31 March 2015

App Mahal: Discover Best Android Apps - social network of Android apps

App Mahal is an exciting new way to discover and download the best Android apps and games without searching. There are millions of applications to choose from but finding the best free and paid games and apps is often difficult. This app creates a social community of app lovers who can share and recommend the best apps for their friends, family and followers. 


You can share your recommendations and likes with other members. We believe that by creating a social network of Android apps, users will ensure that the very best games and apps will shine above the rest.

App Mahal allows people to connect and follow each other. Users can connect their Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus accounts to view their friends’ apps and likes.

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This may be what Tesla's mystery product is

CEO Elon Musk has already said the company is making batteries for your house

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Monday his electric car company is unveiling a new product that’s “not a car” on April 30. It isn’t clear exactly what’s up Tesla’s sleeve — but there’s a strong case the new product will be a large battery that can power homes or businesses.
While Musk seems to be announcing big news here, he explained back in February that Tesla was working on a battery that collects energy from the sun during the day and stores it for use at night when people are home.
“We’re going to unveil the Tesla home battery, or consumer battery, that will be for use in people’s houses or businesses, fairly soon,” Musk was quotedas saying. He told more to Bloomberg: “We have the design done, and it should start going into production in about six months or so. It’s really great.”
Tesla has already been supplying home battery technology to its parter SolarCity, which has made them available in small parts of California. But Musk’s Monday tweet could be teasing greater availability for Tesla’s home battery technology.
If Tesla is indeed taking the lessons it has learned in battery design and applying them to home power, it could prove disruptive for utility companies. A Tesla-made home battery could help homeowners go “off the grid,” decreasing their reliance on local utilities.
General Electric, Samsung and Honda are also said to have similar home battery concepts in the works.
Tesla’s earnings for the previous quarter failed to meet analysts’ expectations. The company lost $.13 per share on adjusted revenue of $1.1 billion.

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30 March 2015

Windows 10 Mobile on track for most Lumia phones

Microsoft's Operating Systems Group team has added code to the next test build of Windows 10 Mobile that will allow that release to work on the majority of Windows Phones.

When Microsoft released the first test build of Windows 10 Mobile in February, it was built to run only on a handful of Lumia devices, specifically the Lumia 630, 635, 636, 638, 730 and 830 phones. Microsoft execs attributed the small number of initially supported devices to the "very tight OS partitions" that left insufficient room for the installation process to update the OS in place.

But the second test build, which may not be available until the first week of April or so, will support the majority of existing Windows Phones. Microsoft officials went public with the list of Windows Phones that will likely be able to run the next test build in a March 27 blog post.

Stung by criticism over Windows 8, which turned off many PC users, Microsoft has made a concerted effort to get lots of people looking at preview versions of Windows 10, which is intended to run across a wide range of devices, from desktops to laptops to smartphones and even to devices like ATMs and ultrasound machines.

The aim of the test builds is to elicit comments, questions and complaints from Windows users, looking at the preview versions of the upcoming operating system, that could help Microsoft fashion a Windows 10 that will have a broader appeal than its predecessor, Windows 8. Windows 10 is intended to run across a wide range of devices, from desktops and laptops to smartphones and more industrial devices.

The initial list of Windows Phones, which isn't 100 percent locked, according to the post, includes these devices:

Lumia 1020 Lumia 1320 Lumia 1520 Lumia 520 Lumia 525 Lumia 526 Lumia 530 Lumia 530 Dual SIM Lumia 535 Lumia 620 Lumia 625 Lumia 630 Lumia 630 Dual SIM Lumia 635 Lumia 636 Lumia 638 Lumia 720 Lumia 730 Lumia 730 Dual SIM Lumia 735 Lumia 810 Lumia 820 Lumia 822 Lumia 830 Lumia 920 Lumia 925 Lumia 928 Lumia ICON Microsoft Lumia 430 Microsoft Lumia 435 Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV Microsoft Lumia 532 Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM

(Several have noticed that the Lumia 930 isn't on this list. It seems there is some bug unique to the 930 that Microsoft is still trying to track down.)

The head of Microsoft's Windows Insider program, Gabe Aul, said that the required partition-stitching feature code required to support these phones came into Microsoft's main code branch late last week. Last week, Microsoft tested that code on individual devices inside the company. Aul also said the next test build will include support for phones that didn't have China Mobile operator support in the first test build.

"I cannot guarantee a date for a new build. What I CAN tell you is that we feel great here about the partition stitching code and current builds, but we likely still have at least one more week of engineering to do to ensure we get a great build for the expanded list of devices," Aul said.

Windows 10 will build in standards-based two-factor authentication to every device, effectively neutering most phishing attacks and password database breaches.

Source

WhatsApp working on online chat backups via Google Drive

According to reports, WhatsApp is now working on devising a way to make backing up chat history an easier process for its users.

Leaked strings from WhatsApp developers group suggest that it will soon integrate with Google Drive to backup chat history and media files. Users will also be able to restore history from Google Drive. Leaked screenshot from the developer group's string shows a timestamp for last backup to the Drive and an option to delete it.

The report also says that media backup option does not include backup and restore for video files. Users will only be able back up data on Google Drive through a wi-fi or cellular network.


Ford cars slow when they see speed-limit signs

Speed limit dashboardFord is to sell a car that can read road signs and adjust its speed accordingly to ensure the vehicle is not driving too fast.
The speed-limiting tech can be activated via the steering wheel and briefly overridden by pressing firmly on the accelerator.
The car company suggests the facility will help drivers avoid fines and could reduce the number of accidents.
However, one expert said the innovation might only serve as a "stopgap".
"There's a plan for speed restrictions to be beamed to your car's computer systems and controlled from there, rather than requiring street sign visual recognition systems," said Paul Newton, an automotive industry analyst at the IHS consultancy.
"This would be part an extension of the networks that will connect vehicles, allowing cars to warn those behind them if they are slowing down, which is all part of a move toward autonomous vehicles that drive themselves."
The new vehicles will alert the driver to detected road signs via a read-out in the centre of the car's speedometer
Such a system, however, is some way off.
Ford's technology will become available to the public this August, when it launches the second generation of its S-Max cars in Europe.
A spokesman for the US car company told the BBC the facility would probably be extended to other models around the world.

Speed fines

The system, which is called the Intelligent Speed Limiter, combines two existing technologies already fitted to many cars:
  • Adjustable speed limiters - these use sensors mounted in a car's wheels to detect how fast it is going. Once software detects the vehicle is at a maximum preset speed, it limits the amount of fuel that reaches the engine, rather than applying the brakes. The system does, however, allow the driver to quickly suspend the restriction by pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor, letting them overtake another vehicle or avoid a collision
  • Traffic sign recognition - a forward-facing windscreen-mounted video camera scans the environment for road signs and alerts the driver to their presence. Ford cars previously fitted with this tech are limited to showing corresponding graphics on their dashboard displays
Drivers will be able to set the new system to let them speed at up to 5mph (8km/h) beyond the detected limit.
S-Max car
The new system will only be initially available with the S-Max car, which is limited to Europe
While some motorists might still resist the idea of giving up control to their vehicle, Ford suggested others would appreciate the convenience and safety on offer.
"Drivers are not always conscious of speeding... sometimes only becoming aware they were going too fast when they receive a fine in the mail or are pulled over by law enforcement," said Stefan Kappes, a safety supervisor at Ford.
"Intelligent Speed Limiter can remove one of the stresses of driving, helping ensure customers remain within the legal speed limit."
Ford noted that in 2013 more than 15,000 drivers in the UK had been issued with speeding fines costing £100 or more and that a motorist in Finland had been fined 54,000 euros (£38,400) after being caught driving 14mph (23km/h) over a 50mph limit.
It hopes that statistics such as this will help encourage consumers to spend extra money on the technology, which it has not included as standard on the basic S-Max model.