samsung-galaxy-tab-7-lite

Samsung adds the bigger, heavier Galaxy Tab3 Lite to its 7-inch tablet line-up

There's no shortage of choice when it comes to 7-inch tablets, and Samsung is extending the selection even further with the release of the Galaxy Tab3 Lite. As you've probably discerned from the not-particularly-enigmatic name, this is a device closely based on the original Galaxy Tab3, albeit in a thinner lighter design. Or so you might think. Despite the name, the Tab3 Lite is not smaller in terms of dimensions or mass. In fact it is both larger and heavier than its predecessor. Here, 'Lite' refers to trimming back on the hardware spec.

Looked at in terms of size, it looks as though the Tab3 Lite has gained a little over the holiday period. The Lite model is more than 3mm wider, over 5mm taller and 10g heavier. The new device is 2mm thinner than the Tab3, but it is the other specs that make for interesting reading. A 2 Megapixel rear camera replaces the 3 Megapixel unit, while on the front you'll find that the camera has disappeared entirely.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Mothra

Google lets you fly through Tokyo like Mothra

Fans of cinema may recall seeing the Godzilla films. No, I'm not talking about the 1998 abomination starring Matthew Broderick, I am referring to the classic films from the 1950s and 60s. The films focused on a giant lizard, named Godzilla, who terrified Tokyo.

Besides Godzilla, another memorable character from the films was a monster called Mothra. This monster looked like a moth or butterfly and was able to fly. Thanks to Google, you too can fly through Tokyo, plus other Japanese locations, just like Mothra -- well, virtually at least.

By Brian Fagioli -
boy kid crown scepter arrogant arrogance rasperberry

Google could dethrone Bing as the most popular search engine on Windows Phone

I have often wondered how many Windows Phone users are relying on Google Search, instead of Bing, to look things up on the InterWebs. The percentage should not be very high seeing as Microsoft deeply integrates Bing with the dedicated search button and makes it the default choice for processing queries from Internet Explorer. I can imagine the software giant saying "This time they will all bing it, not google it" and doing an evil laugh afterwards.

To use Google instead of Bing, Windows Phone users can change the default search engine in the Internet Explorer settings and/or navigate to its web page and look things up from there. Personally, I prefer the former route as it is more convenient and faster, though I would not be surprised to learn that there are people who are not familiar with this option. However, Microsoft does not allow users to change the default search engine when using the dedicated search button. As you can see, the odds favor Bing. It should, therefore, be the users' favorite by a long shot, shouldn't it? The answer is not so clear.

By Mihăiță Bamburic -
shopper

Smartphones improve the shopping experience

If you shop using your smartphone you are highly informed, social and seeking a superior shopping experience -- and retailers want to have your babies.

These (apart from the last bit) are the findings of the latest research by IDC which found that surveyed respondents believe the smartphone is transforming their shopping experience.

By Ian Barker -
Screen Shot 2014-01-15 at 3.38.10 PM

Microsoft gives Windows XP a partial reprieve -- to 2015

While many of our young readers may associate Saturday Night Live with people like Andy Samburg, I remember a greater cast -- John Belushi, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray to name a few. One of my favorite sketches, was called "The Thing that Wouldn't Leave". In it, Murray and Curtin play a married couple, who want nothing more than for their guest, played by Belushi, to leave. The wife screams in agony as the guest keeps finding reasons to stay.

Well, sometimes true life imitates art, as Windows XP becomes "The Thing that Wouldn't Leave" for Microsoft. While the world has been preparing for XP's 2014 death, Microsoft today throws a curve-ball and announces a reprieve (at least partially).

By Brian Fagioli -
HP Chromebook 11

HP Chromebook 11 returns to Google Play, Best Buy gets LTE version

If you aren't familiar with the saga, the HP Chromebook 11 was greeted with much fanfare, only to be pulled from the Google Play store thanks to an overheating charger. This charger saga garnered more attention than actual incidents.

Google announced a new charger to replace the faulty model, rolling out free replacements to those who purchased the little laptop. Now, with a new charger firmly in place, the Android maker has returned the device to its Play Store.

By Alan Buckingham -
Fifa

FIFA 13 for Windows Phone 8 no longer exclusive to Nokia -- but there is a catch

The BetaNews team is quite diverse, hailing from various places around the world. While this can lead to subtle nuances, such as extra U's in some words or unknown slang, a larger (playful) dispute is what is true Football. After all, in Europe, "football" is what we American's call soccer -- we view football as the NFL -- pig skin, helmets and pituitary cases.

With this in mind, EA did a smart thing by not putting the word "football" in the title of its soccer game, FIFA 2013. This causes neither side of the pond to feel alienated. However, there was a group that may have felt slighted -- non-Nokia Windows Phone 8 owners. Sadly, the game was an exclusive to the Finnish company's handsets, until today. Yes, more Windows Phone users have access to the game, but there is a catch.

By Brian Fagioli -
box-for-ios

Box gives 50 GB of free storage to iPhone and iPad users

It seems to be a big day for cloud storage. Earlier Google added additional functionality to its Drive product. Now Box has an update of its own, though this new release is geared towards the mobile crowd, bringing more storage to those on iOS devices.

Additional cloud storage isn't all that's included, though. "We've overhauled our app to make it super-fast, simpler to use and more immersive. The result, we believe, is the best content viewing and collaboration experience available today for your iOS device".

By Alan Buckingham -
upgrade

Still running Windows 8.1 Preview? It's time to upgrade -- here's how

Yesterday, Wednesday 15 January, was the last day you could officially continue to run the preview versions of Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1. From today, if you haven’t upgraded to the full version of the new OS, you’ll see a message telling you to "Reinstall Windows Now". Click the "Get Windows" button to start the upgrade.

You can ignore this warning and continue using the preview, but with a rather major inconvenience -- your PC will restart every two hours. If you’ve only installed Windows 8.1 Preview to test it out, and aren’t using it as your main OS, you may not view this as a massive problem.

By Wayne Williams -
AV Comparatives

AV-Comparatives names Kaspersky as Product of the Year

Independent testing organization AV-Comparatives has released its Anti-Virus Comparative Summary Report 2013.

This rounds up the results of the company's tests carried out over the past year on 22 consumer antivirus and internet security products.

By Ian Barker -
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EaseUS To Do Backup adds a backup and recovery option for Android devices

EaseUS software has released EaseUS Todo Backup Free 6.5 and EaseUS Todo Backup Workstation 6.5. The new release debuts one major new feature: the ability to back up and restore Android devices to the user’s PC.

Todo Backup combines file- and image-based backup and recovery with disk cloning and -- for paid-for users only -- snapshotting tools.

By Nick Peers -
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Wise Disk Cleaner 8 gains revamped interface, new configuration options

WiseCleaner software has unveiled Wise Disk Cleaner Free 8.03, a major new update of its Windows disk cleaning and defrag tool. Version 8’s most notable improvement is a revamped user interface that’s less cluttered and easier to follow than previous versions.

Version 8 also adds a new module that ensures all future updates -- which tend to be delivered at least once a month -- are installed automatically, plus promises customized configuration options via a user-created INI file.

By Nick Peers -
cloud link

Google Drive update adds an activity stream

Cloud storage has become the norm these days, with the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple all offering services. It's even built right into Windows 8.1 and Office 2013, and many other apps are adding various integrations.

Now Google is announcing an update to Drive, which brings new, and much needed functionality to its offering. The service allows for easy collaboration on projects, but until now, it was difficult to track the various changes being made.

By Alan Buckingham -
RWEverything200-175

Uncover every detail of your PC’s hardware with RWEverything

If you need to find out more about your PC then you’ll probably turn to a system information tool. That will then access various low-level technical details about your computer, pick out the most important, and try to present them in a readable and accessible way.

Usually this works very well, but sometimes your chosen tool may strip out too much information, or perhaps miss the data you need altogether. And that’s when you might want to turn to RWEverything, a powerful program which doesn’t try to second guess what you might want to know: it just gives you absolutely everything, often in its most raw and basic form.

By Mike Williams -
BYOD

2014: The year of the enterprise app store

While not every company has technologically embraced the massive influx of multiplatform, multi-network mobile devices taxing its network, the inevitable power they give employees to access enterprise resources in any location and manage their own technology systems -- a phenomenon known to some as "the consumerization of IT" -- will undoubtedly dramatically and permanently change the face of the enterprise as we know it today. And while it is widely recognized that the continued consumerization of IT presents countless challenges for IT departments, I see 2014 as the year IT views these changes as opportunities and empowers its employees with the tools they need to maximize the incalculable power of their devices.

One of the major tools to which I refer? The enterprise app store.

By Mark Settle -
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