Daily iPhone 5s production now matches Moto X’s entire Q3 sales

A new report on iPhone production at Foxconn does an amazing job of putting demand for Apple’s latest iPhone in perspective. The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday issued some insights into Foxconn’s iPhone production that really help illustrate how much work is involved with building and shipping the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. According to The Journal’s unnamed sources, which are said to be executives at Foxconn’s parent company Hon Hai, Foxconn has 100 production lines, 600 people per line and a total of more than 300,000 workers dedicated solely to building the iPhone 5s — and that’s just at one factory in Zhengzhou, China. How many iPhone 5s handsets can all those people build? According to the report, they’re pumping out a staggering 500,000 iPhone 5s units each day.

To help put that remarkable figure in perspective, consider this: According to data from market research firm Strategy Analytics, Motorola only managed to sell 500,000 Moto X phones during the third quarter this year. The phone was first released on August 23rd, so it was available for more than a month in Q3.

In other words, Apple has more iPhone 5s handsets built each day than the Moto X sold in over one month.

One anonymous executive also noted that the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5 were easier to build than the iPhone 5s, which makes it even more impressive that Foxconn is managing to achieve the kind of output described in the report.

“For the iPhone 5C or the iPhone 5, we only have 500 workers per production line as the assembly procedure is less complicated,” the Hon Hai executive told WSJ. “Although the market had concerns over demand for the new iPhone before its launch, our Zhengzhou site’s production capacity for iPhones has continued to grow over the past two years.”

Another executive noted that Foxconn’s production of 500,000 iPhone 5s handsets each day is the highest daily output the company has ever achieved for a single smartphone model.

Via: 9to5Mac

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Galaxy Gear 2 Set To Be Thinner, Lighter And Come Bundled With The Galaxy S5 [Report]

The technology world never stops turning, and the smartphone portion is more fluid than most, which means it’s no surprise to anyone that Samsung is hard at work making the Galaxy Gear 2 so soon after the first version hit stores alongside the third generation Galaxy Note.

Not only is Samsung working on the device, but it seems that the company is more than happy to talk about it after an unnamed Samsung spokesperson told the Korean site ET News that not only is the Galaxy Gear 2 on the way, but that it will also be between 15% and 20% thinner than the original model. This new svelte design also means that the device will be lighter, which will come as good news to those that baulked at the idea of lugging the firstGalaxy Gear around on their poor unsuspecting wrist.

The same spokesperson said that the new smartwatch will tie in well with the also unannounced Galaxy S5, which will come as no bi surprise to anyone. What that does mean though is that we may just see the Galaxy Gear 2 bundled alongside Samsung’s next flagship smartphone in a similar way to how the Galaxy Gear was with the Galaxy Note 3. And yes, that’s the most times we’ve written the word ‘galaxy’ in a sentence, and yes, it’s lost all meaning at this point.

With Apple still yet to announce its own smartwatch, let along release one, it’s entirely possible that Samsung will be up to its second generation device before Apple is out on the blocks. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Apple won’t be competitive. Either Apple simply refuses to ship until the unannounced watch is at a standard with which it is comfortable, or it’s simply not on the cards at all. At this point, we’ve honestly no idea which of those two options it is.

Samsung seems happy to push forward with its own smartwatches regardless, and with the new device apparently set to be more functional – games, entertainment and healthcare are on the agenda – we could be in for an interesting 2014 as far as our wrists are concerned.

Bring it on, we say!

Would you buy the Galaxy Gear 2 when it comes out? Considering how much the current Gear lacks in terms of functionality.

(Source: ETNews [Google Translate])

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HTC outs Desire 701 and 500 handsets in Taiwan, sets sights on the mid-range market

As if that recently announced trio of Desire smartphones wasn't enough, HTC today introduced a couple more, this time in Taiwan. Meet the Desire 700 and Desire 501, both aimed at the mid-range market in said Asian territory. For its part, the 700 (pictured above) features a 5-inch, qHD display alongside BoomSoundspeakers, an as-of-yet undisclosed quad-core Snapdragon chip, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a 2,100mAh battery. The 501, on the other hand, packs those same traits but with a smaller 4.3-inch, WVGA screen and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor -- oh, and it comes in a few different colors. HTC is pricing its dual-SIM-packing Desire 700 at NTD 13,900 (about $470), while the Desire 501 will be available with a cheaper NTD 9,900 price tag.

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Multiple Samsung, HTC devices banned from benchmark site for cheating

Despite the company’s denial last month, Samsung has been found by multiple reputable testers to cheat on benchmark tests. According to reports, several Samsung smartphones and tablets crank up the heat when they detect benchmark tests being performed. The problem seemingly extends beyond just Samsung though, and several other vendors including HTC and LG apparently juice their benchmark tests as well. Now, it looks like benchmark test providers are starting to fight back.

As noted by The Register, benchmark test creator Futuremark has publicly shamed Samsung and HTC by removing several of their devices from its website. The site ranks smartphones and tablets according to their performance on its 3Dmark test for Android, which measures graphics performance on mobile devices.

So far, Futuremark has delisted Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 smartphone as well as the company’s flagship Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. From the HTC camp, the One and One mini have both been banned from the site’s rankings as well.

“The platform may not detect the launch of the benchmark executable,” Futuremark’s regulations clearly state. “The platform must not alter, replace or override any parameters or parts of the test, nor modify the usual functioning of the platform based on the detection of the benchmark.”

Via: The Register

Source: Futuremark

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Rumours of Samsung Galaxy S5 specs and release date hit the web

Are you ready for some Samsung Galaxy S5 rumours?

According to an overseas report from ETNews, Samsung is pushing to unveil the next generation of its successful Galaxy lineup with the Galaxy S5 sometime in March or April, which is a few months ahead of the May release of the GS4.

Apparently the company will start mass producing the next “Life’s Companion” Android in January and make it available in two variants, a “Premium” model that sports the rumored metal design; and a standard GS5 made from plastic. No word yet on the colour variations.

As for specs, the Galaxy S5 is rumored to come with a 64-bit Exynos or a Snapdragon processor, 3 GB of RAM, a 16 MP camera with Samsung’s new imaging technology, a 4,000 mAh battery, running Android OS 4.4 KitKat with a new version of TouchWiz.

Of course, none of this is certain until Samsung officially announces its plans.

Source: SamMobile

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Create a complete System Image Backup with Windows 8.1 and File History

I feel better when things are backed up. I use the File History feature of Windows 8 to backup files every hour or so. I really encourage folks to use the Computer Backup Rule of Three.

One of the features of Windows 7 that I love is System Image Backup. I used to use 3rd party products to image my system. In Windows 8 (8.0, that is) it's kind of hard to find System Image Backup. While I use File History locally as well as regular cloud backup (using CrashPlan on my Synology) I also like to do a full System Image every month or so.

I've seen a number of tutorials on the web on "how to create a system image backup on windows 8.1" that have folks going to a PowerShell prompt to start a backup. While that's possible, it's certainly not the primary way you want to start typical backup at home.

In Windows 8.1, go to the Start Menu, type "File History" and run it.

Now, hit System Image Backup in the lower corner there.

You can put an image on DVDs or an external hard drive.

Now, to be clear, should this be your primary backup strategy? No. I've got most things in the cloud or automatically backed up to external drives. If I needed to totally reinstall Windows from scratch, I can get back up and working in about an hour without using a complete System Image. However, I'm comforted by having at least one or two System Image backups. It's nice to have options.

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Download iOS 7.1 Beta 1 For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

This is just in. iOS 7.1 beta 1 download links have just gone live for iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 4s, 4, iPod touch 5, and iPad 2 and up on the iOS Dev Center. A new beta for Apple TV 2nd and 3rd gen has also been released.

Apple is usually extremely cagey when it comes to publishing a full and detailed change-log with beta versions of iOS. In terms of changes that actually affect the end-user there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of information being offered through the release documentation. Developers on the other hand have a plethora of changes and additions to get to grips with. An important fix surrounding HTTP requests has been bundled with this latest beta as well as a number of amendments within the CoreText framework that allow developers to integrate advanced text techniques into their third-party apps.

One fix within this beta that could present a noticeable benefit to the end-user focuses on a bug that caused apps loading an iTunes Match library to take an extended period of time. Apple is hopeful that the bug has been eradicated along with improvements to multipeer connectivity and enhancements to the UIKit framework that allows developers to make use of standard user-interface components that are common through most apps.

As with most beta launches, Apple has specified a number of known issues. There continues to be some issues occurring with 32-bit apps running on new 64-bit hardware, namely the iPhone 5s and the new iPad Air along with the iPad mini 2 with Retina display. Apple is also aware of a number of issues surrounding Bluetooth connectivity within this beta.

iOS 7.1 beta 1 firmware pushed out to developers today follows hot on the heels of the public release of iOS 7.0.4 that brought with it a number of optimizations, stability improvements and important security fixes.

To download iOS 7.1 beta 1, you will need to be a registered member of iOS Dev Center. If you are already a member of Dev Center, you can head over to iOS Dev Center now atdeveloper.apple.com/devcenter/ios/ to start downloading iOS 7.1 beta 1.

Notes and Known Issues

The following issues relate to using iOS SDK 7.1 to develop code.

Bluetooth

Known Issue

32-bit apps running on a 64-bit device cannot attach to BTServer.

CFNetwork

Fixed in iOS 7.1 beta

Previously, if the server-side closed an HTTP request with TCP FIN without sending any bytes of HTTP header or HTTP body, NSURLConnection would synthesize an empty HTTP/1.1 200 OK response. This is now fixed, and the request will result in an error instead of a successful load with a synthesized response.

Notes

A new compatibility behavior has been added to address an issue where some web servers would send the wrong Content-Length value for “Content-Encoding: gzip” content. Previously, NSURLConnection and NSURLSession would send a “network connection was lost” / NSURLErrorNetworkConnectionLost (-1005) error in this situation.

The compatibility behavior applies only if the Content-Length value exactly matches the expanded gzip’d content. It won’t apply for “off by 1” or similar miscounting.

Core Text

Fixed in iOS 7.1 beta

Previously, text drawn with CTFrameDraw did not correctly place lines to account for the paragraphSpacing attribute of NSParagraphStyle. This has been addressed in iOS 7.1 beta.

Crash Logs

Known Issue

Crash logs will not appear in Diagnostics & Usage Data in Settings. The logs will still be available when synced off the device.

GLKit

Fixed in iOS 7.1 beta

If loaded with GLKTextureLoader, pngcrush images that have alpha were not unpremultiplied.

High Precision Timers

Fixed in iOS 7.1 beta

When sleeping or waiting for extremely precise time intervals, timers were delayed by up to 1 millisecond.

iTunes

Known Issue

Loading an iTunes Match library (or your purchased music history) may take much longer than expected, especially on larger libraries. If your library does not sync right away, please wait 30 minutes and try to access it again.

Multipeer Connectivity

Fixed in iOS 7.1 beta

The MCSessioninitWithPeer: method has now been implemented properly.

For more information on MCSession APIs, watch WWDC 2013: Nearby Networking with Multipeer Connectivity.

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How To Charge iPhone, Android Or iPad Battery Faster

It’s a problem that we've all been sufferers of but that doesn't make it any less irritating. You’re on your way out the door in a terrifyingly short time but your phone or tablet could do with a little more juice battery before that door slams shut. The problem is none of our devices charge as quickly as we’d like, and battery technology shows no sign of fixing that problem any time soon.

Of course, if you find yourself in desperate need of a little more power on a truncated time-scale then there are a couple of things that you can do to try and eek a little more power out of even the shortest periods of charging. It might not fully charge that power hungry phablet you’re toting around, but it’ll give it handy bump at least.

First, a little back story.

Each smartphone we take on our travels with us – and tablets to a lesser extent – comes with a variety of sensors and radios. WiFi, cellular, 3G and LTE on top of that, GPS, NFC and all manner of other acronyms that we can’t remember off the top of our heads. There’s a lot going on inside that little package, and it all needs powering.

So, and by now this probably isn't going to come as much of a surprise, turning all those radios off can have a dramatic affect on power usage. That also means that if you turn them all off at the same time as trying to cram more power into a device’s battery, it should charge faster. In fact, it could theoretically even charge as much as 50% faster than with them off.

What this rather lengthy preamble leaves us with is an indisputable fact: turning Airplane Mode on can make your phone or tablet, be it an iPhone, iPad, Android or a Windows Phone smartphone, charge considerably faster than with it turned off, which is great news in a pinch.

And anything that makes us be tethered to a wall outlet for a shorter time is a win in our books.

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Google's new Nexus 10 looks to be Surface 2's next competitor

News about the imminent release of the second generation Nexus 10 -- Google's follow up to its successful 10-inch tablet from last year -- has been a little thin on the ground, although the device has been rumored for some time now. The impending release was all but confirmed back at the end of October when a listing for the new model temporarily appeared in Google Play.

The listing seemed to confirm the specs that had been under debate: 10.1-inch 2560 x 1600 screen, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 32GB of storage, 9,500 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM along with KitKat as the OS. The latest speculation suggests that the tablet could be released on November 21st. This date was first reported by Ubergizmo (on a page intriguingly entitled Nexus 10 2 Release Dates Confirmed By Google), although the page was subsequently removed.

Being a 10-inch device, the Nexus 10 is an obvious competitor to the Surface 2, but how do the two stack up against each other? The Surface 2 has a slightly larger screen, but the Nexus 10 does boast a higher resolution. The available storage space is identical, but the Surface does benefit from the ability to extend storage through the use of a USB drive.

Price could be the deciding factor for anyone undecided about which 10-incher to go for. Nothing is yet known about the pricing for the Nexus, but it is likely to be in line with the first generation model  -- $399 for a 16GB model and $499 for 32GB.

But there are plenty of other things to consider as well. Obviously there is the operating system to take into account. Android tablets are extremely popular, but they are not for everyone. At the same time, the entry-level Surface 2 comes with Windows 8.1 RT which has a rather more limited range of apps than regular Windows.

In Surface's favor, there is a far more familiar desktop-like experience, and with the keyboard covers the device is essentially a cheap laptop. It is going to be interesting to see how the two fare against each other. The Nexus 10 already has a solid grounding to work off, but Surface 2 is proving more popular than its predecessor.

Which device meets your mobile computing needs better? Are you tempted by a new Nexus 10, or is a Surface 2 of more interest? Perhaps you'd prefer to splash the cash and opt for a Surface Pro 2 -- or would you go as far as buying two devices?

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Apple releases iOS 7.0.4

Apple has just released its iOS 7.0.4 update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch lineups. The new software version is now available to all users with an iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad Air, iPad (third and fourth generations), iPad 2, iPad mini or fifth-generation iPod touch. The release is a minor update that follows iOS 7.0.3, which was pushed out in late October with a number of updates, not the least of which was the ability to disable the zooming transition animations that were making some users sick.

iOS 7 was first released in September and according to Apple, it took less than a week for the new operating system to be installed on more than 200 million devices. We said in a preview that iOS 7 is more about renovation than innovation, but we also found it to be the perfect balance of new design details and familiar functionality. Not everyone agrees, of course, and the new mobile platform has been panned by several experts and developers.

iOS 7.0.4 is available starting immediately as an over the air (OTA) update, and it can be installed by navigating to General > Software Update in iOS’s Settings app. The update can also be downloaded and installed using Apple’s iTunes software on a computer.

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Facebook Messenger app gets a complete overhaul

Facebook has released an update to the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that brings with it a complete overhaul of the UI. The design clearly looks like it was made for the new iOS 7 but carries over to the Android version as well.

At launch you’ll notice that the older dull gray and Facebook blue colors have been replaced by bright white and a brilliant blue combination. There are no more gradients and drop shadows anymore and the UI has a clean, flat UI that is consistent with the rest of iOS 7.

The new app makes it easy to see who is online and who isn’t. It also lets you send messages to people who are not on Facebook over SMS but you will have to sync your contacts with the app for them to appear in your list. Most of the other features remain the same.

The new design is available on both iOS and Android and even though it is optimized for iOS 7 it still looks great on Android. I’m hoping the main Facebook app also gets this updated UI shortly as it is long overdue. You can download the Facebook Messenger update from the links below.

App Store • Play Store

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Dual-screen YotaPhone is shipping in time to impress nerds at your holiday party

If you wrote Santa asking for a dual-display phone this year, the fat man from the North Pole may be gliding down your chimney with a YotaPhone on Christmas Eve. It's been nearly a year since we first spied the LCD and E Ink-packing handset, and now TechCrunch says the Russian-based company is finally ready to make good on its promise to bring the device to consumers "before Christmas." As you might recall, the Android-based handset with a split personality features a full-color, Gorilla Glass 4.3-inch 1,280 x 720 LCD display on the front and a 200 dpi E Ink display on the rear. The company has yet to stick a price tag on either screen and the specs aren't exactly earth-shattering , but if it does make good on its promise, we're sure someone will pick up the YotaPhone for novelty sake alone.

SOURCE: TechCrunch

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Download iOS 7 Final IPSW For iPhone 5, 4s, 4, iPad And iPod touch [Direct Links]

iOS 7 has been released, and while most users should update to iOS 7.0 directly on their devices using Over-the-Air, another option is to manually update compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices to the latest version by using IPSW firmware. Typically, manual updates with firmware files are considered a bit more advanced, but it’s really not too complicated and you can read about it here if going with a manual update or installation interests you.

iOS 7 IPSW Direct Download Links

These IPSW firmware files weigh in at several GB and are hosted on Apple’s super-fast servers. The file should have the extension “.ipsw” when downloading, if the file tries to download as a .zip or another odd file format, you may want to right-click and choose “Save As” to be sure it remains as the proper format.

Note: If the download link initially does not work, open it again or refresh the download link and try again. This downloading issue seems to impact some web browsers only.

iOS 7 for iPad IPSW

• iPad mini LTE (CDMA)
• iPad mini LTE (GSM)
• iPad mini (WiFi)
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi (Rev A)
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi
• iPad 2 3G (GSM)
• iPad 2 3G (CDMA)
• iPad 3 Wi-Fi (3rd gen)
• iPad 3 (GSM)
• iPad 3 (CDMA)
• iPad 4 (CDMA)
• iPad 4 (GSM)
• iPad 4 (WiFi)

iOS 7 for iPhone & iPod touch IPSW

• iPhone 5 (CDMA) (Verizon, Sprint, etc)
• iPhone 5 (GSM) (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc)
• iPhone 4s
• iPhone 4 (GSM Rev A)
• iPhone 4 (GSM)
• iPhone 4 (CDMA)
• iPod touch (5th gen)

iOS 7.0.1 IPSW for iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C

• iPhone 5C (GSM) 7.0.1
• iPhone 5C (Global) 7.0.1
• iPhone 5S (GSM) 7.0.1
• iPhone 5S (Global) 7.0.1

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How to Use IPSW files

IPSW stands rather simply for iOS Software, and IPSW files are basically just individual firmware downloads for specific iOS devices. These files can be used to update iOS devices manually with the help of iTunes. If you’ve recently downloaded an iOS IPSW file, you might be curious how to use it to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Using IPSW is often considered advanced but it’s actually pretty easy, just follow along with these directions and you’ll be along your way.

Before using a firmware file to update, you will want to backup the iOS device to be safe.

How to Use IPSW files

You can use IPSW files on Mac or Windows, both require iTunes to work properly.

• Connect your iPhone or iOS device to your computer
• Select the device in iTunes
• On a Mac, hold down the “Option” key and then click on “Update”
• On a Windows PC, hold down “SHIFT” key and then click on “Update”
• Select the IPSW file you downloaded and click “Choose”
• Let the iOS device update as usual

Going the IPSW route can take longer to update than using the newer OTA (over the air) method, the reason being that OTA uses smaller delta updates than the larger IPSW files, which are the full sized downloads and are often literally 10x the download size.

You can also click on “Restore” and select an IPSW instead but you will lose the existing files and settings on your iOS device. If you go that route, do not forget to backup beforehand.

Why use IPSW?

Though the average user is better off going the easy routes of updating iOS with iTunes or OTA, IPSW can have very practical uses as well. A significant advantage to using firmware files can be found for users with limited access to broadband internet, where downloading a software update on a remote faster connection makes more sense. Typically you would then copy that IPSW file to a USB key or DVD to bring it home to manually update a device. Also, for users with many of the same iOS devices, having a single IPSW downloads let’s you conserve bandwidth by applying a single update to many devices.

Finally, there are some cases where IPSW is necesasary to create custom configured firmware for future restores. This typically ties in with the “Restore” method of updating, which allows the use of custom IPSW files, and is generally something created with a third party application like PwnageTool or sn0wbreeze. This is almost exclusively relevant to those who jailbreak and unlock their hardware though, and for the average user the standard IPSW files available from Apple work just fine.

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Motorola Announces The Moto G: A Competitive Mid-Range Phone For $179 Off-Contract, Coming To The US In January

The words "no compromise" and "mid-range" would seem to be mutually exclusive, but Motorola would like you to think otherwise. The company announced the Moto G in a live event, promoting a cheaper and slightly lower-spec version of the flagship Moto X. This phone is Motorola's wide-ranging model, the first that's been introduced since the X, and it's intended to be cheap enough to be purchased without a contract.

We could tell you all the specs and technical details, but the most important factor in the Moto G is the price. The Moto G starts at just $179 for the 8GB model and $199 for the 16GB model. That's the unsubsidized, no-contract price, and the phone will be sold on Motorola's online store directly to consumers. That's an enviable price for any phone, but for a brand-new mid-range device, it's unbeatable - even the Nexus 4 started off at $349.

The hardware is basically a smaller and less-powerful copy of the Moto X. The screen gets a small downgrade to 4.5", while maintaining the same 720p resolution. The body itself uses the same glossy front and curved back as the X, complete with stock Android on-screen navigation buttons. Underneath you get a 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 and 1GB of RAM. (Yeah, that's a little low.) Motorola is saying that the battery lasts "33% longer" than its competitors, though it's only 2070mAh. The Moto G includes an FM radio tuner (for markets where data is too expensive) some models will have dual SIM functionality, and there will be CDMA variants. Cameras are 5MP on the rear and 1.3MP on the front.

When it comes to software, the Moto G will launch with Android 4.3 and some very light Motorola software on top, with an update to KitKat 4.4 scheduled for January 2014. Apparently the Moto G does not have the same touchless voice control or active notifications as the X or new DROIDs, but we're still trying to confirm this. The Moto G comes with 50GB of bonus Google Drive storage for two years, for a total of 65GB.

Motorola is pushing the customization aspect of this phone, but not in the same way as on the Moto X. The Moto G has a removable rear panel that can be swapped out for plastic panels of different colors. (It looks like the phone has an integrated non-removable battery.) The company will also offer "tough" impact-absorbing backs and a flip cover a la the Galaxy S4, and color-matched accessories from SOL and others.

The Moto G is launching today in Brazil and parts of Europe, with a wider release in Europe, Canada, Latin America, and some parts of Asia in "the next few weeks." The US version will be available starting in January. Motorola will be expanding availability to more than 30 countries in early 2014. Motorola has not announced its carrier partners for the US launch, but you can expect the on-contract price to be low, or even free, given that low starting price. 

Update: Here's Motorola's first Moto G commercial.

Source: Moto G Live Event, Motorola.com

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[APK Download] Google+ Updated To Version 4.2.3: Photos Now Supports Android Beam, Daydream, And More

 new update to Google+ is currently rolling out, and when it hits your device, not only will it bring along the usual bug fixes and performance increases, it will contain a number of new features. The Photos app now supports Android Beam, so two Android owners can share images with one another over NFC. There is also the new option to set images within Photos as a Daydream that plays whenever a device is docked. Lastly, users can pull up photo details from the drop-down menu, an ability that's more useful than it is exciting. A Google+ developer has shared screenshots of all three new features in action.

  

As far as bug fixes go, starting with this version, your friends' current locations on the map will now refresh whenever you open "Locations," as they should.

What's new:

• Opening “Locations” will automatically refresh your friends’ locations on the map
• Photos now supports Android Beam, so you can share photos via NFC
• Photos also supports Daydream, so you can view your pics in screensaver mode when charging or docking your device
• Individual photo details are now available in the drop-down menu

As you would expect from a Google app, this update is rolling out in stages. The full build number we've spotted is version 4.2.3.56559274.

It could take a while for the notification to pop up on your device, but if patience isn't one of your virtues, we have the APK available for download below.

Update: Google has mistakenly left some debug code in this build, which is causing connectivity issues within the app. The problem is that the debug code makes G+ use the sandbox backend servers instead of production ones. These servers weren't intended to handle the full load brought on by production APKs, so they're 502ing for many users. Download this APK if you want to check out the new features ahead of time, but don't do so if you want reliable access to your Google+ stream.

Note that those who already managed to update G+ directly from the Play Store this morning are subject to the same issue. After all, the APK below is identical to what the Play Store is currently serving. Those staged rollouts are starting to make sense now, aren't they?

We will update the post with a fixed APK once it becomes available.

• Mirror #1
• Mirror #2
• Mirror #3

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Sony Xperia Z1s photos purportedly leak

Sony made the mini edition of the Xperia Z1 official just over a month ago, but at the time, the Xperia Z1 f was only slated for release in Japan. Ever since that announcement, there have been signs that Sony would bring the Z1 f to other territories under a different name, and now we have our first look at what appears to be the European version of the phone, known as the Xperia Z1s. The photos originally surfaced on the Russian forum 4PDA, and show off a phone that appears to have identical specs to the Xperia Z1 f: a 720p 4.3-inch display, Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 20.7-megapixel rear camera, 2.2-megapixel front camera, and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The leaked photos can be seen below.

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Google Fiber installations start in Provo, Utah

Google Fiber installation has begun in Provo, Utah. Google’s second city for Fiber is starting to see crews pop up around the city in their brightly colored work vans. City officials promised that Fiber would come to Provo by the end of 2013, and it looks like they’ve made good on their promise.

Like Kansas City, residents in Provo will have three tiers of service to choose from. There is even the option for free internet, which provides 5Mbps internet for a one time $30 construction fee. The $70/month option is the famed Gigabit internet, while the $120/month package is for the Gigabit connection plus TV service.

Google is also providing Gigabit internet free of charge to 25 local public institutions. Schools, libraries, hospitals and the like will get free internet access, courtesy of Google. Google says the Gigabit connection is up to 100 times the speeds offered by most other local internet providers.

The deal to bring Fiber to Provo centered around Google’s purchase of iProvo, the city’s existing fiber optic internet service, according to The Verge. After purchase, Google upgraded the hardware to reach Gigabit speeds, and is now rolling their service out to consumers. Like Kansas City, the rollout is staged in neighborhoods, with the most fervent fans getting Fiber first.

After Provo, Google is headed to Austin, Texas. Austin was interested early on in Fiber, but lost out to Kansas City to be the first Fiber city. Google will head to Shawnee, Kansas after Austin. From there, Google will take Fiber to Gladstone, Missouri.

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Facebook’s Open Academy lets university students work on open source projects for academic credit

Facebook launched an educational program called Open Academy for 22 universities around the world today. The scheme gives students practical assignments about software engineering that are tied to real open source projects managed by mentors who are already involved in the industry.

The course for Winter 2014 will begin in February with an education-focused, three-day hackathon at one of Facebook’s headquarters. Here, students will meet their mentors and be introduced to the codebase and open source projects that they’ll be working on, as well as discuss new approaches for improving the computer science curriculum in their area.

The learners will then return to their universities and work on the project remotely with their other team members. The project managers will be available to help the students understand tasks and review their code along the way. Course instructors at each university will also chime in to check on their progress and provide a series of lectures about further learning opportunities.

Open Academy started as a collaboration between Facebook and Jay Borenstein, a professor of computer science at Stanford University, in Spring 2012. Following a successful pilot, the scheme was rolled out to a further 11 universities around the globe:

MIT, University of Texas at Austin, Cornell Univeristy, University of Toronto, Waterloo University, University of Singapore, University of Tokyo, Imperial College of London, Jagiellonian University, University of Helsinki, and Tampere University of Technology.

In the past, students have worked on open source projects such as Freeseer, Kotlin, MongoDB, Mozilla Open Badge, Phabricator, Pouch DB, Socket IO, Review Board, and Ruby on Rails.

As part of the expansion, Open Academy will now also be available at the following educational institutions:

University of Pennsylvania, UC San Diego, Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, UC Berkeley, Purdue, University of Warsaw, UIUC, UCLA, and University of Washington.

Students are always more motivated and interested in practical assignments when they know their work will be implemented in a product or technology that’s being used in the real world.

Linking the program to existing open source projects, with the backing of a huge technology powerhouse such as Facebook, makes the Open Academy an incredibly unique and exciting prospect.

Featured Image Credit – Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

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