displayed, click on "Install Technical Preview." At this point, it's obligatory for me to tell you to make sure the power cord stays plugged in, lest you computer shuts down mid-install.

4. What appears next depends on whether you're running Windows 8.x or an earlier version of the OS. If you're running an earlier version of Windows, you'll see a purple "Get the upgrade" button:

If you're running Windows 8.x, you'll instead see a list of ISO disk image file downloads.

I recommend installing with an ISO disk image file. If you do run the setup on a pre-Windows 8 PC, it will prompt you to restart; but don't fret if you've clicked the button unintentionally and don't want to update the PC; it just adds an option to update after the reboot.
5. Download the ISO disk image file for your system type. These are available in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, and I recommend the latter for any PC with a 64-bit processor, which means pretty much any PC less than five years old. There are also three language choices: English (with U.S. and U.K. options), Chinese, and Portuguese.

6. Create startup USB with USB Download Toolkit. You could also burn the .ISO file to a DVD, but these days USB keys are widely available and the target PC may not have a disc drive. I used the trusty Microsoft USB download tool, which you can download from CodePlex Microsoft's open-source resource site

7. Insert the USB key into the test PC. Then run setup.exe. You need to enter the serial number from the Technical Preview page to get started. For reference, it's NKJFK-GPHP7-G8C3J-P6JXR-HQRJR.

8. Sit back and watch the installation. First you'll see a small message box that says "Preparing" with a percentage counter:

9. Next, you'll have to accept the license terms.

How to Download Subtitles in VLC Media Player using VLsub

As most of you might be aware of, there are plenty of websites on the internet from where you can download subtitles from for free. Once you have the subtitles, you can copy them over to the respective movie’s folder and most media players would automatically load the subtitles. However, wouldn't it be nice if VLC could automatically download the subtitles for you?

Fortunately, VLC media player’s support for plugins makes it possible to automatically download subtitles from the internet. All you will need is a free plugin called VLsub and once you install it, you can easily search for subtitles from VLC media player itself and choose from the best ones.

The latest version of VLC media player is temporarily missing the “lua net module”, a major component which is needed for VLsub to work. According to Videolan, the “lua net module” will be added back to VLC in the next version. So until VLC media player version 2.2.x is released, you will have to downgrade to an older version of VLC media player in order to use the VLsub plugin.

How to Download Subtitles in VLC media player using VLsub

Step 1: Download VLsub from this LINK and extract its contents to a folder.

Step 2: Copy the VLsub.lua file and paste it in the following directory on windows: C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\extensions. In case the extensions folder is not there, create the folder and paste the Vlsub.lua extension in it.
Step 3: Run VLC and play a movie.
Step 4: When the movie is playing click on View > VLsub 0.9.10

Step 5: In the VLsub window that opens up, type in the name of the movie and click on Search by name. Wait for a few seconds and a list of available subtitles will appear.

 

Step 6: Select a subtitle and click on the Download Selection button to download the subtitle.

 

Within a few seconds the subtitle will be downloaded and start appearing on the movie. In case the subtitles don’t appear, simply stop the movie and start it again.

Note: The VLsub plugin makes use of Opensubtitles.org to fetch subtitles, in case Opensubtitles.org is down, the Plug might not be able to fetch subtitles.

Scientists can make your inner monologue audible

When you hear someone else speak, specific neurons in your brain fire. Brian Pasley and a bunch of his colleagues discovered this at the University of California, Berkeley. And not only that, but those neurons all appeared to be tuned to specific sound frequencies. So, Pasley had a thought: "If you're reading text in a newspaper or a book, you hear a voice in your own head," so why can't we decode that internal voice simply by monitoring brain activity. It's similar to the idea that led to the creation of BrainPort, which lets you "see" with your tongue. Your eyes, ears or vocal chords don't really do the heavy lifting, it's your brain. And if you can give the brain another source of input or output you might be able to train it to approximate a lost ability like speech.

Largest Floating Human Logo on Dead Sea

The largest human floating image consisted of
261 participants and was achieved in an event
organised by Monaco Business Development and
Ziyad Mazzawi Corporation (both Jordan) in the
Dead Sea, Amman, Jordan, on 30 October 2014.
Guiness World Record

SAD. model and beauty queen Tonye Mabel Sobio died @ 19

Fast rising model and
Miss Exclusive Nigeria 2013, Mabel Sobio Tonye died yesterday evening Nov.
22nd, aged just 19. According to a source who spoke with LIB, Mabel
complained of stomach pains yesterday and died on her way to the hospital.
Doctors suggested that she died of food poisoning. Only God understands. So sad! May her soul
rest in perfect peace…Amen.

Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts
Knowing at least some of the Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts helps make
your Windows 8 experience much more enjoyable. Try to memorize these
top Windows 8 shortcut keys.
Press the Windows key to open the Start
screen or switch to the Desktop (if open).

Press the Windows key + D opens the Windows
Desktop.

Press the Windows key + . to pin and unpin
Windows apps on the side of the screen.

Press the Windows key + X to open the power
user menu, which gives you access to many of
the features most power users would want
(e.g. Device Manager and Command Prompt).

Press the Windows key + C to open the
Charms .

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings,
which is the same Settings found in Charms.

Press and hold the Windows key + Tab to show
open apps.

Press the Windows key + Print screen to create
a screen shot , which is automatically saved
into your My Pictures folder.

HOW TO USE YOUR KEYBOARD AS MOUSE

Use Keyboard as Mouse [How To]

If your mouse is not working and you don't wish to wait till you get a new mouse, you would definitely like to know how you can use your keyboard as mouse. It is easy to use your mouse as keyboard in Windows using the On Screen Keyboard utility, but it is also possible to do the reverse.

All you need to do is:

Windows XP Users:-
Go to Control Panel.
Then click on Switch to Classic View.
Then Click on Accessibility Options.
Then Click on the Mouse Tab.
Select Use MouseKeys.
Click on OK.
Then activate NumberLock (by pressing the NumLk key).
You should hear a beep sound.
Now you can control the mouse pointer using the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.

Windows 8, Windows 7 and Vista Users:

Open Ease of Access Center by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Ease of Access Center.
Click Make the mouse easier to use.
Under Control the mouse with the keyboard, select the Turn on Mouse Keys check box.

You can also increase the acceleration and speed of your mouse movements according to your needs.

You can alternately press the Alt+Shift+Num Lock combination to instantly activate Mouse keys.

For laptops, this will only work if your keyboard has a numeric keypad or alternate keys which you can enable by pressing the Number Lock or the Function key.

On my laptop, number 6 key of the numeric keypad moves the mouse pointer left, number 4 key moves the mouse pointer right, number 2 key moves it down, number 8 key moves the mouse pointer up, number 5 and + key serve as right click while the number 0 key works as left click.

Barcelona star, Gerard Pique, apologises for insulting police officer

Barcelona Football Club defender, Gerard Pique, was supposed to appear in front of a judge last week for alleged civil disobedience and for disrespecting the police.

But he quickly took to his Twitter page that he was sorry for the act, claiming that he was widely misquoted and never meant to disobey civil laws.

The Spanish star was in the Port Olimpic area of Barcelona, Spain, after returning from international duty when his brother parked his car in a bus zone for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, the police officers attached to the area accused the duo of parking the car wrongly and obstructing taxis and other vehicles. Consequently, the officers fined Pique’s brother, Marc.

Pique reportedly got out of the car, confronted the police officers and lambasted them thoroughly.

He told them, “You envy me because I’m famous. You are fining me because you’re on commission, because you have no money and you need to make commission.

“I’m going to speak with your bosses and get you reprimanded. You think you are masters of the world because you wear that uniform… .

“Your father’s going to pay this fine; I’m not. You are a disgrace. Your profession makes me sick and the Guardia Urbana is a f****** disgrace.”

Pique then allegedly snatched the paper from his brother’s hands and flung it back at police, before the pair went inside the Casino Barcelona.

However, the football star apologised last Wednesday night for his manner, although he claimed that the press had exaggerated his comments.

“What I said has been exaggerated a lot, but in any case, I am sorry, I made a mistake and it will not happen again,” he tweeted in Spanish.

Despite his apology, he is almost certain to be fined by Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique, who has implemented a strict code of behaviour at the club since joining in the summer.

But his teammate, Jordi Alba, was quick to defend his colleague, saying, “The club has nothing to say. It would be bull*** if Barcelona punished Pique. Besides, he has already said sorry. We all make mistakes.”

Source: punch

How To Use The Android Latest Version 5.0 Lollipop Keyboard In Other Version

Lollipop Keyboard Apk (No Root Needed)

Features

+No root system needed.

+No uninstall of other Google Keyboards required.

+Functions on Nexus, Motorola as well as

other phone that might have Google Key-

board uninstalled .

How to install ?

1. Download the apk file.
2. No need to enter key.
3. No Root Needed.
4. Install normally.
5. Done !

Click on this link to download Lollipop Keyboard Mod Apk (18.9mb)

Make your computer welcome you

Do you watch movies? Have you always loved the way how Computers in movies welcome their users by calling out their names? I bet that you too would want to know how you can achieve similar results on your PC and have a computer said welcome.

Then you are at the right place, this article describes exactly how you can make your computer welcome you like this.

With this trick, you can make your Computer welcome you in its computerized voice. You can make your Windows based computer say "Welcome to your PC, Username."

Make Windows Greet you with a Custom Voice Message at Startup

To use this trick, follow the instructions given below:-

Click on Start. Navigate to All Programs, Accessories and Notepad.
Copy and paste the exact code given below.

Dim speaks, speech
speaks="Welcome to your PC, Username"
Set speech=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
speech.Speak speaks

     3.  Replace Username with your own name.
      4.  Click on File Menu, Save As, select All Types in Save as Type option, and save the file as Welcome.vbs or "*.vbs".
      5.  Copy the saved file.
      6.  Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows XP) and to C:\Users\ {User-Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista) if C: is your System drive. AppData is a hidden folder. So, you will need to select showing hidden folders in Folder options to locate it.
      7.  Paste the file.

Now when the next time you start your computer, Windows will welcome you in its own computerized voice.

Note: For best results, it is recommended to change sound scheme to No Sounds.
You can change the sound scheme to No Sounds by following the steps given below:-
Go to Control Panel.
Then click on Switch to Classic View.
Then Click on Sounds and Audio Devices.
Then Click on the Sounds Tab.
Select No Sounds from the Sound Scheme option.
If you wish to save your Previous Sound Scheme, you can save it by clicking Yes in the popup menu.
Click on OK.

Try it yourself to see how it works.

Fitbit Tosses 3 More Bands Into the Activity-Tracking Melee

With smartwatches providing all sorts of health and fitness options, and activity-tracking gadgets selling for as little as $12 -- that's Pivotal Living's Life Tracker -- is there a place for the pricey dedicated bands Fitbit offers? Possibly. Serious fitness enthusiasts may not need or want all the bells and whistles of a smartwatch, but they might appreciate Fitbit's feature-rich alternatives.

Fitbit on Monday announced three new fitness and activity-tracking wearables: the Fitbit Charge, Charge HR and Surge.

The Charge HR and Surge will be available early next year. The Charge is available now on Fitbit's site and is coming soon to retailers nationwide.

Prices are high -- US$130 for the Charge, $150 for the Charge HR, and $250 for the Surge, a fitness super watch with eight sensors.

Steep competition has driven down fitness-tracking device prices. For example, Pebble cut its smartwatch prices to $100 to $200 -- a $50 reduction -- while adding 24-hour fitness tracking. A Samsung Gear Fit is available on Amazon for $124, and a Garmin Vivofit fitness band costs about $100.

This strategy "will likely backfire unless there's more to the product that has yet to be released," Susan Schreiner, senior analyst at C4 Trends, told TechNewsWorld.

The Surge especially might be hit hard, because its price makes it "more likely to appeal to the hard-core fitness enthusiast" rather than the mainstream market, reducing its potential audience, observed Matt Wilkins, a research director at Strategy Analytics.

What the New Fitbits Deliver

Charge is a wristband with all-day activity tracking that offers real-time fitness statistics and caller ID. It has a sleep detection monitor and exercise tracking capability, and it is water-resistant. It runs for up to seven days on one charge.

The Fitbit Surge has all the features of the other two devices plus a built-in GPS, text alerts, mobile music control, three-axis accelerometers, a gyroscope, a compass and an ambient light sensor. It also records multisport activities.

The Surge runs up to seven days on one charge.

Awash in a Sea of Competitors

It's a feeding frenzy in the fitness tracker business. A quick check for fitness trackers on Amazon's website returned 100 results for best sellers alone.

Meanwhile, Lenovo has jumped in with the Lenovo Smartband SW-B100, and Pivotal Living on Monday announced its Life Tracker 1 fitness wristband for $12 -- that's right, $12 -- for the device and its app.

Then there's the Health app in iOS 8.

Of Recalls and Probes

Consumer complaints forced Fitbit to recall more than 1 million units of its Force wristband earlier this year and give purchasers a full refund, following an investigation by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Fitbit is facing two lawsuits -- one a class-action -- over the issue.

The CPSC later opened an investigation into the Fitbit Flex, again following consumer complaints.

"CPSC has concluded its investigation into the Fitbit Flex, but we will continue to monitor the safety of the product," CPSC spokesperson Scott Wolfson told TechNewsWorld.

Consumers will see a label on the product advising that it contains nickel, and the product will have sizing guidelines, Wolfson said, adding that CPSC believes the Flex should be worn loosely.

While news of the investigations might put off some consumers, "there are many more who will say it's a fluke and that Fitbit has learned its lesson," Schreiner said.

Who Might Want a Fitness Wearable Anyhow?

Given that smartwatches -- and increasingly, smartphones -- have fitness-tracking apps, will there continue to be a market for fitness wearables?

Yes, contends Strategy Analytics' Wilkins.

"While the fitness band market is facing competition from devices such as smartwatches, there are consumers who require a device to purely track their physical and fitness activity," he told TechNewsWorld. "Some consumers will be in the market to buy a device that is purely focused on fitness tracking and not require the additional features that a smartwatch needs." 

Sony's PlayStation 4 2.0 update is here, go download it

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/28/ps4-update/

Own a PlayStation 4? Today's your day: the console's big 2.0 update is finally live. Sony's been teasing the update for weeks, lauding the console's new ability to play music from a USB drive, the availability of system menu themes and promising new voice commands, party options and a less crowded home-screen. The update also gives the console's unique "share" button a little more power: the ability to upload video clips directly to YouTube and, most notably, remotely stream your games to a friend over the internet. Sony invited me to try some of these features ahead of today's launch and, yes, they all seem to work just fine -- at least in a controlled environment.

Sony walked me through the update in its Palo Alto, CA office last week, showing me the new themes, party options and even a few updated voice commands. The most interesting demo, of course, was SharePlay -- the console's new ability to stream PlayStation 4 games from one console to another over the internet. Think of it as a localized PlayStation Now between your console and a friends. This worked too, but left me with some concern: even in Sony's controlled demo environment, I noticed a perceptible amount of lag between the monitor displaying the host console and the guest. It wasn't enough to effect gameplay inInfamous Second Son, but a flightier residential connection could easily render the game unplayable.

The demo left me with a little doubt, but even more optimism -- the feature is brimming with potential: it not only gives players the ability to test out their friends' libraries remotely, but even join them in local multiplayer sessions in games that don't have online multiplayer! Will SharePlay live up to its potential for the average user? Well, now's your chance to find out: SharePlay and the PS4 System Software v2.0 is available for download today. Let us know how it works for you in the comments below.

Samsung wants to kill hard drives with new high-efficiency SSDs

For the first time, Samsung has starting producing SSDs using (wait for it) 3-bit multi-level-cell, 3D Vertical NAND flash memory, better known as TLC V-NAND. So, who in the actual hell cares? You might, if you're planning on buying an SSD or computer soon. Samsung's current V-NAND technology has resulted in models like the 850 Pro SSD, which topped all benchmarks and has a 10-year guarantee. But combining V-NAND with 3-bit tech has more than doubled wafer yields, which should result in even cheaper, faster and higher-capacity SSDs. The disks aren't on sale yet, but there's a good chance that one of the first available will be Samsung's recently leaked 850 EVO.

Here comes the latest android os. LOLLIPOP

Google on Wednesday unwrapped Android 5.0 Lollipop, officially replacing the "Android L" code name by which the latest version of its mobile platform previously had been known.

"Lollipop is our largest, most ambitious release on Android, with over 5,000 new APIs for developers," wrote Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president for Android, Chrome & Apps, in a blog post. "Lollipop is designed to be flexible, to work on all your devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit."

Three new Nexus devices -- the Nexus 6 phone, the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player Android TV streaming media player -- will run the new version of the mobile platform and will be available for preorder later this month, with in-store availability planned for November.

The new software also will be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks, Pichai said.

Marking Android 5.0's official debut, Google also installed the official "Lollipop" statue at its Mountain View, California, headquarters.

Consistency Across Devices

After previewing Android 5.0 Lollipop at its Google I/O conference in June, Google offered further news about it last month, when it confirmed that the software would feature encryption turned on by default.

Now there are details about its other features as well.

Reflecting an approach Google calls "Material Design," for instance, Lollipop features a consistent experience across devices.

"Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid," Pichai explained.

Battery-Saver Feature

Aiming to offer users more control over their devices, the software lets them adjust settings so that only certain people and notifications can get through at certain times, such as while in the middle of a meeting. When an important notification comes through in such situations, it's visible directly from the lockscreen.

Also new in Lollipop is a battery-saver feature that extends device life by as much as 90 minutes, Pichai said.

Multiple user accounts and guest user mode are enabled, and devices can be secured with a PIN, password or pattern -- or by pairing the phone to a trusted device like a watch or car with Smart Lock.

'This Is Google Saying They Get It'

"There's something to be said for offering a consistent design across devices," Ramon Llamas, research manager for mobile phones at IDC, told LinuxInsider.

However, "let's be 100 percent clear: This is not the first time anyone has done that," Llamas added.

Apple has, he pointed out, as have Microsoft and BlackBerry to some extent.

"This is Google saying they get it," Llamas said. "No one wants to have to reinvent the wheel when they're looking for the same content or playing the same game."

Pure Android Experience

Equally important will be making the design obvious, Llamas suggested.

"Some smartphone vendors, who shall remain nameless, cram everything under the sun in there, and some of those features you don't get around to using," he explained. "Simplicity and obviousness will help drive usage."

By and large, Android 5.0 gets a thumbs-up, Llamas said: "There are things to like, and there's enough for all the individual OEMs to put their own spin on it."

That may please the Android multitudes, but "for the true Android cognoscente, the new Nexus devices can't get here soon enough," added Llamas. "They want the pure experience."

Emerging Markets

Android 5.0 represents the most extensive update to the platform since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was released in 2011, said Ronald Gruia, director of emerging telecoms at Frost & Sullivan.

"They're clearly trying to push Android as the platform of the future, and they want it on every connected device," he told LinuxInsider. "This is the first step in that vision."

Here comes the latest android os. LOLLIPOP

Google on Wednesday unwrapped Android 5.0 Lollipop, officially replacing the "Android L" code name by which the latest version of its mobile platform previously had been known.

"Lollipop is our largest, most ambitious release on Android, with over 5,000 new APIs for developers," wrote Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president for Android, Chrome & Apps, in a blog post. "Lollipop is designed to be flexible, to work on all your devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit."

Three new Nexus devices -- the Nexus 6 phone, the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player Android TV streaming media player -- will run the new version of the mobile platform and will be available for preorder later this month, with in-store availability planned for November.

The new software also will be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks, Pichai said.

Marking Android 5.0's official debut, Google also installed the official "Lollipop" statue at its Mountain View, California, headquarters.

Consistency Across Devices

After previewing Android 5.0 Lollipop at its Google I/O conference in June, Google offered further news about it last month, when it confirmed that the software would feature encryption turned on by default.

Now there are details about its other features as well.

Reflecting an approach Google calls "Material Design," for instance, Lollipop features a consistent experience across devices.

"Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid," Pichai explained.

Battery-Saver Feature

Aiming to offer users more control over their devices, the software lets them adjust settings so that only certain people and notifications can get through at certain times, such as while in the middle of a meeting. When an important notification comes through in such situations, it's visible directly from the lockscreen.

Also new in Lollipop is a battery-saver feature that extends device life by as much as 90 minutes, Pichai said.

Multiple user accounts and guest user mode are enabled, and devices can be secured with a PIN, password or pattern -- or by pairing the phone to a trusted device like a watch or car with Smart Lock.

'This Is Google Saying They Get It'

"There's something to be said for offering a consistent design across devices," Ramon Llamas, research manager for mobile phones at IDC, told LinuxInsider.

However, "let's be 100 percent clear: This is not the first time anyone has done that," Llamas added.

Apple has, he pointed out, as have Microsoft and BlackBerry to some extent.

"This is Google saying they get it," Llamas said. "No one wants to have to reinvent the wheel when they're looking for the same content or playing the same game."

Pure Android Experience

Equally important will be making the design obvious, Llamas suggested.

"Some smartphone vendors, who shall remain nameless, cram everything under the sun in there, and some of those features you don't get around to using," he explained. "Simplicity and obviousness will help drive usage."

By and large, Android 5.0 gets a thumbs-up, Llamas said: "There are things to like, and there's enough for all the individual OEMs to put their own spin on it."

That may please the Android multitudes, but "for the true Android cognoscente, the new Nexus devices can't get here soon enough," added Llamas. "They want the pure experience."

Emerging Markets

Android 5.0 represents the most extensive update to the platform since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was released in 2011, said Ronald Gruia, director of emerging telecoms at Frost & Sullivan.

"They're clearly trying to push Android as the platform of the future, and they want it on every connected device," he told LinuxInsider. "This is the first step in that vision."

Your sunglasses can double as a phone stand

Have you ever wanted to watch video on your phone but didn't have a stand handy???

Well, this technique fixes that problem in mere seconds, and all you need is a pair of sunglasses (or regular glasses, if you can see without them). Watch the clever demonstration below to see how it's done.

Samsung Makes Its Prettiest Phone, But Does It Look Familiar?

Samsung consistently pumps out phones with big, beautiful screens, powerful processors, and high-quality cameras. On paper, that seems amazing. These are best-in-class phones. Supercomputers in your pocket. Samsung phones may have those gorgeous displays — the best in the world, according to some experts — but they're encased in cheap-feeling, creaky plastic. If the iPhone is a well-designed tool, then Samsung phones are plastic playthings.

Samsung's newest phone, the Galaxy Alpha, is a response to all that design criticism. It's Samsung's first Galaxy phone to incorporate metal — an aluminum band with chamfered edges wrapped around the case. Oh, and it looks eerily similar to the iPhone 5/5S

AT&T is the only US carrier selling the Galaxy Alpha right now . It costs $200 with a two-year contract, or $613 off-contract.
Feature-wise, the Galaxy Alpha can do pretty much the same stuff as the Galaxy S5
Here's a quick recap: It has a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button that lets you unlock the phone without entering a passcode, but it doesn't work as well as the iPhone's fingerprint sensor. The Alpha also runs the same version of Android. The screen is a bit smaller at 4.7 inches. It's also not water resistant like the Galaxy S5 is. Still, to make it easy, just think of the Alpha as a slightly smaller Galaxy S5.

The Alpha is all about Samsung testing its design chops. The phone looks good, but it's disappointing to see Samsung using the iPhone 5 design from two years ago for inspiration instead of pushing forward on its own. HTC has been able make phones that are just as beautiful as anything Apple can build without copying the iPhone style. The Alpha looks like Samsung took the iPhone 5, made the screen slightly larger, and added a flimsy, removable plastic back cover.

That's what makes the Galaxy Alpha such a strange device. It's supposed to offer a "premium" feel, but the result is a curious Frankensteinish mishmash of plastic and high quality metal. Yes, it looks better than any other Samsung phone, but I wish Samsung had gone all the way and made a unibody, all-metal device.

Other than that, the Alpha performs just as well as the Galaxy S5, which is a good phone if you like Android. The screen on the Alpha isn't as sharp as the one on its big brother, but I doubt most people will notice. It also fits in my hand a lot easier than the Galaxy S5, and the metal band makes it feel more solid and sturdy. The battery can get you through a day and the camera can hold its own against other high-end smartphones.

It's best to think of the Alpha as an experiment, an offshoot of the Galaxy S5 that's more about design and build quality than trying to innovate new features. Samsung will likely wait until its next flagship Galaxy phones launches to wow us with something really new. Conclusion If you like Samsung phones, I think you should buy the Galaxy S5 over the Alpha. It has a bigger, nicer screen and costs about the same. But if you've dying for a Samsung phone with some metal on it, choose the Alpha.