Windows Phone to surpass BlackBerry marketshare in UK

A new graph has been released by Kantar which shows the UK market share of smartphone operating systems over the 10 year period from March 04 – March 14. In the beginning we see Windows Mobile and BlackBerry being the leader until Apple’s iOS comes out in late 2007 and poses itself as big threat to the two dominant operating systems.

In the year 2009, Android operating system enters the picture and squeezes the marketshare of Windows Mobile (which was on its deathbed) and BlackBerry (that was churning out atrocious phones like Curve 8520).

As of this past March, BlackBerry’s marketshare in UK is still higher than Windows Phone and to make things look worse, the graph shows only consumer data and not enterprise market which BlackBerry’s main market.

Windows Phone to surpass BlackBerry marketshare in UK
Source: Kantar

It shall, however be noted that if you notice the last 10 percent of the graph, the BB’s share is shrinking as more and more consumers become aware of the excellent windows phone platform.

Parallels for iPhone and Android now available for download

Parallels have announced a a major update to its Parallels Access app. Previously available only for iPad, the new update brings support for Android and iPhone devices bringing the remote PC control to much wider audience.

Other list of new features include:

* Facebook login integration lets users log in quickly and easily.
* Ability to launch desktop applications with a single tap right from the home screen of an Android device.
* A new file browser lets iOS users quickly browse and open files on their remote computer using Parallels Access.
* Desktop applications that use a microphone can now be used with the microphone on your iPad or iPhone.
* Ability to change screen resolution for best fit for different types of devices.

Laura DiDio, principal analyst of ITIC, said

Parallels Access is a must-have mechanism to remotely access your Windows or Mac applications and files from your tablet or phone. Its breakthrough ‘amplification’ technology transforms desktop applications and integrates native mobile features and functions so they are fully usable with touch gestures as though they were made for your mobile device. The result is the industry’s best Windows and Mac remote access application. Parallels Access is a reliable, fast and intuitive experience that finally makes mobile devices effective productivity tools.

iphone android parallels parallels desktop 4.0 parallels desktop

Here are the hardware requirements:

* iPad: iPad mini and iPad 2 or later running iOS 7.
* iPhone: iPhone 4s and later running iOS 7.
* Android: Most tablets and phones running Android 4.0 and later.

Micromax W092 W121 Specifications, avoid these windows phones

Micromax has launched two dual SIM windows phones W092 and W121 both of which have been rumored from quite long time. First is the Micromax Canvas Win W092 which comes with a 4 inch display and Snapdragon 200 quad core processor. RAM is 1GB that will ensure that you get access to all windows phone store applications.

On the back there is a 5MP camera and there is a VGA webcam on the front. For storage there is 8GB of flash storage that is expandable via micro SD card slot. This phone will compete with the Lumia 520 and 525 that are being sold for INR 6000-8000 now.

W121 on the other hand is bit more expensive but that gets you a bigger 5 inch display with HD resolution and 8MP camera.

Micromax W092 W121 Specifications

However what worries us the most is the atrocious build quality that Micromax is so infamous for. People often complain about their handsets failing in less than 3 months. So the support is horrendous and so is its built quality.

Asus K014 Specifications, features 8.9 inch display and Atom CPU

Asus K014 is the latest Android tablet from the Taiwanese giant. We now have full Asus K014 specifications and they are looking pretty good.

asus k014

ASUS K014 Specifications

Display: 8.9-inch display with a resolution of Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Processor: 4-core Intel Atom Z3745 with a maximum clock speed 1862 MHz,
RAM: 2 GB,
NAND Memory: 32 GB + slot for a micro SD card,
Camera: 1.2 megapixel,
Camera: 5 megapixel with autofocus, video recording quality FHD
Communications: NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS receiver with A-GPS
System: Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

Asus ME176C Memo Pad 7 Specifications, runs on Atom CPU

Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C is a 7 inch tablet that we recently came across. The ME176C costs 179 euros and runs Android 4.4 kitkat operating system. It is already on sale in Germany and will soon hit the retail shelves elsewhere in Europe. We love the fact that it is powered by Atom Z3745 quad core processor.

Asus ME176C

ASUS Memo Pad 7 ME176C Specifications

Display: 7-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels,
Processor: 4-core Intel Atom Z3745 clocked at 1.86 GHz maximum,
RAM: 1 GB,
Memory: 8 GB + micro SD slot (supports up to 64 GB),
Camera: 2 megapixel,
Camera: 5-megapixel,
Communication: Bluetooth 4.0, Miracast, network card WiFi, micro USB port,
System: Google Android 4.4 KitKat,
Battery: up to nine hours of work,
Weight: 295 grams

The Asus ME176C runs Zen user interface on top of Android operating system. The only thing not to like about it is the fact that it comes with only 1GB RAM and its rear camera has no flash.

How to take screenshot on Motorola Moto E

Moto E is the first smartphone for many of us and most of them do not know how to take a screen grab / screenshot. Screenshots are great for saving or sharing a screen with someone.

So here is a little tutorial on how to do it. Just hold the power button and volume down key for a second. That is it – you have successfully taken a screenshot on your Motorola Moto E. The image will be saved on your device.

How to take screenshot on Motorola Moto E

If it does not work for you, you need to ensure that you press both buttons at the same time and keep them pressed for a second or so until you hear a shutter sound.

Download MIUI ROM for Galaxy Core Duos

There is a CM11 ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Core Duos so why not a MIUI ROM? The ROM is based on KitKat ROM. Here are the features of this ROM:

1. Deodexed
2. Highly modified
3. All build Prop tweaks
4. Fully themed
5. Smooth performance
6.Miui Launcher
7. Miui File explorer
8. Miui Music player
9. Miui Gallery
10. Miui Camera
11. Miui lockscreen
12. Themed statusbar
13. Themed every app
14. Fully tweaked
15. Theme changer

Download MIUI ROM for Galaxy Core Duos

For installation follow these steps:

Download the ROM from here
Root Samsung galaxy core by following these instructions
Install cwm recovery from here 
Boot to cwm by pressing home+power+volume up simultaneously
Clear data . cache
Install Miui style v5

Make Nokia X XL Run Fast by freeing RAM

Nokia X and XL come with 512MB and 768MB RAM respectively and that is not a lot of memory for running big apps. Fortunately there is a way to free around 300MB RAM. You can do this by using a script called TweakDrypt which decreases memory usage. This is what it does:

{} Less RAM usage through zipalign
{} Graphics Enhancement
{} Overall Better Performance
{} Less lags through LMK Tweak and Various VM
Tweaks
{} Faster SDCARD Read/Write Speed
{} CWM / TWRP Flashable
{} Increase touchscreen sensitivity
{} System cleaner script for regular cleaning of system
{} better battery performance
{} Ad blocking
{} Entropy (optional)
{} GPS optimization script
{} BUILD.prop tweaks (optional)
{} Kernal tweaks
{} Sqlite optimization

Here are its installation instructions:

1. Delete all others ram scripts you have installed in "/system/etc/init.d"
2. Download the flash able zip.
3. Reboot into recovery mode.
4. Install the ZIP file
5. Reboot your phone when finished installation
6. Done

TweakDrypt Make Nokia X XL Run Fast by freeing RAM

This script has an uninstaller script with it. For that open Terminal emulator
Type ‘su’ [enter]
Type ‘uninstall’ [enter]
Reboot for the clean uninstall

Get Lewa OS on Nokia X

Nokia X is an Android phone so it is very hack able. An XDA user has been able to install Lewa operating system on Nokia X and judging by its screenshot it is looking pretty slick.

Lewa OS on Nokia X

Here are the installation instructions:

1. Download the driver file and extract it to your desktop
2. Download the configuration file and extract it.
3. Download the tool to let you jump into the recovery and extract it.
4. Download Lewa ROM.

Just keep in mind that you will loose all data after installing it so make sure to create a backup before proceeding.

Download AOSP Nokia XL X ROM

Not exactly full AOSP but semi AOSP ROM for the Nokia XL and X devices. It looks and feel totally like an AOSP ROM and is very light. 

Features

– AOSP look
– Very slim and light
– Fast booting
– RAM usage very good
– Stable

Download:

WiFi would not work out of the box but there is an easy fix. After flashing rom:

Step 1) Flash Superuser SU through CWM
Step 2) Flash the Null Kernel 20140609 link
Step 3) Copy the wifi_supplicant_wapi file from miniromS5 from /system/bin and paste it in Semi AOSP rom’s /system/bin folder with similar permissions that of bin folder. usage of Root explorer is highly preferred.

Download AOSP Nokia XL X ROM

I have included a screenshot of the permission you need to set after copying.