Make Google Maps data available offline on Android

Unfortunately the Make Offline option isn't yet implemented in the iPhone version so this tip currently applies to Android phones. and tablets.

Go to Google Maps and browse the area you would like to make available offline.

1 - Navigate to the area you would like available offline

2 - Click on the menu button (three little dots) and choose Make available offline

3 - If you choose an are that is too small or too big, you might get an error message. Either zoom in or out and eventually the error message will go away and the box will be black (instead of red).

4 - Click Done and wait for the map to download.

Now even if you are not connected (3G/4G/WIFI) you will still be able to navigate. For longer trips, you may need to download multiple tiles to cache your entire route. On my Nexus 7 with Android 4.2.1, there is a 6 offline tile maximum (even though I have enough space).

This is a fun little trick that should be very useful

 

Is this the HTC One (formerly M7)?

@evleaks twitted a picture it claims is the upcoming HTC (formerly called M7)

The HTC One will be the outfit's flagship phone ushering in a new era of properity for the once mighty manufacturer (or so the sotry goes). This image seems to merge the various rumors we have heard over the last couple fo weeks and with the Feb 19 launch, we won't have to wait long for confirmation.

As with all rumors, take this with a pinch of salt. With Sony and HTC coming to the table with interesting devices, 2013 is shaping up to be an interesting year for Android.

How To Take A Screenshot On iPhone

In my previous article, I explained why and how to take screenshots on an android device. Now we look at how to do this on an IOS device (iphone, iPad or iPad mini).  

  1. Go to the app to screen you want to save
  2. Press the Home button and power button at the same time
  3. The screen will go completely white for a fraction of a second and you'll screen a camera snapshot sound 

Since the iphone does not expose its file system, you simply go to your Photos app and it will be listed as the last image there.

How to take a screenshot on Android

This is a feature I use once in a while to grab screenshots for my blog or to share with friends. On any Android device, hold down the volume down and Power buttons at the same time (for about half a second) and you will see a little graphic showing you a screenshot has been taken.

At first you may have some difficulty finding the right wait time but eventually this will become second nature.

Screenshots [on any Nexus device] are saved in:

/storage/sdcard0/Pictures/Screenshots

How to check browser history in Safari for iPhone

Let's say you just browsed a bunch of pages on Safari for iPhone (IOS 6.0+) and then wanted to jump back to a previously browsed page. Sure you could retype the URL and navigate through the site or you could simply use this trick to see all the sites you browsed and chose which one to jump back to in2 clicks.

 

Let's say I just browsed a bunch of sites and the last one I browsed was Google.ca. To see my browsing history, just click the back button and hold it for about a second.

You will then get a menu like this

Click on the site you want and voila, Safari will take you there in just 2 clicks.

 

How to check for OS updates on a Nexus 7

We are hearing rumors that some users of Nexus branded gear have started to received the 4.2.2 
Android update. Some readers have asked how to check for OS updates on their Nexus 7 but it will be the same for Nexus 4s and Nexus 10s.

1 - Open Settings

2 - Click on About Tablet

3 - Click on System Updates

4 - Click on Check Now

If an update was available, you would see it listed here, with the changelog and the option to download and install the update.

Rogers finally adopting a logical device unlocking model

Unlocking a mobile phone means you can use a SIM card from any provider in it. For the longest time, most Canadian carriers refused to unlock devices until your full contract term was up and then only for $50. By the time the device was eligible, it was likely obsolete and unlocking no longer makes sense.

Their logic was that by allowing customers to unlock early, they would risk losing money when customers took these devices to other networks and refused to honour their contract. Truth is we have 3 major carriers in Canada (with sub carriers and other owned brands added to the mix), so this isn't a viable strategy.

A new day

As of March 2013, any Rogers customer in good standing with a device that has been activated for at least 90 days will be able to pay the $50 unlocking fee and unlock the device immediately. This is great news and is likely a response to the CRTC investigation into the Canadian mobile phone industry.

Fido (a wholly owned Rogers brand) unlocks at the end of your term for $50 but hopefully that too will change. Telus will unlock devices after the 90 day moratorium for $35. Bell/Virgo will unlock devices for $75. I am not sure of Videotron's policy but have heard they aren't too eager to unlock devices.

Microsoft's Surface Pro now available in Canada and the US

If you have a $1000 burning a hole in your wallet and you love the clumsy interface of Windows 8 then your in luck. You can now waltz into most electronics resellers and pick up a shiny new Microsoft designed and built Surface Pro tablet running Windows 8.
In addition to the tablet, you will want to pickup the type keyboard (forget the touch one) and maybe a mouse? I'm pretty sure demand won't overwhelm supply so feel free to stroll in at your convenience.
At BestBuy Canada
At BestBuy US

128GB Retina iPad now available for $799

How much storage do you really need on a tablet? If your answer is 128GB, your in luck. Apple has now released its 128GB Retina iPad (do we call it the new new ipad?) for $US799. You can add GPS and LTE for $929.
I know many of you are meaning right now about the incredibly high cost but it is important to remember that this is the first tablet with this much internal storage. With all of the limitations imposed by Apple, who really needs this much space? Enterprise customers do!
I doubt Apple customers will walk into a Best Buy and pickup one of these lovely but expensive devices. This is likely a request from enterprise customers who have started to adopt iPads enmasse and are looking for beefier storage for mobile employees with limited connectivity. It also continues Apple's push to drive a nail through the heart of the traditional PC (we are in the post PC era right?)

Blackberry 10 (BB10) to run Jelly Bean apps

Everyone knows that apps make the smartphone and Blackberry decided to include Android emulation in its OS to bolster the available apps on its platform. Sure the emulated apps don't match the look and feel of the new Blackberry 10 operating system but its better than not having that option.
Blackberry has promised an improved Android experience on its devices by upgrading the runtime to version 4.1 (currently is is at the 2.3 level). This means more apps will be compatible, compatibility will improve across the board and shows that Blackberry is committed to this functionality (at least for now).
Blackberry is hoping that developers will eventually "see the light" and start building native Blackberry apps making its ecosystem a strong IOS/Android rival but for now, it is willing to settle for Android almost-run-well apps.
crackberry report.

FIDO offers the Google Nexus 4 for $100

Every Android fan's dream device is now available at Fido (a Canadian mobile phone provide that belongs to Rogers) at an attractively low $100 on a 2 year deal. Shipping has started already and devices are first come first served.
It is wonderful to see FIDO being price competitive. Wind mobile is offering it for $249-$549 (depending on the monthly plan). Videotron is offeing it as low as $149 on some plans. 
The phone was available on FIDO's website yesterday and seems to have been removed today. Maybe the demand was overwhelming. 

 

Will the device come unlocked?

My best guess is YES but I have reached out to FIDO and am waiting for their response. 

HTC to launch new smartphone camera revolution

HTC is set to launch its new flagship phone, the M7, in the Big Apple on February 19th. Sure it has a fast quad-core 1.7GHZ processor and a nice 1080p display but it claims the real killer feature is its new camera that will boast an "ultrapixel" sensor.
Is this a revolutionary new technology or marketing speak? Only time will tell but the rumors say it is a new camera model (for smartphones at least) where 3 4.3 megapixel sensor layers will used to create one "normal" image that should be cleaner and sharper (even in low light). This sounds like that Sigma does with its Foveon camera sensor. 

 

They will also launch a "sound revolution". we know they are using Beats technology and including a decent quality headphone amplifier in their products. 

HTC went from being an Android based hero to an almost forgotten manufacturer. If it wants to remain relevant, it has to hit a home run with this product. It is important to mention that that will be competing with the rumored upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV.

HTC Blog here.

Pocket-Lint article about ultrapixels here.

 

250,000 twitter accounts hacked

It has been a bad week for popular websites (getting hacked). Now Twitter has come forward and acknowledged that 250,000 accounts were hacked. The attacker may have had access to email addresses, encryption passwords and session tockens.
What is worrisome is that Twitter has claimed that the attack was "extremely sophisticated" and that they saw this same pattern of attach against other sites. Twitter is being proactive and is forcing users of those affected accounts to immediately change their passwords  (those affected should have received an email from the company).
Stay vigilant. Use unique tough to guess passwords and change your passwords often.
Read the twitter blog entry here.

Run any Android 4.2 app on Windows quickly

 I wrote about Bluestack and how they provide a beta emulation software that allows you to run some Android software on a Windows or Mac PC. Emulation is good when you don't have any other option but now a team of Chinese developers from Socketeq has pushed their Android on Windows just a little bit further.

Instead of using emulation which is slower and more limiting, they have created a system where Android runs on top of the Windows kernel (without emulation). They also claim that this approach allows you to run all Android applications including the resource intensive 3D games.

The app works pretty well for a beta but still has some issues. I had some glitches with sound playback (most of the time), multi touch doesn't work and the default bundle of Google apps isn't installed. For the last point, this is likely a licensing issue and I'm sure some creative user will find a way to solve this issue.

To see the demo video, go here:

To download the app, go to the developers site and fill out their form

 

 

6 months of free RDIO for Canadians and 14 other countries

Canadians always seem to get the short end of the entertainment stick (compared to our US neighbors). RDIO is finally sharing the love with Canada and 14 other countries by providing up to 6 months of commercial free, ad free music streaming.

Rdio Launches Free Music Streaming in Nearly All Countries Where Rdio is Available

Rdio, (www.rdio.com), the streaming music service from the co-creator of Skype, is now offering music lovers up to six months of free music on the Web in nearly all countries where Rdio is available1. New Rdio listeners can sign up and activate free streaming at rdio.com, with no credit card required, then dive right into Rdio's library of over 18 million songs.

This new offer is specifically designed to appeal to people with ears and hearts. Free streaming is available through the Web or Rdio's desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and allows listeners to:

● Choose from over 18 million songs, without ads
● Listen free on the web for up to six months, depending on how many songs you stream
● See and hear what your favorite artists are listening to
● Discover new music by following friends and tastemakers
● Create, curate, and collaborate on playlists
● Share your life soundtrack in real time on Facebook and Twitter

A meter at the top of user profile pages lets people know how much free music they have remaining each month. It's easy to upgrade any time to one of Rdio's subscription plans for unlimited streams and access to Rdio's acclaimed mobile apps. US plan options include:

● Rdio Web: $4.99 a month. Unlimited Web streaming.
● Rdio Unlimited: $9.99 a month. Unlimited Web and mobile streaming, as well as wireless syncing to listen offline.2

Music fans can sign up for free Rdio streaming right now at www.rdio.com.

A new standard for better HD video streaming

Over the last couple of years, we have been treated a fantastic group of web TV and movies streaming services (Netflix, HULU, BBC iPlayer, etc). These services are wonderful when they work smoothly and f...r...u.s....t....r...a...t..i.....n..g when they don't (buffer pains anyone). Now imagine what high definition (and even ultraHD) would do to an already bad streaming situation.

The MPEG group submitted a new proposal which was quickly adopted by the ITU as the next generation streaming standard (now called H.265). At the very core, it halves the bandwidth requirement compared to the current standard. The new High Efficiency Video Coding standard currently includes 8-bit, 10-bit and photo profiles to accommodate most 2D recording and playback.  Expect 3D, Chroma, 12-bit and other profiles to follow as the standard develops.

I love it when technology actually makes our lives easier and more enjoyable. Raise your glass for smoother, higher quality video.

Whatsapp breaking Canadian privacy laws

It seems everyone’s favorite cross-platform  Instant Messaging app has is violating Canadian  privacy laws (according to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada). The OPC found that on all devices (except IOS 6), the App requires access to the users address book to function. This means that non WhatsApp user information is being stored on the WhatsApp servers without the permission of these users.

WhatsApp is “trying to meet” Canadian regulations by adding encryption and other protections but the OPC believes they are not yet compliant with Canadian law and will continue monitoring the firms progress. Their official monitoring statement says:

"Under Canada’s PIPEDA, the OPC will monitor the company’s progress in meeting commitments made in the course of investigation. In most cases, companies are cooperative in meeting their obligations, and WhatsApp has demonstrated a willingness to fully comply with the OPC’s recommendations."

You can read the the official report fropm the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada here.

Facebook Search Graph may help HR find better candidates

Most people know and use LinkedIn, the huge professional networking site recruiters love. Linkedin does a great job telling recruiters what a candidate knows and where they have worked but it doesn't provide any information on "fit" within a company.

This is where the new Facebook Search Graph may provide an additional tool to help recruiters fine tune their candidate search process. Facebook Search Graph will allow the recruiter to ask targeted questions to find connections with people, locations, organization, sports, hobbies and much more. These additional signals will help the modern HR recruiter to ensure the proposed candidates are a good cultural fit with the company.

Facebook Search Graph is slowly rolling out to users across the world so it's coming your way very soon.

Rumor - First images of the iPhone 5s

French blog, NoWhereElse, has published pictures they claim belong to the upcoming iPhone 5s and an iPhone 6. They claim that the iPhone 5s will be released this summer and that the iPhone 6 will follow in early 2014.

Like most sites, NoWhereElse seems to have gotten some rumors right and messed up others completely. Like all things Apple, we'll have to wait until WWDC to see what goodies Apple has in store for us.

Personally I doubt we would see iPhone 6 parts just yet. It is more likely the parts from an iPhone 5s (next generation) and from the cheaper iPhone we have been hearing about (which would require a redesign).

Apple users send 2 billion iMessages a day

I wrote about Whatsapp [processing 18 billion](http://www.kiledjian.com/main/2013/1/4/whatsapp-processed-18-billion-messages-on-december-31-2012.html) messages on New Year's day.

During Apple's quarterly presentation, we learned that Apple users send 1 billion iMessages a day. Apple solf 47.8 million iPhones during the quarter and the total IOS devices sold to date (from inception) now totals 500 million. 

Apple also saw the number of total iCLoud users jumped to 250 million in December 2012.

2 billion messages may seem like a lot but then you look at the cross-platform Whatsapp and realize they have a long way to go. The real losers in all of this are the carriers who are seeing their cash cow (SMS) erode a little more every day.