Tech Nukem

Facebook has created a new feature that lets users find friends and potential friends nearby. Currently Initially called “Friendshake” and also accessible through a URL that is the abbreviation of “find friends nearby” (http://fb.com/ffn), it’s another step in Facebook furthering its reach into mobile, and creating services to meet new people — rather than building up more connectivity with the ones you already know. And, in keeping with Facebook’s emphasis on being as ubiquitous as possible, for now it’s not being delivered in a native app, but via the mobile web. Update: it’s accessible via Facebook’s mobile apps, too

The service comes a little under two months after Facebook announced the acquisition of Glancee, a mobile app that helps users discover people near them with similar interests, whose three founders have now joined Facebook and closed down their app. It is not clear if Friendshake has been created out of that acquisition, or if it has been developed along an altogether different thread — or how the functions of the two may eventually dovetail.

The feature has not been officially launched, but it is live and visible for those seeking it out.

For now, the app works like this. Users have to be logged into Facebook and also into the Friendshake URL, and then others who are near can pick each other up. You can see both your own friends, as well as those you may not know.

For now it looks like the main purpose is to quickly add people who you meet at a specific event — like a hackathon, or a bar.

As Pincombe points out, “Before, you would need to tell them your name, probably spell it for them, and then depending on how common your name is, you’d have to tell them which of the results is actually you. This makes it 2 taps if you save a bookmark.”

And there is, of course, the potential of how this basic service could be further developed: finding people who are friends of friends, or who have flagged similar interests in their social graphs; and it potentially could be something to incorporate as a push service, rather than one you have to be activate to use every time.

All of these features could make Friendshake into a Highlight killer — which can already do all of the above — and a lot more like Glancee, too.

But as with so many of these kinds of features, you have to wonder how and if it will be abused — random people you would like to shake off suddenly start asking you to friend them on Facebook, for example.

However, it appears that, even if Friendshake is already publicly available, this is still a work in progress being tested out, and so we may see more controls getting put in place, in addition to the fact that you have to activate the service to use it. “To my knowledge, the few people here at AngelHack that the Facebook employee tested it with are the only people to know about it yet,” said Pincombe.

Before this, Facebook already had an ambient location feature, but it worked somewhat less in real time, and it is more about friends you have rather than making new ones. Facebook’s Check-In feature, when enabled, lets users see contacts who have visited the same places they have, or who has checked-in to a Facebook event.

Update : It looks like the Find Friends Nearby option is now available on Facebook’s iOS and Android apps, too. It’s here: menu > apps > find friends > other tools > Find Friends Nearby, which takes you to a page that looks exactly like the mobile web page.

Source: techcrunch

Android devices sometimes get criticized for sound quality, but Gingerbread’s EQ has changed that. We’ll show you how to take advantage of audio equalizers to boost your music and system sounds, whether you’ve got Gingerbread or you’re stuck with FroYo.

Audio Equalization on Android



One of Gingerbread’s biggest features was the ability to really dig into the audio features. It allowed the creation of system-wide equalizers that will work on any music player, live streams, and even system sounds. You don’t have that on iOS! We’ll be featuring a great, free piece of software that works well, but also has some extra features you can purchase to unlock.

 On the other hand, if you’re stuck on FroYo or below, you won’t be able to take advantage of system-wide EQ settings. Don’t worry, though, as we’ve found a fantastic music player that has a 10-band software EQ for your music. It may not be as universal, but it’s a great player and gets the job done very well. Of course, you’ll want to know how equalizers work in general to use this to its fullest advantage. We’ll touch on that as well.  

For Gingerbread and Above: Equalizer (Smart Android Apps) 

 There are quite a few different EQ apps on the Android Market, but Equalizer by Smart Android Apps is one of the best we’ve found for a number of reasons. 5 band system-wide EQ 11 stock presets Custom Preset feature Bass Booster Room Virtualizer Reverb setting Home Screen widgets and Notification Bar option Tablet support (and optimization!) No rooting necessary 

 

On the main screen, you can choose EQ settings and also enable automatic detection (based on your track’s “genre” tag), which will change the preset if one is available. 


 

 The second tab lets you add presets, but that’s a “pro” feature. The third will allow you define the “Custom” preset yourself. It works and remembers the settings in the free version, but paying for the pro version will allow you to save these custom settings as new presets.

  

The last tab shows advanced settings. You can change the level of the Bass Booster, which boosts in addition to the EQ setting, and the Virtualizer, which tries to simulate “surround sound” a little better when you’re wearing headphones. Lastly, you can change the Reverb Preset.

  

You can selectively enable each setting individually by tapping on the Power icon up top. 


 

All in all it’s a great app and lets you do almost everything for free, including use the widgets:

 The 4×1 widget: 



 

The 2×1 widget: 

  

By paying $1.99 for the Unlocker Key and upgrading to the Full/Pro version, you’ll gain the ability to save custom presets with whatever name you like (thus expanding the auto-detection feature), backing them up and restoring them from an SD card, and creating Home Screen widgets for individual presets. 

 For FroYo: PowerAMP Music Player (Max MP)

  PowerAMP by Max MP is another jewel for those of you who can’t run Equalizer or who just want a more customizable EQ. It is a 15-day fully-featured trial, and the full version costs $5.17. 

 

It’s a beautiful music player, but let’s focus on the EQ, which is found on the bottom of the app window.

  As you can see, they give you a full 10 bands to adjust and a pre-amp, as well as the ability to customize the overall tone independently of the presets.

  

Actually, my version is a tad out of date and there’s an ability to save custom presets as well. My device has a custom ROM and I haven’t had WiFi access but you can see the whole list of features on PowerAMP’s website. And, of course, you will get free updates should you decide to buy the app. It really is a great music app aside from the EQ and we urge you to give it a try. One of the nice features is auto-pause when headphones are unplugged and auto-resume when they’re reconnected (second
option below): 

  

PowerAMP also allows you to use plain folder-based navigation in addition to Android’s library system.

  

And the widgets don’t look bad either. 

The 4×2 widget: 
 

 

 Two different 4×1 widgets: 

  


How To Use Equalizers

 In general, EQs are primarily used to make up for deficiencies in sound, either due to bad equipment or poor acoustics. If you have headphones where the bass response is lacking in some ways, you can boost the bass via an EQ or other option in your music player to try and make up for that. If your speakers muddle out the high end, you can give them a boost and cut back on your mids to make things a bit more clear. The better your equipment, the less you need an EQ, but also the more acutely you will notice the changes that are made. Of course, better acoustics can help with poorer hardware, too.

For the most part, EQ presets help round-out the sounds in particular genres of music, cutting frequencies that may be too loud or overused and boosting others that aren’t emphasized. This helps bring out whole underlying parts of songs you may not notice and is great when using headphones. Alternatively, you could boost sections that are already fairly prominent for various purposes, like for dancing, head-banging, or focusing on lyrics. Ultimately, how you choose to use your equalizer is up to you. Fiddle with settings and pay attention to what sounds clear and what doesn’t, what gets louder and what gets softer. Also remember that many artists are very dynamic in their music, so you may need to change your preset album by album instead of basing it off of genre.

Sony Mobile has officially announced its new Xperia smartphones – Xperia tipo. The new Xperia tipo is designed for consumers who want to realize the benefits of a smartphone for the first time that migrate from a feature phone. Sony Xperia tipo available in a dual-SIM version. With a simple touch, consumers can switch between tariffs to stay on the most cost effective plan. The Xperia tipo comes with a 3.2-inch scratch resistant display. It’s powered by an 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7225AA processor and launches with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that let users enjoy faster browsing the web, sharing photo, and downloading apps. Key Features and Specs of Sony Xperia tipo: Large 3.2-inch HVGA TFT screen with scratch-resistant mineral glass (320 x 480 pixels resolution) Run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Powered by an 800MHz processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7225AA chipset) microSD card slot and 2.9GB of built-in memory with 2.5GB accessible to the user 3.2-megapixel camera 3.5mm audio jack HSPA-enabled 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi802.11 b/g/n/a connectivity GPS Rechargeable 1,500 mAh lithium battery The new high-end Sony Xperia tipo smartphone looks very sturdy and solid, and its 3.2 megapixel camera also works well for video, picture with its super-high resolution and brilliant color. Sony has addressed your concerns as a rechargeable large-capacity 1500 mAh lithium battery is assigned to support the high power consumption mobile device. Sony Xperia tipo comes bundled with a stylish new and lightweight which measures just 103 x 57 x 13 mm and weighs in at 99.4 grams is portable enough to carry around. The phone is available in red, white, blue, and black color and plan to hit the market during the third quarter but its exact launch date and price info are yet to be known.

HTC and Verizon Wireless have officially announced the upcoming launch of cool new 4G LTE HTC Rezound Android-powered handset, which the companies claim as the only smartphone in the United States to integrate Beats Audio technology. Complemented with Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) connectivity and an included advanced Beats headphones that feature on-cable remote to let users enjoy their favorite music immensely.

HTC Rezound photo

HTC Rezound is initially based on Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. Anyway, for those who like to taste the latest Android OS on the Rezound phone, HTC has promised to roll out Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) upgrade by early next year to deliver noticeably different user experience.

Key Features and Specs of HTC Rezound:

Large 4.3-inch multi-touch S-LCD with true HD 720p resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
8-megapixel AF camera (f/2.2, 28mm wide-angle lens) with dual LED flash and full HD video capture
Powerful 1.5 GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor plus 1GB DDR2 RAM
4G Mobile Hotspot supports up to 10 Wi-Fi devices
Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/a connectivity
Huge 16GB internal memory
Rechargeable 1,620 mAh lithium battery
Size: 5.08 x 2.58 x 0.54 inches

The new high-end HTC Rezound smartphone looks very sturdy and solid, and its 720p true HD display also works well for animation, picture with its super-high resolution and brilliant color, seems like the true iPhone 4S rival!

HTC Rezound which comes bundled with a stylish new, lightweight Beats headset and an 16GB microSD memory card is slated to be available through Verizon Wireless and Best Buy starting November 14 for $299.99, based on a new 2-year service agreement.

Watch the promo video of new groundbreaking HTC Rezound smartphone below!

The most anticipated software update for iDevices, namely iPhone, iPod touch and iPad has been released at around 10 AM PST, October 12th, 2011, a date as promised by Apple. iOS 5 brings over 200 new features and enhanced functionalities to the iOS mobile devices, including the Notification Center, iMessage, iCloud support and PC Free, and it’s the prerequisite to enjoy iCloud.

iOS 5 is now available for download and update directly through iTunes. There is no OTA (over the air) update yet. Only after upgrading to iOS 5 then the future update may be delivered via OTA.

To get the update now, connect iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to iTunes via USB, and click on “Check for Updates” in the device’s information screen.

iOS 5 is available for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation) and iPod touch (3rd generation).

iOS 5 Direct Download Links

iPhone 4S: iPhone4,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPhone 4 (GSM): iPhone3,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPhone 4 (CDMA -Verizon): iPhone3,3_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPhone 3GS: iPhone2,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPad 2 WiFi: iPad2,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPad 2 GSM: iPad2,2_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPad 2 CDMA: iPad2,3_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPad: iPad1,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPod touch (4th generation): iPod4,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
iPod touch (3rd generation): iPod3,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw
Apple TV (2G): AppleTV2,1_4.4_9A334v_Restore.ipsw

What's New in iOS 5

iOS 5 Software Update Changelog

• Notifications
• Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Center
• New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen
• View notifications from lock screen
• Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app
• iMessage
• Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users
• Track messages with delivery and read receipts
• Group messaging and secure encryption
• Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi
• Newsstand
• Automatically organizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen
• Displays the cover of the latest issue
• Background downloads of new issues
• Reminders for managing to do lists
• Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook
• Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Built-in support for Twitter
• Sign-in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube
• Add location to any tweet
• View twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts
• Camera improvements for devices with cameras
• Double click the home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
• Volume Up button to take a picture
• Optional grid lines to line up shots
• Pinch to zoom in the preview screen
• Swipe to camera roll from preview screen
• Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock
• Photo improvements for devices with cameras
• Crop and rotate
• Red eye removal
• One tap enhance
• Organize photos into albums
• Mail improvements
• Format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts
• Indentation control
• Drag to rearrange names in address fields
• Flag messages
• Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread
• Customize mail alert sounds
• S/MIME
• Calendar improvements
• Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch
• Tap to create an event
• View and add event attachments
• Game Center improvements
• Use personal photos for your Game Center account
• Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends
• Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends
• Discover new games with custom game recommendations
• AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Multitasking Gestures for iPad
• Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen
• Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar
• Swipe left or right to switch between apps
• On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant
• Software updates available over the air without tethering
• iCloud support
• iTunes in the Cloud
• Photo Stream
• Documents in the Cloud
• Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history
• Backup
• Contacts, Calendar, and Mail
• Find My iPhone
• Redesigned Music app for iPad
• Hourly weather forecast
• Real-time stock quotes
• Wireless sync to iTunes
• Keyboard improvements
• Split keyboard for iPad
• Improved autocorrection accuracy
• Improved Chinese and Japanese input
• New Emoji keyboard
• Personal dictionary for autocorrection
• Optionally create keyboard short cuts for frequently used words
• Accessibility improvements
• Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone
• New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices
• Option to speak a selection of text
• Custom element labeling for VoiceOver
• Exchange ActiveSync improvements
• Wirelessly sync tasks
• Mark messages as flagged, read or unread
• Improved offline support
• Save a new contact from a GAL service
• More than 1,500 new developer APIs
• Bug fixes

The official Apple iCloud website has been put online ahead of the release of iOS 5 which will be available for download in a few hours time. iCloud has been one of the core service that included in iOS 5, where its primary function is to automatically, effortlessly and seamlessly stores all your music, photos, documents, and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices.

Login to iCloud via https://www.icloud.com/.

However, you can sign up for iCloud service on the website. Instead, uses are required to sign up for an iCloud account on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 5, or on a Mac running OS X Lion v10.7.2, in order to start using free service of Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iWork. Find My iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac service is already live as it’s been available for free previously.

iCloud includes:

iTunes in the Cloud: Music you purchase in iTunes appears automatically on your devices. You can also download your past music or TV show purchases.

Note: iTunes in the Cloud availability varies by country. TV shows is U.S. only.
Photo Stream: When you take a photo on one iOS device, it automatically appears on your other devices with no syncing required.
Documents in the Cloud: If you’ve installed an app that supports Documents in the Cloud on more than one device, iCloud automatically keeps your documents up to date across your devices.
Apps and Books: Apps and books that you purchase appear on your iOS devices automatically. You can also download your past purchases of apps and books.
Backup: iCloud automatically backs up your iOS device daily over Wi-Fi when it’s connected to a power source and the device is screen-locked. iCloud backs up your purchased music and TV shows, apps, books, Camera Roll, device settings, app data, Home screen and app organization, messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS), and ringtones.

Note: Backup of purchased music is not available in all countries. Backup of purchased TV shows is U.S. only.
Contacts, Calendar, Mail: iCloud stores your calendars and contacts and automatically keeps them up to date across your devices. With iCloud, you can also get a me.com email account that pushes new messages to your devices. iCloud also stores and updates your bookmarks, reminders, and notes.
Find My iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac: If you misplace your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, you can use Find My iPhone to help you find its location on a map, play a sound at full volume, send a message, lock the screen, or erase its data. You can use the Find My iPhone web application at icloud.com on any computer, or download and use the free app on your iOS device.
Back to My Mac: Using Back to My Mac, you can securely connect to your remote Mac from another Mac over the Internet, and access files or control its screen.

iPhone finally available on Verizon Wireless, and though the new iPhone for CDMA network looks identical to the existing iPhone for UTMS (3GSM) and GSM mobile networks (used on AT&T and most mobile carriers worldwide), there are still some differences between them in terms of design, layout, features and specifications.


The main change is to make iPhone work on a CDMA network, a distinctive mobile communication technology from UTMS/GSM. Apple also makes the change on design to fix the antenna drops signal issue.

ATT-Iphone-4

Verizon-Iphone-4
                                                              iPhone 4 AT&T (GSM/UTMS)    iPhone 4 Verizon (CDMA)                                                              

Network	UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)	CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)
Price (on 2-year contract)	16GB: $199 32GB: $299	16GB: $199 32GB: $299
Data Plan	200MB: $15 2GB: $25 2GB with Internet tethering: $45	Pricing is not announced yet, with rumor saying $30 for unlimited data usage. Current data plans for other smartphones are $15 for 150MB; $29.99 for unlimited; $49.99 for unlimited with tethering
Data Transfer Rate	Up to 7.2 Mbit/s	Up to 3.1 Mbit/s
Early Upgrade Available at Launch	Yes	No
Global Roaming	Yes	Yes (only few countries with CDMA carriers)
Simultaneous Voice and Data Usage	Yes	No
Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot	No	Yes
4G (HSPA+/LTE)	No	No
SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)	1.17 W/kg	1.18 W/kg
SIM Card Slot	MicroSIM	No SIM card slot required
Power and Battery	Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Talk time: Up to 7 hours on 3G and up to 14 hours on 2G Standby time: Up to 300 hours Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G and up to 10 hours on Wi-F Video playback: Up to 10 hours Audio playback: Up to 40 hours	Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Talk time: Up to 7 hours on 3G Standby time: Up to 300 hours Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G and up to 10 hours on Wi-F Video playback: Up to 10 hours Audio playback: Up to 40 hours
Size	Height:4.5 inches (115.2 mm) Width:2.31 inches (58.6 mm) Depth:0.37 inches (9.3 mm)	Height:4.5 inches (115.2 mm) Width:2.31 inches (58.6 mm) Depth:0.37 inches (9.3 mm)
Weight	4.8 ounces (137 grams)	4.8 ounces (137 grams)
Colors	Black and White (not yet available)	Black and White (not yet available)
Crapware	No carrier apps installed	No carrier apps installed
Antenna Gap Death Grip	Affected	Not Affected
Rating for Hearing Aids	3G network – 850/1900MHz: M4, T4 2G network – 850MHz: M3, T3 2G network – 1900MHz: M2, T3	M4, T4
Cosmetic Change and Differences	A gap on stainless steel band (antenna metal bar) on top of the phone Both sides of stainless steel band has a gap at the bottom	Volume buttons and mute slider are place slightly up to the top. No gap on top stainless steel band (meta antenna bar). Both sides of stainless steel band has two gaps on top and bottom.

All other features would be the same in all iPhones, including engineered glass, Retina Display, Apple A4 chip, three-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology, assisted GPS, digital compass, 5-megapixel digital camera with LED flash, ability to capture HD video, microphone, speaker, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, FaceTime and multi-touch user interface.

The CDMA version of iPhone 4 will be only available for pre-order on or around February 3rd, 2011, but apparently Verizon has already started to accept registration of interest. Thus, for people who wants to be the first to know when the official pre-order starts, sign up for Verizon mailing list to be in the loop.

To sign up and register for interest on iPhone 4, head to the following iPhone page on Verizon Wireless or directly to the following URL:

http://ecrm.vzwshop.com/2011_ECRM/consumer/2011_Program_CES/1101_device/?LANGCODE=EN

The pre-oder is only available to Verizon Wireless customers only, on a “first come, first serve” basis via VerizonWireless.com. Both home and business pre-order buy must be made online, with store order only available on February 10th, 2011, the official launch date.

It’s unclear what priority will be given to those who register for interest though, although the registration page specifies that current Verizon Wireless customers who sign up will have an exclusive opportunity to get an iPhone 4 from the carrier’s reserved quantity before they’re available to everyone else.