Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Winning hearts and minds: Taliban says their app will be back in the Play Store 'soon'

Winning hearts and minds: Taliban says their app will be back in the Play Store 'soon'

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The Taliban resurgence back in some Afghanistan provinces hasn't gone unnoticed by the State Department, the Pentagon, the Russians and even ISIS, not to mention the local authorities that are trying to fight their grand return. Thus, the Taliban are facing an uphill battle, and, as every self-respecting insurgency, are in need of some public relations effort to spread their message.


Winning hearts and minds these days means winning the digital message, or, as the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed puts it, "part of our advanced technological efforts to make more global audience," that is why the Taliban came up with their own Android app. Called Alemarah (Al Emarah), and written in Pashto language, the app aimed to disseminate the fundamentalist group's point of view, which, if the Taliban's Twitter account is any indication, consists of often made-up news, tailored statements, video footage and pseudo-analysis.



So far so good, but here comes the fly in the honey. As soon as Google found out that the Taliban have concocted a brand new app and managed to upload it to the Play Store without much trouble on Friday, the gang from Mountain View apparently pulled the plug without much ado. The only reply from Google's spokespeople were in the realm of "While we don’t comment on specific apps, we can confirm that we remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies." 


Well, these policies do include hate speech and terrorists content that propagates their "achievements," so it's not hard to fathom why Google brought Alemarah down. There is still hope for the Taliban's PR department, though, as, according to the group's spokesman Mujahed, the app has disappeared due to "technical difficulties," and should be back soon. We'll see about that - for a group that sniffs at cell phones and other decadent Western influence, the Taliban sure seem like a tech-savvy bunch.


source: Bloomberg & Quartz
 Survey: Most smartphone users aren't pleased with their wireless carrier and are ready to switch

Survey: Most smartphone users aren't pleased with their wireless carrier and are ready to switch

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According to a survey conducted by Accenture, the majority of smartphone users are not pleased with their wireless carrier, and are ready to switch. A few years ago, consumers didn't know what they should expect from a wireless provider. But with the number of global consumers sporting a smart device rising from 26% in 2012 to 80% currently, most consumers now know exactly what they should be getting from a wireless carrier. As a result, the survey shows that 60% of those surveyed are not happy "with their connectivity," and are ready to switch.

Other results of the survey reveal that 62% have concerns about the security of their financial transactions. Not surprisingly, a whopping 83% are not happy about ads ruining their mobile experience. It seems hard to believe, but only 47% are concerned with privacy and security on their wireless device.


With smartphone sales growth expected to register a figure under double digits this year, the survey revealed that in 2015 only 13% were planning on buying a new smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC over the coming 12 months. That was a 60% decline from the 33% that were planning on making such a purchase during 2015. 41% of those buying a new phone this year are doing so in order to snag the "newest and most innovative features."

Here is the challenge for carriers in the years ahead. 71% of those surveyed said that they would pay a carrier higher rates for better connectivity. Some might argue that this is Verizon's business plan in the U.S. This shows why Verizon continues to grow despite being one of the costliest wireless providers in the states (if not THE highest priced carrier). And 83% stated that they would buy more products and services from carriers if they could speed up the pace of problem resolution.

Other results of the survey show that 81% are watching online movies, and 69% are playing online games. And Good news for Apple, Samsung, Google and LG. 50% are already using a mobile payment service.


Accenture survey reveals that the majority of consumers are ready to switch to another mobile operator

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source: Accenture

Monday, April 4, 2016

 Man sues LG after Optimus F6 explodes in his pants, causing severe burns

Man sues LG after Optimus F6 explodes in his pants, causing severe burns

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Muhammad Sattar is suing LG in a federal court in Brooklyn after the IT specialist's LG Optimus F6 exploded in his pants pocket on January 13th of this year. The explosion caused 2nd and 3rd-degree burns on Sattar's hand and right leg. As a result of necessary skin grafts, he missed at least a month of work at the Manhattan investment bank that employs him.

Sattar said that he had been using the LG Optimus F6 for months when it burst into flames. His attorney, Lawrence Gold­hirsch, said "It was just in his pocket, sitting there, and it blew up." The phone was launched in the U.S. on September 11th, 2013.


After the explosion, Sattar was taken immediately to Weill Cornell Medical Center. There, he was admitted to the hospital's burn center.



LG Optimus F6

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source: NYPost
 How to add Android apps and games to your Google Play wishlist

How to add Android apps and games to your Google Play wishlist

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Ever wanted to buy something from Google Play, but couldn't do it right away (not enough credit/money being one of the reasons)? Well, no worries: you can save any Google Play item in a personal wishlist so you don't forget to get it later. 

Google Play features wishlists since almost four years ago, making it easy for users to save apps, games, music, and other content that they can't (or don't want to) download immediately on their Android phone or tablet. 

Adding items to your Google Play wishlist is easy. After you open the Google Play app on your Android device and start browsing for apps or other content, you'll notice a three-dot button next to each item that you're discovering. Tapping on that button brings up a few options, including adding the item to your wishlist - it's that simple. The three-dot button also shows up when you're searching for a specific app, so you can add stuff to your wishlist from the search results tab, too. Moreover, whenever you open an app's description page, you'll see a + button: this can also be used to add the respective app to the wishlist. 


To manage your wishlist, open the main Google Play menu (by tapping the three-line button seen in the upper left corner, or by simply swiping the screen from the left edge to the right). When the menu is open, you'll see a Wishlist tab. Tapping on it lets you check out everything that's been added to the wishlist. Once again, each item has a three-dot button next to it - from where you can directly install, or remove it from the wishlist. 

Google Play's wishlist is useful not just in the case of paid content. Sometimes, if you're on a cellular connection, you may want to save data, so you add items to the wishlist, and revisit it when you can start downloading via Wi-Fi.




How to add content to your Google Play wishlist

1. First things first - open up the Google Play app.

2. When you see an app that you want to add to your wishlist, tap on the thee-dot button next to it. We've chosen Alto's Adventures for this example.

3. Then, (obviously) tap on Add to wishlist - and you're done.

4. You can also add an item to the wishlist from its description page by tapping on that + button (above the Install button).

5. To access your wishlist, open the Google Play menu by tapping the three-line button seen in the upper left corner...

6. ... and tap on Wishlist.

7. Now you can see all the items saved in the wishlist, and install or remove them with ease.
Now you can see all the items saved in the wishlist, and install or remove them with ease.
5 Android and iPhone RPG games you should check out

5 Android and iPhone RPG games you should check out

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Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to sharpen your steel swords and put on those iron shields; to stack up on health potions and to make sure you have your best amulets on; to charge up your mana bars and to cast your most powerful auras. Those ogres and dark mages aren't going to slay themselves, you know. It is your duty and destiny to lead a party into the dark kingdoms and fight off the evil scum that lurks there. 


After an introduction this epic it should be clear that we spent the weekend playing RPGs. To be more specific, we tried out a whole bunch of titles belonging to the genre in search of the best among them. And this is what we got – here are 5 RPG games for Android and iPhone we think you should try.


Soda Dungeon





This is the RPG we spent the most time on this weekend, and for a number of reasons: it is fun, addictive, easy to play, and the few ads that appear have a minimal impact on the experience. The game revolves around battling groups of enemies in a turn-based fashion, with an epic boss battle every 10 levels. In return for your efforts you get new weapons, armor, and items augmenting your heroes' powers. Speaking of heroes, you may hire up to 5 of them. You can lead them into battle by yourself, or switch to Auto mode, where the game handles most of the action for you.


Where's the soda, you ask? Well, it is served in the tavern, and the tavern is where you hire heroes from. The better the sodas offered there, the higher the rank of the heroes available for hire will be. Therefore, spending money on upgrading the tavern is extremely beneficial.




Soda Dungeon

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Dash Quest


Download: Android | iOS (Both free with IAPs)


It is fascinating how mashing up several different game concepts can yield great results. Dash Quest is an endless runner with RPG elements – you equip your hero with better gear, you use spells against the enemies, you gain skill points as you progress, you know the drill. At the same time, the game is very easy to control thanks to its vertical orientation and tap-based combat mechanics. With each battle you gain experience and gold, the latter being used to buy better weapons and armor, as well as to unlock new magic spells. 




Dash Quest

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The Greedy Cave


Download: Android (Free) | iOS ($0.99) (Contains IAPs)


It is bad to be greedy, as this game will clearly show you why. Long story short, your goal is to explore a cave full of bad guys. Without dying, of course. This will cause you to lose the loot you've collected. You will also lose it if you choose to go back to town. Only the high-quality items you've collected will remain in your inventory. You will gain experience and grow stronger over time, which will allow you to reach further into the cave – to obtain stronger weapons and armor, to develop more of your skills. The cartoonish visual style makes The Greedy Cave even more enjoyable to play.




The Greedy Cave

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The Last Vikings


Download: Android | iOS (Both free with IAPs)


Fun fact: vikings never had horned helmets, despite the way they're often portrayed in movies, in semi-accurate historical drawings, and in this game. But nevertheless, The Last Vikings takes you on an enjoyable quest to restore the vikings' former glory. You'll be raiding and looting villages, you'll be obtaining powerful weapons and building strong ships, you'll be fighting mythical creatures of immense powers. With over 50 viking heroes to unlock, this game will keep you coming back for more.




The last vikings

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Extreme Jobs Knight's Assistant


Download: Android | iOS (Both free with IAPs)


And lastly, here's a game that you'll either uninstall immediately or fall in love with. Most people seem to be on the latter side, judging by its 5-star rating. So, as the title implies, you're the assistant of a knight. A very cocky knight, to put it lightly. Your main goal is to collect the loot for him, as that's what assistants are for. You'll be scolded if you slack off, just so you know. But there's more. The game gives you plenty of upgrade options for your knight, allowing him to be stronger against the enemies. You'll get even more loot in return to invest in further upgrades.




Knight's Assistant

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