IPHONE 5S GOLD AND DIAMONDS

A jewelry designs an iPhone 5S gold and diamonds valued at a million dollars

When Apple launched its range of iPhone 5s in gold for the Asian market , nothing to presage a new eccentricity. Now a London jewelry designs a terminal of 24 carat gold and 700 diamonds. It is worth a million dollars .

Welcome to excess, in times of economic crisis. If the iPhone is a luxury in many of the countries where it is sold , especially in those who manufacture , now a jewelry brand extravagance noted.

Team Alchemist London Jewelers has designed an iPhone 5s in gold and diamonds valued at £ 600,000 or a million dollars ( 720,700 euros).

This luxurious design, the back of the phone is finished in 24 carat gold . It also has 700 individual diamonds, of which 50 of them were used to recreate the apple or Apple logo.

Also , not to miss anything , the navigation of the iPhone is also lined with gold, but incorporates a two-carat diamond in the center.

Jewelers packaged this luxurious limited edition of this iPhone 5s for millionaires in an exclusive box with charger and USB cable.

London Alchemist specializes in customizing mobile and portable tablets or company. In this case, your iPhone million dollar cost over seven months to design and market do not expect more than two units .

WACOM DIGITAL INK FOR ANY OS

Wacom has an 'open' digital ink for any OS

This ink, which may take the appearance of a pen, pencil or brush may be used on different operating systems and allow us to draw or take notes from to modify and share documents online.

The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona continues to talk about. Now is the turn of Wacom Company, which has submitted WILL (Wacom Ink Layer Language), a digital ink 'open', ie allowing use on different operating systems and applications and store data. 

Among its options, WILL have interchangeable colors and can be extended with different screen 'tips': pencil, pen, brush ... Users will be networked and work on documents at the same time, much like Google Drive. 


The company has also advanced that she may sign official documents or certificates, integrate images or displays the status of someone or something on a map. The intention is that the user feels as if using a conventional pen.


As it is open, Wacom puts his ink available to all interested companies. The director of the company, Masahiko Yamada, explained that being able to use touch or technological lead pencils form an identification number.

THE BACON CLOCK

The bacon becomes clock , with sound and smell

The Oscar Mayer Bacon Institute for Advanced Technologies has developed an alarm clock for iOS that will make the alarm stop hating .

Who does not like to be served breakfast in bed? The Oscar Mayer Bacon Institute for Advanced Technologies - do not miss the humor has developed an alarm clock for iOS that will make the alarm stop hating . Using a gadget connected to the iPhone , it will start to spray smell freshly made bacon while listening how to fry in the pan.

To start waking up so willingly , you only need to enter the App Store and download the aicación Oscar Mayer Wake Up & Smell the Bacon. Yes, get the device that sprays the appetizing smell is more complicated.

The Oscar Mayer Bacon Institute for Advanced Technologies has decided not to market the gadget and will get to participate in a draw between 3 March and 4 April in which you must correctly answer three questions about the taste of bacon .

So only a lucky few will enjoy these awakenings smelling bacon . To promote the app and gadget , the Oscar Mayer have an ad in which the protagonist uses the application and the device and develop their dreams in a world where even the roses are strips of bacon .

FACEBOOK DRONES

Facebook wants to use drones to reach areas that do not have Internet 

The project of the company Marc Zuckerberg would use about 11,000 flying robots to access 5,000 million people worldwide. 

Facebook would already negotiating with the manufacturer of drones Titan Aerospace agreement for acquisition by a figure could be around 43,600 million euros. 

Titan Aerospace manufactures robots that fly at high altitudes and are able to stay aloft for up to five years within the atmosphere. 

Marc Zuckerberg's company would be interested in your ability to send satellite services, so that no areas without Internet access. 

Facebook is estimated to need about 11,000 drones, Solara model 60, ​​to facilitate the connection of some 5,000 million people worldwide, within their Internet.org initiative.

ASTEROID 22:O7

A new 30-meter asteroid happened today very close to Earth

The new asteroid passed us over just 0.9 times the Moon's distance, so that you can consider , by protocol, as a potentially dangerous astronomical phenomenon .

At 22:07 , CET , the asteroid named 2014 DX110 approached very close to the Earth , just under 350,000 kilometers or 0.9 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

"It's a very safe distance , but still a very spectacular phenomenon," explains some of those responsible for the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy , led by Dr. Gianluca Pasi , via Web The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0.

This time , the asteroid's trajectory is much closer to us than the spotted by astronomers in recent months . Above all, the most recent, 2000 EM26 , which was classified as " potentially dangerous" , but pass " near " Earth nearly nine dots, just last February 18 distances.

Hence the phenomenon of the night, a " gall " authentic only 0.9 lunar distances , are, per protocol , cataloged just as potentially dangerous.

However, such sightings are considered common within the scientific community, due to the sensitivity and precision of the instruments we use to scan the sky, as reported by Antonio Pérez Verde.

Increasingly frequent location asteroid whose path crosses areas relatively close to our planet, although it is virtually nonexistent real hazard. Not surprisingly, phenomena like this, your today at 22.07 hours , half occur twice a month . Carpe diem , just in case .

PS4

6 million PlayStation 4 sold

The launch in the Japanese country has boosted sales of the console.

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that PlayStation 4 has sold over 6 million units just four months after its release , including 370,000 units sold since its launch in Japan on February 22 .

As the manufacturer claims , in addition to software sales also remain strong PS4 , with more than 13.7 million copies sold in retail stores worldwide and through digital downloads on the PlayStation Store. Some of the best selling titles have been Shadow Fall Killzone , Call of Duty: Ghosts , Assasin 's Creed : IV Black Flag or FIFA14 .

Moreover , users are also involved through PlayStation App , which has been installed on more than 3.6 million times since March 2 , allowing users to purchase content via PlayStation Store and exchange messages with friends via PSN. "I am absolutely delighted that PS4 has had a great start in Japan," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. " The responses we have received from the integrated system in the PS4 social skills have been phenomenal , and I could not be more excited because players are using these features to participate, share , play and connect with users around the world. "

PlayStation 4 was launched on 15 November in the U.S. and later, on November 29 in Europe. It is currently available in 57 countries worldwide .

YOTAPHONE 2

The two YotaPhone dazzles at Mobile World Congress

Journalists believe that the Russian smartphone YotaPhone 2 is one of the five best news on mobile devices among all that has been on display in Barcelona.

Russia's Yota Devices has unveiled the prototype of the second generation of its smartphone at the Mobile World Congress 2014 exhibition which took place in Barcelona on 24 and 27 February.
Journalists create the top 5 of the Russian exhibition included among the most innovative device with the Nokia X , the ZTE C Open the Samsung Galaxy blackphone and S5 .
The public could see a test pattern, although it was only a copy of exposure, so that in practice it was impossible to assess their technical qualities. For this reason the expert community has not been able to assess all the advantages of the new apparatus . Despite which , it has already achieved many positive reviews for his appearance .
Among those who have praised the novelty of YotaPhone is Sergey Tikhonov , communications manager Sviaznoi group of companies , one of the largest retail groups in Russia.
" The new device works on all GSM/3G network systems and of course with the LTE standard . , This device has a universal electronic ink display that is always on. Smartphone If the battery runs out , simply go to this screen important information , for example an airline ticket , a map , an address or a phone that you need , and this will remain accessible even when you have finished the battery completely , "he says 

It is known that YotaPhone 2 has many improvements over the first. The phone has a new design, more rounded . The second screen , the main feature of the device can now be used much more actively. Thanks to her own can answer calls and work with SMS messages for 50 hours.

Thus you can access virtually all major functions without using the main screen , which can significantly save the battery charge .
The two screens keep the possibility of working with gloves (remember that its main competitor the iPhone5S not have this function ) .
The new YotaPhone 2 improved in every way, should begin to be marketed in late 2014 . According to information from El País in Spain will sell for 499 euros . There are grounds to assume that the new version will be most in demand in the market that the first version of YotaPhone .

MORE INFORMATION IN THE WEBSITE:

http://yotaphone.com/ # / es /

INFORMATIC VIRUS

A computer virus that can be spread through the air 

This virus was like a virus in the air traveling through the wireless network via access points.

Researchers at Liverpool University have shown for the first time that wireless networks can be infected with a virus and it can move through densely populated areas as efficiently as a common cold is spread between humans.

For this work , which has been published in Journal on Information Security , the team designed and simulated an attack by a virus , called " Chameleon " , and proved that not only could spread rapidly among households and businesses, but was able to avoid detection and to identify the points where the wifi is less protected by encryption and passwords.

The study was tested in Belfast and London in a laboratory setting and found that Chameleon resembled a virus in the air, traveling through the wireless network via access points ( APs) that connects households and undertakings to wifi networks.

The areas that are more densely populated with more and more access points next to each other , which meant that the virus spreads more rapidly, particularly through networks that can be connected within 10 to 50 meters.

One of the authors , Alan Marshall , explained that " when Chameleon attacks an AP , does not affect its operation, but is able to gather and communicate user credentials wifi that connected to it." " The virus then sought other wifi access points that could connect to and infect " he added . Finally , Chameleon was able to avoid being captured by the virus detection systems that are present on the internet or computers.

"Although many access points are sufficiently encrypted and password protected , the virus simply went ahead to find those who were not heavily protected points including free wifi in public places like coffee shops and airports," the authors note .

As explained , the wifi connections are increasingly a target for hackers because of security vulnerabilities that exist . "However , it was assumed that it was not possible to develop a virus that could attack the wifi networks , but we have shown that this is possible and can spread rapidly ," concluded Marshall.

SMERTPHONES FIREFOX OS

Smartphones Firefox OS promises 

$ 25 

The Mozilla mobile OS has starred in many new features, including new terminals Alcatel, ZTE and Huawei.

While other phones are stealing the headlines, there are also developments in the world of low-cost operating system for mobile and emerging markets. The main thing is that Spreadtrum , designer of chips for mobile platforms racing far ahead with Qualcomm and Mediatek , announced the SC6821 chipset , which will produce smartphones with Firefox OS for $ 25 .

In addition, the Mozilla Foundation has also unveiled a called terminal Flame T2Mobile China that will manufacture and sell only online . The goal is to become the reference device , a similar role in meeting the Nexus in the Android ecosystem . It will have a dual core 1.2 Ghz and will cost $ 100.

Telefónica, the multinational telecommunications that has supported the system, has reiterated that it will continue extending the countries in which it operates . Indeed , the refusal of WhatsApp to take your application to Firefox OS , says still negotiating to change his mind and expects the purchase by Facebook pave the way . Vodafone has also joined the project , which are twenty other operators, including Deutsche Telekom , Sprint and America Movil.

new terminals                                                                    

Besides the terminal pioneer Geeksphone Spanish , there are currently three mobile available: Alcatel One Touch Fire , LG and ZTE Fireweb Open . The MWC have presented seven other devices, including a tablet. The Huawei Ascend II will be similar to Y300 Y300 but Firefox will come equipped with Android OS instead . It will be the first with this operating system for the Chinese company.

Meanwhile , ZTE has presented at MWC two new ZTE Open series system equipped with Mozilla: ZTE ZTE Open C and Open II. The brand expects to sell more than a million of these handsets during 2014. The first will come with a Qualcomm dual-core processor at 1.2 Ghz and Firefox OS 1.3 and will be marketed by Movistar in Spain . It will be launched in six colors , dark blue , light blue, turquoise, red, white and orange. The second is a successor to the ZTE Open, Telefónica launched in July 2013.

Finally , Alcatel has presented its new range OnteTouch Fire , consisting of three mobile phones and a tablet. The cheaper, the Fire C , has a 3.5-inch screen and 480x320 pixel resolution , dual core processor at 1.2 GHz and 0.3 megapixel camera . Meanwhile, the Fire Fire E and S represent a leap into the middle range , with 4.5-inch screen and a resolution of 960x540 pixels. The former is more basic and has dual-core processor and five megapíxesles camera , while the second has four cores , eight megapixel camera and 4G connection .

The tablet , called Fire 7 , has as expected with a 7 inch screen . Its resolution is 960x540 pixels, which seems rather low for a device of this size, but remember we're talking about devices that do not know the price, but it is assumed will be very cheap. There have been many more details , apart from indicating which features dual core processor 1.2 GHz the same as everyone else .

DROPLETON

Discover dropletón, quantum droplet 

Physicists in Germany and the USA have first described a type of quasi-particle composed of a bunch of electrons and holes.

A team of researchers from the University of Marburg (Germany ) and JILA (University of Colorado - Boulder NIST) has been found in semiconductor center means a new quasi-particle : the dropleton . The work is published this week in the journal Nature.

Quantum excitations are quasiparticles formed by smaller particles that together act like one predictable behavior. An example is the exciton , integrated by an electron and a hole ( where the electron could be but is not ) cuasipartícula attached by electrostatic forces . "We're talking about five droplets with five holes and electrons ," says one of the researchers

The dropletón is the sum of a small group of excitons , ie , a few photons and condense gaps for a second ( 25 picoseconds, or 25 billionths of a second) as the liquid droplets .

Its properties and appearance of " droplet " ( droplet , ) have inspired scientists to christen the new quasiparticle as dropletón . In Spanish it would be something like " gotitón " . It also has a structure and quantum characteristics different from those of other known .

" The droplets of electrons and holes in semiconductors are known , but usually contain billions of these electrons and holes ," explains Steven Cundiff JILA physicist , one of the authors . " We're talking about five droplets with five holes and electrons ."

To create the new quasi-particles have been used ultrafast laser pulses . With them has generated the hole and electron plasma necessary to produce excitons , of which after the dropletones arise .

Weather relatively "long" life makes these quasiparticles stable enough to facilitate the study of quantum interactions between light and matter. According to the researchers , their detection is of interest in the field of fundamental physics .

"Regarding the practical benefits , no one will create a gizmo quantum dots , but this has indirect benefits to improve our understanding of how electrons interact in various situations, including optoelectronic devices ," said Cundiff .

CHINA MWC (NEW TECH)

Devices that come from China MWC

Lenovo , ZTE , Huawei and Oppo are positioned as the leading Chinese manufacturers , while not the only ones. The first three showed new devices at Mobile World Congress, while waiting for Oppo March.

Huawei MediaPad X1 . Huawei introduced this giant 7 inch (1920 x 1200) and quad-core processor at 1.6 GHz Your screen and design are two of his greatest virtues and, in principle , should compete with terminals as Nexus 7 or Kindle HDX .

Huawei TalkBand B1. Huawei also targeted fashion bracelets smart TalkBand B1, a device with a very similar to Gear Fit design, the Samsung wristwatch . Of course, nobody can accuse anyone of plagiarism , as were a day apart.

Lenovo S860 . The Lenovo phone combines elegant design with metal body with a 5-inch screen with a 1280 x 720 reslución ; decent , but nothing amazing . The best is , in principle, the battery life of 4000 mAh

Lenovo Yoga 10 HD + . A new version of the Android Tablet Lenovo notable for its design and improved ergonomics allowing it to hold its own. Holds up to 18 hours of moderate use and has power to move any application without problem .

Omate TrueSmart . ZTE , Lenovo and Huawei are the big brands, but there are smaller ones that have achieved success. Is Omate case , which grossed over a million dollars on Kickstarter for smart watch . The interface reminiscent of Windows Phone , but it is an Android device with 5 megapixel camera and dual-core processor .

Grand ZTE Memo II. Behind a rather unfortunate name hides a phone with a 6-inch screen , careful design and optimum performance. It seems that ZTE think size matters , as it was the only Android device presented at MWC .

C. Open ZTE ZTE is also concerned about the low-end market and continues its commitment to OS Firefox . The Open C will not surprise anyone by their performance and features, but is not its goal . Its design makes it one of the terminals Firefox OS more care.

ZTE Open II. Other phone Firefox OS , although in this case it is even cheaper device. 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of storage recall the principles of the smart phone , but it will make mobile affordable.

NOKIA PHONES

Nokia introduces its X range of Android phones

The first Android phones of Nokia , aimed at the low end , have an interface similar to Windows Phone .

                                      
Nokia has presented Monday at the Mobile World Congress 2014 its range of Nokia devices based X Android Open Source Project ( AOSP ) . While compatible with Android applications, X Nokia devices are customized to include Microsoft cloud and applications of both companies, as well as a screen similar to Windows Phone start . Applications can be downloaded via the Nokia Store, a store that includes 600,000 of the 800,000 apps in the present of Google Play Store .

Nokia X Nokia Nokia X + and XL are the three devices presented Monday in Barcelona, ​​with prices of 89 , 99 and 109 euros , respectively. The aim of the company recently acquired by Microsoft would attack the low end in Europe, where Asha , which works well in emerging markets, not just throw .

The most basic model, the Nokia X has a 4-inch touchscreen , Qualcomm Snapdragon processor dual core 1 GHZ , Dual SIM , 3MP camera and 512MB of RAM. Includes exclusive Nokia services like Nokia Maps or MixRadio Here . It is available in six different colors at a price of 89 euros .

On the other hand , the Finnish brand has introduced NokiaX + , a device similar to NokiaX but expands its RAM to 768MB memory and includes a 4GB microSD card. It has the same display , processor and camera that NokiaX . It will be available for 99 euros.  

 Finally, Nokia has introduced the last device in the X range, the NokiaXL , increasing your screen until 5 inch memory 768MB of RAM- the same as for the NokiaX + - , 5 megapixel camera and extends its battery at the 2,000 mAh . The other features are identical to the previous X Nokia devices, same processor and same compatibility with Android applications . The price will be 109 euros .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                           

                                            


                                            

           

TELEGRAM EXPLODE

Telegram explode like WhatsApp...

At 19:25 CET , WhatsApp stopped working . Fifteen minutes later , not to be outdone Telegram and stopped working . The mobile app for both iOS - Telegram and Android - did not show the " tick " confirms sending messages to the server normally.
The news spread like wildfire and everyone echoed what happened first Telegram and, this fall , in their profiles of the various social networks , where there seems to be rife panic. In the networks explanation was that the fall Whatsapp , there has been a mass migration in a few minutes to Telegram , the flow of users is brutal , about 100 new records per second , exceeding expectations and caused their Telegram continuous failures .
Regarding Telegram, this was her golden opportunity to show that their service really is greater than your opponent , but apparently has been overtaken by circumstances. According put on his Twitter account : "We're getting 100 new registrations every second. Working hard to fix connection problems in Europe. "
So respondents from Telegram
On Friday in Telegram and had problems with their connections and they sent a message to its users:
Hello! Following recent events, Telegram instantly became popular in many countries around the world . For this reason , our team had to improve synchronization of contacts with local numbers , which have no country code or city.

Unfortunately, while trying to improve synchronization of contacts, we hurt yesterday for a short period of time. As a result , you should have been notified of random people from different countries by joining Telegram, and some of them could be a contacted.

The problem was solved yesterday. We made our best efforts to remove all imported contacts incorrectly . We regret all the inconveniences that we could have caused you .

WHATSAPP FAIL!!

WhatsApp again I stay 'hung'

The instant messaging application WhatsApp fell again on Saturday afternoon. Since 1930 , customers began to report the failure via social networks like Twitter. WhatsApp not only in Spain was hung , customers from countries like United States of America and other countries like Ecuador or Argentina also noted the fall of Service

Not the first time WhatsApp gets ' hung ' , but this time it is especially remarkable since the glitch has occurred a few days after his score was announced acquisition by Facebook . This has resulted CIRCUMSTANCES jokes among its users has been conjectured between the buying and the application crash .

However , as explained a few days ago WORLD Mauro Fuentes, director of social media agency Ogilvy in Spain , the acquisition " should be no difference [ for users ] perhaps leave Facebook to connect WhatsApp for to write from there but the bottom [ of the purchase ] is based on information that those 450 million users WhatsApp can bring to the ecosystem of Facebook and Instagram "explains .

The company has explained through his profile on Twitter , WhatsApp Status , where usually target users in case there are service outages that are " experiencing service problems " and expect " to be back recovered soon "

Facebook and three days ago and already bought whatsapp was dropped twice in less than 24H. 

THIS PROMISES!

GOOGLE

Project Tango: Google working on a phone that creates 3-D maps of their environment

The terminal has Android operating system with sensors capable of generating more than 250,000 3D measurements per second.

Technology giant Google has announced it is working on a smart phone called " Tango" which is equipped with 3-D sensors that allow you to instantly create a three dimensional model of the surrounding space .

The company moved it will release the first prototypes of this device on 14 March and is looking for partners and creative minds to exploit the possibilities of this initiative, which is " in the early days " of the transition from laboratories research into the hands of users .

" We are looking for professional developers who dream of creating more than a touch screen application ," Google said in the website "Tango Project" .

This device is the work of the Project Group and Advanced Technologies (ATAP , for its acronym in English ) , a division of Motorola that Google decided to leave when he sold the old mobile manufacturer to China's Lenovo in late January .

Google hopes to design three-dimensional maps with ability to locate the exact point of any object or augmented reality applications , with potential uses for video games or advertising.

" Although we believe that we know where we will take this technology , history suggests that we be humble in our predictions ," said the California firm .

The prototype is a mobile phone there is now 12.7 inches containing hardware and software designed to capture three-dimensional movement of the device , its sensors are capable of 250,000 measurements per second , and at the same time create a map of your environment .

SAMSUNG WATCH

Next watch Samsung is not Android

Will be released with the Tizen operating system, based on Linuz and made by exdesarrolladores MeeGo .

Recently it came to light that Samsung had the opportunity to buy at the time, or at least invest in Android, when it was just a project for a small company of eight people. South Korea jumped at the opportunity and was Google who became the operating system . Years later, he is the most popular mobile ecosystem in the world.

Although based on open source software and is very juicy for manufacturers so cheap, Google controls Android quite far , especially the services must be associated with it. And that translates into huge profits by using applications such as email, YouTube, etc. .

Not easy to penetrate this market right now , unless you're Apple , which hit before and develops smartphones that sell for millions despite making war on their own. Microsoft is trying with Windows Phone , but even though analysts predict that there will come a time when it has a significant share for now is very low compared to Android.

After hatching of the first smartphones and tablets later, right now we live in the first steps of a new category of mobile devices: wearable . In English ' wearables ' , these devices we carry are those that monitor our activity and can take the form of a bracelet, watch , glasses or even shirts .

It is a very lucrative market , not only for the money that can come from the sale of devices but also the associated data . And Samsung does not want the same thing happened with Android to occur. Now that these devices are not yet in the minds of all consumers, now that there is a large installed base and now that there is a company that rule with an iron fist ... Try to be that company and not dance to playing another .

Thus , it makes sense that Samsung is planning to make a second version of its smartwatch , the Galaxy Gear, based Tizen OS. Apart from the changes you need to watch , it would be an important step in Samsung's strategy to enhance it 's own ' software ' . This operating system has been sponsored by the Linux Foundation and its development is led by Intel, Samsung and former MeeGo developers , Tizen 's predecessor .

Developers can create applications for Tizen in HTML5 or native libraries with Enlightenment Foundation . The negative part of it is that although it has been constructed taking open code base , the latest version of Tizen SDK has a Samsung proprietary code .

The purpose and the reasons are quite clear Samsung : Tizen go to conquering a fairly virgin territory while working to get the operating system also made ​​a dent in smartphones and mobile , where Google is king.

KAZAM UNVEILS

Kazam unveils its first LTE phone

The phone will be launched in the second quarter.

Kazam has announced the launch of three new ranges of phones, among which stands out the first LTE phone manufacturer european phones, the 4.5L Thunder Kazam .

The range will launch Kazam Thunder early in the second quarter of 2014 and will include the first LTE phone brand . Terminals will be quad-core range consists porKhazam Kazam 4.5L and 5 . Furthermore, Kazam has updated its range of phones Troper , which will feature four new models from 4 to 6 inches .

"The demand for LTE phones continues to grow across Europe. Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to the market and our ability to react

quickly ," says the CEO of Kazam , Michael Coombes .

Kazam is focusing on areas of easy conventional phones to use, which will have Smart SOS emergency button that activating it , call immediately to five pre- selected contacts , passing from one to another in case you skip the voicemail.

"In the dynamic mobile industry is not enough to pretend, Kazam must continue to innovate in areas where competition overlooked. Along these lines, the company is taking a new approach and will continue to raise difficult questions to change the conventional " said James Atkins, CMO KAZAM .

And if you care know more of Kazam and phones visit the website:

http://www.kazam.mobi/

NOKIA'S LUMIA

Nokia's new Lumia hopes to stand out like an Icon

The latest Windows Phone flagship has an impressive 5-inch screen, the ups and audio quality with emphasis on imagery With An on video.

NEW YORK - Of all the hurdles facing new CEO Satya Nadella , Microsoft 's lack of standing in mobile is Perhaps the Most imposing . Windows Phone Remains a distant third in a smartphone operating system battle that's Been a two -team race Among Android and iOS .

There's a glimmer of hope . ACCORDING to fourth- quarter figures Reported by IDC , Windows Phone market share rose nearly 47 % year over year , the best result of any leading contender , though share That Remains mired in the low single digits . Most of the Increase can be Attributed to Nokia , que Microsoft is in the end stages of Acquiring .

What happens to the Nokia brand under Microsoft 's new leadership needs to play out . But the Finnish phone giant That keeps delivering fine phones deserve recognition .

Next in line is the Nokia Lumia Icon That I've been testing, Also known as the Lumia 929. This latest flagship - a Windows Phone exclusive to Verizon Wireless - is not the thinnest or lightest (at 5.86 ounces ) phone around , but it belongs in the high -rent district . The aluminum ring rimming this polycarbonate rectangular slab Helps give the phone a premium feel. It comes in black ( like my unit test ) or white . It arrives Thursday for $ 199 with a two- year agreement.

You can not help but be impressed with the sharp 5 -inch, Gorilla Glass- protected Full HD OLED display , que can be made ​​out in direct sunlight . You can turn on a setting That bolsters the screen 's touch sensitivity , meaning you can interact with it wearing gloves , an act of mercy , Given the deluge of snow here in the Northeast .

Measures up Icon , specs- wise . Inside is a snappy Qualcomm quad -core processor , 2 gigabytes of RAM and 32 GB of storage sealed - with an additional 7 GB of free online storage provided via Microsoft 's SkyDrive (soon to be called OneDrive ) .

CROWN THE CAMERA

Most Notably , Icon camera borrows features from its sibling the Nokia Lumia 1020 , que September the bar high for smartphone photography .

The new phone does not match the 41- megapixel sizzle of the 1020 - Icon is at 20 megapixels - but it does have Carl Zeiss optics and Takes outstanding pictures and videos. After you snap a picture , Nokia condenses the image to a size that's Easier to share , while retaining Also a higher-resolution image . Incidentally , the 5 - inch display is larger than Icon the 4.5 - inch display on the 1020.

In the recent past , Nokia justifiably bragged about the photographic muscle built into its phones . This go-round , there Seems to be a heavier emphasis on video. The device is meant to appeal to the kind of consumer who captures quick videos and posts them to a popular social -media outlet : such as Vine.

A very nice feature lets you shoot video and digital stills holding the phone with one hand , while zooming in or out by swiping up or down with a single finger . (The swipe -to -zoom feature works on selfies , too . ) Optical image stabilization Helps compensate_for_errors the unavoidable jitters with video .

You get a full complement of hand controls (white balance , exposure settings , etc. . ) Inside the Nokia Camera app . Confusingly , there 's a separate Windows camera app , as well . I was quite pleased with the quality of the pictures and Most Of Videos That I took . Not everything I shot Emerged fully in focus - You Might blame the shooter for that - but the vibrant colors Were true to life . After taking a picture, You have the opportunity to reframe the image with a different display size (4:3 , 3:2 , 16:9 , 1:1).

Nokia 's camera software is extremely versatile but a tad overwhelming at first . I was bothered by a slight lag as the camera Focuses before snapping an image , I had to beef With the 1020. Also there's a bit of a delay between the time you press a dedicated camera button and the time the camera app springs to life . Consider These mere quibbles .

GOOD SOUND , GROWING APPS

Nokia significant attention paid to audio. The phone has four microphones That help deliver distortion - free high -quality directional stereo sound , best heard with headphones . In one exercise, I shot video of another phone blaring music, then watched ( and listened to) the video on the Icon . The music Sounded good . Nokia could not do much to block out wind noise During a video I shot walking my dog ​​.

I'm Comfortable with the live tile -based Windows Phone interface , but not everyone will be Recognize . With Windows Phone 8 , you can now display three columns of tiles at once . Windows is progressing on the app front - the platform now has north of 200,000 apps, including some key titles That had Been Missing , : such as Instagram. That still leaves rivals way behind Windows Phone , however.

You do get the Microsoft Office app on Icon , and the good news Is that Nokia supplies its own strong collection of apps, including Maps Here , Here Drive ( turn- by-turn directions ) , Creative Studio ( photo editing ) Cinemagraph ( blends photo and animation) and Nokia MixRadio ( free streaming music) .

Another cool app , called Nokia Beamer , lets you share what 's on your phone screen on a bigger computer screen . To make it work , you go to beam.nokia.com using the browser on the computer you want to display Whose use . With the Icon 's camera , you scan the QR code beam.nokia.com That Appears on the site . From there, you're good to go .

With proper accessories , you can take advantage of wireless charging . I did not run on a formal battery test , but the phone held in the normal use its own , thanks to the hefty battery on board .

Icon is a solid device Easily That I can recommend to Windows Phones fans, Especially Those into photography . But I do not think Icon is enough of an iconic device to get the Android or iPhone devotee to convert to Windows.

PS4

Sales of PlayStation 4 top 5.3 million

Video game players can not seem to get enough of Sony 's latest home console .

The company Announced Global sales of the PS4 topped 5.3 million as of February 8, With the device slated to launch in Sony 's home country of Japan this Saturday .

" That I am thrilled so many customers around the globe have continued to select PS4 as the best place to play THROUGHOUT the holiday season and beyond , " said Andrew House, President and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment , in a statement .

The PS4 was the top -selling console in the U.S. last month , According to data from NPD Group. In a separate statement , said U.S. sales of Sony PS4 nearly Doubled That of the " next-gen nearest competitor , of" which was Microsoft 's Xbox One

Microsoft has not revealed new sales figures since January, When They Announced Xbox One topped sales 3 million for 2013 .

Next month Should serve as a critical test for Both consoles , With several high profile video games including launching the first- person shooter for Xbox Titanfall One and action game inFamous : Second Son for PS4 .

TERMITES ROBOTIC

Termites robotic automata capable of constructing buildings

This just done in Harvard University , where a research team has created small robots inspired by termites and how they work can build complex structures independently, without following complicated plans or guidelines given by a central brain that directs operation .
As the authors describe in a paper published in the journal Science , the user only has to specify the structure you want and termites robotic system gets to work autonomously develop simple rules that allow them to carry out the construction . Robots used only seven infrared sensors to detect the black and white patterns with bricks and operate with them. Following are equipped with a system that allows them to climb the structure itself that they are creating and five ultrasonic sensors to assess their own position and keep the distance around the perimeter of the ' building ' .
Unlike termites, humans need complicated plans to carry out complex structures. However, these animals build nests several meters high, hundreds of times the size of these insects , without a detailed plan or a foreman giving orders to the worker termites . Only build its congeners are playing where and how to interpret the environment where to put the mound carrying each. Somehow, these robotic termites act the same way.