Nokia designer talks about the Lumia930

Nokia’s new Lumia 930 was announced earlier this week, but it won’t be released until June. We don’t know why it’s taking so long for the 930 to hit shelves, especially since, according to Nokia designer Jonne Harju, the handset’s “single aluminum frame body means less manufacturing time.” Talking to Nokia Conversations, Jonne Harju obviously acknowledged that the Lumia 930 “unquestionably has DNA from other devices”, naming the Lumia 925 , and the Verizon-exclusive Lumia Icon among those. 

As with the Icon, he says, Nokia has “put maximum effort to create the most purest and honest aluminum frame body that fits seamlessly together with the vibrant back cover shape.” Jonne Harju further said that, since Nokia’s hardware design and the Windows Phone UI have similar principles (simplicity and minimalism), the Lumia 930 has “a human quality throughout to remind people it’s not just a technical device.” 

The Lumia 930 is basically an Icon for international markets - but one that will run the new Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box. The handset will cost $ 599 unlocked, coming with a 5-inch 1080p ClearBlack display, a 20.7MP PureView rear camera, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory (non- expandable), and a 2,420 mAh battery.

Google Nexus 5 'official' Play Store listing reveals price tag

Google's much awaited next-generation
Nexus phone, the Nexus 5 has already
made an online appearance.
Interestingly, the leak comes from not
any other source but Google, as the
phone was accidentally listed on the
Play Store, the company's content,
services and device marketplace.

The
listing appeared for select users and
was pulled by Google after it realised
it's made a faux pas.

The listing even revealed the pricing of
the Nexus 5's 16GB model, which was
listed at $349. The listing showcases
the phone in its full glory offering a
nice look at the phone's rear, front
and left edge.

The pictured device's
form factor is in line with previous
leaks with the back sporting the Nexus
and LG branding and the display
running a version of Android that
matches the leaked Android 4.4 KitKat
screenshots complete with the
transparent navigation key bar and
new icons.

Confirming some more rumours, the
Home screen of the phone doesn't
feature an icon for Messaging, which
appears to have been replaced by the
Hangouts app, as suggested by the
presence of its icon.

The link that should have fetched
details related to the features and
specifications of the device was not
working, so we'll probably have to wait
for these details till Google announces
the phone.

A recent report had suggested that
the Nexus 5 might be priced at $399
for the 16GB model, while the 32GB
model would come at $499, but that
looks to have been proven wrong with
this accidental listing.

Last week, another report claimed that
Google might release Android 4.4
, the latest iteration of its mobile and
tablet operating system, on October 28.
So it's likely that the company will also
announce the Nexus 5 at the same
event.

Earlier this week, t he Nexus 5 was
pictured in new leaked images
that revealed rear and side panels.
Rumoured specifications of the Nexus 5
include a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080p) IPS
LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz,
2GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera
with OIS and a 1.3-megapixel front-
facing camera. The alleged Nexus 4
successor has also been expected to
include a host of sensors like ambient
light, proximity, pressure as well as
accelerometer, compass, notification
LED and gyroscope.

Samsung Launches ATIV Book 9 Plus with Core i7

Samsung is shipping another ATIV Book
9 Plus with an Intel Core i7 processor,
more RAM and more storage.

After originally launching in North
America with an Intel Core i5 , 4 GB of
RAM and a 128 GB SSD, Samsung is
now releasing a second version
of its ATIV Book 9 Plus with an Intel
Core i74500U processor, 8 GB of
memory, a 256 GB SSD and Windows
8.1.
This ultra-slim laptop won't ship
until early November, but customers
can pre-purchase the laptop now for $
1,800 USD.

As with the previous Core i5 model, the
updated laptop will have a 13.3 inch
LED-lit LCD screen with a massive
resolution of 3200 x 1800, 10-point
touch input, 350 nit SuperBright
technology, and Gorilla Glass
protection. The panel tilts back up to
180-degrees, rendering the form
factor completely flat, and locks at
approximately 110-degrees for a
wobble-free touch experience.

As for other features, the laptop will
have a built-in 720p webcam, a 3-in-1
card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, a
headphone/microphone combo, miniVGA
output and microHDMI output. The
laptop will weigh a mere 3.06 pounds,
and measure just 0.54 inches thick. It
will also supposedly have a boot up time
of up to 5.9 seconds and a wake time
of up to 0.9 seconds.

The laptop will also provide Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth connectivity, an Ethernet
dongle that plugs into a USB port for
when Wi-Fi is not an option, and Intel
HD 4400 graphics. The laptop's actual
measurements will be 12.6 x 8.8 x 0.55
inches, and will ship in Mineral Ash
Black, just like the previous Core
i5-4200U model. The laptop's battery
promises up to 11 hours on a single
charge.

The current Core i5 model reportedly
still continues to sell for around $1400.

Tim Cook reflects on second anniversary of Steve Jobs' death

Apple CEO Tim Cook used the eve of
second anniversary of Steve Jobs'
death to write an email to all Apple
employees, reflecting on the moment.
Cook told employees that Steve would
be "proud of all of you" and everyone
should honour Jobs' memory by
"dedicating ourselves to the work he
loved so much." Here's the full copy of
the letter obtained by 9to5mac .

Team-
Tomorrow marks the second
anniversary of Steve's death. I
hope everyone will reflect on
what he meant to all of us and to
the world. Steve was an amazing
human being and left the world a
better place.I think of him often
and find enormous strength in
memories of his friendship, vision
and leadership. He left behind a
company that only he could have
built and his spirit will forever be
the foundation of Apple. We will
continue to honor his memory by
dedicating ourselves to the work
he loved so much. There is no
higher tribute to his memory. I
know that he would be proud of
all of you.
Best, Tim

In 2012, Apple remembered Steve Jobs
with a video tribute
and a message from Cook on its
homepage.
On Saturday, two years to the day
that Steve Jobs passed away, Cook took
to Twitter to share thoughts more
personal in nature, saying he would be
using the day to reflect back on his
friendship with Steve and the "dents"
Jobs made in the universe.

Second anniversary of Steve's
death. Going on a long hike today
and reflecting on his friendship
and all the dents he made in the
universe.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October
5, 2013

The remark is an obvious reference to
one of Steve Jobs' iconic quotes, who
once said, "We're here to put a dent in
the universe. Otherwise why else even
be here?"

Leef Bridge USB Drive Has Both Standard, Micro Plugs

This USB drive is compatible with
devices featuring Android 4.1 "Jelly
Bean" and higher, and support for the
USB OTG standard.
On Tuesday Leaf Technology
introduced Bridge
, the first USB flash drive for file
sharing between Android tablets,
smartphones, Macs and PCs. It
removes the need to use cloud
services, cables, Wi-Fi remote apps
and other solutions by offering two
connectors on one stick -- a standard
USB plug on one end and a micro USB
on the other – that accesses the same
flash storage.
"The memory utilized within Leef
Bridge has fast read and write speeds
to ensure slick video and music
playback directly from the USB drive,
without the interruptions or delays that
accompany low-grade USB flash drive
products," the company said.
Leef Bridge features an exposed slide-
and-lock tray which enables users to
quickly switch to the USB connector
appropriate for their device
connection. However it's not
compatible with all Android devices:
Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" or higher and
a micro USB On-The-Go (OTG) port is
required. The latter is a specification
that allows USB devices to act as a
host to attached peripherals like a
mouse or flash drive.
"Metago, the company behind ASTRO
File Manager has teamed up with Leef
to release an updated version of their
app that provides users with a
seamless experience using Leef
Bridge and ASTRO File Manager," the
company added. "Although ASTRO File
Manager is not required to be able to
use Leef Bridge, it is recommended by
the Leef design team for its intuitive
file management system."
Transferring files to and from Bridge
won't be quicker than using a
dedicated USB cable, but should be
ideal in situations where Wi-Fi and
3G/4G connectivity is out of reach,
and users aren't close to their desktop
or laptop. Yet it's also easier to carry
than a bundled up cable, so users will
have to pick their poison.
Unfortunately, a list that shows what
devices are compatible with the USB
OTG spec is hard to find. Device
owners will need to look at the specs
on the ODM's website to determine if
the micro USB port is compatible. This
list is only partial, showing twelve
phones including the Motorola DROID
Razr, the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy
S2/S3/S4, the LG Optimus G, Sony
Xperia phones and several others.
Samsung seems to be the biggest USB
OTG supporter in the tablet sector,
along with the Acer Iconia Tab,
Toshiba Excite 10 and a few others.
Here in the States, Leef Bridge is
available for purchase at Amazon and
www.2leef.com , costing $17.99 for
the 16 GB version and $28.99 for the
32 GB version. A 64 GB model will be
released next month, but the pricing is
unknown at this point. Leef Bridge is
also now available for purchase at
leading retailers in several
international markets, including
Russia, Asia and Central Europe.