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Apple Adopting @iCloud.com Email Addresses by Killing @me.com

With the release of iOS 6 Beta 3 for developers this Monday, Apple announced in the change log of it that they are introducing @iCloud.Com Email Addresses for the users with their Apple IDs. This is just the Beta release by Apple for @iCloud.Com E-Mail Addresses. The change log stated that the new users signing up for an E-Mail account will be provided with the new @iCloud.Com E-Mail Address instead of @Me.Com one.

icloud.com email addresses are now available for iCloud mail users. Users signing up for new Apple IDs, or enabling Mail on their iCloud account for the first time, will automatically receive an @icloud.com email address instead of a me.com email address. iCloud users with @me.com addresses that have been used with iOS 6 beta 3 will receive an @icloud.com email address that matches their @me.com address.

Those users who are already having an E-Mail id on @Me.Com will be converted to @iCloud.Com E-Mail IDs when the Beta Testing is done.

Apple discontinued the MobileMe service as of June 30 because of iCloud.com. Apple announced iCloud with their new iOS 5. Apple has integrated their MobileMe services with iCloud.com. As for now people can access MobileMe.Com for a limited time. Apple will be shutting down the service completely soon.

July 17, 2012
iPhone 5 Reached in Assembly Line Unveiling This Fall (RUMOR)

The news about the upcoming market leader by Apple is on the verge these days. You might have gone through many rumors/leaks stated on different niche blogs about that market leader by Apple. We would like to state that the rumors for that market leader started a year yearly than it was even planned to release by Apple. Still wondering who is the market leader and about what we are talking?

The market leader is not any other product of Apple than the Sixth -generation iPhone 5. The next iPhone, iPhone 5 rumors were on the verge this month and this past week. We came across many round ups of concepts, leaks of parts, cases, and much more. Still we cannot say whose concept or leak is going to be final verdict of iPhone 5.

Today, Macotakaraa Chinese reliable blog cited some findings regarding the iPhone 5. The blog claimed that the iPhone 5 has been sent into production and will be released this fall. The news comes from a reliable source of the Blog. (Google Translation)

Told That My reliable Chinese sources, new iPhone HAS started Manufacture Phase, then ” 5 iPhone cases “Are Being leaked at Alibalba.Com . This source Also Told, “iPhone 5 “Been which had leaked in May Were prototype (via 9To5Mac ) Design for test, and Producing new iPhone HAS SEVERAL Different Design in detail. The Design, which Were Told by this source, of this new iPhone HAS Blackface Naked partially glass and Aluminum Surface part covered. And a Small Hole, which Were seen in BETWEEN LED Flash and Lens, was gone Away or Invisible, Told this source.

We are not far away from seeing the iPhone 5 coming to our computers screen and in our hands. What we don’t know is how the iPhone 5 would look like. Is it going to look like the glass renderings that were leaked few days back or will it get a full new body make up with some improvements. We for sure know that the iPhone 5 would have a 4-inch LCD Display and it would be completely redesigned.

This time Apple has to bring in something new because the competition is tough this time. Apple has to beat Samsung and Google this time by making the new market leader. Our hopes are on the verge for the upcoming iPhone 5. What do you people expect/think/need to see in the upcoming iPhone 5?

July 15, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S III Gets Major Software Update (New Features)

Two months back the Korean company released a new line up in the field of Samsung Galaxy S Series. The company proudly announced the first ever-smart phone that was inspired by nature and made for humans. This might sound interesting. Interestingly that Phone is no other than the Samsung Galaxy S III. The third generation phone line up in the field of Samsung Galaxy S series. The Samsung Galaxy S III is releasing all around the world on different dates and on specific carriers. This might take some time to come at your carrier or country if it hasn’t arrived yet.

Luckily, we got our hands on Samsung Galaxy S III few days after it was launched. The Phone was launched with some major changes to hardware and exterior of the phone making it slimmer and faster than all the previous Generations. The best thing about this Samsung Galaxy S III is that it got NFC capability and some other features that cannot be found in other well-known brands. Moreover, most recently, Samsung Galaxy S III got second software update brining some more new features to the phone. This software update is not any kind of Jelly Bean update or any new version update of ICS (Ice Cream Sand Witch). The version of ICS is 4.0.4.

The update was founded by our member, Daudi, who has been using Samsung Galaxy S III for past two months. According to him, this is the second update that Samsung Galaxy S III got. The first update that Samsung Galaxy S III got was back in June and the second update was made today on 13-07-12. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any change log from Samsung for the update. We only got a popup saying that there is an update for your phone; do you want to install it now or later?

We chose to install this second software update and see what changes have been brought out in this new update. In this new update, we did found some new features added to Samsung Galaxy S III. How ever, we didn’t found anything in the first update. Therefore, we would like to tell you about some new features that we came across after this second software update for Samsung Galaxy S III.

Brightness Icon:

With this new update for Samsung Galaxy S III, we have noticed that Samsung has placed the brightness bar in the top notification sidebar allowing a user to adjust the brightness right from the top notification bar, rather than going into settings and adjusting the brightness level. Here is how it looks like:

This was the first feature that we came across.

Extra Volume Option:

The second feature that we found after this update is of Extra Volume Enable/Disable in call. This feature is available during the call. This means that when you call some one, you will see this small speaker icon like shown in the pic below on the screen of call. After you press that speaker sign, it will increase the volume of in call so that you can hear out more clearly.

Device Options Updated:

This update seems to be major update. We found another feature added to Samsung Galax S III’s Device Options List that comes after pressing the power button for a second or two.

The new feature in this list is that Samsung has added three new icons for Silent, Vibrate, and Normal volume replacing the old style of Silent Mode and Normal Mode. You can see the image below.

Optimized Lock Screen Speed:

Finally, Samsung has improved the lock screen Lag while unlocking. Whenever we used to unlock the lock screen of Samsung Galaxy S III, it used to lag a bit in unlocking. Now when unlock it, the lag has decreased a lot.

New Lock screen Clock UI:

The new update for Samsung Galaxy S III brings a silver gradient type of color to the lock screen clock making it look more beautiful than the previous UI.

Keyboard Layout Changed:

We are not sure about this change. We believe that the keyboard has a minor lift up. We are assuming that the background has changed or some makeup has done to the fonts. We are not sure about this thing. See the picture below and let us know if something has changed.

Face + Voice Unlock:

We also assume this feature as new because we never saw this option in security option until today. There was face-unlocking feature available and this feature of voice seems to be new.

Till now we have only came across these features. We would be looking for more features in our Samsung Galaxy S III. Unfortunately, we cannot use NFC because it is not available at our place. Some changes might have brought to that also. If you are a Proud owner of Samsung Galaxy S III and found something news, so don’t hesitate to post your findings in the comment are below or mail us at daudi (at) techglued (dot) com. You findings would be highly appreciated.

If you want to update your Samsung Galaxy S III to get these cool features, simply navigate to settings>About Phone> Software update. There you can do OTA update by Wi-Fi easily.

July 14, 2012
Apple Adopts EPEAT Environmental Standards Back Due to Complaints

After having recoil from Government Agencies and customers, today Apple announced that they are joining back the EPEAT Environmental Standards program. Today, Bob Mansfield, the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering wrote a letter to the angry customers and Government agencies’ sating that Apple is putting back their Products to EPEAT Environmental Standards.

Below is the complete Letter written by Bob Mansfield to customers of Apple.

[learn_more caption=”” state=”open”]We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT. It’s important to know that our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT. For example, Apple led the industry in removing harmful toxins such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). We are the only company to comprehensively report greenhouse gas emissions for every product we make, taking into account the entire product lifecycle. And we’ve removed plastics wherever possible, in favor of materials that are more highly recyclable, more durable, more efficient and longer lasting. Perhaps most importantly, we make the most energy-efficient computers in the world and our entire product line exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard. No one else in our industry can make that claim. We think the IEEE 1680.1 standard could be a much stronger force for protecting the environment if it were upgraded to include advancements like these. This standard, on which the EPEAT rating system is based, is an important measuring stick for our industry and its products. Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience, and we look forward to working with EPEAT as their rating system and the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard evolve. Our team at Apple is dedicated to designing products that everyone can be proud to own and use. Bob[/learn_more]

The day before we told you about the news that Apple suddenly dropped their name from the list of EPEAT Environmental Standards. The thing that was blamed for Apple to get out from EPEAT was said to be due to the change in design. Recently Apple announced their new lineups for MAC Book Pro that has a new design making it difficult to recycle it and to replace the parts of the Retina MAC Book Pro. Therefore, Apple thought to get rid off this EPAT because they weren’t compatible with the design of Apple. You can read all the issue here. After dropping out from EPEAT, the San Francisco Government banned Apple products in their city. A part from Government, the customers also got angry on this huge mistake of Apple.

Today Apple realized its mistake and corrected it by joining in back with EPEAT Environmental Standards.

July 13, 2012
Apple Halts Products Registration in EPEAT, Design to Blame?

The Tech Giant of Cupertino, Apple is being named on the niche blogs because it has done something that it shouldn’t have done. Apple didn’t release or leaked any parts of the upcoming products, though they drop off from the EPEAT list. This year they are not going to be on the list of EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool). EPEAT is an Environmental Certification Program for Electronics. It is also a global environmental rating system for electronic products. This week Apple announced that they are not going to register their future designs with EPEAT any more.

This decision can bring difficulties for Apple in near future. In a statement by Sarah O’Brien, spokeswoman for the group told that according to the U.S Law, 95% of the electronic purchases done by U.S Federal Agencies should be EPEAT complaint. She also said that Apple Products purchases by U.S Federal agencies can make up maximum 5% of the sales for Apple, if they buy them All. EPEAT doesn’t cover iPhone and iPad’s, so it is OK to buy these products.

The issue isn’t resolved yet. The government of San Francisco got some rules and regulations to stick with. The Government wont is allowing any one to buy the electronic products that are not EPEAT Certified, said by Christine Falvey Spokeswoman for the Mayor. This means that the City won’t be able to purchase Apple Desktops and Laptops until they don’t get EPEAT Certified.

“We hope they reconsider and get back on the EPEAT certification list,” Falvey said, “and we’ll be reaching out to them to see how we can help understand their decision.”

Until now Apple hasn’t commented on the reason that it removed it self from EPEAT, but the C.E.O of EPEAT, Robert Frisbee told the WSJ that Apple got drop out of EPEAT due to their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT.

“They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements,” Frisbee told the Wall Street Journal. “They were important supporters and we are disappointed that they don’t want their products measured by this standard anymore.”

What Does Design Has to Do With EPEAT?

The design is the main fuss behind EPEAT and Apple. Recently Apple released the new line-ups for the MAC Book Pro and MAC Book Air a month a go. The new MAC Book Pro with Retina Display sounds Cool, but it is not as cool as you are thinking it to be. The new MAC Book Pro’s bottom was sliced more than 80% compared to the previous version of MAC Book Pro. This slicing from the Bottom of the MAC Book Pro made Apple glue some things to the bottom of the MAC Book Pro Retina Display. Technically, we can only see the slim design of the MAC Book Pro, but when you open the MAC Book Pro latest model, you will find the Battery Glued to the bottom and the LCD glued to the back making it difficult to repair, upgrade or open it.

The Co-Founder, Kyle Wiens of iFixit.com told WSJ regarding this issue that the New Mac Book Pro “Retina” was impossible to disassemble. iFixit.com, the website that teaches people how to assemble and disassemble their electronic products. They are most famous for their latest tech gadgets teardowns.

Apple no doubt got other safety measure for making the environment green as posted on their website, still EPEAT Certification Matters for their Laptops and Computers.

What do you people think over Apple’s Decision to get drop out from EPEAT?

July 12, 2012
New Malware Android.Dropdialer Spotted in Google Play Market

The second home for Malware is said to Android. Android is one of the unluckiest OS that has been affected by every Malware and Virus from the beginning. Few days back we told you about a Spyware App that was spotted in the iOS App Store and Google Play Market with the name of Find and Call, later on was deleted from both of the stores. Following the old tradition, Symantec found a new kind of Malware in the Google Play Market. This Android.Dropdialer Malware was operating in a different way. The Malware was disguised with the name of the two famous Apps that a user couldn’t resist to download without asking why.

The name of the two famous Apps were, “Mario Brother” and “GTA 3: Moscow City”. These two suspicious Apps contained Android.Dropdialer hidden in them and these Apps were available since 24 June 2012. Since then they have generated about 50,000 to 100,000 downloads. This means that almost about 50,000 to 100,000 devices got affected with this Malware. The reason this Malware stayed so long in the Play Store is told to be the remote playload engaged by this Trojan.

How this Playload Works?

This playload worked with an interesting technique that was previously explained by an Employee of Symantec, Irfan Asrar stating that the owner of the Trojan would by pass the detection of this Malware by uploading the playload somewhere and making it work with the help of Q&A screen method. When you downloaded the Malware App, it would have asked you for the permission to download an additional App called Activator. Once the App Activator was downloaded and opened, the playload was injected. Once installed, the App sends an international SMS to a premium number. After that, the App says to uninstall it. Here comes the time when the second playload is injected.

Once everything is done, your data is in danger.

Thankfully, the Apps have been removed from the Play Market. Still the rising number of Malware Attacks in Play Market raises some questions against the Google’s App Approval Team. How can they approve such Apps in the Play Store?

July 12, 2012