Facebook app sends message that self-destructs in 10 seconds

Facebook has announced a new app that erases pictures and messages within 10 seconds of being sent, the Daily Mail reported. It is an advanced version of one of the social networking site's original apps, the "poke". The equivalent of a head nod or wink, the "poke" in its old form is rarely used today as the site has become more advanced.

It has now been reinvented to be called "Facebook Poke" and allows users to send fleeting messages, pokes, photos and 10-second videos to friends, the Mail said Saturday. The messages expire after a set period of time, from 1 to 10 seconds, and cannot be retrieved by either party again, making it perfect for sending salacious images without leaving a trail. -IANS

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HTC planning Windows tablet to take on Apple, Google, Amazon

Taiwanese electronics maker HTC is planning to make tablets based on the latest Windows operating system. HTC is said to be working on a 12-inch device and a 7-inch version that can also make phone calls, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans. According to the Telegraph, the move would give Windows maker Microsoft another ally in its challenge to Apple and Google in the 63.2 billion dollars market.

HTC’s products, to debut in 2013, will be based on the Windows RT version of Microsoft’s operating system, designed for machines with chips using technology from ARM Holdings Plc (ARM), the paper quoted a person familiar with the plans, as saying. According to the report, a 7-inch tablet would be the first of that size for Windows RT. The move comes as Microsoft tries to compete with the iPad mini, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7 in the market for smaller, cheaper tablets, the paper added. -ANI

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Asus Padfone 2 now receiving Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Soon after Asus announced the Padfone 2 back in October a few devices received the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update last month. Now finally the update is available for all Asus Padfone 2 users.

Initial reports suggest that the update first started rolling out in Japan, Hong Kong and other regions. Asus has also published the update files for WWE (World Wide English region) and HK, allowing users to grab it manually.

There are several improvements with the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update and users will now have access to features like Google Now amongst others. The Padfone 2’s audio quality and USB Internet sharing features have been improved, GPS has been optimized and there are some camera improvements for better focusing and photo quality.

Asus Studio has also been added which allows image editing and video streaming playback has been optimized. This new update takes the firmware version of the device to 10.4.5.36 and if you have not yet received a notification for the update you can manually check for it in device settings.

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Sony Yuga to launch as Sony Xperia Z

The amount of Sony Yuga leaks has been quite frequent of late. The Sony Yuga (C660X) which has been reported to be a device with a 5-inch 1080p display and dust and water resistance might be called the Xperia Z according to a new report.

This device is expected to show up at CES 2013 which is scheduled for January and Sony might also unveil a few other devices during the event.

So far all the leaked information has not been confirmed by Sony. The device is expected to be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, it will run Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean and will also feature the OptiContrast technology which helps reduce on-screen reflection.

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Ouya adds recruits more developers to its cause

Android touting console, Ouya seems to be shaping up for its retail launch in March, next year. The company recently announced through its Twitter account that they have dispatched 10 more developer kits to interested parties. These developers have expressed interest in porting or developing new games specifically for Ouya system.

Ouya will begin shipping out development units by December 28, alongside the necessary SDK. The retail model is scheduled to ship out in March, which will also effectively be a development console. Here are a list of titles they're working on.

Fist of Awesome
MechKnight Chronicles
Syder Arcade
KidElectro
Space Runner
Legend of Dungeon
iMech Online
DustyRevenge
HolyShield!
Starbound

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Khan Academy made available to non-Internet users

Khan Academy has introduced a new service called Khan Academy Lite (KA Lite) that acts as a servers to distribute content over wireless LAN, using peer-to-peer sharing techniques. This will allow content on Khan Academy to be available to those that do not have access to the internet. The project has been designed to be compatible across wide-range of systems, and kinds of internet access.

Khan Academy intends to work on developing the system to enable creation a chain of peer-to-peer systems, with just one or few machines with internet access. KA Lite currently works along the same lines, with a central server synching information across clients. The server was originally designed to run-off a laptop; however, the developers discovered that the servers runs quite smoothly even on a Raspberry Pi with a Wi-Fi radio.

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Karbonn launches SmartTab 10, priced at Rs. 10,490

Karbonn Mobiles has previously launched quite a few 7-inch Android based tablets in the Indian market, and now the company has launched a 10-inch variant called SmartTab 10 and it is priced at Rs. 10,490 as an introductory offer.

The SmartTab 10 has a 9.7-inch capacitive display with a 1024x768 pixels resolution and it come pre-loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core MediaTek processor, 1GB of DDR3 RAM and has a 6,000 mAh battery.

Apart from this it sports a front facing VGA quality camera for video calling and has a 2 megapixel rear camera. It also supports 3G connectivity via USB dongle (no built-in 3G radio), Wi-Fi and supports expandable memory up to 32GB via a microSD card.

The Karbonn SmartTab 10 comes preloaded with a few applications which include Saavan, Angry Birds Season, Turbo Fly 3D, Flipboard, Google Chrome, Kingston Office, Facebook, JustDail and others. Most of these applications are available for free on the Google Play Store.

The only close competitor to the SmartTab 10 is the Micromax Funbook Pro and the former undoubtedly tops the latter at just Rs. 490 more.

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Sony reveals its update schedule for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

So Sony has finally revealed its plans on updating its existing device to the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was launched earlier this year and has since been rolled out to quite a few devices.

According to Sony’s schedule the Xperia T, Xperia TX and the Xperia V are more likely to receive the Jelly bean update sometime between February to March. There is a possibility that there might be delays as we have already seen in the past.

Xperia P, Xperia J and Xperia Go are scheduled to receive the update sometime in the end of March and in the subsequent weeks this new update will arrive on Xperia S, Xperia SL, Xperia Ion and the Xperia Acro S.

Android 4.0 ICS will be the final update for devices including Xperia U, Xperia Miro, Xperia Tipo and the Xperia Sola. However, if you have a knack for hacking your smartphone then some folks at XDA Developers might have already figured out ways to get the latest version of Android running on these devices.

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