The Heartbleed Bug Is Mostly Fixed, But There Are Still More Than 20,000 Websites Vulnerable

You might have changed all your passwords in the days since you learned of the Heartbleed bug, but if you're one of millions of people using certain Android devices, you might still be vulnerable.
Numerous devices running older versions of Google’s Android operating system may be at risk of the high-profile bug, according to Marc Rogers, a security expert at the mobile security firm Lookout.
Rogers told The Huffington Post that people using Android version 4.1.1 should avoid sensitive transactions on their mobile devices because a hacker could exploit the Heartbleed bug to steal their data.
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The Heartbleed bug, a newly discovered security vulnerability that puts users' passwords at many popular Web sites at risk, has upended the Web since it was disclosed earlier this week. It's an extremely serious issue, and as such, there's a lot of confusion about the bug and its implications as you use the Internet.
TechProceed.com has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help users learn more about the bug andprotect themselves. The Heartbleed situation is ongoing, and we'll update this FAQ as new issues arise. Check back for new information.
What is Heartbleed?
Heartbleed is a security vulnerability in OpenSSL software that lets a hacker access the memory of data servers. According to Netcraft, an Internet research firm, 500,000 Web sites could be affected. That means a user's sensitive personal data -- including usernames, passwords, and credit card information -- is potentially at risk of being intercepted.
The vulnerability also means an attacker could steal a server's digital keys that are used to encrypt communications and get access to a company's secret internal documents.
What is OpenSSL?
Let's start with SSL. That stands for Secure Sockets Layer, but it's also known by its new name, Transport Layer Security, or TLS. It's the most basic means of encrypting information on the Web, and it mitigates the potential of someone eavesdropping on you as you browse the Internet. (Notice the "https" in the URL of SSL-enabled sites like Gmail, instead of simply "http.")
OpenSSL is open-source software for SSL implementation across the Web. The versions with the vulnerability are 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f. OpenSSL also is used as part of the Linux operating system, and as a component of Apache and Nginx, two very widely used programs for running Web sites. Bottom line: Its use across the Web is vast.
Who discovered the bug?
Credit is given to security firm Codenomicon and Google researcher Neel Mehta, who both found the bug independently from each other, but on the same day.
Mehta donated the $15,000 bounty he was awarded for helping find the bug to the Freedom of the Press Foundation's campaign for the development of encryption tools for journalists to use when communicating with sources. Mehta is declining press interviews, but asked for comment, Google said, "The security of our users' information is a top priority. We proactively look for vulnerabilities and encourage others to report them precisely so that we are able to fix them before they are exploited."
Why is it called Heartbleed?
According to Vocativ, the term "Heartbleed" was coined by Ossi Herrala, a systems administrator at Codenomicon. It's got a nicer ring to it than its technical name, CVE-2014-0160, named for the line of code that contained the bug.
Heartbleed is a play on words referring to an extension on OpenSSL called "heartbeat." The protocol is used to keep connections open, even when data isn't being shared between those connections. Herrala "thought it was fitting to call it Heartbleed because it was bleeding out the important information from the memory," David Chartier, chief executive of Codenomicon, told Vocativ.
If the name sounds a bit too catchy for a security glitch, that's exactly the point. The team at Codenomicon wanted something press friendly that could spread quickly, to warn more people of the flaw. Soon after they named the bug, they bought the domain Heartbleed.com to educate the Web about the glitch.
Why are some sites not affected by Heartbleed?
Although OpenSSL is very popular, there are other SSL/TLS options. In addition, some Web sites use an earlier, unaffected version, and some didn't enable the "heartbeat" feature that was central to the vulnerability.
While it doesn't solve the problem, what mitigates the scope of the potential damage is the implementation of perfect forward secrecy, or PFS, a practice that makes sure encryption keys have a very short shelf life, and are not used forever. That means that if an attacker did get an encryption key out of a server's memory, the attacker wouldn't be able to decode all secure traffic from that server because keys use is very limited. While some tech giants, like Google and Facebook, have started to support PFS, not every company does.
How does the bug work?
The vulnerability lets a hacker access up to 64 kilobytes of server memory, but perform the attack over and over again to get lots of information. That means an attacker could get not just usernames and passwords, but also "cookie" data that Web servers and browsers use to track individuals and ease log-in. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, doing the attack repeatedly could yield more serious information, like a site's private SSL key, used to encrypt traffic. With that key, someone could run a fake version of a Web site and use it to steal all other kinds of information, like credit card numbers or private messages.
Should I change my passwords?
For many Web sites, yes. BUT wait until you get confirmation from the Web site operator that the bug has been patched. It's a natural reaction to want to change all of your passwords immediately, but if the Web site's bug has not been fixed yet, making the change could be useless -- you're just potentially giving an attacker your new password.
How do I check if a Web site has been affected -- or fixed?
A few companies and developers have created testing sites to check which Web sites are vulnerable or safe. Two good ones are by LastPass, a company that makes password management software, andQualys, a security firm. While these test sites are a good preliminary check, continue to proceed with caution, even if the site gives you an all-clear indication. If you're given a red flag, however, avoid the site.
CNET is keeping a running list on the status of the top 100 Web sites, according to Alexa.com. Check back here for updates. Here's a list of sites that were still vulnerable as of Thursday afternoon,according to researchers at Zmap.
But the most prudent thing to do is to get confirmation from the site through one of its official channels. Lots of companies have been putting up blog posts and issuing statements about the health of their sites. Or you can email a site operator or customer service person directly.
The programmer who wrote the glitchy code was Robin Seggelmann, who worked for the OpenSSL project while getting his Ph.D. studies from 2008 to 2012. Adding to the drama of the situation, he submitted the code at 11:59 p.m. on New Year's Eve 2011, though he claims the timing has nothing to do with the bug. "I am responsible for the error," Seggelmann said. "Because I wrote the code and missed the necessary validation by an oversight."
Who was behind the bug?
Still, as an open-source project, it's hard to place the blame squarely on one person. As Zulfikar Ramzan, chief technology officer of cloud security startup Elastica, explained to The New York Times, there's so much complex code that people had been writing, and the particular protocol Heartbeat did not get enough scrutiny. "Heartbeat is not the main part of SSL. It's just one additional feature within SSL," he said. "So it's conceivable that nobody looked at that code as carefully because it was not part of the main line."
Is it true that the US government exploited Heartbleed before the world knew about it?
That's unclear at this time. One report said that the National Security Agency knew about the exploit before it was called Heartbleed and exploited it to gather intelligence, but the NSA denied the accusation. Whether the report is accurate, the fact remains that when left unpatched, Heartbleed is a major security risk.
Should I be worried about my bank account?
Most banks don't use OpenSSL, but instead use proprietary encryption software. But if you're unsure, contact your bank directly for confirmation that the Web site is secure. Still, John Miller, security research manager for security and compliance firm TrustWave, suggests keeping a close eye on financial statements for the next few days to make sure there are no unfamiliar charges.
How do I know if anyone has used the Heartbleed vulnerability to steal my information?
Unfortunately, exploiting the bug "leaves no traces of anything abnormal happening to the logs" of Web sites, according to Codenomicon.
What password managers can I try?
One thing the Heartbleed situation highlights is the value of a good password. In the aftermath of changing your old passwords, you might be wondering if there are other ways to make sure your accounts are secure. Password managers try to solve that problem by helping you generate random passwords for each account. You then control everything through one strong master password. Having all of your accounts under one manager may be too close for comfort for some users, but LastPass, one of those vendors, insists it's secure, and that users don't have to change their master passwords due to Heartbleed. It's even added a feature that automatically checks your saved sites for Heartbleed vulnerabilities. Other password manager options are RoboForm, Dashlane, and 1Password.
Another suggestion is enabling two-factor authentication when it is offered. (Gmail is one service that does so.) That means that in addition to a password, the service asks for another piece of identifying information, like a code that's been texted to you. That way, even if someone steals your password, it makes it harder for someone to falsely log in as you.

The all new HTC One (HTC M8) rumor round-up: camera, specs, release date and design pictures

The all new HTC One will be unveiled officially on March 25th, but three weeks before that date - Breaking a lot of the secrecy around HTC’s next big thing. Continue to read TechProceed.com's take on this:

Truth be told, there wasn’t all that much secrecy left, as leaked images had already surfaced from all places, revealing the more intense metal design of the new HTC One and its one key feature - a “Duo” camera on its back. There was some, though, as we had seen a lot of still images and a very short video, but nothing like a full-on video preview. Moreover, in the following days, more such short videos surfaced and we even saw a concise walkthrough of HTC's Sense 6.0 user interface.



So what can we say now, what will the new HTC One look like? Read on to find out our recap of all its new features, a look at the “Duo” camera and what it could offer, as well as specs and release date.

“Duo” camera - two cameras on its back

The all new HTC One will be the first phone to feature two cameras on its back. We have actually already seen smartphones with dual rear cameras, but their goal was 3D photography, while the cameras on HTC’s new big thing are said to contribute to improving traditional 2D photography rather than 3D.

The actual process of taking a photograph on the new HTC One actually looks pretty much unchanged - you see a single image through the viewfinder and you tap on a button to capture a picture. The actual benefits of the dual camera become visible once you open a captured image, as you can apply “Duo effects” to the picture. We’d also guess that HTC has bundled in effects like post-capture focusing, a depth map and the possibility to erase objects from an image, but we are yet to see a confirmation about these features. The other changes in the actual shooting process should be in faster focusing and a more pronounced depth of field effect. We have also seen demonstrations showing how the two rear cameras can be used to achieve lossless zoom, but we don’t know whether the camera in the new HTC One will have this feature on board.

The camera interface is also overhauled, and now you can select from six main shooting modes. The regular camera and video modes are what most consumers will use most of the time, but there is also a “Zoe camera”, “Selfie”, “Dual capture” (recording simultaneously on your front and rear cameras), and a “Pan 360” (360-degree panorama) mode.

HTC is also said to still use UltraPixel technology, but in an improved form. That's good news, as we have found the current UltraPixel camera on the HTC One to be sub-par to its peers.

Design: more intense metal

With so many leaked images, it seems clear that the new HTC One will feature a design very similar to the HTC One, with two front-facing speakers and an aluminum unibody, but with an even more intense metal finish, with more pronounced metallic texture.

The all new One should feature a slightly larger, 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. Rather than having capacitive navigation keys below the display, the new flagship will sport on-screen buttons. All in all, the new design looks just a bit larger (both wider and taller) than the 2013 HTC One.

All new interface: Sense 6.0

The new HTC One is expected to ship with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat on board and a re-imagined Sense user interface on top of that. The new Sense is expected to carry the 6.x version, but it is not a huge change over the current one. The most interesting new feature seems to be the added support for 'Motion Launch gestures' like double-tap to wake the phone's display.

The BlinkFeed news aggregator is still a swipe away (but it’s been improved), and now you can swipe twice to see its contents by category. The overall visuals have not changed much either - you still have a vertically scrolling app drawer, dark backgrounds and a similar aesthetic. The two biggest changes are in the camera app and the settings menu. The camera app now has large, round icons that are easy to tap on, and in settings the icons have also been simplified, getting that trendy, flat styling.

Specs

Under the hood, the new HTC One is expected to ship with a quad-core Snapdragon 801 system chip (likely, the MSM8974-AB version of it) with 2GB RAM. This is the same chip that powers devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z2, (the Z2 has slightly more RAM - 3GB) so it should be more or less on par with the top performers. We’re yet to see detailed benchmarks, but it is only logical to assume that the handset will run even the most demanding of games with ease.

The new and exciting thing under the hood is the added support for expandable storage. The new HTC One should come with a microSD card expansion slot (the current model does not support microSD cards), so you can expand the storage freely.

Official announcement set for March 25th, coming to all carriers

HTC has already set the date for the official unveiling of its next flagship - it’s March 25th, with events simultaneously taking place in New York City and London. The new HTC One has also cleared FCC certification recently, and we have all reasons to believe it will arrive on all four major US carriers - Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile - as well as internationally. With all this information, do you feel ready to break the piggy bank and grab HTC's upcoming new big thing?

Primary Extended and Logical Partitions

There is always a lot of confusion about partitions and partition numbers. So let us try to shed some light:

There are three types of partitions:
  1. Primary Partitions 
  2. Extended Partitions 
  3. Logical Partitions 
Primary and extended partitions are the main disk divisions; one hard disk may contain up to four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and one extended partition. The extended partition can then be further divided into any number of logical partitions.

The illustration below shows a hard disk that contains four main partitions: three primary partitions and one extended partition. The extended partition has been further divided into two logical partitions. Each primary partition has been formatted to use a different file system (FAT and NTFS). The two logical partitions have both been formatted to use the FAT file system. 


Primary Partitions

A primary partition may contain an operating system along with any number of data files (for example, program files, user files, and so forth). Before an OS is installed, the primary partition must be logically formatted with a file system compatible to the OS.

If you have multiple primary partitions on your hard disk, only one primary partition may be visible and active at a time. The active partition is the partition from which an OS is booted at computer startup. Primary partitions other than the active partition are hidden, preventing their data from being accessed. Thus, the data in a primary partition can be accessed (for all practical purposes) only by the OS installed on that partition.

If you plan to install more than one operating system on your hard disk, you probably need to create multiple primary partitions; most operating systems can be booted only from a primary partition.


Extended Partitions

The extended partition was invented as a way of getting around the arbitrary four-partition limit. An extended partition is essentially a container in which you can further physically divide your disk space by creating an unlimited number of logical partitions.

An extended partition does not directly hold data. You must create logical partitions within the extended partition in order to store data. Once created, logical partitions must be logically formatted, but each can use a different file system.


Logical Partitions

Logical partitions may exist only within an extended partition and are meant to contain only data files and OSs that can be booted from a logical partition (for example, Linux, Windows NT, and so forth).

On an IDE drive, the first drive is called hda, and the partitions are shown as hda1, hda2 . . . . etc. etc. Your second drive is called hdb.

On a SCSI drive, the first drive is called sda, the partitions are sda1, sda2 . . The second drive is called sdb. 

Now that was relatively simple, but now comes the more complicated part, I took parts of this from a post of Jason Wallwork ( Linuxdude32 ) because he was able to explain it better then I can:

QUOTE 
An extended partition is the only kind of partition that can have multiple partitions inside. Think of it like a box that contains other boxes, the logical partitions. The extended partition can't store anything, it's just a holder for logical partitions. 

The extended partitions is a way to get around the fact you can only have four primary partitions on a drive. You can put lots of logical partitions inside it. 
  • hda is the whole drive
  • hda1 is a primary partition
  • hda2 is a primary partition
  • hda4 is an extended partition
  • hda5 is an logical partition
  • hda6 is an logical partition
You will never see hda4 mounted, just hda5 and hda6, in this case. Note that Linux numbers primary partitions 1-4, logical partitions start at 5 and up, even if there are less than 4 primary partitions.

NOTE: On an IDE drive you can have up to 63 partitions, 3 primary and 60 logical ( contained in one extended partition ) 

On a SCSI drive the maximum number of partitions is 15 

So, in a nutshell: if you start out with one HD that has windows C: and D: You will see them in Linux as hda1 and hda2 . . . then as you add a distro and let it automatically use the free space on that drive ( if that distro has that option like Mandrake ) it will make an extended partition and set up a partition for / and a partition for /swap plus a /home partition and call them hda5, hda6 and hda7 ( in that order ). You will see that if you make the partitions yourself, using preferably a Linux tool to make the partitions, the result will be more or less the same, only in that case you will be able to make even more partitions . . . for extra storage, backups, or additional distros 

You will only need one swap partition as that can be shared by the various distros. 

Oops, I forgot:

May I suggest using one partition for the OS(active primary) and the rest will reside in an extended(primary) as logical partitions. The extended partition will be hidden(this doesn't matter, as it's only the container for the logicals), but all of the logical partitions will be visible. 
I hope this makes sense.

Online IRCTC Tatkal Tickets Booking Quickly

Booking tickets from IRCTC is the most hectic process for every Indian passenger who wants to travel through Trains. Because IRCTC is the only official website to book train tickets in India, that’s why it takes much time to book a train ticket. This will be double while booking tatkal tickets because most of the people book tickets suddenly by using tatkal scheme. IRCTC website have 12 million unique visitors per month and most of the people will be on website between 10AM to 12 PM. Because it is the time to book tatkal tickets online, actually most of the tickets sold within one hour.

Straight to the point here I mention few useful methods and some important tips to increase the chances of getting tatkal tickets before site getting down.
Magic Auto fill:

Magic Auto fill is a bookmarklet created by Amit Agarwal, founder of www.labnol.org website. This tool will be a handy thing to book tatkal tickets quickly. Actually this tool doesn’t book tickets but it helps you to complete the booking process lesser than before. Check here how it works.

1. First go to this website www.ctrlq.org/irctc and click on “fill reservation form” button and fill all details which are necessary while booking a ticket on irctc website.





2. By using this form you can book tickets for 6 adult passengers and 2 child passengers. Once you fill all the details, enter your mobile number at the end of form.





3. Now click on “I’m Feeling Lucky” button and you will get magic auto fill bookmarklet. Drag it into your browser bookmarks tab.

4. Now open IRCTC website and navigate to booking section, click on magic autofill bookmarklet to complete ticket booking. (Here you need to do things quickly because you’ll miss tickets in seconds of time).
User Agent Switcher:

As the name suggests user agent switcher changes the user agent of browser into desired format. Here we use this for tatkal ticket booking. This extension available for both chrome and Firefox browsers.

1. First of all you need to download user agent switcher extension from the below link and install it on your chrome browser.

Download User Agent Switcher



2. Once installed it will be placed beside the wrench menu of chrome browser. Click on that icon and change the user agent to any mobile platform. Here I use android mobile user agent.

3. Logic is simple, we have speed internet connection but it doesn’t work with IRCTC website. So we browse the same website through mobile platform to book tickets quickly.

4. Here we browse IRCTC website in mobile platform with pc internet connection.

I doesn’t guarantee about this method because it have 50-50 chance but you will give it a try.
Tips to Book Tatkal Tickets Quickly Online:

The main thing we consider while booking tickets from IRCTC website is you need to keep page active otherwise it shows a message session expired. So to prevent from these things you need to do some quick operations while perform ticket booking.

To keep session alive for long time you need to do one tricky thing that is copy the link from IRCTC website General Section and select “Terms and Conditions” and paste the link on another browser. For example if your book tickets on chrome then open the below link on Firefox browser and refresh that page for every 2 or 3 minutes.

Note down each and every information which are necessary while booking tatkal tickets. Noting down on paper is a time taken thing so you can take help of auto form filling add-ons and extensions from both browsers.

Latest Tips and Tricks for Booking Tatkal Tickets Online:

1. Install Ad Block on your Web browser:

Now days everyone shows the ads on their website, IRCIC also shows the ads on their site and also contain the images and maybe some Java scripts which slow your online Tatkal booking process.

You have to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browser because they are the fastest browser and take very less time load websites.

Please follow the below links to install Ad block on your Web browser.

Instal Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

By following the above link install the Ad block on your web browser and block the ads and other Java scripts which slow the IRCTC website.

2. By installing Auto Refresh Plugin:

It is common that when we wants to book online Tatkal ticket on IRCTC we logged in IRCTC account before 10 AM, but when Tatkal booking started, we click on sites it shows session expired, It means you need to login again but now it’s very hard to Login during Tatkal timing.

IRCTC generally Logged out your account if you are not using it from last 3 minutes, So if you want to book tickets you have logged into your account before 10 AM and for the solution of “Session Expire Error” I will show you the fantastic way.

There is one plugin available named “Auto Refresh” on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox both web browser, This plugin refresh your web pages automatically according to your given time period. Follow the below steps to install the Auto Refresh Plugin.

For Google Chrome Browser:

1) Open your browser

2) Go to the link to install the Auto Refresh Plugin: Click Here

3) Now install the plugin by clicking on Add button

4) After that plugin will install automatically.

5) Now when you open the IRCTC website, you will see the one icon on address bar.

6) Simply click on that icon and set the auto refresh time (In seconds) and click on start.


That’s it after that you will never face the “Session Expire error on IRCTC”

Note:

While booking tatkal tickets from slow internet connection is not possible in future days also, even it is also a time taking process in fast internet connection too. So follow the above tips to book tickets from IRCTC website.

Telegram Messenger for Windows 7/8 PC

This post is about Telegram for PC or Telegram Messenger for PC. Those who do not know Telegram is an Android, iOS and Windows app which is a messenger. We have seen WhatsApp taking the world by storm. WhatsApp rocked because it was simple and fast. Other alternatives of WhatsApp like Wechat, Line came and went but WhatsApp stood up against them. You can use WhatsApp for PC & WeChat for PC. Now, Telegram messenger is doing the same thing as WhatsApp. It is similar to WhatsApp and has some positive points. The best thing is that Telegram is available for PC, So you can easily download Telegram Messenger for PC (Windows). You can download following Android apps for PC.


There are many features of Telegram messenger and they are almost same as WhatsApp but There are some benefits of TeleGram over WhatsApp:
  • You can send messages with internet on Telegram.
  • You can send pictures with Telegram Messenger.
  • You can see when your friends were last online.
  • Benefits of Telegram over WhatsApp Messenger
  • A PC client is available so you can easily use Telegram on PC.
  • It is fast
  • It has encrypted secure chat feature
  • The verification process is easy.
How To Install Telegram on PC (Windows)

You can easily install Telegram messenger on PC by following the simple steps
  • Download Telegram for PC from this link: http://tdesktop.com/win/current
  • Install the .exe file on your Windows PC.
  • Open the installed Telegram Messenger application and Click on start messaging (Make sure you are connected to Internet).


  • On the next screen it will detect your country automatically and ask for your phone number. Register a new number or enter the old number if you already have a Telegram account as shown.
  • It will send you a pin on the phone number for verification.



  • Now , your account will be activated. Enter you details by going to settings and upload a profile picture and customize the options according to your choice.

You could send your queries/issues faced to Snehal [at] TechProceed [dot] com.

Congratulations, You have just Installed Telegram on PC (Windows). Share this article with your friends and let them know about this cool app. 


Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is here with more power, more pixels, and a refined design


What do you do when you’re one of the world’s largest smartphone makers and it’s time to update your flagship device? If you’re Samsung, you trot out the new Galaxy S5, a refined and updated take on last year’s wildly successful Galaxy S4. Like the new Gear wearables, the Galaxy S5 looks and feels familiar, but offers a number of improvements over last year’s edition.

The Galaxy S5’s design is a minor evolution of the Galaxy S4 — in fact, the two are almost indistinguishable from the front. The S5’s display is ever so slightly larger at 5.1 inches, but it’s still a 1080p, Super AMOLED panel that doesn’t look very different from the S4’s screen. Below the display is a new home key with integrated fingerprint scanner and capacitive keys for multitasking and Android’s back button.

Samsung has retained the familiar metal-looking plastic surround on the S5, though the charging port (now USB 3.0) comes with an integrated port cover for waterproofing. The S5 is IP67-rated for water and dust resistance, meaning it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Though the S5 is extremely familiar-looking from the front, things take a turn around back, where Samsung has replaced the S4’s slimy, glossy plastic battery cover with a dimpled soft-touch finish. The company is calling this a "modern glam" look, though if you’re familiar with the original Nexus 7 released in 2012, it’s very similar to that. The new back offers a significant upgrade in they way the device feels — it’s much more comfortable to hold and doesn’t slide off of surfaces nearly as much as the S4 — but it doesn’t look as tacky as the fake-leather patterns used on Samsung’s Note line of devices. Samsung is offering the S5 in four different colors — black, white, blue, and gold — but the black and white are the most attractive options. The first complaint usually levied at Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones is their abundant use of glossy, cheap feeling plastic, but the S5’s new finish reverses this trend and is one of the most significant upgrades introduced this year.A FAMILIAR DESIGN, BUT WITH LESS GLOSSY PLASTIC

But despite the refined design and new patterned finish, the S5 is unmistakably a Samsung smartphone. The S5 is launching with Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung’s user interface fully intact. Though earlier reports had said that Samsung intended to tone down its software due to pressure from Google, the S5 retains much of the signature pieces of the Galaxy line. There are S-branded apps in many places, including the S Voice personal assistant, and Samsung’s signature bloops and whistles are present every time you interact with the device. The My Magazine feature, Samsung’s Flipboard-like news reader that debuted on the Note 3, is accessible directly to the left of the home screen, but the main display is a very familiar assortment of folders, app shortcuts, and a weather widget. The most notable change is found in the settings menu, where Samsung has swapped out the tabbed interface for a single, vertical scrolling screen with round, flat icons.



Samsung is making a huge push into fitness tracking this year, and the Galaxy S5 benefits from a revamped S Health app and new heart-rate sensor on its back. The new S Health app can sync with Samsung’s Gear line of wearables, including the Gear Fit fitness band, and it offers guided coaching and feedback while you work out. Developers will be able to tap into the data offered by the service through an SDK that will be out later this year.

The heart rate monitor is a unique addition and is located just below the camera and reads your fingertip to grab your pulse in about five to ten seconds. In our brief tests, the sensor worked as advertised and was able to give me a reading in just a few seconds.
HEART-RATE MONITORS AND FINGERPRINT SCANNERS

Less successful is Samsung’s take on the fingerprint-unlock system made popular by Apple with the iPhone 5S. Like the 5S, the S5’s home key features an integrated fingerprint scanner, which can be used to unlock the phone or authenticate purchases online (Samsung is partnering with PayPal to enable this feature, though it doesn’t validate purchases from the Google Play Store). Samsung’s version requires a vertical swipe over the home button to activate the scanner, and we found it to be quite unreliable and virtually impossible to activate when holding the phone in one hand. It can store up to three different digits, but it was very particular about the speed and orientation of the swiping motion used — if we weren’t doing a perfectly straight swipe down, it would refuse to unlock the phone.

Samsung didn’t ignore the other vital components of the S5 — it has a faster, 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a larger battery with the promised 20 percent better stamina, as well as a new low-power conservation mode to get the most battery possible when you’re running low. The S5 is as fast as you’d expect — Samsung has ensured that its flagship phone is one of the most powerful on the market for a number of years now, and the S5 is no different.

The camera has been upgraded to a 16-megapixel sensor with 4K video capabilities, and it now supports real-time HDR processing for better photos in mixed lighting. It’s now possible to apply Samsung’s unique camera effects after a picture has been taken, so you don’t have to worry about what mode you’re in when shooting pics. Samsung has also greatly simplified the camera interface, and in our brief tests, it was pretty snappy and responsive.

"With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers," said JK Shin, president and head of IT & mobile communications division at Samsung. "Galaxy S5 represents an iconic design with essential and useful features to focus on delivering the ultimate smartphone in the market today through people inspired innovation." 

While acknowledging the market murmur about lesser-than-expected sales of Galaxy S4, Shin revealed that Samsung had so far sold over 200 million Galaxy phones. Galaxy S4 was launched in the summer of 2013. It has faced tough competition from the likes of Apple iPhone 5 and 5S, LG G2, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z1. 

Usually, Samsung launches flagship Galaxy phone every year after World Mobile Congress (MWC). But, this year, the company announced Galaxy S5 at the MWC because it wants to replace Galaxy S4 as soon as possible. 

In Galaxy S5, Samsung has introduced several unique features aimed at fitness conscious users in a bid to steal Apple's thunder. It is widely rumoured that the iPhone maker will launch the successor of iPhone 5S with a clutch of health and fitness-related features. 

"With the enhanced S Health 3.0, the Galaxy S5 offers more tools to help people stay fit and well. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behaviour, along with additional tools, including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor," said a Samsung spokesperson. 

"Galaxy S5 users can further customize their experience with an enriched third party app ecosystem and the ability to pair with next-generation Gear products for real-time fitness coaching," 

Another highlight of the phone is a new iPhone-like fingerprint sensor integrated with the phone's home button. The finger scanner will offer a biometric screen-locking feature and mobile payment experience to consumers. 

The Galaxy S5 sports a 16MP rear camera and a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of capturing 4K video at 30 frames per second. Samsung claimed the Galaxy S5 offers the world's fastest auto-focus speed up to 0.3 seconds. 

The smartphone runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. It is IP67 certified dust and water-resistant. The back panel of the phone sports a dimpled soft-touch cover, similar to the Nexus 7(2012) tablet. 

In terms of connectivity options, the Galaxy S5 offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and ac, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, NFC and InfraRed. The phone supports a large number of 4G LTE frequency bands with LTE Category 4 standard. It comes with accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, RGB ambient light, Gesture (IR), and heart rate sensors. 

The phone packs in 2800mAh battery with a claimed standby time of 390 hours and talk time of 21 hours. It will be available in four different colours: charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold.

THE S5 BUILDS ON WHAT WORKED WITH THE S4

Samsung had a successful formula with the Galaxy S4, and for the most part, it looks like it has retained that with the S5. Things are faster, nicer feeling, and easier to use, but it’s still a Samsung smartphone through and through, and will likely be just as successful if not more so than its predecessor.

The Galaxy S5 is scheduled to launch globally on April 11th and will be available on all major US carriers, though Samsung isn’t yet ready to talk pricing. Chances are, the price won’t matter — Samsung has built a very recognizable and successful brand with its Galaxy smartphones, and there’s no reason the S5 won’t continue the company’s success.


Nokia X, X+, XL: Nokia launches its first Android-based Budget phones

Nokia introduced a new family of smartphones, the Nokia X series of phones. The first three phones in the family - the Nokia X, X+ and XL - run on the new Nokia X software platform, that is based on Google's Android.

The phones under the Nokia X family are not pure Android phones; these phones instead run a forked variant of Android, similar to the way Amazon does for its Kindle Fire lineup. Nokia has taken the open-source elements of Android and has pulled in other elements of Asha and Windows Phone to offer users a different experience.

The downside here is that Nokia X users can't have access to the Google Play Store for apps. However, the phone will run Android apps, but Nokia will curate a list of such apps. A recommended source for the apps is the Nokia store, says the company. In other words, the new platform, Nokia X, is based on the Android Open Source project (AOSP).


CEO of Nokia Corporation Stephen Elop presents the new Nokia XL at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on February 24, 2014.

All three phones are dual SIM phones and are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor.

Nokia ditches many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customise at will. Instead, the new Nokia X phone announced will emphasise Microsoft services such as Bing search, Skype communications and OneDrive file storage. Its home screen sports larger, resizable tiles resembling those on Windows phone.

Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL form a new family of Nokia's affordable smartphones. The Nokia X is the entry-level model in the family, will cost 89 euros, and will be available immediately in select markets. The Nokia X+ offers more memory and storage. It's priced at 99 euros and will be available in early Q2 2014. Finally, the Nokia XL packs a 5-inch screen, 5 megapixel rear-facing and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. It will be priced at 109 euros and be available in early Q2 2014.

These phones feature a brand new, tile-based home screen. The new OS also reintroduces a redesigned version of its Fastlane notifications centre - a second Home screen if you like - from the latest Asha devices.

"The X family boasts Nokia's exciting, high quality hardware design and a range of bright colours. The brand new, tile-based Home screen offers you a simple, elegant way to manage your apps and phone functions and also reintroduces a redesigned version of the enormously popular Fastlane notifications centre - a second Home screen if you like - from the latest Asha devices," said Nokia.

Here Maps with turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps are also included. Free cloud storage from Microsoft OneDrive with 7GB of space for free is included out of the box. There's also access to Outlook.com as your email service. And there's Skype with a month's free calls to international landlines in selected markets.

All three devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor and are dual-SIM phones. A range of third-party apps comes pre-installed, including BBM, Plants vs Zombies 2, Viber, Vine and Twitter.

At launch, leading global apps will be available for the Nokia X family of devices, including Facebook, LINE Free Voice and Messages, LINE Camera, LINE Bubble, Picsart, Plants vs Zombies 2, Real Football 2014, Skype, Spotify, Swiftkey, Twitter, Viber, Vine and WeChat, among others. And in a first for Nokia customers around the world, BBM will also be available on the Nokia X family of devices in addition to Windows Phone.

Jussi Nevanlinna, Nokia's vice president for product marketing, said the Finnish company is positioning the Nokia X as a bridge to high-end Windows smartphones under the Lumia brand.

Everyone Who Thinks Facebook Is Stupid To Buy WhatsApp For $19 Billion Should Think Again!

Facebook made a breathtaking move yesterday, buying messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion.

Even for Facebook, that's a staggering amount to pay for a company with estimated 2013 revenue of only $20 million. It represents almost 10% of Facebook's overall value.

And in the wake of the announcement, the usual chorus of armchair pundits took to Twitter to snicker together and pronounce Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, brain dead.

But Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't brain dead.

It's just bold.

Very bold.

Like other bold moves, Facebook's WhatsApp deal could end up looking brilliant.

Or moronic.

That's what makes it bold.

If it were guaranteed to end up looking brilliant, it wouldn't be bold. It would be obvious.

I don't know how Facebook's WhatsApp deal will end up looking - and neither, it's worth noting, do any of the pundits who are pronouncing it brain dead. Based on everything I do know, though, I think the odds are that it will end up looking brilliant.

Here's why:


WhatsApp has both offensive and defensive value to Facebook.WhatsApp is the fastest-growing company in history (in terms of users). If the company's growth continues, and it can continue to "monetize" its users, it will be worth an even more mind-boggling amount of money someday. At the same time, WhatsApp's growth is gobbling up user messaging and connection time that once could have belonged to Facebook. Now those users and their time do belong to Facebook. So buying WhatsApp allows Facebook to both own "the next Facebook" and prevent "the next Facebook" from eating Facebook's lunch.


WhatsApp's growth and usage is absolutely mind-boggling. Five years after its founding, the company has 450 million active monthly users, of which a staggering ~315 million use it every day. WhatsApp is adding 1 million new users a day - 1 million! Facebook thinks WhatsApp could have 1 billion users in a few years, and this estimate seems conservative. (Facebook itself only has 1.2 billion users.) WhatsApp also does a lot more than "text-messaging." It allows users to send photos, videos, and voicemails to each other and keep the conversations forever. In short, it allows users to do a lot of what Facebook does. So, again, Facebook really does appear to be buying "the next Facebook."


WhatsApp already has a powerful revenue model, and other successful messaging apps are showing the potential for it to add many more. WhatsApp ostensibly charges its users $1 per year after the first year. ("Ostensibly" because I've never heard of anyone actually paying this $1). Assuming most current users end up paying the $1/year, that's a potential revenue stream of several hundred million dollars a year from WhatsApp's current revenue model alone. Meanwhile, other messaging apps like Line and WeChat have demonstrated the power of "stickers," user-to-user payments, ecommerce, and other revenue streams. When you have as many users as WhatsApp, generating even only a few dollars per year per user creates a massive business.


WhatsApp has very low costs, so it should eventually be wildly profitable. WhatsApp currently has only 55 employees. Assuming an all-in cost of $200,000 per employee, that's a total cost base of $11 million. Let's assume WhatsApp grows to, say, 300 employees over the next few years. Then it will have a cost base of only $50-$75 million. Meanwhile, if the company's growth trajectory continues, it could easily be pulling in more than $1 billion a year of revenue in a few years. Almost all of that would be profit.


The names of all the smart people who pronounced Facebook itself a "fad" or "worthless" and dissed every new investment in the company as "moronic" could fill a book. Most people have consistently underestimated the power, growth potential, and value of the leading social platforms, including Facebook. Facebook's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, for example, which was then a revenue-less company with 13 employees, was seen as proof that Mark Zuckerberg was a clueless kid who had no business running a major company. Meanwhile, Facebook is now valued at $175 billion, and Instagram is considered one of the smartest pre-emptive acquisitions in history. $19 billion for WhatsApp is a much bolder bet than Instagram, but it, too, could end up looking a lot smarter than most people think.

The bottom line:

This is a very bold move.

Like other bold moves, it might end up looking stupid, but it also might end up looking brilliant.

It's also a long-term move, a bet on what the future will look like 5-10 years from now, not next quarter.

In that way, this deal is a vintage Mark Zuckerberg move.

Zuckerberg continues to be one of the few CEOs in the world (Jeff Bezos is another) who is willing to sacrifice near-term earnings and expose himself to short-term ridicule in order to make bold long-term bets. This approach has worked out great for Facebook so far. And it has worked out great for Amazon.

In short, Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't stupid. It's just bold.

How to determine whether a USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed?

How to know whether you are using USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? How to determine whether a USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed?  TechProceed will let you know the differences.

Note: The information provided in this blog post applies to Windows 8.

In this blog post, I will describe some ways in which you can determine whether a USB 3.0 device that is attached to a PC running Windows 8 version of the operating system, is operating at the optimal connection speed - SuperSpeed.

USB 3.0 introduces a new operating speed called SuperSpeed. Compared to USB 2.0 bandwidth of 480 Mbps, SuperSpeed supports 5.0 Gbps making it 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 3.0 also supports lower operating speeds: high speed, full speed, and low speed. Along with increased bandwidth, USB 3.0 host controllers and devices come with the promise of compatibility. USB 3.0 controllers are required to work with all existing USB devices. The fact that current PCs ship with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports presents an interesting challenge: how should you determine whether a USB 3.0 device is indeed operating at SuperSpeed?

Here are some ways to determine the operating speed of the USB device:
  • Make sure that you have USB 3.0-capable hardware
  • View device information in Device Manager
  • Look for Windows 8 UI messages
  • Use USBView to view the bus speed
  • Determine the bus speed programmatically
  • Troubleshooting
  • Make sure that you have USB 3.0-capable hardware



Typically, newer PCs with USB 3.0 support have both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 controllers, and both those ports are exposed. The receptacles on USB 3.0 ports are usually blue to distinguish from the receptacles on USB 2.0 ports, which are black. So, if the PC has a blue port, that is a good indication of USB 3.0 support. Note this is not a requirement of the official USB specification, rather a convention adopted by some PC makers.

Figure 1 shows a typical USB 2.0 port.


Figure 1. USB 2.0 port with a black receptacle

Figure 2 shows a typical USB 3.0 port.


Figure 2. USB 3.0 port with a blue receptacle

If the PC does not use blue receptacle for the USB 3.0 ports, it might have a USB 3.0 logo () next to the port.

Figure 3 shows the USB 2.0 logo.


Figure 3. USB 2.0 logo

Figure 4 shows the USB 3.0 logo.


Figure 4. USB 3.0 logo

You should also look for the logo on USB 3.0 devices and cables. Figure 5 shows the USB 3.0 logo on the connector of a USB 3.0 cable.


Figure 5 USB 3.0 logo on USB 3.0 cable
View device information in Device Manager

Next, confirm that Windows enumerated the host controller as a USB 3.0 controller. To confirm that, open Device Manager and locate the controller under the Universal Serial Bus controllers node. If Windows recognized it as a USB 3.0 controller, USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller is appended to the device description as shown in Figure 6.


Figure 6. USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller in Device Manager
Look for Windows 8 UI messages to determine whether the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed

To indicate whether the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed, Windows 8 shows UI messages in specific places. If the PC has USB 3.0 controller to which a USB 3.0 device is attached, Windows 8 shows Connected to USB 3.0 when the device is operating at SuperSpeed. If the operating speed is lower than SuperSpeed, the message isDevice can perform faster when connected to USB 3.0.

You can view those UI messages in PC Settings.
Open the Charms Bar by dragging the cursor to top right of the screen or by pressing Win + C.
Select Settings and then Change PC settings.
Select the Devices under PC settings application.

Figure 7 shows the UI message when the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed.


Figure 7. PC settings – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed

Figure 8 shows the UI message when the USB device is operating at a bus speed that is lower than SuperSpeed.


Figure 8. PC settings – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed

You can view similar messages in Devices and Printers, as shown in figures 9 and 10.


Figure 9. Devices and Printers - UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed


Figure 10. Devices and Printers – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed

If the USB 3.0 device is a storage device, Windows Explorer shows similar messages when the volume label is selected, as shown in figures 11 and 12. Note that the View -> Details pane must be selected for the message to be visible.


Figure 11. Windows Explorer - message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed


Figure 12. Windows Explorer - UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed
Use USBView to view device information about the bus speed

If you are writing a device driver, the USBView tool might be more useful for verifying the bus speed. The tool is included in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 8 Release Preview (RP), which is available for download at this Web site. USBView in this release has been updated to display SuperSpeed information.

Figure 13 shows a USB 3.0 device operating at SuperSpeed in USBView.


Figure 13. USBView – Message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed
Determine the bus speed programmatically

If you are a device driver developer, the USB driver stack exposes a new IOCTL,IOCTL_USB_GET_NODE_CONNECTION_INFORMATION_EX_V2, which you can use to query speed information for USB 3.0 devices.
Troubleshooting

Here are a few things to try if you find that your USB 3.0 device is capable of operating at SuperSpeed but is operating a lower bus speed:
Make sure that you do not have a USB 2.0 hub between the device and the PC. That is because USB 3.0 devices that are attached to a USB 2.0 hub can only operate at high speed. In this case, either switch to a USB 3.0 hub or attach the device directly to the USB 3.0 port on the PC.
Ensure that the USB 3.0 hub that your device is attached to appears correctly in Device Manager. For certain unsupported USB 3.0 hubs, Windows may disable the SuperSpeed portion of the hub and report it as “Non Functional” in Device Manager.


Figure 14 shows a non-functional hub in Device Manager.

Figure 14. SuperSpeed USB Hub is not functional


Make sure that the cable that is used to connect the device is a USB 3.0 cable. It is also possible that the USB 3.0 cable has signal integrity issues. In that case, the device might switch to high speed. If that happens, you must change the USB 3.0 cable.

Update the firmware for the USB 3.0 device by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer site. Some USB 3.0 device manufacturers release fixes, for bugs found in the device, as firmware updates.

Update the firmware for the USB 3.0 controller by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer site. Some USB 3.0 controller manufacturers release fixes, for bugs found in the controller, as firmware updates.

Update the BIOS for your system by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer. On some motherboards, the BIOS can incorrectly route a device that is connected to a USB 3.0 controller to a USB 2.0 controller. That incorrect routing allows the USB 3.0 device to operate at high speed but not at SuperSpeed. A BIOS update might fix such a problem.

Summary

In this blog post, we discussed ways of making sure that you get optimal experience with your USB 3.0 device attached to a USB 3.0 controller on a PC. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment.

How To Password Protect Your USB Stick/External HDD in 3 Easy Ways

USB thumb drives/ external HDD are small, portable, and can be read on any device with a USB port. These features make them the perfect vehicles to transport data between computers. Due to their portability, however, they are also easily lost. Thus sensitive files callired on a USB stick should always be protected.

Unfortunately, you cannot simply password protect your entire USB stick, like you have password protected your Facebook account. Tools that will seriously protect your your data, all work with encryption. Unless you want to invest in a secure flash drive with hardware encryption, you can use freeware applications to achieve a similar level of protection. This article summarizes some of the easiest ways to password protect files and folders on your computer.

1. Manually Save Files With a Password

As mentioned above, you can’t safely password protect your entire USB stick without using encryption. However, if you shy away from the time consuming encryption process of entire folders and need a really quick way to only protect a few selected files, maybe you can simply save those with a USB password.

Many programs, including Word and Excel, allow you to save files with a password. For example in Word, while the document is open, go to > Tools > Options and switch to the Security tab. Now enter a Password to open, click OK, re-enter the password when asked, and finally save your document and don’t forget the password.




2. Create An Encrypted & Password Protected Partition With Rohos Mini Drive

Many tools can encrypt and password protect your data. Most, however, require Administrator rights to run on any given computer. Unfortunately, this is also the case for one of the best encryption tools: TrueCrypt. Tools like these are not a viable solution if you need to securely transfer data to a computer where you do not have Administrator rights.

Rohos Mini Drive, on the other hand, is a tool that will work whether or not you possess Administrator rights. The free edition can create a hidden, encrypted, and password protected partition of up to 2GB on your USB flash drive. The tool uses automatic on-the-fly encryption with AES 256 bit key length. Thanks to the portable Rohos Disk Browser, which is installed directly on your flash drive, no encryption drivers need to be available on the local system. Subsequently the protected data will be accessible anywhere.





Once you have created a password protected and encrypted container on your external drive, you can open it by clicking the Rohos Mini.exe icon from the root folder. After entering the password, your Rohos disk will be mounted and accessible via your Computer, i.e. the directory of all drives and partitions connected to your system. To close your Rohos partition, right-click the Rohos icon in the Windows taskbar notification area and select Disconnect.



A more detailed description of Rohos Mini Drive can be read in my PDF guide The Office Worker’s 101 Guide to a USB Thumb Drive.


3. Lock Your Flash Drive with USB Safeguard

Like Rohos Mini Drive, USB Safeguard is a portable app that runs directly from your flash drive and thus does not require Administrator rights on the local computer. It uses on-the-fly AES 256 bit encryption. The free version is limited to drive size of 2GB.

Download the usbsafeguard.exe and copy it to your USB flash drive. Run it from your flash drive and enter a password to lock the drive. To unlock it, run the file again and enter the password. The locking procedure must be repeated every time you want the drive to be locked as the tool will remember its last status, i.e. locked or unlocked. This also means that you can change the password every time you use USB Safeguard.


Let me know your questions here :  Snehal[at]Tehcprocee[dot]com. Stay Tuned. 


Motorola Moto X Review tells us why it is a game changer


After launching in August last year, the Motorola Moto X is finally ready to come to our shores. Earlier today Flipkart teased the imminent launch of the flagship device and reports claim that it could arrive as early as next week. Our site www.TechProceed.com put the device through its paces in its extensive review after the launch in US. Let’s see just how good the phone is and if it can replicate the immense success of the Moto G in India.

First let’s take a look at the specifications — the Moto X features a 4.7-inch 720p display, 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 10-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, 16GB of internal storage, 2,220mAh battery and on the software front, it runs on Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.It also has what the company calls the Motorola X8 Mobile processor, which is essentially a low power consuming co-processor that stays awake while the phone is in sleep mode. This not only enables the always-on voice command and active display features but also ensures that the Moto X has a longer battery life as the main processor is not activated unless required for processor intensive tasks.

DESIGN

From what we have seen so far, the Moto X looks like a really well-built device with premium-ness oozing out of it. The front is dominated by the display with little space wasted by bezels and the textured pattern at the back gives it a nice look.

TechProceed echoes our feelings, “The Moto X is made out of a combination of glossy plastic and soft touch plastic, letting the phone feel premium and look great without sacrificing weight or comfort.”

“The display is bonded to the plastic front frame using a new manufacturing process that practically eliminates the border around the screen. It makes you feel as if you’re just holding the display in your hand when you use it, and everything else just melts away,” it adds.

DISPLAY

A 4.7-inch display with a pixel resolution of 1280×720 pixels and a density of 312ppi will not set the comparison tables on fire. But with “user experience over specification race” the motto, Motorola has instead gone for a display size that is comfortable to hold in one’s hands and a resolution which does all it is expected to without any fuss.

TechProceed noted, “While it looks overly saturated and bright because it’s an AMOLED screen, the screen does look sharp and clear, with a 312ppi that makes text look beautiful.”

CAMERAS

Again in this department, Motorola gone for cameras that are good enough to click decent pictures easily rather than overwhelm a regular user with a barrage of options. The company claims that almost everyone clicks a picture without delving into the settings and hence a lot of features are automated.

Talking about the 10-megapixel camera at the back, TechProceed says, “The camera isn’t quite as amazing as Motorola made it out to be, and overall not as good as say the iPhone 5. It’s not a bad camera by any means and it’s nice to see companies like Motorola pushing camera technology forward on Android smartphones.”


PROCESSING POWER/BATTERY

As mentioned above, the Moto X is powered by a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. In addition to that the Moto X also has something called the Motorola X8 Mobile processor, which essentially powers the device’s Touchless Control, Active Display and other always-listening gestures. It may not be top of the line specs, but it never feels under powered either.

Since one of the most important aspects of a nice user experience is not having to charge your phone twice a day, the battery had to be powerful enough to survive all the tasks. Luckily it is and TechProceed notes, “Moving on to the battery, this is easily the best performing Android device in this regard, and lasts for days on standby, even with Active Display running. It also easily powers through one whole day of non-stop usage. It’s downright impressive.”

SOFTWARE/UI


Though it originally shipped with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, it has since been upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat and in fact will launch in India with the latest version of Android running out of the box. The OS on the Moto X is a near stock Android and hence there is hardly any bloatware. This is always a positive and the device doesn’t disappoint.

EXTRAS

With user experience the top priority, there are a lot of value additions on this device. The ability to wake up the phone by saying “OK Google Now”, the active display that shows the time and important notifications without having to wake up the device and other options like Motorola Assist and Motorola Connect really change the way we use a smartphone. Like the Moto G, the flagship device too has a nano coating which makes it water repellent to a certain degree.

CONCLUSION

The Motorola Moto X then may not win the smartphone race as far as specifications are concerned. But what it ensures is that you cruise to the finish line and enjoy every moment of the journey.

TechProceed concludes, “The Moto X is not the fastest phone in the world. It’s also not the most cutting-edge, it doesn’t feature the biggest display, and it isn’t the thinnest Android phone. However, there is absolutely no doubt that the Moto X is the most amazing Android phone I have ever used, and I think most people will agree.”

“Motorola’s new hero phone offers up the most seamless and integrated Android experience on the market, and it does this without changing the core Android experience practically at all. There are truly great, well thought out features, that together make this phone a bonafide smash, and it really is Android’s iPhone,” it adds.