Sunday, April 6, 2014

TechNow Rewind: Week 14, 2014




Well, week 14 has been a very amazing week for the tech (especially the mobile industry) with Microsoft dominating the official part of this segment.

1.     Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update 1
Microsoft has finally unveiled its long awaited update to their smartphone OS offering, and they call it Windows Phone 8.1. The new release brings a lot of new features and improvements to the OS, including a voice controlled assistant, notification centre, more personalization.

2.     Microsoft makes Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1 free for OEMs
Now, Windows and Windows Phone will now be available for free to manufacturers for use on devices with displays smaller than 9-inches. This includes all smartphones (Windows Phone OS) and small tablets with 8-inch displays (Windows RT and Windows 8.1).

3.     Google outs their Android platform distribution update
KitKat 4.4 rises while Jelly Bean 4.1-4.3 have a lead. Honeycomb 3.x and Froyo 2.2 don’t want to disappear and Gingerbread 2.3 is finally falling. Also, OpenGL ES 3.0 usage has increased!

4.     Cyanogen Inc. reveals their new logo, but will retain their mascot.
Keeping up with their new image, the company has introduced a new logo that shall henceforth be used with their name. If you remember, the company also had a mascot named Cid. Post the new logo, Cid hasn’t been done away with entirely but Cyanogen says he now “belongs to the community”, whatever that means.

5.  Nokia introduces its Windows Phone 8.1 running lineup for 2014.
Keeping the best for last in our segment, Nokia finally introduces the Lumia 930 (an international Lumia Icon) and the budget Lumia 630/635 (first Windows Phone with dual sim and on screen buttons).

6.  The Nexus 10 returns, with KitKat out-of-box
The 10” offering of the Google Nexus is back on the Play Store and has been listed as coming soon. Looks like a new stock of units will be arriving and will become available for purchase. The only difference is that it will come with Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of box.


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