The iOS 7 Jailbreak is Ready Before iOS 7 Even Gets Released

Great news from Joshua Hill today, the internationally-known iOS jailbreaker has issued a couple of tweets informing the masses that we’re in for a new jailbreak. And we’re pretty sure he’s referring to iOS 7.

“Well, so far it looks like the next jailbreak might be created entirely by me,” Joshua Hill (@p0sixninja) boasted on Twitter. “Evad3rs haven't gone anywhere, I've just discovered all the needed exploits on my own over the past few months,” he added in a subsequent message sent out to his 153K followers. Mr. Hill doesn’t specifically mention iOS 7, but he’s obviously referring to Apple’s next major iOS release. While Apple has closed the evasi0n jailbreak exploits in iOS 6.1.3, it makes no sense for Hill to burn his precious new bugs for a jailbreak that almost nobody needs at the moment.

iOS 7, on the other hand, will be a totally different matter. Considering that some security researchers are more inclined to sell these exploits for hard cash (rather than publicly release them as a jailbreak), Joshua might be in for quite some hype in the coming months.

Joshua Hill tweets
Image credits to Joshua Hill's Twitter stream (@p0sixninja)

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Texas Instruments Makes Chip That Reduces Battery Recharge Time by 50%

Batteries have been gaining longer and longer charge lifespans, but as odd as it may sound, this didn't bring only joy. It also caused a complication: it takes longer for them to recharge when they do deplete.

Or at least they would have that problem if technology companies didn't routinely look into ways of speeding up recharge time. Texas Instruments has just revealed a series of lithium-ion battery charger integrated circuits (ICs) that reduce recharging time by half in smartphones and tablets. They are called fast-charge units and bear the part numbers of bq24190, bq24192, bq24192i, bq24193, bq24195, bq24195L and bq24196. All of them are 4.5A output, 20V input-rated switch-mode chargers with I2C interface and USB on-the-go (OTG) support. Single-cell lithium battery packs are recharged fast thanks to a unique battery pack impedance compensation.

Overvoltage is prevented, according to JEITA guidelines, and the efficiency is high. The 4.5A switch-mode charger achieves 92% efficiency at 2 A and up to 90% efficiency at 4 A of output current. Energy Star and European Union charging specifications are, of course, met as well, and system-level design benefits from programmable thermal regulation temperature also. That the chips are simple to design is just the icing on the cake. All of them have Power Path management, synchronous FETs, integrated current sensing, internal loop compensation and bootstrap diode. In addition to phones and tablets, the new chips from Texas Instruments will help 4G LTE routers, power banks, Wi-Fi speakers, portable medical equipment, etc.

The TI bq2419x battery chargers for single-cell Li-Ion batteries should be available to product designers for $2.5 / 1.95 Euro in 1000 quantities. No details exist on deals between TI and other companies, but Texas Instruments has been known to branch out. It definitely has contacts thanks to how many power management and analog signal chain products it sold over the years, and the wireless power, audio, health technology, gesture recognition, touch feedback, and energy harvesting hardware.

Texas Instruments bq24190 charger chip
Image credits to Texas Instruments

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The First Proof That Microsoft Is Working on Office Gemini

Aside from Windows Blue, Microsoft is also working on another major update for its products, this time for the Office productivity suite that’s expected to get several improvements in the next couple of years.

Codenamed Gemini, the upgraded Office package is already in development, according to some online profiles posted by Microsoft’s employees on LinkedIn and spotted by Stephen Chapman of MSFTKitchen.  “Redesigning Office 365 backend architecture and deployment strategy in Office Gemini and beyond (ongoing),” the responsibilities section published in an online profile reads.

Unsurprisingly, this LinkedIn page has already been removed, but fortunately for us, a cached version of the website is still available via Google. As far as Microsoft is concerned, the company doesn’t want to provide any details on the Office refresh, so more information will most likely surface in June at the BUILD developer conference.

The first wave of Gemini updates will come with Windows Blue
Image credits to arstechnica.com

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WhatsApp+ 3.17 Available for Android

WhatsApp for Android already proved a highly appealing application, the same as it did on devices based on other mobile operating systems out there, but it seems that enhancements could be made to it.

WhatsApp+, a re-worked, custom version of the official WhatsApp Messenger for Android, can easily prove that. The software comes with the same features as WhatsApp, given that it is built based on it, but adds some new options of its own, allowing users to easily customize colors and more. The app enables users to share music with a single click, to add contact profile pictures to their chats, and can also increase the upload media limit to send large files.

Today, WhatsApp+ was released as version 3.17, with fixes over the previous versions, after getting a consistent Holo UI on all devices only two days ago. The new app release also comes with a series of fixes, its developer notes. More on it can be found over at the XDA-Developers.

WhatsApp+
Image credits to XDA-Developers

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New Alleged Google Babble Screenshot Emerges

Google Babble, the unified messaging service that Google is expected to make official in the not too distant future, will be available for the owners of Android devices as well, and a new screenshot supposedly showing the upcoming mobile client is now available for your viewing pleasure.

The photo emerged over at the Dutch site Skloink, and shows an interface that closely resembles that of the currently available messenger feature in the Google+ application for Android devices. However, it does sport a series of new elements, such as Google Now-styled cards to separate conversations, as Droid-life notes in a recent post.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the photo is not the real deal, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt for the time being. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

Alleged Google Babble photo
Image credits to Skloink

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Microsoft Office “Blue” to Be Called Gemini

Microsoft will soon launch Windows Blue, a major Windows 8 upgrade that would bring improvements to the desktop and tablet client, Windows Phone and server software.

Now rumor has it that the Redmond-based giant is also working on an important overhaul for its Office solution, but unlike Windows, it won’t be called Blue. According to a ZDNet report, the upcoming Office revamp could be called “Gemini” and would include significant enhancements to every single app included in the productivity suite. Since the Office division has only recently started work on Gemini, this major update won’t be launched together with Blue, as the debut will basically be split in two different smaller releases.  First, Microsoft is planning to use the Windows Blue launch event to introduce significant updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

While there’s no information on whether the company plans to bring the Office suite in the Metro UI, Microsoft may very well introduce Modern versions of these apps, especially because Blue is betting big on this particular working environment. At this point, there are only two Office apps available for Metro fans, namely OneNote and Lync. The second important step into revamping Office will probably be completed next year, most likely just before the debut of Windows 9. Office 365 and its subscription system would serve as the foundation of this new upgrade, as Microsoft is trying to adopt a similar strategy as for the Windows platform. The software giant is planning to improve the Office solution in such a way that it would allow more frequent updates, so the annual subscription service would clearly help a lot.

All in all, Microsoft Office is getting ready for a major refresh and, even if Microsoft has yet to talk about this, it’s pretty clear that the Blue effect will go way beyond the Windows platform.

Office will receive plenty of updates in the next years
Image credits to arstechnica.com

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Microsoft Finally Confirms Windows Blue

The Redmond-based technology giant Microsoft finally confirmed the Blue project and even though it refused to provide specific details on the first major Windows 8 refresh, it did reveal that a “set of plans” is now under development.

Microsoft corporate vice president Frank Shaw wrote in a post on the official Microsoft blog that Blue is the internal codename of the project, hinting that a different designation might be picked before the OS upgrade goes live. “With a remarkable foundation of products in market and a clear view of how we will evolve the company, product leaders across Microsoft are working together on plans to advance our devices and services, a set of plans referred to internally as Blue,” Shaw explained.

According to previous reports on the Blue project, the stable version might be released sometime this summer, most likely in August, while the first beta build is expected to be launched in June.

Microsoft's "set of plans" might include both a desktop and a tablet OS
Image credits to hdwallpapers.in

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Leaked Photo Shows Galaxy S4’s Back Logo

Earlier this month, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung made official its next Android-based flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, set to arrive on shelves in late April, but did not unveil the phone’s back logo as of now, although it did publish press photos with the device.

However, a leaked photo that emerged online courtesy of @evleaks appears meant to provide us with a glimpse at the phone’s final branding before it arrives on shelves. In all fairness, Samsung did show the phone’s logo in the video presentations that were made public following the official launch, yet it still has to show it carved on the phone’s back plate, as can be seen in the photo above.

Galaxy S4 arrives on shelves with a 5-inch screen, a quad-core processor (8-core in some markets), 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel photo snapper, front camera, Android Jelly Bean, and Samsung’s UI loaded on top.

Samsung Galaxy S4
Image credits to Samsung

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Windows Blue Metro Snap Mode Drops 1366x768 Resolution Limit [Video]

Windows Blue will bring a lot of improvements to the existing Windows 8 platform, at least judging by this leaked build, but here’s something that’s pretty important for consumers still using devices with low resolutions.

Blue could drop the 1366x768 screen resolution limit required to snap apps and run two different programs side by side in Metro mode, according to a report by McAkins Online. As you can see in this video, snapping apps is now possible on a 1024x768 screen resolution as well, regardless of whether you’re using a desktop computer, a laptop or a tablet.

Windows 8 currently limits snap view to 1366x768, while the 1024x768 resolution is required to run just a single Metro app. While we can’t tell for sure whether this particular option will make it to the stable build, it seems like Microsoft has listened to users’ feedback and is now making Metro apps available on lower resolutions too.

"Blue" is an update to Windows 8, bring patches and new features. One of the new features is that the screen resolution requirements to snap a metro-style application has been dropped. In Windows 8, you need a resolution of 1024 by 768 to run metro-style apps, and you need a screen resolution of 1366 by 768 to snap metro-style apps and run them side-by-side. However, with the "Blue" update, there are no special requirements to snap metro-style apps.
Thanks for watching, and peace be unto you!
Video credits to Nazmus Shakib

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Oppo R815T Flagship Quad-Core Android Phone Coming Soon

Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo is reportedly getting ready for the launch of a new high-end Android-based device in the now too distant future, though it would pack it with a smaller screen than that of the Oppo Find 5 handset, it seems.

According to the latest reports on the matter, the new device will feature a 4.3-inch IPS display, while being powered by a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 quad-core processor, paired with 1GB of RAM. Furthermore, the handset is said to pack an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back, to run under Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and to offer support for the TD-SCDMA network of China Mobile.

The upcoming handset is also said to sport model number R815T, and is expected to arrive on shelves with the same HiFi feature that Oppo Find 5 (which can be seen above) arrived on shelves with. It might be priced between 1,500 Yuan ($241 / 186 Euro) and 2,000 Yuan ($322 / 248 Euro), MyDrivers claims.

Oppo Find 5
Image credits to Oppo

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