Galaxy S3 Android 4.3, JellyBean Update Begins Rolling Out for International Version Again

The Galaxy S3 Android 4.3, JellyBean update started rolling out once again for the international version.

The company stopped the update not too long ago due to certain issues users were having. Galaxy S3 owners noticed several performance and battery problems with the software and complained about it directly to Samsung influencing them to pull the plug on the initial roll out.

The new version of the firmware is available to owners of the GT-I9300 model. The update will bring full Galaxy Gear support, but does not come with Samsung Knox features. It can be installed OTA over-the-air or through Samsung KIES.

The Android 4.3, JellyBean update also recently became available for the Galaxy Note 2 in Canada. Multiple carriers in the country have already begun rolling out the software to the phablet such as Mobilicity and Videotron. It is available OTA (over-the-air). The update weighs in at over 700MB and brings various improvements to the device.

Sprint Galaxy Note 2 users can also update to Android 4.3, JellyBean. The final version of the firmware began rolling out to the carrier's customers at the end of last month. Android 4.3 brings a slew of changes to the Galaxy Note 2 such as TouchWiz refresh to match the theme from the Galaxy S4 and Note 3, a new lockscreen with multiple widgets, adjustable clock size and personal message, actionable notifications and daydream mode.

Users will also be able to move apps to the SD card and will have new screen modes such as Adapt Display and Professional Photo. TRIM support will be added to improve performance along with Galaxy Gear support, Driving Mode, voice commands and Samsung KNOX compatibility.

Fast and Furious Actor Paul Walker Dead at 40

Paul Walker, an actor best known for his role as a fast-driving cop opposite bad-guy-gone-good Vin Diesel in the Fast and Furious movie series died on Saturday in a car crash in Santa Clarita, California, according to multiple sources. Walker was 40 years old.

News of the fatal crash spread first online after celebrity news site TMZ broke the story. Initially, most other news outlets and Twitter accounts picked it up as a report.

Kmart's Jingle Bells Ads Has Legs

Nothing rings in the holiday season like men in boxers thrusting to the tune of "Jingle Bells." Kmart unveiled its latest Christmas ad on Monday and it's quite a sight for the eyes.

The 1:00 spot features six men seemingly dressed in suits as they play bells behind a table. But when the table and bells are whisked away, they appear in Joe Boxers — Kmart's branded collection — and find a new way to keep the song going.

The 10 U.S. Cities With the Worst Commutes

Those living in the Washington, D.C., metro area may want to rethink their decision to drive to work. The average commuter in D.C. spent 67 hours stuck in traffic in 2012.

It's not just Washingtonians who have it bad when it comes to traffic, though. Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York commuters each wasted roughly 60 hours in traffic last year.

Statista's chart, which uses data from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, shows the 10 cities in the United States where commuters sat in traffic for longest in 2012.

GPS tracking apps make Halloween safer by keeping tabs on kids

Parents spend their whole lives teaching their children not to accept candy from strangers. So what do we do? We celebrate a night each year where we allow our children to accept candy from strangers ­— and in the dark no less.

Such is the ghastly tradition of Halloween. But with today’s technology, namely a smartphone, parents can help temper their worries. There are apps for smartphones that can track your children so they can journey from door to door in search of the elusive full-sized candy bar in complete safety.

So as your children are on their trick-or-treating route, you can use an iPad or a desktop computer to see exactly where they are going in real time. If your kids don’t have their own iPhone, perhaps you can lend them yours and then turn on another app, Find My iPhone, which tracks your own phone in case you lose it.


Find My Friends (iPhone, free) » If you’re an Apple user with kids who also have iPhones, this free Apple-produced app should be on your phone anyway. It is capable of tracking your kids, or friends, on a map at any time as long as you get their permission. And unlike other apps, it doesn’t put an extra drain on your battery.

Trick or Treating (iPhone, 99 cents) » With this app, children can input the contact information of all of their loved ones as well as police should they get lost and need direction to get home. All of the addresses are then displayed on a map.

SecuraFone (iPhone, Android, free, monthly service fee) » This full-featured app allows you to track the user in real time. But it also can send the parent alerts and notifications whenever the child with the phone is changing directions or speed. It also includes emergency contacts that can be accessed immediately.

GPS Phone Tracker (iPhone, Android, free) » Another tracker that parents can use to keep real-time tabs on their children. It also can log where they’ve been every couple of minutes so you can see the trail they’re leaving behind.

Life360 (iPhone, Android, free) » Here is a robust GPS tracker with a lot of features including the ability to organize groups of friends you’re following, a "panic" button your child can use if he or she is in trouble, and more. The free version has basic features, but there also is a premium service that provides a lot more.

Gone Out — Later Folks (iPhone, $1.99) » This app allows kids to keep their parents up to date on where they are and where they are going. The child can take a picture and record the location of where he or she is at and send that information to parents.

Apple's FIngerprint Scanner Doesn't Work All The Time

AuthenTec cofounder F. Scott Moody put the most groundbreaking work his company has done on display this October at North Carolina State University, where he showed off Apple's Touch ID to engineering students.

Purchased last year by Apple for $356 million, AuthenTec is behind the iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor, a tiny device located underneath the phone's home button. The sensor uses a finger's grooves and pores to identify its owner, and it gets to know you better every time you use it.

Fingerprinting wasn't always so easy, though, according to Apple Insider. Touch ID was initially called FingerLoc, and the technology sometimes worked in fits and starts. Moody once got IBM's chief technology officer to test out the sensor, only to have it misidentify him.

But AuthenTec eventually revamped its sensor into a tiny device that only costs $0.80, and Motorola, Fujitsu and Apple in particular expressed interest in the company. Now, after the sale and the introduction of the sensor into the iPhone 5S, the work Moody helped spearhead is a part of millions of lives.

Apple to Offer 12-Inch Retina MacBook in 2014

In a research note shared by 9to5Mac, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will release a 12-inch Retina MacBook sometime in either the second or third quarter of 2014.

The report claims that the laptop will sport an entirely new design. However, the device isn’t termed as being a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, so it’s unclear if this might represent a new laptop category for the computer maker, or simply an upgrade to an existing model.

Aside from the MacBook rumor, Ming-Chi Kuo’s report also claims that Apple may release a lower-cost iMac around the same time as the new MacBook, as well as a sixth-generation, 9.7-inch iPad with 30-40% higher PPI (pixels-per-inch) than the current Retina iPad.

Of course, only Apple knows what it really has planned for 2014. But Ming-Chi Kuo has a decent track record for making such long-range predictions.

So while it wouldn’t be advisable to bet on these latest product forecasts as being 100 percent accurate, you can probably expect at least some of these rumors to come true this time next year.

Microsoft Recycles Inactive Outlook, Hotmail Email Accounts

Microsoft is recycling inactive email accounts for its Outlook, Hotmail and Live services, potentially exposing users to previous owners' private information, according to a new report posted by Dutch website Webwereld.

The software giant's services agreement informs users that they must periodically log in to their Outlook, Hotmail or Windows Live ID accounts to keep them active. It reads:

"The Microsoft branded services require that you sign in to your Microsoft account periodically, at a minimum of every 270 days, to keep the Microsoft branded services portion of the services active, unless provided otherwise in an offer for a paid portion of the services. If you fail to sign in during this period, we may cancel your access to the Microsoft branded services. If the Microsoft branded services are cancelled due to your failure to sign in, your data may be permanently deleted from our servers."

The agreement doesn't specify whether accounts would then be recycled, but Microsoft confirmed this to Webwereld and PCWorld, saying "The email account is automatically queued for deletion from our servers. Then, after a total of 360 days, the email account name is made available again."

Yahoo has also come under fire for recycling email addresses, but the company warns users about this policy in its terms of service.

For its part, Google says it will not recycle usernames, according to its terms of service. Users can never sign up for a Gmail account previously held by another person, even if that account has been deleted for years.

How to download free mp3 from Grooveshark

Grooveshark Downloader is the easiest way to download songs from Grooveshark directly to your computer. You can download any song on Grooveshark, with multiple simultaneous downloads. No ads, no delays, no tricks. Just click and download free high quality mp3 files.

1. Go to Grooveshark Downloader and install.
2. Chrome won't let you add an offline extension. Message on top of the browser will prompt you "Apps, extensions and user scripts cannot be added from this website". Just click OK to proceed.
3. Navigate to Settings on your Google Chrome browser at the top right corner and go to extensions tab.
4. Go to your Downloads folder and Drag and Drop the Extension File that you downloaded earlier to the extension tab.
5. Click Add.
6. You will then see a message Grooveshark Downloader has been added to Chrome.
7. Open Grooveshark or Refresh Grooveshark if it's already open.
8. Now every song in the playlist will have a Download Link.
9. You'll be able to download music/songs now for free and it will be stored in your default download folder.

Some simple video tutorial if you're unclear about it.

GTA 5 review round-up: Five stars across the board

Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series can breath a sigh of relief this morning. The verdict of country's critics is unanimous – GTA 5 lives up to the hype.
Praise for the game, released today, can be found in all quarters: from broadsheet to tabloids, digital blogs to gaming websites.

The Mirror's Dan Silver captures the mood of most critics. "As we stand on the cusp of a new era in console gaming, GTA V isn’t just the greatest entry in one of its great series, it’s also one of the entire medium’s most accomplished and amazing achievements to date," he says.
"Stick a fork in this generation: it’s done."

Top of the list of standout features praised by reviewers is the design of Los Santos, the city which gamers inhabit in GTA 5.

"It’s a world that feels genuinely alive, more so than any of the previous games," according to The Independent's Simon Rice.

"The pure richness in detail make roaming Los Santos almost as rewarding as any structured mission."

Digital Spy's Liam Martin strikes a similar note. "The city of Los Santos and its surrounding countryside is among the most diverse, interesting and visually striking virtual environments that I've ever had the pleasure of exploring," he says.

Martin also has praise for one of the game's big new features – the ability to switch between three characters mid-mission. He calls it "one of GTA 5's best additions" which gives the missions "greater focus and makes them feel more cinematic".

Now Gamer's Adam Barnes agrees, calling the innovation GTA 5's "big selling point". "The switching mechanic works surprisingly well," he says.

"Though it’ll take up to 30 seconds to switch, it does so almost seamlessly, hiding its loading behind a Google Earth style zoom-in, zoom-out function. It’s all very slick."

Complaints from the critics are restricted largely to smaller details. In an otherwise positive review, the Guardian's Keith Stuart criticises the portrayal of women.

"Women are, once again, relegated to supporting roles as unfaithful wives, hookers and weirdos. The one successful female character in the story is suspected of just wanting to screw her boss," he says.

Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer praises the dark humour running through the game – what he calls "Rockstar's trademark cynicism".

He writes: "GTA 5 is spoiled for choice and the gag writers go for the jugular, skewering TV talent contests, self-help gurus, social media, internet trolls, political hypocrites and our obsession with sex, sex, sex. You can't go half a block without walking into a punch line."

It is that same satirical humour that the Guardian's Stuart returns to his review. In particular he enjoys the game's fake social network Lifeinvader, a "spot on amalgam of Facebook, Apple and Google".

"The staff all wear cargo shorts, whine on about organic lactose-free dairy products and treat their CEO with religious deference," he says.

The game, Stuart concludes, is a "monstrous parody of modern life" and "ridiculous fun".

iOS 7 Coming Sept. 18

Apple's iOS 7 software finally has its launch date: Sept. 18.

The software has been in beta for months, but the new look and core redesign will finally make its ways into consumer hands soon. The company is calling the mobile operating system overhaul "the biggest change to iOS since the original iPhone."

iOS 7 will be available for download for iPhone 4 devices and later. The same goes for iPad 2 and later, the iPad mini and the fifth-generation iPod Touch.

Those words are certainly true. From new fonts, icons and a neon color palate to more gesture controls, universal search and camera functionality (with filters), iOS 7 is remarkably different than its previous versions — not only from a style standpoint, but also deep within how it works.

It's smart, too. It can learn where and when you commute to keep you posted on traffic alerts.

"It has a new structure, applied across the whole system, that brings clarity to the entire experience," Apple wrote on its iOS 7 webpage. "The interface is purposely unobtrusive. Conspicuous ornamentation has been stripped away. Unnecessary bars and buttons have been removed. And in taking away design elements that don’t add value, suddenly there’s greater focus on what matters most: your content."

Among its new features is the Control Center, which provides one-swipe access to the things you access the most on your phone. The multi-task interface and Safari browser were also refreshed. It also comes with AirDrop for high-speed sharing, allowing users to share files with other iOS devices.

Disturbing Videos Show Effects of Syria's Alleged Chemical Attack

In an attempt to convince the U.S. Congress to approve a military strike against Syria and the Bashar al-Assad regime for its alleged use of chemical weapons, the Obama administration is showing disturbing videos of the alleged attack's aftermath to legislators.

The videos show men, women and children dead, convulsing or shaking, in reaction to the alleged chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus on Aug. 21. Previously posted online, CNN obtained 13 videos that the administration is showing to senators in closed-door meetings ahead of next week's Congress vote.

The attack was allegedly carried out by the al-Assad regime, and the U.S. government believes 1,429 people were killed as a result. Videos of the alleged attack previously surfaced online immediately after it took place, but this appears to be the first time that the Obama administration is using footage obtained from the Internet to convince Congress that there is a need to punish al-Assad.

In its unclassified assessment on the alleged chemical attack, the White House cited social-media sources, referring to "one hundred videos attributed to the attack, many of which show large numbers of bodies exhibiting physical signs consistent with, but not unique to, nerve agent exposure."

On Sunday, CNN aired portions of the videos in a report, embedded below.

Warning: The following video shows extremely graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Gareth Bale finally departs Tottenham for Real Madrid in ‘record’ £86m transfer

Gareth Bale completed his move to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, for a fee Spurs – but not Real Madrid – insisted broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s world record.

While Tottenham said they had been paid €100m for Bale – £86m  – sources in Spain described the fee as €90m, or £78m. The record, before Sunday, was the £80m (€94m) that Real Madrid paid Manchester United for Ronaldo in 2009.

Bale has signed a six-year deal and will be presented at the Santiago Bernabeu, which has had a stage erected for a week, at midday.

After weeks of negotiations, the 24-year-old winger, the winner of the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year for his remarkable 2012-13 season, was confirmed as a Real Madrid player on the websites of the two clubs yesterday evening.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said Bale had only been sold because his head had been turned by Real Madrid. “Gareth was a player we had absolutely no intention of selling as we look to build for the future,” Levy said. “He is a player whose career we have fostered and developed and he was only a year into his new four-year contract.

“Such has been the attention from Real Madrid and so great is Gareth’s desire to join them, that we have taken the view that the player will not be sufficiently committed to our campaign in the current season.

“We have, therefore, with great reluctance, agreed to this sale and do so in the knowledge that we have an exceptionally strong squad.”

Bale released a statement on the Spurs website, hoping the fans would “understand this amazing career opportunity”.

He said: “I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date. I know many players talk of their desire to join the club of their boyhood dreams, but I can honestly say, this is my dream come true.”

The Spurs manager, Andre Villas-Boas, confirmed that Bale had gone  in the aftermath of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby.

“We have moved forward in our work, moved forward in our transfer activity,” said Villas-Boas, denying that the transfer saga had affected the start to Spurs’ season. “It hasn’t really had that kind of effect on us.

“Bale is an absolutely wonderful player, he is going to join Real Madrid, we wish him all the best. He has left us with great memories from last season, which I think every Tottenham fan cherishes, but he has moved on, we will move on as well.”

Spurs have already spent much of the fee on new recruits. Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, Roberto Soldado and Nacer Chadli all started the weekend’s game while Erik Lamela came off the bench. Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiriches were not registered in time. There was fear of a serious injury to Capoue, though, after the French midfielder was carried off following a challenge from Santi Cazorla.

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, was delighted with his team’s performance. “It was a convincing win in a very intense game. We showed aspects from our game that people are not used to seeing from us, that means commitment, desire, defending. Their keeper was their best player.”

Although Arsenal have only made two free signings, Wenger said he may surprise people with transfer activity on Monday, with Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil a target.

“We need one or two super players. We will try to add that. There are 24 hours left maybe we can surprise you, maybe not.”

Wenger insisted he was happy to spend. “I am ready to pay what we can afford. Even if it is a bit over the market as long as it is not crazy.”

Samsung Galaxy Gear Coming Sept. 4

Samsung will launch its smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, on Sept. 4 ahead of the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, Germany.

Lee Young-hee, VP of Samsung's mobile business, confirmed the date and some details about the device in an interview with The Korea Times.

“We will be introducing a new wearable concept device called Galaxy Gear at our own event in Berlin on Sept. 4," Lee said. He added that the Gear will not have a flexible display. "We are confident that the Gear will add meaningful momentum to the mobile industry."

Lee also confirmed Samsung's official launch of the Galaxy Note 3 at IFA, but he did not reveal any details about that device.

17.4% of Global Web Traffic Comes Through Mobile Devices

People around the globe are accessing the web via their smartphones more often than ever. So far in 2013, 17.4% of web traffic has come through mobile, representing more than a 6% increase since 2012 when 11.1% of traffic came from mobile.

Statista's chart below shows the increase in mobile web traffic over the last year, broken down by continent.

Mobile web traffic more than doubled in South America, the continent with the largest growth rate, where web access via mobile leaped from 3.2% to 6.8%.

Asia and Africa lead the planet as the two continents with the most-mobile web users, with 26.6% and 23.7%, respectively, of web traffic coming from mobile devices.

Click image to enlarge 

Apple iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner Allegedly Leaked

If you weren't already convinced that Apple's next iPhone could come with a fingerprint scanner, a newly leaked set of photos could change your mind. Images of what claims to be the internal components of Apple's iPhone 5S have appeared online, hinting that a fingerprint scanner could sit right near the home button.

French blog Nowhereelse.fr, which has been known to leak components for unreleased Apple products in the past, has published images that show the internal components of the alleged iPhone 5S. The photo set compares Apple's next iPhone alongside the current generation iPhone, outlining the key differences between the two handsets. One pair of images depicts a redesigned metal spacer cushion near the home button that features a new cut out for additional components. This has sparked speculation that a fingerprint scanner could be placed in this area, although there's no way to know for sure until Apple makes the announcement.

Rumors that Apple would place a biometric sensor on its future devices have spread ever since Apple acquired AuthenTec in 2012. Meanwhile, the company has published numerous patents describing fingerprint detection technology, such as the filing that it the US Patent & Trademark Office's website back in October 2012.

More recent evidence that Apple's next iPhone could include a fingerprint sensor has been discovered in code for the beta version of iOS 7. At the end of July developer Hamza Sood spotted a folder within the OS' beta titled "BiometricKitUI" with a UI description that read "a user being able to swipe the sensor on the iPhone's home button."

The addition of a biometric fingerprint scanner is just one of the many rumors surrounding Apple's next iPhone. While the device is expected to come with Apple's next generation A7 chip, more recent leaks have suggested that it will be available in a golden champagne color as well. This is out of character for Apple since it usually releases its flagship smartphones exclusively in black and white color options.

Apple may lay these rumors to rest on September 10 at its rumored pressed event where the next-generation iPhone 5S is slated to make its debut.

15 Career Milestones Everyone Should Reach by 30

Ever wonder what it's like to be 80 years old?

Oliver Sacks, a neurology professor at NYU, shares the truth about life as an octogenarian in a piece for the New York Times called "The Joy of Old Age. (No Kidding)." In the column, Sacks writes:

"I do not think of old age as an ever grimmer time that one must somehow endure and make the best of, but as a time of leisure and freedom, freed from the factitious urgencies of earlier days, free to explore whatever I wish, and to bind the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime together.
Isn't that beautiful?"

An 80th birthday is cause for celebration, but along the way other milestones matter too. For instance, the big 3-0.

By the time we say goodbye to our twenties, what should we have experienced in our careers?

1. At least one intern has addressed you as "Mr." or "Ms."

2. Seven words: moved from your parents' house for good.

3. Handled every schedule imaginable -- days, nights, weekends, weekend nights, holidays, holiday nights... you get the idea.

4. Written so many cover letters that you could pen an autobiography of failed job applications.

5. Had such a terrible boss that you questioned the very idea of working to earn a living.

6. Realized that your college major -- once a pivotal career decision -- really didn't matter all that much.

7. Slaved away in your office on a picture-perfect Sunday because, well, the work's just gotta get done.

8. After several years in the professional ranks, your résumé no longer has traces of college clubs and achievements.

9. Battle tested, you don't even flinch when the client says, "This isn't what I wanted. You'll need to do it again."

10. Maintained a 401k and contributed funds to the point that you can actually see it working.

11. Defused a stressful office situation by saying, "In my experience, here's what we should do."

12. Landed a nice raise and proceeded to buy something you would never get otherwise.

13. Elected to take an advanced education course (or pick up a new skill) because of the value it added to your career.

14. After bouncing from job to job, you finally see the value of a stable situation with long-term potential.

15. Been there and done that long enough to understand who you are and the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning. If your twenties were the decade to get knocked around, then may you spend the next ten years cashing in on the education.

Apple's 'iPhone 5S' to boast fingerprint sensor

By using a convex home button instead of the familiar concave design, Apple will be able to make room for the much rumored fingerprint sensor without losing precious internal space, according to well-informed KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo says Apple is using sapphire because of its resilience to scratches, which will thus protect the fingerprint sensor embedded within.

AuthenTec, the biometric security firm Apple purchased in 2012, uses leading-edge capacitive and RF technologies in its biometric chips, a method that images fingerprints differently than existing optics-based systems. Kuo believes the tech is superior as the sensor is not subject to misreadings due to the build up of detritus or dust.

Further, the analyst sees Apple's current one-button iPhone design as being an optimal fit for a fingerprint reader. With a single home button, consumers are less likely to be confused as to where to place their finger for scanning.

While a convex home button design grants added space for a sensor, the part will become more susceptible to scratches than the concave component Apple has used since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. To protect the sensitive sensor, sapphire glass, a material with a hardness rating second only to diamond, will be used instead of the current plastic composite.

The convex design lends itself nicely to a patent Apple filed for in June describing a method of encapsulating a fingerprint sensor package within a confined space.

Kuo predicts the sensor's inclusion will keep the iPhone well ahead of competing Android and Windows Phone handsets, possible presaging Apple's entry into secure mobile payments. The system could also yield a safer way to access Apple's cloud computing services like iCloud and iTunes.

Top 10 Smartphone Apps

Google Maps is the most frequently used mobile app in the world, according to GlobalWebIndex data on global smartphone users in Q2 of 2013.

The top three apps after Google's popular mapping tool are Facebook (44% of smartphone users), YouTube (35% of users) and Google+ (30% of users).

Statista's chart below tracks the 10 most frequently used smartphone apps in the world, based on percentage of smartphone users that have used the app in the past month.

Click image to enlarge

The Next Star of Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi

The wait is over: The next star of Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi.

The actor, 55, whose identity had been shrouded in secrecy for days, was revealed during a half-hour TV special broadcast simultaneously on the BBC in the UK and BBC America.

Capaldi was the bookies' favorite at the very last minute — so much so that betting was shut down. He has appeared on the show before, as a Roman noble in "The Fires of Pompeii."

The star of movies Local Hero and In the Loop, Capaldi is a Scottish actor best known for playing foul-mouthed Westminster spin doctor Malcolm Tucker on BBC series The Thick of It.

In the recent film, World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, Capaldi had a bit part as a doctor in the World Health Organization — that is, a WHO doctor.

Showrunner Steven Moffat said Capaldi had been on his mind when a replacement for 10th Doctor David Tennant was needed, but that his time had finally arrived following June's announcement that 11th Doctor Matt Smith would leave the show.

Apple Store Offers Free Downloads Through Its iOS App

Now the Apple Store app comes with a little extra oomph: a free download.

Starting Friday, Apple will offer one free app, iTunes download or iBook every week through its iOS app.

The app is traditionally used to purchase physical items from Apple’s store, book Genius Bar appointments and set up one-on-one learning sessions. Now, when you launch the app, the free download is listed on the launch page.

To use the download, first select a physical location by pressing the Store button at the bottom of the screen. Then, select your download of choice from the list of options on the launch page.

Tap the download button to launch iTunes and redeem a unique download code.

This week’s free download is Color Zen, which typically costs $0.99 to download. The relaxing game brings together different colors on the screen to make the entire screen the color of the border. It's easy to play and set to a comfortable soundtrack — highly addictive.

You can download the Apple Store app and Color Zen from the App Store now.

Microsoft Office Comes To Android Phones

Microsoft Office made big waves in mobile earlier this summer when it came to the iPhone, but now it's making an even bigger splash on the world's No. 1 mobile platform, Android. Starting Wednesday, Office 365 subscribers will be able to download and run the Office Mobile app for Android.

The Android version of Office only works on phones. Owners of Android tablets, just like iPad users, will have to settle for Office web apps since they won't be able to download the official app from Google Play (side-loading, of course, is always an option). Android phones must be running version 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" or later.

Like the iPhone version, the app is a free download, but you must subscribe to Office to run the programs. Subscribers are allowed to run Office on up to five mobile devices, which don't count against the five PCs or Macs that can install the desktop apps. Windows RT and Windows Phone devices don't count against either total. (Those numbers differ a bit for student or business accounts.)

One difference on Android: You can't buy a subscription to Office like you can in the iPhone app. (You'll have to go to the web for that.) But otherwise, you get the same Word, Excel and PowerPoint, optimized for the smaller real estate on a smartphone screen. Once you start editing in Word, for example, the "chrome" of the app disappears, letting you focus on the document.

SkyDrive is the default place to save documents and the programs work pretty much as they do on iPhone, albeit with Android functionality and design elements. Plus, Office subscribers get an extra 20GB of storage. Office Mobile for Windows Phone still has the home-field advantage over Android, though, with its ability to open copy-protected files and hookups to SharePoint and Lync.

We checked out Office Mobile on iPhone when it was released and liked its clean interface, obviously optimized for the documents everyone uses. The programs don't have the same breadth of features as, say, Google Drive, however, so there's room for Microsoft to improve. With the service coming online for Android users, the audience for those features will be that much larger.

The app is currently only available in the United States, but Microsoft says it will be available in dozens of other countries over the next "several weeks" — from Albania to Zimbabwe.

Second Gen Nexus 7 Is Still The Best Android Tablet

Google has beat Apple at its own Retina-display-thumping game. Meet the Nexus 7, the eye-popping 323-pixels-per-inch wonder.

It is, in a way, the (rumored) iPad Mini Retina wrapped in Android 4.3.

Here's the deal: If you can find most of the apps you need on Google's Play Store and would like a small tablet with the highest resolution display on any tablet to date (i.e., higher than the 9.7-inch Retina iPad and way higher than the iPad Mini), then the second-generation Nexus 7 may be a good choice.

How did this happen? Well, Google, Asus (the device manufacturer), and Japan Display Inc. (the display maker) have managed, for the first time, to slap a smartphone-density display on a small tablet.

Without getting too technical, the second-gen Nexus 7 uses a display technology (called low-temperature polysilicon, for those keeping score) from Japan Display that has been used, to date, only on phones like, ironically, Apple's iPhone 5 (which has a pixel density of 326, just slightly more than the new Nexus 7).

Maybe more ironically, Apple is considering the same technology for a future Mini Retina, according to Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. When that Mini would appear ranges from sometime in October (optimistic) to early next year (pessimistic).

Analysts have told me that the 7-inch 1,920x1,200 display on the Nexus 7 may be the upper size limit for Japan Display's ultra-high-resolution technology -- at the moment. In other words, JDI's tech is not quite ready to scale up to the larger 7.9-inch screen on the Mini.

Whatever the case, you can pick up the new Nexus 7 for $230 at some Best Buy stores as of Friday. That's about $100 less than Apple's cheapest Mini (which I also own) but with a much better screen and a faster (quad-core) processor.

That's a really tough hardware/price proposition for Apple to beat, in my opinion.
I like the Mini a lot. I'm not sure yet but I may like the second-gen Nexus 7 better. (I have to be careful, though. I've only had it for about 18 hours so the out-of-box wowness may be impairing my judgment.)

I will say this, though. Apple has its work cut out for it.

Could This Packaging Confirm Apple's Rumored Budget iPhone?

An image of what appears to be plastic retail packaging for Apple's rumored budget iPhone has surfaced on Chinese discussion forum WeiPhone.

There is speculation that the so-called iPhone 5C is the budget, plastic-encased device that would join the updated iPhone 5 — expected to be called the 5S — as part of Apple's fall product reveal. The image was first noticed by French gadget site Nowhereelse.fr.

What's more, some sites are reporting that the C could stand for "color," as the budget phone is reported to come in a variety of hues..

Nowhereelse notes that the user who uploaded the image on WeiPhone also mentioned the device in an earlier forum post.

Based on previous rumors that has covered, the budget handset is expected to look like a combination of the iPhone 5, the latest iPod touch and the iPod classic.

Apple has not confirmed reports about the rumored budget iPhone.

Foursquare Starts Showing Ads After You Check In

Next time you check in to a location on Foursquare, you may see an ad pop up right after.

AdAge reports that brands like Toys 'R' Us and Captain Morgan have started placing ads that appear after users check in to locations on Foursquare. Users who check in at a bar may see a Captain Morgan ad encouraging them to order specific drinks, while users who check in at a park may be shown a Toys 'R' Us coupon.

A Foursquare rep confirmed that the ads started rolling out over the last several weeks. According to the rep, Foursquare charges on a cost-per-action basis rather than a cost-per-click basis, meaning Foursquare only makes money if users click the ad to get more information or check in to an advertiser's physical location (such as a Toys 'R' Us store) within a certain period of time.

The post check-in ad product is Foursquare's latest attempt to boost revenue. Multiple reports claimed that Foursquare was on pace to generate just $2 million in revenue last year. Earlier this year, Foursquare raised $41 million to prove its business model can work.

What Controlled Robots of Pacific Rim?

In the movie Pacific Rim, humans build giant robots to fight enormous monsters that emerge from the ocean depths. Only they're not strictly robots: Each enormous machine is controlled by the brains of two pilots, since the mind of a single pilots can't properly control something so gigantic. It turns out that idea isn't as far-fetched as the rest of the movie.

The movie uses the dual-pilot interface as a source of character conflict and growth as the bond it creates between the two people links their minds in an intimate way. The more compatible the two minds are, the better the link, and the more effective the machines are at kicking giant monster butt.

Using minds to control machines is already a reality. Today's brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow people to perform some basic tasks such as moving a mouse, or even typing, just by thinking. The technology is based on the well-known medical technique electroencephalography, although today's applications comparatively crude to the fast, real-time movements shown in Pacific Rim.

As the movie depicts, a cooperative link could yield better results, and IEEE Spectrum found two studies that point in that direction. A study from the University of Essex showed that people were much more effective at controlling a simulated spaceship through a BCI when they were paired with a collaborator. Since working with a BMI is an "intense" experience, lapses in attention are compensated by the other person, Discovery reported.

The other study, published in the journal PLoS One, went beyond two-person control and looked at the effect of having groups of 5, 10, 15 and 20 people cooperate in controlling a BCI. The results showed substantial improvement in both the response time and the accuracy of a movement by the machine.

So are collectively controlled giant robots in our future? Probably not, but a collective BCI could lead to faster and better collaboration with digital tasks such as analyzing databases, or even gaming. But if giant monsters begin leveling cities, who knows?

'Glee' Star Cory Monteith Found Dead in Hotel Room

Cory Monteith, the 31-year-old actor best known for his role as Finn Hudson on Fox's Glee, was found dead Saturday afternoon on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in downtown Vancouver, the city's police department confirmed Saturday night.

"Mr. Monteith checked into the hotel in July 6th and was due to check out of the room today," Vancouver Police's Acting Chief Doug LePard said during a live streamed press conference. "There were others with Mr. Monteith in his room earlier last night, but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died.

"When he missed his check-out time, staff went to the room at noon and found his body."

No cause of death has been determined, although rumors about a possible drug overdose quickly spread online before the press conference.

Monteith has had a history with drugs, having checked himself into an addiction treatment facility in April, which wasn't his first stint in rehab.

An autopsy is planned for Monday and the coroner will issue a cause of death after that. He was dead for several hours before being found. LePard said, however, "all indications are that there was no foul play."

Monteith's final tweets — sent July 12 — were about Syfy's TV movie Sharknado

Foursquare Targets Feature-Phone Users With New Nokia App

Foursquare unveiled a new app designed for feature phones on Tuesday, specifically targeting Nokia's range of Series 40 handsets.

S40 is a software platform used on the Finnish company's line of mid-range feature phones, as well as on its Asha series, which are marketed as low-end smartphones. Foursquare will be preloaded on new Asha devices worldwide when they hit the market in several months.

"Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Nokia S40 phones, and now they'll all have access to Foursquare," the location-based social network said in a blog post.

In fact, last year, Nokia said it sold 1.5 billion units of its S40 phones. With mobile consumers in developing markets opting to buy feature phones over costlier smartphones, it seems the Finnish company is tapping into the lucrative low-end handset market.

Last week, Nokia debuted two 3G-capable feature phones — each selling for $68 — that are specifically designed to provide users with quick Internet access.

Foursquare launched its original S40 app back in 2011. Those who own an S40 phone can get Foursquare's updated app in Nokia's Ovi Store.

Android's Jelly Bean Usage Surpasses Gingerbread for the First Time

Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, has surpassed Gingerbread as the dominant operating system for the first time.

According to the Android Developers' Dashboards section, 37.9% of users are running Android version 4.1 and 4.2 on their smartphones, while Gingerbread (2.3) slips into second place with 34.1%. Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) takes third place with 23.3%.

As for Android's less popular versions, Honeycomb (3.2) clocks in at 0.1%, while Eclair (2.1) and Froyo (2.2) have 1.4% and 3.1%, respectively. Donut (1.6), the OS' earliest version, still maintains 0.1% distribution.

Gingerbread has proven to be an enduring platform. Last month's Dashboard report said 2.3 was present on 36.5% — the majority — of Android devices, according to 9to5Google. At the time, Jelly Bean had 33%.

These stats confirm that Android remains fragmented, especially in comparison to Apple's closed ecosystem for iOS. However, judging from its trajectory, Jelly Bean may soon eclipse all other OS versions.

Data for the most recent Dashboard report is based on the number of Android devices that visited the Google Play store within a 14-day period that ended on Monday.

Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, ends 77-year British drought

WIMBLEDON, England — No need to chin up, England. Wimbledon is yours again.

On a brilliantly sunny Sunday afternoon, No. 2 Andy Murray knocked off top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, ending 77 years of British anxiety.

Scotland's Murray, 26, is the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry won the last of three consecutive in 1936.

One year after a crushing defeat to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, Murray returned to the All England Club lawns to capture his second Grand Slam title after last year's U.S. Open, where he beat Serbia's Djokovic in five sets.

Murray also won last year's Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon, and ran his unbeaten string on grass to 18-0.

Meeting in their fourth major final — and third in less than a year – the world's top two players and defensive standouts exchanged many grueling groundstroke rallies. A few went 30 shots or more.

Murray was steadier, taking advantage of the Djokovic's lackluster serving and bouts of error-prone play.

He seemed energized by the nearly 15,000 fans on sold-out Centre Court and thousands more watching the big screen from the grounds, storming back from a 1-4 second set deficit to put six-time major winner Djokovic on the ropes.

After dropping his first four Grand Slam finals, Murray, who skipped the French Open with a bad back, ran his record to 2-6, having lost to Djokovic in January's Australian Open final.

'Supermoon' Full Moon Rises Tonight: Watch It Live Online

The biggest and brightest full moon of 2013 graces Earth's skies tonight (June 23), and armchair astronomers can get great views of this "supermoon" without even leaving the comfort of their homes.

The online Slooh Space Camera will air a free supermoon webcast tonight at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on June 24), featuring live high-definition views of Earth's nearest neighbor as seen by an observatory in the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa.

You can watch the Slooh supermoon webcast on SPACE.com, or follow the action at Slooh's website.

Supermoons occur because the moon's path around Earth is slightly elliptical. Distances between the two bodies vary from 225,622 miles (363,104 kilometers) at the closest lunar approach — known as perigee — to 252,088 miles (405,696 km) at the most distant point, called apogee.

When perigee and a full moon coincide, the result is a supermoon, which appears about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at apogee.

"This unusual perfect confluence of lunar perigee and full moon will create the highest tides of the year," Bob Berman, contributing editor and monthly columnist for Astronomy magazine, said in a statement. Berman will participate in Sunday's hourlong show, along with a Slooh broadcast team.

"We can expect expose-the-sand lows and lap-the-boardwalk highs on Sunday and especially Monday, since the oceans usually require a day to catch up with the behavior of the moon," Berman added.

Tonight's supermoon comes just two days after the northern summer solstice, when the sun appeared to shine farthest to the north of the equator. Friday (June 21) was the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and marked the start of summer there. (It signaled the beginning of winter for folks in the Southern Hemisphere).

"This is thus a 'solstitial moon' as well. The visual effect is to make this the lowest-down full moon of 2013," Berman said. "And since lower moons tend to be orange-yellow or amber, shining as they do through more than twice as much reddening air and moisture, this lunar experience should give us a true 'honey moon' all night long. Moreover, lower moons look larger thanks to the famous 'moon illusion.'"

The "moon illusion" is a mysterious optical effect that makes the moon look much bigger when it rises behind objects on the horizon than it does high up in the sky.

'The Sopranos' Star James Gandolfini Dead at 51

Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano in The Sopranos has died. He was 51.

HBO confirmed to on Wednesday that Gandolfini died while vacationing in Rome, Italy. Reports suggest the cause was a possible heart attack.

"We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was [a] special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect," the network wrote in an emailed statement.

"He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us."

Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders, Gandolfini's managers, also expressed their sadness.

"Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving."

Gandolfini garnered widespread acclaim and three Emmy awards for his turn as the mercurial head of the Sopranos family. The HBO drama aired for eight years, from 1999 to 2007.

Facebook Gets Hashtag Support

Hashtags are coming to Facebook to help users better surface conversations.

Support for the all-but-ubiquitous topic organization system was rumored in March and will roll out to a small percentage of users Wednesday. Facebook will roll out hashtags to more users in the coming weeks.

The social network wants to make it easier for users to find content already on Facebook, and functional hashtags are the first step. According to Facebook, many users already post hashtags anyway, so why not make them work. Hashtags will be both clickable and searchable, so, for example, topics like #NSALeaks or #NBAFinals will now exist.

Hashtags from other services, such as Instagram, are clickable as well. Users will also be able to compose posts directly from a hashtag feed and search results. That could make adding real-time content to specific streams easier than before.

Twitter user Chris Messina created in 2007 the hashtag as we know it today. Twitter eventually adopted the system of organizing tweets around a certain subject into its API and its broader ecosystem. Since then, the hashtag has been adopted by other services, including Flickr, Tumblr, Google+ and even Facebook-owned Instagram.

Eyeball Licking: Fetish that makes teenagers sick

The popularity of the bizarre practice, sometimes called 'worming', has been blamed for a rise in cases of conjunctivitis. And it freaks us out just to think about it.

Warning: don't read this if you're eating, prone to sudden bouts of queasiness or unable to even think about Un Chien Andalou without simultaneously bursting into tears and dry-heaving. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience here.

Because this is an article about oculolinctus, an eye-licking fetish that is currently sweeping across the schools of Japan like, well, like a great big dirty bacteria-coated tongue sweeping across a horrific number of adolescent eyeballs.

Sometimes known as "worming" – which somehow makes this whole thing worse – oculolinctus is being blamed for a significant rise in Japanese cases of conjunctivitis and eye-chlamydia, which is actually a thing. It's apparently seen as a new second-base; the thing you graduate to when kissing gets boring.

The craze is thought to stem from a music video by Japanese emo band Born (there's a chance that the eyeball-licking scene was only included to distract everyone from the fact that the song sounds like it belongs on a menu screen for an EA Sports game about snowboarding from a decade ago, but at this point that's just speculation).

Tumblr, inevitably, is filling up with drawings and unnecessarily close-up photographs of the act, and YouTube is no stranger either. One theory about why it has taken off so spectacularly is down to the sheer number of nerve endings in the cornea. The eyeballs are incredibly sensitive because they need to detect grit and other small particles, and the sensation of oculolinctus is supposedly akin to that of toesucking.

Unwilling to try it myself – because my tongue isn't long enough, I don't want eye-chlamydia and just writing about this has made me retch uncontrollably – I can't tell you firsthand if that's true. Luckily, one student from the US Virgin Islands with an oculolinctus fetish has explained: "My boyfriend started licking my eyeballs years ago and I just loved it. I'm not with him any more but I still like to ask guys to lick my eyeballs ... it turns me on."

However, the dangers of oculolinctus are very real. As well as spreading pink-eye like nobody's business, there's also a risk of corneal scratching, which can lead to ulcers and blindness. Plus, there's a strong chance that you'll have to go to school the next day in an eye patch. At least with lovebites you could just throw on a poloneck jumper and be done with it.

Hopefully oculolinctus won't catch on here and will remain one of those peculiarly Japanese fads such as bagelheading (injecting saline into your forehead until it swells out of all proportion, yaeba (undergoing dental surgery to give you crooked teeth) and shippo (wearing a neurologically controlled tail that reveals your moods). Because frankly, if oculolinctus does ever make it to these shores, I'm never going to be able to look at a lychee again.

All About the iOS 7

There is, I believe, a perfect mobile operating system, one ideal way of handling mobile activities on a smartphone or tablet. Apple, Google and Microsoft, maybe even Blackberry, are all headed to this common destination.

But on Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Apple proved that it’s the furthest down that road. And that should surprise no one.

iOS 7, the most radical reimagining of iOS since its inception in 2007, was met with cheers of approval and, in some spots in the cavernous Moscone hall, standing ovations. From where I sat, it was deserved.

We all knew this was coming: A flattening of the interface: Less overt polish and skeuomorphism, a new look and feel brought to you by the architect of Apple aesthetic, Jony Ive. Personally, I was worried. Apple’s iPhone interface remains my favorite among smartphone platforms. I didn’t see enough wrong with it to require a rethink, but then I probably wasn’t thinking deeply enough about the mobile OS.

Taking away reflections and make-believe bubblish curves is not exactly a major accomplishment. In the case of iOS 7, it appears to be in service of radically different approach to interface mechanics. The new iOS is quite lovely — the new color palette manages to make a nearly entirely flat interface bright and bold. But clearly, the goal is for it to get out of the way.

By stripping away more than one layer of artifice, the user gets that much more quickly to what they really care about: the content, their contacts, the music, and their photos.

iOS 7 is not averse to a bit of flash. The new Safari method of handling browser tabs is both smart and spectacular. It’s like a rolodex with unlimited cards. Similarly, the new wallpapers don’t just sit behind your newly flat icons: You can turn the phone one way or another to see more of the wallpaper image behind the icons. It’s a neat trick, and about as glamorous as the new iOS gets.

Apple also manages with iOS 7 to undo its biggest design mistake: Game Center. I have no idea why they thought it should look like a craps table. Now it’s mostly white space and bubbles. That’s better, though I still think it was the one iOS 7 area that looked somewhat out of step with the rest of the OS.

Destination: Awesome Mobile OS

There’s a concerted effort in iOS 7 to not waste space or your time. More system apps, like Safari, are full screen. The new Control Center offers instant access to system features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Airplane mode, ones I probably access multiple times every day. I usually have to dig into iOS settings to get to them. In iOS 7, you just swipe from the bottom. It's plain smart.

Speaking of smart, I’m excited to try out the new Photo app. It looks miles better than the current version, mostly because Apple seems to really understand how we use our iPhones and what happens with our overwhelming collection of on-device images. I want my phone to organize my images for me, because I know I never will.

Even Siri’s relatively minor enhancements were music to my ears. I love that she (or he) can now act on a system level. For as aware as the voice assistant was of the content on my phone and the web, I was always disappointed that Siri didn’t seem to know her own home –- the iPhone. Now I can tell her to change the brightness settings. I expect to be able to enact all sorts of hardware-level changes through voice control.

I also know I’m not the only iPhone user who will thank Apple for introducing auto-app updates. Yes, I know that those updates will probably have to happen when Wi-Fi is available. If it’s really smart, the phone won’t update big-ass apps like Asphalt 7 until you plug it in at night. Still, I won’t shed a tear when I say goodbye to that little AppStore message reminding me I have 57 apps updates to download and install.

There are plenty of under-the-hood enhancements, most notably smart app management (more cycles for your most-used apps) and multi-tasking across all apps. When we quizzed a developer about the day’s most important iOS enhancements, the first thing he mentioned was multitasking.

The Road to Perfect

Yes, there were moments when I recognized a little bit of other mobile OS’s in iOS 7 — probably no more so than when Apple showed off “Today.” The dark screen, crisp, white typography, and the effort to bring together all you should know about that day in one place: it reminded me of the way Windows Phone 8 collects all that you need to know about, say, connection activities.

The more these mobile OSes change, the more they become the same as each other. It's a sign that the mobile space is no longer fresh. It’s a mature business where consumers have a set of expectations about how things should work.

Each mobile OS I’ve seen this year is getting to that destination of the perfect mobile OS. I truly believe they’ll all meet in the middle. Visually, there will always be differences, but the way our smartphones work will be more and more the same.

The only question is how fast Apple, Google, Microsoft and Blackberry get there. Some come on a galloping horse, others a race car. And Apple? I think they may just have strapped a rocket ship onto iOS.

Google Close to Buying Waze for $1.3 Billion

The bidding war for crowdsourced navigation app Waze has reportedly been won by Google, which will pay "more than $1 billion" for the startup, according to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. Update: The newspaper later added that the deal will be worth $1.3 billion.

The deal hasn't been finalized yet, but according to the report, Google agreed not to lay off Waze workers at its development center in Israel, and will allow the company to continue its development in Israel "for at least three years."

According to the report, the conditions of the deal will keep Waze CEO Noam Bardin at the helm of the company, and Waze will retain its brand and won't be integrated into Google.

A deal for the free social-powered navigation app for iPhone has been in the works for a few months, with the bidding for Waze reportedly involving Facebook and Google.

On May 24, Apple was also rumored to be considering a bid for Waze earlier this year, but on May 28, Apple CEO Tim Cook denied that Apple made a bid for Waze.

Game of Thrones Red Wedding

Did it feel like everyone was talking about the "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones on Monday? Actually, they weren't.

The show got 367,000 mentions on Twitter, according to Twitter. That broke the previous record of 277,000 mentions for the show's season premiere, and is a high number of tweets for scripted dramas — but doesn't come close to the number of mentions of live shows like sports and award ceremonies. For instance, this year's Super Bowl got 24 million mentions, more than 50 times the "Red Wedding" mentions. Twitter's data on scripted shows isn't hugely extensive, and the platform's audience grows each year — making the concept of keeping a record moot.

Facebook didn't release any stats for "Red Wedding."

The episode, which featured the brutal murder of several of the show's main characters, drew 5.2 million viewers Sunday night, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Eye-Fi Launches New, More Affordable Mobi Memory Card

Eye-Fi — a wireless SD card maker — launched a new memory card for photographers on Monday that can send photos and videos to your smartphone or tablet device at a lower cost than its predecessors.

The new Eye-Fi Mobi replaces the standard SD memory card in your digital camera, and with its built-in Wi-Fi, the card sends photos to your smartphone even without a Wi-Fi network or Internet connection. This ability to send photos to smartphones is nothing new: Eye-Fi added that functionality back in 2011. But with Mobi, the whole process to transfer photos is more streamlined. The card pairs with an iOS or Android app through a unique 10-digit code, and photos are then shared in real time.

The new Mobi card's price — $49.99 (8 GB) and $79.99 (16 GB) — is lower than its more robust sister product, the Pro X2 ($99.99 for 16GB), making it appear that Eye-Fi is positioning it for the recreational photographer. The pricier Pro X2 has all the same features but can also transfer photos in RAW format and can connect with desktops.

These wireless SD cards are useful for professional photographers who might have real-time deadlines or for anyone wanting to share a DSLR photo quickly on social media. If you've ever accidentally formatted or deleted your card's contents, Eye-Fi cards are also convenient for automatically sending a backup of your photos to another device.

However, if you're simply a casual, point-and-shoot camera user, it may not be as worthy of an investment, considering many modern smartphone cameras rival standard digital camera photo quality and already have Internet connectivity.

Yahoo Shuts Down Mail Classic and Forces Users to Upgrade

Yahoo is discontinuing older versions of its email client — including Mail Classic — starting this week, the company announced.

"Beginning the week of June 3, 2013, older versions of Yahoo! Mail (including Yahoo! Mail Classic) will no longer be available," it said in a Yahoo! Help post.

After Monday, users can only access their Yahoo email accounts if they upgrade to the new version. The company said users should have received an email informing them of the mandatory upgrade.

Getting the new version of Yahoo Mail means that users accept its Communications Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which includes "the acceptance of automated content scanning and analyzing of your communications content, which Yahoo uses to deliver product features, relevant advertising and abuse protection," the post said.

Those who want to opt out of contextual ads can do so by changing their settings on Yahoo's Ad Interest Manager.

Yahoo lays out two options for users who don't want to use the latest version of its email client: downloading Yahoo Mail using IMAP or simply closing their account.

Last December, Yahoo Mail underwent a major redesign, unveiling changes to its web, iOS, Android and Windows 8 apps. Its web-based version includes fewer buttons crowding the screen, search improvements, as well as more space to view and compose emails.

"We've redesigned the new version of Yahoo Mail with speed in mind — getting through your emails is faster than ever before," CEO Marissa Mayer said in a blog post at the time.

LG Won't Make Another Google Phone

LG will not make Google's next Nexus device, the Nexus 5, despite previous rumors.

In an interview with Dutch website All About Phones, Won Kim, vice president of LG Mobile Europe, indicated that the company has no plans to produce another Nexus device, in part it seems because the company doesn't need to.

"The Nexus 4 was a great success, despite the production problems for us and Google. However, we do not need such a marketing success again," Kim said in the interview.

Furthermore, Kim said, LG doesn't plan to make any of its future devices available as “Google Editions" without the preinstalled LG software.

There is "no added value" for LG without its own skins, Kim said.

Samsung announced a Google Edition of the Galaxy S4 earlier this month at Google’s annual I/O developer conference. This Google Edition will ship running stock Android, without any preinstalled Samsung software.

Nexus devices run a pure version of Android without manufacturers' skins. In 2010, HTC produced the first Nexus device, the Nexus One. Samsung released the next two Nexus phones, the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus.

Wordpress 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago today, the first public release of WordPress became available. Initially started as a fork of the little-known blogging platform b2/Cafelog, WordPress has grown to be the largest CMS in the world, powering an astounding 18% of the web.

Nearly 70 million websites run WordPress and it's hard to understate the impact that the software has had on the world of digital publishing. Hundreds of high-profile websites, including blogs from CNN, The New York Times and Reuters, all use WordPress.

WordPress was started by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little and the open-source software has grown to include thousands of contributors. Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and one of the biggest stewards in the development of the platform as a whole, announced last week that it had raised $50 million in a secondary stock transaction.

WordPress started as an easy, free way for users to publish their own content. If you had a web host that supported PHP and MySQL and you knew how to use FTP, getting WordPress installed took, famously, under five minutes. Today, most web hosts have one-click install buttons so that users don't even have to bother with FTP. Hosted offerings from WordPress.com and others are also abundantly available.

Moreover, WordPress is no longer just about blogging or personal publishing. As recently as 2010, I was reticent to call WordPress a true CMS but that's clearly no longer true. Full web applications are run on WordPress. Shopping cart systems, Twitter analytics services and even robust WordPress site management solutions can all be built on WordPress.

Plus, the larger ecosystem around WordPress — including plugins, themes, specialized hosting providers and custom solutions builders — is mammoth and still growing. Mullenweg told me earlier this year that his goal for WordPress is for it to be the "platform or operating system" for the web. That goal is coming closer to fruition with every passing month.

What's interesting is that, as WordPress has become more powerful, it has created room for more writing-focused platforms such as Medium, Svbtle and Ghost.

To celebrate 10 years of WordPress, the WordPress community is having special Meetup events across the globe. There is also a special microsite dedicated to tweets, photos and memories associated with WordPress.