Skype to Replace Windows Live Messenger on March 15 (Update)

Image source: Skype

*Update as of 9/1/2013: Microsoft sent out a mass email to its 100 million+ Messenger users that the Windows Live Messenger service will officially retire on 15th March 2013.

*Update: It's official - Windows Live Messenger will be retired in all countries except mainland China in Q1 2013. Over 100 million Messenger users will be integrated to Skype as part of the discontinuation process, which started several weeks ago with the release of Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows.

The days of Windows Live Messenger are numbered as Microsoft is said to be integrating the instant messaging service with Skype.

According to The Verge, several sources claim that Microsoft will be retiring the Windows Live Messenger service in the coming months. A formal announcement is expected to be made as early as this week.

This comes as no surprise since Microsoft has been moving people over to the Messenger backend for Skype with its launch of a new, ‘built from the ground up’ version for Windows 8. During its announcement of its revenue for or the quarter ending September 30, 2012, Microsoft revealed that Skype usage rose 58% compared to the same period a year ago, and has currently about 280 million users.

Hands-on with Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11

With the full, in-depth review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 already online, we thought we’d take a look at its little brother, the IdeaPad Yoga 11, which is pretty similar in most ways but come packed with a few key differences as well.

The IdeaPad Yoga 11 bends in extreme angles to provide consumers with many different ways of using the device

Hisense U-LED Displays Showcased at CES 2013

Source: Hisense

LED lighting displays have become the default technology for use in televisions sets, thanks to their thin profile and good performance. Chinese company Hisense have debuted their U-LED (the U stands for Ultra) displays at CES 2013 to spur the technology on to further heights.

The new U-LED panels are supposed to deliver unprecedented visuals through software and hardware optimization. The U-LED promises to have better contrast, wider color gamut, higher definition and faster speed when compared with current offerings.

Nokia Launches Lumia 620, Announces Partnership with MDeC

In conjunction with the newly launched Lumia 620, Nokia has announced a partnership with Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to encourage the development of local mobile apps via its MSC Malaysia ICON (Integrated Content Development) program.

(2nd from Left) Gary Chan, Head of Marketing, Pan Asia, Nokia (H.K.) Limited; Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer, MDeC; and Ir. Wan Murdani Mohamad, Director of Digital Enablement Division, MDeC

Nokia will drive growth of the developers' business further by introducing new monetization and analytic capabilities such as in-app purchasing, in-app advertising and Nokia Ad Exchange. To give these local apps an added global exposure, a dedicate App collection created for all Nokia Lumia devices will be featured in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Lenovo Announces Five Android Smartphones at CES 2013

Lenovo today announced five smartphones, with each device offering a specific set of features and specifications to meet the needs for its target market segment. The five new smartphones are the S890, S720, P770, A800 and A690.

The two S Series smartphones are packed with multimedia and entertainment features, which are designed for young, urban professionals. The new P Series smartphone is for professionals, and focuses mainly on long battery life, security and anti-virus protection. The other two A Series models are primarily entry-level smartphones which have fairly advanced features at affordable price points.

Lenovo Smartphones Unveiled at CES 2013

Specifications/Device	S890	S720	P770	A800
Processor / RAM	MTK 6577T dual-core 1.2GHz 1GB RAM	MTK 6577 dual-core 1GHz 512MB RAM	MTK 6577T dual-core 1.2GHz 1GB RAM	MTK 6577T dual-core 1.2GHz 512MB RAM
Operating System	Android 4.1 Jelly Bean	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich	Android 4.1 Jelly Bean	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Display Size / Type / Resolution	5-inch IPS 960 x 540 pixels	4.5-inch IPS 960 x 540 pixels	4.5-inch IPS 960 x 540 pixels	4.5-inch IPS 854 x 480 pixels
Camera	8MP rear autofocus camera with LED flash 0.3MP fixed focus front camera	8MP rear autofocus camera with LED flash 1MP front camera	5MP rear autofocus camera with LED flash 0.3M front facing cmaera	5MP autofocus rear camera
Storage	4GB internal storage microSD support up to 32GB	4GB internal storage microSD support up to 32GB	4GB internal storage microSD support up to 32GB	4GB internal storage microSD support up to 32GB
Dimensions / Weight	143.6 x 74.2 x 9.3mm 176g	132.3 x 68.3 x 9.9mm 140g	132 x 67 x 11.7mm 162g	133.5 x 68.9 x 11.5mm 155g
Battery	2,250mAh	2,000mAh	3,500mAh	2,000mAh

In addition the four models listed in the table, Lenovo also has an entry-level smartphone, the IdeaPhone A690. Lenovo claims that it is the first in its class to break the 1GHz barrier. It has a 4-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, and offers dual-SIM capability.

The newest phones from the IdeaPhone portfolio will be available in China and select regional markets beginning January. Pricing for models varies according to market and model. In-country pricing will be announced closer to the local availability date.

Buffalo Unveils New BuffaloLiNK Service for Easy Cloud Access

The new LinkStation 400 NAS devices

Buffalo has just announced its new BuffaloLiNK service at CES 2013. Built from ground up to make it easy for Buffalo users to access their content and data through the cloud in a secure manner.

BuffaloLink is a service that securely connects users to the content on their Buffalo network attached storage device while away from home and consolidates supported Buffalo NAS devices for easy remote access from a single account. This means users would only need a single account to be able to access all their content across their various Buffalo devices on the cloud.

This service is hosted by Buffalo themselves on servers in U.S., Europe and Asia, and would be available free on supported Buffalo devices, such as the upcoming LinkStation 400 Series of NAS devices.

Scheduled to launch in early 2013, the new LinkStation 400 Series is a high performance NAS that features an upgraded processor for unsurpassable transfer speeds of in excess of 80MBps. In addition, its new user interface offers a completely redesigned look and feel with easy-to-use setup wizards. Each model touting a matte-finish chassis, the LinkStation 400 Series is available in a single-drive, two-drive and easily scalable external enclosure and is the first to feature the new BuffaloLiNK remote access and content management service, free for the life of the product.

Alcatel Outs World's Thinnest Smartphone at CES 2013

Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra

While Huawei, Sony and ZTE battling their hearts out in the 5-inch category, global telecommunications equipment company Alcatel sprung a surprise at CES 2013 by unveiling the world's thinnest smartphone. With a side profile of just 6.45mm thin, the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra looks set to steal some limelight away from ZTE, which announced earlier that its 5-inch Grand S is the thinnest 5-inch Full HD smartphone in the market.

Microsoft, Mizz Nina and Noh Share Passion for Tech in Passion8 Project

Mizz Nina and husband Noh Salleh of Hujan, performing his latest single, "Pelangi dan Kau"

Today marked the completion of a creative collaboration between Malaysian celebrities Mohd. Noh Salleh and wife Mizz Nina with Microsoft. The collaboration, known as the Passion8 project, saw Mizz Nina using Windows 8 and a number of its applications to find inspiration for a new piece in her ‘Mizz Demeanor’ fashion line, while husband Noh created a new song titled “Pelangi dan Kau”.

Apart from being a collaboration between both artists and Microsoft, the Passion8 project was also a journey for Mizz Nina and Noh. This journey took the two to places like Sarawak to find inspiration for their respective projects, and was aired on 8TV over the course of eight weeks.

Hands-on with Lenovo ThinkPad Helix

At CES 2013, Lenovo is showing off its ThinkPad Helix, a 11.6-inch, full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, Windows 8, touchscreen hybrid PC. Similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro and Samsung's ATIV Pro hybrid PCs, the Helix utilizes a keyboard docking station to transform between tablet and notebook form factors. What separates the Helix from Microsoft and Samsung's machines is its enterprise security features (in the form of Intel's vPro technology and a fingerprint scanner), as well as a third 'Stand Mode' form factor, thanks to a clever reverse docking system, designed for media consumption or business presentations.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix is the first hybrid PC designed specifically for enterprise-use and is touted to be the "thinnest full-function Intel 3rd generation Core tablet with vPro"

Lenovo Announces K900, First Intel Clover Trail+ Smartphone at CES 2013

While most phone makers shy away from competing with Samsung and its GALAXY Note II in the 5.5-inch category, Lenovo takes the fight to the Korean company with its latest flagship smartphone, the K900.

Image source: Lenovo

Announced at CES 2013, the Lenovo K900 is the world's first 5.5-inch Full HD smartphone. In comparison, the GALAXY Note II has a 5.5-inch 720p display. Lenovo opts for an IPS display reinforced with Gorilla Glass 2 on the K900, while the GALAXY Note II comes with a HD Super AMOLED screen, 

LG Shows Off 2013 Google TV Lineup

 

LG Shows Off 2013 Google TV Lineup

From the barrage of TVs launched by LG, seven of them are from their Google TV lineup. We first saw LG step into this scene in a big way in last year’s CES and this time round, they’ve updated it in several ways such as being powered by a dual-core CPU for fast menu navigation and web browsing, a new Magic QWERTY Remote to better tackle web content, incorporating PrimeTime quick guide to help discover content anywhere, SmartShare functionality (no NFC support though), a much slimmer bezel and more models supporting a 240Hz refresh rate. All of these aspects come together to improve the Google TV usage experience.

Hands-on with Polaroid iM1836 Interchangeable Lens Android Camera

On first impressions, the 18-megapixel Polaroid iM1836 bears much resemblance to the Nikon 1 J1/J2 cameras. Its sleek aluminium body makes for compact and casual shooting but we were hoping to see a small grip somewhere.

As expected of rumors in December, Polaroid shows off its first Android-based interchangeable lens camera. Now, Android-based cameras aren't new - Samsung has its relatively new Android 4.1 Samsung GALAXY Camera, Nikon has the Android Coolpix S800C and so on. The difference with these cameras and Polaroid's iM1836 is that those are primarily high-end to low-end compacts whereas the iM1836 is essentially a mirrorless camera (think DSLR-like picture quality on a compact's body) with a proprietary sensor size that's "smaller than the Micro Four Thirds", according to a Polaroid spokesperson at CES.

This isn't an unusual move - Nikon and Canon's mirrorless cameras have sensor sizes that are different from the standard MFT's. What's unusual however is Polaroid's decision to keep the sensors in the lens unit instead, ala what Ricoh did for its GXR camera. While we question the decision to do that, thankfully Polaroid has mentioned that the camera will be made compatible with any MFT lens provided you have the optional adapter.

LG Reveals World's First Curved 3D OLED TV

 

Just as we thought we've seen it all from LG, soon after the CES 2013 show commenced, LG pulled out its showstopper - a curved 55-inch OLED TV. Christened as the EA9800, it's not just a tech demo as it will be available in retail in the later part of 2013.

It’s no secret that OLED panel yields are quite poor at the moment, but LG’s spokespeople have mentioned that their WRGB quad-color pixel structure has better yields than current industry norms and delivers better color accuracy and vibrancy at the same time. This is the reason LG has been able to take in orders for their OLED TVs and start delivering them by March 2013. So with OLED TV availability milestone almost accomplished, LG went full steam ahead to showcase the next evolution of this technology with a curved screen display.

The EA9800 is currently designed with a 55-inch and boasts of an ultra thin 4mm thickness, while the boarders are almost non existent to provide users with a more immersive viewing experience. Its gently inward curving design ensures that the angle of curvature does not distract from your viewing experience and reducing screen edge distortion/detail loss aspects you might have with a traditional large screen flat panel display.

Samsung Divulge Details on Eight-Core Exynos 5 Octa Mobile Processor

Hot on the heels of NVIDIA's Tegra 4 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800/600 announcements come Samsung's own next-gen Exynos 5 Octa unveiling. The mobile processor will be the first to implement the ARM big.LITTLE processing technology based on the Cortex-A15 CPU. Dr. Stephen Woo, President of System LSI Business, Device Solutions Division, Samsung Electronics described it as a pumped up combination of existing Exynos 5 Dual and Exynos 4 Quad chips - of which the former is found in Nexus 10 and the later, in Samsung GALAXY S III and Note II. 

The key message here is about energy saving despite the enhanced power. Like the Tegra 3 chip, the Exynos 5 Octa activates necessary cores depending on the level of your workloads - there's a total of four powerful Cortex-A15 processors to handle processing-intense tasks along with four additional Cortex-A7 cores for lighter workloads. Samsung promises that the processor will be up to 70 percent higher energy efficiency compared to its previous quad-core chips.

Samsung Shows Off Flexible YOUM OLED and Green LCD Displays

Aside from its newly-announced eight-core Exynos 5 Octav, Samsung today also unveiled its new line of flexible OLED displays. Dubbed “YOUM,” the flexible display line-up uses extremely thin plastic instead of glass, making it bendable and virtually unbreakable. Brian Berkeley, Senior Vice President of Samsung, showcased the prowess of the screen, by bending and wriggling the prototype device.  A video following the demonstration showed various possible uses for the technology, including a screen rolling out of a thin storage tube. Microsoft also made an appearance on stage shortly after, carrying what seems to be a Windows Phone 8 prototype device ultilizing the "YOUM" technology.

Panasonic Develops 56-inch 4K OLED Panel with 100% NTSC Color Gamut

Source: Panasonic

The two major trends for televisions at CES 2013 have been OLED technology and UHD displays capable of delivering 4K resolution. In addition to the large number of TVs Panasonic unveiled, they have also developed a panel which merges both of those trends in to one product. 

The 56-inch OLED panel has a resolution of 3840 by 2160 along with a peak luminescence of 500 cd/m2. Panasonic claims that the color gamut covers 100 percent of the NTSC range. The panel is just 8.9mm at its thinnest point and weighs 12.4 kg.  

The real breakthrough is in the printing process used to manufacture the OLED, which does not require a vacuum or high temperatures. Panasonic claims that the printing process is scalable and is suitable for printing larger panels as well. Hopefully if the new system can help reduce the cost of manufacturing OLED panels.

Pebble E-Paper Watch to Ship Starting January 23

Image source: Pebble Blog

The wait is finally over. After it missed the initial shipment in September 2012, Pebble finally announced at CES 2013 that it will begin shipping the E-paper watch on 23^rd January. As a recap, the Pebble E-paper watch connects to your iPhone or Android smartphone via Bluetooth, displays messages and notifications, and allows you to download new watch faces to customize its looks.

The company included new sensors to the watch which it will enable with future updates such as a magnetometer for compass-like functionality, ambient light sensors and an accelerometer to turn on the backlight via a tap or flick of the wrist. The Pebble is confirmed to be using a magnetic charging cable. The watch also has a water resistance rating of 5ATM, which makes it perfect for outdoor activities. 

Runkeeper, a popular exercise app, will be supported on the Pebble by the beginning of March, and the company will continue to issue software updates every two to three weeks.

Polaroid Reveals Two Jelly Bean Tablets at CES 2013

Image source: Polaroid

When you think of Polaroid, the only gadget that comes to mind is a camera. CES 2013 marks a change for the company as it unveiled a pair of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablets. The tablets, called, M7 and M10 are dual-core and quad-core HD tablets respectively.

CM Storm Gears Now Fully Functional with Windows 8

Cooler Master has said that gear under the CM Storm line will now be programmable with Windows 8

Fans of the CM Storm line will be glad to know that your all your keyboards, mice and USB headsets are now fully programmable with the latest Windows 8 operating system.

These customizations, done through specific key apps under Windows 8, allows customers who use products under the CM Storm line to make changes such as adjusting and fine tuning the volume on their Sirius 5.1 headset, or create and manage macros profiles and remap keys and buttons on their keyboards and mice.

User can download the latest drivers and apps for all the products listed below at the CM Storm support page.

Corning Announces Gorilla Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance Technology

orning continues to make new advances with its Gorilla Glass technology and they're strengthening their product leadership once again with the new Gorilla Glass 3.

Demonstrated at CES 2013, the new Gorilla Glass 3 with its Native Damage Resistance (NDR) technology can provide improved durability to withstand deep scratches and cracks in the glass. For those who've worked with glass, cracks are its greatest enemy and that's fundamentally how you cut a piece of glass, using a clean scratch line. But what Corning did with its new Native Damage Resistance glass is to improve its resistance to scratches as well as reducing scratch visibility. Even if a scratch were to occur, the glass would still retain superior strength.

"As a world leader in glass innovation, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers with our product innovation," said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. "While we’ve optimized our glass with the most robust chemical strengthening, we challenged our research teams to develop a new way to make cover glass even less susceptible to scratches and other damage."

"With Gorilla Glass 3, our scientists went to the atomic structure of the glass to fundamentally improve the way the glass responds to an impact or scratch. This solution significantly improves durability, while maintaining the thinness needed for touch-enabled consumer devices. We’re excited to be able to provide our customers with an even tougher version of Gorilla Glass that is better-suited to meet the daily wear and tear of today’s devices."

Corning's global customers have already begun product qualification and design implementation using the new Gorilla Glass 3 with NDR. It's expected that new devices featuring the Gorilla Glass 3 to debut in mid-2013.