Xperia™ T2 Ultra Dual

A new Android phone for entertainment on a grand scale

 

Want to have your mind blown while waiting for the bus? Feel your spine tingle as you walk to the office? With the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual, the excitement is always – and we mean always – close at hand. Lose yourself in blockbuster films, video clips and TV shows. Seamlessly access your stored files and online content on your home screen with Sony’s media apps. View it all on the bright 6” TRILUMINOS™ HD Display for mobile. Built with the same groundbreaking technology as Sony BRAVIA® TVs, Xperia T2 Ultra Dual boasts amazingly vivid colour reproduction.

13MP camera – for life´s great moments

Entertaining, smart and social

Everyday life’s full of little memorable moments. And you can capture them all with the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual. This stylish new Android phone from Sony has an impressive 13-megapixel camera with an Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor. To make your pictures even more exciting, it also comes loaded with Xperia camera apps. Style your close-ups with Portrait retouch. Spice up your pics with AR Effect mode. Or broadcast your videos on Facebook via Social live.

Designed to keep you entertained

 NFC wireless technology – those cable days are over

Leave all your connectivity troubles behind. Thanks to NFC wireless technology, you can connect your Xperia T2 Ultra Dual to more than 100 NFC-enabled Sony devices – from headsets to BRAVIA® TVs. And you connect the easiest way imaginable: with just a touch. Like magic.

Never miss a call

Handle calls on both SIM cards

Dual SIM smartphones come with many advantages. They allow you to separate work from play – and handle your calls more cost-efficiently. With our new dual SIM feature, you can keep both SIM cards active at all times – meaning that you can talk on one SIM, and still receive calls on the other, instead of going to voicemail. This gives you the option of putting the first call on hold while answering the one coming in. And as a result, you’ll never miss a call.

Perfect partners

The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra has a massive 6-inch Triluminos screen, with a pixel resolution of 720x1280. The thin, 7.6mm phablet is powered by a quad-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of microSD-expandable (up to 32GB extra) native storage.

Google Cloud Print

If you haven’t heard of Google Cloud Print, that’s not totally surprising. Even though it’s been around since 2011, it hasn’t become widely used. However, that is something that might change over the next year or so. Unlike some Google services that get canned during Spring cleaning, Google Cloud Print has been getting more and more features added to it.

So first of all, what is Google Cloud Print? It’s basically a way for users to connect their printers (wired or wireless) to the Internet and have the ability to print from any device (web, desktop, mobile) from anywhere in the world. What’s nice about Google Cloud Print is that you can print from a device without needing to install any printer drivers on the system. This can save an enormous amount of time and energy.

 

For example, if you bought a new Windows PC and connected it to your network, you normally would have to find the drivers for your current printers, load the software and go through all the steps to get it installed on that PC. Now only does that take time and a lot of troubleshooting usually, it also slows down your system with a lot of extra printer software/tools you don’t need. From here on out, I will refer to it as GCP.

With GCP, you just install the Google Cloud Printer Driver on your Windows machine and you can now print from any program directly to any printer you have added in GCP. So is GCP is the greatest thing in the world? Well, there are a few caveats and limitations that I will explain below.

Where Can I Print From?

GCP sounds great, but you might be asking from where can I actually print from? Well, that’s where GCP has been making big leaps in the last year. At first, you could only print from Chrome OS, Google Chrome on any platform and Gmail and Google Docs on your mobile. The first increase to this list was the Cloud Print app in the Google Play Store for Android devices.

With this app, users can print a variety of local files directly to GCP including SMS chats, pictures, Facebook, Dropbox, Box, Mail and more. Users can also manage printers, share printers, manage print jobs and more from the app. As of right now, there is not a Cloud Print app in the Apple App store, but with Google’s great track record for releasing Google apps for iOS devices, there is a good chance we will see Cloud Print make it’s way to iPhones and iPads soon.
On July 23rd, 2013, Google really made GCP a lot more useful by introducing the Google Cloud Print Driver. You can install this on any Windows machine and it will allow you to choose Google Cloud Printer when printing from any Windows application.

They also released Google Cloud Print Service in addition to Print Driver. Cloud Print Service will run as a Windows service and can be used to connect older legacy printers to GCP. The Print Service is more geared towards businesses and schools.
Lastly, there is a short list of apps that work with GCP and allow you to print from them. For example, on iOS, you can download PrintCentral Pro, which will let you print emails, contacts, text messages, etc from an iOS device to GCP. At this time, Google hasn’t released a Print Driver for Mac, but you can download an app called Cloud Printer which does pretty much the same thing.

Now that you understand where you can currently print from, let’s take a look at connecting printers to GCP.

Cloud Print Ready vs Classic Printers

The main thing to understand about GCP is how you connect the printers to the actual service. There are two types of printers in the GCP world: Cloud Ready and Classic Printers. Cloud Ready printers are those that already come with the GCP service installed and configured. This is by far the best way to use GCP because the printer will actually register itself with the GCP service over your network and will always be available for printing.
The other great thing about Cloud Ready printers is that they will automatically update their firmware and drivers over the Internet, so you don’t even have to worry about it. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of printers out there yet that support GCP. You can see the entire list of Cloud Ready Printers here:
https://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/printers.html

If you do have one of the printers listed there, you can click on the link provided for setting it up with GCP. You basically just have to register your Google email address with GCP on the printer.

 

Next up are Classic Printers. Classic Printers are what most people will be using when setting up GCP. Classic Printers are either printers that are directly connected to your computer via a cable or wireless printers installed on your machine. Any printer that you can print to from your computer can be added to GCP regardless of how it is connected.
Now the major difference between a Cloud Ready and a Classic printer is that in order to print to any Classic printers, the computer that has the printers installed has to be on and you have to be logged into Google Chrome. If you turn off the computer or log out of Chrome and try to print to GCP, the print job will simply be added to the print queue. When the computer turns back on and you log into Chrome, the print job will then be printed.

Adding a Classic Printer

Adding a Classic Printer to GCP is pretty straight-forward. First, go to the computer that has the printers already installed and open Chrome. Then click on the Chrome menu button (three horizontal lines) and choose Settings.

Scroll down and then click on Show advanced settings. Scroll down some more until you see Google Cloud Print.

Go ahead and click on the Add printers button and a popup box will appear with a list of the currently installed printers.

Conclusion

By using Google Cloud Print, you can also consolidate all of your printers into one place. For example, if you have wireless printer installed on one machine, but have a second printer connected by cable to a second machine, you can add both printers to Google Cloud Print and print to either print from any computer or any mobile device.
In addition, you can print any file to Google Drive or directly to a FedEx Office. The ability to save to Google Drive kind of makes GCP like Evernote. You can print a webpage for later viewing straight to Google Drive.
Overall, Google Cloud Print has become a lot more useful over the year. Google will continue adding more features to GCP, which will make it a great way for consumers to print easily from anywhere and any device. Enjoy!

Google Nexus 5 To Launch In New Colour Variants

The Nexus 5 has become one of the hottest Android smartphones in the market and just when you thought that the device couldn’t get any better, the rumour mill dropped something new for us. A video showing the Google Play store has been released which shows a new page for the Nexus 5. The new page now has eight colour options instead of two Black and White colours for the smartphone.

The updated colour options, apart from Black and White, now include Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. While this does sound exciting, Google hasn’t yet announced anything related to it. The video has been released by an unknown person and it could possibly be a fake, as it has no authenticity.

Recently we saw Google launching some official Nexus accessories on the Google Play store website including a Nexus wireless charger, Nexus 5 Bumper Case, LG Quick Cover, Nexus 7 Folio and Nexus 7 Sleeve. 

Source: Phone Arena

Google Glass

Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) that is being developed by Google in the Project Glass research and development project, with a mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

While the frames do not currently have lenses fitted to them, Google is considering partnerships with sunglass retailers such as Ray-Ban or Warby Parker, and may also open retail stores to allow customers to try on the device. The Explorer Edition cannot be used by people who wear prescription glasses, but Google has confirmed that Glass will eventually work with frames and lenses that match the wearer's prescription; the glasses will be modular and therefore possibly attachable to normal prescription glasses.

Glass is being developed by Google X, which has worked on other futuristic technologies such as driverless cars. The project was announced on Google+ by Project Glass lead Babak Parviz, an electrical engineer who has also worked on putting displays into contact lenses; Steve Lee, a product manager and "geolocation specialist"; and Sebastian Thrun, who developed Udacity as well as worked on the autonomous car project. Google has patented the design of Project Glass. Thad Starner, an augmented reality expert, is a technical lead/manager on the project.

Hardware

Camera

Google Glass has the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video. While video is recording, the screen stays on.

Touchpad

A man controls Google Glass using the touchpad built into the side of the device

A touchpad is located on the side of Google Glass, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline-like interface displayed on the screen  Sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, circle updates, etc.

Technical specifications

For the developer Explorer units:

• Android 4.0.4 and higher
• 640×360 display
• 5-megapixel camera, capable of 720p video recording
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth
• 16GB storage (12 GB available)
• Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 SoC 1.2Ghz Dual(ARMv7)
• 682MB RAM "proc".
• 3 axis gyroscope
• 3 axis accelerometer
• 3 axis magnetometer (compass)
• Ambient light sensing and proximity sensor
• Bone conduction transducer

Applications

Google Glass applications are free applications built by third-party developers. Glass also uses many existing Google applications, such as Google Now, Google Maps, Google+, and Gmail.

Third-party applications announced at South by Southwest (SXSW) include Evernote, Skitch, The New York Times, and Path

On April 15, 2013, Google released the Mirror API, allowing developers to start making apps for Glass. In the terms of service, it is stated that developers may not put ads in their apps or charge fees; a Google representative told The Verge that this might change in the future.

Many developers and companies have built applications for Glass, including news apps, facial recognition, exercise, photo manipulation, translation, and sharing to social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.

On May 16, 2013, Google announced the release of seven new apps, including reminders from Evernote, fashion news from Elle, and news alerts from CNN. Following Google's XE7 Glass Explorer Edition update in early July 2013, evidence of a "Glass Boutique", a store that will allow synchronization to Glass of Glassware and APKs, was noted.

Version XE8 made a debut for Google Glass on August 12, 2013. It brings an integrated video player with playback controls, the ability to post an update to Path, and lets users save notes to Evernote. Several other minute improvements include volume controls, improved voice recognition, and several new Google Now cards.

On November 19, 2013, Google unveiled its Glass Development Kit, showcasing a translation app Word Lens, a cooking app AllTheCooks, and an exercise app Strava among others as successful examples.

 

How To Reset Your Password In Ubuntu

There are many reasons you might want to reset a password:

• Someone gave you a computer with Ubuntu installed on it but not the password for the user account.
• You just installed Ubuntu and forgot what password you selected during the installation process.
• You have too many passwords in your life and can't keep track of them all.

Well, this tutorial will help you reset your Ubuntu user account password, regardless of what reason you have for resetting it. First, you have to reboot into recovery mode.
If you have a single-boot (Ubuntu is the only operating system on your computer), to get the boot menu to show, you have to hold down the Shift key during boot up.

From the boot menu, select recovery mode, which is usually the second boot option. 

After you select recovery mode and wait for all the boot-up processes to finish, you'll be presented with a few options. In this case, you want the Drop to root shell prompt option so press the Down arrow to get to that option, and then press Enter to select it.

The root account is the ultimate administrator and can do anything to the Ubuntu installation (including erase it), so please be careful with what commands you enter in the root terminal.

In recent versions of Ubuntu, the filesystem is mounted as read-only, so you need to enter the follow command to get it to remount as read-write, which will allow you to make changes: 

 mount -o rw,remount /

If you have forgotten your username as well, type 

ls /home

You should then see a list of the users on your Ubuntu installation. In this case, I'm going to reset Susan Brownmiller's password. 

To reset the password, type

passwd username

where username is the username you want to reset. In this case, I want to reset Susan's password, so I type

passwd susan

You'll then be prompted for a new password. When you type the password you will get no visual response acknowledging your typing. Your password is still being accepted. Just type the password and hit Enter when you're done. You'll be prompted to retype the password. Do so and hit Enter again. 

Now the password should be reset. Type 

exit

 to return to the recovery menu. 

After you get back to the recovery menu, select resume normal boot, and use Ubuntu as you normally would—only this time, you actually know the password!

Android 4.4 KitKat: 10 New Features You Should Know

 After much teasing, Google has finally released the latest version of Android, version 4.4. Known as KitKat, Android 4.4 brings with it a number of improvements, some of which lie behind the scenes, that are sure to improve an Android user’s experience. Currently, KitKat is only available for the Google Nexus 5, but will soon be available for the Nexus 4, 7 and 10, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play Edition as well.

 

While you wait for your Nexus 5 to arrive, or for your phone to get Android 4.4, here’s a list of some of the more notable changes to look forward to. If you’re an Android user interested in seeing what you’ll be getting on your device soon, or an iOS fan keeping tabs on the competition, read on. 

1. Better Memory Management

KitKat is designed to run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM. Google has implemented behind-the-scenes improvements to Android 4.4′s memory management, and will be providing developers and OEM manufacturers with tools and options to take advantage of these improvements. These memory improvements are expected to lead to smoother multi-tasking as well.

The fact that less than half of all Android phones are running Android 4.x has led to fragmentation issues within Android. It looks like these memory optimizations may lead to greater adoption of Android 4.4, and this should help unify Android to some extent.

 

2. Improved Google Now

You can now activate Google Now by simply saying "OK Google". It’s only available to Nexus 5 for now though. The contextual cards feature also gets an upgrade. Google Now cards will try to predict information you need based on your location, favorite sites or TV programs.

In addition, Android 4.4 features a new app-linking feature, which allows Google Search to deep-link search results to applications installed on a user’s device. So, for instance, searching for a restaurant via Google Now can direct you to a restaurant reservation app such as OpenTable, ready to make a reservation for that particular restaurant.

 

3. Hangouts App Upgraded

The old Android messaging app is now a thing of the past with KitKat. Instead, Google Hangouts now supports SMS and MMS, so all your messages will be in the same app. Hangouts will also be getting support for HD video calls across all devices.

Video and voice calling have also been improved, to make Hangouts an all-in-one solution to your communication needs. In addition, animated GIFs and location sharing through Google Maps will be supported.

4. Smarter Caller ID

Android’s default phone app is also getting some welcome changes, including a fresh new design. The dialer now has a search field that you can use to search for a business’s contact info listed in Google Maps. This will pull up contact info for businesses near your area.

This Google Maps data is also used by the phone app’s caller ID to identify any unknown numbers by cross-checking the number with nearby businesses. In addition to this new integration with Google Maps, the new phone app also prioritizes your contacts based on the people you talk to most.

5. Immersive Mode

Let’s face it; Android’s status bar and navigation buttons can sometimes get in the way, especially when you’re playing a game, reading eBooks or watching videos. Fortunately, Android 4.4 comes with a new immersive mode that hides everything except the app you’re using. Once you’re done, just swipe the edge of the screen to bring back your status bar and navigation buttons.

6. Integration With Cloud Storage

Android 4.4 comes support for cloud storage solutions such as Google Drive built into the operating system. This means that you can save and open directly from the cloud, without having to save into your device’s storage first. Apps such as Quick Office are already able to take advantage of this integration and open documents directly from Google Drive on your Android device.

 

7. Printing On The Go

Google is making it much easier to print documents or photos on your phone by building support for Google Cloud Print directly into Android 4.4. This will allow you to print documents over WiFi or Bluetooth. Of course, this feature is limited to compatible printers with wireless capabilities, support for Google Cloud Print, as well as any printers that have apps available in the Google Play Store.

 

8. Built-In Sensors

Android 4.4 adds operating system support for two new composite sensors: step counter and step detector. This support will allow fitness app developers to access pedometer data without writing complex code and algorithms. This, coupled with the hardware sensor batching that reduces power consumed by sensors, means that Android 4.4 devices with compatible hardware, such as the Nexus 5, will be perfect for training and fitness purposes.

 

9. System-Wide Closed Captioning

Android 4.4 improves user accesibility by adding support for system-wide closed captioning settings. You can set whether captions should be shown, the language captions will be shown for, and text-related settings such as size and font. Apps that use video will be able to access these settings and show on screen captions based on your settings.

10. Lock Screen Art

The Android 4.4 lock screen can now show more than just widgets. When you’re listening to music or streaming movies via Chromecast, your device’s lock screen will show the fullscreen album or movie art. The lock screen will also have dedicated controls to allow you to play, pause and seek, all from the lock screen.

 

These are just 10 of the more notable updates in Android 4.4. There are a number of other new features included in KitKat, such as low-power location monitoring, easy home screen switching, built-in infrared blaster support and a redesigned downloads app, just to name a few. The entire list of changes is available on the Android website.

All in all, Android 4.4 isn’t what you’d call a spectacular update, but it does bring some much welcome improvements to the table. The improved memory management is particularly interesting, and the rest of the features combine to make Android 4.4 a solid addition to the Android family tree.