The newest member - Microsoft Lumia 535 launched in Pakistan

Microsoft recently introduced its first smartphone with its branding, the Lumia 535. Since then, the company has been working pretty hard on expanding the availability of the smartphone to emerging markets. The Lumia 535 is already available in India, Germany, France and Italy. However, Microsoft today launched the smartphone in Pakistan. The communications manager at Microsoft Devices Pakistan, Kamran Masood Niazi, stated:

“Many people, especially the younger tech-involved audiences, aspire to own the latest flagship smartphone, but often don’t have the means to get it. With access to the best services right out of the box, including the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update, Lumia Denim, Lumia 535 Dual SIM helps people do more of what they want, for less.”

For those of you who don’t know, the Lumia 535 comes with a 5-inch qHD display with the resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and 220ppi. The smartphone sports a 5MP front and rear camera as well. Under the hoods, there is a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 with 1GB of RAM. The Lumia 535 comes with 8GB of internal storage, but you can expand it up to 128GB. The Lumia 535 also comes with a 1905 mAh battery.

The smartphone will be available for PKR 14,250 in green, orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th,  2014.

Read More : http://knowsigns.blogspot.com/introducing-newest-member-of-microsoft

Microsoft continues tinkering with Windows 10 preview!

Microsoft says it won't deliver any more substantial updates to the Windows 10 Technical Preview until the new year, but that doesn't mean nothing's happening at the moment.

On Tuesday, Microsoft made available a few fixes and updates to the November Windows 10 Technical Preview build (9879), including one meant to fix Explorer-specific crashes. And it sounds like more fixes will be coming for Build 9879 before this year is out.

An interim partner build of Windows 10 -- one not meant for "public" preview consumption (Build 9888) also leaked this week. That build is the first of the Windows 10 ones where Microsoft has changed the kernel version number from 6.4 to 10.0.

Beyond that, what's next?

As some of us Microsoft watchers have been hearing for months, Microsoft is planning to take the wraps off the so-called "consumer preview" of Windows 10 in January 2015.

The latest word from my sources with good track records on internal Windows information is that this is still the plan. But the next update to the Technical Preview will be known as the January Technical Preview (JTP), rather than the consumer preview, sources say. It will be followed by a February Tech Preview, a March Tech Preview, etc., my sources claim.

The coming JTP is expected to include support for Continuum, a feature that will allow users with two-in-one devices with two-in-one devices to more easily transition modes when connecting and disconnecting keyboards. It also may be the first build where Microsoft turns on Cortana integration in Windows 10.

What about the "other" Windows 10 client SKU? The mobile one that is supposedly going to work on both Windows phones and smaller Windows tablets?

My sources say that we will see and hear information about this in January -- most likely around January 20 to 21 -- when Microsoft is expected to show off its Windows 10 progress to invited press and analysts during an event in Redmond, Wash.

It's less clear when the Windows 10 mobile SKU preview bits will be available to external testers. I'm hearing that Microsoft is still testing the mobile SKU on a very limited basis within the Operating Systems Group at this point. I would think the mobile SKU might need to be dogfooded internally at Microsoft more widely before Microsoft releases it to external testers. But once Microsoft does deliver the Windows 10 mobile bits to testers, ongoing and regular updates will be coming at least monthly, according to sources.

By the way, I also am hearing that this mobile SKU will work not just on ARM-based phones and tablets, but also on smaller and less powerful Intel-based ones, too. Microsoft officials hinted this might be the case during Tech Ed Europe, but it indeed does sound like the plan, my sources say.

January 2015 is also when Microsoft is expected to drop the second test build of Windows Server Next (the one based on the same core as Windows 10 client). Microsoft made an initial test build of that server code available on October 1 but hasn't released to external testers a server update since then, officials have confirmed. Built-in Docker containerization support is coming to Windows Server next, but Microsoft officials haven't said when testers will see this in test builds.

As has been reported widely, there's a new leaked build of Windows 10 available on file-sharing sites, but Microsoft isn't encouraging testers to download/install it. That build, 9888, wasn't designated by Microsoft as being stable enough for its Windows Insider testers. It supposedly doesn't include much new, feature-wise (mostly some fairly minor adjustments to context menus and animations), plus the change to the Windows 10.0 kernel naming convention.

A quick recap for those trying to keep track of Windows 10 schedules: Microsoft is allowing Windows 10 testers to choose whether to receive Technical Preview updates more quickly or more slowly. Currently,only 10 percent of testers are opting to be on the fast track. (The slow track is the default.) I'm not sure if Microsoft will offer similar choices to testers of the coming Windows 10 mobile SKU, but I'd imagine so.

Windows 10 will include an updated Start layout.
Reference : http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-10-whats-on-tap

Lollipop isn't making a dent in Android usage numbers (yet)

Now that Android 5.0 Lollipop is finally rolling out to devices around the globe, you might be wondering just how much of an impact it's making on the Android ecosystem. The short answer: not much. Google has released its latest Android usage stats, and Lollipop doesn't even register yet -- in other words, less than 0.1 percent of Google Play users have moved to the new software. That's not surprising given that both the upgrade and Lollipop-native devices like the Nexus 6 are weeks old at best, but it suggests that the new OS will take a while before it makes its presence known.

How about everyone else, then? As you might have guessed, KitKat now reigns supreme. It has the largest share of any Android point release, hitting 33.9 percent (versus 20.9 percent just three months ago). Use of older versions is going down across the board, too, which suggests that many phone and tablet owners are moving to relatively recent code. It's hard to know if KitKat has reached its peak yet, but the slew of expected Lollipop updates hints that it won't be top dog for too much longer.

Photo by Will Lipman.

Apple Pay Competitor 'Android Pay' Is Reportedly Coming To China

It looks as if Apple Pay will soon face some competition in the mobile payments space from its biggest competitor, Android.

According to a new report from China Business News, a new mobile payments service called Android Pay is coming, and it will most likely launch in the third quarter of 2015.

Android Pay is reportedly being developed by China UnionPay, which is the biggest credit- and debit-card provider in China. For context, UnionPay is the second-biggest payment network in the world next to Visa, based on the value of processed transactions.

Because of UnionPay's expansive list of partners, Android Pay could feasibly debut with the support of more partners than Apple Pay, which UnionPay also plans to support next year.

Apple

According to Want China Times, UnionPay has already approached smartphone makers including Lenovo and Coolpad. UnionPay is likely to offer subsidies to smartphone makers to ensure popular smartphones will include the technology required for Android Pay to work.

Android Pay will be similar to Apple Pay and will use Near Field Communication payments with Android smartphones, which will allow for wireless payments.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/android-pay-is-coming-to-china-with-unionpay

Pakistan Smartphone App Success (Groopic)

Lahore, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani city of Lahore is known as the heritage capital of the country. It's scattered with ancient mosques, majestic 16th century mansions and antique minarets. Lahorites are proud of their cultural legacy.

It's old, it's timeless but it's changing. In the midst of this old city, a vibrant technological revolution is taking place that is buzzing its presence onto the Internet and beyond. Groups of dynamic young tech entrepreneurs are converging on the city to invent mobile apps that can change the way Pakistan can do business with the rest of the world.

Pakistan has 30 million Internet users, that's almost four times the population of New York City. About 15 million Pakistanis are accessing the Internet via their mobile phones opening up a whole new stream of consumer possibilities for savvy business people.

Young entrepreneurs like Ali Rehan, 26, are now exploiting this potential. Rehan and his team at Eyedeus Labs has created"Groopic," a new smartphone app that lets you take a group picture -- and put yourself in it. This way, the photographer will also be included in the picture. It's easy to use and it's making waves in the tech world.

Read More : http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/18/world/asia/pakistani-apps/