Thursday 18 September 2014

Nexus 6 (Nexus X) release date, specs, rumours and leaks



We've always been big fans of Google's Nexus range of smartphones. Running 'pure' Android with no other modifications, they've been a great way to get the full OS and a gateway to the latest updates. That's not even to mention that these handsets have been both extremely well priced and extremely well specced. With the Nexus 5 launching last year, we'd started to get used to having a new Google handset each year. Now, we're halfway through 2014, so where is the Nexus 6 (or Nexus X if the latest rumours are to be believed)? We round up all of the latest news to find out when we can expect the phone and its expected specs.



Nexus 5 production halted?

According to Canadian phone network Wind Mobile the Nexus 5 is no longer being manufactured. Responding to a customer on Twitter the network said the Nexus 5 was out of stock as it was "no longer being made". Wind quickly deleted the Tweet, but not before eagle-eyed gadget fans noticed.
It isn't clear if the Wind Mobile customer service representative accidentally revealed confidential information or if they got their facts wrong. Stopping production of the Nexus 5 would suggest that the Nexus 6 will be with us before the end of the year. Google tends to halt manufacture of old Nexus devices completely, rather than cutting prices when it releases a new model. If the Nexus 5 really is coming end of line people eager to get their hands on the device should do so quickly before stock starts to run out. 

Benchmarks reveal more specs

Just after the Nexus 6 appeared on GFXBench, the same device was spotted on theAnTuTu benchmark tracker, this time under the name Google Shamu. Given that the codename was Motorola Shamu, this would appear to confirm that this handset is indeed the Nexus 6. According to AnTuTu, the handset was running Android 5 L, the unreleased operating system, which is bound to make a first appearance on a new Nexus handset. As with the GFXBench leak, the new information confirms that the handset will have a 5.2in QHD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC and 3GB of RAM.

Nexus 6 specs

Benchmark results for the Nexus 6 have leaked, comparing it to rival current-gen handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (m8). The Nexus 6 has been benchmarked under its codename Motorola Shamu. Along with benchmark results, the leak on GFXBench also revealed full specs. The Nexus 6 will run Android 5 L, have a 5.2in 2560x1440 screen, a quad-core Qualcomm processor and 3GB of memory. It will also have 24GB of storage and a 12 megapixel rear facing camera with a 2 megapixel camera on the front.
Its rumoured Snapdragon 800 processor sees it perform almost identically to the S5, Xperia Z2, HTC One (m8) and OnePlus One. The test also suggests that the Nexus 6 will not have a QHD screen, with a 1080p resolution now most likely. In the same test the LG G3, which does have a QHD display, performed far worse in the Manhattan GFXBench test.

Nexus 6 release date

We're used to smartphone manufacturers being a little tricksy when it comes to their latest handsets, doing everything they can to hide the existence of a new phone until they're ready for launch. With the Nexus 6, Google and LG (the rumoured manufacturer) have gone out of their way to flatly deny the phone's existence or of it ever happening.
Back at MWC 2014, Google’s Sundar Pichai stated that there would be no Nexus 6 handset in the first half of 2014. That was fair enough and seemed to be stating the obvious. After all the Nexus 4 was announced in October 2012 and came out in November; the Nexus 5 was announced in October 2013 and came out in November.

Saturday 6 September 2014

Interesting news about Whatsapp


Jan Koum CEO of Whatsapp saying about the story of Whatsapp:


A few short years ago, my friend Brian and I set out to build a messaging service with a single focus: best possible user experience. We bet that if our team of engineers could make messaging fast, simple, and personal, we could charge people directly for the service without having to rely on annoying banner ads, game promotions, or all those other distracting “features” that come with many messaging apps.
Today, we’re proud to announce that because of you, WhatsApp has reached a milestone that no other mobile messaging service has achieved: 400 million monthly active users, with 100 million active users added in the last four months alone. This isn’t a count of people who just registered for WhatsApp - it’s the number of people who are actively using the service every single month.
When we say that you made this possible, we mean it. WhatsApp has just 50 employees, and most of us are engineers. We’ve arrived at this point without spending a dollar on targeted ads or big marketing campaigns. We’re here because of all the people who share their WhatsApp stories with co-workers, friends, and loved ones - stories we love to hear.
There was the woman from New Zealand who moved to South Africa to complete her PhD. The week before she left to go back home, she met the man of her dreams. Despite living thousands of miles apart, she told us that WhatsApp has allowed them to feel closer than ever.
We also heard from a British woman who runs a charity in Uganda. She told us that her team on the ground uses WhatsApp to send daily reports, photos, and videos of the children they’re helping, which she shares to build support for her organization all over the world.
Doctors in India are using WhatsApp to instantly send electrocardiogram pictures of patients who’ve suffered heart attacks, saving valuable time and potentially lives. In the mountains of Madrid, rescuers used WhatsApp to locate and save lost hikers. And today, as I follow the unfolding political crisis in Ukraine, the place where I was born and lived until the age of sixteen, I can’t help but hope that the next great WhatsApp story will be about people using the service to speak their mind and stand up for their basic rights.
Our goal in creating WhatsApp was to empower people through technology and communication, no matter who they are, or where they live. We wanted to improve people’s lives in some small way. So thank you for making that possible. Thank you for sharing your stories, and please, keep them coming - we can’t wait to hear what you’ll use WhatsApp for next.