Andreas' Blog

Google just announced a pretty major update to Gmail , and you should now be able to give it a go in the browser, if you so desire. As our pal Paul O'Brien from MoDaCo points out , all you have to do to enable the new tabbed organization is go to the gear icon on the right of the screen and choose "Configure inbox." (If you're using a wrapper like Mailplane, you might need to do this from a traditional browser first, then restart the app.) Next you'll be asked which tabs you want to use -- primary, social and promotions are checked by default; updates and forums are other options. Once enabled, you'll find e-mails sorted among the tabs. To move e-mails between tabs, just click and drag. (You'll also be asked if you want to continue to get that particular kind of e-mail in the new tab.) Still no sign of the new Gmail app for Android, which also will bring a new sorting experience.          View article... ...

The Internet rumor mill is buzzing with noise ever since Microsoft announced that it would release an update for Windows 8 this year. Windows Blue, or Windows 8.1, is not a service pack according to Microsoft but a feature upgrade for the operating system. Windows 8 has been heavily criticized ever since first public versions were made available by Microsoft for testing purposes. Yesterday news leaked about a start menu button that Microsoft would add to the system again (after having removed it in Windows 8) and a desktop background that you could now also display on the operating system's start screen and not only the desktop. Microsoft revealed additional details and information about Windows 8.1 on a new blog post on the official Windows blog today. It is clear from the post that Microsoft will continue on the path that it has decided on. While this won't satisfy die hard critics of the operating system, it may please others who have not as many reservation...

The most-clamored-for feature in the upcoming Windows 8.1 release is undoubtably the return of the Start button, the longtime hub of the Windows experience that Microsoft tried to ditch with the release of the touch-centric Windows 8 last fall. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley , who has a long track record of accurate Microsoft scoops, has now given us some new details on just how Microsoft plans to re-implement the Start button in the next version of Windows due to be released this summer . Continue reading... View article...

Rogers, Bell and TELUS BlackBerry Q10's updated to OS 10.1.0.1720 http:// feedly.com /k/14Ptr9e Although the OS has been floating around in various forms for the past couple of weeks  now, it looks to have finally gone official across the board in Canada for the BlackBerry Q10 . Confirmed to be arriving on Rogers, Bell and TELUS devices folks who check for updates should see that software version 10.1.0.273 is available. Oddly enough, if you check your device you may find that it's already on this 'software version' but that doesn't mean you should dismiss the update. In fact, you should download it because even though the software version is the same, the OS inside is not. Unless you've installed a leak or ran a customized autoloader, most BlackBerry Q10's in Canada should be running OS 10.1.0.1483 but with this download, even though the software version will remain unchanged, you'll end up being on OS 10.1.0.1720. We realize a good lot of you migh...

Dropbox vs. Google Drive vs. Amazon vs. Skydrive: Which One Is Fastest? : As cloud computing services become ever more popular, you might begin to wonder how much you can really trust them to perform when you need them? I decided to find out - by testing the top file-transfer/file-storage/file-backup services. In many ways, getting a file from one computer to multiple computers is the most challenging task for the cloud. And because I like to use multiple computers running multiple operating systems, including Linux, Windows and the Mac, that function is particularly important to me. Cloud Services Can Lag I am pretty agnostic when it comes to cloud providers - as long as they are free or close to it. However, as I was moving files around while preparing my most recent book A Week at the Beach The 2013 Emerald Isle Travel Guide I was a little surprised at the lags I sometimes experienced using the big-name cloud-based file-transfer services. More than once when I wanted to use...

18-year-old’s invention can recharge a cell phone in 30 seconds : A teenager from Saratoga, California took home one of the top prizes at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair late last week after showing off her invention, which can fully charge a cell phone in 30 seconds or less. Eesha Khare was given the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and a $50,000 prize for being runner-up in the competition, which was won by a 19-year-old who unveiled a new spin on self-driving car technology. Khare's battery technology requires a new component to be installed inside the phone battery itself, and Intel notes that it also has potential applications for car batteries.

BlackBerry Q5 Entry-Level QWERTY Phone Announced http:// feedly.com /k/10G0dWX Blackberry recently announced the new BlackBerry Q5 QWERTY smartphone. It is the company's second QWERTY phone which runs on the BlackBerry 10 Operating System. The previously launched BlackBerry Q10 was a high-end smartphone, while the new BlackBerry Q5 is an entry-level device for the emerging markets. This handset allows you to access more than 100,000 apps from the BlackBerry World. Check out the complete specs below. Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry, said, "BlackBerry is excited to bring a new BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, to our customers in selected markets around world. The BlackBerry Q5 gives you the best of everything with its cutting-edge BlackBerry 10 functionality and a physical QWERTY keyboard. It is for youthful fans that are passionate, confident and bold, and it makes it easy for them to have fun, create, share and stay connected." ...

Windows Blue Will Be Free - And Called Windows 8.1 http:// feedly.com /k/18Jo9iB Microsoft's much-anticipated updated to Windows 8 will be free, will be called Windows 8.1 and will be out "later this year." All this news came on Tuesday when Tami Reller, the CMO and CFO of Microsoft's Windows Division, addressed JP Morgan's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Reller wouldn't commit to a launch date, but promised a public preview edition when Microsoft's Build 2013 developers conference opens on June 26.  Some reports interpreted Reller's remarks to hint at a full release around the Holidays. Windows 8.1 will work on both Windows 8 and Windows RT , the version of the operating system that runs on ARM processors.  See also: Microsoft Is Trying To Build - And Sell - A kinder, Gentler Windows 8 Windows Blue's Goal: You Will Love Metro (Eventually)   Tami Reller image is from an earlier Microsoft event. shared via http:// feedly....

Official Details on BBM Coming to iOS & Android this Summer : BlackBerry made a ballsy announcement today about BBM going cross platform. It has been rumored for ages and it seems like they finally decided it was time to wipe the floor with WhatsApp and the competition instead of keeping it exclusive. It remains mobile first but iOS 6 and Android 4.0 devices will be getting BBM this summer. That will include BBM chats, multiperson chats, share photos/video/voicenotes, BBM groups, and more. BBM channels will even be coming later in the year. Here is what Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry had to say: “For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level...

Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 preview to be available by the end of June : Windows chief Julie Larson-Green announced at the Wired Business Conference on Tuesday that Microsoft will release a preview of Windows 8.1  — also known as Windows Blue  — at the end of June, ZDNet reported . The executive said that the company  will release the preview at its Build developers conference that is scheduled to take place on June 26th in San Francisco. Microsoft previously confirmed that it plans to  release the next version of the Windows operating system by the holiday season. Windows Blue is very likely to incorporate a lot of user feedback from Windows 8, which has proven to be a polarizing operating system that many users have complained lacks the intuitiveness of earlier Windows versions.

  For some time now Microsoft was maintaining two email services at the very same time. First the established Hotmail email service and then the recently released Outlook.com email service. Hotmail users could initiate a migration to the new email service using their account, but that was a mandatory thing up until now. Microsoft today announced that the company has finished migrating all Hotmail accounts and data from the email service over to Outlook.com. The numbers are impressive, as Microsoft migrated more than 150 petabytes of email in six weeks (a Petabyte or PB is 1000 Terabytes which itself is 1000 Gigabytes).  Back when Outlook was introduced as a preview in February 2013, it had about 60 million active user accounts. With Hotmail users finally being all moved over, Outlook.com is now home to more than 400 million active users according to Microsoft, making it one of the most popular email services on today's Internet. Today's news marks the introduction of two ne...