Apple iPhone 5 to be major update after all then announcement and availability in August...

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While Apple has indeed been giving some developers access to a device known as the iPhone 4S — an iPhone 4 with upgraded internals but it has independently confirmed that the next-generation iPhone will not merely be an upgraded iPhone 4 as had been previously rumored. We have been told by a reliable source to expect a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone, though we have not been given any additional details surrounding the design of the new iPhone case.

 What about a release, then? The consensus is that Apple is going to announce the next-generation iPhone at the company’s annual September event, traditionally focused on iPods, but we have heard it’s quite possible Apple will break tradition.

 According to our source, Apple may hold an event in the beginning or middle of August to announce the new iPhone, with availability to follow in the last week of August. We’re not sure if that means the iPod event will be moved up slightly, or if this will be an iPhone-specific event. Thisismynext reported earlier that the upcoming iPhone 5 would feature a new teardrop-shaped case design.

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Angry Birds download crosses more than one million times per day...

During the Mobile 2.0 Europe – openIDEAS conference in Europe this week, Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka said that the smash hit game Angry Birds is now downloaded more than one million times per day. Rovio has said that before — in October 2010 the firm proclaimed that the Android version was downloaded 2 million times in 2 days— but it’s certainly a feat for that trend to continue 8 months later.

 Vesterbacka attributed the game’s runaway success to strong branding, but we also think it’s due to Rovio’s consistent game updates and continued drive to get the game on nearly every mobile platform, including iOS, Android, webOS, and soon Windows Phone.

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Top 10 Useful Firefox Plugins For Twitter Lovers..

Our favorite 10 Firefox Twitter addons which you could use to tweet, reply tweets, show people what you are currently viewing, send direct messages, and much more features! Have a look at all this plugins and enjoy the freedom of using Twitter in your Firefox browser.

1. Echofon

Echofon, which is previously known as TwitterFox, is a great Firefox plug-in to be used. It adds a minute status bar icon that has notification when your buddies post tweets. Echofon allows you to access your Twitter account in just a single click and it displays the number of unread messages on the status bar. You will be able to manage multiple Twitter accounts and other trouble-free Twitter functions such as posting your own tweets, direct message and retweet.

2. Twitbin

Twitbin is a petite Firefox plug-in which appears as a sidebar. It allows you to be up to date with all of your Twitter discussions right from the sidebar of your browser. You will be able use this extension to send and receive messages to and from your buddies, view conversations, share links of website you like, and more.

3. Power Twitter

The Power Twitter offers extra functionalities to the Twitter web interface which includes an inline of all sorts of playable and viewable media, photo uploading, link expansion and shrinking, link translation to page titles, status history peeks, custom settings, and daily questions. All this could be done right on your Twitter web interface. As an added advantage, you will be able to view your Facebook status updates via this plug-in.

4. Twitkit

Twitkit functions as a Twitter sidebar for your Firefox browser. It has a 6-segment interface, which uses tabs to separate its contents. Using this Twitkit extension, you will be able to view your user timeline, the Twitter public timeline, your buddies list and latest tweets, your followers list and their latest tweets, status regarding your account, and @replies made to you.

5. TwitterBar

The TwitterBar extension allows you to tweet your message to the Twitter web interface directly from your Firefox’s address bar. A small Twitter icon would be noticeable at the side of the address bar, and clicking on it posts your tweets. You can also check the number of characters left as you are only allowed to post up to 140 characters long in Twitter. You could also tweet a URL of your currently viewing page by just clicking on the icon. With this TwitterBar version of 2.9, you can now add new accounts and post multiple Twitter accounts.

6. Twitzer

You can now post longer messages with more than just 140 characters on your Twitter web interface by using this Twitzer plug-in for your Firefox browser. Besides, it expands TinyURL links to ensure that you click on safe links.

7. Instant Tweets

Instant Tweets is almost similar to the TweetBar extension. You can tweet from your Firefox address bar and share links of the page that is currently being viewed. Just click on the bird icon that sits on the side of your address bar to share or tweet the particular link. It also automatically displays the number of character left as you type and shortens long URLs. All you have to do is right click on images to tweet it on Twitter instantly. Additionally, the bird icon will be noticeable in blue colour if someone is following you and turns red if no one is.

8. TwittyTunes

A music lover will definitely want to share their favourite songs and tracks that they are listening to with their buddies and other followers. This could be done by using the TwittyTunes extension for Firefox. It posts websites that you often visit and videos you stream to your Twitter. You could submit any songs you specify with just one click by assigning TwittyTunes to your Firefox browser.

9. Friendbar

Friendbar is a useful application for not only Twitter but also Facebook. This Friendbar application allows you to manage both popular social networking web interfaces from one place. You can now keep in touch with your buddies from both networks with this single plug-in. It continually streams updates from both your Twitter and Facebook accounts right on the toolbar. Tweet, retweet, direct message, @message, and more from the Friendbar toolbar. It automatically generates a TinyURL of the website that you are viewing so that you could easily share the links on both the social networks.

10. Yoono

Yoono is another sidebar plug-in for Firefox. It allows you to stay connected with your buddies across a variety of instant messengers and social networking websites from one place. The Yoono sidebar supports services like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Yahoo IM, AIM and more. Yoono simplifies your way of sharing stuffs you like with all your social networks simultaneously. You will be able to discover more cool stuffs with the discovery widget that displays the related websites, videos, images, and more as you surf the internet.

Wordpress released a new IOS 2.8 update..

Content Management System (CMS) WordPress has released an IOS 2.8 update.Not that Apple doesn't already have enough consumer apps for its Things but Wordpress' IOS 2.8 update is one of the best, and it's open source to boot.

The WordPress IOS 2.8 update has a quick photo button, a statististical metrics breakdown feature and the app has been translated in to ten languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Japanese.

WordPress calls its quick photo button "action-centric", by which it means fanbois will find it easier to use. Instead of selecting the blog first, punters choose a task in the app, which then puts out the blog entry afterwards.

The statistics feature gives users a breakdown of analytics in real time. It's not comprehensive, though the Wordpress IOS 2.8 update does offer weekly, daily and monthly charts. Fanbois can also swipe over the charts and get a breakdown of daily views by date and view top posts by referrers and search terms.

WordPress said the statistics feature runs natively for all WordPress blogs. However, if fanbois self--host their blogs, Wordpress recommends downloading Jetpack or a standalone statistics plug-in and said it will add more app functionality in the near future.

Yahoo! Messenger now lets iPad 2 owners for video chat with PCs or Whatever..

Yahoo just announced that the newest version of its free Yahoo Messenger app will be optimized for iPad 2 video chatting, and it allows users chat with others using Macs, PCs, or whatever.

As long as you have the newest version of Yahoo Messenger, you’ll be able to video chat cross-platform to other video-enabled devices.

Yahoo Messenger has a wide install base and you will be able to make video calls to any device with a camera and a compatible version of the messaging app. Besides video calling, Yahoo Messenger will also send SMS messages for free. 

Fring brought this same kind if cross-platform video chatting to iOS a little while ago, but there aren’t nearly as many people on Fring as there are on Yahoo Messenger.

The new Yahoo app also includes free texting capabilities, but the texts won’t come from your phone number.

iPhone 4, App Store set world records for gaming..

Apple Industries success with the Apple iPhone 4 and the App Store has earned the company several impressive records in the year of 2011 Gamers Edition of the Guinness Book of Records.

The Estimates crosses over 1.5 million Apple iPhone 4 units sold on launch day itself, Apple has earned the title of "Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System" for its popular smartphone, as certified by Guinness World Records, LA Times reports.


By the comparison of other products, Sony's PlayStation Portable sold just 200,000 units on its launch date in the year 2005, while the Nintendo DS sold 500,000 units in its first week of availability in November 2004.


Apple's App Store has also been awarded records for being the "Most Popular Application Marketplace" and the "Largest Downloadable Video Game Store". Using numbers from the month September 2010, Guinnes World Records noted in a statement that Apple had received over 6.5 billion downloads since the launch of the Application Store and hosted 259,740 applications, including 61 flatulence simulators.

Apple also set the record for the "Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System" with the over 500 available on the first day of business for the App Store.

iOS developers also took home several world records for their work. Rovio's popular "Angry Birds" game was noted as the "Top Paid-For App Store Game in Most Countries". As of month October 2010, the game had been recognized as the top paid-for game in the App Store in a record 67 territories worldwide.

Blackberry Playbook Official OS 1.0.3.1868 now available..

Blackberry officially announced, that BlackBerry playbook new OS 1.0.3.1868 shows as update available. This version adds video chat, BBM, editing documents and the home screen bookmarks. This is probably the best upgrade we’ve seen so far in terms of functionality, if you drive with a book of games then check whether the update if you do not see now. We will not fail to report more when we’re running.

Microsoft deals to buy Skype for $8 Billion..

Microsoft is finalized to acquire Skype(Video Conferencing)  for as much as $8 billion, according to a Journal report. Meanwhile, a new version of Skype for Mac has been released, and thereby fixing a critical vulnerability.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a deal between Microsoft and Skype could be announced as early as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal is expected to cost Microsoft between $7 billion and $8 billion, with the total value reaching about $8.5 billion once Skype's long-term debt is taken into account.


Origin of Skype:
Skype was founded in 2003 and has since grown to 663 million registered users. In 2005, eBay purchased Skype for $2.6 billion, but sold 70 percent of the company to private investors in 2009.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JP Morgan Chase & Co. advised Skype on the deal, according to the Journal's sources. Google and Facebook had also been rumored to be interested in acquiring the company.


Skype for Mac
 Skype released version 5.1.0.935 of its Skype for Mac software on Monday, resolving a security issue that could allow hackers to gain control of a Mac via a maliciously crafted Skype message. The vulnerability made headlines last week when a security researcher publicized the issue. In response, Skype promised that an update would come early this week.

Click here to download Skype 5.1 for Mac using link mentioned below:
http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-computer/macosx/

Google Maps for Android crosses over 50 million downloads...

Google Maps has hit a new milestone as the first Android application to surpass the 50 million download mark. The free application has seen many revisions since its public introduction in 2008 — as part of Android 1.6 — and now includes 3D modeling with multi-touch zoom and panning, free voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, and support for Google’s Latitude and Places products. Given that it’s available on every iteration of Android — that we can think of — we’re not surprised to learn it’s the most downloaded application ever. Congrats to the Google Maps team. 

Google gets ready to launch new Market, Music, Camera and Gallery apps

Call it controlled leak or honest mistake, but according to TechFrom10, their Samsung Galaxy S phones started receiving a new test version of the Android Market this morning. Aside from a new “Content rating” section for apps, the new Market app is not that much different. However, this new version includes some interesting alpha and beta apps from Google. Among them is the upcoming Music app, which looks a lot like the baby brother of the Honeycomb version. You can download the app here if you’re of the adventurous type. (Update: TechFrom10′s servers seem to be down, luckily I had the app. You can get it here.)
The other three beta apps are “Google Gallery 3D New 10.2″, “‘Google – Camera v12″ and “Google Desk Clock 10″. By now everybody and their mothers knows a new version of the Music app is coming soon — probably launched along Google Music at something called Google I/O I hear is happening next month. But the other three apps are really surprising to see in the Android Market. Maybe this has something to do with that rumor we heard a year ago. It looks like Google is getting ready to decouple standard Android apps and components from the OS and start moving them to the Market. Apps like Mail, Gallery, Camera, Browser, Calendar, and Messaging would be available for everybody from the Android Market. Not only apps, but also things like the standard Android keyboard, widgets, and Launcher will be available for people running HTC Sense or TouchWiz.
Clearly, Google is trying to fend off this so-called “fragmentation” Android suffers from. By doing this, everyone with an Android phone will always have the latest version of all these apps – without waiting for an OTA update. Furthermore, those people running HTC Sense would be able to make their phone look just like a Nexus S by getting all these apps from the Market.  It also allows Google to iterate these apps faster and fix bugs much quicker than it can now. Next step, figure out how to completely update Android from the Market app.

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Google's FISMA certification: A technicality, misunderstanding or outright lie?

Google has suddenly found itself in hot water, exposed - by Microsoft, no less - for being a “liar, liar” when it comes to the security certification it has been touting for its Google Apps for Government offering.

After all, the revelation that Google’s product, in fact, was not certified to be compliant under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) is pretty major. In part, that’s because it’s the Apps suite that was tailor-made for government agencies and security - extra security, actually - was one of its biggest selling points.

Now, before anyone gets into some panic over government data no longer being secure, there’s little concern that Apps for Government isn’t secure or that it won’t eventually get its FISMA certification. Apps for Government, as Google explains it, is a more secure subset of Google Apps Premier, a product that obtained FISMA certification well beforeGovernment was announced last summer. With that rationale, it’s no wonder that Google thought it was OK to go around and start touting Apps for Government as being FISMA-certified.

Unfortunately, the truth got in the way.

Google might have been naive about the way the government’s FISMA certification process works and just assumed that since Premier was already certified, then Government must be certified, as well. But as we now know - thanks to Microsoft’s discovery of a court document that tells otherwise - that’s not how the certification process works.

Google says it has not applied for FISMA certification for Apps for Government, but instead is “updating the existing authorization.” At a hearing in Washington earlier today, an official with the General Services Administration said that a product has to be re-certified if it changes - and, in essence, Government is a altered version of Premier. That official said Google’s products are going through a re-certification based on the changes, according to a report on the Business Insider blog.

Google can spin this any way it wants but, at the end of the day, it has been deceptive in marketing Google Apps for Government as being FISMA-certified. Ignorance of the process is no excuse.

Simply said, Google - a company that has spent millions of dollars and countless hours developing this suite of applications specifically for government agencies - shouldn’t be making assumptions about something as significant as FISMA-certification, especially when that’s one of the biggest selling points over the competition. (Microsoft is currently awaiting FISMA-certification for its cloud apps offering, as well.) The only thing Google had to do was ask. Plain and simple.

Instead, Google has done itself a world of harm by making assumptions about government process. It’s not only created a feeling of uncertainty around the security of its product but also created a perception of itself as a company that flirts with the truth for the sake of scoring a government contract. Does it really need to give its critics even more reason to argue that its motives are evil?

Sure, when all is said and done, Google will likely be granted FISMA certification for Apps for Government - but will the damage will have already been done. Google says its product is FISMA-certified - but how do we really know? Google needs government agencies to take them on their word - but, for the moment, there’s not much value behind that word.

Maybe we’re splitting hairs here. Maybe this was just a technicality. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. But as long as Google continues to stick by that lame argument about a certification for Premier also applying to Government, the company won’t be able to shake the “Liar, Liar” image that it now has.

And the longer it waits to take its lumps, the harder it will be to shake that image.

IE9 FAQ: how to install, uninstall, and tweak the final release

Microsoft released the final version of Internet Explorer 9 four weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been using it steadily, and I’ve also been fielding a steady stream of questions from readers. Here are the answers to the questions I hear most often.

Which Windows versions does IE9 work with?

Internet Explorer 9 runs on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

I’m running Windows XP. Can I install IE9?

No. XP is officially out of the mainstream support phase and is not eligible for updates like this. Plus, many of the features are specifically tied to Windows features found only in later versions. IE boss Dean Hachamovich laid out the official explanation in his keynote address at MIX11: “Building a new browser for a 10-year-old OS doesn’t make sense. Building for the future of the web does make sense.”

Is IE9 really being “pushed” via Windows Update?

Not exactly. As I noted earlier this week, Microsoft has a consistent, well-defined policy for handling the release of a new Internet Explorer version. Two weeks after the final code is released to the web (RTW), it first appears on Windows Update. This is a staged rollout that goes first to Internet Explorer users who previously installed a pre-release version. Over the course of the next few weeks, it’s rolled out to a larger number of Windows users, and it should be generally available within two or three months of that RTW date.

Even then, though, the new browser is not automatically installed without your explicit consent. Although it is listed as an Important update, it is not selected for download. You have to visit Windows Update manually and click a check box to download it and start the installation process manually and accept a license agreement. That’s a far cry from Microsoft “pushing” IE9 onto your PC.

Where can I download the final IE9 version?

You can get it from Microsoft’s official download site. Choose your language, specify which Windows version you’re running (32-bit or 64-bit), and click Download.

I’m confused about the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Internet Explorer. Which one do I need?

If you’re confused, join the club. Here’s the short explanation:

You should choose the installer that matches your version of Windows. For all Windows versions, regardless of whether they’re 32-bit or 64-bit, the setup program installs a 32-bit version of IE9 and makes that the default choice when you launch Internet Explorer. If you’re running 64-bit Windows, use the 64-bit installer. It installs the 32-bit IE code and also installs a 64-bit browser.

Even on 64-bit Windows, the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer is the default. For most users, that’s the correct configuration. Using the 32-bit browser is preferable, primarily because most add-ins aren’t available in 64-bit versions yet. (Adobe’s Flash Player, for example, is available as abeta release, code-named “Square.” It has not been updated since last November, whereas the shipping 32-bit version was updated in March 2011 to address critical security issues.)

Can I install over the IE9 beta or Release Candidate?

Yes, that is a fully supported installation scenario. You don’t have to uninstall pre-release builds. If you were running any interim builds, however, I strongly recommend uninstalling those builds first.

I’m running IE9, but I’m not sure whether it’s the Release Candidate or the final version. How can I tell the difference?

To check the version, click the Tools button (the “gear” icon) in the top right of the browser window, and then click About Internet Explorer.

The final version should say RTM.

How do I uninstall IE9? It’s not in the list of installed programs.

That’s because it’s considered an update to Windows, not a program. To find the uninstall link, open Control Panel, got to Programs and Features, and click View Installed Updates. (You can also type Installed Updates in the Start menu search box to find a direct link.) Click in the search box and type Internet; that shouold filter the list to show the Windows Internet Explorer 9 link. Click that link and then click Uninstall. You’ll need to restart your system to complete the uninstall process, after which your previous version of Internet Explorer (IE8, if you use Windows 7) will be available.

See the next page for answers to questions about customizing and using IE9.

That’s an unfortunate side effect of a decision that the designers of Internet Explorer 9 made. Although markup-based add-ons such as search providers work in pinned sites, Browser Helper Objects and toolbars don’t. If you use a third-party password manager such as LastPass, it is unavailable in a pinned site. As a clunky and barely tolerable workaround, copy the site address to the Clipboard. Then open a new tab in a regular IE window (one that isn’t a pinned site), and press Ctrl+Shift+L to open the site from the clipboard. After you log in using your password manager, open the pinned site, which should recognize the login credentials.

I’ve pinned a site to the Windows 7 taskbar, but when I open that site my add-ons don’t work. What’s wrong?

That’s an unfortunate side effect of a decision that the designers of Internet Explorer 9 made. Although markup-based add-ons such as search providers work in pinned sites, Browser Helper Objects and toolbars don’t. If you use a third-party password manager such asLastPass, it is unavailable in a pinned site.

As a clunky and barely tolerable workaround, copy the site address to the Clipboard. Then open a new tab in a regular IE window (one that isn’t a pinned site), and press Ctrl+Shift+L to open the site from the clipboard. After you log in using your password manager, open the pinned site, which should recognize the login credentials. 

What does ActiveX Filtering do?

ActiveX Filtering turns off all ActiveX controls for all pages you visit in the Internet zone. That has the effect of blocking Flash playback for all sites. You can re-enable ActiveX controls for a specific site by clicking the blue icon in the One Box, as shown here. That is an all-or-nothing setting that applies to all ActiveX controls for all pages on the current domain. There’s no way to be more selective than that.

How do I make the status bar, Favorites bar, and Command bar visible?

You can bring back the “classic” Internet Explorer interface by right-clicking the title bar to display this menu. Select any of the standard toolbars or third-party toolbars you might have installed.

As an alternative, tap Alt to display the old-style menus, and then choose View, Toolbars.

How do I make more room for tabs?

By default, the One Box (formerly the address bar) shares a single row with all browser tabs. You can drag the divider to the right of the Stop button to make the One Box smaller and give more room for tabs. If you need still more room, right-click any open tab and click Show Tabs On A Separate Row. With this option selected, tabs appear below the Address bar. Sorry, there’s no option to place tabs above the One Box.

What happened to Quick View?

Quick View is the feature that allows you to see thumbnails of all open tabs in the main browser window. It was enabled by default in IE8 and is turned off in IE9. To re-enable, click Tools (the gear icon in upper right corner), Internet Options. On the General tab, under the Tabs heading, click Settings. Select the check box shown here:

Restart your browser and you can switch to Quick Tabs view by pressing Ctrl+Q any time you have at least two tabs open.

What happened to the RSS icon?

It’s not available in the new, uncluttered IE9 interface. You can bring it back by making the Command bar visible. To manually add RSS feeds for the current page, tap the Alt key to make the old-style menus visible and then click Feed Discovery.

Does Internet Explorer have a spell checker?

Not built in. A free third-party utility called Speckie, from Versoworks, is now available. I tried it earlier and uninstalled it because it caused too many crashes. The developer has since released two updates and claims to have fixed the bug that caused those crashes.

What does the Compatibilty View button do?

Clicking the Compatibility View button forces IE9 to render a web page as Internet Explorer 7 would. It also reports the IE7 version number to the website so that any conditional statements on the page will load. That quick fix is sometimes enough to correct a display problem with a particular page, but it’s not a panacea. Internet Explorer’s compatibility rules are complex, and I’ll explain them in more detail in a follow-up post.