Infographics Shows The Rise Of Windows Phone Platform

When Microsoft first introduced its new mobile phone platform in 2010 - Windows Phone 7, it was met with mixed response. Enthusiasts praised it for its innovative and fresh look and design, while critics criticized it for not bringing enough to the plate and even going so far as to predict its failure. However, it is now 2014 with the new iteration Windows Phone 8.1, and the platform has seen a steady growth, aiming to compete against the big guns Android and iOS. Microsoft's collaboration with Nokia in bringing out great quality Windows Phone products across different price ranges, has played a contributing factor in this success as analysts are expecting the WP OS to cross 100 million devices this year and become the 3rd largest mobile OS worldwide. In fact, Windows Phone has already been outselling the iPhone in 24 markets including India, Malaysia, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

Apple iPhone 5S Gets BSOD, But There Is A Quick Fix

It looks like the Apple iPhone 5S has, possibly in the first time in history, copied something from Microsoft’s Windows operating system. We’re talking about the dreaded blue screen of death or BSOD that has been passed down through the generations of Windows and lives on to periodically haunt desktop users. However, the BSOD that the iPhone 5S suffers from is similar to a Windows’ BSOD only for the colour blue. Check out the video below to see the BSOD in action on the iPhone 5S, or rather putting the iPhone 5S out of action:

Featured Download: Coast by Opera

Platform: iOS 6.0 and above (iPad only)
Price: Free
Size: 14.8 MB
Publisher: Opera Software ASA
Download from here

If you thought that Opera Mini was great for the iPad, you should try Coast from the same Norwegian company. Coast by Opera is essentially a web browser tailor-made for the iPad. The Opera team claims to have built it from scratch, disowning over 20 years of experience with desktop browsers and building Coast from scratch from a tablet point of view.

Coast's UI doesn't look anything like the usual internet browser. It adopts the same minimalistic design approach as the iPad, with a single button that takes you to the home screen and other recently visited websites. The web page occupies almost the entire screen area of the iPad and Coast even does away with the address bar. It mainly relies on gestures to achieve the usual browser commands such as forward and back with left and right swipe. Opera even goes so far as to say that this browser should have come with the iPad. This refreshingly unique and free browser from is definitely worth a try.

Apple Unveils iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C: An iPhone For Everyone?

Now you can bite the apple and eat it too, quite literally; or is it? Apple has unveiled an iPhone for everyone: the iPhone 5S, which will be its new flagship successor, and a new cheaper variant known as the iPhone 5C for those who may find the former out of reach. The S could stand for speed, while the C possibly for cheap. Apple has appropriately put the taglines as "Forward thinking" for the 5S and "For the colourful" for the 5C. The launch has ended months of speculations about whether or not the Cupertino-based company will launch a cheaper variant along with its regular premium handset.

To start off, the iPhone 5S is obviously an upgraded version of the iPhone 5 in terms of hardware in a similar way as the iPhone 3GS was to the iPhone 3G. It is powered by a new 64-bit A7 CPU that should allow for better gaming experience approaching the graphical intensity and fluidity of hand-held consoles. Additionally, there is an M7 companion processor that handles motion data, thus offloading the A7. The much speculated silver ring fingerprint scanner is also built into the home button to allow secure unlocking of the phone by its authorised owner.

Coming to the camera, there are improvements with a 15% larger 8 MP sensor compared to its predecessor, which should help reduce noise levels in low-light photography. There is improved video stabilisation for blur-free handheld shooting in addition to Burst mode, Panorama, photo filters aka Instagram, and Full HD video capture at 30 fps. The camera also supports 720p at 120 fps thus making it possible to play back such videos in slow motion, essentially called "Slo-mo video". A dual-LED flash has also been added to shoot in the dark. Apple has retained the 4" screen size and specs from the iPhone 5 and it still looks very much like its predecessor, although it is available in colour variations of Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. However, Apple has got nicely crafted premium leather cases for the iPhone 5S, which are available in multiple colours.

The iPhone 5C is basically the iPhone 5 with cost cutting and some colour, targeting the mid-range buyer segment. After sticking to white or black for years, Apple has finally gone Technicolor with the iPhone 5C, which is available in white, pink, yellow, blue, and green. As a cost-cutting measure, the iPhone 5C sports a polycarbonate body but is heavier than the iPhone 5 at 132 grams.

The handset is powered by an A6 chip with 1 GB of RAM. The screen is a 4" Retina display with pixel dimensions of 1136x640 but without scratch-resistant glass. An 8 MP AF primary camera with LED flash is present along with a 1.2 MP front-facing Facetime camera. Additional features include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi with AirPlay, and A-GPS with GLONASS.

Both the devices will run the new iOS7. The iPhone 5S 16 GB is priced at $199 (approx Rs 12,800), while the 32 GB variant costs $299 (approx Rs 19,200). The 64 GB version will set you back by $399 (Rs 25,500). The iPhone 5C, on the other hand is available for $99 (approx Rs 6400) for the 16 GB and $199 (approx Rs 12,800) for the 32 GB. Of course, these prices are for the US market with 2-year contracts, so retail prices will be much higher. The iPhone 5C, which has been touted to be for the mid-range, will therefore end up in the high-end price bracket with a retail price of $549 (approx Rs 36,500) and $649 (approx Rs 43,000), thus shattering the dreams of cheap iPhone aspirants.

Spotted: Alleged Box Shots Of Apple iPhone 5S With Silver Ring Fingerprint Scanner

A Chinese website CtechCN.com has published photos of what appears to be boxes of the upcoming iPhone 5S slated to be launched on the 10th of September. Interestingly, the photos show a silver ring around the home button of the handset, which is said to be a fingerprint scanner. Also, the home button is convex in this case to accommodate the fingerprint sensor, thus protruding a bit. A fingerprint scanner has long been rumoured to be part of the feature set of the upcoming iPhone and a part of the iOS 7 code also points to such a possibility.

A fingerprint scanner built into the handset will allow users to unlock the (securely locked) device without having to enter a passcode. Apple had acquired Authentec last year for $365 million and the technology in question will no doubt be a result of this acquisition. Apple was facing problems integrating the fingerprint scanner because of interference caused from coating materials present under the glass. However, it seems that the Cupertino-based company has finally figured out a way to make the implementation before the launch date. Check out the spy shots below: