Tuesday, December 27, 2016

This December Samsung Has You Covered


Holiday season is here and wherever you plan to go for your summer vacation, you want your holiday to run smoothly and free from worry.



Therefore, why not consider to download Waze or an equivalent map service from the app store, to ensure you find your destination with ease. Perhaps you want to consider loading the latest weather app, to be forewarned of the weather conditions for your holiday. You may even have obtained a calendar of the most exciting events in the region you are travelling to.

However, all this will be in vain if something happens to your mobile device and you find yourself far from home, requiring repairs. Unless of course, it is a Samsung product, as service assistance for all devices and appliances are available during holidays - via multiple channels - across the country.

Should you be staying in one of the major metropolitan areas, you will be able to make use of Samsung’s cyber-booking facility to quickly book the repair in advance. Cyber-booking is designed to expedite faster and more effective service and is available across the Samsung customer service plazas in Johannesburg, Midrand, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

“By using this facility, you provide the service centre with early notification, enabling it to ensure that the relevant parts or spares are in stock by the time you bring the defective product in. This means that the repair, if possible, should be done within the hour, so you don’t waste half your holiday waiting around for your device to be fixed,” says Richard Chetty, Director for SSA Service at Samsung South Africa.

He adds that if you are not near one of the major cities, you may still visit the Samsung website and seek out the service locations nearest to you.

Travel without concerns knowing that issues with any of your devices can easily be dealt with. But what do you do if, for example, your fridge experiences problems while you are away? You certainly don’t want to come home to a freezer full of spoilt food.

The answer is quite simple, explains Chetty. “Ensure that your house-sitter or emergency contact has the details for Samsung support channels, along with the warranty details for your Samsung appliances. They can then contact us for help on 0860 726 786.”

There are a number of options to choose from. They could utilise Samsung’s Online Chat service, where experts are available to talk the customer through a range of troubleshooting options. If this service could not assist in resolving the problem, the agent will then contact the service centre number to log a call for the customer, in order to provide Samsung’s in-home service. These repairs will be done free of charge, as long as the product is still within its warranty.

“Ultimately, Samsung is committed to breaking down barriers and deliver on our clients’ requirements as speedily as possible, even if they are not at home when these requirements need to be met. We have a committed service infrastructure in SA, backed up by multiple support channels. These include phone, e-mail, live chat, remote service and cyber service. This means that you are able to relax on the beach, comfortable in the knowledge that Samsung will provide the safety net for repairs on all your appliances and devices,” concludes Chetty.


For more information, log on to: http://www.samsung.com/za/support/ or 
call: 0860 726 786.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Blackberry Announces World's Most Secure Android Smartphone - DTEK50




DTEK50 delivers BlackBerry’s unmatched security, privacy and productivity to price conscious
Consumers and businesses

BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, recently announced that DTEK50TM, the world’s most secure Android smartphone, is now available at ShopBlackBerry.com. DTEK50 is BlackBerry’s second smartphone powered by Android, following the PRIV.

Fully equipped with Android Marshmallow 6.0, DTEK50 combines BlackBerry’s unique security, privacy and productivity with the full Android experience in an alltouch design, at a price point that’s accessible for consumers and ideal for enterprise fleet deployment.

“We take our customers’ privacy seriously. That’s why we’re proud to have all the security and privacy functionality that’s built in our newest Android smartphone. DTEK50 merges the unique security and connectivity features BlackBerry is known for with the rich Android ecosystem,” said Ralph Pini, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, Devices, BlackBerry. “DTEK50 adds to BlackBerry’s lineup of secure smartphones, providing choices to our customers with different price points on both BlackBerry 10 and Android platforms.” Android Security at the Forefront

In a recent survey1 of Android smartphone users, BlackBerry found that 50 percent believe their smartphone is only somewhat secure, and what’s more, despite data security fears, one in six Android users don’t know about Android security patches.
“With an increase in cybercrime on smartphones, people need to recognize that the private details of their lives – where they live, their bank info, pictures of their kids – are at risk on their personal device. You wouldn’t leave the doors of your house unlocked at night. Having a smartphone that doesn’t take your privacy seriously is the equivalent,” said David Kleidermacher, Chief Security Officer, BlackBerry. “It’s equally important for businesses to protect their sensitive data from cyberattacks at all points of their mobile environment – from the device to the network and servers.”

DTEK50 was designed to address the security and privacy needs of today’s uncompromising Android users. Smartphones are increasingly being targeted for cyberattacks through tactics like malicious apps, scareware notifications and insecure WiFi connections. BlackBerry’s Android smartphones, including DTEK50 and PRIV, have unique built in hardware security.
DTEK50 encrypts all users’ information, including business critical data and personal data such as pictures, videos and contacts. Malware protection is also built in along with backup,
wipe and restore capabilities.

Additional software provides users with visibility and control over which apps get access to personal info or device features such as the microphone or camera. BlackBerry also delivers security patches on the same day that Google publicly releases information about them, while many popular Android smartphones put the users’ private information at risk of being hacked due to slow security updates.

Features that make DTEK50 the most secure Android smartphone, include:
· Rapid Security Patching: BlackBerry has a record of being the quickest to deliver security patches, setting the bar in incident response and patch management to protect your device from malicious threats.
· DTEK™ by BlackBerry App: Enables users to automatically monitor their OS and apps to know when their privacy could be at risk and to take action to improve it. The DTEK app also tracks applications and notifies you when someone is: taking pictures or videos without your knowledge, turning your microphone on, sending a text message, or accessing your contacts or location.
· Hardware Root of Trust: BlackBerry’s manufacturing process uses a proprietary technique that adds
security from the start, allowing for the tracking, verification and provisioning of DTEK50.
· Secure Boot Process: Starting with the root of trust, each stage of DTEK50’s secure boot chain must first verify that the next component is fully intact before proceeding, ensuring your device has not been tampered with since the last restart.
· Android OS hardening: BlackBerry provides additional security patches, improved random number, address space generation and certificate pinning to make it more difficult for attackers to target a device by scrambling application/system memory.
· FIPS 1402 Compliant Full Disk Encryption: Protects your private information, like pictures or bank information, from being stolen if you were to lose your phone.

Ready to Work
DTEK50 combines the world’s most secure smartphone with BlackBerry’s enterprise management solutions to produce a powerful device capable of powering any work day. Key features include:
· Android™ for Work and Google Play™ for Work: Allows for fast, simple and secure
integration with an enterprise environment as well as easy access to numerous rich business and
ITmanaged apps.
· Full Enterprise Mobility Management Support: DTEK50 supports BlackBerry’s powerful suite
of EMM applications and secure productivity solutions, including: WatchDox by BlackBerry for
secure filesharing, Good Work for businessclass email and collaboration tools, Strong
Authentication by BlackBerry as a VPN solution, SecuSUITE for Enterprise for secure voice and
instant messaging communication, BBM Protected for encrypted messaging and BES12 for secure crossplatform management.

Design Meets Function
DTEK50, BlackBerry’s thinnest device ever, represents the best of BlackBerry with Android to make users more productive and responsive, pairing security with intelligent design. Key features include:
· BlackBerry Intelligent Keyboard: DTEK50 has a smart keyboard designed to learn from users and increase typing accuracy and speed. It provides word suggestions as you type and includes up to three languages, letting you flick them into place for faster conversations.
· BlackBerry Hub: This unified inbox is an irreplaceable tool for consolidating all of your messages in one place – whether it’s email, calendar, social or phone calls.
· Customizable BlackBerry Convenience Key: With the press of a button, the Convenience Key
provides quick access to your most used applications and more.
· Stunning Screen: DTEK50 has a 5.2” full HD display, capable of displaying 16 million colors.

The screen is made of scratchresistant glass and features a specialized oleophobic coating to protect against smudges and fingerprints.
· Expandable Memory: With support for micro SD cards up to 2 TB, DTEK50 provides the flexibility to add affordable and hotswappable memory to download, install, capture and share as your needs evolve.
· Dazzling Camera: DTEK50 is engineered to deliver professional looking photos with an 8MP front facing camera and a 13MP autofocus rear camera. Plus, features like Phase Detection Auto Focus and a dualtone LED flash are designed to help the camera focus instantly and accurately for a blurfree, realistic looking photos, even in low light.

Availability and Pricing
DTEK50 is available to order from ShopBlackBerry.com in the US, Canada, UK, France,
Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands.  DTEK50 will be available in a number of channels around the world, including more than 40 partners from electronics stores, carriers, VARs and distributors. This includes Rogers, Bell, TELUS, WIND, Videotron and SaskTel among others in Canada. In the U.S., DTEK50 will initially be available in Best Buy, B&H and Amazon. Availability of DTEK50 in additional global channels and countries will be announced in the coming weeks.



For more information on DTEK50, go to BlackBerry.com/DTEK50.
Follow all updates related to DTEK50 on the Inside BlackBerry blog here and on our YouTube BlackBerry Channel here.

1 Survey was administered to 8,000 Android smartphone users between 35 and 54 years old in the US by using
Google Consumer Surveys. Responses were collected from April 8 to 13, 2016.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

New platform by QNX


NEW PLATFORM BY QNX TO INCREASE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS

By: S’nenhlanhla Mnqayi

QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited announced the latest addition of its portfolio of automotive safety products, which is the QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters.

This new platform is set to enable the customers to deliver compelling user experiences of their vehicles while addressing stringent safety requirements.
Digital instrument clusters constitute is one of the fastest growing segments in automotive electrons. It uses its sophisticated 2D and 3D graphics, these devices can display traditional instrument cluster information, such as speed and RPM, as well as rich, context sensitive information supplied by other vehicle subsystems, including turn-by-turn directions, local speed limits, rear-view camera video and collision warnings.

According to the Strategy Analytics, the combined demand for hybrid and fully digital instrument clusters will increase from 8.7 million units in 2015 to 42.2 million by 2023.
QNX has become the leading software supplier for vehicle infotainment, with deployments in over 60 million cars. Since 2009, QNX technology has also been powering digital instrument clusters in vehicle brands such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, Corvette, Jaguar and Range Rover.
According to this leading technology company, these QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters builds on expertise to help customers create cluster solutions that offer a superior user experience while satisfying stringent safety requirements.

The new QNX’s platform that offers a comprehensive solution for instrument cluster developers includes, the QNX OS for Safety, an ISO 26262 that supports all of the automotive safety integrity levels, from ASIL A to ASIL D, a 2D/3D graphics framework that is based on Open GL and it works together with the ISO 26262 for functional safety standard, a software framework that projects safety-critical cluster functions and a reference implementation with source code, that gives developers a jumpstart on building fully digital instrument clusters.
“We are seeing growing interest in ISO 26262, which has emerged worldwide as a leading standard for automotive functional safety, especially in the software domain,” said Heinz Gall, Head of the Functional Safety& Security Business Unit.

To further accelerate development, the QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters will support application design tools from members of the QNX automotive ecosystem, such as Crank Software’s Storyboard Suite, DiSTI Corporation’s GL Studio, Elektrobit’s EB GUIDE, and Rightware’s Kanzi UI software.

This rich selection of tools will enable customers to choose the UI technologies and design approaches that best address their project requirements.
“QNX has become an automotive leader by offering comprehensive, one-stop solutions that allow customers to focus on differentiation and time-to-market, rather than on low-level
integration efforts,” said John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of QNX Software Systems.
He also added that “The new QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters brings this proven approach to the digital cluster market, enabling faster development and helping customers reduce the effort and risk of qualifying their end-products to safety standards such as ISO 26262.”
The QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters is scheduled to be available to select customers under an early access program starting in August 2016.


For more information you can visit this site www.qnx.com  and follow @QNX_News.


A DIFFERENT APPROACH BY QNX IN MANAGING IN- CAR ACOUSTICS

By: S’nenhlanhla Mnqayi

QNX launched the acoustics software and already it has shipped in over 50 million automotive systems.

QNX Software Systems Limited, in subsidiary with Blackberry Limited announced that its acoustics software for hands-free voice communication has been given a lot of support particularly in telematics and infotainment systems.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) encourages automakers to adhere to standards for in-vehicle call quality that QNX Software Systems helped to develop.
“The quality of hands-free communications can make or break the driving experience, which is why so many automakers and tier one suppliers rely on QNX acoustics technology. It is engineered to enable the best possible UX, to eliminate the cost of dedicated hardware, and to simplify the tuning of complex acoustics systems,” said John Wall, the Senior Vice President and Head of QNX Systems.

About 20 automakers, including Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, GM and Honda, now use this newly introduced QNX acoustic software to enhance the user experience of their vehicles, and every 2.5 seconds it works well with these vehicles.

He also added and said that, “Being deployed in over 50 million systems by nearly 20 automakers is a testament to the value that our acoustics expertise brings to the industry, and to the trust customers place in our production-proven technology.”

It has been confirmed that QNX acoustics technology runs on a rich choice of automotive hardware and software platforms, such as the QNX Neutrino OS and it has been deployed in over 60 million vehicles worldwide.

This leading systems company has brought in these systems to improve the quality of communicating inside the vehicle so that everyone can be heard and the driver to be heard as well. By implementing these systems it will create a sense of having a distraction-free experience.
The QNX Acoustics for Voice offers better quality calls through support for Voice-over-IP calling and Voice-over LTE technologies and they provide with these software systems:

QNX In-Car Communication

A revolutionary technology that enhances the driver’s voice, allowing the passengers in the back seats to hear the driver clearly, even when the vehicle is driving at highway speeds.
This type of system helps in such a way that instead of the driver turning around or shouting to be heard, the driver can speak normally and continue to focus on the road without being disturbed.
QNX technologies for improving in-vehicle sound quality
This includes QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control, which reduces the low-frequency engine “boom” noise caused by modern fuel-saving techniques, and QNX Acoustics for
Engine Sound Enhancement, which enables automakers to create and maintain unique engine sound that enhance the appeal of their vehicles.

This includes QNX Acoustics for Active Noise Control, which reduces the low-frequency engine “boom” noise caused by modern fuel-saving techniques, and QNX Acoustics for Engine Sound Enhancement, which enables automakers to create and maintain unique engine sound that enhance the appeal of their vehicles.
QNX Acoustics Management Platform (AMP)

This system combines all of the above technologies into an integrated solution. QNX AMP allows automakers to manage the total sonic experience of their vehicles, while reducing system costs and complexity.

For more information you can visit this website www.qnx.com and follow @QNX News on Twitter. For updates on the company’s automotive work, follow @QNX Auto and visit qnxauto.blogspot.com.

Monday, June 13, 2016

13 Ways To Help You Snap Like A Pro




CartierBresson is widely regarded as one of the greatest photographers of all time and once said, “To photograph is to hold one’s breathe, when all faculties converge to capture fleetingreality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”

Murals - Shot using the #LGG5 by Fred Felton


LG's latest flagship, the G5 gives users the opportunity to fully experience the joy of photography. Here are 13 ways to get you snapping like a pro.

1. Accessing the manual mode:
One of the best ways to start capturing those significant moments with the LG G5 is by accessing the manual mode. To access the manual mode, you’ll have to tap the 3dot icon at the topleft
of the screen, which brings up the three main modes: Simple, Auto and Manual.
The manual mode allows you to control the white balance, focus, exposure, ISO, shutter speed and AEL.
The white balance allows you as the user to alter the colour tone, compensating for unnatural lighting or to create skewed colour effects.
The purpose of the ISO is that it determines the sensitivity of the sensor. When choosing darker
environments to take pictures, you will need to use a higher setting. The AEL, locks the xposure, letting you use the light level as a creative effect, making shots either much brighter or darker than the G5 would normally use.

2. How to use manual mode to get noise free shots
All you’ll have to do is set the ISO to 200 (it goes down to ISO 50), then use the shutter speed control to see how slow you need to go for low noise results. The benefit of using the G5 is that it has optical image stabilisation (OIS), you can make the shutter go fairly slow and still get sharp photos.

3. Shooting RAWs
RAW files are what you get when you take the 'raw' information from a camera sensor, before reducing the noise level and smoothing things out. Using RAWs allows you to do your own processing, often ending up with a finer detailed image.
The G5 allows you to shoot RAWs by simply accessing the manual mode and tapping the second icon from the bottom of the screen, over on the left column. This will allow for the shooting of RAW and JPEG files, rather than just JPEGs. RAWs come out as a file known as DNG (Digital NeGative file).

4. Using the second camera as "zoom out"
The G5 has dual cameras (16 MP f1.8 main camera has 78degree angle view and the 8MP additional camera captures a 135degree super wideangle image) to take your digital photograph to the next level. It has a new, unique feature like pop – out photo, capturing more with the zoom out. In the camera app you can switch between lenses via a button, and when using the digital zoom the camera switches seamlessly between the two modules. The autofocus is assisted by a laser that measures the subject distance.

5. Use the main camera for the best image quality
The 16MP wide angle camera of the LG G5 is the best Android camera on the market giving users a fisheye effect in every shot. What it means for the users is that the camera allows you to fit much more of the scene into a single photo.

6. Changing photo and video resolution
Should users want to play with different size images for that perfect selfie, they can switch to 4:3 or 1:1 images by tapping on the cog icon at the bottom left of the screen and selecting the top option in the menu that pops up. As well as changing the shape of photos, they can also alter the video resolution. The G5 normally shoots 1080p video users can levelup
to UHD (the exact resolution of '4K video').
7. Video stabilisation
For that perfect steady shot users can find the option for video stabilization near the bottom of the camera. For that perfect steady shot users can find the option for video stabilization near the bottom of the camera settings menu, which you access by tapping the cog icon. Tapping on this flicks between SteadyShot stabilisation and OIS, if you're using the standard camera lens in Auto mode. The former is what most phones use, a digital enhancer that uses the edges of the frame as a buffer to smooth out any movements. This leaves you with a slightly more 'zoomedin'
view than you get when taking photos. That's one reason why you might use OIS instead, which uses the little camera stabilisation motor to keep your footage smooth.

8. Simple mode is great for simple photography
Simple mode is found by tapping the 3dot icon at the top left of the camera app.
Simple mode takes away almost all custom features you get with the other options. All you do is tap on the object on which you want to focus and the LG G5 camera app both focuses and takes a shot as quickly as possible.

9. Shortcut key for instant photos
In the main phone Settings menu, go to the General tab and then select Shortcut key. In here you'll see a flick switch for Quick Shot. Make sure it's switched on. This lets you press the volume down button twice quickly when the phone is off to fire up the camera and take a photo.

10. Timelapse + wideangle camera = cool movies
The G5 has several 'creative' modes in its camera app and Time Lapse is one of the more interesting ones. This shoots video, but at 1/15 the normal speed. That means it takes two frames a second rather than the usual 30. Use this with the wideangle camera and you'll get footage that resembles some of the stuff GoPros are used for in action sport footage.

11. Use the grid display for landscape photography
The G5 has a grid option to stop those uneven photos and help you align or center pictures properly. What it eans for the user is that you get another reference point of where to lineup
the horizon, as well as helping you work out what you want the focus of the picture/image/photo to be. You'll find Grid at the very bottom of the camera app Settings menu, accessed by tapping on the cog icon.

12. Use 30sec exposure to make something special
The G5 can keep its shutter open for up to 30 seconds. What it means for the user is that it merges all the light information from that halfminute stint into a single image. What one can do while using the 30sec longexposure photography is shoot a road where car lights turn into streaming neon lines, and create noisefree night shots that almost look like daylight photos.

13. 360 Cam
The G5 is the only Android smartphone on the market that comes with a series of module accessories (Friends) that fit onto its bottom and one in particular where users have been raving about is the 360 Cam. The LG 360 CAM provides 2K video and 5.1 surround channel recording on three microphones to help users effortlessly create highquality 360degree contents. Having secured a partnership with Google, images taken with the 360 CAM can be uploaded to Google Street View and YouTube360, adding the fun of sharing creative content with others.

Reference: http://www.techradar.com/howto/phoneandcommunications/mobilephones/13lgg5cameratipstogetyousnappinglikeapro1321899

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