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Five best iPad Mini accessories

By: iPadfanzz Editor on March 31, 2013

Lots of people are buying the iPad Mini, the whole iPad in small size. After spending some heavy bucks on its purchase, it is time to search for some accessories which will enhance your overall experience with the tablet. There are lots to choose from – stands, speakers, cases or a stylus – and it will be amazing how these tech add-ons can transform your iPad Mini into a kitchen helper, mobile workstation, on-the-fly photo editor, and much more. We’ve made the process easier for you by giving our list of best iPad Mini accessories.

JBL SoundFly BT — $179

It’s tiny yet powerful Bluetooth speaker for your iPad Mini. It’s a compact music device that plugs directly into a wall outlet. The idea is good as you don’t need any wires, shelf space or expensive receivers and all you need is a blue tooth enabled audio device. JBL makes two versions: one is SoundFly BT, which costs $180 and is designed to stream from any Bluetooth-enabled device and second is SoundFly Air which costs $200 and works over Wi-Fi to stream from Apple hardware via AirPlay. The SoundFly gives you 20 watts of music, which is loud enough for most rooms. JBL uses Computer-Optimized Equalization (COE), which examines the frequency range of the audio stream you’re playing and applies equalization to make sure the speaker still sounds good. There’s also some compression at work to help reduce distortion. After plugging the SoundFly into the wall, you’ll hear a voice announces the product is ready for pairing. It says “JBL SoundFly is in pairing mode” but it sounds like “JBL SoundLie…” After pairing, the same voice tells you the pairing is done. Since there isn’t a remote or LCD screen for the device, the rest of the setup has to take place on your phone or tablet. You can stream from any app that makes sound.

LumaGuard — $24

LumaGuard is a protective sticker that covers 90 per cent of the device's aluminum. It comes in colors like clear, matte, and reflective aluminum white. These colors are bound to make your Mini look like one of new iPod touches. Pair it with a screen guard and you’ll get most of the protection you’ll need, with almost none of the bulk




Uzibull Ekto Mini - $29.95

Uzibull's $30 Ekto for the iPad Mini is a rugged silicone soft shell case that gives the Mini the shock absorbing power and makes it extra tough. The Ekto has an internal arrangement of cells that protect Mini on all sides, especially on the corners and edges where you generally need the most protection. The Ekto case is raised to add even more protection if you lay it facedown, or if you accidently drop your iPad. There are ribs of silicone on the back and on the inside of the case that give it further protection. The Ekto Mini is 5/8" thick allowing it to fit it Bretford, Anthro, Datamation, Ergotron and other top carts.


iPad SD Card Reader -  $20

If you love photography and want to get photos or video from your camera or SD card onto your new Lightning dock enabled iPad 4 or iPad mini, then iPad SD Card Reader comes as a good solution. It’s simple to use — connect the cable to your iDevice, then connect the camera. The Photo app then launches and you can choose which photos and videos to import.


Speck CandyShell Grip - $44.95

Speck CandyShell Grip is a glossy hard plastic case lined with soft rubber on the inside, using a Speck-pioneered material bonding technique that offers great protection, while making installation and removal super-simple. CandyShell Grip’s parallel and perpendicular rubber stripes running across its sides and back, adds modern-looking hand grips to every part of the mini. Speck’s port holes and speaker vents are nicely tailored giving enough room for both slightly oversized headphone and Lightning plugs to smooth functioning.  The side switch and camera hole are also good, while the tiny microphone hole is adequate. The Grip case comes in four bright colors.


The world's top porn search terms revealed


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 31, 2013

The world’s most popular internet porn searches are out and the results are surprising. A research has revealed the unusual and often bizarre tastes of porn fans around the world. The list has been compiled by pornography search engine PORNMD which had created an interactive global map regarding the searches.


In North America, the preferred search term is 'MILF', (an acronym of “Mother I would Like to %^&$”), followed by "Teen" and "College". However, there were significant differences between certain states.

While among the British users, it was "British", followed by "Indian" and "MILF" - an acronym referring to pornography featuring older women.

Porn fans in Ukrain, for instance, were most likely to search for "Raincoat (gay)", while in Romania the top term was "Mom and son".
\
The most popular term in Syria was "Aunt". In Iran, the sixth most popular search term was "Hotel businessman (gay)".


The porno patriots nations were Britain, Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, as people here prefer searching for women or men from their own countries.

In Finland, the most searched items included senior citizens with 'mature' and 'granny', while in Hungary the term 'woodman' rates highly.

In North America, where internet porn is a billion dollar business, tastes varied wildly from state to state. In the southern states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina 'Ebony' is the most popular term used.

Porn users in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Indiana, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota, Maine, Missouri and Oregon prefer 'Teen'. However, Californians prefer 'Asian', in Vermont it is 'lesbian.'

Unusually, the top searched term for down under (Australia), was 'aussie (gay).'

HTC One with 64GB will be an AT&T exclusive in the US


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 31, 2013

The HTC One with 64GB will be sold exclusive through AT&T Wireless providers in the United States. The HTC One will be debuting in North America shortly.


AT&T Wireless will also carry the 32GB version of the flagship smartphone. The smartphone suffered production issues due to short supply of hardware parts. According to the company, the supply delay was caused because the company chosed to build the device using premium hardware components which take more time to product are often in shorter supply.

AT&T has not given an exact launch date for the forthcoming HTC flagship. The most specific details available so far is April.

The HTC One comes with premium build quality. A precision machined aluminium body is seamlessly joined to the rest of the phone using a technique which leaves no gaps. It weighs 143g and is quite comfortable and sturdy in hands. This is then carried across with the 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm dimensions which put it as being just slightly thicker than the iPhone 5. The HTC One is a full-spec quad-core Android phone with a heavily customised version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 4.7in HD screen and a camera that HTC describes as the best on the market. The HTC One runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, quad-core, 1.7GHz processor with 2GB DDR2 RAM. The quad-core CPU grants the HTC One the power required to run the latest games and tackle applications without issue.

The smartphone comes with HTC’s latest version of its Sense UI which makes it cleaner and hassle free. The most notable addition is BlinkFeed, a news aggregator that can be customised using your social networks and by adding a number of compatible news sources. The HTC One has a 4.7-inch 1080p Full HD display sporting a ludicrous 468ppi. It’s a really good panel that produces dazzling levels of contrast and colour reproduction.

The HTC One sports a 4MP ‘Ultrapixel’ camera. All the camera sensors of the device are broken up into tiny photosites, each photosite then translates into one pixel. This means that it collect more light and then in turn produce much better looking photos.

The HTC One has a 2300mAh battery which in contrast struggled to cope with the demands of that massive screen and hungry processor, so it is difficult to get an entire day of usage out of a single charge.

Clearly, a lot of now riding on the new smartphone, to pull the company out of the doldrums. However, the competition is going to be tough given the fact that Samsung has already launches Galaxy S4 in the markets and other mobile handset makers are too coming out with their offerings. HTC is laying down all of its chips on this phone, making it a gamble it can ill afford to lose.

Gaming console OUYA starts shipping to Kickstarter backers with 104 games, at $99

By: iPadfanzz staff on March 29, 2013

Just as promised, the Kickstarter-funded, Android-based gaming console OUYA has started shipping March 28.

The console offers 104 published games, and all are for free. The titles include Final Fantasy III, Beast Boxing Turbo, Stalagflight and more.

The general availability of the OUYA will be from June, which will also give the project enough time to gauge the early adopter enthusiasm.

In the US, the consoled will be available on stores like GameStop, Target and Best Buy or they can get it from Amazon for $99.99.

Regarding usage, as soon as users boot up OUYA, a software update will happen, and the backers promise it to be super fast. Also, users will have to enter credit card details before they download games, even free ones.

OUYA’s backers say the software is bound to be upgraded many times before the OUYA becomes available to everyone, which should happen in June.

Amazon to buy book-recommendation site Goodreads


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 29, 2013

Amazon, the online retail behemoth, which has also ventured into into publishing, has just bought Goodreads, the social book-recommendation site for an undisclosed sum.


"Amazon and Goodreads share a passion for reinventing reading," Russ Grandinetti, Amazon vice president for Kindle Content, said in a statement on Thursday. "Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world."

Given that lots of physical stores are closing or are in the process to shut down, Internet sites holds even greater importance to tell readers what they should read.

Until the purchase, Goodreads was a rival to Amazon as a place for discovering books. Goodreads is well known for being a reliable independent source of recommendations. Co-founded by Otis Chandler, whose family once published the Los Angeles Times, Goodreads has more than 16 million members, who have generated more than 23 million reviews.

Already Amazon owns part or all of Goodreads’ competitors, Shelfari and LibraryThing.

According to Chandler, Goodread’s management team would remain in place to guard the reviewing process that had made the site attractive to its 16 million members.

Commenting on the deal, Amazon's VP of Kindle Content, Russ Grandinetti, said the two companies will work together "to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike." The acquisition should provide some useful reading data to Amazon and help the ecommerce giant create more of a social reading experience around its Kindle offerings, perhaps giving it a leg up on competition from Apple and Google.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

Apple adds 'Why You'll Love iPad' section to website in new campaign direction


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 29, 2013

Apple has extended the "Why You'll Love…" campaign to include the iPad and iPad mini. The new page now includes lots of the same features as its partner iPhone section, touting awards from J.D. Power and Associates, battery life, apps and more.

The webpage focuses on the unique properties of both the iPad and iPad Mii. It takes into account features such as the full-size iPad's Retina display and the iPad mini's portability.

The tech giant appears to be taking a more aggressive stance in advertising its iOS device lineup, especially in view of the fact that lots of products are now being introduced to compete with Apple.

Tips to improve battery life of your iPad Mini


By: iPadfanzz Editor on March 29, 2013

If you read the technical specifications for the iPad and iPad mini, Apple claims 10 hours of battery life for the iPad Mini, and 9 hours using LTE. That’s equivalent to the larger fourth-gen iPad, and iPads in general going back to 2010. Apple also claims that both will support up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video or listening to music. However, lots of iPhone 5 and iPad mini users are saying on Apple’s discussion forums, that Apple’s recent iOS 6.0.2 release is draining battery life quicker than usual — even when the devices go unused for long periods of time.



The iPad mini features an integrated 16.3Wh battery, easily smaller than the 43Wh unit in the iPad 3/4 but even smaller than the 25Wh used in the iPad 2. The mini suffers a decrease in battery because of the same internals like the iPad 2,4, but with a substantially smaller battery.

Apple claims that a properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain up to 80 per cent of its original capacity at 1000 full charge and discharge cycles. So, the question is how to treat iPad battery to extend its life? Here are some tips that you can use to maintain proper battery life of the iPad mini.

1. Fully recharge the iPad Mini’s battery at least once per month.

2. It can become critical to drop the battery charge to low (a charge of less than 5 per cent can be risky as lithium-polymer cells being near their critical voltage drop the charge very sharply, leaving you with a completely dead battery) The good practice is starting charging the Apple device when you see that battery charge is less than 10 per cent. Remember, over discharging will shorten the overall life of the battery.


3. In order to prevent failure, never store the battery fully discharged. Charge it before storage, and then charge fully before use.

4. Make it a routine to charge the batter more often. A high residual charge before recharge is a benefit rather than a disadvantage for chemistry of Li-Pol battery on all iPads. Always keep the battery in the range of 40 per cent and 80 per cent charging levels. Battery between these levels is also useful when the gadget is not in use. The charge loss comes at up to 6 per cent per year when battery is fully charged, but only 2 per cent per year when it is half-charged.



5. Do not keep the iPad Mini charing for the whole night since it shortens the battery’s lifespan.

6. Avoid iPad from both overheating (> 35 °C)and undercooling (< 0 °C). The optimal temperature for IPad is 22 °C. Apple claims that temperature is the most important factor that influence the lifespan of iPad battery.

7. Do not put any leather case while charging the battery as it stops the ventilations and makes the internal temperature to rise during the charging process.



8. Always turn the wi-fi off when the battery is not in use, and/or adjust screen brightness, and/or minimize the use of location services, and/or turn off push notifications, and/or turn off push mail, and/or increase Fetch New Data interval, and/or turn off push mail, and/or turn off the sound effects (if they are frequent and as they are activated by default). To do them go the Settings.

Best stands for your iPad Mini

By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Every month scores of iPad stands are being introduced at online and physical stores. While some of them are good in terms of built and looks, few lack durability and strength test. We've scoured the Internet for the best iPad stands so that you’d be happy to see holding our devices in place. Here is our list:


Bamboo iPad Mini Stand [$19.95]
Bamboo iPad mini Stand
Bamboo Panel iPad Mini Stand [$28.95]
Bamboo Panel iPad mini Stand
Universal Clear Tablet Stand [$9.99]
Universal Clear Tablet Stand
Cellet Hand Stand [$19.99]
Cellet Hand Stand
Mobile Stand [$15.39]
Mobile Stand
Skadoosh Mini Stand for iPad Mini [$59.95]
Skadoosh Mini Stand for iPad Mini
Incipio FIXIE Universal Tablet Stand [$36.95]
Incipio FIXIE Universal Tablet Stand
Smarter Stand [$14.99]
Smarter Stand
IntraStand Mini iPad Stand [$123.00]
IntraStand mini iPad Stand
Oak Log iPad Mini Stand [$95.00]
Oak Log iPad Mini Stand
Pad Relax Mini for iPad Mini [$49.90 - $54.90]
Aluminum Alloy Stand Holder [$8.19]
Durable Peacock Stand [$12.99]
Earpod Stand [$9.95]
Just Mobile Slide [$39.95]

Here’s how to back up, wipe and restore your iPad


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Are you planning to sell or giving away your iPad? In case it is so make sure that you delete your personal information and data from the device. It is also advisable if you back up your data and erase and then restore data in order to improve the performance.



Before you begin, install the latest version of the iOS software of iTunes. Now plug your iPad into computer. Now on the iPad screen click “back up now.”

After the iPad finishes backing up, unplug it and go to the Settings and click on “general” and scroll down to “reset.” Then select “erase all content and settings.” If you are sure that you’ve backed up your data, then begin the erase.

Once done, the iPad will ask you for information like which Wi-Fi network you’d like to connect to. When you complete this, it will ask you if you want to set up your iPad as new or restore information from a previous backup. Then choose appropriately.

Now plug your iPad back into your computer.

In iTunes a “Welcome to your new iPad” screen should appear.

Apple’s iPhone arrives on T-Mobile, is it a good deal?


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Nearly six years after making its debut, the iPhone will finally be available on the T-Mobile wireless network. The carrier confirmed that it would begin selling the iPhone 5 on its just-launched 4G LTE network beginning April 12.


T-Mobile is selling the iPhone starting at $99 up front, no contract, followed by 20 months of $20 payments on top of monthly pre-paid data plans. In comparison, other carries like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, require two-year contracts on purchasing a subsidized iPhone. You can also purchase the iPhone at full price on T-Mobile and nix the $20 monthly fees.

In addition to the iPhone 5, T-Mobile will begin selling a number of other big-name 4G devices: the Samsung Galaxy S4, BlackBerry Z10, Samsung Galaxy Note II and HTC One. The company also announced that it has started selling its own wireless hotspot, the Sonic 2.0 Mobile HotSpot LTE.

T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network will debut in seven major markets: Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Washington, D.C. The carrier’s coverage by mid-year will include 100 million Americans, and double that by the end of 2013.

The iPhone was originally launched as an exclusive with AT&T in 2007. Verizon started selling the iPhone 4 in January 2011, and Sprint began selling the iPhone with the launch of the 4S.

In a statement T-Mobile said it is getting rid of device discounts and service contracts to offer a "radically simplified" installment payment plan on a "full device portfolio." The new plan will also allow customers to upgrade phones when they want.

The plan start with unlimited talk and text messaging with 500 megabytes of data downloads for $50 per month for the first line, and increase to $60 a month for 2 gigabytes of data, or $70 a month for unlimited data usage.


BlackBerry results: 1 million Z10s sold, but 33,000 customers leaving every day

By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

BlackBerry's latest results are in and they are not too good. The company says it shipped 1 million BlackBerry Z10 handsets to customers, mainly in the UK, 370,000 PlayBook tablets, but lost 3 million subscribers. In total the company sold over 6 million smartphones. 


For the three months that ended on March 2, the Canadian smartphone company reported a profit of $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share. Excluding items such as its cost-savings program, the company reported an adjusted EPS of 22 cents. Its sales suffered a decline of 36 percent to $2.68 billion.

The Z10 sales include figures from only a few early launch markets. Results from the U.S. aren't part of the fourth quarter. 

The company witnessed a major loss in terms of subscribers as it lost 3 million subscribers over the last quarter as its customers ventured elsewhere. BlackBerry says it has 76 million subscribers, down from 79 million last quarter, and 80 million the quarter before. The decline clearly underscores the challenges the company is currently facing.

Experts suggest that the reason for such strong gross margins is because the Z10 is a more profitable device than older models.

"We have implemented numerous changes at BlackBerry over the past year and those changes have resulted in the Company returning to profitability in the fourth quarter," said Thorsten Heins, president and CEO of BlackBerry. "With the launch of BlackBerry 10, we have introduced the newest and what we believe to be the most innovative mobile computing platform in the market today. Customers love the device and the user experience, and our teams and partners are now focused on getting those devices into the hands of BlackBerry consumer and enterprise customers," he added.

The key for BlackBerry is to tap into the new customer base which is created by the sales of BlackBerry Z10 and the company's next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system. The OS is giving a fresh start for BlackBerry, and one that the company hopes will turn its fortunes around.

Angry Birds attraction opens at Kennedy Space Center


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Rovio's wildly popular game franchise is hosting an interactive exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 4,485-square-foot, seven-exhibit attraction now includes making your own digital Angry Bird, playing the Eggsteroid Slingshot, and traversing the Danger Zone Mirror Maze and Red Planet Laser Challenge.


"Angry Birds Space Encounter is both a fun and education experience," Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the space center's visitor complex for Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, said in a statement.

The Angry Birds exhibit is also educational. "Concepts of human space exploration are incorporated into Angry Birds Space Encounter, reflecting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s ongoing mission to encourage young people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields of study," Moore said.

Belkin launches new Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad

By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Belkin has announced the online availability of the Ultimate Keyboard Case, ($99.99 for black, $129.99 for white), which is also a combination Bluetooth keyboard and protective folio case. The keyboard case will start shipping to select retailers in May.


The new Ultimate Keyboard Case measures 6.4mm thick and fully wraps around the back of Apple's tablet, protecting the unit and also offers a QWERTY keyboard. It also includes a magnetic stand that allows for three different positions for typing, letting users choose their own optimal viewing arrangement. The magnetic sensors automatically turn keyboard on or off.



Also, when you are not using the keyboard, you can simply fold it back behind the device, thus hiding the keyboard and making it suitable for reading, watching movies or playing games. The case also has SoundFlow design, which pushes sound from the iPad's rear speakers toward the front of the device, making the audio sound clear.

The aluminum alloy case weighs just over a pound, and its internal battery allows for 160 hours of typing in between full charges. It's compatible with the iPad 2, the third-generation iPad, and the fourth-generation iPad.

The Ultimate Keyboard Case is available for pre-order now on Belkin's site.

Microsoft names seven countries where Windows Phone is outselling iPhone


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 28, 2013

Microsoft mouthpiece corporate vice president of corporate communications Frank X Shaw says Windows Phone is outselling the iPhone in seven nations. Six were Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine, while the seventh "country" was actually a group of smaller nations that the IDC categorizes as "rest of central and eastern Europe."


“Windows Phone has reached 10 per cent market share in a number of countries, and according to IDC’s latest report, has shipped more than Blackberry in 26 markets and more than iPhone in seven,” Shaw said in a blog.

While the report showed Android to be the king of virtually every region, the report also revealed interesting results for Windows Phones.

The report indicates that Windows Phone outsold the iPhone in a smattering of emerging markets, where the high price of iPhone creates hindrance. The fact that Windows Phone has outshipped the iPhone in these markets is not surprising, as Argentina, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and "rest of central and eastern Europe" classify as emerging markets, while India and South Africa are newly industrialized.

It must be noted that success of Windows Phone in a market like India is pretty big as it is a huge smartphone market, but other regions like Ukraine, South Africa, and "rest of... Europe" (smaller countries) are all markets of 100,000 or less smartphone units annually.

IDC also noted that either Windows Phone or Windows Mobile was present on 17.9 million phones. For a little perspective, 23.9 million Symbian phone shipped in the same time, as did 32.5 million BlackBerries and 135.9 million iPhones. Android ruled the roost with 497.1m shipped.

Overall, it seems like that to a very little extent it is good news for Microsoft as it is obvious that Microsoft is doing good in poor nations.

Google now offering Nexus 7 in India


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 27, 2013

Google is finally brining its “pure Android” tablet Nexus 7 to India soon at Rs 15,999 (above $300). Made by Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Asus, the Nexus 7 tablet runs Android Jelly Bean and is available through the Google Play store. Google Play lists a ship date of April 5 in India.


Nexus 7 is touted to be the lightest tablet in the market and comes with 16 GB and 32 GB flash memory variants. It has a 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen and packs a 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 NVIDIA Tegra  processor. There’s also a 1 GB RAM which makes browsing a breeze. The Nexus 7 has Wi-Fi support (No GSM slot). The WiFi-only device is reasonably well-priced to compete with the likes of the iPad mini.

The table comes preloaded with Google Now which the company says brings the right information, at just the right time. “It tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, or if your flight is delayed. All of this happens automatically, with cards appearing at the moment you need them,” it says.

Nexus 7 comes with a front-end camera for video-calling. The device comes with 4,325 mAh battery.

The tablet offers the advantage of large storage of apps and other mobile content available through Google Play.

In a price sensitive market like India, the price point offered by Google is just right and it remains to be seen how things work out for Google here.

Review: Nokia Lumia 520

By: iPadfanzz Editor on March 23, 2013

Nokia has announced the launche of Lumia 520 in the Indian market, a part of company's campaign to conquer emerging markets and first-time smartphone buyers. The 520 is Nokia's most affordable Windows Phone 8 Smartphone, which offers a rich selection of advanced features and innovations available only in high-end Smartphones. The launch of 520 is a strong effort by the Finnish handset maker to build the momentum in Lumia series and create a winning ecosystem.









On the outside, it is pretty much hard to distinguish from its high-end siblings. In short, it is a low end Windows 8 budget handset but isn’t a slouch either. It has 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, with a 4-inch WVGA display, 8GB of storage, and a 5-megapixel rear camera. However, Nokia has nixed NFC support, and there's no front facing camera for Skype and other video calling apps.

With 9.9 mm thickness, the device may feel a little bulky in the hand, but at just 124g its weight is evenly distributed across the unit. It is slightly thinner than the Lumia 620, matching the Lumia 720's 9.9mm (0.39 inch) thickness. Underneath the removable rear cover there's space for Micro SIM and microSD slots, so the storage is expandable up to 64GB.

The 5MP camera of 520 has no flash, but the company used the same digital camera lens lenses found on the flagship (and rather heavy) Nokia Lumia 920.

There’s a standard microUSB on the bottom, a headphone jack on the top and a small speaker on the bottom rear of the device. The controls include - the sleep/wake button, camera shutter control and volume controls are on the right side of the device. In hands the 520 feels like any other Lumia smartphone and like the 620 and 820, you can get different colour covers which can be switched around easily.

The 520 comes with a reasonably sized 4in IPS display with a resolution of 480x800. Although it do not match the full HD displays, yet for a price tag of $193.26 (Rs 10,499 in Indian currency), it is among the best screens available. According to Nokia, the 520 screen can be touched even if you're wearing gloves and will also respond to input from your fingernails. The company has used this feature in the company's flagship Lumia 920 device, so it's good to see it on an entry level smartphone.

The 520 comes with all the standard Windows stuff, like the full suite of Drive, Transit, Maps and Music apps. The apps have been rebranded from 'Nokia' to 'Here', so they're now called Here Maps, Here Drive and Here Transit, though Nokia Maps retains its existing name.

The device has got Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for the wireless data connectivity. The device is capable of operating well on 3G HSDPA and 2G cellular network and needs the microSIM to be inserted.

The handset is available in five colours and will roll out in the United States with T-Mobile.

Early verdict

If you are a first time smartphone buyer and want to experience the Windows 8 then it surely makes a good choice. However, if you truly want a Windows 8 phone with all the exclusive features then you have the option of higher versions of Lumia series. Overall, the smartphone has got powerful specs and you’ll find most features interesting with no lag in performing functions.

Specs:

WCDMA / HSPA+ 21Mbps 900/2100, 850/1900/2100; GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
5MP rear camera, 30fps 720p video record
119.9 x 64 x 9.9mm
124g
1GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU
512MB RAM
8GB onboard storage, microSD up to 64GB
4.0-inch WVGA IPS LCD display, 2D hardened glass, super sensitive touch for glove use
1,430mAh battery
WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Integrated aGPS, 3.5 mm audio connector, micro-USB with charging, USB 2.0 High Speed.

Glassdoor: Employees rank Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg as CEO of the year


By: iPadfanzz staff on March 23, 2013

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has been ranked top chief executive in a Glassdoor survey of what current and former employees think of how top bosses are leading companies. With a near perfect approval rating, 99 percent of Facebook workers endorsing the way he is running the world's leading social network, according to Glassdoor, an online community devoted to careers and workplaces.


Explaining the reason of the top 10 CEOs coming to the top of the heap? Glassdoor CEO Robert Hohman, said: "While anyone can assume a position in leadership, not everyone garners their employees' support for how they lead the company."

Glassdoor compiled its figures based on more than half a million company reviews submitted by employees between February 25, 2012 and February 24, 2013. Glassdoor gave each voter the chance to pronounce himself "very satisfied," "satisfied," "neutral," "dissatisfied," or "very dissatisfied" with their bosses.

One anonymous Facebook employee in the company’s Menlo Park headquarters was quoted as saying: “An open community from Zuck on down. Mutual trust companywide and sense of community and drive, instilled by our CEO, who we all truly respect.”

Out of list of 50 highest rated CEOs, twenty were the tech CEOs, starting with SAP's Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe sacking 2nd place.. Also on the list were Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs in 8th place, Google's Larry Page in 11th place, Salesforce's Marc Benioff in 13th place, Amazon's Jeff Bezos in 16th place, Oracle's Larry Ellison in 46th place, Dell's Michael Dell in 49th place, and more. Here are the top 10 CEOs as per Glassdor.



Top10 winners:
 
1. Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg
99% Approve
 
2. SAP

Bill McDermott & Jim Hagemann Snabe
99% Approve
 
3. McKinsey & Company

Dominic Barton
97% Approve
 
4. Ernst & Young

Jim Turley
96% Approve
 
5. Northwestern Mutual

John E. Schlifske
96% Approve
 
6. Cognizant Technology Solutions

Frank D’Souza
96% Approve
 
7. EMC

Joe Tucci
96% Approve
 
8. QUALCOMM

Paul E. Jacobs
95% Approve
 
9. U.S. Bank

Richard K. Davis
95% Approve
 
10. Accenture

Pierre Nanterme
95% Approve
 

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